Bonded Summoner

Book 4. Chapter 10: Administrative Clan

Jake was surprised that undead would be interested in joining his guild, their race called the emberborn.

He said, “Those willing to stand in defense of families are more than welcome to join, Bedwyr. I guess now’s as good a time as any. I’ll let you hear about my guild first, to make sure there’s nothing to change your mind.”

Jake made sure all beastkin could hear, even those in the other plaza that were working on cleaning up and resurrecting allies. He gave his speech about his guild, and clearly all those involved in the recapture and resurrected were already initiated into the Framework.

The Emberborn joined, the Asian-style dressed people already a part of [Warrior’s Brotherhood].

Jake learned more about the Emberborn using the wiki. It appeared that they were powered by deathly energies, their bodies, and souls, being attuned to death. Jake just stared almost impassively as he read that the almost-human-looking women would procreate with the more skeletal men, just like humans did.

Not all the women wore veils, and he thought their skin was closer to the ghouls they fought than humans. It was pale and pulled tightly, their bones showing slightly through their flesh, like a malnourished person. The dullahan-man apparently had similar skin on his actual body, Jake just couldn’t see it under his armor.

Some beastkin joined Hearthtribe too, even Seamus. Most planned on fighting in the war effort, their goal to simply win back Highlands and come to the aid of their brethren.

He said, “I was skeptical of joining the Framework before, but I was visited by Lugh when I visited his shrine here. He had some compelling arguments, allowing me to continue to fight and protect life forevermore. That I can see my niece once more makes me happy that I did. I even became a paladin of Lugh. What of Timone and Dahlia?”

Tanda’s ears were flat atop her head “I think they died after this HQ was captured, so perhaps it might be a little longer before they show up, or they might show up at the other Node at Harmony Peaks. I had hoped to see them here.”

“Do not fret, Tanda. I’m sure they are fine, or if they didn’t make it, it was the will of the world.”

Rookard and Vesuvius arrived in the plaza, causing Seamus to shout once more. “Rookard! So glad to see you, my friend! Why, you look better than ever!”

Rookard laughed. “I’m getting used to it. I am so grateful I can see you too, Seamus. I was worried we’d lost one of the best of us when I heard the news. My heart sings with joy, knowing that your song remains among us.”

Seamus looked meaningfully at Vesuvius, and he looked worried once more at meeting a tribal elder of those that fought against his people. He still gave the beastkin’s greeting to Seamus.

Seamus stared into him, a pregnant pause, once more. He laughed, and returned the greeting, causing Vesuvius to sigh with relief. Vesuvius filled Seamus in on where his people had been all this time.

“To think your people had been hiding! That was for the best. If you came out before a few hundred years, you’d have been slain without question, at the tiniest bit of taint! I’m so glad your songs can rejoin our choir once more, my friend. I welcome you to Life’s Haven. There is much space for your people to live here, if you choose to do so.”

Jake was happy at this, that things worked out without him having to force things. To place the reptile beastkin somewhere in Kenwodi, where things were already crowded, was less than ideal. It came with its own challenges, as well.josei

Morwen said to Jake, “Why don’t we have a meeting in the HQ? That way we can discuss plans, and your [Head Administrator] can help set priorities after they arrive through the portal. We have much to discuss, now that Life’s Haven is owned by those willing to work together with the Framework.”

Seamus looked abashed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry about that, Morwen. Our elders and I really let our people down. I tried to change and improve things, but it was too little too late.”

Bedwyr said, “Your people’s conviction and beliefs were taken advantage of. Greater men have fallen to the machinations of Tartarus. Once one knows their flaws, can they improve.”

Yiming added, “Bedwyr is right. While the beastkin were weak to Tartarus’ exploitation, I have not seen such unshakable will in my travels. Let your unyielding faith and steadfast conviction for the balance of life be the shield that protects you, and the sword that vanquishes your foes.”

Jake said, “I’d like to do the meeting, but we don’t currently have a [Head Administrator].”

Yiming frowned and seemed to be checking something in his [Menu] by how his eyes glazed over, and Morwen made a surprised sound.

She said, “How can your Guild function at all? I see your guild has nearly three thousand members? Along with over ten thousand dependents!”

Fhesiah decided to chime in, Blood currently busy in the other plaza. “We have been doing our best to delegate, but the fact of the matter is, most of our guild members beside those present are simply not capable of contributing much to the war just yet. Our guild has only been formed for one week and most initiated for the same, after all. Most of those willing to leave their villages to contribute to our Guild’s goals are the youngest among the beastkin, not even level 1, as you might be aware. We are still gathering.”

Morwen said, “I see. The Guild Summary is quite impressive. Aside from the Champion’s party, how many goods sold, the conquest points gained, and how progress in calculated battle strength has been increasing on a per-member basis is astonishing.”

Yiming said, “Still, the idea you don’t have a [Head Administrator] is more than a little strange. I take it Champion Jake and your elite party is the one closing all these Rifts, right? How do you have enough time in a day? And why don’t you have one already?”

Jake laughed a little nervously. “I guess we don’t really sleep? But as Fhesiah said, not only is our Guild a week old, we’ve only been earning conquest points for a month and some change; we’re fresh to this tier. We saved them to make sure we had enough for fixtures in this city, when we retook it. We knew it would be costly.”

Longwei laughed uproariously. “I can feel your strength. Over level 20 in a month? Fighting day and night? I love it! I want to fight you in the Arena even more now!”

Morwen scoffed, ignoring Longwei’s outburst. “I can understand that, but that must end now, even if I must purchase the [Head Administrator] myself. With two cities and dozens of villages, you are doing yourselves a disservice.”

The spectral horse half trotted and floated over to Jake, and Bedwyr motioned him over from where he sat. Jake frowned, but complied.

Bedwyr leaned over, his flaming helmet oddly feeling cold like ice as Jake got close. Bedwyr cupped his hand to Jake’s ear to whisper. Only instead of a whisper, his scratchy voice still came out at a normal volume, Jake having absolutely no doubt everyone around could hear him.

“You should listen to my wife. Whether her point is right or not, you will wish you did what she recommended. Trust me, I know.”

Morwen sighed, likely at her husband’s efforts. “Let me know what you shall do. For now, I will head to the [Temple]. Because you chose the upgrade and merge option, it still remains. It currently has shrines to Lugh and Arawn. You will need to add one for Hestia, and any others that you shall allow, if you would like to see more paladins and priestesses. We should plan our meeting for tomorrow morning, after you’ve been able to bring your Head Administrator up to speed. Unless there are any objections?”

The surrounding people gave an affirming response.

Jake said, “Thank you, Morwen. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I am happy to have you in our guild, along with Bedwyr. We will see you then.”

Jake realized that this expense was somewhat saved for him. He checked the Epic+ Store, finding that there was in fact the token they desired, and it was heavily discounted. He found that there was one even better than that, an entire clan of administrators, with the head administrator themselves being epic or greater in their rarity. It was the [Epic Servants - Administrative Clan Token].

It was more than he could purchase the single servant for, at nearly double the discounted rate. But that felt very worth it, as he wouldn’t just receive a single person, but an entire clan for the purpose of administering his guild and his interests.

At 40,000 CP, this was a massive expense. He conversed with his girls, and they all thought this was a good option. They had already been planning out possible purchases, and this was within the budget, thanks to the major cost of the Temple already being included in the hundred thousand they spent. The non-discounted single servant was going to be around 30,000, so this being a step-up felt quite worthwhile.

Fhesiah said in his mind, [Well, that was both a little embarrassing, but also a point of pride, huh? That we’ve kept everything together is thanks to Blood and Ophelia’s efforts. Jake has done well to remain in contact with village elders and clan heads, and we’ve all managed crafters, of course. I’m excited about some burden being lifted from our shoulders.]

Blood added, [Hmph, I have no problems managing my lord’s business, but this allows me to focus more on my magical progression. Still, I suppose as the Guild grows to span many worlds, it will certainly be too much for me to manage on my own.]

Jake said, “You’ve come a long way in your magic anyhow, I’m proud how far you’ve all come, despite all the work around the clock. I am looking forward to a little reprieve. So, what’s first for purchases, Blood?”

Jake could feel the pride Blood had over their bond for him asking her advice. [I think we should purchase the Shrines for Hestia, Echidna, Cernunnos, Brigid, with Athena and Bastet coming later. It is only 5,000 Each when the Shrine already exists, but our purchases we’ve discussed among us girls will be pushing things pretty close. Those can come in the following days as we earn them from Rifts. I believe if you give permission, Warrior Brotherhood will simply pay to add their shrine on their own.]

Lugh and Arawn were already covered, so Jake understood that they had their basis covered with that for now. The way Jake saw it, is that in a way, this world was the four’s and perhaps more of their Celtic gods before Jake got here.

They participated in the defense, and they should have first access. Of course, Hestia’s and Echidna’s contributions were Jake’s party themselves, so they were first on the list. Jake wondered what to do about Kenwodi.

[That was going to be the next topic. Because you paid to have the place restored and upgraded, there is already a portal going to Kenwodi. Those that need to go to the shrine can simply go, for a reasonable fee. There are different grades of portals, and this one requires payment. The higher the Tier of being, the more expensive transporting is, but it is nominal. We can upgrade it later to reduce the cost for those using it until it becomes zero like the Ariminum portals, but that is beyond a priority for now. It is certainly better to let the users absorb the cost for now.]

Jake had to agree. Soon, he would have a blimp that could reach from Kenwodi to Life’s Haven in a single day, anyhow. Most likely, he would have blimps traveling around soon to pick up refugees and more.

Blood continued, [I have already started getting our new Headquarters operational. Just the bare minimum, the barracks, living areas, and training areas for those staying here. We will think on if we will have schools and more present here, as no doubt the city itself has unused structures that can be used for such, ghost city that the place currently is.]

Jake and his girls rejoined Bloodberri, helping her wrap up her resurrections for hours, and then finishing off looting.

The reptile beastkin looked at Bloodberri with fervor, and Berri just returned their gazes with a smile.

“My Goddess is Echidna! She’s the mother of monsters, and, she embodies the struggle of beasts. But I’m also a Priestess of Hestia. Both have shrines in the temple, where you can certainly learn more about them!”

Tanda added, “Our people have lost our history, thanks to the black dragon’s evil. We beastkin are from Cernunnos, Lugh, Brigid, and Arawn’s divine heritage, and they had done their best to protect us. We have more than earned our freedom of choice, but they did not forsake us. They need our help, too. I’m the Champion of Cernunnos, and a druid of Brigid. Choose the god or goddess that you may find harmony with, that resonates with you the most. All are worthy of your faith, and will protect your conviction. Taking on an oath from any of the gods or goddesses will grant power, but it requires following your god or goddess’ tenets. Breaking them could cause you to lose that power.”

There were many wolf and avian beastkin still in the plaza, all hearing Berri and Tanda’s speeches. Many looked interested, but not nearly as much as the reptile beastkin, who looked ready to pledge themselves into service. Jake knew they would have many reptile beastkin paladins, druids, clerics and more soon enough.

The reality was, not everyone could become a paladin, priestess, druid, or even champion. It required people to find resonance with their spirit. On some fundamental level, the person needed to match the core aspects of the god or goddess.

This resonance could change throughout a person’s life, to a certain extent. But since it went all the way down to the core of someone’s spirit, not everything could be shaped by their life or upbringing. Jake believed that even if his memories were erased, he would still find resonance with Hestia. That no matter what, he would put family above all else, and do what he could to protect it.

Then, there was a question of if their potential or affinity within their spirit for holding or using divine energy. For humans, it was something less than one in ten would be compatible with any gods at all to become a member of the clergy. Jake guessed the beastkin could be better, but thanks to their manifestations being ‘flavored,’ their choices would be much more limited in whom they could select.

Blood said, “I’m excited about the things we can purchase, but let’s go inside and summon the administrator. We should do this just in case they have anything critical that was missed. I don’t think I have, but it’s only been a week or so since I took on the job. I’m assuming some Epic administrator will have had years upon years of experience.”

They went inside their new Alliance HQ, finding it to be much closer to the one they had seen on Ariminum. The pathways were just larger, and the reception had much more room. Bloodberri lead them over through to their new Guild area within the HQ, which Blood had purchased the add-ons necessary.

They were in a large area for meetings of guild members, or people to congregate, a sort of lobby. The room changed slightly as lights shimmered, Blood making a few minor changes like adding chairs and tables. There was a raised platform and podium, for Jake or others to give speeches to guild members.

Blood said, “Go ahead and use the token, Milord.”

Jake took the token out, and used it. From motes of light, rose dozens of figures of various sizes both on and beneath the platform. Looking at them…

“Mwahahaha! I unlive again! I will feast again on the living, and…” The large figure froze. “I don’t need to?”

A large armor complete with helmet, gloves, and greaves was floating in the air, that Jake thought was quite similar to Bedwyr, except he had scholarly robes over his massive armor, opened to where the body could be seen. He had a flame in what Jake would consider his core, that was some form of undead; not all that dissimilar from the Emberborn outside.

The deathly turquoise flame in his core appeared to light up the gaps in his helmet, looking like eyes somewhat. From what Jake could see, it was consuming and feeding on the auril in the air, but the amount was miniscule. This was different from the Emberborn, who mentioned they fed on deathly energies, and were somewhat uncomfortable inside this high-vitality world. Instead of getting weaker, Jake could see these creatures were becoming stronger as they stood in the HQ, with each passing moment.

There were many inanimate objects in front of Jake, but they were alive through this strange spark or fire of the unliving. Most of the small animated objects were simply covered in the turquoise-colored flames entirely. Many of the larger ones had designs where the flame inside would allow light to escape what appeared to be eyes, to show some sort of expression through the holes where the flame was stored.

A majority of them were armors, but there were several handfuls of other odd items, what appeared to be a witch’s broom. There were a few weapons and shields, magical tomes and staves, besides.

Berri giggled. “It’s like that movie! The beast and the beauty! There’s even a candle guy…or girl!”

A woman’s motherly voice came out of what looked like a magical spell tome nearby. “They’re here. You have to say the rest, dear!”

The large book floated over to the armor.

The armor coughed, covering its nonexistent mouth with its hand.

“I…yes! The contract says you are in control, but use my people as shields, or lock them away without food, and you will regret it! I will consume your flesh.”

A ringing of a bell came from a floating construct. Then a woman’s voice came from it. “That is a lie!”

The floating construct had a strange base board with the fiery eyes showing, that had mystical designs on it. It sort of looked like a bird cage suspended over the board, and there was a string inside, with a wind chime or bell attached.

“Damn it, Zorina, not now! Do as we say, and you shall have victory against Tartarus. Perhaps, if you are good, we will let you have scraps… I… daughter, what are you doing?”

A smaller armor had approached Bloodberri, their posture in interest. The armor was pink and silver, and Jake thought that it sort-of looked like a certain pink ranger he was familiar with as a kid.

Berri said, “Aren’t you a cute one? I’m Berri, what’s your name?”

“I’m Rhiannia, you can call me Rhia! You’re strange! There’s two of you in there, the other one is more like us, but you are too!”

“Oh! What a pretty name. Yes, Blood’s magic is more like yours. Do you want to play?”

“Oh!” She looked over at the large armor. “Daddy, can I? I can already tell these people are better. You already lost your flow anyway. Even the air is yummy here!”

The father floating armor stammered, “W-What are you talking about! I will tear apart those that–”

The book interrupted, “You can play, Rhia. It’s fine, dear, Rhia’s right. Just introduce yourself normally. It was a silly idea anyway. If these people were like the last ones, they probably would have just shouted orders over you instead of being afraid, and you know it.”

“I-I had to do something different! The last five times… We’ve even lost grandfather!”

The book’s flaming eyes stared at the father armor meaningfully, and Berri began trying to find out what the small armor wanted to play.

The father armor’s posture deflated as he sighed. “Alright.”

The armor faced towards Jake. “I am Valtor! We are the Eternum. The spark of unlife resides in our chest. Created by a Lich’s experiments, my people consume life force, to power our superior, immortal bodies! Though, everyone under the Framework is somewhat immortal. We are perfect administrators, not requiring sleep. We have much knowledge and experience! Don’t ignore my–”

Jake felt like Valtor was more or less rambling, so he interjected to direct the conversation even if it was a little rude, “We’re happy to hear you have a lot of experience. I’m Champion Jake, of the Goddess Hestia. We’re a new Guild, and we’ve had a large influx of people. We have two HQ’s now, and manning all stations within, coordinating with all villages, and staffing all positions within the guild has been a real challenge. Can you help us?”

“C-Can we?” Valtor’s expression in his eyes showed confusion and surprise.

He straightened, “Y-Yes, we can! I am the [Head Administrator], and I can interact with many people at once through the [Menu]. I have centuries of knowledge, of working with some higher clans and guilds! My wife, Amara, is specialized in [Developmental Research]. The multiverse is vast, and people of the Alliance can have countless skill and power-sets, and knowledge has a cost. She can, and has, compiled large amounts of knowledge on means for advancement, and can help create personalized training plans even for those that skills are not available! She has even created several skills on her own!”

Valtor was gushing about the skills of his wife, and her pages turned in the book erratically, along with mysterious scripts lighting up on the outside of the book, as if she was blushing.

Amara, the magic book said, “T-That’s enough about me, dear. Tell them about the rest of our clan.”

“S-Sorry, I got sidetracked. Our people can help with those learning to cast spells, as well as fight!”

He motioned over to a sword and shield next to each other, and armor. The armor started punching at the sword and shield, and the sword talked to the armor, as if giving them pointers as they fought. The staff and a book did something similar, the staff practicing against a shield, shooting tiny magic bolts.

“My people are nothing like the training golems, who just fight as instructed! We can give instruction day or night! Then, these two.”

He motioned to the strange floating construct with several pieces that had made the bell sounds before, along with another that looked like an abacus.

“These two can help perform divination and mystical calculations to help predict the future! Zorina can even detect lies! These two are excellent to have within the War Room, as together, they can improve the effectiveness of scouts. Working with Zorina, Mysticus can sometimes determine what kind of enemies will appear at a Rift, and where some might spawn next!”

Jake guessed Zorina was the diviner, and Mysticus was the abacus that performed mystical calculations.

“We also have those skilled as generals, directing the war. Last, but not least, are our crafters. We can give our spark of unlife to just about any inanimate object, but we prefer to have our clan make our own children’s bodies.”

Jake saw a handful of odd living tools. There was a blacksmith’s hammer, a loom, a strange swiss-army knife-like tool, an awl, and he thought he saw a scribe like what he used for enchanting, and numerous other trade-related items.

“All we require is… Well, normally, we would require a few living, unintelligent creatures or plants to consume per week, but here, it feels like we won’t need anything! This place is great!”

Jake frowned, as he remembered a small detail during their bickering. “That doesn’t sound very different from eating. People would really withhold food from you?”

Valtor sighed. “Perhaps, I should demonstrate. Do you have any plants? Keep in mind, they will not survive the demonstration.”

Fhesiah produced some auril herbs from her bracelet. “These should suffice? They are still alive.” She floated them over to him.

Valtor grabbed the herb, and brought it to his chest, where this spark of unlife burned. The herb withered away as it was drained, becoming dust in his hand, the flame growing larger for a brief moment.

“That… Was full of energy! Well, most don’t see it as eating, and see it as some sort of evil deed– Just imagine a foal or something like this, the same thing happens. They would have to feed us to operate as per the servant contract, but they would not allow our growth, and some would force many of us to enter hibernation, instead.”

Amara said, “We can only have children or grow our bodies, if we are given an abundance of life force. This place is truly a blessing. Our daughter there is nearly a hundred years old, but she has not yet grown, often being ordered to sleep instead. Both her body and mind have developed in odd ways. We only barely managed to create her, getting lucky once with an abundance. She’s our little miracle, even if we had to use a smaller armor than we had hoped. With enough life force, she should finally grow up!”

Ophelia said, “It feels strange that you are administrators. Can’t you get life force or become stronger from fighting enemies, too?”

The creatures all turned and focused on Ophelia, and Jake thought that they might be both scared and angry.

Valtor responded, “It was what we were created for. We absorb life force and grow, and we can even make more of us if we fight. But as we do this, as we consume intelligent life form’s vitality, we get pieces of their souls, no matter how we kill them. Eventually, we become twisted.”

Valtor paused, and Amara the magic spell tome bobbed sadly. He continued, “For a crazy undead lich trying to create an undead army to fight alongside skeletons and zombies, this is a positive thing. But for us, we lose our intelligence, becoming unthinking monsters. Only to be ordered around by something like a lich or necromancer. We refuse to become this way!”

Jake thought he understood. Necromancers could in fact create undead armors and similar, but it was by trapping the souls of the dead, and forcing them into servitude, along with tons of magic, besides. The Eternum were a people that were different from this, having a spark of unlife, instead. That they could propagate themselves rather than trapping souls and forcing them into servitude did sound highly desirable to a lich or necromancer.

Valtor continued, “We refused to fight, and the lich that created us joined Tartarus. My ancestors escaped instead, managing to join the Framework, but the world was still lost. It hasn’t been the best for us since then, but at least we still have our minds. The Framework cannot protect us from corruption, so we choose to progress differently than fighting, as the Framework can’t guarantee that we only fight simple creatures. Our souls can grow in strength in various ways, from increasing our knowledge, to progressing in magic. Our bodies grow and strengthen by absorbing the life force, allowing us to procreate. Because of our pacifistic nature and the difficulty with working with some species in the Alliance, we have struggled to make an impact and earn our freedom.”

There was a solemness in Valtor’s words, and it appeared that the memory of their hardships brought the various unliving implements into a foul mood.

Berri said, “Ah, you beat me!”

Rhia scoffed. “You let me win! There’s no way to win, there’s only like a hundred possible games, less after you understand the win conditions properly. You didn’t even start in the middle when you went first!”

Jake looked over, to find Berri playing tic-tac-toe with Rhia.

“Did not! I just… Wasn’t paying attention!”

There was a chime from Zorina, the pendulum with a chime over the board. “Partially true!”

“Blood distracted me. She wonders what it’d be like to live in an armor. Is it fun?”

“It’s kinda fun! I’m a lot sturdier than human children.” She tapped her metallic breastplate. “And I can fly!”

Berri said, “Cool! I can fly too!”

Another chime. “Partially true!”

“Er, I guess it’s more like gliding. I can glide really far!”

“W-Wow! I wanna see it! You’re even bigger than Daddy!”

They continued their conversation, and Jake turned to Valtor.

He said, “Well, Hearthtribe is excited to have the Eternum on our side– We welcome you. Why don’t you come with me to the War Room, and we’ll get you filled in on the current status, and we’ll figure out what it takes to get your people situated? Since you interact with your Menu, Blood can fill you in from there, as well.”

Valtor looked a little shocked, as he looked at Zorina for confirmation. “I… Yes. Let’s discuss there. Rhia, let’s go.”

“Aww, but I wanna play more with Berri! It’s fine now, you don’t have to watch over me. Hearthtribe is full of good people. Right, Berri?”

“That’s right!”

Valtor once again looked over to Zorina for confirmation, but no chime sounded.

Amara said, “Have fun, daughter. Let’s go!”

The Eternum were a strange people, but Jake was excited for how things were about to change.