Bonded Summoner

Book 5. Chapter 1: World Tree Seed

Having wrapped up the refugee rescue in Lakemere, Clan Hart spent some time preparing Lakemere before returning to their Refuge. Tanda had learned that much of the East Coast looked similarly.

Avian beastkin had arrived from various towns and villages, letting them know that Rifts had opened everywhere, and many required aid. Jake was starting to lament sending Rookard’s wolves to the West Coast.

Vesuvius joined with Takoda’s tamers to ride East. Soon, the reinforcements should arrive and provide assistance to those needing aid.

Meanwhile, Hearthtribe remained central. Aisling had some bad premonitions of what might happen if they didn’t properly defend the center of the continent.

While Jake’s people had empowered them and some villages had done well, Tartarus’ response was often brutal. It would pick apart their strengths with cunning efficiency, or people would get swept away by roaming bands of undead.

Jake did hear back from Morwen and Grayson, apparently they were waiting on Warrior Brotherhood for reinforcements. They were working to join up, but the storm, the terrain shifting, and the betrayers on the loose made it a challenge.

He was tempted to head out there, but he had faith in their ability to come out on top. Jake was hoping that once the teleporter was finished, Timone’s party and flock would head out West. They had hunted all the Rifts large or small near Harmony Peaks, even clearing to the North. However, they were still ready for the important arrival.

Jake’s family now stood in front of the new Harmony Peak’s HQ–Including Timone and his clan. Nestled in the valley against the river and mountain, the new city at the base was highly defensible.

It required them to build two dams. This allowed them to restrict the water flow leading into the split peaks, but also prevent Naga from attacking easily. They had managed to make an artificial lake by creating this barrier upstream.

The base was little more than a staging camp, at the moment. The HQ was a tower-like structure that looked pathetic next to the mountain it was beneath, but was nearly five stories high at the moment.

Much of the effort went towards bringing the prepared materials here. Thousands of avian beastkin had worked hard to collect hundreds of saplings across the jungle, along with enhancing the wall built at the base of the tower using stone. Having only roughly a week, Jake was impressed on what they accomplished.

The archway for the HQ portal was chosen within the walls for the time being, moving it entirely possible later. The plaza was large, capable of holding thousands of people. The wall protected this large area, Jake knowing it was useful for a final point of retreat.

The portal opened, and Valtor the scholar armor, Amara the magical tome, and Rhia, the pink child armor that looked like a certain pink ranger appeared.

Berri smiled. “Rhia! It’s good to see you!”

Rhia’s eyes seemed to flicker in delight. “Berri!” She flew over to Berri, and immediately began to catch up with her. Timone’s family looked on in interest, noting the special creatures.

Valtor and Amara greeted Jake, then Valtor noted, “Nadessa should be along shortly. The arrivals are here, and she should be able to allow them through to this location.”

Timone gave Valtor a concerned look. “You must be the one hassling my people. Your guidance is welcome, but everything is about numbers with you. Not everything is easily quantified, and my people are not so used to being so…regimented.”

Valtor chuckled. “My apologies, Chief Timone. The Framework quantifies much, and I live within the [Menu]. I understand your people work differently, bringing order to the chaos of nature is a real challenge. Still, efficiency and effectiveness wins battles and saves lives.”

Timone nodded. “Your way works, but it will take some time for us to truly find harmony. Welcome, Valtor.”

Nadessa strode out of the portal, and the small dryad girl holding a large staff looked excited. Her childlike grin was infectious, Jake knowing her pride for herself and her people were about all that made her act the way she looked.

To Jake’s surprise, a handful of spriggons came through too. They immediately began jabbering and pointing at Bloodberri, quickly moving to join with her; playing with Rhia.

Nadessa chuckled, looking at the rambunctious creatures. “They…were insistent on wanting to come. I’m not sure how they even knew about the event.”

Jake watched as they jabbered and pulled on Bloodberri’s clothes, seeking attention. Berri gave them a smile, and they began to dance around her in a circle. Some of their dance gave Jake the feeling they were shimmying or shaking like a snake might undulate–or at least trying to make it look like that. They were not all that coordinated.

Despite their wild nature, the dance almost seemed choreographed, and it ended with them prostrating themselves before her, raising up what appeared to be gifts in their tiny hands.

Berri clapped. “That was cute. Oh! Thank you, little ones!”

Blood then floated their offerings into their hands, causing the creature’s pupil-less eyes to glimmer in the light and jabber in astonishment. Their gifts were what looked like delicious fruit and beautiful flowers. Blood placed the flowers in their hair.

Rhia looked on in astonishment. “I see them a lot when you’re not around, and they don’t act like this! Some have really been making friends with the beastkin children, though.”

Nadessa did seem interested in the interaction, but she moved on–the arrival more important to her.

“My people are finally here! Well, a decent number of them. Spriggons, Dryads, baby Hamadryads, and some younger Treants! Then, much of our stronger Fauns and Satyrs will arrive, those early in Tier 1. There are even a handful of Naiads!”

Jake was excited about this. Hearthtribe as a whole were preparing to attempt their Trials, and soon would be reaching Tier 1. Combined with these forces, they would soon be able to clear the many smaller Rifts across the world, preventing the deaths of uninitiated everywhere.

This would allow Clan Hart to make effective progress. Each day they gained a half a percent of Conquest Progress, and he knew that once the beastkin really started pulling their weight, this would be even more rapid.

Valtor and Jake conversed with Nadessa, confirming what to expect. It appeared the Naiads would be fine outside the water for quite some time, especially with the auril in the air.

Nadessa took a deep breath, enjoying the air filled with vitality. “This air is just as you said, Tanda, and even more precious. My people will love it here. I’ll save the spriggons for last, let’s do it!”

Hundreds of figures emerged around the portal in motes of light, being released from the void. Predominantly Satyrs and Fauns, these were the bulk of the world’s forces. The dryads were present, and many held baskets.

Jake, Nadessa, and Timone all addressed the people, each welcoming them to Highlands in their own way. Nadessa had started by explaining where their brethren were currently, and Timone spoke of his people and their history.

He gave some significant looks to the few handfuls of Treants, explaining that their people were especially welcome, having a history on this world. The Elysian people were certainly those that respected the balance of nature, so he knew they would be right at home along with his own.

Jake did his best to recruit for Hearthtribe. He had learned that a majority of those interested in combating Tartarus as their life’s goal were primarily going to be those in the coming weeks.

However, Jake’s message did resonate with some arrivals. Many had suffered, witnessed families being destroyed, and had a desire to prevent that from happening to others in the future. Tired of being the victims, they would train hard to progress themselves with Hearthtribe.

Ophelia and Valtor were quick to take those interested in joining and get them set up. They detailed the guild’s doctrine, along with the many perks and advantages of being in the guild. Jake was happy to see that two of the Treants had already joined, a good sign for when the much higher leveled ones arrived.

Contained within the baskets the Dryads carried were the Hamadryad children. From what Jake understood, any dryad could become a Hamadryad if they bonded with a tree; an irreversible event. However, those borne of a Hamadryad would be different or skewed toward that notion.

Compared to the dryads borne of a pairing with a Treant, the Hamadryad children were smaller and frailer looking. Jake almost thought they looked like tree goblins or gnomes, their skin tones matching the tree of their parent. Mostly shades of brown and green, but there were certainly brighter colors among them.

Berri squealed as she saw the cute little dryad children peeking out from their baskets, protected from the elements. She wanted to play with them, but apparently they were extremely fragile in this state. As they aged, they would be able to manifest themselves near the tree and be quite similar to the dryads.

As they got older and stronger, they could aid in animating their tree like a treant for a period. It was only these that would be able to come to Highlands, the rest doomed to die on their world.

There were dryad children along as well, those that Jake knew were interested in bonding with a tree. The [Mass Migration] children were primarily waiting in the void for the war to be completed, but these were at the right stage of their lives for this process, having fled.

The collected saplings were planted in a ring at set intervals along the wall. From what Jake understood, these were trees that were similar to the ones he had seen on his date with Tanda. Their vines could be moved by the tree itself, and in the hands of a bonded Hamadryad, they would be able to fight off attackers.

He wondered what that meant for the odd dung beetles, their mutualism likely making them related to or a part of the pairing.

Many Dryads also specialized in magic that would protect and enhance the trees. Similar to the evil Blighters they faced at Nature’s Crossroads, they could join their magic in a form of group casting and empower the Hamadryads, as well as Treants.

The many toddler-like Hamadryads were brought to the saplings, where they each chose which tree they wanted to be bonded to. The procession of Elysian races filed out of the courtyard, moving toward their future homes.

Even the dryads not binding themselves to a tree would often live in the trees. The Fauns and Satyrs would twist trees into living spaces, not often desiring living in a hut or home. Many of the gathered saplings were left not planted for this purpose, allowing them to place and grow their future home using nature magic.

The Treants were large, the average being larger than Seamus and Bloodberri by a fair margin–in height. They were tall and thin, their bodies and lanky limbs looking like bark-covered humans.

Really, the Treants reminded Jake of a certain galaxy guardian with a limited vocabulary, but had branches filled with leaves extending from their head–quite similar to the Heart of the World.

Jake just wryly smiled at the Naiads, Fhesiah filled with disappointment. They were like blue dryads with webbed feet and hands, looking like ten-year-old girls. The Naiads were quickly directed to the nearby lake, recently created by the dam.

Nadessa triggered the spriggons next, thousands of the little creatures appearing in motes of light. Berri’s current entourage froze, and seemed to line up, prepared for this moment. They jabbered excitedly, and gestured to Bloodberri.

The crowd jabbered in excitement, as she waved at her new following. She was about to give her speech, but the entourage seemed to take it from there. Blood raised her brow, seemingly getting the gist of what they were telling them.

Jake asked, “What are they saying, Blood?”

Blood looked over them with narrowed eyes. “Pretty much what Berri and I told them the first time–the request that they get along with the beastkin and dinosaurs, and help with maintaining the forests. However, they mentioned some kind of…meeting, later.”

Nadessa was bewildered. “Meeting? These guys have an attention span of a hummingbird. I could kind of see it while Bloodberri is around now after witnessing it, but they aren’t known to be overly social beyond their pranks in the forest against one another.”

Berri smiled. “Well, it doesn’t seem to be anything bad? I think it’s great they’re making friends!” She addressed the spriggons. “You guys be good, okay? Harmony Peaks is suuuper important! We can really use your help to keep this place safe! Oh! Also, Fhesiah needs some powerful herbs from deep in the jungles now. If you could help out by bringing them to us, that would help a lot!”

The thousands of spriggons almost collectively nodded and jabbered, their eyes and movements filled with fervor. These spriggons did appear a little older or more powerful than the previous batch, from what Jake could tell.

They almost followed the original five in an orderly manner, though Jake saw one had gone back through the portal. That left just one more event for this arrival.

A handful of dryads and the Treants that joined Jake’s guild stuck around in the plaza, as if waiting for this moment. Nadessa spoke with them a moment, before triggering the last arrival.

It was seven dryads, six holding onto a handle of a wooden box. It almost reminded Jake of a sedan–the odd construction used by aristocratic individuals in Earth’s history for transportation, a group of people meant to carry a person that sat inside.

Only, instead of four to six guys carrying a single one sitting in a chair inside the box, it was six little girls carrying another, even smaller, girl. The last dryad was carrying a sealed box, and Jake could feel the special energies contained inside, and definitely could feel a small amount of what he in his mind associated with divinity.

Fhesiah nodded to Jake’s thoughts. “That is truly special. The box is definitely sealing most of what's contained within, but it is still leaking out.”

Those that remained in the plaza followed the procession of the odd guardians of the World Tree Seed and Treant King descendant, heading over to its new home.josei

A large clearing in the cave leading to the Heart of the World had been carved out. The tribe from the nearby plateau had been called upon, and they aided with digging out the massive area from the cave, as well as aiding with the HQ construction.

Auril-infused claws were amazing for digging, exceeding any pickaxe or drill. The cave was nearly horizontal and snaked around before it descended toward the prismatic stem. Despite the World Tree’s placement within the cave, the roots would not necessarily reach the stem going straight down.

Tamed dinosaurs and beasts were used to fill in the large pit that was dug out at the base of the mountain with soil. Jake was impressed with how large of an area they had carved out, the roots able to spread where there wasn’t necessarily rock–though this was not a problem for the special tree as it got older.

They had managed to create a grotto-like area that was protected on all sides by the mountain. It was still near the base, and would protect the path to the Heart of the World. Already, there was grass growing in the clearing, with vines draping down the cavern walls from various trees.

Looking up, Jake was surprised to see how deep the chasm was. Jake questioned Timone, “You guys did this all in a week? This is quite impressive.”

Timone looked proud, gazing over the work his people had done. “We all worked hard, hundreds of us. However, this area was quite eroded already. The recent avalanche by my daughter kind of uncovered it.”

The sun shined down on the grotto, only reachable through the cave and not easily spotted from the outside. When Jake was looking up, he saw what he hadn’t expected: the four heroic beasts.

They had gathered above, as if to watch the arrival.

The procession placed down their precious cargo, Nadessa taking the box from the dryad.

When she took the seed out, it glimmered in the light, and the feeling of divinity increased. Whatever this was, it was definitely above that of the beast avatar. It didn’t seem the same level as a Champion, but this was before the unique entity grew.

Planting it in the auril-rich soil, Nadessa then focused her staff. Green energy that matched Tanda’s [Rampant Growth] spell was released into the seed, and the other dryads began to match her.

Timone and his wives all sang a wordless song, humming and vocalizing a soothing tune. The auril in the area were drawn in from afar, even from the heroic beasts aiding them. Their energies entered the seed as well.

The little girl inside the sedan exited, and Jake felt something special from her. Her skin was a pale cream color, and the leaves on her body appeared to match that of a sycamore. As she got near, a green glimmer surrounded her, then entered the seed.

The seed quickly sprouted, and grew rapidly from the ground. The auril from the area converged even more rapidly, creating a vortex within the grotto. This continued for several minutes, the tree growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before long, it was almost as large as one of the Treants. However, it appeared to slow down as the base became thicker.

It was then that the rapid growth stopped. In a way, it was almost disappointing–the tree in their Refuge had grown a lot faster. In another, Jake could feel the immense levels of vitality coming from the tree. It resembled a sycamore like the girl, and she looked up at the tree with a smile.

She waved at the dryads and Nadessa, who all looked on with brilliant smiles. They were full of pride, happy that this worked out. The girl hugged the tree, where she glimmered green and disappeared.

Nadessa was beaming. “She did it! She is now solidifying her bond, but also growing along with it. She will enter a slumber for a time, but we should have some control over its growth!”

She looked over to Timone and family. “Thank you so much for your help! Your control over the auril energy is truly special.” Nadessa then addressed the four heroic beasts. “Thank you, for welcoming the Elysians to your world! We’ll fight to protect the balance, to protect our world!”

She turned to Jake. “And thank you, Jake! I’m so glad you’re the one that answered our call. We will fight hard for this world, I promise. Not all of our people stay in the city, but they still participate in the defense and do Incursions. You can count on us!”

The heroic beasts stood overlooking the special location proudly, the great protectors of the forest. Jake was happy to know that these creatures were present in Harmony Peaks, keeping watch for evil.

He spent some time hammering out their overall plans for the coming weeks, and learned that Valtor and Amara would be organizing adding magical defenses to the location. Similar to the formations Fhesiah had created to draw in energy, they would use scripts carved on the cliff faces to hide and protect the special location.

The world tree seed handled, Jake and his wives could get back to the front lines. Soon, it would be time for Jake to focus on his next means of advancement: Hearth Enchantment.