Meetings were unavoidable no matter what faction, even if it was one made up of beer-loving warriors who preferred a good battle to fix most problems. However, they did recognize there were situations where fighting would benefit no one, and everything happening in the Milky Way was one such situation.
At least it wasn’t the time for a full-on war quite yet.
The entire reason behind the current conflict was to get rid of the Order of the Malefic Viper’s influence over the Milky Way. At least, that was the excuse Ell’Hakan used. The real reason was, of course, for Ell’Hakan to help his Patron defeat the Malefic Viper by helping build momentum for the god through his efforts in the new universe.
So what if they offered Ell’Hakan something better than him having some minor victories and claiming a few planets? As Bobby put it:
“It’ll look better for Ell’Hakan that he managed to make you surrender – or at least look like you surrendered - and switch sides rather than just outmaneuver you on the battlefield,” he said, having quite good insight into these sorts of things. “Of course, that wouldn’t mean the situation in the Milky Way would be resolved, but it would put a pause on things. Putting a pause on things would definitely be to his benefit, as once his Patron wins, Ell’Hakan will only grow in power and influence. While a truce is in effect, he’ll also look like the winner and obviously communicate himself the winner, which should help weaken the Malefic One… especially with your announcement.”
Jake nodded as he nurtured his beer, everything Bobby said tracking with his discussion with Villy and the others back on Earth. He felt like he’d had this exact meeting two times already, with the only difference being the setting.
But, hey, at least this time, they had an open bar with every kind of alcoholic drink the heart desired because even when Valhal held meetings, they still made sure to enjoy themselves.
“I just want to make sure, though, before we start doing anything… are you sure about this?” Bobby asked Jake with concern. “You will be taking an extreme risk by directly opposing your current Patron, and while I understand from Carmen you may have some plans of your own, wouldn’t simply renouncing the Blessing you’ve been granted by the Malefic Viper be a safer option? If you cut him off, it may hurt you in the short term, but I’m certain Valhal will more than happily help you make up for any losses.”
“Things are a lot more complicated than they appear,” Jake sighed. “I’m not a huge fan of repeating myself, so you can hear why I’m doing things the way I am at the same time as Ell’Hakan does. I feel like that’s safer, too, and I hope you will understand why when the time comes.”
In truth, Jake didn’t want to tell the story multiple times out of fear he would mess up or stupidly add some detail he would forget later on. No, better to tell the story once and once only. The excuse it could be dangerous to explain in the first place also wasn’t something anyone could write off, as no one knew what exactly was going on between Jake and the Viper, and it was entirely possible they had some contract or that some conditional magic was in place.“Alright,” Bobby just relented, not pressing the issue further.
“If it’s worth anything, I have a good idea what’s going on, and I agree with him. Without the barrier in the communication room, he shouldn’t be saying anything,” Carmen added, crossing her arms. “Gudrun advised us to be cautious… we are dealing with a Primordial here, after all. A washed-up loser only coasting by due to his over-inflated ego and exaggerated reputation, but a Primordial still.”
While Carmen flamed Villy quite harshly, Jake didn’t fail to notice that nearly everyone was looking at him for his reaction. Usually, someone blessed by a god wouldn’t like it when you talk shit about that god, especially not a Chosen. The thing about Jake was that even if he wasn’t a fan of people insulting his buddy… he didn’t really care that much.
“I guess that’s what happens when you coop up in your Divine Realm for who-fucking-knows how long without doing anything,” Jake shrugged, clearly showing he was unbothered by Carmen’s insults. “But I have been close enough to know I shouldn’t underestimate the Viper no matter how much he’s fallen behind all the other Primordials.”
Jake could feel the relief wash over several of the high-ranking officials from Valhal. Perhaps they had all been wondering if Jake had truly determined himself to turn his back on the Viper, and this seemed to have served as an acceptable confirmation.
“True, so we shouldn’t delay too much either,” Bobby said as he adopted a serious look. “We already made some preparations to set up a meeting with Ell’Hakan, and we have a room prepared from our prior communications. Before you ask, no, we actively avoid meeting him in person as per the guidiance of my Patron. His Bloodline simply poses too high of a risk to meet him in person, especially in any kind of negotiation. When you can’t even trust your own emotions, how the hell are you supposed to know when you’re getting a good deal?”
It was obvious that while the plan was to oppose the Malefic Viper, the people from Valhal certainly didn’t like Ell’Hakan either. It was naturally totally understandable, and it boded well for what would come after the Viper’s plan had hopefully been a success and Jake made his move to take down the would-soon-be former Chosen.
“Yeah, I’ve met him in person a few times, and he’s an unsettling guy. I also reckon it’s only gotten worse the more powerful he becomes,” Jake sighed. “Not meeting him face-to-face would definitely be our best approach… No, the only non-moronic approach.”
Nods from all around the room confirmed they were all on the same page as they discussed some minor matters of what was to come before heading off to the special communication room established by Valhal. As they had talked with Ell’Hakan before, alongside the Holy Church and most other factions, the place was already prepared, and they had already made some additional modifications before Jake got there.
This special room was constructed not deep underground, as Jake tended to prefer placing things like this, but instead high up on a mountain outside of the capital city. It wasn’t even anywhere closed-off, but just a large wooden pergola on top of the flattened and tiled mountaintop. Anyone could easily see the place from all around, making it the least secretive communication room for secret communication Jake had ever seen.
At least, it appeared like that at first. Jake felt some powerful magic in place as they approached the pergola and an odd aura that didn’t feel like it belonged there. He didn’t feel much mana, though, but some other form of energy was placed upon the place. It was powerful, almost semi-divine in nature, and only once he got really close did he understand why they had called the mountain sacred on their way there. The top of it had been made into hallowed ground, effectively giving the place itself a powerful Blessing.
Valhal were known for these kinds of places, and they had a lot of rituals and customs related to shamanism and mysticism. Their abilities to channel the heroic spirits of the dead and their Records were widespread knowledge, but Jake was still surprised when he felt as if thousands of people were nearby when he stepped foot on the tiled platform near the pergola.
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Using his Sphere and Pulse of Perception, he quickly realized why. He also knew why this place was considered sacred in the first place, likely even before it became officially hallowed. At first, he had believed this a natural mountain, but now he saw it was an utterly massive burial mound purposefully made to look like a natural mountain. Within it, he saw countless bones of tens of thousands of warriors, remnants of their presence seeping into the very land he stood upon.
Taking in the atmosphere, he looked at the two other people who actually went to the pergola, as three was the agreed-upon amount that was allowed to take part in this meeting. The participants were naturally Jake, Carmen, and Bobby also joining them as the World Leader. Sylphie had gladly left as she was also allowed to kip out on the boring pre-meeting meetings to explore the planet a bit and have fun.
“Runemaiden, if you will,” Bobby said politely once they were all on the platform, Carmen nodding in response as she knelt down and closed her eyes, pressing her fists to the tiled floor.
“Mother of Valkyries, Matron of War, bless this hallowed ground and grant us safety and respite,” Carmen said as her energy drained into the ground, making the magic circles come to life. Golden light enveloped the entire mountain, and Jake felt a distinctively divine presence everywhere. It was as if a blanket of divinity covered the mountaintop, and Jake felt his connection with Villy completely cut off. In fact, everything outside of this now golden space was entirely cut off from them, as all he saw were golden walls in all directions.
“Damn impressive,” Jake muttered, as he truly had no idea how those magic circles worked.
“Just a small glimpse,” Bobby smiled before quickly putting on his serious face again. “Be ready, alright? Ell’Hakan and those with him will be projected here, while our projections will appear on his end using a similar magic circle. We cannot interact with them outside of talking, and elements such as karma are entirely filtered out. Only our appearances, actions, and words will communicate our intent here today, and the same is true for their side, so look out for anything you possibly can.”
Jake could feel just how nervous Bobby was. Once more, it was evident just how much the World Leader hated interacting with Ell’Hakan, but it was also clear he even feared it a little. As a World Leader, he could easily do and say the wrong thing that would land his faction and many people in trouble, and Ell’Hakan was no easy opponent on the political scene, Bloodline or not.
“I’ll be observant, but truthfully, I have very little to hide here today,” Jake said with a sigh. “Anyway, I’m ready when you are.”
“Alright… then here goes nothing,” Bobby said as he activated a token, making a smaller circle using clearly different magic methodology begin to shine as it connected to an identical magic circle across the galaxy.
The pergola didn’t have any chairs or anything like that, and the meeting would be done just standing up. Jake wore his usual outfit, mask and everything else that tended to make him comfortable as he didn’t want to give away anything unless absolutely forced to. He knew he wasn’t the best liar and would need all the help he could get to make his half-truths seem fully believable and his outright lies not easily seen through.
A few minutes passed, and Bobby explained the formation would only fully activate once all six people who would participate were there. No one else would be able to take part but the six of them, and no one could watch was was happening either. They had activated their magic circle fifteen minutes early to be ready, and ten minutes before time, it appeared the other side also joined the magical conference call, both parties politely early.
Three fully lifelike projections appeared five or so meters in front of Jake and the others, looking exactly like the real thing to the level Jake would have doubted if they weren’t really there if not for his Bloodline. At the front of the three newcomers was naturally the recognizable nahoom, Ell’Hakan, and to his left was a man Miranda had shown him a picture of before: King Iludar. A fellow newly promoted Administrator of the Seat of the Exalted Prima and representative of many of the factions who’d join Ell’Hakan and the Holy Church during the system event.
Jake had expected to see these two, but the third one wasn’t someone he’d thought to be there. He’d known it would be a representative of the Holy Church to uphold their interests, but despite knowing that, he was still surprised when he saw Jacob standing there, radiating his usual calm demeanor despite being only a projection.
“We meet again, Chosen of Yip of Yore, albeit under quite different circumstances than usual,” Bobby said in a confident voice rather quickly after they appeared as if he wanted to get the first word in.
“Different circumstances indeed,” Ell’Hakan smiled as he looked at Jake, not paying Bobby much mind. “This entire thing is quite peculiar. We haven’t met since Nevermore City, have we? A shame, though I know we’ve both been busy. This is quite a tumultuous time for our small galaxy, after all.”
“Certain people have indeed been causing quite the ruckus,” Jake shot back as he glared at Ell’Hakan, not even having the time to marvel at how even Ell’Hakan speaking made it seem as if he was actually there right in front of Jake.
“Sometimes, chaos is needed before harmony can be achieved,” Ell’Hakan continued before he finally stopped scurrying around the subject. “But I hear you want to stop this chaos sooner rather than later. You and Valhal, hand in hand, seeking to, at the very least, put a pause on the conflict for now.”
“Right,” Jake nodded, knowing the guy had already been informed of the basics. The guy also clearly wasn’t looking to beat around the bush, as this meeting had gone straight for the crux of why they were there.
Ell’Hakan smiled at Jake’s curt response. ”Now, that does make me wonder… why? Why take such a passive approach? That doesn’t seem like you at all. Let’s be honest here: if you leveraged the elites of your planet alongside the warriors of Valhal, you could have escalated the situation and turned it around to be in your favor on several fronts. Yet you want to negotiate instead… do you see my confusion?”
“Is my desire to avoid needless deaths not a good enough reason?” Jake asked with his arms crossed.
“If the Augur had asked me that, I would have nodded in agreement, but let’s not act like you actually care,” the other Chosen said in a matter-of-fact tone. “So, let me ask again… why?”
Jake was silent for a moment as he remembered the plan. After a bit he finally sighed and looked Ell’Hakan directly in the eyes. “I don’t like you. I will never like you. If you were standing in front of me in person right now, we wouldn’t be talking at all.”
Ell’Hakan was quiet as Jake spoke and clearly not surprised at anything he said.
“But there’s someone I want to get rid of a lot more than you right now, and fighting will only jeopardize that,” Jake said In a serious tone.
“And who might the target of such great enmity be?”
“The Malefic Viper,” Jake said without missing a beat.
For the first time, Jake saw a flicker of surprise cross Ell’hakan’s face at the sudden direct declaration.
“Why would one possibly wish to get rid of their own Patron? There are other avenues in the case of inconsolable differences,” he asked, clearly suspicious. And for good reason. As Bobby had already brought up, it seemed to make a lot more sense for Jake just to renounce the Blessing of the Malefic Viper and accept one from Valhal. It would be far safer, as every moment Jake kept his connection to the Viper was a massive risk.
“I could list a few reasons why one would want that… but before all that, let me do just one thing,” Jake said as he took a deep breath, and he even infused his voice with Willpower. “I, Jake Thayne, hereby renounce my True Blessing of the Malefic Viper. Oh, and I officially tell the guy to go fuck himself.”
The entire platform got silent as everyone stared at him, Bobby and Carmen included. They definitely hadn’t known he was going to do this, which really helped sell what was happening. Jacob was also surprised, and Jake noticed Ell’Hakan subtly checking in with the Augur for his reaction.
Before any of them could say anything, Jake spoke once more.
“As you may or may not be able to see, that clearly didn’t fucking work,” Jake said in a clearly annoyed voice. “So you asked me why I didn’t look for alternatives outside of having the Malefic Viper slain? Well, because his death is my only way to get rid of him and his damn Blessing... and perhaps even turn this situation advantageous.”
Ell’Hakan stared at Jake for a few seconds before he smiled. “Before, I was merely curious, but now I dare call myself interested.”