The Primal Hunter

Jake wasn’t sure if he should have said or done anything before Ell’Hakan left. It felt as if he had given the other Chosen the floor and allowed him to say and do whatever he wanted… but that didn’t necessarily mean what Ell’Hakan had done was in his best interest.

As the saying goes, never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.

Ell’Hakan was clearly under the impression the relationship between Jake and Villy was on thin ice. That Jake was not satisfied with him as a Patron. That, or at least he believed Jake didn’t hold any loyalty toward Villy… which he was kind of right about.

Jake didn’t hold the kind of loyalty one would expect of a Chosen toward a Patron. He held no faith, and he wouldn’t just do whatever the Viper told him to do. Ell’Hakan and Yip of Yore had already figured this out from the looks of it, making their current strategy make a lot more sense.

Eversmile is likely involved in sway, too, Jake also mentally noted, as he considered the situation more deeply.

From this entire thing, coupled with what Carmen said, Jake reached a conclusion… they had officially adopted a narrative that did not require them to kill Jake. This was likely a direction they had moved toward for a while, but only now did they state it outwardly and speak it into reality. The fact this had been done in front of a crowd that would quickly spread it to every major faction in the multiverse also wasn’t a coincidence.

They wanted to show that they held no animosity toward Jake, just the Malefic Viper. The way they framed it also wasn’t entirely idiotic. Jake doubted it would be long before it was also common knowledge that Valhal was interested in recruiting Jake, potentially even offering him a similar position. All of this was to give Jake an escape.

Ultimately, this meant Jake staying with the Malefic Viper was framed as a choice. That Jake chose to stand on the side of an evil tyrant, despite having been given ample opportunity not to, giving them an excuse if they did somehow kill him. Perhaps they also bet on Jake’s sense of self-preservation and wanted to clarify that should he choose to bail the proverbial sinking ship, there would always be a lifeboat waiting.

Jake would guess the two spin doctors didn’t really want to do this but felt forced into it. There was definitely pressure from many factions who would oppose Jake’s death before they could make use of him. With his new achievement as the top performer of the All-TLeaderboards, he had only grown further in fand gained the interest of even more major factions.

This entire situation is messy… but not really that complicated, Jake thought. And it truly wasn’t.

Yip of Yore wanted to kill the Malefic Viper to beca Primordial Slayer. This was the crux of it.

Ell’Hakan was helping Yip of Yore to do this, initially by trying to kill Jake.

Even if that had now changed, the core of what Ell’Hakan wanted to accomplish remained: to have the Malefic Viper lose his Chosen. Just rather than losing his Chosen by Jake dying, he would lose him by Jake choosing to jump ship, which would definitely also negatively affect the Viper… because if not even his Chosen believed he could win and stood behind him, did he really stand a chance?

Of course, Ell’Hakan and Yip had made one major mistake. Ell’Hakan had been right about one thing, though: one can truly only do their best, but the best one could do was limited by knowledge… and those two clearly had no idea Jake was a Heretic-Chosen, nor could they comprehend the concept behind a god and a mortal genuinely just being friends.

The large hall had becsilent with Ell’Hakan’s speech, and it took quite a few seconds before anyone made a sound after the Chosen left. All the focus was on Jake, and from the looks he got, many of them seemed to believe something positive had just happened to Jake. Which, in sways, it had. Ell’Hakan had admitted to what he had done, and even if he had apologized… well, Jake wasn’t obligated to forgive.

Not that he was going to say anything to anyone. The less he gave away, the better.

As Jake stood there, the Fallen King sent over a telepathic message.

”An apt strategy adopted by the Chosen of Yip. He has created a situation where he is no longer the aggressor, and many believe it would only make sense for you to forget and forgive whatever he, in their minds, minor mistakes he’s made. Everything ended up nicely being blamed on the Malefic Viper, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next tyou have a public meeting, he will offer you skind of compensation to make his actions also match his words.”

”Honest, he can do whatever the fuck he wants. He killed Chris, that’s unforgivable,” Jake shot back.

”Yes… but in the eyes of others, he just killed a fanatic serving the Malefic One. An insignificant D-grade. Lives are not equal, and someone like you or Ell’Hakan could kill millions without anyone truly caring. In their eyes, your value exceeds countless weaklings,” the Unique Lifeform continued.

Jake wasn’t going to argue as he knew the Fallen King was right. Shit, swould maybe even argue Jake had done more to Ell’Hakan than Ell’Hakan had ever done to Jake, simply by beating him on the Leaderboards and hurting his pride while killing several of his comrades during the ”misunderstanding” that was his invasion.

The mood in the conference hall had shifted quite a lot after Ell’Hakan had done his thing, and his departure seemed to have marked the end for many others, too. Jake saw Wintermaul leave, only throwing a single glance toward Sylphie while departing, with Jake throwing one in return, making the ice elemental hurry out. The Holy Church didn’t stick around much longer either, and Jake saw Carmen leave with a group from Valhal soon after. The swas true for Casper and Caleb, who went with their respective factions.

Before even arriving at this meeting, Jake had already been informed that they would be offered passage back to their hplanets or wherever else they wanted to go. All was facilitated by the Wyrmgod. In retrospect, this was probably a necessary service to not leave a bunch of mortals stranded on a floating disc in the middle of the emptiness of space.

Soon, as the hall was thinning out, the Sword Saint returned to their group, bringing along a certain dryad. Dina looked like she had smixed emotions, and Jake understood why. Everyone but Sylphie and the Fallen King from Earth also tactfully left, leaving their Nevermore party as the only ones left.

”The gang is all back together,” Jake smiled as Dina rejoined them.

”Ree!” Sylphie screeched happily, making Dina smile, even if she couldn’t quite hide her sadness.

They had spent the vast majority of the last fifty years together, a huge part of their lives. When it cto pure life experience, likely the majority for all but the Sword Saint and maybe the Fallen King. In the beginning, Dina had been reserved and barely spoke to anyone but the old man. However, with time, she opened up a lot, happily discussed things, and shared her vast knowledge of the multiverse imparted to her as a high-level member of a large faction.

So Jake understood her emotions now that things were coming to an end and they would have to go their separate ways. Even if it wasn’t a goodbye, no one knew when they would meet up again. Jake and company were all to return to their own universe, where she couldn’t follow and likely had quite a few system events to go before their universe would open up fully.

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Additionally, it wasn’t as if Dina didn’t also have her own things to deal with. She was the granddaughter of Nature’s Attendant and held his Bloodline, giving her many responsibilities and limitations, and especially now that she had placed top 100 on the Era Leaderboards, the expectations of her had only risen further. Making friends while in a position like hers surely wasn’t easy; Jake knew that pretty damn well, being the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. He was just a lot more lucky that many of the people around him didn’t really care overly much that he was a Chosen.

”I… I nearly forgot,” Dina said as she looked at Jake. ”Congratulations on the All-TLeaderboards… and thank you for allowingto accompany you during this time.”

”Eh, I should also be thanking you for helpingeven get the record,” Jake waved her off with a smile as he joked: ”Then again, we did all carry our own weight, so maybe we should all thank each other in scirclejerk of gratitude?”

”There is no need to openly display gratitude between equal partners, it’s simply an implicit understanding,” the Fallen King added, both ruining Jake’s joke and being pretty on-point. There truly was no need for anyone to thank the others.

Dina smiled a bit. ”Still… thank you.”

Jake shook his head, not really bothering to argue about something this dumb. They had plenty of dumb arguments over the last half a century, and there was no reason to add another one to the list.

”Where are you headed from here?” the Sword Saint asked Dina, partly to change the subject.

”I’ll be heading hwith Grandpa. I was told there was a celebration back there for all those from the Pantheon who took part in Nevermore,” she answered before turning to Jake. ”Grandpa also said you should cvisit once you find the time… but I think all of you would be welcif you wanted to cby.”

”Sounds like something worth considering,” the Sword Saint nodded.

”Perhaps, but not before we have handled this Prima first,” the Fallen King added.

”Not like we’re in a rush,” Jake shrugged as he looked at Dina. ”Do tell Nature’s Attendant and Artemis that I’ll cby at spoint after the Prima Guardian is dealt with and things calm down a bit. I doubt any visit I make will be a brief one.”

”Ree!” even Sylphie agreed.

”Okay!” Dina smiled, happy they all seemed open to one day stopping by.

Their group was quiet for a while before the Sword Saint spoke once more. ”I believe it’s twe stop delaying needlessly.”

”Yeah…” Dina said, her smile rapidly fading.

The Sword Saint shook his head as he reached over and put a hand on her head, rubbing her hair-like plants. ”This is not a goodbye but a temporary farewell. It’s been a pleasure spending the last few decades with you, Dina.”

Jake just smiled as he saw Dina hesitate before seemingly thinking: ”screw it,” as she went forward and gave the old man a hug. He returned it as he kept rubbing her hair. He already knew that of everyone in their group, she had definitely becthe closest with the Sword Saint. Maybe because he also had those grandfather vibes.

Soon enough, the two of them stopped hugging as she also said goodbye to the others. Sylphie got a few scratches before getting pulled into a hug, while the Fallen King and Jake both got more reserved goodbyes.

”We shall meet again, dryad,” the Fallen King said, getting about as polite as he ever got.

”Yep, see you around,” Jake smiled.

”Take care of yourself, alright?” the Sword Saint said as he gave her a final head pat.

”Ree!” Sylphie screeched, waving with one of her wings.

Dina nodded resolutely. ”Farewell for now.”

With that, she turned around and left, only looking back half a dozen times as the four from Earth remained behind in the conference hall that was rapidly emptying out.

”I shall head back to Earth now,” the Sword Saint said after a brief pause.

”And I shall follow. Too many of the World Council have been gone for too long,” the Fallen King concurred.

”Can you take Sylphie with you?” Jake asked the two of them. ”I’m gonna go visit that Demon Prince first and stop by a few other places before I also head back.”

”Very well,” the old man nodded. Sylphie didn’t complain either, as she flew over and landed on top of the Fallen King, who didn’t even protest.

”In that case… see you all back home,” Jake smiled as he turned to leave, heading for sof the people he had to visit before going to the Demon Prince. He wanted to finish all other business first in case something went wrong with that ritual, and he would have to flee Nevermore City. Not like that was going to happen… when did anything bad ever happen when people tried to do rituals that included ancient Devils and Demon Lords?

Within a vast library, a being was sitting with legs crossed in mid-air while holding a large tome. All was still until suddenly, a hole in space was formed, and a figure appeared.

”He is annoying, isn’t he?” the floating god said with a sigh as he put down the book he had been reading. ”Way too unpredictable. Then again, that isn’t only hurtful to us but to his dear Patron, too. Say, what was his mental state like during your grand apology?”

”Confusion overshadowed nearly every other emotion as he seemed unsure what our goals were. At least in the beginning,” Ell’Hakan answered, totally fine with not beating around the bush but getting straight onto business. ”However, he seemed to realize about halfway through, at which point he suppressed his emotions for the most part. He isn’t very good at it, though. He definitely isn’t a fan of the change in narrative and still seems keen on getting personal revenge.”

”Not anything we didn’t expect,” Yip of Yore nodded. ”Say, what was his emotional response regarding you insinuating he should abandon his Patron?”

”Multi-faceted, but thoroughly lacking in one vital emotion… there was no anger, an emotion I would very much expect from someone being told to abandon their god,” Ell’Hakan said with a smile. ”He also clearly didn’t disagree with any of my assessments regarding his lacking loyalty towards the Malefic Viper, nor my insinuation he is entirely his own person. One thing is certain: Jake Thayne holds no faith in his heart toward the Malefic Viper, even if he does seem to have a generally positive view of the Primordial.”

Yip of Yore nodded slowly. ”That is likely what keeps him with the Order.”

”That, and he would hurt his Path if he left,” Ell’Hakan added.

”Hm? No, not particularly,” Yip of Yore said, Ell’Hakan feigning surprise.

”What do you mean it won’t?”

”He just needs to beca heretic,” Yip of Yore shrugged. ”The system has plenty of safeguards if you choose to abandon a god. In fact, should the Malefic Viper die after he becomes a heretic, he may even beca Usurper. Hm, just imagining it is a bit exciting… to be a Usurper of a Primordial’s Legacy.”

”Perhaps it may even be put on the table as a potential advantage should he abandon the Malefic Viper,” Ell’Hakan pointed out.

”No, let sthings remain unspoken,” the god shook his head. ”In fact, let us not focus too much on the Chosen of the Malefic Viper for now. Allow Valhal to handle him, and let’s see if they manage to recruit him, as that would be the best outcome. Killing him at this point would only lead to far too many problems, and quite frankly, I find it uncertain if you would even be capable of slaying him.”

”He is powerful, yes… but-”

”No buts,” Yip of Yore interrupted him. ”His story is too strong right now. Too many are interested in his Path and where it will take him. As of this moment, he is the worst kind of opponent for you, as fate is on his side, so to say, making him far more difficult to deal with than otherwise. If you want to kill him for personal reasons, you need to do it under the proper conditions and framing.”

”Very well,” Ell’Hakan relented. ”As you say, let Valhal handle recruiting him.”

”In the meantime, you know what you have to do. Make your preparations for the Prima Guardian and ensure everything is in place. Even if things have gotten a bit annoying, we will continue as otherwise planned. You may believe this entire debacle was a major setback, but in truth, I do not view it as such. Instead, I see it as an opportunity,” Yip of Yore said as he stood up. ”The Malefic Viper’s prestige is getting more and more tied to his Chosen, meaning should he lose him, the impact will be far grander. And let’s be fair, if we set all the conditions right, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper will abandon him for greener pastures. You should know that better than anyone.”

Ell’Hakan was taken aback. ”What do you-”

”Don’t think I am unaware of your backup plan with the Holy Church,” Yip of Yore grinned. ”I’m not angry about it or even disappointed. In fact, I’m elated that my Chosen is not smoron who would throw all his eggs in one basket.”

It took him a moment before Ell’Hakan realized. ”You’re certain that-”

”Please, do you really think I would gamble everything on getting rid of sChosen to weaken the Malefic Viper?” Yip of Yore said with a smile, interrupting again. ”Any strategy so reliant on a single element like that is prone to failure… especially seeing as there’s truly only one factor that matters in situations like these. One thing that will ultimately decide the victor.”

Yip of Yore looked down at the mark left by the Malefic Viper’s touch on his shoulder as he traced it with a finger, the mark disappearing wherever his finger touched before he allowed it to reappear again. ”Power. And betweenand that washed-up Primordial… well, I got a slight edge.”