The First Harem Tournament 29 – The Formation of Imperial Houses Part 3

“I hate the fucking… fudging name I came up with,” Eliana grumbled. “Still… urgh… my house will be called ‘Rebirth’. Motto: ‘Failure is not the end’.” She pressed the button to reveal a gold-blue variation of the Fusion logo on a shield surrounded by blue and blood-red flames. “I am going to have to redesign that from scratch to get Bloodburn across…”

[Rebirth AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/801cd624e150.png ]

Well, the artist herself did have the privilege of needing the least accurate reference.

“I do really like the motto,” John said.

“So you abso-fucking-lutely beaver-breedingly hate the name, got it.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Fuck you, I can hear it!”

John let out a long sigh. “I don’t hate the name,” he made very clear. “But I also agree with you that it’s not the best.” For her to use her maiden name was not an option. She had not called herself ‘Baros’ ever and had taken his last name as quickly as possible. “How about ‘Sanguine’?”

“Too bloody. I want something hopeful…”

“Have you considered just ‘Hope’, then?”

“How is that fudging better than ‘Rebirth’?”

A fair point, to which John had no retort. “Something Latin, maybe?”

“Am I a catholic?” The blood mage made a retching sound. “No… anyone else got an idea to save me from this pit of worms and piss that I created?”

“W-why… why did you have to create that mental image…?” Gnome whined.

“I can’t just rest on my curse words; I need to flex my creative cunt sometimes.” Eliana tilted back and ran a hand over her still flat belly. “And you better not be able to hear any of this yet!”

John was still trying to find a better name. ‘If I don’t, she’ll look at it and moan whenever she sees it… well, she will do that anyway. She’s never happy with any of her pictures either. Not like there’s anything wrong with the name either, it’s just a bit flat… same with Creation… the House of Rebirth has a decent ring to it at least. Damian Newman of the House of Rebirth…. Yeah, it works… man, that sounds surreal to think.’

“Seriously? No one has a better idea than Re-fudging-birth?” Eliana asked.

“Nope,” Sylph spoke for everyone for one word, then babbled away, “You could call it ‘Broodmare’ but that’s just describing you not all of your children so now we are back to needing a general term, and since you don’t want to do something blood related, Rebirth works just fine, just fine indeed. My name is much better though!”

“Oh really? What is your name then?” Eliana crossed her arms, her purple-tinted lips stretched into an annoyed grin. “Is it Arcvolt?”

“It’s Voltbunny!”

“Sylph!” Salamander’s tail smacked on the ground. “We all agreed on this! There was a memo!”

“I read it! I did! But! But! Voltbunny is so much cuter! House Voltbunny!”

“Fearless leader?” The apocalypse elemental turned to Gnome. “What do you say about this insubordination?”

“I, uhm… I think Voltbunny is still fine?”

“Voltbunny is official!” Sylph declared triumphantly. “Motto: ‘We are the lightning strikes’!” Dramatically, she pressed the button to display her family crest. A green bunny surrounded by gusts of wind and blue lightning – exactly what was expected.

[Voltbunny AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d7ab94d6fb72.png ]

“A bit unserious…” Gnome added to her initial approval. “But… I think that’s fine? I-is it fine?”

“It’s probably good if we don’t project an image of taking ourselves seriously from top to bottom,” John opined. “Not that it matters. Voltbunny as an association may sound cuddly and cute now, but we’ll be governing for generations. Once the demographics change from those we have come to govern to those that grew up under our reign, matters shift considerably.”

“I am a Voltbunny and, genetics willing, all my kids will have cute bunny ears too!” Sylph babbled. “We will all be Voltbunnies! The voltiest of bunnies!”

That was an open question that John himself was rather interested in. Harpies only gave birth to other harpies, so it was guaranteed that Nightingale would continue her lineage of monster girl. For everyone else, there were degrees of questions.

Most of the monster girls in his harem had the status courtesy of Perks. The maids, in particular, had a variation of fantastical aspects that were impossible to say whether they were going to get passed down or not. There was no precedent for them getting knocked up. John just hoped they could get an ultrasound through their metal skin so they could get an idea in due time.

The elementals were slightly less ambiguous, because their structure was their natural state. It would have deeply surprised John if Undine gave birth to something besides a slime girl. Then again, he did not know.

Jane was also uncharted territory. Half elementals did not pass on anything they got from the fusion, instead giving birth to pure humans. Quarter elementals most likely followed that trend. What threw a wrench into it was John’s rather unique body and the question of how that would mix with it all.

At least for demigods they had the certainty that there was uncertainty. Despite her proclamations of having dragons, nothing suggested that Nathalia necessarily would give birth to such exclusively. Demigods inherited some variety of power related to their parent’s aspect, but even then the connection was often tenuous. Lakamun had looked like a particularly large human and he had powers over volcanoes, despite having no relations to Nathalia. Nahoa had also been a tall woman (by the standards of her civilization at the time) but all she had to show for her divine blood were pale body markings. No vulture feathers or the like had grown from her body. She had inherited a voracious ability and that was it.

So, matters were very complicated.

“John!”

“Hm?” the Gamer hummed and looked over to Jane. “I was lost in thought for a second, that hardly justifies shouting at me.”

“Only takes your brainiac brain a second to go to another plane of existence,” Jane stated. “Sally, ya wanna go next?”

“Sure… and I’ll stick to the fucking memo!” The tip of the fire spirit’s tail swooshed by Sylph. “House Apocalypse. Motto: ‘Burn bright, live long’.” The crest was a flaming variant of the Fusion logo, crimson fire on black spikes, surrounding a falling meteor. Salamander was rather pleased with it.

[Apocalypse AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/176db99c6251.png ]

There was a resounding silence, as there was really nothing to say.

“G-guess… I’ll just finish out the elemental set?” Gnome suggested, then cleared her throat. “House Seasons. Motto: ‘Maybe a hug could fix this?’”

The declaration caused some collective laughter. A deep blush crept up the earth spirit’s features. John swiftly wrestled control from his amusement. “It’s a good motto!” he assured her. “Unorthodox that it’s a question and it is a bit uncertain, but there’s value in having a creed that’s more pacifistic. It fits you well.”

“It’s endearing,” Metra agreed.

“Cute,” Nia echoed.

“W-what’s your house?” Gnome asked, eager to distract from herself.

The blonde blinked once. “I am willing to share, but should you not show your crest first?”

“O-oh… right!”

The display behind the flustered lady came to life, showing a tree of brown bark and green leaves. The machine had taken the colour instructions too strictly, only using those two colours to represent the four seasons across the branches of the tree. Confusingly, there were also green rocks and a brown castle at the base.

[Seasons AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/59b486cb907d.png ]

It would need some adjustments, but the idea was there, at least.

Without delay, Nia was on her feet. “House: Azure Descendants. Creed: ‘Cutes deserve cuddles’.” The crest behind her was a snowflake shaped from curved fractal patterns – the closest approximation to what the un-creatures of the Nirvana looked like in art form.

[Azure Descendants: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/a4597a5b64c3.png ]

“You’re giving everyone tonal whiplash,” Eliana complained. “Your name is as serious as an oil spill, then your motto is… that and then your logo is a machine-made horror beyond human comprehension.”

“Cutes deserving cuddles is a matter of the utmost seriousness,” Nia declared, her voice unusually firm. “Do not put it beneath the other two.”

“You’re such a weird, creepy blonde stick of a human.”

“Azure Descendants is an interesting name,” John said slowly.

Nia considered his words for three seconds. “You do not like it?”

“I find it a bit confusing,” he confessed. “I get the connection. You are the Blue Maiden, Azure is a shade of blue… the Azure Tribe might take offense that you of all people choose a name close to theirs.”

“Oh…” Nia considered the matter for a moment, then shrugged. “I do not care. They are not a factor in matters of the world at this time. I like Azure Descendants. I want my name in particular to stand out.”

Lu Zhi perked up upon hearing that. “Why do you think you need that privilege?”

“Because of who my children are likely to be,” Nia responded. “I may be the starting point of the only lineage in the world that consists entirely of blanks.”

John rolled his jaw. That was indeed a possibility. His magic had worked on Nia before. EXP had been given to her just fine in the old days of shared grinding and the Lover’s Will mark remained on her just fine. If the whole Inheritance Perk worked as expected, then it was only reasonable that all of Nia’s children would be nulls. There was no being a ‘half pariah’.

Well, there wasn’t yet… things could change.

Assuming they didn’t and the outcome was between Nia’s children either being or not being of her kind, John certainly hoped it was the former. It would estrange them from their peers and that would pose a unique challenge. The alternative was that Nia’s own offspring would feel their mother to be alien and that would break John’s heart.

“If it’s the name you have chosen, then it’s the name that will stay,” he said. “Momo, you go next.”

“Why me?” the fairy maid asked, eyebrows pulling together.

“I can see you shifting all excited.”

“I just want to get this over with!” Despite her contradictions, she got up and showed them all the black-white firefly that would serve as her house logo. “Name is ‘Firefly’. Creed: ‘The voice of the silence’.”

[Firefly AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/e62c051386d6.jpg ]

“That’s another foreboding creed,” Jane complained.

“It has layers, not that you would understand!” Momo sassed back. “It’s a reference to my archaeology and to me having to speak to the unpopular opinion in the room all the time AND it works with me being able to do this!” She put her hand up in a gesture resembling a closed mouth and all sound in the room suddenly seized. The archfae smirked, then dismissed the little spell. “Did you all forget I can do that, hm?”

“A lil’ bit,” Hailey confessed.

“You can’t forget something a little bit.”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “Anyhowzel…”

“God, you two and your mutual language corruption,” John groaned, glancing from Hailey to Jane.

“Ya love it,” the feline Lightbearer drawled.

“I love you taking on more country gal, I tolerate Hailey’s perfect accent getting compromised by the… Jane-isms.”

“…y’all be quiet, we’re almost done,” Hailey finished her sentence.

Ehtra took the opportunity to rise. “House: Nemesis. Motto: ‘All traitors will die’.” Her house emblem was a grey sword on grey wings, a red halo hovering above the pommel.

[Nemesis AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c2ca81251e95.png ]

Another one where little to nothing was to be said. This was exactly what everyone had expected and the machine-generated picture even came out fairly well. The sword would need adjustment to resemble the one she actually used and there was a conspicuous absence of a gun in the picture. Beyond that, it was perfect.

“I’ll just follow that up,” Metra announced. “I will call my house ‘Wrath’ and go with the creed: ‘We will guide you to the afterlife’.” Her logo was a grey hexagon containing brown, gold and grey wolf ears and crossed halberds.

[Wraith AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/e0bc3cd37357.png ]

“Making your favoured battle cry your house logo is a very Metra thing to do,” John commented.

“Less of a battle cry, more of a threat,” Metra answered.

“In Abyssal Akkadian culture, ‘let me guide you to the afterlife’ was only said when a creature deserved it,” Ehtra stated. “Also, typically, only if the fight was already ongoing.”

“In other news, not terribly happy with my logo either… but I’ll take my spot down the queue for a proper version of it,” Metra stated.

“If there is nothing left to be said…” Fianna rose slowly, giving plenty time to interject, “I will present my house. It shall be the house ‘Baihu’. The motto will be: ‘In my sights’.” A white tiger on a metal crosshair of white and blue appeared on the screen behind the sniper.

[Baihu AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b2284ac0a3c8.png ]

“Baihu?” Nahoa asked. “You are going with Chinese?”

“It is in line with my suggested plan to unify the Cardinal Beasts within Master’s harem,” Fianna explained militarily. “Though I am not of her ethnicity, I will lend my strength to the Heavenly Jade Empress’ legitimacy. Thus, we agreed it would be best if I sinophied my house name.”

John wasn’t opposed to it. The logic was sound and it was the empress herself that suggested it. Not like the Chinese were historically shy about spreading their cultural influence.

The empress herself rose next. “As sovereign of the middle empire, it is my right to found a new house. Marrying an emperor of co-equal strength is a unique circumstance. Our clan must be one that lives in two nations, rather than in the Forbidden City alone. What further emphasizes matters is the promise of the Inheritance Perk and the great elevated likelihood of jade control.” Lulu smirked to herself. “May it be that our children succeed us in due time.”

Delicia groaned. “If you’re done with the preamble…”

“I am. Our clan will be called ‘Haixin’ and our creed shall be: ‘We lay the foundations of the golden age’.” Lu Zhi made a sweeping gesture with her folding fan, ending with a press of the display button. Her house crest was a green, serpentine dragon surrounded by clouds and an East Asian, ornate border.

[Haixin AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/15346d0fa27d.png ]

The picture had some glaring problems courtesy of its nature, but a proper artist would be able to fix those in due time.

The last woman to speak up was Nathalia. “I have trouble finding a proper name,” she told everyone. “I was considering ‘Molten Scion’, but it strikes me as inadequate and further steps onto Nia’s uniqueness…”

“Maybe just go with Dragonborn?” Lee suggested. “No, I am not saying it for the meme.”

“Dragonborn…” Nathalia repeated the title quietly. “Hm… no, it is too generalized.”

Momo’s fingers danced on the tabletop. “How about something that combines your destruction and fertilization aspects? Like… Cinderseed?”

“Cinderseed… yes, I like the sound of that.” She rose to her feet. “House Cinderseed. Motto: ‘Prove your worth’.” The crest was a volcano on dragon wings, vegetation sprouting from the base of the molten mountain.

[Cinderseed AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/3ba882ab5f60.png ]

With that, everyone was done. Plenty of revisions needed to be made to the logos and perhaps some wording on the mottos would be changed before the houses all went public. Well, all except Fianna’s, who would remain unofficial until she was either found out properly or until Lu Zhi needed her to reveal herself to display that she had the backing of all four beasts.

“Good work, everyone!” John declared.

“Not gonna reveal your own house?” Jane teased, half-serious.

“She has a point, Master,” Aclysia echoed. “Though you will obviously use the crest of Fusion itself, you could at least tell us what the creed of the Newman dynasty will be?”

“Be free, achieve greatness,” John said, without hesitation.

The words were plugged from Collide’s motto, something that had been written into his menu when he became guildmaster and that had, according to Jane, stemmed from Travolta. One had to wonder what that middle-aged, relatively weak man would think if he had lived to see his personal creed become the inspiration for the motto of what would doubtlessly become the largest and strongest family in the world for the next couple generations.

‘If I remember him with any accuracy, he would shout some curse words, shake his head and then grumble his approval,’ John thought.

No way he could check on that.