He reviewed her new class, as Bloodberri’s armor and axe began to shift and become ready for battle.

[Legendary Class: Echidna's Champion Arch Cleric of Twilight]
[Effect: +4 All Attributes per level]
[30% Increased Durability and 15% Increased effectiveness of Twilight Spells]
[30% Effectiveness in Strength, Constitution, Wisdom]
[An evolution of the Holy Dark Priestess class, this monstrous cleric controls power over both holy light and darkness interchangeably. The class combines a powerful twilight aura and devastating melee capabilities to be an impossible to ignore figure on any battlefield.]

Her class had managed to jump from Rare to Legendary in a single go. This significantly improved her durability, while also improving her casting power. Then, it was almost as if Echidna had decided that she had too many spells, and combined many of them into a single, more effective one. She even utilized the Life Drain spell that Blood never really used.

[Skills Merged: Dark Siphon, Weakness, Life Drain, Absorb Strength, Armor of Faith -> Twilight Monarch]

[The powerful twilight aura of the Arch Cleric enables allies to siphon off strength and life force from enemies they strike, while also slowly weakening and draining life from enemies that enter the Arch Cleric's monstrous twilight aura. Allies’ defenses are bolstered with saintly protection.]

Jake wondered how Avalara would deal with this, but realized he would see it quite soon, as the two surged toward one another. In an attempt to make Jake satisfied, and also because it was fun for her, Berri had made a quick shift to her armor.

Her armor had already an odd champion belt that protected her belly, almost like a shield. But she shifted it further, and now it really looked like she had an actual shield there, wrapped around her waist area.

Bloodberri’s axe met Avalara’s giant club with a large crashing sound, the two titans matching their strength. Blood’s Twilight Monarch ability sent a black aura washing over Avalara, the ability covering a wide radius. 

The vigor of life appeared to fight the effect for a moment, before the aura covered her body and sapped her strength. Bloodberri’s tail slammed into her chest and shredded chunks of plant and bark off, sending Ava stumbling back. Life was being drained from her verdant vitality, and being absorbed in a haze by Bloodberri.

The two traded blows for a time, and Jake started looking over their shared status sheet further.

[Bloodberri Status Level 26]
[Strength: 279]
[Dexterity: 165]
[Constitution: 243]
[Intelligence: 187]
[Wisdom: 187]
[Charisma: 189]  

His monstrous wife’s stats were the most unbalanced of his wives. Her previous classes had barely granted her any dexterity. While their tempering had increased it slightly, this hadn’t yet made up for her lacking attribute. On the other hand, her strength and constitution was the highest among his party, thanks to her trait.

[Echidnean Fortitude]
[Effect: +80 Strength, +40 Constitution.]
[This being is stronger and more resilient than others, due to having a monstrous size and a chimeral constitution that improves power and fortitude.]

Her old trait had given her 45 strength and 20 constitution at the final level, but now this would be a static capability, likely only improving when they increased in Tier once more.  

[Bloodberri’s Level 26 Combat Skill Sheet]
[Expert Mana Control: 1]
[Technique: Monstrous Twilight Paampu Attam: 1]
[Expert Twilight Magic: 1]
[Expert Champion Magic: 1]
[Expert Runic Magic: 1]
[Expert Energy Control: 1]
[Divine Energy Manipulation: 1]
[Auril Enhancement, Healing, Manifestation: 5]

[Bloodberri’s Level 26 Spell List]
[Holy Twilight Spells: Weakness, Absorb Strength, Life Drain, Dark Siphon, Armor of Faith, Divine Intervention, Resurrection]
[Champion Spells: Twilight Divide, Twilight Monarch, Call Divine]
[Framework Spells: Telekinesis]

Her spellform usage with Telekinesis had been used enough that the Framework had actually supplied her with a skill. Now, her telekinesis would improve with her mana control, and her control over it had massively improved overnight. 

The total force she could bring about was probably less than if she had moved on to the more advanced spellforms, but the convenience of the Framework-assisted spell made it like an invisible hand Blood could use with little more than a thought.

Blood started using her telekinetic shoves to displace Avalara slightly, their axe cleaving into her plant flesh. More strength was drained by Blood’s aura, her movements becoming enhanced.

After a few blows, things started to look one-sided, but then Avalara roared, and pushed her sublimation. The verdant jungle surrounding them shifted and twisted, until it became a swamp-like mire. The auril covering Avalara’s body shifted from auril to nethril, a black aura of her own.

Black spears rose from the swampy mire, attacking Bloodberri’s tail and body, and Avalara’s club was covered in black thorns. Going on the assault once more, she swung her club at the Arch Cleric.

But Bloodberri’s body was then covered in black and white energy, the result being an almost bronze haze as the energies merged from her Technique. The spikes and blades and her tail in motion easily shredded the oncoming black spears from the mire, and an odd, stuttering motion shifted her upper body out of the club’s trajectory.

Their counter was fierce, but the axe was met with Avalara’s large antlers. The two continued trading their blows, as Jake looked over Bloodberri’s final sheet.    

[Bloodberri’s Level 26 Non-Combat Skill Sheet]
[Advanced Tailoring 2]
[Savage Boneforging: 1]
[Savage Boneforging Subskills: Essence Extraction, Essence Infusion, Bone Working, Essence Forging]
[Holy Twilight Hearthian Core: Level 1]
[Misc Skills: Energy Vacuum, Twin-souled and Twin-minded, Echidnean Fortitude, Expert Purifying Flames, Hearthian Bond, Hearthian Presence, Auto-Loot]

Bloodberri had also gained a special crafting skill, which gave bonuses to using monster essence and bones into her armor-working results. The Essence Forging subskill enabled them to work and manipulate nearly any hide or bone that had monstrous essence in it, similar to how using auril she had been able to manipulate the auril hides and bones from Highlands creatures.

Using the other essence skills, they could easily create or forge bone and hide armors, infusing and meshing the essences like molding clay. This had made her output substantial, the number of masterwork hide and bone forged armors they sold to Guild members or the greater Multiversal Market was significant.

Avalara was much more massive than Bloodberri, but it did not feel like it as the two fought. Bloodberri’s long armored tail was filled with strength and power, and enabled her to move rapidly and meet Ava’s blows with enough momentum to match. 

Blood also added her telekinesis to slow down Ava or speed up her own weapon, the large weapons smacking into each other with loud sounds echoing out.

Jake knew they could go much harder in their fight, but they were holding back for the spar. The two went back and forth for a time, Berri focusing on mixing and utilizing the various energies available to her. Eventually, Avalara backed off to heal her avatar up once more, Jake sending some additional mana and auril. 

As much as Berri wanted to show off her new Twilight Divide, it was not an appropriate skill for a duel. 

She could still use the old Maul of Hestia-Echidna ability as it was previously, and even while using an axe now. But the new ability had merged her Between Heaven and Hell and the older ability, into a devastatingly powerful attack.

Wanting to give her the appropriate opportunity, Jake provided her the perfect target: Bill the stegosaurus. Even larger now, Bill’s construct was scaled up to Jake’s level. Covered in even more plants, the template Jake had captured became more powerful as the Framework scaled the creature up with his Mana Control skill. However, it did not include the actual evolution the beast would accomplish when entering the second Tier. 

Jake would need to capture a new one once the beasts of Highlands started hitting the second Tier, soon. Berri squealed at the opportunity to destroy her hated foe and not just in her dreams, and working together with Blood, a wave of black then white was sent over Bill.

The black haze covered the dinosaur, enshrouding it in smothering darkness. Its flesh weakening somewhat as the monster was afflicted, then the wave of holy light energy encircled the creature.

Some kind of violent reaction began to occur, where the two energies met. The black and white swirled around Bill, the two energies creating miniature explosions where the two touched. Like a symbol of yin and yang, the holy black and white energies struggled as they swirled around the dinosaur, harming the target. 

Bloodberri’s chimeral axe was filled with swirling energies of the same, but within their body was a bronze haze as a result of their mixture instead. Something about their monstrous essence was holding the two energies together, at least while they were contained within her savage body. The axe grew in response, the chimera roaring with power. 

Bloodberri’s tail spiraled upward as they raised their glowing upper body high, the large axe high above their head. Swinging downward as their tail’s strength and gravity blurred them forward, the power contained within their blow was immense. The bronze haze drew a cruel arc toward Bill, and when the separate mixtures collided, an explosion of golden energy cleaved the creature in half. 

A miniature hole in the void was opened, reality nearly cracking like glass shattering the air itself. The resulting destruction was immense, sending a wide wave of bronze and golden energy in a violent explosion. 

Had Avalara’s battle avatar been struck, the explosion would have engulfed her nearly in its entirety. She had a powerful attack of her own to meet it, but it just wasn’t a good idea to use for the time being. Bill was disbursed easily into motes of light, Berri’s smile filled with satisfaction at the overkilling of the creature.       

But her smile faltered. “It’s too bad Faye-faye wasn’t here for that. Then I could have a recording of it, so I could watch it again and again.”

Jake chuckled. “If you really want to, I’ll let you do it any time you want to blow off some steam.”

Berri cheered before swapping her clothes and hugging Jake’s head between her large breasts with a smile. 

Bloodberri then joined them next to the bench, but rather than eat the offered popcorn or chips and other refreshments, they immediately began eating some barbecue skewers.

Jake noted, “Blood, you’re a bit busy. Anything I can help with?” Blood was clearly messaging those within the guild, and hardly participating in their spars from Jake’s perspective. She helped Berri in the fight with moving some of the energy and telekinesis, but she was clearly phoning it in.

Blood blushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, milord. The many beastkin and Elysians of our guild are arriving or set to arrive at some Contested worlds, including Brock and Rookard’s clans on Ariminum soon. As far as you being able to help, you already have with our planning and strategy session. I am just…”

Jake nodded. “Micromanaging huh. I know our people appreciate how attentive you are, but you should take a break too. Our people are capable in combat because Ophelia, Tanda, Seamus and the Eternum have trained them well.”  

Blood sighed. “I know this, but our enemies are many. It has been a balancing act to react to the new information as it comes in. We have sortied a few parties or clans to reinforce a few locations already.”

Berri groaned, as she looked at the meat. “Please stop her, Jakey. I can hardly enjoy–I mean, the baby can hardly enjoy the meat with all the buzzing in our head, from her sending all these messages. Buzz bzz buzz bzz buzz! It can’t be good for them.”

Jake chuckled. Of course, Berri would make it all about herself. Still, he thought his devoted monarch was a bit overworked when they should be resting, and finding a little bit of relaxation. He would give her something she actually enjoyed working on, and while keeping his thoughts to himself, he went ahead and sent a message for Valtor to begin taking care of something for him.

“Valtor and Amara are taking care of things, aren’t they?” He exaggeratedly stretched spreading his hands wide above his head, then rubbed his lower back a little. He then shifted in hist seat, like he could not find a comfortable position on the bench. “I’ll try to have a chat with them, and see how I can help, to take the load off of you.” 

He yawned, despite not really being tired. In truth, his new Hearthian physiology was one that was brimming with power, and could take any level of abuse. He had even been getting sleep in for rest and enjoyment alike, despite no longer needing it in truth.

But Blood’s golden serpentine eyes had snapped to Jake during his actions, and appeared to almost blaze with intensity. Dozens of thoughts went through her head, and Berri nearly scoffed at all the buzzing once more. 

Blood blushed. “No, this cannot do. I apologize for making you worry, milord. I won’t neglect you any further! Please, let me attend you once more.”

Of course, she noticed what Jake was doing, that he was exaggerating a need for her. But she knew that he knew she needed to relax, and that her way to enjoy that was to take care of her lord. It was confusing being in each other’s heads sometimes, but that was Jake’s life now.

He was quickly lifted up with telekinesis, and was casually wrapped up and provided a perfectly comfy seat to watch the battle within their massive, golden-scaled tail. Berri was busy with their shared hands and mouth, eating the barbecue, but telekinetic versions of hands began working through his muscles on his back and neck, causing Jake to groan at her attention.

Ophelia and Avalara smiled at the two as they had their snacks, the former able to tell Blood was quite satisfied with Jake’s groan. Blood then floated some snacks near Jake, knowing what he would like.       

Jake chuckled. “You know, it’s fine to rely a little more on Seamus, and the previous elders of Cascadia, such as Dhruva and Ronan. Delegate some more of this busywork with them, so that you can be by my side a bit more often. Just set up where anything important, Valtor or Amara can call out to you. Otherwise, I will join you for a time each day, and we can work together to get what remains hammered out quickly.”     

Blood smiled, stopping Berri from eating more barbecue for a moment. “You’re right. I do look forward to our…time together going forward.”

Berri was next to smile. “Yes! I like that buzz much better. The I love Jake buzzes are good.”

Jake’s schedule was much more free-form now that Fhesiah was gone. They had spent many hours on crafting each day to farm cash, but going forward they could definitely split their attentions a lot more. The previous breakneck pace they worked for months saving Highlands was now complete, but it was important for them to keep progressing in some way.

They would slow down, but never stop. Jake still had plans to spend a few hours per day crafting and training, both for themselves and with their many subordinates within the large tribe that was Hearthtribe. 

However, they would also focus on their enjoyment, Jake replacing his mini-dates with actual dates, along with time spent together as a family. He was sure the latter would especially shift, once they had little ones out and about. 

It was Tanda’s turn, and she had changed the most in her capabilities among them. First, she finally had a true class provided by the Framework, which would likely provide her with at least a couple more skills throughout the second Tier, in addition to three completely new ones. But the primary benefits of the class were directing her development, and providing her with substantial bonuses. 

[Legendary Class: Champion Cyclic Druidic Avenger of Cernunos]
[Effect: +4 All Attributes per level]
[30% Increased Precision and 15% Increased effectiveness of Druidic Spells]
[30% Effectiveness in Strength, Dexterity, Charisma]
[Wielding the powers of life, death, transformation and rebirth through auril, nethril, and mana alike, this class combines the powers of a druid, assassin, and summoner. The druidic powers when combined with a powerful Auril Sovereign and summons, allow the assassin to control the environment and enemies alike, and prepare their deadly finishers while supporting their allies.]

Tanda’s stats had improved significantly, the beastkin girl not previously having a core. Her core was a bit weaker as a result, but her overall stat gain was still significant and placed her close to the rest of the party.

[Tanda Status Level 26]
[Strength: 205]
[Dexterity: 225]
[Constitution: 215]
[Intelligence: 191]
[Wisdom: 216]
[Charisma: 187]

Her core only gave off a base 80 to all attributes instead of a hundred like the rest, having a smaller basis from just being formed. In the end, this put her physical attributes a bit ahead of her mental ones, the immense life force from the auril having strengthened her body significantly.

The tempering with Jake was starting to improve these to match, but it would be slow to improve her soul, and thus her mind. 

Avalara stayed in her deathly form, the swampy mire and dark, twisted roots covering her beastly tree body. The battle avatar definitely looked like a massive, scary swamp monster, carrying a wicked large club. 

Tanda was comically smaller, but her form was compact and powerful. Her body was brimming with vitality, her auril heart beating the power of life through her body. Avalara was given quite a bit of time to prepare, so she would do the same.

She gathered an immense amount of mana and auril from the area, then triggered her summons, her new ability: [Verdant Rebirth]. 

Several seeds leapt out of the black, flaming hole in her chest, filled with the powers of life. They quickly morphed into familiar figures: Spriggons. Berri cheered at her friends appearing, though they looked a bit different. A fog or aura of life covered them, as if they had been reborn as Highlands natives, able to use auril.

In addition to those that gifted Tanda some seeds when they met Avalara and created her Battle Avatar, numerous others had supplied her with seeds. Within her hearth, she now cultivated nearly a dozen different seeds, and vast amounts of energy had been invested in different quantities of auril, nethril, mana, and even their family’s energies.

The result was various little helpers, of which she possessed a few of each type. For now, she went with some creatures with life affinity, who were happy to join the mock battle.

Her Champion’s weapon took on the form of a bow, the vines growing and twisting into the curved shape. Seeds along her bow were filled with nature magic, she then pulled back the string and triggered her new ability: [Verdant Barrage]. 

Several shots were rapidly fired in a row, of simple mana constructs holding the seeds. Tanda’s aim was not Avalara, but several places around the vicinity. Just like Avalara’s sublimation, grass, bushes, and vines sprouted out of nowhere, the spriggons adding magics of their own to enhance the growth. Within mere moments. Tanda was completely hidden from view, a miniature jungle formed around her.

Ava spoke up from next to Jake, “Where’d she go? That’s no fair!” She then pulled out binoculars, and began to look for her.

Ophelia chuckled, as she looked at Ava. “How’s that fair? And, you really had those stashed away?” 

The fight began in earnest, the large Ava stomping toward Tanda’s fortifications. But Tanda triggered Verdant Barrage again, only this time, the arrows were carrying a different seed: deathbloom.

Many arrows were deflected by Ava’s vines whipping about in front of her as she approached, but several of them managed to deliver their payloads. The seeds began feeding off the nethril wafting off of the beast treant, and while Ava was quick to pierce through the cores of the seeds and tear them away, a few remained, drawing nethril from her body and restricting her as they grew.

Meanwhile, the little bushmen spriggons had been casting some spells of their own. Some vine lashers and other odd carnivorous plants were growing, and Jake was surprised at the number.

As Ava arrived at the edge of Tanda’s jungle, her sublimation had followed. The swamp moved with her large body, and the deathly mire beneath her began to kill Tanda’s plants. It appeared Ava’s giant body still didn’t have a true target in mind, as each arrow from Tanda had been fired on the move. She was like a ghost within her jungle, making it difficult for enemies to attack her directly from afar.

Still, Ava swung her massive club with swirling, whipping black vines, swatting away a large swath of jungle in a single attack. She was then met with a powerful, flaming giant wolf, was surprisingly not made of deathly flames, but ones much more like Fhesiah’s. They were green and filled with the power of life, an odd flame that could burn enemies or heal allies alike.

This knocked her back, and the spriggons redoubled their efforts to regrow the forest lost, as several more wolves crashed into her. Tanda changed her position even as she added more seeds to her jungle with Rampant Growth, her thicket having grown impressive from nowhere.

Jake took this moment to look further at her status sheet. 

[Tanda's Level 26 Combat Skill-sheet]
[Expert Auril Mastery: 1]
[Auril Mastery Subskills: Enhancement, Healing, Manifestation, Harmony, Sublimation]
[Technique: Cyclic Avenging Flames: 1]
[Expert Mana Control: 1]
[Expert Energy Control: 1]
[Advanced Runic Magic: 4]
[Divine Energy Manipulation: 1]
[Expert Druidic Magic: 1]
[Druidic Magic Spells: Rampant Growth, Area Plant Control, Rejuvenation, Verdant Barrage, Bloom Burst]
[Expert Champion Magic: 1]
[Champion Spells:  Cyclic Resonance, Call Divine, Avenging Strike, Verdant Rebirth]

Not much had changed here not already understood, besides her Technique, Cyclic Avenging Flames. Jake guessed that this technique was what allowed her to produce the odd flames of life, cycling between those and her deathly flames filling her body.

Her Non-combat skillsheet was next.

[Tanda’s Level 26 Non-Combat Skillsheet]
[Magic Botany: 1]
[Misc Skills: Cyclical Auril Heart, Hearthvine Ivy, Death Absorption, Auto-loot, Hearthian Bond]

Her efforts to magically create plants, long term, had bore fruit for a crafting skill. Many of the plants she used for battle had short lifespans, merely meant for combat. However, she had begun attempting to master growing a wide variety of plants in the hopes of the Framework aiding her for her purposes, and it didn’t let her down. 

Soon, her hopes were to grow various plants with different energies, both for Fhesiah’s purposes, but also as a means of accomplishing the family’s numerous goals. She was a tremendous help with her Harmony ability, able to participate in any family member’s crafts, but she had a personal quest to see if she too could produce something of use to others.

For now, she was spending a bit of time with her childhood friend Avina, the snow owl beastkin girl from Harmony Peaks, and Avalara, working on increasing her capabilities as an arborist. Her skill was only in the first Tier for now, but she was still deciding which subskills she wanted to earn and focus on for her progression.

Tanda eventually showed herself, green flames filling her as she charged with her halberd. Ava was happy to meet her with her club, and while Tanda’s strength and speed as she flapped her wings and swung her enlarged blade at the giant figure was less than Ophelia’s, the fluidity of her strikes were impressive.

Tanda’s vines from the surrounding jungle lashed and whipped out, the many plants attacking the current enemy. 

The deathbloom began to release their corrosive mist onto Ava’s larger body, and her deer face was crinkling with distaste–along with her non-combat avatar, sitting next to Ophelia.

It was then that her body’s aura and sublimation turned toward life, and the deathbloom was finally squashed as vines tore them to shreds. Her club grew in length, auril extending it further. Ava’s eyes then snapped to Tanda’s location, where the beastkin girl nodded and began preparing her own attack.

A manifestation of a powerful stag appeared, covered in life and death. An oppressive aura was released, the weight of an auril sovereign’s will. From what Jake understood, Ava had enough control over this through her connection with all beastkin, that she could make a powerful manifestation of nearly anything other beastkin could. He still didn’t know what her personal manifestation looked like or did, but he imagined it resulted in that golden flame they saw within her core.

A wave of death energy from Tanda was released during this time, as she used her ability, [Bloom Burst]. Many flowers bloomed, releasing a significant quantity of pollen, steeped with dense auril that surged toward Tanda. The plants had been gathering and drawing up auril from the surrounding area, to release in this attack all at once.

The pollen gathered around Tanda and enhanced her green flames, empowering her halberd to grow several sizes larger. She then swung the giant blade, which crashed into the oncoming stag, cleaving through it and dispelling it.

In truth, there was a lot left to explore about Tanda and Ava’s attacks, but they called it quits there. Tanda’s sublimation could shift her created jungle over to death as her cycle moved to the next stage, a savage jungle that embodied the deathly hunt.

However, as her class featured, it turned her into a deadly assassin. Her vicious attacks were something that could only really be fought by matching the severity, or expending significant effort to block. While Ava’s avatar could die without too much loss, resurrecting it was quite the exertion to expend for a spar.

They would practice more later, when they didn’t have fragile passengers, and they had improved their control and mastery of their abilities further.

The spriggons triggered a few spells, drawing the many plants to consume themselves. They quickly withered away, but not before the flowers curled in on themselves, and produced seeds. Those seeds drifted into Tanda’s bow, a special magical plant quiver that stored the various seeds for her Verdant Barrage. The spriggons themselves then did the same, and then shot into the hearth in her chest, ready to be reborn once more. 

As Tanda flew back and hugged Ava, her smile was beaming, and her tail was wagging. “That was fun! We’ll need to practice more, and go again! Your battle avatar was really sturdy.” Tanda then went to enjoy some refreshments.   

Ava’s nose crinkled cutely again. “Playing the bad guy kinda stinks. Still, it was fun to see what you girls could do.”

Jake asked her, “Did you wanna have a go at Bill next? That way, you can show off a little bit, too.”

Ava hesitated, and Berri narrowed her eyes on her as she continued chewing her meat. Could it be she actually liked Bill?

Ava seemed to notice this, and chuckled. “I’m fine with destroying the poor construct, but I’m still working on my bigger attacks. As it stands now, it takes me too long to build up for using them in combat, and it’s too wild for using near allies.”

Seeing the girl’s new abilities, even Ava’s as she was limited, made Jake excited about the future. He was looking forward to how Tanda and Avalara both transformed the battlefield, and Bloodberri could fight alongside his army of summons, or many allies. 

He could already imagine dozens of strategies for their team to take advantage of these various elements as they fought either powerful individuals, or massive quantities of enemies.

It was Blood that replied, “You’ll get there, Ava. You’ve been alive for a long time, so your fundamentals are far above ours. Controlling and casting through that Avatar must be strange?”

Ava nodded. “It’s difficult to explain, but it’s different from my main one in numerous ways. Using Oran and my seed as the base made things compatible, but this only goes so far. When I first started, I felt like I was upside-down or deep underwater while controlling my body and auril, my senses tricking me. Now I’m much better, but I still have a long way to go.”

Tanda finished drinking a smoothie, a wide smile on her face. She asked, “So what’s next? That was a good workout, but we didn’t kill all that much time. We have… a few weeks before Fhesiah is back.” 

He had gotten confirmation from Valtor that his date plans were confirmed during the fighting, so Jake was more than happy to give his queen the good news.

Jake looked over at Blood, giving her a smile. “Whatever we want. I’m sure everyone here has their own goals, but we should have fun in the coming weeks. I’m going to spend the rest of the day with my devoted queen, but we’ll all get to enjoy some time together soon.”

Blood smiled in return, hugging Jake’s body close before pulling back to look at him, and then her eyes narrowed on him. “A whole day? You… already have something planned?”

Jake chuckled. “I do. C’mon, let’s go get dressed and ready to go. You’ve waited far too long for a proper date.”

Blood now looked a little worried, her planning mind moving miles a minute. “Oh, but what should I wear…?”

“Why don’t you wear something a little fancy. Highlands doesn’t have many places that fit, but I have just the place in mind.”

Blood’s smile was beaming before she kissed Jake and teleported away, but Berri was somewhat annoyed. This sounds super boring! The food better be good, wherever we’re going.

Blood and Berri gone, Jake gave his love to Ophelia and Tanda, the two heading off to join with Seamus in training the beastkin. That left only Avalara, and her giant avatar standing off in the distance.

“I’d like to get some time with you alone soon, Ava.”

She smiled, and crossed her leg in front of her. “We’re alone now.”

He chuckled. “True, but I mean for more than just a few moments. I feel like I don’t know where to start, with you.”

Ava tugged her mixed-colored hair behind her deer ear, before she teased, “What do you mean, start? Aren’t we already at the finish?”

Jake arched his eyebrow in question. In truth, they had not gotten much time together. They had celebrated Winter’s Giving, and he felt like he was barely starting to know her. Of course, Jake had spent time with Ava plenty as a group. 

Ava chuckled, and gave him a warm smile. “You should know, beastkin girls are quick to love. I already accepted you as my mate, having a good understanding of you as a person long before we shared our first words. We’re opposite in that, at least from your perspective. Allow me to share with you, how I feel.”

She closed her eyes, and sent how she felt for him over their bond. 

There was a precious warmth, a sense of pride and respect. There was a longing for his touch, a desire for them to become closer.

The emotions and their strength she sent surprised Jake. He reached a sudden understanding, just as her voice entered his ears.

“Fhesiah told me you were a little intimidated by my age, and my strange nature as a world. But in the end, I’m beastkin, and you don’t have to worry about a thing with me. I just need to make sure that you fall in love with me.”