Hearthfmes ed around the spearhead and shaft, searing and suffusing the metal with Jake’s unique mana and creating runes on the surface. Spreading out his fmes, he used Manaweave Reinfort to optimize the object’s iy, and maximize the mana’s effectiveness.
Smiling, he marveled at the spear as he held it in front of him. If they had this spear back during their first Trial, their Mana Bdes would have cut through the dark elves and their armor like a hot khrough warm butter.
They didn’t have access to Epic quality items at that time, a now this was something Jake and Ophelia could mass produce.
Stowing the spear away, he worked on ahe fmes of his hearth quickly coalesced into the runes once more, Jake easily able to plete the entment rapidly with his proficy. The Hearth of the Refuge quickly refilled his Hearthfmes, allowing him to use them almost indefinitely, just like normal mana.
He moved on to some more difficult materials. Qi-infused metals were now something Ophelia could make, and so Jake added some demonies of sharpness and cold to some swords. Making them for the Blizzardbde , the many Tier 1 warriors would be from his creations.
“Aw, e on! That ’t be right, you must be cheating!” A child’s voitered his ears, his focus being interrupted.
“Shove it, Bze, we won fair and square! Just because you don’t like birds and flying units doesn’t mean using them is cheating!” It appeared Nora, Tanda’s ravekin daughter, was not happy with Bze’s antics like usual.
“Birds are me! Even Aunty Bree says so!”
“You take that back!”
A shoving match began behind him, causing him to chuckle at their antics, and Aiko, chirped in annoyance from his p. Petting his kitsune daughter’s head, he ighe other kid’s bickering and tinued with his work.
While his kids got a little physical from time to time, getting hurt was a rare occurrence, and something quickly rectified. They’d learn more from him letting the se py out.
Jake looked at the time in his Menu, realizing that it had been far too long, as it was nearly lunchtime. Once again, he had gotten carried away in his crafting. He turo look over at his daughters, the four having decided to py their games while heir dad.
Bze and a new ea daughter faced off against Nora and Cra, making it like snakes versus birds.
It’d already been over a year sihe first of his children were born, and sixteen months since removing Tartarus from Highnds. His many daughter’s ages, let alone names, were being somewhat difficult to for Jake to track. He had to cut off his loving Ea wives from having more, because of a problem: she did get better at making babies, just as she had vowed.
There were now six eggs waiting to be hatched, and just as many more had already been born sihe day they summoned Bree’s new body, making it fifteen eas in total.
To have twelve more in just a little ht months was absurd, and it appeared Jake had Zhao thank for her improvemeing the special monster corpse he provided had somehow pushed her chimeral stitution forward, and then she was off to the races. On some level, he was thankful–it proved that her odd ea body trait could actually be improved. Oher hand, it had already produced a few headaches.
Bloodberri was more easily able to fit in their body and soul tempering thanks to their ability to rapidly make and y eggs, and Jake was able to alternate his nights between groups. After the first few sessions, he had started needing a bit of a break to recover his body and soul, as he could not keep up with all of his girls. He was being tempered with every session, after all, while his girls got to recover iween.
That meant that they had some fun without the leveling. Each of his wives and mates found some time to enjoy their vacation, and fortunately, this meant their bedroom times never felt like they were just for the power ups.
Thankfully, the idea that their family could form two baseball teams among all their children was finally enough. After these six hatched and the seeds from Avara grew into treants, Jake would have well over twenty children out and about the Refuge. He was sure before the five years were up, Tanda and Ava might ask for more, but there were enough snake girls in his house now, in his opinion.
Some hair started getting pulled, so Jake cleared his throat before feathers joihe mix. “Alright girls, that’s enough s time for today. e join me for some enting like you said you wao do like Aiko here, or try to go do something a little more productive. Remember–”
“Work hard today, bleed less tomorrow.” Bze and Sharona sighed after both mimig his and her many mother’s words.
Bze added, “Let’s go see mommy Lia! Maybe she’ll train us with these!”
She grabbed a mace off one of the on racks, which Sharona, her younger snake sister with equally fming patterns on her scales copied. The weight of the mace was difficult to hold in her smaller grip, but she still ma.
They were about to slither away, but Jake grabbed a hold of the maces and the two snake girls with his hearth fmes with little more than a thought.
Jake groaned, as he swiveled in his chair to look at them. “Wait, at least take these instead.” He presewo training maces with a lot less… violent points on them. Using his telekiic fmes, he pced the fnged and spiked mace ba the rack.
Bze pouted. “Aw, but those were cooler. A-And sorry, Daddy. We did watch for a bit, but…”
“It retty for a while. But Space Wars is cooler.”
Bze and Sharo, leaving Cra and Nora, who both looked remorseful. Nora and Cra fpped their wings to fly over to Jake. They nded o him, and hugged each of his legs. They were both over a year old now, but they already looked to be nearly 6 or 7 years old. Still, Jake was huge now at nearly three meters tall, so they only reached a bit past his knee caps with their heads as he sat.
Cra said, “We’re sorry, Daddy. We did really want to watch you, but Bze distracted us when those two got bored.”
Jake chuckled, and lifted them up with his fmes and brought them into a pr. They squished him back lovingly, uo their arms all the way around him, as he engulfed them with his arms. “It’s alright, my dears. I have much more work to be done if you still want to watch. Then we’ll go have some lunch.”
The two nodded, and he pced them atop his shoulders as he tinued for a time. He spent some time telling them what he was doing and why, and the two asked him dozens of questions as they oo’d and aww’d at him using his hearthfmes for entments.
Aiko listened and watched with rapt attention from his p, her head barely reag over the table. And Jake made sure to give the intelligent fox plenty of ear scratches and head pats, a reward for her diligehough, he had a sneaking suspi that was the primary reason she was there. If she did learn something, that was still a victory in his eyes.
When the arms went off–the girl’s stomachs growling–he realized it couldn’t wait any longer. Stowing away his crafted items, he teleported himself and the girls to the living room, and Aiko chirped and immediately took off to a seat oable.
The kids had lost their privilege of using teleportation shortly after they learned of its existe was all due to one of them getting sick from an unending game of teleportation tag.
Ava’s lesser avatar was feeding two newly born eas with spooned food and sippy cups, and plenty of food was id out for the older children to eat. Much of the family had gathered for lunch just a bit ago, it seemed.
“There you are, love.”
“Oh! It’s Master, and little Aiko, Cra and Nora. Would you like some lunch?”
Jake looked over at the Celestial Nekomata maid, Yona, who was currently preparing food and drink on a cart–likely t to the training area–for Ophelia and Tanda on the go. The catgirl had arrived about a month ago, where Fhesiah was more than happy to introduce her as his servant–in all the ways he desired.
He made it clear that he very much desired a nanny, and nothing more for the time being. Taking care of nearly twenty kids with several on the ay too much work, even for them and with two lesser avatar’s from Avara–at least with all the other tasks they did.
Her arrival occurred when the rest of her race from Sector 81 had arrived, along with many of the other s as that had met with Fhesiah during the Celestial Nexus Battleground.
The Blizzardbde d the Radiant Su were among those that arrived at the Mystic Expaheir preparations to join the sector finally pleted. It seemed that since many of them were of the Sed Tier, they had to both pay a cost in CP to enter, but also receive several restris about where they could travel or how they could influehe war.
A cultivator world was sort of like being a half-framework world, and they would often participate in the war by mostly only joining special events at the peak of their Tier. Joio the Framework they would have fewer restris, but they would have to work hard to earn what Tartarus gained for their entry.
Yona had both gray hair and fur, with bd white patterns of suns and moons, much like the rest of her ra what little fur she had. But unlike her giant cat people aors, she was mostly human and had two tails, with furry ears atop her head. Her short hair in a bob framing her small face, and with a shy smile often on it with her smaller body, Jake would definitely describe her as cute.
In truth, Jake hadn’t had a lot of time to talk to her. She was often busy helping with the kids or the chores and errands around the manor, and Jake was equally busy with his own tasks, helping the guild or managing his budding kingdom.
“We’ll take some of those sandwiches. How have you beeling in?”
Nora and Cra both took seats, and Yona started grabbing several sandwiches off the cart, pg them on a tray over her shoulder like a waitress.
“Oh, living here is just so nice, Master! I’m so gd that Aunt Aria gave me this opportunity. Even though I’m a servant, I’m treated so very well. I am…not used to it yet, but the kids and your mates have all been lovely.”
Jake arched his brow. “Faye was telling me you became one of Bastet’s priestesses. This should be well sought after, they really didn’t treat you well?”
Yona walked over and delivered sandwiches to each of the kids. “That…is new, for our people. And that made me so happy when I lear tion. But…before then, I was really talentless. It felt like I was a burden in the wilds to my . To think that this Framework…anyway, here is your lunch, Master.”
She thehe pte down in front of his spot, along with a gss of Ava’s honey apple milk, or ar, with a smile.
He thanked her with a nod and a smile, sitting down in his chair. Yona tucked the tray under her arms as she watched him and the kids tuto the meal, her two tails flig behind her as he took bites of his sandwich.
Suddenly, Yona was startled. “Oh! I better get these sandwiches to the kids, they get so rowdy when they’re hungry!” She rushed aushing the cart down the hall. It seemed she hadn’t yet mastered the ste bracelets, though with her in early Foundatioablishment, he thought it wouldn’t be very long if she tried.
Jake realized that moment with her was basically like nearly every iion he had with her so far.
Ava’s avatar hugged him from the side before she sat dowo him with the two eas tched onto her with their tails, and asked, “Was the m productive as usual?”
Nora beamed. “Daddy made lots of stuff! The Guilds will have plenty of sweet ons and armor to choose from!” Her feathers fluttered in pce as she ehe fried chi sandwich, sharing the same seat with Cra who was doing the same.
“It roductive,” Jake replied to Ava, “I got a lot do’s just as Nora said. Our recruits will have some of the best items to earn for their hard work, though we’ll o limit how many high-quality items they grab for themselves. If they over prepare for their Trials, they’ll be worse off.”
Ava nodded. “Some struggle is definitely better for them, and the Framewrees. What’s on the docket for today?”
Jake checked his Menu. “Looks like training with some Hearthtribe, mostly. I’ve got a meeting with Valtor ter to go over our Sector-wide progress, making our final pns prior to the grace period ending, but I know that things are looking good.”
Ava smiled, and closed her eyes, as if sensing something somewhere else. “And the dungeon shall open soon, I feel it. Our people will sooo enter. Many rewards for those that succeed within, and even opportunity for heroes to be born.”
Within the dungeon, there were ways to recim worlds lost to Tartarus. Those initiated to the Framework whose ransom wasn’t paid would be rescued, and sometimes these numbers were quite signifit. They would receive a new shot at life, even if they would now be somewhat lesser as a result of waiting in the void for some time.
Jake was a bit envious. He was already starting to get a little stir-crazy, and their vacation was not quite over. “I almost want to explore there myself. If not for Hestia’s desires…” He took another drink of Ava’s ar.
Fhesiah suddenly appeared, telep into his p in her kitsune form–simultaneously moving him away from the table’s edge so that she could fit. She ed him up in her five velvety tails and arms, kissing him. Her cultivator robes had shifted to a purple with gold motif wheook on her kitsune form, and her generous chest was nearly spilling out of them as she smashed them up against Jake.
“Mmm, Ava tastes so good sed-hand too! Our vacation is not yet over, husband. Why, raising all these children, you even call it that? She wants us to stay out of flict for almost four more years, but at least there should be some time between then and the War Trial.”
Aiko chirped, and then leaped onto her mother’s shoulder, nuzzling against her neck, to which she chuckled and hugged her in response.
Jake chuckled, aurned his wife’s embrace, and hugging both Aiko and Fhesiah to him. Their hearths flickered as they enjoyed some warmth for a moment, the two e and sharing the joy of time spent together.
Eventually, he said, “I’m already feeling pretty well-rested. But I guess I’ll have to live a little vicariously through our people for a bit longer.”
Fhesiah smirked as she shifted in his p, and ate one of his fries. “I think we’d have gotten bored, to be ho. Of course Dahlia is no slouch, but even she was getting bored in PvP against those scrubs. It is much better for our family to tinue upliftihtribe, and its many subguilds. We’ll hem when the real fight begins.”
[And make more babies, I say. Just imagine how many we could have at the end of five years, so many lovelies!] Berri added in Jake’s mind, helpfully.
Jake groaned. He really did not want to imagihat. “We talked about this…” He replied in his mind.
[I know. But… eae is so amazing, so beautiful! We should make as many as we , eae is so different, it’s like opening a wonderful gift when they hatch. A-And, we’re just short of two full teams of eas.]
Jake narrowed his eyes. Was his wife addicted to baby gacha? What she said was true. Each of his daughters seemed to take after both fmes in their hearth, but also mohat she had eaten. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when one seemed to take a little bit after the muckbills she kept eating. Thankfully, that child also took a lot more after Avara, having bark-like scales in addition to likely having some kind of fming poison. This was one of the most ret births, and was still breast-feeding.
He shook his head. “Fifteen eas ohey finish hatg is more than enough, for now. Already, Bze has whined you spend more time in front of the incubator than you do with her, has she not?”
Blood replied, [Of course, I told Berri this, but she ’t help it. And I ’t help but want to build our dynasty eveoo. Besides, you shouldn’t fet that for now, you only have one son.]
Hestia and Ea had hihat Jake could have a son through Bloodberri–if the child carried his void bloodline. He did want another son, but wasn’t willing to pull that lever as many times as it took to receive one from her–he was zero for fifteen so far already. If it happened, it happened.
For now, one of Ava’s three growing treant children was a son, and they were the slowest among his children to grow. The eas were likely to reach adulthood probably by the time they reached around five years of age, and his hearthiakin and valkyrie children, Nora and Cra, would be not that much longer.
It was all thanks to their crazy race, the Refuge’s immeality and the magic within them, along with all the magical food that they were putting into them.
They were irely sure how his treant children from Ava’s lesser avatar’s would grow, as they would be different than the inals that grew on Highnds over a thousand years ago. Still, it appeared they would have many simirities. Based on their current growth, the treants would still mature faster than ah human. They would likely take ten years or more to reach adulthood physically, let aloally.
They would spend much of their time asleep early in their life, and while they would listen to the world’s song somewhat while they dreamed, Jake doubted it would be the same thing. One year after birth, his first treant daughter was only just starting to wake up and i, the sapling-like tree having a face, arms, and hands.
Finishing his lund thanking the chef, Ava, with a kiss, he went to go che his other kids. Telep to the forest of the Refuge, their Sanctuary, this was where most of the family spent most of their time.
The egg incubator, which looked a lot like a giant bread oven with a clear crystal door, tapped into runes on the grass floor–a e to the Refuge’s Divih.
Ophelia and Tanda were now giving Bze and Sharona pointers, the two fiery eas often stig close to one another. And now, Rene and Nyxa, the light and dark twin eas and Jake’s two oldest, also got sucked into Bze’s pace practig with a mace at the moment.
Bze was the sed born ea, and had a mixture ht e and dark red scales throughout her tail and on her arms, like va was flowing through fmes. Sharona appeared to have taken on Fhesiah’s fmes somehow, with red and gold scales instead.
Blood and Berri also shouted out pointers as the girls swung their maces, while breastfeeding their newly hatched, and singing or talking to the s in the incubator.
Not far away in the clearing was Bree, who was resting. One of their ea children was climbing her vines, but that didn’t bother the dinodog o.
In all, he didn’t think Bree had ged all that much since he he Heroic Boar, summoning it during the Life’s Haven assault for the first time. The mixture of thick red hide and green vines mixed with fiery flowers on a rge body were not all that different.
But now, instead of the tusks of a boar, she had horns on a like a tricerotops–but only two. Then her mouth was more e with rge sharp teeth of a predator, and paws and cws to match at her feet. She had e ears on top of her head, and finally a tail with a spiked ball at the end of it, like an ankylosaurus. Thanks to all her weaving of vines, she was like a walking, fming tank.
As the member of their strange family, Jake was admittedly a little put off by the iy of her feelings. Learning that the day he and Blood bad pushed their wills against the unruly summon and branded her started a series of major ges for the Tier 4 being, was more than a little surprising.
The idea that an argument that amouo, hey, you should help us this up, caused a of events that might have influehousands upon thousands of lives was just bizarre to him.
The climbing child, Moxy the possible muckbill child, stumbled in her climbing and started to fall, g out loud as she did. Jake had nearly sent over some hearth fmes to catch her, but a vine was waiting, and snatched her from the air.
Bree chuckled. “Careful there, little one. Go ahead and try again.” She brought Moxy back to where she was he top of the mound that was her rge body, and even grew a small vine for her to tio.
Jake said, “Thanks for helping watch them. I imagi wasn’t what you had in mind when you wao join us…our pack.”
“It’s no problem at all, I am used to resting for long periods. Plus, I’m still w on my form. Something about being here with my new pack feels so different. Closer. I ofteime with mother’s…spawn, but, she…has a more hands-off approach, after her children reach a certain age.”
“Law of the jungle, is it?”
“Yes. Very much so. To coddle children ahem from harm, mean to weaken and bring about their demise.”
“But you caught Moxy.” Jake pointed out.
“Yes. Well, you were right there and watg me, after all.” She winked. “But I also respect that my new pack has a mentle approach to parenting. I don’t think my mother is wrorength, and her children’s strength, is her proof. But… seeing your children grow, and your family’s strength… I believe that you both be right.”
Jake let out a breath, nodding. “I don’t think there’s necessarily a right, let alone perfect way to raise children. Every child is different, and so is every family. Just the mere presence of other children sends things askew from even a perfe. I think the best thing a parent do is to love them and do their best, and more often than not that will lead to success. It sounds like Ea does that, but she is just a lot more focused oing them up for success at birth, and what happens after that...”
Bree ughed. “Yes, I suppose that is very accurate. She is definitely focused on that, and also providing us many opportuo test ourselves. Tle and surpass.”
Jake’s Menu pinged, reminding him that he had a schedule to get through. “Well, I am gd you are enjoying yourself. I do o get going. We’ll practice together ter sometime?”
Bree gave a e grin. “Yes, I do think I’d like taking on some more of your puppets when you’re avaible. Farewell for now, Chief.”
Jake teleported from the clearing, leaving Bree with the vine climbing Moxy. She once again corrected the child, helping her reach the ter part of her back.
When she arrived behind her , she held on to several of the vines, now properly in a riding position. “Ride!” Moxy said.
“Want a ride, little one? Very well. Aunty Bree will oblige.” Bree stood up, taking a break from her internal weaving and practice with the vast amount of auril energy. She would work on her avatar again ter.
As she stomped through the Hart Pack’s Sanctuary, she couldn’t help but think back to her arrival. It was a mess at first, but now… she was feeling like she had joined an amazing pabsp;
