Bonded Summoner

Their family arriving next to the empowered [Hearth of the Refuge], Ophelia summoned Valora immediately took off to Life’s Haven.

Taking flight, she flew as fast as she could towards Cascadia as Jake and the rest did their best to recover. The truth was, they were already exhausted. Fighting the giant demon, followed by facing off against the enemy Champions and Enforcer was painstakingly difficult.

Fhesiah said to Dave, “Thank you for your help, Davonius. Things might not have looked good without your aid.”

Dave smiled, and Jake could tell his heart swelled with pride. “My pleasure, your eminence! I shall strive to improve myself. I know if I was as strong as Chief Vesuvius, my aid would have been even more impactful. I shall leave you to recover, for I know the fight is not yet won.”

He left through the Life’s Haven portal.

Fhesiah gave Jake a tired, yet proud smile. “Just a little more, husband. Then we’ll take a well-deserved break.”

Berri swayed back and forth and clapped. “I can’t wait! Oh, it’s going to be so much fun! Er, but wait. I’m mad at you. You owe me a game of baseball!” Berri frowned at Fhesiah cutely, and Jake couldn’t help but wryly smile. She was definitely cute when she was mad.

“Oh? And just why would that be?”

“You tricked me! I know you went after that spider guy because you knew fighting the flea would be grosser!“

Fhesiah tapped her lip. “Hmm, let me see here. I tricked you by facing a target that I was ill-equipped to face, by not facing the parasite when you were left in a little bit of a stupor from the mental attack? Tell me, just how would I have fought the flea effectively, without bathing the forest in flames and killing all the Auril Beasts, our friends? I’m sure Tanda and our beastkin brethren just would have loved that. No, I think if anyone owes anyone anything, it’s probably Ophelia for having to fly everywhere and miss out on a few moments of rest.”

Jake understood what Fhesiah was saying. Her method of fighting with maximum endurance was by spreading her flames and reusing them. If she did that, she’d have slaughtered all the dinosaurs.

It seemed Berri understood this too. “Er…” She sighed. “Fighting that guy just made me so angry! I guess I used you as a goat scraper. I’m sorry, Fay-fay.”

Tanda giggled, her tail wagging. “A what? What is that?”

Blood groaned. “She meant scapegoat.”

Jake chuckled. “We all had it pretty rough. Don’t worry, Berri. You’ll get your game of baseball soon enough. Alliance HQ should have a gravity field soon, then we can really tune the experience, even for our insane attributes.”

Berri beamed. “Yay! It was all worth it! I’m also finally going to be even bigger!”

Tanda looked at her with a frown. “Bigger? You look…just about the same?”

Berri smirked. “Hmph. You’ll see. Any second now.”

Ophelia’s voice rung in their minds. [I’ll be in range shortly. Prepare to Reverse Summon.]

Fhesiah said, “Well, that was…something. Let’s get this over with, so we can finally enjoy ourselves a bit? We may need to rush to the other Greater Rift, but with no risk of a Champion appearing, it should be a cakewalk.”

Arriving in Life’s Haven through their portal, Jake began casting [Reverse Summon]. Ira did what it could to speed up the effect, and Jake’s skin glimmered purple in the light.

The girls were ready. Having completed their Trial Tasks, they could each now summon their Divine. Hestia had certainly drawn from some of their Divine Energy, but she had saved just enough for them to have enough.

Jake eventually teleported through the void, arriving in the sky above Cascadia. Landing on Ophelia’s floating shield, he gaped at what he saw.contemporary romance

A giant tree was facing off against a massive Naga, and a near-mountain of bone was stacked up as a sort of ramp assaulting the wall of Cascadia. Two breaches allowed enemies into the wall, and there was fighting going on, on both sides of the wall.

Hundreds of dinosaurs attacked the flanks of the undead army, both the spriggons and their new orc and troll clans doing significant work to lessen the burden on the wall. The Elysians showed their prowess in the defense, along with the beastkin armed with auril weaponry.

Ultimately, the wall they managed to build in just a little over a month was impressive. Enhanced by some CP spending and living trees, anyone would think it nearly impossible to accomplish what they did.

However, it was more what Jake considered a baseline defense for a Tier 1 city. The beastkin had simply lived too long without war, and depended heavily on the geography to defend their villages and cities, as well as harmony with one another and the environment.

It was not a viable defense for a determined army or enemy, and it certainly wasn’t what Jake would want to face what was clearly a Tier 2 being–a boss level monster. The monster was nearly fifteen meters tall, its body a hulking mass even compared to the largest creatures they faced.

The King Naga could kill something like the wyvern alpha they faced on Ariminum in a single swing. The fact that their people stood up to it for any length of time was more than a little impressive to Jake.

It was a testament to all the hard work the Eternum, the beastkin, and the Elysian people had made to protect their home. The effectiveness of their efforts boded well for future defenses, even as they rose in Tier.

Jake called Fhesiah and Tanda, and even Bloodberri into the sky using [Call Summon]. Blood and Berri immediately cast their feather-fall spell, starting their snaking down toward the King Naga, with a beaming smile.

As Jake floated down toward the battlements, he pushed his veil, the [Aura of Heavenly Flames] so it enveloped the thousands of Alliance. They cheered as their Chief’s protection and empowerment covered them.

Berri shouted her prayer, from over a hundred meters above the King Naga. “Echidna, hear me! Make me big, so I can smash this jerk!”

Despite her ordering the goddess around, the Divine answered. Divine Energy surged, and filled Bloodberri’s body and maul with a blinding golden light. The power of beasts surged within her, and Jake once again felt like he was in a cage with a lion, even as far away from her as he was.

She grew nearly three times the size, making her still much smaller than the Tier 2 being, but large enough that she certainly couldn’t be ignored. Her drop sped up toward the King Naga, and it turned with its tridents at the ready–two large tridents, held by his many arms over its shoulders upward.

The siren sang from its shoulder, the auril and nethril stirring from the waters. The water of different colors gathered around the tridents, and Bloodberri filled her body with light and dark.

Jake’s eyebrows rose in surprise, noticing the two combatants strangely appropriate for one another.

The [Maul of Hestia-Echidna] met the two tridents, an explosive wave of light and dark being released. Her tail spun behind forward from behind her, whipping with her downward momentum as she slung it forward.

Her body slammed into the King Naga and knocked it into the wall, where vines grasped around him as she landed on the ground. The treants worked hard to whip and stab into the monster, while various mages and druids cast spells to crash into the monster.

The spriggons all cheered, happy to see the object of their worship harm the giant monster so readily.

“Booberri!”

“Bloodberri!”

Looking over the battlefield, if the King Naga was taken care of, the fight would mostly be won. However, they had quite a bit of leeway. They could afford to go all out here, and just reserve Ophelia’s ability to call her Divine for later, in case they needed it at the Greater Rift.

Within a little over a week, they would be able to summon their Divine again thanks to the Refuge’s Hearth–provided they stayed there plenty.

Fhesiah looked over to the undead army. “Looks like I have my target.”

With the sun high in the sky, Fhesiah decided to stay as a Dragoness. “Bastet, I summon you. Destroy these undead with the glory of the sun.”

Fhesiah’s draconic and kitsune bloodline flames mixed with the Divine Energy, forming a majestic ball of flames. It shone like a second sun in the sky, its rays taking on a sacred quality. Rays like those on many Egyptian depictions of the sun appeared, beaming into the many undead like some kind of search light.

The light burned into the undead, and despite many necromancers and skeletal mages defending against the attack with barriers and shields, thousands of skeletons and zombified undead crumbled away just from these beams of light.

The sun’s rays even empowered and grew the vines and plants on the walls. They regrew rapidly, the breaches in the wall being healed by the many roots and vines filling in the gaps.

Launching the sphere of fire, Fhesiah sent it toward the center mass of the ship. Reinforcements had continued to appear from below the decks or as the ship peeled apart, the bone golems and monstrosities forming up to attack the walls.

The orb exploded, sending out a massive nova of white-hot flames and a massive crash. The fire engulfed everything within dozens of meters, destroying thousands of undead in a single moment. The flames spread as if hungry, engulfing the undead and turning them to dust.

Unlike Hestia’s attack on their arrival to Highlands, this was created only with what Fhesiah and Bastet had at their disposal. While not as impressive as Hestia’s sky cataclysm of flames, it didn’t draw anything from Jake’s bond using energy sharing.

The same could be said about Bloodberri’s call of Echidna, or Tanda’s call of Cernunnos against Apophis’s effigy.

Jake was unsure they could. Cernunnos appeared to draw upon their Hearth Mana, but only when called through Oran. It was an interesting detail that Jake would need to learn or understand more about.

Echidna aside, Fhesiah hadn’t been opposed to calling Bastet in the same way Jake called Hestia–she would have loved to see Bastet in the flesh. However, she sensed she was unable to.

Allowing Bloodberri to focus on the King Naga for now, Jake and Ophelia worked to clear their way to the battlements. Fhesiah and Tanda began to rain attacks down on the enemy, trying to clean up the enemy and support the Alliance army outside the walls.

The King Naga rose its body up, its auril shredding its vine bindings. It roared as its snake-like body shoved itself upright, its tridents piercing toward Bloodberri.

Her runes blazing, her tail coiled and swirled, and her bladed armor slammed into one trident, while the other was met with a powerful swing of her maul.

Blood cast [Weakness] and [Absorb Strength] one after the other, but the creature’s powerful will nearly shrugged the two spells completely off as the holy dark magic layered itself on top of their enemy. It seemed summoning Echidna’s power into them only marginally boosted their magic capabilities.

Using her dance, she pushed her Technique’s power to its limits against the larger foe. Twisting and twirling her body, the King Naga lacked the intelligence and skill to bring about the most power against Bloodberri.

The siren on its shoulder sung its song, the King Naga increasing its fervor. The tridents nearly blurred, and Bloodberri weaved it away from the wall. Raising herself up on her tail, she met the creature eye to eye.

Narrowing her eyes on the siren, Blood spotted her auril filled with taint. Her body was chained to the King Naga, scripts and markings trapping her in place.

Fhesiah chimed in everyone’s minds. [What strange bindings. Judging from Blood’s instincts, she has been tainted and bound, enslaved by the betrayers or perhaps the evil Champions.]

Tanda said, [Is there nothing we can do for them? These creatures are being controlled by Tartarus! They are native to Highlands, and they are being used for evil. If we kill them, they’ll be lost forever.]

Jake nodded. This was like the wyverns back on Ariminum. These creatures were being used against their will, and this Tier 2 creature was a part of the balance of the nature of Highlands. Jake was confident that they could kill it, but sending it off instead seemed a difficult challenge.

The siren and the King Naga appeared to be tainted. For the king, its auril appeared to take on a quality similar to nethril. Its anger and rage seemed insatiable.

Blood said, [I think the Naga King might be too far gone, but there seems to be hope for the siren. Its mind is more there. I think if we rescue it, it may be able to drive the King away.]

Jake transmitted his plan to the girls, and they began to move. He found resonance with his Monarch, and Bloodberri did their best to keep the creature busy and reduce his auril and nethril with harrying attacks of their giant maul.

Using [Between Heaven and Hell], her debuff latched onto the lumbering creature and weakened it, even through its powerful will. The pillar of darkness latched heavily onto the huge monster, slowing it significantly.

Tanda began launching many seeds filled with [Advanced Rampant Growth] at the giant Naga, the many vines adding onto the Alliance’s present on its body. Other druids on the ramparts aided her efforts, the many vines growing thicker and more rapidly as they were filled with auril and mana alike.

Ophelia brought Jake closer with her shield, the two building up their runes. Fhesiah joined them, adding the final runes to their group spell.

Finishing their spell, they used [Group Runic Magic: Hearthtree Vines] once more. The vines enhanced by Jake’s covenant exploded out from next to the King Naga, wrapping around its massive body tightly.

Its powerful arms pulled at its bindings, and Jake shoved as much mana into the construct as he could as Ophelia’s Guardian Hearth of Hestia slammed into the creature with a blast of righteous lightning.

The shocking energy caused the monster to convulse for a moment, as Jake arrived on Bloodberri’s massive back.

Gathering his runes, Jake, Blood, and Berri cast a powerful Tier 2 Dark Shackles spell. They wrapped around the King Naga’s many arms on top of the many vines, the creature finally unable to move its many arms.

Bloodberri wrapped her snake body around it as well, as Jake let go of the Hearthtree Vines. Leaping off Bloodberri and arriving on the giant monster’s shoulder, the siren’s song caused vibrations within Jake’s mind. But using his void energy by taking deep breaths with his void lungs, he shielded himself from its effect with Ira’s help.

Jake’s first plan was to try destroying the shackles or bindings holding the siren to the King Naga. Drawing his Hearthblade, he attempted to cut into one of them. It cracked, and Jake pulled back his spear to attack again, and even Ophelia looked to join him as she blurred in on Valora–

[Wait! Look!] Fhesiah’s voice echoed in his mind.

Watching, Jake saw the bindings restored. However, they drained life force away from the siren.

Jake groaned. Did they really have to kill the creatures? He hoped to try clearing the taint next, but if they could not remove the enslavement, he doubted they would be much better off.

Berri shouted, “Jake! Just do the thing!”

Jake looked at the siren, then back to her giant head next to his, incredulously. “Do what thing?”

“Bind her! Then, you know.” The King Naga roared, and shook against its bindings. Berri smacked it in the chin harshly with her maul, knocking it into a stupor. “Oh! Hurry up. I don’t think we can hold him much longer.”

Jake was perhaps more confused than he was before she gave him additional guidance, but Blood illuminated him as to her thoughts and feelings.

Using the Bond, he should be able to use the purifying flames to overwrite the enslavement, and shove various energies into her to keep her alive as they destroyed the bindings, or something along these lines.

Targeting her auril heart, Jake gathered his Hearthflames. Unlike his willing binding of Tanda aided by the Framework, he would have to forcefully bind the siren.

Shoving his empowered will of the Monarch, along with a small amount of Divine Energy, mana, Qi, auril, and his Divine Flames, he branded the creature’s auril heart, as she railed against her bindings.

Sensing Jake’s mind and desires as they made the connection, his will easily overpowered hers. It appeared, on some level, she knew Jake intended to help and allowed it. The Framework layered itself over her, as she became bound to Jake as his permanent summon.

But they were not out of the woods yet. The binding’s scripts on her body brightened with malevolence, and they burned into her. Jake shoved his [Purifying Flames] through their newly established bond, along with Tanda’s auril and Berri’s Holy Light energy.

Fhesiah shifted to her Kitsune form, and struck the shackles with her ruinous flames and [Moon Hex]. Jake shoved his Divine Flames into her body and engulfed her, as he rejected and cleansed the taint and enslavement.

The bindings shattered, the light in the siren Naga’s eyes flickering. Using her [Sacrificial Flames: Renewal], Ophelia restored her health and energy. Jake leaped back to Bloodberri’s battlements, their task mostly completed.

Blood lifted the siren away as she shredded and sliced into the King Naga with her body’s armor, though the wounds were not deep. The siren’s song had stopped, the creature’s power and connection to the world seemed to weaken.

The siren seemed emboldened, having a relieved smile as she was pulled to safety. The taint was purged from her body, and she was healed.

She began to sing a wordless song, causing the remaining Naga on the battlefield to freeze.

Using this opportunity, Jake found resonance with Berri, latching onto her desire to help heal the poor snake.

Shifting to the covenant of the Saint, he worked together with his family to cast [Group Runic Magic: Faerie Lights], infused their healing spell with purifying flames to purge away the taint within the King Naga.

This was a difficult task, as the nethril was a deathly energy and the heals would normally harm it. However, through the covenant, a minor miracle was performed.

The damage done to the creature was minimized, and the taint was removed from its unliving flesh as the faerie lights flocked to the creature’s taint and purged it away, leaving its unliving flesh unharmed.

The anger in the creature quickly disappeared, and its will finally shoved away Tartarus’ influence.

Jake called out using his runic enhancements, “Use the water to send the naga away!”

Nadessa directed her naiads and dryads capable of moving the water, to latch onto the water and control it.

The auril-filled water stirred, rising up across the battlefield. The lake from above Cascadia stirred, and the naiads joined with drawing up the water. The waterfall changed direction, cascading down to splash into the naga.

Caught by the wave of water, the King Naga started drifting away. Entranced by the siren’s song, it appeared to forget its anger. The remaining naga leaped inside, the water taking them down the mountain.

Bloodberri brought Jake and the siren Naga down to the ground, as she lost her enlargement–shrinking down to her normal size.

The siren looked at the river in longing, but then seemed to smile at Bloodberri and Jake, observing the large amount of people with interest. There were still some stragglers around the battlefield in the way of undead, but the battle was clearly won.

Jake said, “Well, now that she’s safe, I can let her–”

Berri interrupted, “No way! We’re keeping Jafarina. We need more snake girls!”

Jake didn’t know which part he should retort to first. “Er…You can’t name her after the snake in–”

Berri pleaded, “It’s not fair! You have two bird girls!”

Ophelia groaned. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not a bird! If I’m considered a bird, then Fhesiah can be considered a second snake. And don’t you think she should go back to her people?”

Blood hummed. “This one has gratitude in her heart for your saving her and her people. She is interested in this different world, it appears she was like the princess of the Naga.”

Berri said, “See? Jafarina is perfect! No, wait, Jasmina then!”

Jake frowned at Blood, ignoring Berri’s naming. “How’d you get all that? I feel like her intelligence…”

Fhesiah nodded. “She’s not all that different from Ira, yes.”

Blood smiled as she looked over the siren. “I can feel it in her essence. She is different from the others, somehow. Her face even looks more…flat.”

It was true. Something about her was different, that made her a little more human-like than the rest–but that was it. Her face was still that of a snake’s, having a tapered snout.

Fhesiah smirked at this, but Jake just rolled his eyes. Either way, he would allow the siren to rest. Despite being interested in the world, it appeared she was even more exhausted than Jake and his family.

She had been chained and forced to sing for days, judging by Blood’s thoughts.

Scattering into motes of light, the siren Jake would definitely decide a proper name for her later entered the void of Jake’s Hearth to rest.

Responding to his thoughts, Berri replied, “Definitely a Jasmina. You always pick the lamest names, and you wouldn’t let me name the Garuda Ninjablade! Except for Bill, his name is perfect. A lame name for a lame jerk.”

Jake groaned. They won. Why did it feel like he somehow lost?

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