Bonded Summoner

“An underground cavern, huh?” Brock and his party arrived through the dungeon portal. His clan was one of numerous parties entering at around the same time. He and his mates were one of hundreds of Tier 2 parties of warriors selected to make their first foray into the dungeon since it opened.

They were currently standing on an incline within a cave, and only a small amount of light was available through luminescent flora. The party immediately began running auril through the runes on their armor, adding a small increase in the light present.

Mindy, his sheep beastkin mate and Cleric of Brigid, noted, “This place feels a little strange, but not all that different from those Incursions we used to do. Should we go down…or up?”

Serena sighed, her panther ears and tail flicking in irritation. “I think… I’d much rather find the exit and get our bearings first if we can. I think we should go up.”

Brock frowned. “But what if the exit is down? I guess we might not be underground at all.”

Bria’s eyes were focused on the top of the incline. She pointed with her large axe. “Let’s go that way.”

Vanessa the faun druid frowned. “I cannot connect with much nature where we are here, but let me guess. There’s enemies that way?”

Bria nodded as she shouldered her axe. That was all the words she would have to say on the matter.

Brock shrugged. “Might as well test ourselves against some of the enemies on the floor first.”

Her evolution to the Second Tier had changed her slightly. She didn’t grow an auril heart, at least not yet, but something appeared to be happening to her which allowed her to at the very least hear the world’s song, and certainly, her clan mate’s heartbeats.

He couldn’t have been happier for his mate, but now it was time for battle.

With a flex of his mind, armadillo scales began to cover his arms and body. This was his Sublimation in play, his will bringing his bestial nature into the world with the dense auril in his body, reinforcing his hide and bone armor. His glaive was enshrouded in dense auril as well, his blade extending and hardening as his party prepared for battle.

Vanessa added a few buffs to each of them, each spell reinforcing what made them strong. Bria and himself got magical strength and durability, while Serena got some dexterity and agility. Mindy added some as well, granting them a defensive spell that reinforced their skin with her divine’s protection.

Bria was covered in fur from head to toe, and actually grew out two extra badger arms and claws to aid her in the attack. Serena was covered in shadows as she began to head up the cavern to scout.

Mindy’s light covered the party, bolstering their vitality. And Brock’s aura did similar, the flames of Hestia forming a protective sheen on their bodies. In all, his party was very sturdy against enemies, and Brock was happy for it. Vanessa normally wouldn’t be, but thanks to all their layers of protection, she wouldn’t get taken out by a random blow.

As Bria took a few practice swings with her new battleaxe crafted by Jake and Ophelia, Brock couldn’t help but think of the Eternum, Falcor from before. As much as Brock liked Falcor the unliving battleaxe, it was now way too weird and awkward for his wife to wield him now, in part thanks to his spirit visage.

Brock would have a hard time erasing from his mind how the ghost man shivered and looked pleased when Bria grabbed Falcor’s haft.

It wasn’t sexual, but even Bria couldn’t handle the weirdness–it was like she was giving the man a pleasurable massage while she held him and fought, or something like this. Maybe if it was a female Eternum it could work out, but for whatever reason so few of them were born as weapons or even shields.

It didn’t matter. Clan Brock had gotten bigger, and things were going fantastic. Two of his new mates stayed back at home with the little ones, and now the rest of them could go on adventures to sharpen their claws, and punish the wicked. Their plans were to cycle mates out as they had children, or as they desired. His cow parentage beastkin wife was not much for fighting, but she thankfully loved taking good care of their children.

Serena said, “Two monsters in the cavern ahead, and numerous… bat-like creatures in the adjacent chamber, sleeping hanging from the ceiling. Just a few dozen, though.”

Brock thought of a plan. “If we lure them here into this narrow cave, Vanessa can clear most of them out.”

The party got into positions at the choke point of the cavern, and Serena shot one of the creatures in the eye. They were alligator-like creatures, which had thick hides studded with gemstones.

“The bats are coming too!” Serena said, as she clung to the walls and dashed past their three warriors, Brock, Bree, and Mindy standing side by side with their weapons.

The two monsters surged toward them while they waited in the narrow space, and Vanessa built up her vines. Right after the two beasts passed the edge of the walls, a thicket formed, and Brock speared his polearm into one of them, his glaive taking it in the shoulder. Brock manifested his will, and a shield made of scales crashed into the other one and stopped it in its tracks.

Bria’s axe swung downward, its elongated blade digging deeply into Brock’s target and nearly taking off its long head. Red auril sent blood scattering as the monster wailed, and its eyes suddenly gleamed with magic.

“It’s a basilisk! Look away!” Vanessa suddenly called out, as shrieks from bats and wails from the monsters filled the small path.

Brock closed his eyes just in time, as a wave of magic crashed into him. He got knocked back by the force of it somehow, and he pushed his auril to where he felt the blow, and lashed out and latched onto the beast with his cape flaps.

Following the sounds of the movements: the scrabbling of the claws on the stone, the groan of pain from Bria’s extra claw and its manifestation parting the creature’s flesh–Brock brought his polearm around with a powerful swing, and cut deeply into the other side of the basilisk’s neck.

Having connected, Brock then tackled into the creature with his buffalo horns, shoving his polearm deeper into the monster’s flesh, and keeping its maw away from his allies. Twisting his face away from the basilisk, he opened his eyes to check on the battle.

Mindy’s mace and his shield manifestation kept the other basilisk busy, her blows having a slight stun effect, dazing the monster as light splashed onto her allies, healing them. Serena’s arrows had turned the monster into a pincushion, chunks of flesh missing from various places on its body, and one of its eyes now missing.

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An angry bat made it through the thicket, but Serena’s arrow took it right in its face, taking it down. They weren’t exactly bats, looking like some kind of stone lizard with wings. More scrabbled through with wounds to their bodies and wings, but Vanessa’s vines were alive, and snatched others out of the air and crushed them with stronger and thicker piercing vines. She now shot numerous thorns from a spitting plant she created, and their party was allowed to focus the two basilisks down and finish them off.

A few of the lizard bats flew away, as dozens were killed by Vanessa’s murderous thicket. Blood was drained from the creatures, their corpses deposited on the ground.

Brock grinned. “Good work, seems these monsters are no problem for us at all. Time for cleanup.”

Each party member used the Loot skill on the creatures as they restored themselves, and then they headed further into the cavern.

“What’s this gold stuff on the wall?” Mindy ran her hand against the vein of gold, and it truly shimmered in the light.

With a crash, Bria axe cut deeply into the wall, cracking it and sending a large chunk of the ore onto the ground. Brock went to pick it up, but when he touched it, and it disappeared into motes of light despite him not triggering his Storage Bracelet.

[1 Gold Claimed. Deposit at Node to collect for Dungeon Outpost.]

“What happened to it, you put it into your bracelet?” Vanessa asked, frowning.

He replied, “I just…claimed a gold, we need an Outpost to make use of it. Let’s find the exit, then we can come back once we figure out what it might be used for.”

They fought through the caverns, running into various monsters and challenges, much like the first. The gold was numerous, so they didn’t focus on collecting it overly much, just grabbing a few here and there. They were only lightly taxed and didn’t have to use their strongest abilities, and they eventually ended up topside.

Brock was shocked as stood at the edge of a cliff. There was an entire world beneath them, and it looked nothing like Highlands. A vast prairie was in their view, his Clan standing on a craggy hill of stone. Similar mountainous hills could be seen dotting the vast landscape, with various biomes and even structures visible.

Her helmet taken off to see better, the wind blew across Mindy’s curly hair, and she kept it out of her eyes with her hand. “Wow, so it’s more than just the caves. It’s a whole world down here.”

Brock spotted a tower, and what looked like a castle, and even a fenced off village in the distance. There were camps of monsters in some areas, but he saw many places where they could easily hide, among the rocks or trees. Especially around places like the tower and castle, there were numerous monsters of many kinds.

Serena pointed. “Oh! Look. It’s more Hearthtribe. They’re fighting something!”

Brock had hardly made out the village in the distance, but now that he looked closer, he realized his mate was right. It was clear now that Vesuvius had grown, and was fighting something with several small groups.

“Let’s help them. Vanessa, get on.”

With a blush, she wrapped vines around special bones on his armor from the front, growing them around her. Vanessa could fly on her own for a time now by using elemental winds and the same flight suit, but it would use too much of her mana to travel, and she was having difficulty controlling it. She would waste her resources and have them unavailable when they arrived, so instead she connected herself with her harness, ready to have Brock glide her through the air with him.

The wing suit was reinforced by auril-infused feathers, and was standard equipment for all beastkin. As 2nd Tier Auril users, maintaining lift with a few flaps of their wings on their suit and flying was a simple task. The party took off from the cliff, gliding, and heading to join Vesuvius and their allies in the fight.

As they neared the fighting, it seemed to be a mix of monsters and warriors. Ogres, giant lizard-like monsters, and monster wolves were fighting against the beastkin, Elysian, and Emberborn parties, nearly forty of them already rallied together.

As they made their approach, Brock couldn’t help but look at the Emberborn and how they’d changed. The priestesses now had a cold flame in their chests, and a powerful dark aura covering their filled out fleshy bodies. They now no longer looked like ghouls, with their skins pulled tightly against their bones. Their skin had also gone from pale to having a lightly blue hue.

And it was the same for the men. They now looked more human-like, the power of nethril granting them an increased sort of unliving vitality from their time in the cold north, combined with what the Framework and likely Arawn himself must have invested in them. They too had a cold flame in their chests, their flaming skulls gone and covered with skin.

Clan Brock landed, and Bria immediately started carving into the monsters, with Brock and Mindy covering her flanks. Rookard and his wolf beastkin howled as they launched a powerful ranged assault mixed with dashing warriors, and the reptilian beastkin took the brunt of the enemy’s charge with their larger bodies.

His clan’s songs joined the symphony of the beastkin in battle, pushing back the ogres and their supporting monsters. More and more allies joined as they fought, fighting to the enemy’s walls. The treants eventually fought next to the reptile beastkin, the numerous auras and manifestations increasing the diverse warrior’s power.

The ogre’s maces were large and devastating, and a few shamans supported them with strange spells that enraged and empowered them. As the killed enemies were risen by the Emberborn priestesses as undead, and auril flooded the area from the world of Highlands, they quickly overwhelmed the enemy and stormed the village.

Brock could feel Vesuvius’ song of triumph, the warrior fighting for the glory of Echidna as he fought a large ogre warrior. And Brock’s mate Bria was like a storm of claws and her axe, cutting deeply into the giant ogre Boss.

Eventually, the boss was killed, and the Node was claimed. A sort of bubble spread out from the center of the village, extending a short ways outside of the walls and likely underground.

[City Node Claimed by Hearthtribe. No monsters may spawn within the field, but it provides zero protection. Construction is allowed within the barrier. Explore and claim more Nodes for more benefits.]

Rookard was standing at the Node, his eyes reading something within his Menu. Several Clan heads joined in looking over the options within the Node, and they were joined by Morwen, the Emberborn Priestess of Arawn. She no longer wore a veil with her priestess robes, but the lack of her heart’s song or even a beating heart was just too weird for Brock. Even the nethril beastkin had a beating heart, even if it was different.

“What’s going on, Rookard?” Brock asked.

Rookard frowned as he perused something within his Menu. “It looks like…our goal here is to create a settlement, allowing us easier access to explore further. We can build real walls, and even some automated defenses, if we provide the materials. How strange.”

Brock said, “What kind of materials? I found gold in that cave in the distance.” He pointed off in the direction it lay.

Rookard replied, “Well, there’s a quarry for stone, a forest for wood, and mines for gold–and even some things called mana stones. We must claim them and defend those Nodes, in order to stockpile them. Then, we can build defenses and also things that produce special resources we’ll want to take home with us to Highlands, even.”

Brock asked, “Why would the dungeon give this to us, though? It seems like this makes it easier for us to defend?”

Morwen said, “Part of it is the Framework granting it to us. For the Tartarus, it’s all a part of the dungeon’s trap. It encourages us to stay here, where it can target us more easily. We will want the benefits of this Outpost, and then even die to defend it. What Tartarus gets from each of our deaths will help it build towards a Monster Tide, where it will eventually be able to send monsters and encroach our world.”

Brock said, “I don’t get it, what’s the point for us then? Can’t we just go to our portal over there instead of staying here? We have a settlement just outside the dungeon we built.”

In addition to being able to exit the dungeon from the Outpost portal, it seemed that there were several exit gates placed throughout the floor, and his party had seen one as they flew to help.

Rookard frowned. “It looks like if we lose it, that will also cause a Monster Tide. In some ways, that seems like a detriment to even owning it.”

Morwen nodded. “Even if we never claimed it, we would still have to fight in the dungeon to prevent a Monster Tide. It sounds like it’s in our best interests to make use of this. The advantages are very real. I can even portal to my Refuge from here, making this a convenient place for me to gain experience. And entering through the Outpost gives the same experience every time, allowing us to explore rather than being placed randomly.”

Vesuvius grinned. “I think it’s simple. This dungeon is providing us with a means to take things from it and benefit for ourselves. It might try to use that to its advantage, but we just need to be the ones that do. We just have to never lose.”

Rookard chuckled. “Too true, my friend. Let’s take and take from this dungeon, and give nothing back.” His grin became wolfish, and many beastkin of Hearthtribe shared his look–including Brock.

The dungeon was an enemy the beastkin wanted to take a lot from. Freeing their world was far from enough to sate their vengeance.