Time was a cruel mistress… but so was Miranda when she told Jake he couldn’t just run down to his laboratory and keep playing with poisons while ignoring the world around him. They only had a few weeks before the Prima Guardian event began, and apparently, that meant Jake had to be “mentally available” or something like that.
At least, this was what she said after returning to his lodge from the World Congress. Jake had appeared first, with Miranda, Lillian, and Vesperia popping in only a dozen or so seconds later. They all chose to take this time to sit down and briefly talk over what had happened – after Miranda stopped Jake from sneaking off to the lab, that is.
Once she had assured Jake wouldn’t run off, Miranda let out a loud sigh as she relaxed her shoulders and found a chair to lean back on. “That congress was exhausting, but I guess it went as well as could be expected.”
“Would have been better if there wasn’t that one guy…” Lillian sighed, shaking her head. “It seems extreme, but it had to be done.”
“Do not pity a fool who dared go against rules explicitly explained to him,” Vesperia said in a rather harsh tone. “He is lucky death was his only punishment. A rather light sentence if I say so myself. Having him imprisoned and his soul serve as fuel or a seedbed would have been more appropriate for having the audacity to show such disrespect toward Sire.”
“When you say seedbed…” Jake muttered.
“Some wasp Hive Queen variants are parasitoid in nature and use the bodies of other races to lay eggs in. It’s quite effective, and if the body and soul of the target are well-maintained, you can use the same one for quite a while,” Vesperia explained casually with a smile. “I can look into spawning one of these Hive Queens next if you are interested?”
“… no need to go out of your way for my sake,” Jake said as he raised both hands. “Just do what you feel is best, okay? Totally fine if that doesn’t include any of those variants.”
Jake had to try hard not to say “scary as fuck” variants. Also, once more, he wanted to reiterate that Vesperia was a little bit terrifying at times. Just a bit.
“Very well, then I shall put it off for now,” Vesperia nodded. Jake wasn’t sure if she read his discomfort or if she noticed Miranda and Lillian both pulling back from her a bit when she began talking about imprisoning and laying eggs in people.“Anyway, back on topic… to be honest, of everyone you could kill, someone loosely affiliated with the Holy Church was probably the best,” Miranda said, everyone happy to move from one horrible fate to another – at least from Jake’s point of view. “I did briefly confirm that he was baptized, so at least he will go to the Holy Land as a spirit to live out the rest of his days. Still not a great fate for sure, but this incident isn’t enough to damage our relationship with any factions either.”
“I definitely didn’t assume he would just die for good,” Jake said with a light smile.
“Even if he had, his death would have been a necessary sacrifice to reinforce your rule and position on the planet,” Miranda said nonchalantly.
Jake nodded as he looked out of the window at the pond. For some reason, he couldn’t help but remember when Miranda, Hank, and his two kids had just arrived here in Jake’s small valley and offered to build this lodge for him. He also remembered the conversation way back then he had with Miranda, where he casually mentioned he had killed people and how horrified she had been at the notion. How she had believed he would kill her, too, simply because he was now a killer or something.
Things sure have changed, Jake thought with a wry smile. Now, she viewed killing someone during a political meeting as nothing more than another potential tool to gain an advantage. Lillian had always been a bit rougher, but she had also gotten far less soft… everyone from back then had. Well, besides maybe himself. Jake didn’t really feel like he had changed that much.
Then again, he probably wouldn’t really notice any subtle minor shifts that happened over long periods of time. He couldn’t with full confidence say he was the same person he was before Nevermore, as he had learned a lot during that time, especially when it came to working with others and relying on their skills. Before the World Wonder, he rarely fought with others, while now, he had nearly spent more time of his life fighting alongside others than alone – though he did find quite a few openings to do some solo hunting during Nevermore.
Either way… they had definitely all changed quite a bit since the early days of the system. If not in personality, then at least what they were now capable of and willing to do.
“Do you need me to do anything while we wait for any updates from Jacob regarding finding where this Prima Guardian will crash down?” Jake asked Miranda after a bit.
“No, but as I said, I need you available. Once we have a better idea, the plan is to gather the elite team nearby where the boss will appear and strike as quickly as possible once we get a clear understanding of how exactly the event will transpire,” Miranda said. “I have already contacted the Chosen of the Lord Protector, who will assist in transporting the team. That way, even if we’re slightly off, the group should be able to arrive at the Prima Guardian nearly instantly.”
“What if Sandy is restricted somehow?” Jake asked with a bit of worry.
“We’re gambling on them not being too restricted. There is no precedent of the system outright mind-controlling anyone during a system event, and limiting the movements of every single creature who’s absorbed system-given unique items on the entire planet seems too much,” Miranda explained. “With all that said, we will also have some teleportation circles set up should the unexpected happen. Better to be overprepared than underprepared.”
“Cheers to that,” Jake smiled, as he was already looking forward to the event. He really hoped the Prima Guardian would put up a good fight, though a big part of him had some doubt. But, who knows, maybe there was some way to make it harder for themselves for a bigger reward or something. Yeah, that would be awesome.
“Well, I believe we should head off now; there is still much to do,” Miranda said as she and Lillian stood up. She also looked at Vesperia who had been sitting silently. “Also, I have been meaning to ask, but will Her Majesty participate in the battle against the Prima Guardian? Are you able to?”
“Both willing and able,” Vesperia smiled. “I am still undecided if I shall help with the suppression of the regular Primas or take part in the battle against the Prima Guardian, but time shall tell. Perhaps I’ll simply do both.”
“Please just let me know your decision a bit beforehand,” Miranda nodded. “Having your assistance will prove most beneficial for certain.”
“Naturally,” Vesperia agreed without a trace of arrogance as if Miranda’s statement had just been the most obvious in the world. The witch didn’t take offense as she and Lillian headed toward the door. Just before exiting, she stopped and turned back.
“Oh, yeah, I was also asked to relay a message from Arnold. He said you had some weapon at his place, I believe? Everything should be ready for collection,” Miranda also added as she looked at Jake. “So, probably go and talk to him.”
“Not gonna lie, I had nearly forgotten he was working on stuff,” Jake admitted with a smile, happy for the reminder. “I’m gonna head there tomorrow. Gonna give Arnold some time to wind down after the World Congress first.”
That was only the polite thing to do. Jake also wanted the rest of the day to himself so he could just relax, and he got the impression Arnold could also do well with some alone time. They both weren’t the biggest people-persons, after all.
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“You do what you deem best. See you around, and remember… stay available,” Miranda said as a final reminder before she and Lillian left to continue working hard. Meanwhile, Jake stayed back with Vesperia, who also had her own matters to tend to.
As for Jake… well, a little alchemy had never hurt anyone, as he briefly popped by the laboratory. Also, Joke’s on Miranda; even if Jake couldn’t run off to his laboratory all the time, he could still do alchemy stuff outside his lab when she wasn’t looking.
The next day, he did as promised and headed off toward the Fort to meet up with Arnold. With a Pulse of Perception, he also confirmed Sandy was there, chilling and eating stuff, he reckoned. The arrangement the two had found was kind of funny but definitely mutually beneficial, as Arnold used Sandy as inspiration for better space-faring inventions, and Sandy used Arnold as a vending machine that also provided free housing accommodation.
Teleporting to Arnold’s place and sneaking his way in didn’t take long. The place had naturally grown even larger once more, as Arnold really had made a giant underground complex by now. It nearly reminded him of an ectognamorph hive, except this one had actual metal walls everywhere with halls filled with assembly lines and teleporters connecting everything.
The huge factories were especially impressive, and it was hard to believe everything was made by one man. Well, one man who created a lot of robots to do stuff for him.
Funnily enough, he still had a pretty small-ish workshop he usually did most of his work in. It had also barely changed since the early days and was more or less just a couple of tables and a bunch of computer-like things.
Jake didn’t meet him in this room, though. In fact, Jake doubted Arnold ever invited anyone to his room. Instead, he went to a far larger workshop where the poor space worm was being held hostage by the evil mad scientist.
Arnold had already known Jake was arriving, and all the doors opened for him on the way before he stepped inside the workshop. Sandy was lying on their back, as Arnold had connected a lot of patches with wires to the big worm’s skin. A bit of mana constantly emanated from Sandy as several devices measured everything, and Jake spotted the air almost shiver a bit around the worm as the environmental space mana reacted.
“Seems like you two are having fun,” Jake commented with a smile as he looked at Sandy. “I’m a bit surprised you didn’t wanna participate in the World Congress. No, actually, I guess it’s more accurate to say I’m surprised no one forced you to take part in the congress to show off Earth’s power or something.”
“Hey Jake! I considered going, but it sounded like a pain, and from what I heard, it was super boring anyway,” Sandy said, being entirely accurate with their words. “All I have to do is act as a shuttle anyway, right?”
“Pretty much,” Jake shrugged, turning to Arnold next. “Is Sandy really still that useful of a test subject? Can’t be cheap to keep that glutton around.”
“I still feel like I am only scratching the surface when it comes to exploring subspace travel and the seemingly infinite spatial layers that surround us at all times,” Arnold said as he didn’t look away from the screen in front of him. “The data obtained so far has already proven invaluable, and while I am impossibly far from applying the concepts of the Cosmic Genesis Worm in any meaningful setting, I have begun to extract aspects that may prove useful within a reasonable timeframe.”
“I am awesome indeed,” Sandy wholeheartedly agreed. “You should also praise me more. Everyone should.”
“Don’t want it getting to your head, now do I?” Jake smiled as Sandy and Arnold seemed to get along well, even if their relationship was strictly professional. Still, the thought of Sandy and Arnold traveling space together, with Sandy constantly mocking the scientist’s spaceships, was a mental image Jake couldn’t get out of his head.
“Hey, even a worm needs affirmation sometimes. Unlike you, every single system event isn’t tailor-made for me to stand out and look cool on Leaderboards or through getting big titles,” Sandy complained.
“Are you saying you don’t have any titles?” Jake questioned, actually unsure.
“I never said that. I only said I don’t get them from constant system events,” Sandy quickly clarified. “Besides, titles are overrated. I’d rather collect legendary and mythical skills instead.”
“That is a good pursuit, too,” Jake smiled. “Titles are still nice, though.”
“Legendary… oh right,” Arnold suddenly muttered, as Jake felt the subtle movement of mana. A few seconds later, a shaft opened in the ceiling as a drone flew down, carrying a case that looked just about the right size to contain what Jake had come to acquire.
The drone stopped right above Jake, who took the cue and caught the metal case it dropped. Arnold finally spun around on his chair and stood up as he spoke. “The weapon has been complete for thirty-two days now, but I wanted to keep it here for at least twenty days even after completion to assure its stability within the material realm.”
Jake just nodded, wondering what the guy had done to his Nanoblade katar.
“You are free to open the case,” Arnold said, Jake quickly following suit.
Opening it, he saw the katar within. Its design was the same as usual. However, it took him a moment to properly distinguish the katar within the box from the foam around it.
To clarify. It took Jake, with all his Perception, a moment to see it.
The reason was that the entire box was entirely black, as the katar had obviously seeped out a bit of energy into the foam, turning it the exact same color. A color so black it didn’t seem like it was supposed to exist.
It reminded him… he had seen this exact blackness before in the void between worlds. But, looking at it in a setting like this felt incredibly eerie and off, and Jake quickly used Identify on the new Nanoblade… or perhaps it should now be renamed the Voidblade.
[Voidblade Katar (Legendary)] – A katar wielded by a hunter, born from the mind of one touched by the void. The blade is made of a resilient composite metal that has been infused with void energies over time. This has made the blade incredibly sharp, allowing it to effortlessly cut and penetrate nearly all physical material. When striking mana-based entities, the blade must be constantly infused with nascent void energy, or it will be unable to deal any damage or interact with the target. The handle of the katar can absorb all forms of mana infused into it and transform it into nascent void energy. This effect is more potent if the energy infused is the arcane affinity of the hunter. The blade will passively make void any other forms of energy interacting with it as long as it has sufficient nascent void energy. Has been stabilized so it can exist within the material plane. This also makes it able to enter spatial storage. Enchantments: Voidblade. Forced Spatial Stabilization.
Requirements: lvl 275+ in any humanoid race.
He read the description very carefully as he took a deep breath. It was… a lot better than Jake had expected. It was also a bit confusing, though. Especially that it refered to a hunter several times, which was obviously Jake himself. Luckily, Arnold quickly explained.
“I created the Voidblade Katar using your old Nanoblade Katar as a base. The materials were already of high value, and through further refinement and infusion of nascent void energy, the results were better than expected. Using entirely new materials could perhaps have resulted in improved material integrity; however, I chose this approach to also preserve some of your Records within the katar, especially those gathered during your time in Nevermore. These Records proved useful and improved the final product significantly,” Arnold said before continuing as he went over and lifted the weapon up.
“Using nascent void energy – a lesser form of void energy – is a challenging prospect within the material plane, as it’s antithetical to the concept of matter and energy itself. Even calling void energy a form of energy is an oxymoron, as when there is void, there is no energy. However, the void can still be contained by other forms of energy too stable or resilient to be voided, which is what I have made here. The hardest aspect was the handle that allows you to also deploy this rudimentary form of void energy during combat by transforming your own mana. While this weapon is far from the ideal, it is the best I can make with my current abilities and means available.”
Jake could only nod along as Arnold handed him the weapon, and when Jake finally felt it in his hand, the katar felt… odd.
“It doesn’t weigh anything,” Jake muttered.
“It does; it’s merely unaffected by gravitational concepts and has an incredibly low mass,” Arnold further clarified before he got a bit more serious. “Also, this is still a prototype. Should it break, or should you discard it, please bring the weapon back, or at the very least, the pieces that remain. It’s a valuable research asset, after all. In return, I will allow you to field-test it and continue to improve the weapon continually as my skills and power improve.”
“Of course,” Jake nodded, seeing that as a very low price for getting a free legendary weapon. He did know there was a bit more to this entire thing, though. “But, be honest… you also want to analyze the Records within, especially those related to the arcane affinity, right?”
“I have never made that a secret and assumed I was an implicit understanding,” Arnold answered casually. “Again, I must reiterate. Do not lose the weapon. As I said, the handle was the hardest aspect of the weapon to create, in part because I had to use a catalyst to allow the transformation of regular mana to void energy. This catalyst is a high-level mythical item provided to me during Nevermore and something I would much prefer not to lose.”
Jake frowned a bit, looking at the katar more closely. Quite the pressure to get put on him, carrying around some mythical void item within his weapon.
“I’ll take good care of it,” Jake nodded.
“Good,” Arnold nodded as he looked to remember something else. “I may also have something else for you if you’re interested?”
“I’m never one to say no to more loot,” Jake smiled as he wondered what else Arnold could have in store.