Bonded Summoner

Nora and Clara sat on Tanda and Ophelia’s laps, steering their race cars while their mothers held the pedals down. The mothers beamed as their children laughed, crashing their cars and having a great time.

Nyxa and Rena shot basketballs into the hoop, the two snake girls enjoying their competition at the arcade.

Nyxa’s machine lit up, her score flashing and showing her as the victor. She pumped her fist. “Yes! Beat you, sis!”

Rena’s face soured, forming a pout. “Again!”

Nyxa snorted. “You’ll never win. You keep trying to make all the shots. Just shoot!”

“Grr, I’ll show you!” Rena growled cutely, her face scrunched in determination.

They played again, and as before, Nyxa’s balls flew repeatedly at the hoop with a rapid pace, while Rena’s shots were controlled and purposeful. Rena did speed up, and nearly all shots went into the basket. By luck nearly as much as skill, Nyxa’s score climbed rapidly. But after several misses in a row, Rena caught up, and took the win.

“Yes! I win, see! I’m the best!” She pumped her fist, her smile filled with satisfaction.

“Hm, not bad, sis. Let’s do the fighting game now!”

Rena looked over to the fighting game section. “Mommies and Dad are still playing.”

“Let’s fight them!”

Jake, Berri, Blood and Avalara were all playing a tag team fighting game, everyone’s bodies shrunk to a more reasonable size and very human shape using their Framework items. They kept only the features they wanted to keep, the girls not wanting to give them all up.

For their non-human children, they managed to find a sort of perception shifting necklace. They could keep their shapes, and people would see what they expected to see–Nyxa and Rena having human legs.

They had already used these disguises to go to a water park previously, where each of the kids enjoyed going down slides and swimming. Many of them already learned to swim in the safety of their Refuge, so going down slides on tubes with their mothers or bigger sisters was a bunch of fun for them.

Blood used her telekinesis to manage her joystick, finally able to manage this as if it were operated with her own hands. Berri was annoyed at both having legs and the being smaller part, but Blood taking over the task of moving the horrible appendages, she accepted it. Her size as a snake girl was just completely unmanageable.

The family had reduced their statures to properly enjoy the arcade within the mall, as well as the many shops within. The people mostly ignored Jake’s family, the kids happy to interact with others and play.

Berri stunned Blood’s fighter with a well-timed counter, and swapped with Jake who followed up with a deadly combo, the two fighting in sync. Blood’s fighter was defeated, and Avalara’s entered the battle as Jake and Berri swapped back once more.

Ava was still learning, but put up a decent fight with her lesser avatar. However, she could not handle Jake and Berri’s teamwork, and lost the battle.

Berri beamed as she hugged Jake, her eyes narrowing in happiness. “We did it. We fought as one!”

Ava noted, “I need to work on my team-work with you girls. This was fun!”

“Moms, dad! We wanna fight next!”

Jake turned to find his two daughters coiled up behind him, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“You want to fight us, or join one of us?”

The two gave each other a look, and said at the same time, “Both!”

Nyxa added, “But we’ll fight against moms and daddy first!”

Jake and Berri then faced off against their children, giving them a hefty handicap.

The way the little girls concentrated as they worked the joysticks and buttons on the arcade machine brought a smile to Jake’s face. Their faces scrunched up cutely, the two girls bickering as they mashed the buttons and controlled their characters.

“Get mom, sis! Ah–oh no! She’s too fast.”

“No! Aww, you almost had him.”

“Go left! No–the other left!”

“Yes, you got her! Now eat her face!”

Jake frowned at that exclamation. Was this game too violent for 4 month-olds? Wait–there was nothing like that in this game.

They each took turns, and Jake was happy to swap with each daughter on his…sort-of lap. The way his snake-girls wrapped around him, they kind of just hung off of his waist like a high-seated belt.

Nyxa’s character knocked out Rena’s, then swapped to Jake’s as Blood’s took the field. The two’s attacks were frantic, but eventually Jake’s knocked her fighter out, winning the game.

His dark daughter beamed as she hugged him fiercely. “Yes! We did it, Daddy!”

Jake chuckled and returned the hug, before raising his hand up. Her tiny hand smacked his for a high five, and then she did a cute dance as she gloated at Rena, her hips swaying side to side.

“Ha! We won again!”

Rena pouted, as Blood patted her head. “We’ll get them next time. Or maybe you’ll want to team up with Daddy next?”

“No. I wanna win with Mommies.” Rena narrowed her eyes at Nyxa, and Jake could see her eyes burning with determination.

Berri joined her, narrowing her eyes at Nyxa and Jake. “Yes, snake girl power. We’ll do it.” She whispered, “Me and you this time, my ninja princess.”

Jake nearly saw flames in Rena’s eyes, as she moved the joystick and slammed the button down, choosing her character.

Berri and Rena eventually won the match, the two beaming in happiness. Rena’s gloating almost mirrored her sister’s swaying dance and Berri joined along with her, and Jake couldn’t help but laugh at their cute expressions.

The two then moved onto a cooperative shooting game, and Jake took turns with his bird-like daughters, helping them use the motorcycle racing game and then the Skee Ball machine.

They had come a long way in four months, but their older sisters were just larger and more coordinated than they were. They were only separated by days, but the echidnas just grew too fast. These two required his help for these games, which he was more than happy to give.

The two children taken off their hands, Tanda and Ophelia tried the racing games on their own, and even a ride simulator. They sat inside an enclosure that shook and moved, a video showing a ride timed to the movements.

When they got off, Tanda’s tail was wagging. “That was fun! We should try the real thing soon. The water slide was good too, but they didn’t have anything that long!”

Ophelia nodded. “There’s a lot of fun things to try here on Earth. Let’s do the fighting game now!”

Fhesiah’s baby bump was getting larger, and Jake could feel her excitement at soon becoming a mother. She took turns watching each of the kids, or competing with Ophelia and Tanda in the various games.

Avalara appeared to like the more cooperative games, joining each of the girls and Jake in games that required teamwork. After getting a taste of it in the tag fighting game, it appeared she quite liked this–just like Jake.

Their time at the arcade eventually completed, and they moved out and into the rest of the mall. The family looked on in excitement, ready to explore. Some heads turned at seeing all the beautiful girls, but a part of their disguises held a bit of magic attached.

Their gazes would quickly slide off if they had no special business or interaction with them, losing interest in Jake’s family quicker than one might expect.

Jake chuckled as a man had nearly jumped at seeing Bloodberri’s horns looking so real, but his eyes glazed over and he continued on with his business.

“Alright, come here, girls. Each of you will need one of these to buy things.” He withdrew a case, with several cards. Using the Framework, exchanging Credits for currency in the form of debit cards was simple.

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The rich of the world’s money was now volatile, and they were trading it for Tier 0 and 1 Credits. Mundane materials were cheap on the Multiverse Market, though transportation fees were included in the price.

Not everything was better to purchase with Credits, but there were hundreds of items that were shaking up the world’s economy. A healing potion didn’t cure all ailments for the uninitiated, but their effects rendered much medical care relatively pointless.

It would take some time, but eventually many different prices for goods would normalize at least in part based on how costly they were in Credits. As such, Jake was able to trade for millions of dollars for just a few thousand T1 Credits.

He handed one to each of his wives, having previously paid for their tokens at the arcade visit.

Lia looked on with interest at the tiny card. “Oh! Like from the movies.”

Tanda frowned as she looked at hers. “It is a strange thing. This somehow pays for our stuff?”

Ava’s second Avatar took the kids over to a bounce house place within the mall, while the rest of them made different plans.

Fhesiah latched onto Jake’s side, her tails wrapping around his waist. “Let’s go dress up our dear husband, and try out some Earth outfits. I like the Alliance Shop and Multiverse Market, but I think there’s something fun about trying them on and seeing them all on display.” With her baby bump so large, Jake understood his kitsune wife’s focus on him and the other girls over herself.

“Hmm, yes. I very much would like to see my love in other clothing.” Ava smiled, her tuft of deer tail fluttering behind her. The green girl forewent the antlers above her head, making it easier for her to get around in the stores.

The girls happily went store to store, trying on outfits. All the girls were happy to give Jake a show, each girl proud to show off their fun outfit ideas. Berri showed him a cute punk-rocker outfit that matched the first one he saw her in, a tube-top with a jacket and short skirt. The draconic horns atop her head looked more like a crown, making her look like a punk queen of some kind.

Ophelia forewent all her bird features, only her platinum blonde hair having a few errant golden owl feathers inside. She picked out several new sexy workout outfits, as well as some cute clothes for Clara.

Tanda and Ophelia also bought matching pajamas, the two happy to add more snuggling outfits to their collections.

Jake had watched as Lia cutely had trouble using the credit card, having mild anxiety over using it for the first time. Guiding her over their bond, she tapped it onto the payment system, her giving off a sigh of relief when it worked.

Tanda tried out several outfits that greatly contrasted her usual tribal wear, favoring some low-cut jeans to allow her wolf tail out above them. Her dark skin and lithe body in a halter top showing off her midriff was tantalizing, Jake happy to see her in this different style that still fit her quite well.

Each of his wives had a child, but little had changed about their appearance. If anything, Tanda did seem to be…filling out more, her breasts swelling half a cup in size, and her waist wider. Fhesiah had done the same for her kitsune form, but he knew that was more on purpose and for fun than anything that happened to her.

Ava, Faye and Blood spent plenty of time dressing Jake up. Blood made doubly sure to pick out some thick watches to go along with various outfits, from the more formal style of Earth to casual wear. As their king, the two definitely chose more formal outfits for him, including button-ups and jackets.

Wearing their new outfits, the group raided the food court. The girls would alter the clothes later using the Framework to fit their extra features and increased size.

Each girl bounced from stand to stand, picking up various foods. Berri, Faye, and Lia were happy to get their coffee shakes, while Tanda enjoyed a jumbo berry smoothie and Avalara a chai latte.

Eventually, a veritable mountain of food arrived at their shared table, dozens of trays of snacks and food piled haphazardly. From Korean corn dogs to pizza, to fried chicken, spicy wings, and cheesesteak sandwiches.

Berri ate cinnamon pretzels from a large cardboard tub, the girl having browbeaten the poor employee into selling her a massive quantity, “These are so

good! This place is a lot of fun. Even our babies are enjoying themselves!”

Ava beamed. “That’s right! They are having pizza right now, too. Nora and Clara love to bounce and glide. Nyxa and Rena are enjoying racing each other, and all the other children on the obstacle course.”

Tanda was trying a slice of pizza, while she drank from her large berry shake. “It’s fun when you have unlimited money, it seems. What should we do next? The pool was fun for both us and the kids. It’s been a fun past few weeks.”

Lia nodded. “There’s more for us to enjoy here in the mall, but we can try some other locations. The kids would like an amusement park, and I know Tanda, Ava, and Bloodberri hadn’t originally gotten the chance.”

Faye was eating her spicy wings, and enjoying a Korean corn dog with perhaps too much hot sauce on it.

“Ah yes, I know our dear husband will enjoy exploring the tunnel of love of each of you girls.”

Lia frowned. “Of? You mean with?”

“I know what I meant, and so do you.” Fhesiah grinned.

Lia groaned. “You’re terrible. That wasn’t even a good joke–half the audience present doesn’t even know what you’re talking about.”

Ava perked up. “The tunnel of love? Oh, Faye told me about this! When they attacked you in the house of horrors, you destroyed it. The employees came after you, and you made love with Jake as you escaped on the boat. Such excitement! I’d like to try it! Just… without the destruction.”

Lia frowned at Faye. “What? That’s not how your ride through the tunnel went!”

Faye rubbed her baby bump lovingly. “I think my baby likes the spicy too! Why Lia, it was just a little embellishment for her enjoyment! You must be a terrible storyteller if you tell stories precisely how they happened!”

Lia blushed, and crossed her arms. “My trip through the tunnel of love was romantic, and didn’t need any embellishment.”

Tanda’s tail was wagging, her smile beaming. “I’d like to try the real rides at an amusement park, the simulation was fun! I also want to try driving one of those cars, and maybe a plane!”

Jake chuckled. “The car shouldn’t be a problem, but it might take some doing for a plane. You can fly yourself though, you really want to try piloting an airplane?”

“Still seems like fun! I wanna try it. You said those racecars are fast too, can we try one of those?”

Blood added, “And I would like to take a ride with my lord in a more privileged vehicle. A limousine, or perhaps something else that turns heads.”

Berri hummed. “Hmm, I think I want to see more special places. The Statue of Liberty was neat, and I know there’s that mountain with the faces on it somewhere. Oh! Ava, can you build a statue of Jake? Super Jake! Or Mount Jake! I know our girls will love that!”

Ava grinned, her voice taking on a mischievous tone. “Hmm, Mount Jake? I think I can work with that!”

Jake groaned. He really did not want to see his own face on some mountain.

The girls continued with their back and forth on places they would like to go and see, and things they would like to do on Earth. They had already spent a few weeks on Earth and recruited for their guild, and mostly made their presence known and met contacts for continued recruitment.

Jake had met with the President of the United States, finding that Zhuge Liang had already met with him using a projection. The experience was a bit surreal, but he found it was not all that different from his meeting of world leaders of Ankhmar and Ganestra.

The man had liked hearing about Jake’s integration experience, and was instrumental in making sure Jake and his people gained some contacts for reaching out to the general populace for recruitment. In the long run, the more people who joined the Framework, the safer that the world would ultimately be. And, the faster that Earth’s economy would stabilize.

One thing of Jake’s interest was trying to obtain some engineers who focused on merging Earths technological know-how with magic. The dwarves and gnomes specialized in this, and Jake would like to gain some of these advantages over time.

Many of their secrets were hidden among the top guilds of the Sector, and were unable to be utilized in places outside of Bastions and without their secrets hidden.

Jake had reverse summoned himself to Ophelia after meeting with the President, to join her in taking on the cartels. Summoning Bloodberri and Ava’s battle avatar, they quickly tore through several hostile locations. Guns couldn’t do anything to Jake’s Aura or pierce through their Hearthian skin, and so numerous locations were made examples of.

It wasn’t just in Mexico, but in Central and South America where they dealt with a few problematic locations. Bloodberri had continued to visit hospitals along the way, and Jake joined Fhesiah in her star shuttle to do the same.

Jake teleported all over the place between his girls, summoning and reverse summoning them across the country rapidly. Tanda had worked through much of Canada, and even spent some time healing in hospitals, much like Bloodberri.

Things were becoming stable throughout the world in terms of danger, but the economy was taking drastic turns. Someone could make far more becoming a warrior and fighting through the artificial dungeon in a day than weeks at a paltry wage, and so many had already joined, a numerous more were considering the long-term commitment.

And of course, many sought power. The Framework would help people master magic, and while they might be discouraged from using it against others, some still tried. In truth, it wasn’t until people passed level ten that they were truly super-humans, a bullet able to put down an initiated.

Guns would need to be gotten rid of as well, the Framework already providing a special bounty for turning them in. This was yet another instance where the heroes and the administrator needed to step in, to ensure such manufacturing was stopped.

Jake was surprised at how smoothly the integration had gone, but it appeared Odin and the Sector Council had several plots on how to make things go more smoothly. It was a little strange.

Some details appeared to go back to right around the time that Jake was initiated. Almost like Odin knew Jake would move the needle as much as he did, and that they had to be ready sooner rather than later…

Infinite Labyrinth VR came out only days after he joined the Framework, focused on improving people’s bodies outside the game, and even training people with mana. The synaptic connection was way ahead of what he had previously seen, and it was like 20 years of technology had occurred overnight.

Millions had purchased the system and began to play, taking the world by storm at how realistic the system felt.

Those that got themselves ahead by playing might actually be on the second level of mana control by now, something that was quite surprising. This start would rival many natives that experienced growing up with mana, and Jake knew the people of Earth were progressing much faster than he imagined they would when he was first told this would happen around a year ago.

Those that weren’t ready for the dungeons could instead practice with the VR first. Jake thought it would be an effective means of training, minimizing an initiated’s risk.

Despite the work in the past few weeks, they had spent some time relaxing and enjoying their trip. They were in no real danger, and the stress levels were low. It was nothing compared to fighting in a war despite the travel, his girls spending a bunch of time speaking with Jake and each other over their mental connection as they did.

Their work mostly done, soon, they would head back to Highlands, which would take several weeks. Their plan was to arrive at their home world before Faye’s kitsune child was born, or soon after. Berri’s second egg was due to hatch soon as well, and Avalara was likely to not be long behind.

Just a little longer, and all his wives would be mothers in truth. The Hart family was all looking forward to meeting the next set of Jake’s daughters.