The Primal Hunter

Chapter 1093: Divine Gift Exchange

Yggdrasil dispelled the many leaves again after a few seconds of giving Jake time to be in awe. He had a lot of questions, and he couldn’t hold back but at least ask some of them.

“This space is bigger than it looks from the outside, right?” Jake asked. Sure, Yggdrasil was already massive from the outside, but he still didn’t believe this many leaf continents – something he’d just decided now to call them - could fit inside.

“My realm is expanded, yes,” Yggdrasil answered. “And should one pass the boundary through force, they shall not find themselves in the multiverse outside but the void between universes.”

“Does that mean this space technically exists within the void?” Jake asked curiously.

“In some sense, all of existence lies within the void,” Yggdrasil said, not seeming in a mood to elaborate further on that point.

“You know, it’s quite rare we have guests within here,” Nature’s Attendant jumped into the conversation as he entirely changed the topic. “Will you allow me to be straightforward with you for a moment?”

Jake assumed it was a rhetorical question at first, but the god was looking at Jake as if he genuinely wanted an answer, making Jake nod in response.

“Thank you,” Nature’s Attendant began with a smile. “Seeing as this world is also Yggdrasil’s Divine Realm, visiting gods want to avoid it at all cost. As you no doubt know, a god is far more powerful within their own realm, and Yggdrasil is no different. Even other Primordials would find themselves threatened within here, and while they could perhaps escape, it wouldn’t be without paying a large price. Hence, they prefer to meet on neutral ground or would only ever send a weak avatar.”

All of this was something Jake could have easily guessed as he nodded along, still unsure what the god was getting at.

“Meanwhile, weaker gods who are willing to go here often cannot handle the pressure,” the god continued. “I asked you before if you felt it, yet you didn’t even point out the difference in aura displayed by Yggdrasil before and after we entered her realm. Why didn’t you?”

“I thought it was evident,” Jake shrugged. “As you said, gods are way more powerful in their own Divine Realms, and I did mention that this entire place obviously belongs to the Mother Tree. I guess the natives can handle the energy, but with a direct manifestation of the god who owns the realm, I can see even gods having a tough time.”

“You are entirely correct; it is indeed hard for them to handle, which is why we cannot have guests here for that exact reason. It wouldn’t be polite to invite them here knowing just what kind of pressure they would be put under, now would it?”

Jake was about to answer the question only for Nature’s Attendant to continue speaking as that one had apparently been rhetorical.

“Yet here you are. Unaffected and uninfluenced. Ah, yes, that is another thing I noticed with you... your lack of reverence is unnatural. Tell me, when you look at Yggdrasil, what do you see?” Nature Attendant asked.

“A powerful Primordial,” Jake said, remaining confused about what the god was fishing for. “If you’re talking looks, well, an impressively large tree...”

Nature’s Attendant chuckled as even Yggdrasil smiled. “And that’s exactly it. You have a resistance to auras, but it’s intrinsically tied to a resistance toward the base instinct of recognizing a superior creature. What’s more, I’m unsure if this is actually an effect of your Bloodline or merely a side effect of it. If it’s not, it would be difficult to explain what has happened to Dina.”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked with a frown. He wasn’t sure he liked this current line of questioning and wondered if playing ignorant could get him out of it. Probably not, but either way, he was interested in what had happened with Dina.

“Her aura resistance has grown to a level where it even surpasses some gods,” Nature Attendant said, a hint of pride in his voice. “What’s more, from conversations with her, I can see that her thoughts regarding gods have changed. No longer does she have the same instinctive desire to worship as she did before Nevermore. Because we’re family, she could already handle being around me, at least for the most part, but being near Yggdrasil for extended periods would have been impossible for her. Yet just a month ago, Dina spent an entire week being personally tutored by her here on this very leaf in the forest below. Did she still feel the aura of Yggdrasil, and did it still pressure her somewhat? For sure, but she could handle it.”

Jake simply nodded, having decided that ignorance wasn’t gonna fly. Instead, he went with the exact opposite. “Happy to hear that. We did spend a few decades in a party so it isn’t exactly surprising that happened. Seems to be what commonly happens to those I spend a lot of time around.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Nature’s Attendant smiled. “She also opened up a lot more after coming back, which brings me to the reason why I summoned you here in the first place. I promised you a reward for helping her with Nevermore, and you certainly exceeded all expectations in that regard. Her progress was extraordinary. But perhaps more important to be me as her grandfather, you helped her develop as a person. For that, you have my genuine gratitude.”

“So, full transparency, I’m pretty sure the Sword Saint is responsible for that far more so than me,” Jake confessed.

“Oh, I’m fully aware, and he shall also be rewarded,” Nature’s Attendant chuckled. “But you are still the reason why she went with him. Even if Dina has admittedly spoken a lot more about both him and Sylphie than you.”

“Not exactly surprising,” Jake shook his head. Dina and the Sword Saint had gotten along a lot better than Jake and Dina, and as for Sylphie, well, everyone liked Sylphie. Well, except for those she went full murder-bird on, but that was more often than not their own fault. Shouldn’t have owned something tasty Sylphie wanted to snack on.

He did wonder, though. “This may seem rude... but why all the questions regarding my Bloodline? About me? I’ve had a hard time figuring out what you two are trying to discover.”

Perhaps he was being a bit too blunt just asking them outright, but Jake had never been good at subtlety outside of using his stealth skills.

“What makes you think we are aiming to discover anything?” Yggdrasil asked.

“See, there it is again,” Jake pointed out. “You answer with another question rather than, you know, actually answer. You’re clearly not asking for fun, and I have a hard time seeing why the two of you would care for my opinion on your Divine Realm.”

“Yet that is exactly why we ask,” Yggdrasil finally gave a straight answer. “Your perspective holds value you do not quite comprehend. You are a mortal who does not experience the suppression of divinity. A man guided by instinct over logic and a type of creature that has never stepped foot within this realm before. This uniqueness makes you intriguing and a curiosity to those who rarely experience the novelty of interacting with anything genuinely new.”

“I’m not quite sure how to take that,” Jake mumbled. Luckily, Nature’s Attendant stepped in quickly.

“Just be aware we have no ill intentions. We invited you here, after all. We do not demand anything from you, and if you are uncomfortable with our prying, we will gladly stop. I didn’t bring you here for an interrogation but to reward you, after all,” the old god spoke with a comforting smile.

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“Oh, that reminds me,” Jake suddenly remembered. “The Viper had me bring two personal gifts personally from him for the two of you. I would love to tell you what it is, but I genuinely can’t tell.”

“Are these gifts in your current spatial storage?” Nature’s Attendant asked with concern.

“Yeah?” Jake confirmed, unsure what the caution was all about.

After his positive repose, Yggdrasil responded by summoning a powerful barrier that covered the entire mountain they were on. Jake also vaguely felt something else change, and when he used a few Pulses in quick succession, he noticed that nothing outside the barrier was moving, as if time had stopped.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why Yggdrasil had done that.

“Now that is a little hurtful, isn’t it?” Jake asked jokingly.

“Seeing as I’m unaware of this gift’s nature, I prefer caution. A powerful unknown poison or perhaps even a plague could cause a lot of unwanted damage that I would much prefer to do without,” Yggdrasil answered, not a hint of jest in her voice.

Jake glanced at Nature’s Attendant, who had the same serious expression, and Jake couldn’t help but mutter out loud. “Has he seriously done something like that in the past?”

The two gods in front of him didn’t answer as Jake shook his head. Man, Villy, you really have been an asshole at times, huh?

“Look, I don’t think it’s anything bad, but sure, do be cautious,” Jake said, as he didn’t see any reason to keep them all in suspense anymore. Waving his hand, the two flasks appeared, with the gods staring cautiously at them for a moment. However, quickly, they realized that Jake hadn’t been carrying some plague in a bottle as both motioned for the flasks to fly over to each of them respectively.

“You said you aren’t sure what it is?” Nature’s Attendant asked. “These are some pretty hefty seals...”

“From what the Viper told me, he brought out some of his good stuff,” Jake tried to assure the two of them.

Yggdrasil was the first to remove the seal on her flask, and the moment she did, her demeanor changed. Nature’s Attendant noticed her change and also unsealed his own flask, doing a worse job at hiding his surprise than the Primordial.

“This is... hm,” he said with a frown.

“Is there a problem?” Jake asked, now feeling a bit nervous that Villy had just been messing with the three of them. I fucking swear, if he just had me hand over two bottles of tap water or some shit like that, I’m gonna punch him in the nose the next time we meet up.

“A problem? Quite the opposite,” Nature’s Attendant said as he looked at Yggdrasil, who also frowned. “This was very purposeful, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Yggdrasil confirmed.

Jake fell very much in the dark, but once more, Nature’s Attendant came to the rescue. “I cannot share with you exactly what these flasks contain, but I will share with you the intent behind them. This is a statement, nay, a declaration.”

“A declaration of what?” Jake asked, confused.

“That he’s still the best alchemist in the multiverse,” Yggdrasil answered. “Despite the eras, he clearly never stopped honing his craft. No one has seen any creations by him similar to these since the seventh era, making many doubt if he was still as skilled as he used to be. Alchemy has gotten far more complex and powerful as the general power level of the multiverse has grown in tandem with the ever-increasing influx of Records, and no one could be sure if he had kept up. Most of the best alchemists learn through sparring with one another and exchanging knowledge... but then again, that was never something Vilas bothered much with. He always viewed all other alchemists as beneath him. I don’t think he’s ever encountered a single alchemist he even considered worth learning from.”

Well, Jake knew one exception to that statement, but if he only considered now-living alchemists, she was probably right. Even Duskleaf, who was clearly recognized as an alchemist at the absolute top of the multiverse, was excited whenever he could convince Villy to give him pointers.

“Guess I chose a good Patron for my profession,” Jake smiled as he tried to crack a small joke again.

Nature’s Attendant chuckled again and shook his head. “Once more, you seem to not understand how odd that sentence is. As a Chosen, you view your Patron as only the Patron of your alchemical Path.”

“Yeah,” Jake just agreed with a cheeky smile. “Snakes don’t even have hands; what does he know about archery?”

The two of them luckily found Jake’s joking amusing; at least, neither of them said anything negative. Jake also got the vibes that despite talking with him, the two were also having private telepathic discussions, likely regarding the gifts they had just received from the Viper.

Perhaps they even wanted Jake gone so they could properly inspect the items. At least, he got that feeling as they pushed the conversation forward. “Now, we shouldn’t keep Artemis waiting for too long, now should we? You have given us gifts, but we are unsure what you would want in return. I have some ideas in mind, but do you have any requests?”

Finally they were on to that topic, and Jake was happy that Yggdrasil was also present for what he was about to say next.

“You know all the members who were in our Nevermore party, right?” Jake asked.

“Yes, of course,” Nature’s Attendant answered, unsure what Jake was getting at. That was also when Jake realized that they likely didn’t know.

“During the system event... a False God appeared. One who could manipulate and use desolation,” Jake said, the two gods getting serious when Jake said this. “The Fallen King and Sylphie encountered this False God... but the Fallen King didn’t make it.”

“I... didn’t know that,” Nature’s Attendant sighed. “How long ago did it happen, and-“

“The Unique Lifeform is not dead,” Yggdrasil spoke, getting Jake’s attention. “I can still feel his presence within the mask you wear. The energy of life is faint to the level of being near-undetectable, but it’s there.”

“Yeah, I did kind of know that,” Jake nodded. “And that’s related to my request. While I could maybe find a solution myself if given enough time, I don’t want to wait. He’s already missing out enough as is.”

Jake was arrogant, yes. He did truly believe he could find a method himself some day. However, for once, he wasn’t selfish enough to wait. Jake didn’t like asking others for help, and if Yggdrasil and Nature’s Attendant offered to heal Jake’s own injured soul, he would have likely rejected it, but this wasn’t about him. He wasn’t willing to ask for help for himself, but if it was to help someone he considered a friend, he was more than willing.

“I also have this,” Jake added as he summoned a fragment. “This is an item I got after the death of the False God who originally slew the Fallen King.”

[Fragment of the Fallen King (Legendary)] – A single fragment and all that remains of what had once been the Unique Lifeform known as the Fallen King. Records and energy of the Fallen King remain within, granting this fragment incredible durability and the ability to enhance certain soul-related abilities when used as a catalyst. Has many alchemical uses, especially when used in any soul-related creations. WARNING: Unknown energies linger within that may lead to unforeseen effects upon use.

Nature’s Attendant looked at the fragment closely, Yggdrasil did the same before she spoke. “You wish for us to heal this Unique Lifeform?”

“If possible, yes,” Jake nodded.

“That’s not an easy matter,” Nature’s Attendant sighed. “We’re talking about a Unique Lifeform. Their bodies and souls are incredibly complex, and-“

“We accept,” Yggdrasil agreed. “But do consider what else you would want in addition. Usually, it’s true that rebuilding the body and soul of a Unique Lifeform is as difficult, if not more so, than a revival, but this Fallen King has already laid the groundwork. That fragment is a blueprint of his body, and within your mask, his Truesoul lingers.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile as he heard this. “Does that mean that his memories will be intact?”

This was the thing Jake had feared the most. Rebuilding the body of the Fallen King wasn’t what he thought was difficult; it was rebuilding the Unique Lifeform he knew as the Fallen King. If all he did was create an entirely “new” Unique Lifeform, then what even was the point?

“A sealed package of pure soul energy sits within your mask. Tell me, did he transfer something to it shortly before his near-death?” Yggdrasil asked.

Jake thought back before nodding. “Yeah... some energy entered it shortly before he went to try and take down the False God...”

“Likely a copy of his memories,” Yggdrasil said. “Give me your mask and the fragment. Reconstruction will take a while, but I do not believe you are in a rush right now.”

“Alright,” Jake readily agreed as he took off his mask and presented it. Energy gathered around the mask as Yggdrasil seemed to scan it from top to bottom.

“Intriguing indeed...” Yggdrasil spoke again. “Take back the mask for now. You will be called upon when your presence is needed again.”

Jake wasn’t even sure what Yggdrasil had done to the mask, but the fragment was gone, and he could only believe in the Primordial for now.

“Alright,” he nodded solemnly.

“With that, it’s time for you to return to Artemis,” Nature’s Attendant said with a knowing smile. “I believe you two have quite a lot to discuss.”

Before Jake even had time to agree, he was teleported out of the Divine Realm and back into the trunk, where he found himself standing in the wooden chamber with only one other person present, Minaga evidently already gone.

Jake and Artemis momentarily locked eyes once more, and this time, neither broke contact as there was no longer an audience for them to care about.