The Primal Hunter 8: A LitRPG Adventure, page 26
He then returned to the very important detail of the Viper turning green. Why had he done that? Some shield to protect himself from the poison?
A few theories popped up immediately, but none fit. Jake was deep in thought and tried a few things as his wings pulsed with power, sending mist out. Ultimately, he decided that he first needed to make some kind of poison able to corrode through reality. Saying it so casually was damn weird, but he was serious.
Passive mana tended to not be that strong as long as you targeted the right things. This was why Alchemical Flame was so damn good at breaking down objects, as it directly targeted the passive mana and the concepts keeping things whole.
So, Jake needed a poison that targeted passive mana that didn’t fight back. Maybe he could apply concepts from Alchemical Flame directly there…. Yeah, that actually seemed doable. There were many plants and poisons geared toward naturally corroding things. Acids that went through stone that a C-grade could not even scratch like it was nothing, poison mist that would turn a block of metal an S-grade would dream of crafting a weapon from into Swiss cheese. These existed everywhere, and Jake had consumed plenty.
But even if he made this, what about non-passive mana? Like where he was trapped right now? That kind of mana would fight him actively. Could he even make something that eroded the wall of Sandy’s stomach? He knew he probably could with Touch, but as mist?
Jake groaned in annoyance as he felt Sandy’s mental ping. He obliged and found himself outside once more, instantly noticing that the area had changed to rocky terrain. Before him was a large C-grade bird of some kind.
"Go human! Use bow attack!" Sandy said with excitement as Jake pulled out his bow and added another C-grade to his list of slain foes before getting back in his pokeba—stomach.
He did have to admit that Sandy was damn good at analyzing his strength and picking opponents.
Back in the chamber, Jake felt more relaxed after a bit of killing, seeing the entire thing with new eyes. It was like having a good night’s sleep and then waking up to look at your project again. Jake considered different poisons he would need in the mist, and it quickly became clear he would need many concepts at once. No, he could not have all be active at once; he needed to make an adaptable mist that targeted everything at once but only actively targeted what it encountered.
And then he came back to that damn green color. Why the hell did the Viper glow? Was it because… No… it made sense?
Jake had been looking at it all wrong. The Malefic Viper had not made a path of escape using the mist. He had not made a poison mist that eroded everything; he became the poison mist. Rather than dripping acid on the evil to get through, the Viper became a semi-solid ball of acid that was dropped onto it. So even if the metal above reformed, he would still get through.
The Viper had wrapped himself in it. Like a cocoon, the poison mist surrounded him in a supercharged state. That was why the Viper glowed green; his entire body had turned into toxic mist, and he used his power to keep it strong.
As Jake realized this, he felt like something clicked in his mind. He instantly checked Path of the Heretic-Chosen and saw that his intuition had been correct.
Do you wish to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper? Uses remaining: 3
Did Jake think he could upgrade the skill without experiencing another vision? Sure. Probably. But Jake also kind of feared that he would lose the skill with his C-grade upgrade, or maybe lose the uses. So he wanted to use all of them, even if it was a bit of a waste.
Ah, who was he kidding? He just wanted to see Villy get embarrassed, have his ass handed to him, and be forced to escape.
Even with everything happening on Earth, the inside of the workshop appeared entirely undisturbed. Arnold was still working on his latest creation when he got an expected visit from a recent arrival to their planet.
Ell’Hakan had to admit that he found the entire construction quite novel. A massive metal dome with impressive enchantments all over. The material itself also looked incredibly tough, and he doubted that anything mundane could break through. It was truly a defensive stronghold, and even he would have issues breaking into it within any reasonable timeframe.
Luckily, he did not have to break in.
As he approached, the dome simply opened up to him. There, he met the assistant to the machinist, as the human named Arnold had been dubbed.
"Welcome, sir; how may I assist you?" the assistant asked. She was obviously aware of what was going on and knew that trying to keep Ell’Hakan out would only delay the inevitable. Besides, it was simply smarter to allow him access.
"Impressive construction, and even more impressive techniques present on the inside,” Ell’Hakan said. “I thank you for allowing me in without any needless delays. Do tell, is the machinist available?"
"I will inform him of your presence," the assistant said with a bow and a smile as she briefly left the welcome room.
Ell’Hakan felt the doubt and hesitation in her, but also some relief. A good emotion to amplify, as it could lead to other positive thoughts and feelings. Having the assistant possess a good view of him wasn’t necessary, but nice to have. No, the one he truly cared about was Arnold.
Ell’Hakan had done his research and found this man far more outstanding than anyone seemed to give him credit for. He was blessed by Void God Oras—something that even his Patron found utterly baffling, as no D-grade human should be able to handle that. The ones a Void God usually blessed were either incredibly powerful members of the enlightened races and at far higher grades, or creatures explicitly suited to them, such as rare elementals or other monsters.
The reason he approached this machinist was obviously for his mind. Because one other thing he’d discovered was that the man had no true loyalty to the Malefic’s Chosen. He simply worked for him and did some commissions. There appeared to be no true relationship there; it was purely transactional. The fact that he had stayed even after the City Lord left was further proof that Arnold simply did not view himself as part of the Malefic Chosen’s faction. So if he was offered good enough terms and had his emotions swayed properly, there was no reason for him not to switch.
"Sir, he is ready to receive you," the assistant said with another bow, having returned less than a minute after leaving.
Ell’Hakan thanked her as he entered the workshop. He had prepared for a trap—just in case—but found nothing even as he scanned his surroundings. The moment he was in the workshop, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of projects going on. It was astonishing one man could do so much at once, and the complexity of every project was incredible.
The planet Ell’Hakan came from was not a very technologically advanced one. He had learned that quickly after the integration. So while this all overwhelmed him, it also strengthened his desire to recruit the man. The Celestial Kingdom lacked people like him, as no natives were technologically minded, and Ell’Hakan had a feeling this man alone could lead to a technological revolution.
"It is truly my pleasure to finally meet you," Ell’Hakan said as he saw the machinist. He did not look like much, but as mentioned, it was not his body but his mind that was worthy of respect.
"What do you want?" the man asked curtly. If not for his Bloodline, he would have thought the man was hostile, but no. There were no such emotions. In fact, the emotional spectrum he felt from the man was incredibly narrow and muted.
But it was there. Ell’Hakan had a faint fear that the man somehow didn’t possess emotions at all, as that would partly explain his ability to have a Void God as his Patron. It turned out that even if he was peculiar, he was still a human with emotions to bite onto and manipulate. To Ell’Hakan, the slightest thing was enough.
"I am incredibly impressed by your work, and I come with an offer," Ell’Hakan said, knowing not to mince words with the man to avoid testing his patience. "I am aware your ties to Haven are shallow at best, and you are primarily here due to the resources offered, yes?"
He did not even need the machinist to answer to know it was true. His emotions gave it away.
"If that is the case, I can offer you something better,” Ell’Hakan went on with a smile. “The backing of not just a single city, but an entire world. A planet full of natural resources for you to explore and exploit to your liking, with near-endless funds. And all I ask in return is a bit of conditional loyalty.”
That was when he felt just the emotion he wanted. Desire. Greed. This man was stoic, but alas, still human, and he would fall to human desires like any other. But there was also a lot of distrust. Arnold seemed to be in thought as Ell’Hakan tried to soothe his worries.
"To show my sincerity, we can start with a temporary working contract," Ell’Hakan said convincingly. “Simply let me hire you for a while. Come and see my planet once I return, and if you refuse to work for me anymore, I swear I will help you gain passage to anywhere else.” He then took out a small, star-shaped token and handed it to the machinist. "At the very least, consider the offer."
Arnold looked at the token and took it. A faint sliver of trust had wormed in. It was weak, only confirming his thoughts that Ell’Hakan would give him time to think and was not there to cause him harm, but that alone was a springboard. He amplified Arnold’s emotions and used his Bloodline liberally to the level of getting a slight headache. The machinist was a tough one compared to the Malefic’s Chosen. If Arnold was a faint candle of emotions, then the Malefic’s Chosen was a roaring inferno.
"I will," Arnold finally answered with a genuine nod.
"To further show my sincerity…" Ell’Hakan said as he summoned a number of metals from his planet that none of his current crafters could work with. He felt the man’s interest instantly, and Ell’Hakan could not help himself but smile as he subtly left.
He had a good feeling Arnold would make the right choice.
Arnold sat alone after the alien left. He felt a strong sense of trust in the man but paid it little attention. Checking the recording of the conversation, he did not necessarily find anything amiss either. Arnold considered the offer and checked some provided information in the token. It even included a potential draft of an offer as well as a method to contact Ell’Hakan.
The offer was good. Brilliant, even. Far more than Lord Thayne and Haven had offered, or would likely ever offer him. Their resources were limited, and it had primarily been the merchant Sultan helping him out by selling Arnold’s products and buying raw materials. To say he was supported by Haven and Lord Thayne would be simply incorrect. At least, not in an institutional capacity. Lord Thayne had personally helped him, but that had been transactional in nature.
If Arnold went by his guts, the answer was a no-brainer. He had far more trust in Ell’Hakan supporting him than Lord Thayne losing interest and just leaving for good. Arnold would definitely accept the offer if he had to choose.
But he didn’t choose. Because truly, what he felt didn’t matter and should never be a factor in his decision-making. Arnold started out with the most obvious facts and made a detailed analysis of his own thought patterns, identifying that his emotional responses had been adversely affected, further cementing that he should not use his flawed mind to decide.
Additionally, he analyzed the offer, truly finding it worth it even from a far more objective standpoint. The benefits would be more than Haven would offer, but that was only in the short term. Using his current working model for predicting behavior and going by all the information he had, there were few positive outcomes.
Ell’Hakan had made the Malefic’s Chosen an enemy, and it did not take an Eye of Oras to see all the potential risks involved in that. Lord Thayne was simply too unpredictable in every aspect for Arnold to make any conclusions or properly assess him. He did not make the decisions Arnold would expect in nearly any situation. He was an utterly illogical human. And if there was one thing Arnold wanted to avoid in his calculations, it was high-variable outliers ruining the entire model.
Looking over the data one final time, Arnold simply nodded and returned to his work. The decision he came to was simple.
Just don’t choose a side.
Lord Thayne would not ask for him to choose one, and Ell’Hakan had a standing offer, so why decide now? The only reason he would be forced to make a decision was if either party lost. In which case, he would choose the person not losing.
With Lord Thayne, however, the only valid parameter to rule him the loser would be his death, while for Ell’Hakan, it would also include him fleeing the planet. The reason for this difference?
All data indicated he could survive an angry Ell’Hakan coming after him.
All data indicated he couldn’t survive an angry Jake Thayne hunting him to the ends of eternity.
Chapter 30
Just Winging It
Jake was rubbing his hands as he looked forward to seeing Villy in a perilous situation that forced him to escape. Entering the vision, he was not sure what to expect. Maybe Villy getting beaten up? Him waltzing into the territory of some far more powerful monster, making him tuck his tail between his legs?
As the vision appeared, it was neither of those. He saw Villy flying through an odd area with purplish mist everywhere. Comet-like balls of ice flew all around him—some of them several kilometers across, while others were far smaller. Jake also saw that sometimes space itself seemed to crack, and small vacuums opened up, sucking in mist and some of the smaller comets.
He had a hard time figuring out what was going on. Villy was in his C-grade Wyvern form and looked incredibly distressed as he dodged comet after comet. It was like he flew aimlessly. A few minutes passed before a giant comet suddenly exploded, only to reassemble into a vaguely humanoid form. Villy did not hesitate to release a breath on the newly born… comet elemental? Ice elemental? Either or, he quickly dealt with it, but that didn’t at all give him reprieve.
Finally, Villy seemed to spot something. With high speed, he flew to the side and, to Jake’s surprise, encountered a massive wall of purple ice. Flying alongside the wall, Villy soon found a small cave and stopped before it.
His body began morphing and shrinking, and within five seconds, the familiar humanoid form of Villy appeared. Familiar, yet foreign. He looked young in the vision, and Jake had a strong feeling this was the earliest vision of the would-be Primordial he had ever experienced.
Villy collapsed and leaned against the inside wall of the small ice cavern, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes for a moment before summoning a large metal plate of sorts to block off the hole, sealing himself within the cavern.
Sitting back down, the Viper surprisingly fell asleep as time accelerated. Once the Viper woke up again, he quickly took out some kind of magical device. It looked like a compass of sorts, and Villy frowned as he looked at it. After a bit, he took out another few weird devices, and his frown only grew.
"Fuck," he said as he groaned and brought both his hands to his head. "The exits should have remained for at least another week… Did that bastard lie to me? I swear…"
Just those few words made Jake put two and two together and realize what was happening. The Viper was in some kind of minor world or dimension, a bit like Yalsten but probably far smaller. Also, clearly far more unstable compared to Yalsten in its heyday.
Jake knew about these kinds of places. They were often small dimensions that resided in the infinite layers of space. One could not break into them, with the only way in being certain natural entrances that sometimes opened, and one could also only exit through these small holes. These dimensions tended to be of incredible value exactly because of this. Any small world that had been isolated for a long time was bound to have given birth to several potent natural treasures, especially as many of these small worlds had singular, dominating affinities yet rarely had beasts or monsters. There would still be enemies, but often only very specialized ones, such as the elementals or creatures born to guard the treasures.
It appeared that Villy had entered one such place with bad information and found himself screwed over and trapped. Which maybe didn’t sound that bad if the world would open up again, but there were a few minor issues. First of all, how long would it take? It could take longer than Villy’s natural lifespan. One had to remember that Aeon Clok had killed people far more powerful than himself by sealing them in a world a bit like this and letting the passing of time handle it.
Then there was also the issue that these places could get far more dangerous during their lockdown period, and based on the comets going wild and Villy seeming panicked, Jake assumed this was the case.
"I need to get out of here," Villy muttered to himself as he stood up and took out some more magical devices, including the compass. "It hasn’t been that long… or is the layer meant to be this weak?" Jake saw the Viper deep in thoughts, considering his options, before steeling himself. "It could work."
Wings appeared on his back, making him look a bit like Jake with his wings out.
"Those fuckers… They somehow accelerated and sealed the entrances," Villy said as he double-checked some weird magical circle on a map. "At least, halfway sealed them."
Jake was beginning to question if a C-grade Villy could truly escape a naturally sealed-off world like this. One had to remember that after Yalsten was sealed off, no one could escape, not even the A-grades. Yet if this was not a natural sealing, but simply one accelerated by mortal hands, then it should still be possible.
Villy sat down in meditation with his wings summoned, and Jake felt the energy and toxic blood move within them. Time seemed to move in odd ways, as days passed with the Viper focusing on his wings. Jake got the feeling this was not some sudden burst of inspiration, but rather him picking up the work on an ongoing project. The Viper had either worked on an escape skill like this before or had already completed several elements of the skill.
