The Primal Hunter

Back when Jake was in elementary school, the school thought it would be a great idea to make his entire class perform a play for their parents. Why this was a thing anyone ever thought forcing kids to do was acceptable, Jake didn’t know. He had tried all he could to just be a tree or some shit during the play, but no, he had been forced to have an actual role. He even had to speak four entire lines.

He had only fucked up two of them and hated every moment.

That entire play had imprinted itself in Jake’s mind to the point where he still had nightmares about standing on stage and not remembering his lines decades later. To call it trauma would probably be a bit too much, but Jake sure as hell didn’t like standing on a stage in front of a bunch of people. Standing in front of fifty or so parents and teachers had already been far too much, so Jake asked himself…

Why in the everliving fuck had he agreed to this?

Jake stood on the magic circle, trying to focus on nothing else but blaring out his presence and amplifying his Bloodline as much as he could. The formation projected it across the entire hall, and he saw people be slightly affected all around. Even Viridia looked like the presence hit her, and as she was closest, it hit her the hardest.

Her eyes opened wide for a moment before she gave him an approving smile. Jake tried to focus on only her and Sandy and to ignore the crowd of trillions all scrutinizing him. The fact he felt billions of Identifies being used on him didn’t help either. Every single one of them was blocked… until he felt one that wasn’t.

His eyes focused on a certain person within the crowd. He momentarily saw a woman with a smile before she raised an eyebrow and disappeared.

Familiar…Eversmile?

A few more Identifies hit him that weren’t fully blocked. His eyes darted around as he located several gods in the crowd. He also spotted Caleb and the others pretty close to the stage, all of them sitting there and flaring their own presences.

Jake soon relaxed the Bloodline-empowered portion of his presence. He did this for two reasons. Firstly it was to potentially hint his Bloodline only allowed him to empower if momentarily. The truth was that Jake hadn’t really done anything… in fact, he had just stopped suppressing it.

The second reason he relaxed was the many people he saw sweating and shivering. Most were protected by seniors who were able to shield them with their own presence, but not everyone could handle it. Even those seniors were also affected on their own. Despite Jake’s presence being a lot weaker than theirs in pure power, the qualitative difference still exerted an instinctive response.

Viridia once more threw him an approving look, and after he had barely been standing on the platform for five seconds, she spoke again.

”Human. Chosen, Bloodline Patriarch. I see the confusion, and I shared the sentiment for a while. However, you should all have felt it. Even if doubt still remains, I believe no words I speak will convince you. So, rather than try to explain the thought process of the Malefic One-”

”I shall do so myself.”

A blanket of pressure fell over the entire hall. The air itself seemed to almost vibrate as it hit Jake along with everyone else present. Jake’s presence was powerful, yes, there was no denying that… but he was ultimately just a C-grade. Even if he had quality on his side, it was the difference between a potent drop of water and a world-consuming flood.

Overwhelming power was the only description Jake thought fitting. Like it was a practiced act, everyone in the hall fell to their knees. Even Caleb and the others kneeled, though Jake clearly saw they could have resisted far more easily if they so wanted. However, chances are that even if they did want to resist, they would eventually be forced down. Viridia was also on her knees, and the only people not kneeling were a few hidden gods observing from afar. As if Sandy kneeled… Jake had no way to tell.

In the next moment, Villy appeared beside him as space itself shattered in his wake. He softly landed on the stage, the magic circle beneath their feet instantly exploding into motes of energy as it futilely tried to amplify the presence of a Primordial.

Bloody showoff, Jake commented internally as Villy stood beside him and grinned.

Albaromoz was shaken as he saw the Chosen stand there, his presence drilling into his very soul. Despite the man being so much weaker than himself, he still felt pressured by it. Coupled with the aura of a Chosen, it was truly suppressing.

Hundreds of thoughts went through his head. A smidgen of disbelief had still been present until he felt the recognizable aura he had experienced during the lesson he had given on Soulflames not even that long ago. Every interaction he had ever had with the Chosen flashed in his mind, and cold sweat ran down his back. The Emberflight had been disrespectful on several occasions. If they went with the assumption of Lord Thayne having the backing of an S-grade, their conduct had been acceptable, but towards a Chosen?

The only good thing was that they had done nothing overly public toward the Chosen. They had made no declarations or tried to put pressure on his backer but stuck to subtle research into who it could be. This research had turned up with nothing of value, which in retrospect made a lot of sense considering who exactly it was they were trying to uncover the identity of.

I will have to inform the higher-ups… if they don’t already know, the dragon resigned himself. What exactly the consequences would be, he couldn’t tell, but he hoped to somehow still leverage the fact he and Helen had some level of rapport with the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. Plus, the Malefic Dragonkin had been meeting with Helen a few times since his visit, and if the friendship between Draskil and the Chosen was genuine, perhaps they could exploit something there.

As he was deep in thought, only using part of his focus to prevent Helen from being too shaken by the aura of the Chosen, the Hall Master spoke. Albaromoz listened to her words, and his eyes opened wide as she reached the end.

Then, the pressure hit.

”I shall do so myself.”

Albaromoz was on his knees before he even comprehended the appearance of the Primordial. Before a god, he felt like an insignificant insect. He could do nothing but sweat as a feeling of innate reverence also pervaded his body. The natural reverence towards a god all mortals felt. The instinct to kneel and recognize a superior being with both your heart and soul. No mortal could – or would dare –stand in the presence of such a being.

He barely managed to lift his gaze as the visage of the Malefic One entered his eyes. Yet Albaromoz’s eyes wandered as they opened wide.

The aura of the Chosen had been powerful, yes. Shocking, even. But as an A-grade, and knowing it originated from a Bloodline and his identity as a Chosen, he could rationalize it. Yet no matter how impressed he had been before…

The impact Albaromoz felt upon seeing a mere C-grade mortal stand tall and stoic in the presence of a Primordial was an image he believed forever seared into his mind.

Vilastromoz looked out over the hall as he appeared dramatically. He saw several old acquaintances present, hidden so as to not disturb the mortals. Seeing their reaction to Jake had been more than amusing, and as the Viper, would it not only be proper to try and surpass his dear Chosen?

He had released his presence as the mortals knelt. The natural response of the humanoid body of mortals when in the presence of a god. Well, alright, his assessment that all mortals had knelt was slightly wrong, for there was one right there on the stage who still stood unaffected.

Walking up to stand next to his Chosen, Vilastromoz smiled and continued.

“This is my second speech like this in but a few years. Do note, I am not planning on making it a habit,”the Viper spoke jokingly, referring to the time he appeared in the Order and killed that demigod. “I guess one could argue there is a difference, as guests were allowed during this one, but I digress. Rather than needlessly ramble, let me just get to the point. As my dear little Hall Master said, I am back. Not just for a trip either. I am back for good. The multiverse has only had eleven Primordials for the last eighty-five eras, and as of a few years ago, that was rightly corrected.”

Placing his hand on Jake’s shoulder, his grin widened.

“My Chosen here partly to blame for that being the case. But let me make it clear… I just needed that little push. He had good timing, and it gave me an excuse. Not being known as someone who only takes half-measures, I believe it only proper I reclaim what has been lost over the eras while also expanding to take back our rightful place in the multiverse: the peak.”

A challenge to all the factions present. And a promise.

“Now, with that clarified, I want to address my choice of Jake here as my Chosen,” Vilastromoz said. “Rather than doing so with an explanation, I shall do so with a simple question.”

His smile faded as he looked out over the masses, with his true attention directed at the many hidden gods.

“Who the fuck are you to question my judgment?”

Villy why do you have to be so damn intense… it’s embarrassing, Jake muttered internally at the Viper, loudly telling everyone to fuck off and not question him. Couldn’t he have just told them it was due to his Bloodline or something…

Then again, it would probably work. What did Jake know? The Viper had been a god since gods were a thing, so if anyone knew how to tell off people, it had to be him.

“With that matter out of the way, let’s get to something else I am sure many of you have been looking forward to. The announcement already mentioned it, but we have one more individual to present today. I am naturally speaking of the True Royal from the Vespernat Lineage!” the Viper said loudly, and Jake felt some excitement return to the room after Villy’s angry scolding before.

He especially saw two sections of the hall perk up. Both towards the back and on opposite sides. One of them was filled with humanoids, but a lot of them looked to have metallic parts. Others just looked like straight-up metal golems, like the Altmar Census one. The Automata, Jake reckoned.

The second section was filled with ectognas. These, too, all had humanoid forms, but often some insect parts still remained, such as feelers or wings. Same as with Vesperia. This was naturally the delegation from the Endless Empire.

Both these sections were filled, and it looked more like massive armies than some diplomatic mission. Jake was also certain that several gods were hidden among them.

“Before I bring her out, I want to clarify one thing. I have no relations or authority over this True Royal. I make no decisions for her. Jake is the sole source of her creations, with my input nothing more than that of a passive observer that helped with general advice. That also means I will make no choices for him. Only support those he makes,” Villy explained, being super nice in Jake’s opinion. Besides the fact that he just dumped a shitload of pressure on Jake to handle all the inquisitive individuals who would hound him to the end of time, that is.

“With that said, I want everyone to give Vesperia a warm welcome.”

With those words, another black vortex gateway opened up. Vesperia had been ready and waiting on the other side and quietly floated out. Her face was stoic, like the crowd didn’t faze her in the slightest, and Jake believed that it truly didn’t. Compared to him, she was born to handle this kind of pressure.

A new magic circle appeared beneath Vesperia’s feet as she landed, blasting her presence into the hall. Compared to Jake and Villy’s, this one didn’t evoke as big of a response, though it was hard to gauge, considering everyone was still kneeling.

Now, this muted response was only the case if one went by the entire hall… because one section did have quite the response. The Endless Empire was clearly excited at the appearance of the True Royal, and Jake had a feeling the gods hidden among them would have teleported over right away if not for fear of the Viper standing on the stage.

The same was probably true of the Automata Legion. Jake faintly felt some killing intent leaking all the way from their section, and many of them were no doubt keen on seeing Vesperia dead.

“It has been a long time since we saw the reemergence of a True Royal Lineage, hasn’t it?” the Viper said in a jovial tone, clearly enjoying the moment.

“My Chosen, Jake, didn’t bring forth her existence by accident. While he did not necessarily aim to make a True Royal, he did aim to create the impossible. Sandy, the Chosen of the Order’s Lord Protector, was also a product of my Chosen’s interference in the evolutionary process. Know that this is something only he can do. Tied to his Records. As such, it is not a feat he can repeat whenever he wants to,” Villy said, kindly telling everyone to not pressure Jake too much into doing annoying things.

The words were also kept obscure on purpose. While this made clear it was Jake’s unique ability, it did not say why or how he could do it. While his Bloodline was certainly one explanation, many would have trouble connecting the dots between a Bloodline having solely to do with presences and creating powerful variants like this. A better explanation would be some Soulbound system-granted item through some special event or something like that. Keeping them questioning was all they hoped to do, all while not outright lying. The truth would come out sooner or later anyway.

“With that said… I believe we are done here,” the Viper said, surprising Jake.

This was it? Viridia speaking a few sentences, some people teleporting in, and then Villy doing a short speech?

“Unless there are any questions, that is?” Villy asked.

Jake was pretty damn sure no one would da-

“I have one, oh Malefic One,”a voice suddenly cut through the hall.

A figure appeared in the sky, walking in the air. “Firstly, let me excuse my lateness; I had a signing session I just couldn’t miss. I didn’t get an invitation, though. It must have gotten lost somewhere, huh?”

The smile of the Viper faded as his face turned serious. With full force, his presence reappeared, focused solely on the human-looking man floating above the hall. Below, he saw countless people stare in either terror or surprise at the one who dared talk to the Viper like that.

When the presence struck the man, he simply smiled. The next second, this new god’s aura flared outwards, making Jake’s eyes open in surprise.

“Yip of Yore…” the Viper spoke in a severe tone as Jake felt the two auras at once, and he could only stare as his mind processed what he felt.

He had heard this Yip of Yore was powerful, but…

Not to have an aura equal to Villy’s.