BOOK 8. CHAPTER 4: FAMILY FUN AND RELAXATION

Jake found himself in Bree’s arms, feeling a bit trapped against her bountiful chest. Sure, he could teleport away, or lift her…impressive body with his hearth flames, but feeling the contentment coming from her even while she was half-asleep was not something he wanted to interrupt.

Bree chuckled and hugged him even more tightly against her huge chest. His back popped from how hard she squished him, and he let out a groan.

She said, “You don’t have to tame your thoughts for me or any of your mates, Chief. You won’t hurt our feelings for thinking facts. I’m massive. Dense. You like it, so it is a compliment.”

Fhesiah appeared above them, floating with a grin on her face. “Imagine having to police your thoughts in so many situations; wouldn’t that be tedious? Though, women don’t need to read your mind to know what men are thinking anyway, you know.”

Blood added, [There was that time Lia asked if you’d still love her if she had a beak, though. That was cute. Oh, and probably at least a dozen weirder questions while she was pregnant.]

Jake chuckled. “Yes, I’m aware most women are basically mind readers–mine only have a slight advantage. And I know Bloodberri never cared, only proud of their size. With all of us bigger now, it’s still a bit odd for me. Even going to Earth with my reduced height, it was already an alien feeling towering over everyone. At my full height, I’d see eye to eye with most elephants. Bree and Bloodberri would, even with some of the largest ones.”

Berri scoffed. [Hmph. That’s nothing. We’re bigger than even the biggest mammal of your world, the blue whale.]

Jake frowned, though he was surprised she actually knew about this. “Longer, sure. They are over a hundred times your mass, though.”

[Remove the fat, then what is left? Almost nothing. I’m bigger and better, and my fat is only in the best places: where Daddy likes it.]

Jake groaned. He never thought he would be arguing with his wife about whether she was bigger than a blue whale or not.

Lia chuckled. [You should know it’s fruitless to argue with her about being bigger than something. Even Brother Zhang Fei gave up.]

Bree smiled. “So what now, Chief? I’m ecstatic that you have changed me, and I can’t wait to practice with my divine essence–my trait.”

Jake decided to take a look at it. In truth, the Divine descendants did not usually get much tangible inside of their status sheet for their Divine Traits–as in, numerically quantified information, much like cultivators. To his surprise, she actually had two, and the information was quite useful.

[Divine Trait: Savage Evolution]

[The Savage Forgemother’s Essence aids her in evolving against different magical phenomena against Tartarus forces or in Framework-sanctioned challenges. Repeated exposure will slowly improve her body, the full evolution only realized by her personal efforts in forging it.]

[Divine Trait: Flames of Spring]

[The Savage Forgemother’s Essence enhances her flames and grants her a special connection to her mate’s Presence. These flames carry the power of spring fertility and creation; their heat and destructive capabilities increase against those the Forgemother calls her enemy, but they can nurture, heal, or protect her family or allies.]

Jake smiled at that. “Those seem like exactly what I had in mind for you, but I’m a little disappointed that we can’t somehow train or direct your evolution.”

Bree’s smile was wide. “Yes, but it’s just right. For every strength, there must be a weakness or a cost. If we could have trained it at any time, the result likely would have been weaker.” She focused on Jake. “It was remarkable that you could direct it so perfectly with your talents. While my sisters and I could have accomplished it too, we have worked with this essence of the divine for thousands of years.”

Nessa responded to their conversation, [That’s right. For me, I could not direct how my trait evolved at all. Knowing that Jake can help direct it in the future is exciting.]

He decided to bring up Nessa’s Trait.

[Divine Trait: Essence of Truth]

[Nessa Hart, Daughter of Tyr’s Essence enhances her senses, enabling her to pierce all lies and illusions and see and hear the true essence of people. This Trait has been enhanced by her advancement, and it can now see people’s potential. It also enhances her spirituality, her personal truths or daos.] ȒÂNò𝐛Êṩ

She had defeated two Champion-level enemies over several years, which was what the advancement note was from. Jake noted, “I wasn’t aware of the change from that last part.”

Nessa said, [I’m happy with it, it’s the reason my daos are effective at all in such a short period. That and my soul-improving scripture.]

“How would you like to direct it?”

[I’m wanting something to enhance my venom or frost, and…preferably in a way that matches that State you created. It is perfect for me.]

Jake nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. We had gotten another piece of good news as a result of Bree becoming my mate, and that is that I unlocked Hearthforging. It did not grant me much information, similar to when I received Hearth Enchantment. However, I’m confident that I can form a Hearthian Bond with Nessa now, once our bond has improved and we have a spare Divine Spark.”

Ava’s voice asked, [What about me, my love? You notably did not mention…]

Jake grimaced. “I think…we’re going to require something truly special to accomplish it with you. A portion of the essence within a Tier 2 spark is all that I require for Nessa and possibly Bree or the rest. For your True Avatar, with how it’s linked to the world’s core… I’m not even sure a Tier 3 spark will be enough.”

Rather than being disappointed, Avalara sounded excited. [That’s a shame, isn’t it? My stag will just have to crush a Tier 4 Champion or another Enforcer then.]

“Of course.”

Fhesiah chuckled. “We’ve beaten one once. We can do it again.”

Bree’s green eyes blazed with brightness as they bore into Jake, and her heart started to pound harder. “Oh yes. I cannot wait for that battle and for our mate to emerge victorious.”

Jake had zero doubts that his efforts for Ava would be worthwhile. His hearth enchantments on her had required a lot of his mana to accomplish, taking weeks in total to accomplish, even with the Divine Hearth of the Refuge feeding him a nearly inexhaustible amount of mana.

It had helped significantly. Her world’s energy growth skyrocketed, and what would have been marginal improvements to her talent, quantity, and effectiveness of her auril and nethril had influenced the entire world of Highlands.

Five percent of something was not that big of a deal for an individual. But five percent for an entire world, for multiple aspects? Massive. The actual amount was likely between five and ten percent, but the exact number was impossible for them to measure.

Jake said, “Training and preparations are all that we have on the docket for the next three weeks. I have a few other hearth enchantments for Sati and Ruby to do, but I don’t think they’ll be…quite so eventful.”

Bree chuckled. “I wouldn’t make that bet if you leave it to chance, Chief. But if that’s your will, then that is what will likely happen.”

Faye said, “You might as well do some for Yona, too. Practice makes progress, and all that. But I do hope we have some fun before we arrive on The Burning Steps. It may be our last chance for months, after all.”

“Of course, we’re going to be busy. We’ll find plenty of time to relax, but we’ll do something fun for everyone a few days before we arrive.”

***

Blaze rolled several dice and flipped a strategy card over before pumping her fist. “Oh yeah! Eat this, Dad! Our berglings and gunners are the perfect combination against your crusaders! Good job getting so many of those, sis!”

Computing the result of her rolls, Jake used his hearthflames to move the pieces around and swiped the dead pieces from the board. His small force was devastated, and next turn the girls would finish them and encroach on his base.

Nyxa high-fived Blaze and swayed back and forth. “We did it. We got them right where we want them!”

It was a special game and movie event in the Hart household, everyone playing their favorite board and card games, as well as watching movies, eating snacks, and even a few more physical games as they spent time together.

Jake was playing Space Wars: Tabletop Edition with two of his snake daughters, with Yona on his team. They sat at the felt gaming table on stools, while, of course, his daughters had no issues resting on their own tails opposite of them.

They tried to do game nights at least once a week, but often, it was challenging to get everyone together and on the same page, having their own tasks or plans. With their arrival on The Burning Steps in just a few more days, they made sure to do it up big. Everyone joined in on the fun, and they planned on most of the day rather than just a couple of hours.

Yona looked at her cards with a thoughtful frown, her twin tails flicking around chaotically. She flipped over the card and said, “I’ll activate…the drop-ships!” She rolled the dice, and the values were checked, and then the plastic pieces moved across the grid-covered board.

Workers were destroyed, the pieces removed from the table.

Blaze’s eyes widened. “Oh no! My expansion!”

Nyxa groaned. “We should have left some forces back. They could have defended against the drop. Then, you wouldn’t have lost all your workers!”

“It’s fine. We’re about to hit Dad’s base! We can come back from this.”

Jake chuckled. “Think so? It’s my turn next.”

The cards were checked and new ones drawn, and resources were calculated. Sure enough, his plan came to fruition. “It looks like it got out just in time.” He flipped over a card, revealing his deadly air unit.

Nyxa’s eyes widened. “Dad had a carrier! No wonder he only had crusaders…awww….”

Blaze had a bitter look as she threw her cards down. “That’s game; we surrender. There’s no way we can build back up after this. Yona has plenty of gunners, too.”

Yona was a little confused at how the game was over, but eventually, she smiled shyly and looked up at Jake. “We won! Did I do good, nya?”

Blaze huffed. “That was just beginner’s luck!”

Jake chuckled and brought her over to his lap before he scratched the base of Yona’s ears as he hugged her to him. She purred into his embrace, and he replied, “You did well. The game can be as much luck as it is skill. Like when someone drew an expansion card on only the fourth turn–right when she had enough resources to actually use it.”

Blaze coughed. “Sorry, you’re right. I just wanted to win! It’s not every day we get to play with you, Dad.”

Jake let out a breath. “I’m sorry about that. If only there were more hours in the day, I could spend even more time with you.”

Blaze frowned in thought and then shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’m just…whining, like I often do. You spend plenty of time with us, and I’m thankful I have a dad that loves us so. Right, Nyxa?” She turned to her sister.

Nyxa nodded her head in response. “Yeah! Dad always finds time to play with us–when we want it. We’re blessed to have each other, so we are often pretty busy, too.”

Jake set Yona back down on her stool and then opened his arms wide. His girls surged around the table and hugged him with their upper bodies from each side. Blaze was now larger than most of her mothers, except Bloodberri, or now Bree. Still, Jake wrapped his arms around their backs, giving them a tight hug and showing them his love for them, both with how his Hearthian Presence conveyed it but his words, too.

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“You girls are so big and strong and smart now. I’m proud of you both for your hard work and the leadership you both show. Blaze, you have a lot of the girls looking up to you as…the biggest. I’ve noticed that you started working harder to be better when you realized this, and this is wonderful. Just remember that it is not fully your burden alone, and you are allowed mistakes and failures just like anyone else. They are moments to grow, and you should not let the fear of them cause you undue stress and anxiety.”

Blaze suddenly looked stricken, her eyes widening as she seemed to examine her own thoughts and feelings, looking away into the distance. “I’ve been doing that a lot, haven’t I? I’ll…try to settle down a little.”

Nyxa smiled wryly. “Of course, Daddy is always watching us. And Rena and I told you that already, you big oaf. I suppose it’s just different, coming from him.”

Jake smiled down at Nyxa. “And thank you, Nyxa, for the same. Everyone always looks up to you and Rena because you’re the oldest and among the wisest and so giving. You never turn down a sister or brother in need of help and devote your time to others unasked. They can all see and feel how much you love them. I love you both and know that you two will be great at whatever it is that you decide to do.”

The girls both hugged him tighter and then kissed him on the cheek.

Blaze blushed. “We love you too, Dad. Can we…play another game?”

Jake smiled. “One more. As long as nobody turtles, these games go pretty quickly.”

Nyxa snorted. “That’s mostly because you’re like a living calculator and game arbiter, floating all the pieces around with your flames, Dad. Other than with Mommy Blood, it usually takes us ten times the amount of time to complete a turn with all the phases.”

Throughout the room, his many wives and children were playing games of their own. His treant children largely still played card games like Go Fish!, Memory, or Old Maid. Rena loved playing with and guiding the younger ones, and Clara and Nora often did too. At the moment, Rena was playing Go Fish! with Jake’s treant son and one of the daughters, and one of the Ava’s was playing Old Maid with the four others.

Meanwhile, Blood and Berri were taking on Moxy, Nora, and Sharona in another game of Space Wars: Table Top Edition. The two versus three gave them a challenge, and Jake thought it was amusing how the two held their two sets of cards in their hands.

Nora groaned. “How is Clan-mother Berri so lucky? She got an expansion and stealth units this early? This is unreal!”

Blood chuckled. “You got greedy. If you had just built a couple less offensive units, you could have scouted and prepared your detectors. With three of you and two of us, there really is no good excuse for that, don’t you think?”

Nora groaned. “We were trying to end the game quickly. Let’s play again. We’ll get you this time!”

Berri hmphed. “You’re on. It’ll be the same thing as many times as we play! Blood and I are just the best team.”

Blood grinned. “Yes, but only because you listen to me. The third turn rush would have failed miserably.”

“I have good ideas sometimes!”

“Yes. The key word there is sometimes. I love you, sister, but occasionally, I feel like I need a leash for you.”

Bree was taking on Ophelia in a fighting game, with Tanda and Ruby and a few of the echidna girls taking turns in their matches. The snake girls cheered on the fighters, eating their chips and drinking their bubbly sodas as they waited their turns for their own matches.

His kitsune son and his beastkin son, Timothy, were playing a game of table tennis against their older sisters, Clara and Aiko. The bestial kitsune held the paddle with their fluffy tails and were able to hit the ping pong ball with uncanny accuracy.

The kitsunes were around the size of a medium-to-large-sized dog now, much larger than any fox on Earth. As they reached the first Tier in the next year or two, they would be nearly the size of a horse.

It was fun to watch the mirror match, the boys against the girls, and see them bonding. There was also a pool table and a shuffleboard set, unused for the moment.

Sati and Fhesiah were playing a collectible playing card game, but they had swapped a lot of the character portraits within the game to people within their family and people they knew, changing cards to a unique edition only for them.

Fhesiah tapped three volcanic lands, then said, “You are almost out of life, and my victory is near. I cast the spell: Dragon’s Breath!”

Sati smiled. “I tap three Highlands Rivers and use Absorb! I counter your spell and gain three life.”

Fhesiah groaned. “Your counters are beyond annoying.”

Sati tilted her head. “You’re the one who took the red deck. What did you think I should take?”

“True.” She tapped a few Ariminum Volcanos and placed down a dino warrior. “Roxo, I choose you!”

A large group of the snake girls, and Nessa, were watching a certain PG-13 snake movie in which an anaconda ravages a filming crew traveling down the river in the Amazon.

Early on, a man gets eaten in the river by one of the snakes. The snake girls all clapped and cheered, swaying in place.

Nessa tilted her head, watching the girls and frowning. “Why are they cheering when the people die to the snake?”

Later, one of the snakes died. Nessa was once again confused. “And now they’re crying. They’re sad because…a snake died. I thought this was some kind of horror movie, but they are watching it through a different lens.”

At the end of the movie, the climax led to the snake being killed with explosives. The young girls sniffled. “Well, at least the snake got that creepy guy. He wanted to kill them, but they got him instead. It’s only fair.”

Nessa had yet another confused snake girl talking to her in her mind. She responded aloud, “Nana, humans are not monsters for entering its lair and killing the snake…it’s just a movie.”

The family gathered for an actual dinner, everyone’s favorites brought out after some reheating with magical flames. Having a near-stasis magical storage item for the kitchen was one of Jake’s favorite purchases.

It allowed him or any of his wives to cook in bulk and prepare for parties and things of that nature well in advance. This way, a few of them wouldn’t be slaving away over the stovetops, magical air fryers, and rotisseries during the event in question and able to participate in the fun with everyone else.

It just took a few moments to reheat the items with their hearth flames, and their food was fresh and plated, ready to eat. With so many large snake girls with big appetites, this ended up being a requirement.

Thankfully, throughout normal days, most of his children took to helping, contributing, and learning from their parents on how to cook. It was both fun and excellent bonding time, and Jake was always happy for it.

The number of tables for the over forty children and adults was surprising. The snake girls all took up a surprising amount of foot space thanks to their coils, so the many smaller tables surrounded the large and round adult table. It was covered in a large buffet of food, and the kids enjoyed many of their favorites.

While they were eating, Jake made sure to remind his children of what events were about to happen. “Your aunts and uncle, grandpa and grandmas are all meeting up with us, and they arrive tomorrow. We want you all on your best behaviors.”

The girls all nodded, and many of them got excited. They loved seeing their family, often spending quite a bit of time with them, as their house was located at Harmony Peaks. Odds were, their many cousins would also arrive as mental projections, wanting to see their Clan-parents. This feature was well-loved, as Ava usually helped connect the beastkin’s songs, making it feel like they were truly there.

Tanda snorted. “I bet Aisling will be the one causing the trouble here.”

Ophelia nodded seriously. “We better keep her away from Faye this time. The pranks are too strong, and they just don’t feel fair when it’s foreseen that they’ll be successful.”

Faye grinned. “Oh, but didn’t you have so much fun in that simulation? I mean, you were stuck inside a room without your weapon and weren’t expecting to be trapped, but don’t you love a challenge like that? You got to punch a bunch of challenging monsters to death!”

Ophelia pouted. “Not when I’m trapped, and when you’re broadcasting your private time with Jake at the same time! You’re so mean.”

Faye mock gasped. “How could you say that I’m mean? Funny, I remember you enjoying a certain event after, and you didn’t close off the connection. That was my condition for Aisling’s help in predicting whether my prank was successful and why I did it, by the by–that you’d have fun in the end, too.”

Jake coughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice, Lia. I should have known she was enjoying it a little too… extra for a reason.”

Lia groaned. “I don’t blame you for that. This one is always a little extra something. And I did enjoy it, but I don’t think I can handle the stress of another prank like that.”

Fhesiah checked the insides of her nails. “Shame, you’re such a spoilsport. Well, my prank targets have increased; I have so many great choices now.”

Yona and Ruby both looked worried, knowing that they were among the new targets.

Jake knew she wouldn’t go overboard, probably. The meal complete, they played a few more games but eventually gathered to watch another movie, all together this time.

The snake pile in the center of the room was excessive. Their movie screen was the size of that seen at a movie theater, and with over forty watchers, it felt like they were in a strange animal cinema, to Jake. Each of his daughters and his sons took turns sitting with their moms and dad, and Jake was very busy with the brush during the film.

Thankfully, none of his girls had really felt they had grown out of time with their father, but that might be one of the few ways they weren’t that much like human teens. The echidna girls all loved having their hair brushed or their scales rubbed in with oil, and Jake had mastered plenty of different ponytail and braid options for his many girls. As the movie went on, he was often wrapped in a hug by their tail as he worked on their hair.

The movie ended, but the party and gaming continued. A few of his girls loved to sing, both among his daughters and among his wives. Ophelia and Tanda, Rena, Nora, and Clara all loved to sing and dance to the music, each having beautiful singing voices. The others focused on alternating their games instead, the pool table and shuffleboard seeing a little more usage.

The treant children enjoyed some simpler, more physical games with their big sisters playing with them, from beanbag toss to rings and a children’s bowling set.

Like all good things though, they eventually came to an end. Their singing completed, the girls helped clean everything up and put it all away, and then they began to get themselves ready for bed. Jake was about to start reading them all a story, but somehow, the topic was directed to a tale of one of their many battles.

The kids seemed more interested in the family’s smaller skirmishes, the ones that led to many people being saved. A lot of those were about being at the right place at the right time and being strong enough to turn the tide.

Saving a fleeing bear beastkin from a horde of undead the moment they crested the plateau was trivial for Ophelia, Jake, and Bloodberri, but they had changed dozens of those people’s lives forever. To this day, those people worked hard in their cleansed village, having completely rebuilt the tainted place into a successful, fertile one.

Eventually, the children fell asleep in their arms, and the parents snuck off to their own bedroom, to not disturb them with their discussion and their own activities. Jake had pampered plenty of his daughters, and now it was his wives’ turn.

Jake was brushing Tanda’s tail with her on his lap at the edge of the bed, with the rest of his wives sprawled out across the large piece of furniture, many hugging and cuddling one another. Bree didn’t have a hearth bond to fully feel it like the rest of them did, but she got echoes of it through her slightly enhanced connection.

Sati was enjoying hugging Jake from his other leg, the girl having a special loving warmth added to the sensations of her fingers running across his skin. She was very fascinated with his flesh, but mainly, being so close to his Hearthian Presence. The girl had taken to meditating within his Presence as often as possible, following him around like a strange, floating duckling.

Even Yona and Ruby joined the cuddle pile this time, and only Ava’s lesser avatar was watching over the younger treant children as they slept.

Tanda was sharing her senses with the rest of his wives, their hearths connected. She leaned into him with a soft sigh, and the rest of his girls enjoyed her contentment as her auril heart sang a relaxing hymn.

He eventually said, “I was surprised they wanted to hear about some more of our battles over the story we had chosen. We’ve told them all of those war stories before.”

Fhesiah stretched her arms high as she lay on the covers in her kitsune form, her fluffy tails batting around and caressing her nearby sister-wives as they cuddled one another. Lia giggled as she was tickled by them slightly, and Ava ran her fingers through the soft fur. Yona was held between Fhesiah and Lia, and Fhesiah was hugging the cute little cat girl.

“They can feel our unease, I think, Husband. Come to think of it, Rena probably steered us toward those stories to remind us all why we do what we do.”

Berri nodded, squeezing Nessa tightly with her tail. “She’s very clever and sweet. I bet she did.”

Blood grinned. “Our children have all really taken the best parts of us.”

Ophelia’s wings fluttered as she hugged Ruby to her with her wing. “I’m proud of them all. They seem like they’re less worried than us.”

Jake said, “They have trust in us, but they are still worried about the upcoming fight. They know that even if we win, as we often do, we can still be hurt.”

Blood replied, “Our enemies are truly vicious. We cannot save everyone or be everywhere all at once. But we’ve raised many heroes so that we can. The burden is not ours alone to bear. Just like I believe you told a certain daughter of ours, Milord.”

Jake chuckled. “You’re right. And this is why Hestia had us take our break. We are stronger, and so are our brethren. If we had rushed to join the war, it wouldn’t have been The Burning Steps. We’d have been defending them from the great enemy, but on some other world, and our allies hardly would have been ready to aid us much, and all while being harassed by our PvP enemies. So now we can take on The Obsidian Blades and their ilk with competent allies and confidence, while rescuing those that we can.”

Yona was purring from her spot, while Fhesiah was running her clawed fingers through her fur-like hair. The cat girl smiled. “What you all do is so lovely, helping so many of those in need. But I do hope you’ll take some time to rest. The dungeon exploration was not bad at all, and I hope you can keep this as close to that as you can.”

Jake nodded. “We’re going to lean on the guild that we built, but there are still some things that only we can do.”

Bree agreed, hugging Ava from the other side of her, and also running her large fingers through Ruby’s hair. “Yes, like crushing any enemy Champions and betrayers. They can count on us to take on any of the hardest challenges.” She turned to Ruby, “Your hair and fur are so soft and smooth, Ruby–I like it, but it’s not what I expected of a badger at all.”

“T-Thanks. I…made it that way, with Nessa’s help. Yours is…so lush and shiny. And your ears are softer than I expected, with them having scales and fur alike.”

That led to tons of compliments going back and forth about what the girls loved about each other’s choices, and Jake couldn’t help but chuckle at how each of them had set themselves apart. Or how one change had led to improvements in others. It seemed a strange hair and fur arms race was also occurring in his home, but he was benefitting as long as they were happy, and they were.

Sati said from Jake’s lap a little more seriously, “It will be a dire challenge, I can feel it. But our family’s destiny is greater than our enemy’s, and we shall emerge victorious as long as we are vigilant.”

Blood hmphed. “We are prepared for them, and we shall not show weakness. We have hidden our strength, and soon, they will taste our might.”

Jake groaned as so many of his girl’s lazy smiles quickly turned a bit bloodthirsty, getting excited about crushing their enemies. Even Tanda’s heartbeats, her song, shifted to a call for battle. He pushed back with his Presence. “I get that you’re excited, but let’s relax a bit longer, shall we? You’re next, Ruby and Yona.”

Tanda pouted as she switched places, joining the big cuddle pile and giggling as she landed on top of Ophelia, Fhesiah, and Avalara. With Yona and Ruby both blushing and with happy smiles, they joined him on his lap.

It was only a few days before arrival, but they would make them count. With the Ravenwolves arriving tomorrow, they would hammer out their final preparations just before their Conquest battle truly began.