Artemis could admit she had been too hasty in her actions when she decided to head toward Nevermore immediately. She at least had the clarity of mind to go and ask Nature’s Attendant to come along, knowing he had his C-grade granddaughter currently participating in the C-grade portion of the World Wonder. Yet, somehow, she had forgotten that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper and his granddaughter were in a party together in the brief timespan between watching the recording and approaching him.
Originally, she had only planned to go and stick close to Nevermore, so she was around once the Chosen of the Viper was done with the World Wonder, as she doubted she could enter and get any information. Trying to learn more about him would be difficult, considering he was the Chosen of a Primordial, but maybe she could get lucky there if she had Nature’s Attendant with her.
When she arrived and was told by Nature’s Attendant that the Wyrmgod himself had invited them to enter a special viewing area, she got excited… only to find out it wasn’t just the Wyrmgod there. Not only was the Malefic Viper present, but even the Wargod Valdemar was there for some reason. Three Primordials gathered in one place was an incredibly rare happening and only really ever took place around peak-level system events.
However, despite this, the “meeting,” if you could even call it that, seemed incredibly casual. Too casual. To the level where it was suspicious. The last time she heard, the Malefic Viper and Valdemar were in conflict due to the rising star Yip of Yore, a god who truly did have the right to claim himself to stand among the other beings at the pinnacle as far as she was concerned.
Yet Artemis saw Valdemar and the Viper interact casually, though there was some tension. No bloodlust, though, meaning they didn’t give off the sense they wanted to kill one another. She didn’t display her surprise, though, but just kept quiet and tried to not attract too much attention while internally cursing her decision to come. There was no doubt in her mind that if other gods saw this scene, it would cause quite an uproar, so she couldn’t help but wonder if bigger plans were at play. Nature’s Attendant also gave her a subtle warning.
“You may see some things that perplex you, but it would be best to keep it to yourself. In due time, all truths will be revealed, but till then, your thoughts are not to be shared, alright?” he asked her in a friendly tone that Artemis knew was very much a warning. One she quite frankly didn’t need.
Who the fuck was she to risk messing up some plans or plots that involved several Primordials? She didn’t belong in the room at all, and she knew it. The only one with raw power roughly rivaling her own was Minaga, but comparing the two of them was a laughable endeavor. Minaga had hundreds of clones who were stronger than Artemis, and even if he wasn’t at the level of Primordials, his unique ability made him someone who could stand tall by their side.
Artemis wasn’t. She was weak in comparison. She felt small sitting in a room surrounded by titans of the multiverse, with her own strength still a step away from becoming a Godqueen. Meanwhile, all the other gods around had ascended beyond the circles of divinity.
She had honestly expected to be thrown out at some point but was allowed to stay. A decision she slowly began to regret the more time. Shortly after Nature’s Attendant and she arrived, two more Primordials also joined them. What’s more, they were two of the most famous and influential ones in all of the multiverse due to the utterly massive factions they controlled.
Both the Risen and the Holy Church were more powerful than the Pantheon of Life, and not by a little either. Their two leaders, the Blightfather and Holy Mother, were also absolutely unapproachable beings for someone like her.
It wasn’t getting any better when the Blightfather directly questioned why Artemis was here.
“Since we are talking about how great this reunion is… why is she here?” the Blightfather asked, staring directly at Artemis, making a shiver run down her spine, as she felt like the god could kill her with a mere thought. Even the life energy within her acted up, meeting a far more powerful polar opposite of itself.
Despite how precarious the situation was, she actually saw this as a chance. In all honesty, while she wanted to figure out more about the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, going to Nevermore was probably overkill. She could always find him after he was done and approach him then; she had just been too hasty in her decision-making.
So, if she took this chance to excuse herself, using the justification that she was showing respect to the Primordial, she could-
“Someone who was allowed to be here, same as you,” Nature’s Attendant spoke up for her. While Artemis certainly appreciated it, she did scold herself for missing her chance to get the hell out of there.
At least Nature’s Attendant rebuttal did make them stop bothering her… except for Minaga, who suddenly skirted over and was a lot more interested in talking to her than any of the Primordials.
“You’re here because of Jake, right?” he asked with a sly smirk. “You know… while there were recordings in that information package of yours, I got several times more in my personal stash from when he did my labyrinth. Interested?”
Artemis wanted to reject him and try to attract as little attention as possible… but… she was also curious, and it wasn’t like she could just leave now, as that would make Nature’s Attendant look bad after standing up for her. Also, when a figure like Minaga was offering, you really shouldn’t reject him. Nope, definitely not.
“What do you have?” she asked a bit tentatively as Minaga’s smirk turned into a grin.
“Whatever your heart desires…” he said as he turned to telepathy. “Or, well, the next best thing, as I can’t bring Jake himself.”
Artemis kept her cool and entirely ignored the last part as she gladly began browsing his lengthy catalog of recordings, though she did notice most of the recordings had some odd names. For some reason, they were filled with expletives complaining about Jake’s Bloodline… which only made her all the more interested in seeing them.
Things from there calmed down for a little while, even when a steady influx of other gods began arriving, having been attracted by the five Primordials who had gathered. She couldn’t blame them, and it was nice that she wasn’t the only god on the weaker side… though she did remain sitting with the non-representative gods even after others arrived.
As weeks of waiting turned to months, Artemis began to focus most of her efforts on her main body, which was training in her divine realm. Everyone present was just waiting for something to happen as the room filled with gods was eerily silent, most of those who did communicate using telepathy. She also spoke to some people from the other factions, and unsurprisingly, this impromptu gathering turned into a diplomatic meeting of sorts between many large divine factions. Factions that usually wouldn’t meet were suddenly gathered in an entirely neutral setting, with nothing better to do, so they made use of this time.
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Nearly two years after she arrived, the silence was broken by Minaga.
“Oh, Jake is done with the Test of Character Challenge Dungeon now!”
Instantly, everyone tuned into their avatars. Artemis found it a bit funny when she saw the momentary confusion on the faces of most gods until they realized who Jake was, and she also noticed how the confusion lingered for many, likely because Minaga used Jake’s name and not just his title as the Viper’s Chosen.
“Indeed he is,” the Malefic Viper responded, everyone now truly perking up.
“His review was pretty harsh, though,” Minaga continued. “Harsh, but fair.”
More confusion spread in the room, but Artemis instantly understood after having seen all of Minaga’s recordings. Recordings that had only made her more curious than ever about Jake. His entire demeanor was odd for a mortal, and he had zero change in behavior after realizing Minaga was a god - the same as with her own image in the Colosseum. For him to give reviews on a Challenge Dungeon was entirely in character, though she did wonder if it was smart to criticize the Wyrmgod. She knew he cared more about the Test of Character than any other Challenge Dungeon, after all.
Valdemar then also spoke up, asking what they were waiting for… only for the Wyrmgod to respond with “very well.”
Very well, what?
Artemis wondered what he was up to and what he meant as an odd thought struck her. No… he can’t be serious. That could kill him or cause some sort of permanent damage; surely he wouldn’t-
A teleportation circle appeared off to the side of the large room, the heads of every god whipping over there as a recognizable form appeared a few seconds later. This newcomer stood entirely still as sharp eyes reminiscent of a beast that hid behind a wood-like mask quickly scanned the room. Artemis felt his gaze pause on her for a brief moment before it continued to take in everyone present.
For a mortal to appear in a room filled with dozens of gods, including five Primordials and Nature’s Attendant… one would expect him to fall to his knees instantly if he even managed to stay conscious. Even if he did have a Bloodline that made him capable of resisting auras, the sheer accumulated power present should be enough to suppress even that. Also, if he somehow was capable of remaining standing, he should at least kneel out of respect, right?
Perhaps the shock of seeing him just stand there for several seconds was why no one spoke up. After nearly five seconds, Jake raised a hand and scratched the back of his head as he looked perplexed.
“Did I pick the wrong prompt? Wait, I’m not intruding on some super secret meeting or something, right?”
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Yeah… Jake was genuinely unsure if he had picked the wrong prompt. Did the system bug out or something, allowing him to arrive in a room full of gods? Well, based on the slight smirk on the dragonkin god’s face, who he recognized as the person who had been observing him all throughout his time in Nevermore – meaning he was probably the Wyrmgod – Jake chose to bet on this happening, being entirely purposeful.
As for what purpose? Hell if he knew, he just picked the [redacted] options as it seemed interesting, and he got the feeling that selecting it wouldn’t be a bad thing. What his instincts hadn’t warned him about was how awkward it would be to suddenly have so many people staring at him at once… but hey, he saw some familiar faces in the crowd, too.
Villy, Nature’s Attendant, and Minaga were all people he had met before, while he had kind of met Valdemar and Artemis through his vision using Path of the Heretic-Chosen and, of course, during the Colosseum of Mortals. Artemis naturally being the one he had gotten to know the best during their time in the Colosseum, and based on the odd look she gave him, Jake would put his money on her being fully aware of what her image had done and said.
Anyway, Jake’s spontaneous question hung in the air for a few seconds as no one quite seemed to know what to answer. After a bit, the silence was finally broken as a huge laugh echoed through the room. A very familiar laugh Jake had heard within the arena many times both before, during, and after their fights.
Before Jake could react, a figure appeared beside him and threw his arm over Jake’s shoulder, though it definitely looked awkward with Valdemar, who was way taller than Jake.
“A secret meeting you’re now invited to!” Valdemar yelled as he threw intrigued looks at Jake, almost expecting some kind of response.
“Okay?” Jake just asked, looking at the bearded god as he felt the arm resting on his shoulders, entirely unsure what to do or say. It felt like a mountain was slightly touching him, and at any moment, it could fall down and flatten him into a pancake. But he didn’t really feel any fear as he didn’t feel any intent to kill from the Primordial.
“You’re really okay, huh?” Valdemar muttered, his voice a mix between surprised and happy. “Good! Good! You really are an interesting one! I would have been very disappointed if the one who managed to beat my image turned into a babbling mess just by meeting the real thing!”
“Well, glad to not disappoint, I guess,” Jake muttered, as his mind was preoccupied with considering a lot of other things. He felt the many gods within the room observing him carefully, trying to gauge different things. He felt the barrage of presences wash over him at all times, nobody intentionally trying to suppress him, but all of them nevertheless bearing down on him. It was the natural suppression of grades, and while Jake felt it, he didn’t really “feel” it. He was just aware of it.
What he also felt from all their auras was the surprise when Valdemar said Jake had beaten his image. Nobody said anything, though. Many seemed to now also realize why Valdemar was there, including Jake himself, of course.
“Oh, and thanks for the fight, though I guess it wasn’t actually you,” Jake continued with a heartfelt smile and nod. “It was fun.”
Valdemar’s eyes opened wide for a second as he smiled even wider and began laughing out loud. He continued for a few seconds before he stopped and leaned down. “You do know I want a rematch, right?”
The words were clearly a joke, but Jake smiled and met Valdemar’s eyes. “Maybe later. I should at least become a god first, or it wouldn’t really be any fun, now would it?”
“No, no, it wouldn’t,” Valdemar answered as he nodded, clearly happy with the response. He then turned his gaze toward the Malefic Viper as he raised his voice. “Hey, Vilas. You found yourself quite a nice Chosen, eh?”
“I am not one to complain, though I do raise an issue with you being all buddy-buddy with him. How about you let off a bit and show some basic decorum? As you said, that’s my Chosen, not yours,” the Viper answered in a calm tone. Jake felt the slightly insidious undertone and couldn’t help but notice how he sounded slightly different from usual. More… malefic?
“You’re right; he is your Chosen,” Valdemar said as he let go of Jake and took a step back before throwing the Viper a slightly taunting smile. “A bit odd, isn’t it? That you have a human as your Chosen?”
“I do not remember there being any rules about the races gods can have as Chosen,” the Malefic Viper responded, his tone still calm but with that odd undertone more underlined than before.
“It’s still a bit of a shame, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be better if we both stuck to the usual customs?” Valdemar asked loudly.
The Viper’s smile had disappeared by now, and Valdemar continued as he turned to Jake again. “I know you became that damn snake’s Chosen early on your Path, but wouldn’t it be better to stick with a faction that better represents us as humans?”
Jake was momentarily taken aback, as he assumed Valdemar was doing this invitation as part of some kind of scheme with the Viper and wasn’t seriou-
“I’m not really joking... while you are his Chosen, you would also find a home in Valhal if you so desired,”Valdemar casually sent Jake telepathically, throwing him for a loop.
… yeah, alight, Jake should probably just reject him publicly right away and-
“Don’t reject his proposal immediately, but leave your answer ambiguous. Make it look like you are really considering the offer,” Villy sent telepathically.
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Yeah, alright, things were really a mess already, and Jake was seriously reconsidering his decision to go to [Redacted] without properly considering what that could lead to. He felt the many gazes of the gods upon him, many of them filled with interest as the two Primordials were openly arguing with so many gods as witnesses. Again, it was a bloody mess.
What’s more, Jake hadn’t even gotten to Eversmile, who was hiding in the back, dressed up as some beastfolk god.