The Primal Hunter

”No, slaves would not be a desired gift,” Jake said, confused at why Izil instantly jumped to ask about that. Unless…

”Wait, was the Altmar Empire planning on gifting me a bunch of slaves?”

Izil looked a bit uncomfortable at the question before she sighed.

”During these past few years, the Empire has already expanded into the ninety-third universe and blessed quite a few planetary leaders, with many of these planets not only having elves on them. Some have humans, beastfolk, or other enlightened races, and as they cannot be citizens of the Empire, they are usually designated as slaves by default,” Izil explained like it wasn’t that big of a deal.

”So the Altmar Empire just enslaves everyone who isn’t an elf?” Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.

Izil seemed to realize she had messed up and bowed apologetically. ”I meant no offense, and naturally, if someone like the Chosen was from the Empire, he would be a citizen and hold a high position even if he was human. It is just only elves who get citizenship by default, while the other races will have to earn it through merit.”

”Kind of fucked up, isn’t it?” Jake grilled her.

”That is how the Altmar Empire has successfully operated for over ninety eras. It has ensured a sense of union within the Empire as we have a homogenous population, and it has allowed us to unite around shared goals. All that we design and all our research can also be better focused on only elves without having to spread our resources thin like some other places,” Izil tried to explain. ”I am not saying it is perfect, but it is how the Altmar Empire has found a way to survive in the multiverse.”

”Not saying it doesn’t work, just that it is kind of fucked up,” Jake didn’t really want to argue. First of all, he didn’t know enough about the Altmar Empire to really make judgments, and secondly, he still wanted to stay on good terms with them. Or, at the very least, not publicly antagonize them. He had to remind himself that if he came out as a Chosen, his words could easily be construed as coming from the Viper.

”Anyway, this is a side track,” Jake tried to get back on track. ”But as I said, no, I don’t want any slaves, and I have no need for slaves. Why would the Empire even think I would want them?”

”Well…”

Izil proceeded to explain a thought process Jake hated but honestly couldn’t fault too much. The Order of the Malefic Viper’s view on slavery was generally one of apathy or support. The Order actively used slaves in many of its practices, worked with factions using them without care, and let their members do as they wanted.

So, the general consensus was that the Chosen would be fine with slaves. Why wouldn’t that be the case?

Then there was the issue of how damn hard it was to get gifts for someone you know nothing about. Trying to get him ingredients could be viewed as insulting as that insinuated the Order didn’t have those already, and the same proved true with equipment and pretty much any kind of actually useful item.

This left only vanity gifts, unique presents they knew the Order could not provide, and, of course, slaves. The Order was large, yes, but they were still a small faction in the grand scope of the multiverse when it came to pure numbers. Chances are that even if Villy and the other gods who had rejoined the Order were expanding into the new universe, they would at most be able to conquer a few hundred or maybe a thousand planets. With how bloody big a universe was, it was seriously doubtful if any of these planets would be able to teleport any slaves Jake’s way, and if they could, then how many would they possibly be able to provide?

So, the factions banked on using their sheer size and scope of influence to provide their gifts. Many also assumed Jake would naturally conquer his planet and then expand from there to take over the galaxy, colonizing all planets he found worth occupying. For that, he would need people, so people were the best thing they could get him, right?

As Izil explained all this, Jake could see the logic. The sad thing for all these factions was just that the logic didn’t really work with Jake. He honestly had no plans on going on a galaxy-wide conquest. Shit, he had barely wanted to become the World Leader of Earth and only did it because he felt forced into the position to avoid everything going to utter shit after the entire Ell’Hakan debacle.

”So, you predict a lot of factions will want to gift me a bunch of slaves?” Jake asked with a sigh.

”Yes, I believe that would be the case,” Izil nodded.

”Well… fuck,” Jake muttered, wondering what the hell to do when the time came. He kind of wanted to send a multiversal message out telling all the factions to not gift him any damn slaves, but he also wondered what kind of impact that would have.

”Say, what would happen if I rejected any slaves gifted?” Jake asked, already getting the feeling he wouldn’t like the answer.

”Hm, in some cases, the giver will simply take them back and put them to use elsewhere-”

Okay, it could be worse.

”-or they will kill them all as a way to preserve the dignity of the faction as they are effectively rejected goods.”

And there we go with the fucked up multiversal logic again.

Jake took a deep breath and thought for a bit. His gut reaction was still to just have Villy send out a mass-rejection letter, but would the snake god even comply? Would the factions still decide to kill the slaves? How the hell would they interpret his message? Why the hell did shit have to be so complicated?

He calmed himself down fully as he decided to just wait till the actual ceremony arrived, where he would know exactly what was gonna happen. At that time, he would also have Miranda there to give advice and help handle the situation. For now, he just had to remind himself: keep things simple, and take the complications as they come.

”Alright, I will see what I am gonna do when the time comes,” Jake finally said.

Izil nodded before looking at Meira. ”I know Meira planned on joining the Order properly, right?”

”That is the plan, yes.”

”Wouldn’t it be best if she did that before the ceremony? I have a hard time seeing her having any kind of normal enrollment if everyone knows she is the slave or even servant of the Chosen of the Malefic Viper,” Izil brought up a very good point.

Jake looked at Meira, wondering if she had tried to stall her joining till after the ceremony to maybe avoid it alltogether, but her face told him that wasn’t the case. Her face was one of realization, as if she hadn’t considered that a potential problem.

”I… should, shouldn’t I?” she asked the both of them.

Izil and Jake both nodded in agreement as Meira looked nervous. ”What if… what if I don’t pass?”

”Meira,” Jake said, shaking his head. ”If you don’t pass, then who the hell has a chance to? I have seen what you work on, and you are pretty damn good at what you do. You may not do that well with poisons, sure, but your potions, flasks, and magic circles are damn impressive.”

”But…” Meira tried.

”I must concur; your progress has been unlike anyone else I have met here in the Order. In the beginning, you were far from impressive, and your lack of general knowledge was baffling, but as time passed, you improved at an incredible speed, even learning high-level concepts far earlier than others,” Izil agreed, giving her an encouraging smile.

”That’s just because of my teacher,” Meira tried to write off her own effort.

Izil nodded as she had a thought. ”Say, who is your teacher? I had assumed it to be the backer of Lord Thayne, and while the number of surprises I have had today is already overwhelming, please tell me you were not personally taught by the Malefic One?”

”Of course not!” Meira exclaimed.

”Yeah, Duskleaf taught her,” Jake nodded.

”Duskleaf… wait, the Grand Elder and leader of the Academy? The one who recently revealed himself as a god?” Izil asked with wide eyes. ”Isn’t he the disciple of the Malefic Viper?”

”Yep, he is,” Jake nodded.

Izil just stared at Meira before she stuttered. ”Does… doesn’t that make you the disciple of the Grand Elder?”

Meira looked at Izil before vehemently shaking her head. ”No! No… the Grand Elder merely taught me a few things because of Lord Thayne. I can in no way claim to be his real student.”

”Pretty sure you are,” Jake mumbled before yelling towards the ceiling: ”Isn’t she?”

A few seconds passed as the two elves looked at Jake with confusion, making him feel awkward.

”Duskleaf, stop being shy,” Jake said, knowing the god was looking.

”I was not being shy; I just couldn’t drop everything on a whim and come here,” a voice spoke as the pudgy old alchemist entered the living room, having teleported into the hallway outside with his Sproutleaf Avatar. ”But yes, I do think Meira qualifies as my student, considering the amount of time I have spent personally teaching her. As for calling her a disciple, that classification is far more meaningful and requires the active consent of both parties before such a relationship can be formally established.”

Izil’s eyes opened in disbelief at seeing Duskleaf, and she quickly stood up and bowed toward the god. ”This one greets the Grand Elder.”

”At ease,” he waved her off dismissively. ”I just came to clarify that Meira is my student.”

”And for me to not make fun of you later for not daring to show up and clarify she is your student,” Jake said with a grin.

The old alchemist just shook his head before looking back to Meira. ”May as well ask now: after Jake goes public as the Chosen of my master, what do you say to become my official disciple? You practically already are.”

”I…”

”Just think about it,” Duskleaf said before looking at Jake, giving him a nod of approval. ”I did also owe you thanks for winning me a bet. Good job with the succubus.”

Jake then saw the alchemist briefly glance at Meira.

”Sleeping with her while out a couple of weeks ago was earlier than either of us had expected.”

You bloody bastard…

Jake knew Duskleaf had done it on purpose as he saw Meira stand there frozen as she stared at Jake and Duskleaf both. Her mouth opened for a brief moment before she closed it again, and she adopted a steely look. Izil seemed to notice Meira’s reaction and moved a bit closer to her in support as the two seemed to briefly talk telepathically. Jake threw Duskleaf a look as the god spoke to him telepathically too.

”Don’t look at me like that; you started this. Besides, the girl needs the motivation to keep progressing even after she joins the Order and regains her freedom. Planting the seed of expectation that she needs to attain a status making her able to approach you is a good way to make that happen,” Duskleaf explained. ”That it will create some drama for you is just a bonus.”

”Pretty sure we already gave her enough motivation before this,” Jake countered, not buying it.

”One can always have more.”

”I believe I have said all there is to say,” Duskleaf said as he disappeared from the living room, leaving Jake and the two elves. Jake wanted to curse him out more for just bailing after having the last word like that, but he held it in as he just stared at where Duskleaf had been.

”Lord Thayne, would it be fine if we also took our leave?” Meira asked a few seconds after the god was gone. ”I want to no longer delay joining the Order and getting it done.”

”I, too, should attend to business relating to the ceremony and relay the information you have given me today,” Izil added as she bowed. ”I thank the Chosen for trusting me with this task and will do my best not to disappoint.”

Jake could not exactly tell them to stay and was more than fine with them leaving. He was surprised neither of them brought up what Duskleaf had said, and he wasn’t sure if their silence was a good or a bad thing.

”Alright, you two take care,” Jake nodded.

Meira proceeded to escort Izil to the teleportation gate, but when they got there, they both teleported away, leaving Jake confused. Was she planning on joining the Order here and now or what?

Shaking his head, Jake tried not to think about it as he headed back to his lab to do something he at least understood:

Torturing mushrooms to make poisons.

Miranda was rather used to meetings if she said so herself. She had acted as the head of the World Council ever since its inception and was used to dealing with all sorts of factions leaders who repeatedly hounded her and the rest of the council.

Never had she felt fazed during all these meetings. But… this time was different.

She found herself sitting in the heartlands of the Verdant Lagoon while using her legendary dream skill. Out of pretty much everyone on Earth that was D-grade or above, Miranda guessed she was the one who slept the most due to this skill and its ability to dilate time while she slept. It allowed her to catch up when there weren’t enough hours in her day and to keep practicing magic while not failing to live up to her responsibilities.

Yet today, she found herself within the Verdant Lagoon, not to practice magic or catch up on tasks or any of the other things Miranda usually did there. Instead, she found herself surrounded by four individuals who all surpassed her in every way imaginable.

Three of them were the Verdant Witches themselves, Godqueens, and high-level leaders of the Order of the Malefic Viper. The fourth was someone Miranda had only encountered once before during a prior visit to the lagoon: the Hall Master and leader of the mortal part of the Order, Viridia. A late-stage S-grade who was expected to reach demi-god status within not that long, as the Verdant Witches had recently taken her in as a disciple. There were even rumors she would soon become their Chosen.

As for why these five women had gathered? Well, what else could it be but because of Jake.

”I have confirmation from the Altmar Empire, Endless Empire, sixteen major tribes of the beastfolk, the Risen, and-”

”Tell us who has not yet answered that they will attend. Of the major factions,” the first of the three sisters asked Viridia, who had been explaining who would attend the event.

”Notably absent is the Holy Church, but even more surprisingly, Valhal has been silent,” Viridia explained, shaking her head. ”The Risen did also raise a ruckus over the many vampires who have so openly shown themselves and joined the Order, but I do not believe they will cause any trouble.”

The second of the three sisters nodded and smiled. ”Still, it will be quite the event. When was the last time the Automata Legion and the Endless Empire existed within the same space without it resulting in bloodshed?”

”It could still end in bloodshed,” the third sister chimed in.

”Which would definitely make it more entertaining,” the second one grinned.

Miranda just listened in as the four far more powerful women discussed the upcoming event even more. She wondered why she was even asked to be there as one of the three sisters finally addressed her.

”How about you, little sis? You got confirmation from those blessed by the two Primordials, didn’t you?”

She still felt uncomfortable with being called little sis but still nodded without showing her discomfort. ”I have indeed. Moreover, I have ensured that Sandy will also join us for the event.”

The four witches looked at her weirdly before one of the three gods tilted her head. ”Who is Sandy? Oh, is it the Unique Lifeform!?”

”No, the Unique Lifeform is known as the Fallen King,” Miranda shook her head. ”Sandy is the Chosen of the Lord Protector.”

Thee women’s gazes stayed on her as the third witch spoke in a confused tone.

”… the Lord Protector has a Chosen?”

”…Yes?” Miranda asked equally confused.

”I had not heard this,” the first of the witches said as she tapped her finger on her chin. ”Oh well, how fun! The more, the merrier, right? Two Chosens revealed in one day!”

Miranda stared back at them as she seriously questioned:

This entire ceremony was going to be a shitshow, wasn’t it?