Jake had tried quite a few teleportation methods during his time in the system. The best kind was the one done by the system in that he didn’t even feel it. It was just a blink, and you suddenly found yourself somewhere new.
Teleportation circles were a bit rougher but also quite convenient. One Step Mile was a bit rougher than that, but Jake had gotten so used to it the skill that he barely noticed it. It also wasn’t really teleportation but more just shrinking space between himself and his target.
However… the teleportation when he was dragged from the ninety-third Universe was something entirely different from anything he had ever tried before. Jake felt like his entire body unraveled as he was consumed by darkness. He found himself within a vast void of nothingness for at least a few seconds, and while in there, all his senses went amok.
Jake was forced to close his eyes and try to seal off his senses, but while in that void, in the final moment, he felt like something else was there. Something else than Villy’s attention landed on him, and Jake failed to resist looking off to the side where he saw-
Jake woke up with a start as he frantically looked around him, but a headache made him lie back down as he groaned in pain.
To his side sat Villy in a squat as he flicked Jake’s forehead. “Shouldn’t stare at Void Dwellers, mate.”
Jake brought his hands to his forehead, now bleeding from that damn flick. “What the actual fuck was that?”
“I just told you, it was a Void Dweller,” Villy answered with a shrug. “You know, dwellers of the void between universes, eldritch beings of unimaginable power, many of which with power to rival even the most powerful of gods, including me.”
“Wait, for real?”
Villy just smirked. “Where else do you think gods and even Primordials get in a good bout? Ah, but don’t bother thinking about them quite yet; you can’t even survive in the void without being a god yourself first. Usually, you don’t even have to pass through the void like that, but as I said, weird workarounds were used to speed up the process of getting you here. Ah, but no worries, you were actually never in any danger. I doubt the system would have let you die within the void even without my protection, as that would mean an outside force – me – would have killed you. I reckon it would rather just shield your soul from destruction. Case-in-point, you didn’t die by looking at the Void Dweller. Mortals usually die when looking at Void Dwellers.”Jake just groaned again as his headache was slowly subsiding. “Man, I am already beginning to regret coming here.”
“You were just personally invited and brought by, and to, your honored Patron god, and you complain?” Villy said, shaking his head in disappointment. “That is some peak heresy right there. At the very least blasphemy of the highest level.”
“Wow, imagine not licking ass being considered blasphemy,” Jake chuckled as he finally sat up properly. “In all seriousness, thanks for the lift, I guess? What was all the fuss about now that I’m here?”
“I need measurements for your school uniform.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “I call bullshit. As a so-called preacher of freedom, I seriously doubt you would limit the fashion and self-expression of those in the Order.”
Villy protested: “We do have uniforms for members.”
“That you didn’t make, but they just began using over time, and you never bothered to do anything about it. Because honestly, that would just be a waste of time. Also, it was their own choice to adopt uniforms, to begin with, and there are conveniences to being recognized. I got that right?” Jake asked pointedly.
“See, now you are acting way more like a Chosen by actually understanding my teachings,” the Viper grinned. “But yeah, yeah, Nah, no school uniform needed… unless you want one? I could totally make that a thing in the Academy; we could even have mini-ski-“
“No,” Jake cut him off. “Just… no.”
“Killjoy,” Villy said with a fake sad expression. “Guess we’ll just have to actually do some practice and teaching and stuff. And here I hoped we could design school uniforms together… I guess you are also against holding a school festival, even if you can be in charge of the haunted house?”
“Oh no, I am totally up for that, as long as I can throw a bedsheet over your head and toss you in there,” Jake agreed sarcastically.
“You are fully aware I could just create an avatar and do that?”
“No, no, no, this will require every bit of your dedication and concentration,” Jake insisted. “We must have Duskleaf join too.”
“I am actually beginning to get on board with this,” Villy nodded. “We can even go all-out and even kidnap some actual ghosts and zombies and stuff for realism.”
“Or, even better, we can do none of that, and you can tell me what the rush was all about to get me here?”
“And the slayer of joy strikes once more,” the Viper said, dejected. “Alright, let’s move on. Follow me!”
Jake finally bothered to actually get a look around. He had kind of expected to end up where he had gone to after the tutorial, but this place was clearly different. Standing up, Jake ignored Villy for a while as he saw light coming from a hallway.
He walked into it and looked out of a window as his eyes opened wide.
“Where the hell is this?”
They were far up in a tower somewhere, and when he looked out, he saw everything. Far below him lay a city. Countless buildings were everywhere, much taller and larger than anything built on Earth had ever been. There were no architectural rules, as some were high-rises of glass, not unlike back on Earth, while others looked like mounds of dirt. Some were just large trees with buildings on, and some were medieval-looking… there was no rhyme or reason to any of it.
“On Primordial 4, within the territory of the Order of the Malefic Viper. Or, more accurately, you are in a tower connected to the Order and looking out over the city belonging to it,” Villy explained as he appeared beside him.
Jake just stood there with wide eyes as he stared into the horizon. He couldn’t see the end of the city… and mind you, this was without Jake seeing any visible curvature to the place. He saw tens of thousands of kilometers of the city, stretching infinitely into the horizon.
“How many live here?” Jake asked in amazement.
“In the trillions,” the god answered casually.
“How the… is this where all the members of the Order live?” Jake asked, amazed.
“What? No, of course not. This is where all the poor people live, and this tower only exists to lord over them while serving as a conduit of the defensive barrier and a teleportation hub. The actual Order is below,” Villy explained with a laugh.
“So, the alchemists of the Order are indeed basement-dwelling nerds, huh? Should have seen it coming.”
“Not entirely inaccurate, but I think you should see the underground for yourself before judging. Oh, and by the way, the Academy is also down there, so you will go eventually. But first, follow me and stop gawking out the window,” Villy said as he motioned for Jake to follow again.
Jake did as asked and trailed behind the god. It had been a while since Jake actually met the Viper, and he had evolved an entire grade since, but it didn’t really allow him to detect jack shit. He did know the Viper wasn’t actively suppressing his aura as Jake felt it, but as usual, it didn’t really affect him at all.
What he could see better now was the scales on the Viper’s body, and staring at them, he felt like they looked slightly different than his own scales. Even if they were based on the same thing, the scales on the Viper looked… more? It was weird to describe.
The two of them kept walking for a while until they went into a new room. Jake’s Sphere of Perception was slightly thrown off as space expanded when they entered, making the room far larger on the inside.
It was a simple room with a few measuring devices, beds, and for some reason, mirrors and what looked like telescopes lining the walls and ceiling.
Jake felt the door shut behind him as the Viper turned and summoned two comfortable chairs and some pastries, as well as two bottles of beer. Jake happily dove in, but he noticed something when he opened the bottle.
“This is poisoned?” Jake asked, confused.
“First lesson of the Academy and the Order in general. Offering a poison in a drink is generally considered nice as, you know, everyone who is worth anything got my Palate skill, so all you are giving them is some novel poison knowledge. These poisons don’t need to be strong, but just interesting, and often weak variants are used. Ah, but if you do accidentally kill someone by offering them poison they couldn’t handle, then no worries. Their own faults for drinking it and not having good enough skills to detect the danger,” the Viper explained.
“Oh, I remember Sultan doing something like that,” Jake nodded, suddenly retroactively understanding what the guy had done.
“A bit sad you don’t recognize it, but a merchant of your city does. Ah, but one piece of advice, I would generally avoid drinking or eating anything offered by someone of a higher grade than you. They can often disguise the poison.”
“Eh, I’ll take my chances,” Jake said as he raised the cup. His danger sense reacted a bit as he was about to drink it, but not to a very high level, making him aware it was far from deadly. The taste was surprisingly good. Amazingly good, actually, and the aftertaste left by the poison only improved it.
The Viper looked at Jake a bit suspiciously but just shrugged. “Suit yourself. Thoughts on the beverages?”
“Damn good,” Jake said as he took another swig.
“It is a hobby of many, and even the specialization of some to create these kinds of drinks. I am sure you will have your fair share in the future. This batch was made by a D-grade student of the Academy just like you will be. A kid named Araznak,” Villy explained.
Jake raised an eyebrow. “Someone of note?”
He had realized something a while ago… the Viper didn’t use names. He had never said Chris, Miranda, Hank, Sylphie, Reika, or used the names of any of the other people around him. So him bothering to know a name had to hold meaning.
“One of Snappy’s kids.”
“… he has kids?”
“Of course he does,” Villy said. “Mate, the Holy Mother, has like a thousand currently living children, and at least a dozen or so spawns of hers have become gods. It isn’t that unusual.”
“Oh… so do you have kids too?” Jake asked curiously.
Jake felt the mood in the room shift as the Viper’s casual smile disappeared. He soon regained it as he shook his head. “I… did. But anyway, yeah, a lot of would-be brewers in the Order, and I just wanted you to have a taste.”
No matter how much Jake sucked at reading social cues, he knew that asking on that subject anymore was a no-go. He still looked at the Viper and nodded in understanding, getting a bit of flinch from the Viper, who clearly just wanted Jake to move on. Jake already knew there was something there, and he wanted to communicate in some way that he kind of got it or could at least listen. But for now… moving on was best. So he did.
“Now, I don’t reckon you brought me here just to indulge in the gastronomic wonders of the Order?” Jake asked, finally moving on as the Viper looked relieved.
“Alright, alright. So, Jake, remember when I first gave you your Blessing and made you my Chosen?” the Viper asked.
“Last time I checked, I was indeed not suffering from sudden-onset memory loss.”
“But you are suffering from a severe inability to understand rhetorical questions. But what I am getting to is the skill you got with the Blessing. Shroud of the Primordial.”
Jake nodded, naturally knowing of the skill that made him immune to Identify from nearly everything and helping hide him from a lot of stuff, such as fate and karma and all that. He pulled up the skill and read it over for the first time in what felt like forever.
[Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)] - A shroud surrounds your very being, your Records masked, your status inaccessible. Scryers weep at the thought of tracking a single of your steps as you remain an enigma to their sight. Using Identify on you, but a futile effort. The karmic threads in your wake, an endless web impossible to unravel. One does not merely peek behind the Shroud of the Primordial. Hides your Records and Status from all but the most powerful of prying eyes. Hiding ability increases based on Willpower.
The description was a bit mystical but also relatively concise and mentioned actual benefits. Jake knew the skill was good, but he didn’t really understand it, so when the Viper mentioned it, he instantly got curious.
“What about it?” Jake asked with interest.
“When you got it, perhaps it didn’t stick out, but by now, you should know a bit more about rarities and be fully aware that divine skills aren’t ordinary. In fact, pretty much the only way for a D-grade to get a divine skill is to get a True Blessing by a sufficiently powerful god, such as a Primordial.
“The skill we gods can give are entirely decided by us and are borderline always based on an existing one we already have. If not, it is an amalgamation of skills the god has. This new skill given can be modified to nearly all extents, including the innate power, the effects, and even the name can be freely edited. However, there are also restrictions.
“I wouldn’t be able to give you a divine rarity attack, as an example, or even a direct defensive skill. They are always auxiliary skills, often helping to perform specific tasks or passive empowering existing skills or affinities. This last part is often done to encourage – if not railroad – the blessed individual into a specific path.
“Shroud of the Primordial is a bit different, as it can be viewed as a defensive skill, but it is odd enough to be allowed due to its limited scope. I can also reveal that what it can truly do isn’t something you will learn before reaching higher grades. But what it can do, right now, isn’t something you are doing,” the Malefic Viper said, giving a lengthy explanation of blessings and the skills offered with the blessings.
“Use it?” Jake asked, confused. And for a good reason too.
When Jake focused on any of his skills, even the passive ones such as Basic One-handed Weapons, he got some response on how to use it if he was swinging his blade while focusing on it. The same goes for archery. He could feel or at least detect the assistance provided. But for the Shroud? Nothing.
“The Shroud of the Primordial is a veil covering your Truesoul. The ultimate defense against certain types of magic and concepts. Passively it makes you immune to the divination of nearly all beings in the multiverse, as the Records used to obscure you are my own. While it isn’t as powerful as my version, it is closer than you think. But even so… it can be used. You can move the veil. Modify it, ever-so-slightly.”
Jake frowned even more. “How?”
“I think a demonstration will be easier… try to Identify me.
Sighing, Jake thought it a waste of time. He had tried to Identify Villy many times and always just got a question mark, so-
[Human – lvl 69]
Jake stared. “Nice. You can do that?”
He tried to scout some more and was amazed that Villy even felt like a level 69 human. Without his Bloodline allowing him to assess potential foes better than any skill, he would have been fooled for sure. To make it more confusing, the presence of Villy made him think he was standing in front of a fellow D-grade despite his level indicating he was only in E-grade.
“Yes,” Villy said with a smirk. “And so can you… with some practice, of course.”