Jake wanted to punch someone in the throat as he was still internally raging. More than anything, his lack of understanding frustrated him the most. He hadn’t felt anything was off until the very last moment when Ell’Hakan perhaps went a bit too far with his questioning.
He had been complacent… Jake knew others had to constantly watch out when it came to social skills and keep their minds steeled. Jake never did that, as he always felt when someone tried any mind magic shenanigans. Things would feel “off,” and his Bloodline would warn him, allowing him to easily ignore or snap out of it. The Minotaur Mindchief was a prime example of this early on his journey and had set a precedent.
However… against another Bloodline, Jake had no defense, at least not his usual one. Whatever the Bloodline of Ell’Hakan did, it could affect his emotions and make him trust someone for no god damn reason. Actually, thinking more about it, the man had asked Jake several questions first that he would have asked without anything shady going on, such as sharing he was indeed a human and had done the same event and whatnot. Even asking about his planet seemed pretty damn normal. Why wouldn’t you be curious about what other worlds were out there?
He had slowly eased into more personal questions and asked about subjects Jake would usually keep a secret, yet Jake had at the time felt like he was just answering mundane things to a trusted friend. No, perhaps more than a trusted friend as he would never share details of his Bloodline with anyone, even with Villy.
Wait… maybe that is why it crossed a line.
Bloodlines would never be all-powerful. There was no way the guy could just make Jake trust him fully, and even if Jake did trust him fully, he would never share details about his Bloodline. That was the one thing that no level of trust would make him share. So maybe that was it… he could make people slowly trust him somehow?
It felt too simple, but it was all Jake truly had for now. Either way, if that was truly what it did, Jake would make sure that Ell’Hakan could trust that Jake would turn him into a pin-cushion with arrows the next time they met.
Jake was thrown out of his thoughts as the Sword Saint walked over. Everyone had seen Jake punching the ground, and a few had backed away, afraid, but the old man clearly wasn’t the frightful type. “It appears you have made a new enemy?”
Sighing, Jake turned to look at the old man. “If you ever see him, watch out. He has a Bloodline with some kind of emotional control, or at the very least one that makes him somehow feel trustworthy. Also, he appears to be the Chosen of some god.”
The Sword Saint frowned. “Disturbing to have an enemy with unknown powers. However, the most important thing is to prepare for what may happen. Do you believe he may target Earth?”Jake shook his head. “No idea, but it seems improbable. He would need some way to get to our planet, and even if we are in the same galaxy, that seems challenging. It is more likely he personally views me as an enemy for some god damn reason. Probably related to the Viper.”
The old man nodded. “I see. Now do tell, I heard you returned to Earth recently, leaving the Order, which makes me wonder. How is my great-granddaughter doing there?”
Contrary to what many would expect, Jake actually knew as he answered. “I checked with the Viper a week ago while hunting and was told she is making slow and steady progress. She isn’t in any danger if that is what you are afraid of. The Order is rather stringent with its rule of not killing other members. As long as she doesn’t accept tea from anyone, she should be good.”
“As expected then,” the Sword Saint smiled before turning more serious. “Do not baby or even attempt to help her unless absolutely necessary. Reika has always been good at everything, to the detriment of her own development. She always had the best of everything, and I believe she needs to face others who are superior to truly progress.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “A bit harsh. I already think she got a wake-up call as she didn’t do that well in the entrance test, and it seemed to motivate her more than anything.”
“Motivation can be a fleeting emotion after what one believes to be only a minor momentary setback. Reika needs to see others outdo her and for her to chase behind them, feeling like she will never be able to catch up no matter what she does,” the old man explained in a stern tone.
“Again, sounds harsh. Isn’t that more likely to just make her hopeless?” Jake asked.
“If such a situation is enough for her to despair and surrender, then so be it. With a lacking mindset dependent on comparing yourself to others for validation, she would never reach the top. Reika is one of the smartest people I know, but that does not instantly make her the fastest learner or the best at everything. I firmly believe she can reach far… but she will be slow. Her caution and perfectionism will lead to greatness only if she has the patience and will to realize her potential without believing she also has to beat others in the process,” the Sword Saint answered.
“Tough love then,” Jake reckoned. He didn’t disagree necessarily, and even if he did, it wasn’t his place to argue or decide what the old man wanted for his family..
“You can view it like that. Moving on to other topics, are you satisfied with your gains from this event?” the old man asked.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Jake answered, finally smirking a bit. Sim-Jake was still being a sleepy Jake and would be for a bit, but Jake was really looking forward to him and his simulacrum’s future.
“Then do not dwell on a single negative encounter but look towards the future. Remember, you are the one who decides how a potential next meeting plays out. If you are stronger, that is,” the old swordsman smiled encouragingly.
“True,” Jake nodded and smiled. “How about you, good rewards?”
“Naturally. I must say, this entire event was very enlightening. Did you know that in every single scenario, we ended up fighting? The outcome did change some of the times. The time and place also changed, but we always ended up in a duel,” the Sword Saint chuckled. “I am not a believer in fate, but perhaps we were fated to fight.”
“Or, more likely, we are just two humans pushed together by system events and relatively close to each other geographically, while both being overly competitive and battle-hungry, making our desire to eventually duel natural,” Jake countered.
“But is that not fate? A foreseeable future based on who we are? I would think the Augur would argue that is exactly how fate works. Never a guarantee but a prediction with high likelihood.”
“Maybe, but I really don’t wanna talk about fate or any of that crap right now… reminds me of that orange fucker from before,” Jake shook his head. “I also need to get going. I wanna catch Casper before he leaves.”
“Very well. Greet the Risen from me, and godspeed. And remember… if any outsider does come to Earth, you are not the only one able to defend it,” the old man assured him.
Jake said his goodbyes and willed himself to leave the Terrace after also noticing Arnold had already left, clearly not interested in exploring some garden.
He appeared back where he and the other Earthlings had originally entered the Seat of the Exalted Prima. Jake hoped Casper was still around as he began tracking and searching for his old pal’s mana signature. Luckily, Risen were pretty darn easy to track down as all that death affinity made them stand out. It did not take him long to get a scent, and based on how fresh it was, Casper had to still be around.
When he began moving towards where he felt Casper, the scent got stronger. Maybe even too strong, and a bit of scanning picked up hundreds of similar mana signatures. So, the Risen are having a meeting, huh?
Jake didn’t hesitate to walk in, getting a few odd stares as he noticed many others kept their distance. Even in the Seat of the Exalted Prima, the Risen clearly weren’t popular. He didn’t particularly care and walked into an area belonging to another planet.
When he got closer, he noticed several guards outside. They threw him a look, and one of them raised his hand. “Please do not go any further and create problems. We are merely having a meeting, nothing insidious.”
He stopped and Identified the man.
[Risen Elf – lvl 126]
“I am just here to see a friend before he leaves this event,” Jake explained.
The two guards looked at each other with suspicion as Jake elaborated. “It is to give him something.”
“Alright,” one of the guards relented. “But please allow one of us to escort you.”
“Sure,” Jake shrugged. They couldn’t fight, so why even have guards? Couldn’t people just walk in anyway? Jake sure could have. He was just being polite to not piss off Casper’s new pals.
The elf joined him as an escort and led Jake into a room filled with Risen. Priscilla and Casper were both there, along with who Jake guessed were other leaders. Jake’s presence instantly drew attention as they all turned to him. Now, they had taken precautions and were within an isolation barrier, but Jake had his sphere, so he noticed their very suspicious looks.
Luckily, Casper acted quick and excused himself as he went outside the barrier. “Jake, I did not expect you to come.”
“Having a meeting about how to take over the universe and turn it into a land of death?” Jake asked jokingly.
A joke that did not land, as instantly, he felt everyone within the barrier be on guard. He saw Priscilla nervously begin to explain and calm the others, but Casper just laughed and went along with it. “Damn, you caught us; I guess I will have to start a zombie apocalypse on Earth now.”
“Over my dead body. Wait, no, that would only be playing into your plans!” Jake smirked. “Good to see you again. I don’t want to disturb your meeting for too long, but I just came to give you this.”
Jake took out the Root of Eternal Resentment and presented it. He had already had it within Palate for a long time and learned nearly everything he could. With the curse energy also absorbed, Jake had little use for it, even if it was a great treasure. He also knew Casper wanted and needed it, so he decided to finally hand it over.
Casper stared at it for a bit before asking: “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Casper nodded and took it. Jake saw him scan it magically as he looked at Jake. “You madman, you actually used all of it!? I expected you to use a portion or do a slow infusion or something like that, but everything!?”
Jake scratched his head. “Well, yeah? It was good stuff, and everything worked out well, didn’t it?”
“Sure did. Let’s not talk about that little incident, right? Anyway… can I see it?”
Smiling proudly, Jake pulled out Eternal Hunger and presented it to a visibly excited Casper. The man moved forward and touched the blade as his eyes widened. “This is just insanity and very much the sort of thing I would expect from you.”
“I shall take that as a compliment.”
“It was a compliment; I love it. That weapon is a pure marvel,” Casper smiled. “Thanks for the root, man. I promise I will put it to good use. If you get the time, you should come by and visit. I have something new and interesting to show you.”
“What is it?” Jake asked expectedly.
“A secret. You can see it if you come,” Casper teased.
“Fine, keep your secrets,” Jake joked back as he gave his mate a bump on the shoulder. “Nice meeting up. Oh, and I should say hi from the old man. I’m gonna leave you be and allow you all to continue planning for world domination.”
“Do begone pathetic being of life,” Casper smirked as he waved Jake off. “ And good to see you again, Jake.”
Jake left the secret undead meeting and went to see a few other people, including Miranda and his brother. He checked in with Caleb to see how his family was doing and, contrary to expectations, was told he shouldn’t hurry to visit but focus on himself. His parents understood and were patient, just making Jake want to visit more.
With all meetings done, Jake tried to look for Carmen but found she had already left, so he entered the simulation space once more, where it quickly became apparent the Seat of the Exalted Prima had nothing more to offer for now. Standing in the simulation room, Jake considered if it was time to leave.
Sim-Jake was still asleep, and he had done everything he needed. He sighed as he remembered the talk with Ell’Hakan again as he willed himself to leave the simulation room. He then returned to Earth’s hall and teleported back to Earth once more.
Jake appeared back where he had entered the Seat of the Eternal Prima from, still standing in the broken jungle not far from where the Phantomshade Panther had been killed. It did not take long for a familiar presence to descend and the expected question to be asked:
“So, had fun at the Seat of the Exalted Prima?” Villy asked a bit teasingly.
“It was certainly something,” Jake answered. “I will tell you about it later, but first… do you know of anyone named Ell’Hakan?”
“I cannot say I do. Why?”
Jake proceeded to explain what had happened. How he had nearly revealed his Bloodline due to the other’s Bloodline and how the other party had acted as if everything had been planned out and made threats. It didn’t take long before the Viper had an answer.
“Sounds like the Chosen of Yip of Yore,” Villy answered.
“So?” Jake asked.
“Yeah?”
“So what the hell is up with him? Who is this god? Who the hell is his Chosen and why is he after me, and do you have something, anything, more to add?” Jake exclaimed, a bit frustrated.
“Jake, what you are dealing with is called a mortal issue, not a god issue. Figure shit out yourself. I will tell you that Yip sees this as a fight by proxy, and as my proxy, I choose to trust you to handle it. The only real piece of advice I will give you is to not let your guard down and that this kind of opponent fights in a less straightforward way than you are used to. Do not expect him to just pop up and fight you in a duel, but something far more elaborate. As the Chosen of Yip, this mortal will clearly be one tricky bastard, but this is where my input ends. Ah, I forgot to add the most important piece of advice. Don’t die, alright?” Villy explained.
“I will try,” Jake muttered as he shook his head. “Enough about that weird fuck. Allow me to instead introduce you to my new best friend and tell you the glorious story of how we met…”