Jake had been right in many of his assumptions regarding the Pantheon of Life. The information he’d read during the voyage there had also been confirmed continually as Jake got a tour of what he mentally called the capital city of the Pantheon of Life.
He also learned a lot about the people who lived there. Most factions in the multiverse had some kind of bias or leaned toward certain races more than others, often because of who the leader of the faction was. Even somewhere like the Order of the Malefic Viper, where merit was the number one determinant of how much status one could get, there was still a massive overrepresentation of scalekin compared to any other archetype of race.
It wasn’t even necessary to mention factions like the Altmar Empire, which consisted nearly entirely of elves, and Valhal, which was predominately human due to Valdemar. One could argue the Holy Church was the most diverse of all factions, but even they heavily leaned toward the enlightened species. Sure, monsters with human form could join them, but such a thing was rare compared to somewhere like the Order of the Malefic Viper, where Jake got the vibes that there were more monsters than enlightened around.
However, the Pantheon of Life struck Jake as truly diverse, more than any other faction Jake had encountered before. They were definitely the faction with the most plant-like lifeforms, but seeing as such beings with developed sapience were rare, they didn’t represent a large part of the Pantheon’s members.
When it came to enlightenment, they had slightly more elves than humans, with plenty of both races overall. There were more beastfolk than both of those, though, and Jake even saw his fair share of demons around, as well as so many other races he rarely saw.
When it came to monsters, those were also everywhere, including a lot of powerful beasts. As the Pantheon of Life actively cultivated biomes and natural environments, there lived a lot of powerful beasts among them, many also at the level of gods. Seeing as monsters usually didn’t have the same instinct as enlightened to band together, it was rare to see that many gathered in one place without constant fighting breaking out... but let’s just say that living on and surrounding the roots of a giant World Tree had quite the calming effect.
The only thing that one couldn’t find in the Pantheon of Life was undead, as their Path and the very concept of life didn’t mesh very well, so that was only to be expected. Technology also wasn’t a massive aspect of the faction, meaning the Automata didn’t have a presence either. In fact, the Pantheon of Life, in general, weren’t fans of the Automata due to their pursuit and creation of synthetic life, something the Pantheon viewed as unnatural.
Artemis explained all of this as she took Jake through the city within the Divine Voidpiercer, the bird-like creature moving so fast at times it was practically teleportation in Jake’s mind. They visited a lot of important landmarks of the massive city, and soon, they found themselves at a large root of Yggdrasil that was hollowed out in places, creating caves. With the help of Artemis, Jake could see what was happening on the root.
Jake saw hundreds of recognizable monsters, though they looked slightly different from what he was used to. Their bodies were larger than normal, their general form bulkier, and their scales all had a mixed color palette between brown and green.“This is the area given to the Wildflight, one of the Dragonflights,” Artemis explained, adding a bit more context as she perhaps wasn’t sure how much Jake knew about dragonkin.
That’s right, he was looking at a group of dragons that certainly didn’t give him the vibe that they were monsters of magic. Based on Jake’s understanding, all dragons were naturally gifted magic users who could perform freeform magic at an incredibly high level, and their race gave them expansive mana pools. Pretty much, they were the perfect mages among the monster race, which was why having them all look like the dragon versions of gym bros felt weird.
“You seem surprised?” Artemis said with a teasing smile. “I guess they do break your expectations of what dragons are supposed to be. The Wildflight is kind of different from the other Dragonflights in that they specialize in nature and life magic. However, seeing as dragons are also arrogant assholes by default, they found their own unique way of applying their magic. Rather than focus on healing, the Wildflight developed a Path solely focused on refining themselves. They are still a species focused on magic, but all of this magic has been channeled into making their bodies stronger, the mana itself stored in their muscles, bones, and flesh. They do also have some nature and healing magic, but when facing a dragon from the Wildflight, what you need to be careful of isn’t their magic spells but their claws and maws. Oh, and their Breath. Even if they give up most of their magical abilities for physical prowess, they still have their Dragon’s Breath.”
“They certainly do stand out compared to others of their race I’ve seen. I take it you’ve hunted down a lot of dragons throughout your life?” Jake asked the hunter goddess.
“A few, but not many of the Wildflight,” Artemis said. “I was born into the Pantheon of Life, and seeing as they’ve had a close relationship with the Pantheon of Life since long before I was born, I very rarely found myself in conflict with them. No, the type of dragon I’ve hunted down the most is definitely those commonly found among the Darkflight. Many of them delve into necromancy, and while the Lumenflight does tend to keep them in check, there will always be rogue dragons out and about doing their own thing, causing carnage.”
“Do you have any recommendations?” Jake asked with a slightly cheeky smile.
Artemis took a moment before she understood. “You want to slay a True Dragon while still in C-grade?”
She didn’t seem overly surprised, and Jake readily confirmed. “That’s the plan.”
“Have you killed any B-grades yet?” Artemis questioned.
“None so far,” Jake shook his head. “But I feel like I could. Maybe not a powerful variant, but I could definitely kill a low-level B-grade.”
“I would also guess you could,” Artemis nodded. “Of course, while I don’t fully understand your Path, I assume you lean heavily into the hunter archetype, and going by your personality, I take it you have a Big Game Hunter variant?”
“Right on the money,” Jake confirmed. “How about you?”
Artemis smiled. “What’s the fun in fighting weaker foes? I was and still am also a Big Game Hunter, and while that certainly does create some issues and can limit progress at times, I have no regrets. I do reckon my Path was quite a bit different from yours, though, as I did also heavily invest in nature magic.”
“Oh, I remember,” Jake chuckled. “Those arrows during the Colosseum fights were nasty. I can’t even begin to imagine what you were capable of when not limited to level 0.”
“I could show you sometime,” Artemis offered. “I still have a few recordings of my days back when I was a mortal. But, yeah, I also leaned heavily into making traps, stealth, and stalking down my foes while identifying weaknesses to exploit. I rarely fought anything without a lot of preparation beforehand.”
“We’re not that much different in that regard. Besides the trap part,” Jake said. “I’ve never been a big fan of using traps. I definitely see their value, but I prefer to take my foe entirely by surprise and hit them strong and hard before they even know they are under attack.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Both are definitely valid approaches. I often did the same, but I also prepared a web of traps between me and my foe to allow me to keep my distance,” Artemis nodded. “Contrary to you, I wasn’t that skilled in melee combat, and I often found myself in trouble if my foe got too close, so I did a lot to make sure that didn’t happen. Be that through vine arrows, traps, movement skills, or anything else I could do to slow down a pursuer while creating distance.”
“Well, I can’t really comment much on its efficiency, seeing as you made it to godhood,” Jake said with a shrug. “Still not my Path, though.”
“I know,” Artemis nodded with a smile. “I do look forward to seeing if your archery has developed since you last parted with my image.”
“Yeah, not gonna lie, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint in that area,” Jake confessed. “I’ve been distracted dealing with and working on a lot of other things, and I’m just gonna be fully transparent... I kind of got the feeling that there would be some archery training involved with my visit to the Pantheon of Life. I do have very fond memories of the last time I trained with a skilled hunter from the Pantheon, after all.”
“I think something can be arranged,” Artemis smiled. “It’ll also serve as a good excuse for why I interact with you. The Mother Tree and Nature’s Attendant already gave us an excuse by assigning me as your escort to your residence, so it will merely look like a natural extension of that if I begin to assist you in your training.”
“Speaking of those two... do they know, you know?” Jake asked, a bit doubtful.
“Yes,” Artemis outright confirmed.
“And what do they think about everything?” Jake asked, now back to being quite nervous. It felt as if he was asking what her parents were thinking, which probably wasn’t that far off, considering Artemis had once been the Chosen of Yggdrasil.
“I’m... unsure,” Artemis confessed. “I don’t think they’re against anything, more like they’re seeing how things develop before forming a full opinion. My guess is that both of them are curious and at least want to see something happen, if for nothing else but the novelty of the situation.”
“I can totally see that,” Jake said as he briefly told Artemis a bit about what had happened while inside the Divine Realm of Yggdrasil. The hunter goddess curiously listened without commenting until Jake was done, her attention definitely caught by one thing more than any other.
“You did just remind me... the Malefic One,” Artemis said, concern marring her face. “I remember that in Nevermore, you told me that the entire conflict between Valhal and the Order was manufactured, and in full honesty, I had some doubt no matter how much I saw the two Primordials interact in a friendly manner. The reason for my doubt came from my lack of belief in your Patron.”
Jake was a bit surprised as he raised an eyebrow, which made Artemis look quite nervous.
“Don’t misunderstand, I realize now I was wrong, and I meant no disrespect toward the Malefic One,” she said, quickly continuing before Jake had time to butt in. “What happened inside the Mother Tree’s Divine Realm only confirmed everything. The multiverse was truly wrong in their understanding of the Malefic One, and the legends of his alchemical prowess are, if nothing else, underexaggerated.”
“Artemis, regarding your opinion of the Malefic Viper, I-“
“Remember that I was born after the Malefic One entered his isolation. I grew up only hearing stories, and as the eras passed, I, along with many other gods who’d never seen the Primordial with our own eyes, began to doubt. It didn’t make any sense why such a powerful being would let his faction deteriorate, and the only conclusion I and many others reached was that the reason he didn’t show himself was because he wasn’t capable of doing so,” Artemis just continued, Jake not interrupting as he low-key was curious about what she was saying.
“There were so many rumors. The only known thing was that the Malefic One was still alive and that several Primordials had clashed with him shortly before he went into isolation within his Divine Realm. I don’t think it’s wrong to say that the majority of gods in the multiverse believed he had suffered some kind of catastrophic soul injury or that his Path had somehow been broken. I heard some stories about what happened back then, and it was possible he had suffered from what the Dao Sect refers to as a heart demon... a gnawing negative emotion that resulted in his Path coming to an end and his progress stopping for good. These thoughts were born out of our own ignorance, and I fully understand if you take offense, but-“
“Artemis,” Jake raised a hand, his tone more assertive than usual. “I don’t care what your opinions regarding the Malefic Viper are. They are yours and none of my concern.”
“I do thank you for your understanding,” Artemis said, looking somewhat relieved. “I realize that as the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, it can’t be easy for you to endure if others speak negatively of your Patron.”
Jake shook his head and sighed, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. For a moment, he considered just coming out and flashing his aura of a heretic while saying he genuinely didn’t feel even a shred of worship toward any god, but he stopped himself. Some things had to be revealed slowly, and it was Artemis herself who said they had plenty of time, making Jake consider his next words carefully.
“The relationship between my Patron and I is ours to define, no one else’s,” Jake said. “I can’t fully explain it to you right now, but just know that the opinions of others have very little effect on anything. So do feel free to freely express your opinion about him or anyone else, even if they are negative.”
Artemis listened as she took a moment to think. “From the incident with Yip of Yore, I did assume your bond as Chosen and Patron wasn’t exactly a regular one, but I see I have yet to fully grasp it still.”
“I think the easiest way to think about it is like a friendship,” Jake said, not adding that it genuinely was just a friendship.
“Admittedly, I do find that hard to imagine, but it makes it a bit easier when I think about the Chosen being you,” Artemis said with a smile. “For some reason, I really can’t see you as the pious sort.”
“Because I’m not,” Jake shrugged. “Besides, would you even bother talking to me right now if I was down on my knees praying to you as the great hunter goddess you are?”
Artemis looked in thought for a moment before Jake clarified.
“In a non-roleplay context.”
“Then no, definitely not,” Artemis immediately rejected the notion. “It also wouldn’t feel proper in any way. Power imbalances aren’t healthy and can only lead to long-term consequences. Sure, there will always be some level of difference in power, but unless two people can view each other as equals, I don’t think a true bond can be formed. At least not one of a nature I’m looking for.”
Jake nodded in agreement as the topic of discussion slowly died down, and the city tour continued. The trip to Jake’s temporary residence within the Pantheon of Life – a journey that could have been completed with a single teleport – ended up taking more than an entire day as Jake learned about the city and just spent time with Artemis talking about what they saw.
Sometimes, they also just stood in silence and looked at the outside world, Jake feeling comfortable just being there. Alas, soon, it was time for Artemis to actually do her job as they approached where Jake was to live during his visit to the Pantheon of Life.
He came to learn that he had effectively been given an entire mountain to himself, one with a whole damn palace built on top. A wooden palace, sure, but a palace nonetheless. It was all overly fancy, but Artemis made it clear that because he was the Chosen of a Primordial, they had to offer him something showy to display their respect.
“I know it’s just political posturing and useless signaling, but a lot of people care about that kind of thing. I can’t even begin to tell you the drama whenever envoys of different major factions all arrive at once. Constant bickering over who got the best treatment, everything being said and done overanalyzed to the Nine Hells and back... it’s utterly exhausting,” Artemis let out a big sigh as Jake and the goddess teleported out of the Divine Voidpiercer to appear floating in front of the mountain palace.
“That’s why delegation is king when it comes to politics,” Jake said with a smile as he floated in front of the large wooden palace. “I see there are people working within?”
“Not people,” Artemis clarified. “Autonomous wooden puppets. They don’t have any sapience, but they do understand basic commands. Perhaps most importantly, they cannot store information within them. As the residence we often provide to mortal visitors of high status, making sure no information is leaked is naturally a priority, and your privacy within the palace is ensured by its barriers.”
“I see,” Jake nodded as he turned to Artemis. “Thank you for the escort... I was wondering if you would perhaps donate a bit of your time to show me what’s inside? I do also have a little gift for you...”
Artemis looked at him for a moment with a conflicted face as she shook her head.
“Jake, as I said, I believe it’s better we take things slow, so don’t try to tempt me with-“
“No, no, an actual gift,” Jake quickly backtracked and put up his hands. “As in a physical item.”
Artemis sighed with relief. “In that case, I guess I can show you the place... even though I’m pretty sure you are already able to scan the entire place with whatever you use for omnidirectional observation. An ability backed by quite a Perception stat, I’d imagine.”
“Well, obviously,” Jake said with a cheeky smile. “Perception is the best stat, after all.”
“Obviously,” Artemis agreed without a second thought as she motioned for him to follow her down to the main entrance of the palace. Jake flew after her as he smiled and felt incredibly happy he’d decided to visit the Pantheon of Life, as Artemis proved she clearly had both beauty and brain.