Spellheart 10: Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Not long after, I was sitting in my throne room. The place seemed the same as ever. Tall walls, red tapestries, imposing throne up many flights of brilliant stairs.

Perhaps I was biased, but in my eyes, it looked even better than Dean’s daughter’s throne in the capital of Deania. This was good because going forward, I would be in charge of not just Deania but all the surrounding nations that had pledged their vassalage to me. My throne damn well better be imposing if I was to be some sort of high king.

But more important than the looks were the new features. Especially access to the QCA’s new abilities. I flipped through the menus to experiment, and there was a lot I could give my followers access to.

Most interesting of all, though, was the new settlement menu. The Wanderer failed to mention it, but she must have discovered a method to copy the status window intended for me and utilized it to create one for the entire Hearthwood.

Settlement Status: Hearthwood City

Population: 856,394

Median Cultivation rank: Mid Zeal Accumulation

Current sentiment: Relieved.

Tip: Your settlement is expanding rapidly and will soon require additional housing!

It wasn’t nearly as comprehensive as my personal status screen, but if The Wanderer could make it in just a few days, I was certain there’d be much more for me to unlock in the coming days. I was also happy that my citizens weren’t as worried as I initially believed. Perhaps they’d learned to trust me.

My women streamed in one at a time. Sava was in the Alchemist’s Laboratory not far down the street, so she was the first to arrive. It was fitting that she arrived first, since she was the first of my companions and the one who really introduced me to this world of magic and cultivation.

Admittedly, our meeting had been more like a kidnapping on her part, but I’d gotten my revenge for that a long time ago, and how we were happy together.

“Dear, I just received some magical floating lights that fill my vision! They remind me of the interfaces on The Wanderer. Look!” Sava pointed to the air in front of me. Naturally, there was nothing there. Her status menu was for her eyes only. Then again...

I flipped through several menus and made her status visible to me. She was looking at her own stat window and her quests.

“Ah, good. It worked. See these? This is cultivation advice.”

Sava squinted to follow my hand. “Tip: Utilize another Bloodline Origin Awakening potion, combined with frequent dual cultivation with a demigod, to maximize your cultivation results. An interesting proposal.”

I laughed. “Mac, remind me to thank The Wanderer. Hopefully, she made them all like that.”

I received no response, which meant Mac was likely still busy building his new car wash.

Just as I finished explaining things to Sava, another of my women arrived. Eltiana, the purple-haired ninja of the family. She was a fierce little bundle of trouble if ever there was one, but her fun and playful demeanor had held the clan together through tough times.

“The power is mine, Theo! Now, I have the status screens. Through its guidance, I shall grow to untold heights of power. The next time we fuck, you will be the one tied up.” Eltiana cackled as she held her arms wide.

“Oh yeah?” I chuckled as I quickly revoked access to the status screens for her. Eltiana fell to her knees, eyes wide.

“No! The power was almost mine. I take it all back...” she dropped to her hands and knees before my throne, slowly crawling forward until she grabbed my ankle and hauled herself up with wide eyes and long lashes. “I’ll do anything you want.”

“Pfft. As if you wouldn’t let me do anything I wanted already.” I laughed as I restored her access to the status screen interface.

I decided to hold off on a full explanation and wait for everyone to show up. That way, I could tell everybody how these things worked all at once and save myself a little time.

Nela was the next to arrive. She bore the long blonde locks of the Songstone Clan. It had been destroyed long ago, and its remains absorbed into the Hearthwood Clan. Nela was the best thing they had to a matriarch, though, and even now she held a substantial leadership position in the Hearthwood Clan.

“It’s good to see you’re back, Theo. The Hearthwood feels empty without you, but already rumors of your good deeds abroad are filtering back to us,” Nela smiled at me.

I beckoned her forward toward my throne. Imposing as it was, as far as family went, it was just a chair.

“Where’s my welcome home kiss?” I asked.

Nela set her spear down beside my chair and leaned in to kiss me. “There you go. Now, where’s mine?”

I quickly returned the favor.

After Nela came Melise, another member of the Songstone Clan, though her lineage was far more mysterious. She’d been adopted into the clan as a wisp, but in truth, she was a distant relative of my own friend Sam. She’d inherited his faction’s propensity for Fate zeal, allowing her to manipulate time in limited ways.

She was also a diligent healer, so when she discovered that pursuing fate magic would allow her to reverse time and heal otherwise incurable wounds, she jumped at the opportunity. She had been working even harder than I had lately, and without her, many people of the Hearthwood and the surrounding cities would still be dead. She had single-handedly reversed time to undo massive amounts of destruction across the land.

“Theo. The thing said to come here...” she said as she staggered in. She made it to the throne but took one look at the stairs and must have decided that was just as good a place to rest her head as anywhere else.

She fell forward with her eyes closed, but I rushed forward to grab her before her face struck stone. Then I hauled her up by my side and pulled her into my arms with her head resting between my shoulder and my cheek.

“No fair. She fell asleep and gets the best seat in the throne room...” Eltiana muttered. She cast the others a sly look, then yawned. “Oh no, I’m feeling tired. Maybe I’ll take a nap right here...”

She leaned forward as though suddenly falling unconscious. I let her fall on her face.

I nudged her with my foot. “Eltiana, I saw you napping earlier. You’re not tired.”

“Damn it...” she pushed herself back to her feet.

Illiel arrived next, right on time as well. My bookish matriarch ran half the city on her own. Once upon a time, she was a member of my enemies, the Cult of the Unblinking Eye. They sure as hell had been using her wrong. She was the perfect administrator for the city, but she’d been a very mediocre assassin.

“This seems like it will be rather useful,” Illiel said as she tucked a quill behind her ear and a clipboard beneath her arm.

“Oh, if you like the stat screen, you’ll love the city screen...” I flipped through several menus and quickly granted Illiel access. She didn’t seem to need any instruction on using the interface at all.

“How is it you can use these things so well?” I asked her.

“Oh, these?” Illiel shrugged as she combed back her distinctive silvery hair. “They’re not too different from this game I played years ago. It was called Computers and Cubicles. You roleplay as something called an office worker with friends.” She blushed. “It’s a bit nerdy, but it was fun.”

I laughed. “Perhaps for you. I’m not going to poke fun at you, though. You’ve seen me playing sillier games with Sam and Dean.”

Assyrus and Yorik arrived together, each fashionably late by just a minute. The two of them both looked tired and had a thin sheen of sweat on them.

“Yorik has gotten stronger,” Assyrus smiled at what likely was her training partner. “And these fancy screen things even say so!”

“Assyrus has gotten more skilled,” Yorik added, hefting her bulky hammer over her shoulder.

“I’m glad the two of you are already putting these things to work. The tips are good, mind you. So if they tell you that you need to do some dual cultivation, we should definitely get started on that as soon as we can. It’ll be tough to fit into my busy schedule, but I’ll make it happen.”

Assyrus was tall and toned for an elf with blue hair and wooden armor dangling over her shoulders. Yorik next to her was an even larger woman. But that was because she was the sole orc among my lovers. She and my son by her were the only other people in the Heartwood who practiced body cultivation.

I waved Assyrus and Yorik forward to join us. With that, my original matriarchs were all assembled, but I wasn’t done yet.

Next to arrive were Tivana and Amisra. Tivana was the princess of Deania, at least until her mother had given her to me as a reward. On the promise that she and I made one hundred grandchildren, that is. That was a project we were still working on. Tivana technically wasn’t supposed to return to the capital until we were done, but in difficult times like this, I’m sure exceptions could be made.

By her side was Amisra, captain of the royal guard in the capital. She still held a position of influence and responsibility in Deania, so I wasn’t surprised to find her busy until now. Amisra had dark red hair, which would seem odd to most people since, the majority of elves had their hair colors match their elemental preference.

Amisra seemed different at first glance, but I knew her secret. Her hair color came from her blood magic, an art she seldom spoke of.

“I’m here, Theo. Or should I say, King Theo? Or do you fancy yourself more of an emperor?” Tivana asked.

“Do I want to be High King or Emperor? Hmm... a good question, Tivana.”

“All will bow before you either way,” Amisra promised.

I chuckled. “You most of all, I take it?”

Amisra dropped to her knees, genuflecting before my throne. “Yes.”

“What about Jynna? Is she coming?” I asked.

“Bronzeridge suffered heavy casualties due to recent golem attacks. She will be busy for a while longer. I’m sure she’ll come to visit soon, though,” Amisra added.

We had three more residents of the Hearthwood, all of them late. And without the good excuse of a long trip or teleport, like Tivana and Amisra.

“There you are, Korra,” I chuckled as my catgirl lover rubbed her fuzzy hair and yawned. Like Eltiana, she could be a handful. She was a little less playful though and a little more fierce. She was also a capable warrior in her own right and had been one of the leaders of a mercenary company that attacked the Hearthwood in our early days.

“Don’t think you can finish your nap on his lap! I won’t let you!” Eltiana jumped to her feet and spread her arms wide to stop Korra from curling up next to me.

Korra scanned the room, found Amisra kneeling nearby, and must have decided she was good enough. Soon, she was back to sleep.

Yavilla and Tavilla were the last to arrive. The two sisters-by-magic had a bit of sawdust on their aprons but were otherwise dressed like dutiful maids. They must have been installing the floors I asked for in the new tower.

“I heard you two working earlier. You’re quick to jump to obey.”

“It’s rare we get a request from you, sir. Of course, we’d be eager to complete it,” Yavilla replied. “We took the liberty of moving some of your... inventions into the room once the talking Dungeon Core told us what it would be used for.”

“Perfect. You two have done wonderfully. Have you both sworn yourselves to me? If not, I want to give the two of you a little present.”

We quickly got everything squared away, and soon, everyone who I currently thought should get access to the status screens would get it. Truth be told, I had plenty of other lovers. Some, like Mayatania, the alchemist, had been very supportive.

Others, like Sharian, were defeated enemies who’d thrown themselves at my feet for mercy and some innate sense of submission in the face of defeat.

Perhaps someday, they’d earn the opportunity to utilize these assets, but before that day came to pass, I wanted my matriarchs to advance a bit ahead of the curve.

“Alright, ladies. Let me show you how this stuff works. These are your stats. They basically quantify your abilities. There should be no surprises here. As I was telling Sava earlier, the tips below are pretty useful. But even more important are the points you can earn for me. Now, you all remember how I get points when you kill stuff for me, but now we’ve got something else to spend them on. Rare items from other worlds like these...”

I reached into my Dimensional Storage and withdrew one of the items I’d purchased earlier.

I withdrew the Apple of the Celestial Titan. It looked just like a golden apple to the eye, but there was a weight to it beyond the physical. The moment it appeared, all eyes locked upon it. It reminded me of how my matriarchs and I had looked at the Bloodline Origin Awakening potions we’d consumed when we were just Mage Acolytes. The apple in my hand was just as great a boon for the current version of me.

For my matriarchs, who were still only Sorcerers and wizards, this thing had to feel like it held the weight of an entire world. After they all got a good look, I tucked the apple away.

“This is just one of thousands of items I can procure. The apple is for me, but I’m sure there’s something for each of you. Let’s discuss these quests and how many points we can get out of completing them...”