Bonded Summoner

Book 6. Chapter 5: Sandreavers of Ankhmar

Jake and Blood sat at an opulent dinner table, eating their meal at the newly established restaurant. It was multiple courses, and he thanked Hestia that Berri was still asleep.

Blood chewed her salad thoughtfully, but he could tell even she felt that the food was dubious. None of that showed on her face, as she tried the odd salad of the people of Kaemun.

They were a desert people, and so the salad included cactus to go along with their other greens, and something that was like dates and nuts within. As far as salads went, Jake didnt think it was too bad at all, the cacti having a rich flavor and invigorating texture.

But Jake had to practically trick Berri like a child to eat vegetablesat least until she became pregnant. Now, everything went down the hatch for her growing baby. Still, what was placed in front of them was definitely a human quantity, not even enough for an appetizer for her.

Across from Jake and Blood sat the pharaoh of Kaemun, a pair that unsettled Jake a little for several reasons. The first, was that it was a teenage boy and his mother. Their outfits definitely reminded Jake of an Egyptian pharaoh from a period piece, but what unsettled him was their race.

They were anubians, which meant that they were like jackal beastkin, just like the Summoner he fought during the Fortress Assault. Within their world were many races, but the anubians were their chosen rulers with the power to control the sands and earth of the deserts.

Few others could be born with this affinity, and especially not at the level of the royal family of the pharaohs.

This new restaurant had a special feature, which was somewhat like the Refuge. The pharaoh and his mother were on their own world currently, but they appeared on Highlands as projections, and Jake and Blood on Kaemun.

The Kaemuns were eating some Highlands salad, to which the two seemed to be enjoying quite a bit.

This dinner meeting was actually requested by the Republic a few weeks back, but they didnt have this place built quite yet. The Kaemun Kingdom requested the audience suddenly, and Jake decided to take out two birds with one stone, as it were.

The Kaemun Kingdom stated that the issue was urgent, so Jake decided to meet with them first. They had exchanged polite greetings before the first course came out, but otherwise kept mostly silent, only making small talk about the food.

Their first part of the meal completed, they enjoyed some cactus pear juice.

The boy was young, but his eyes and voice shone with intelligence. Thank you for meeting us on such short notice, and I apologize for the delay in reaching out. We had some difficulties withsuccession.

Jake had been given a minor report on the Conquest of the world of Ankhmar, and things had gone quite poorly. His victory had truly saved them from the jaws of death, the world under 20% Conquest. A Raid was inevitable, and a large percentage of their population was dying each day.

With Tartarus gone, the beasts and other creatures of the world should return to normal. Jake supposed that didnt mean things would instantly be safe, but it meant that the immortal warriors of the Framework should be able to just fight back against most threatseven going so far as using sacrificial wave tactics if they must.

Jake replied, Its not a problem. I was a little alarmed that something could be so urgent with the world being free from our enemys grasp. Could you explain what happened there?

It was the mother who answered, During the war, Tartarus changed the sandreavers in a way that we never expected. The creatures were often born in our mausoleums from the corpses and death energy contained within, but were a part of the natural cycle and would often stay in the crypts in solitude, almost as if guarding them. Tartarus used them, and theyseem to have gained a form of sapience, and they have begun to gather and attack settlements even after its influence is gone.

She continued, But weve had little time to investigate this. A civil war had broken out, which was one of the larger reasons we had such difficulty with overcoming the many challenges. The rival faction had taken advantage of the situation, and had done everything just short of being marked as betrayers by the Framework.

Jake couldnt help but grimace at that. When a world reached the Contested state, what occurs is not that dissimilar from what was seen when the Dungeon Raid began. The world would be covered in the golden hexagons, but runes and scripts anyone could read appear in the sky, underwater, and underground where people lived detailing what happened.

The Alliance HQ would usually appear in the most populous city, and the most populated regions with a handful of Nexus Nodes across the world based on population. Included in the runes would be a set of rules for inhabitants of the world to follow, or they would be marked as betrayers.

The biggest rule aside from repeated killing of Adventurers, was to not obstruct or deny access to the Alliance HQ or Nexus Nodes. If a country was at war with one another and they would prefer no entry into their city, they could move the Nexus Node to the outskirts.

To deny access was the same as helping the enemy, and the Framework could give out quests for Adventurers to overcome the natives, depending on the situation.

Thankfully, the locations of these items were not placed at random. The Sector Council which was led by gods and Sector natives alike would decide on the placement of them. While they couldnt fully predict the natives reaction, they could make intelligent guesses.

The council could potentially invest in a Nexus Node in the opposing countrys capital in the event of two countries at war, just in case they couldnt put aside their differences to face the greater enemy.

Highlands situation was abnormal due to the smaller world and odd geography to go along with their smaller population. Picking Lifes Haven over Harmony Peaks was likely a calculated move, the people of Harmony Peaks rejecting it and having special mobility for the future if they eventually changed their mind.

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Jake understood that Earths integration would go somewhat the same way, but would likely have many more Alliance HQs and Nexus Nodes right at the start, simply due to the overwhelming population there.

The next course was delivered, and it resembled charcuterie. It was a wide assortment of items, of both Highlands and Ankhmar food.

While snacking, the young pharaoh continued, My uncle killed my father in the chaos of the Frameworks arrival, and nearly killed me as well. We only barely escaped, and it was a real challenge to stand against him. Only by rallying allies and joining the Framework did we barely hold on.

Blood asked, Your uncle and his people didnt join?

He shook his head. In truth, our people were somewhat against joiningit was against our beliefs to become undying. He gained more allies going against it than using it. I also suspect he wanted to be the one to kill me. Hed be unable to if he himself joined, after I did.

Jake replied, Thats Im sorry to hear that. But you somehow prevailed?

The former queen gave a feral smile with her canine face, After we gathered our initiated allies, the only way he could hold us off was by forcing us to deal with the monster swarms and Rifts. When the Rifts suddenly disappeared from your victory, we struck. It has taken the past few weeks to clean up the fallout and manage the sandreavers to have time to meet you.

The Kaemun pharaoh continued, We have mostly settled the situation, but the sandreavers are challenging for us to deal with. The Adventurers left with no CP to earn, and our people are fractured. My people suffer, and youre the only one I could entreat for help. Were told youre a proper hero, a great warrior that saved Highlands from certain doom. You saved our world too, but the work is not yet done.

Kaemun stood, and bowed his head deeply with his hands clasped in front of him, as he made a passionate plea. As pharaoh of Kaemun, I beg you. My people still need your help!

Jake was pretty sure he was going to help the pharaoh, but the particulars about how were in the air. He asked Blood in their minds, their speech faster than normal thought, What do you think? Im sure we can send some Hearthtribe to handle this, despite our Conquest and other activities.

[Why not handle it ourselves? Our Refuge is faster than any of our allies, and we can arrive in under a week. A desert is not that appealing for a vacation, but you can have fun gathering your templates, and who knows? Maybe we might win even more allies for the future by making a good showing.]

A pang of worry twisted in Jakes stomach thinking about his girls fighting once again in their condition, but he pushed it down. In the end, this world was a Tier 1 world. Since it isnt contested, his family would be able to enter as is without issue.

While it could have some sort of ancient evil or powerful enemy, ultimately, they werent their match. Jakes party could even call upon their Divine, if anything outside of their expectations appeared.

Not only that, but Jake would ultimately lead any risky fighting, sounding out any enemy with his summons. Both Ophelia and Tanda had various ways to fight without even getting into melee range now, including summons of their own. This was also a good opportunity for Avalara to get some real fighting experience.

Jake smiled. You are a young pharaoh, but your heart is in the right place. I hope as you get older you dont forget your passion for protecting your people. Youve earned my familys assistance. We should be able to reinforce you within a week.

The young pharaohs eyes widened in shock as he stood, and a smile took over his and his mothers features. I thank you! Even the knowledge that a Champion is on his way should boost morale, and save many lives! This is the best news.

He sat down, and the main course of their meal was delivered not long after. The meat given to the pharaoh was some auril beast steaks. For Jake and Blood, it was some type of desert lamb that the flavor was quite unique.

After their meal, they discussed some specifics about their upcoming aid. It was detailed that Highlands was still in a state of rebuilding and preparing for the future War Trial, but they would do their best to spare some people to aid them.

Blood even provided details about their multiversal orphanage and how the kingdom could take advantage of it, showing her passion for the topic was not lesser than Berris.

They eventually said goodbye to the pharaoh and his mother, and they saw some familiar faces at the restaurant.

Nadessa was meeting with druids and other clergy from the Concordia Republic. Jake had given her the okay to make the attempt to spread the influence of Hestias Pantheon, thinking her experience with the other divine would be convincing.

Seamus was also meeting with some generals from the same, extolling the value of his coliseums and training areas. They were also recruiting for Hearthtribe by offering benefits for each viable recruit provided.

They met with the Concordia Republic regents next, and they were a much larger, and varied group. The world of Ganestra had a wide variety of races, including what Jake considered the staple fantasy races. There were elves, dwarves, gnomes, humans, beastkin, but even races like the dark elves and lamia underground.

Things werent going quite as bad for them, having only been at 40% conquest when Jakes party flipped the ownership. But after hearing their descriptions, it sounded a lot like the situation Alisara from Ariminum had created.

Their Battlegroups kept getting ambushed by creatures outside of the Rifts, Tartarus somehow getting details about their assaults and crushing them repeatedly. Once again, it appeared they would require some sort of investigation. There might be some form of betrayers left in the world.

Near the end of their conversation, Jake felt something within him shift.

He knew what it was immediatelyit was the connection to Fhesiah over their bond.

However, it was an odd feeling. It was like he could hear her voice, but it was scrambled. Instead, her emotions seemed mostly stable, but even those would come and go rapidly.

Eventually, he understood what he was feeling. He guessed that time was heavily dilated within the Battleground, her voice coming through far too fast for him to understand. On the other side, Fhesiah probably had difficulty understanding him because his thoughts would come through too slowly.

They knew that the event could only take two months, but it appeared that from Fhesiahs perspective, it would take much longer than that.

They had learned that this was a possibility, though Bastet hadnt mentioned it. Perhaps she couldnt confirm nor deny this for them. There were some preparations they could make so that Jake could better connect with Fhesiah, but a true temporal chamber they could use continuously or fully matched the accelerated time in the Battleground was far too expensive at their Tier.

Jake was inwardly relieved that Fhesiah had extra time within her Battleground to accomplish her goals. The fighting would be far too frantic if the goal was within the short two-month maximum timeframe, and even forming her core might take days even with the perfect environment. At the same time, now it would be difficult or nearly impossible for him to help her in truth.

Their meetings completed, they set a course with their bond communication with the other girls. The Harts would head to Ankhmar while making their preparations. While it would take a week for them to get there, for Fhesiah, it would likely be over an entire month, with a maximum of two.