Zogarth
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Chapter 1182 - Seeker
🕑 Added 2025-07-18 11:04:56 +0000 UTCJake had spoken about the Malefic Viper finding the Shimmershroud Planeswarper a god to bless him partly in jest, but Vilastromoz had taken it seriously. Primarily because he wanted to, mind you.
Introducing talented youth to other gods was a good way to sow positive karma, and it demanded little to no investment from the Viper’s side. All he had to do was share a bit of his knowledge, and it would be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Finding talented people to bless could truthfully be a challenge, especially those worthy of a Divine Blessing. Sure, there were always some, but for the gods at the pinnacle, they could nearly always have more, even at a time like this where a new universe had been initiated and the average level of mortals had significantly increased.
What’s more, the Viper had a good track record, and the people he introduced weren’t just worthwhile geniuses but tended to be truly good investments.
Stormild and Aeon had both expressed they were extremely satisfied with the performances of the Sylphian Hawk and swordsman alike, and it wouldn’t surprise Vilastromoz if both of them were on the list for Chosen candidates. In other words, two of the two individuals Vilastromoz had introduced to Primordials had surpassed the level of merely being qualified for their Divine Blessings.
Now, admittedly, the Cosmic Genesis Worm was a bit more, let’s say, complicated. Snappy had expressed a surprising amount of frustration with his new Chosen, yet he didn’t outright state he was dissatisfied. The worm was a ridiculously talented monster for sure, and Snappy would certainly end up turning a profit with his investment, but the worm definitely inflicted a fair amount of stress and frustration.
Vilastromoz didn’t necessarily see this as a bad thing, though. It was good for Snappy to be forced out of his comfort zone by having a Chosen that outright ignored anything their Patron asked of them, while only getting in contact to demand more food.
This Shimmershroud Planeswarper was quite similar to the cosmic worm in how their Paths worked, though with some distinct differences. The worm had a Path that revolved around consumption and even had the ability to create internal worlds where more food could be cultivated within.
Meanwhile, the Planeswarper didn’t even seem to consume most of the natural treasures it acquired. Instead, it was a hoarder that gained power based on the value of the gained goods through a unique ritual to that particular Lineage of monsters.
Due to his lack of insight about the newly evolved B-grade, Vilastromoz didn’t outright want to recommend that any gods blessed it, but he would certainly point one or two in the Planeswarper’s direction for them to observe and judge themselves.
As for who would be a good match for the Planeswarper, now that was a bit more complicated.
Right off the bat, not a single Primordial came to mind. None of them seemed compatible with the B-grade’s Path, and when he considered who would be most similar, it was surprisingly the Holy Mother who came to mind.
She was the one with the least combat-focused Path of all the Primordials and was also a hoarder at heart. True, rather than hoard items and natural treasures, she hoarded Truesouls in the form of believers, which wasn’t the most comparable, but it was the closest.
Someone like the Wyrmgod wasn’t even worth considering. Sure, both of them were good at teleporting, but that was about where their similarities disappeared. The Wyrmgod was a master of space magic, something the Planeswarper hadn’t even proven itself capable of, and he was also as much about creating dungeons and whatnot as he was purely about his specialized school of magic.
Looking outside of the Primordials, one figure did come to mind instant. It was someone else who walked a Path where he loved collecting a massive hoard of valuables and was even a decently powerful god. It was another dragon, more specifically, Aurustromoz, the Dragon of Gold. Leader of the Regalflight and the most powerful dragon amongst all the Dragonflights.
Minor snag with that one... dude was kind of racist when it came to giving Blessings. He’d only ever blessed dragons, and he borderline only blessed those from his own clan, so sadly, he wasn’t a serious consideration.
Perhaps a merchant god could also be considered. The Golden Road Emporium, the most powerful merchant faction in the multiverse, did have some decently powerful gods among them, including their leader, Midas. Midas himself wasn’t a good option, though, but some of the other gods working for him could be an option. Especially those in the “acquisition and repossession department.”
There were a lot of powerful gods focused on thievery there, some of whom could be candidates. The problem with these was that the Viper didn’t care to get closer to them and forge a better relationship. They weren’t powerful enough to ever steal from anyone Vilastromoz would want anything from, and besides, why would he ever need to hire a thief?
Trying to subtly steal from the dead just seemed pointless.
Besides, why would the Viper ever need those not at the apex of their Path? Because there was one being far better at acquiring whatever one desired than any other. A god who was always at the forefront of any exploratory team and was a master at breaking into anywhere and everywhere, all to fulfill his insatiable demand to collect things he deemed valuable. Be it knowledge, weapons, natural treasures... even entire worlds and people weren’t beyond the scope of his greed. What’s more, the harder anything was to get, the more tempted he was to try. A god always seeking something, thus his name:
The Seeker.
Perhaps best known for being the creator of Jake’s beloved Puzzle Box – the creation of which was one of the god’s hobbies, as he loved sharing the experience of spending a long time trying to break into something. In the words of the Seeker, nothing was ever unreachable; it was just a yet-unsolved puzzle of how to get there.
Unless it demanded too much combat, that is, because the Seeker was quite honestly a weakling. Oh, sure, his level was high, and many compared him to figures like Umbra, the Autarch of the Altmar Empire, Gwyndyr, the Eternal Servant, and other gods that were not Primordials but still at the pinnacle. However, that didn’t mean he knew how to fight.
The Seeker was a thief, a safecracker, an explorer, a scholar, a hoarder, an adventurer-for-hire, a cartographer, and many other things, but a warrior was not one of them. Even when facing far weaker individuals that he should, by all rights, be capable of easily killing, he would just run away. In his view, fighting was a waste of time and effort, and his energy was better spent doing something more productive.
He’s certainly the best candidate, Vilastromoz thought to himself. Moreover, he was someone it was good to get closer to. Even if the Viper didn’t need anything from him here and now, just having a way to get in contact would be valuable, and if he ever did need a fellow god to explore some newly discovered unknown area, there was no better option.
The more he thought about it, the more sure Vilastromoz was that the Seeker would also appreciate the Shimmershroud Planeswarper. The two did walk very similar Paths, but perhaps more importantly, the newly evolved B-grade was a unique creature. That in itself was enough to pique the Seeker’s curiosity, as he had been known to collect and bless interesting and unique creatures in the past.
Ah, but one thing the Viper would have to clarify to Jake was that when the Seeker “collected” a living creature, that didn’t mean he entrapped them or hid them away. No, he merely farmed karmic relationships with them one way or another and observed them, sometimes even stepping in to provide assistance if he believed that would allow them to successfully evolve.
Not out of kindness, mind you. The Seeker did it purely for selfish reasons. Like a flower that needed care, he wanted to make sure the environment for those he collected would allow the most growth and would lead them to live the longest time possible, as when a living being died, he would lose something he’d collected. So he allowed them to be free and hoped they would perhaps even reach godhood to live forever. A long time ago, he had tried to capture them and create “safe” habitats, but he learned that Interesting creatures tended to die quicker when kept in captivity. Especially the more free-spirited ones.
Having decided on whom he wanted to introduce the Shimmershroud Planeswarper to, Vilastromoz only had one more important thing to do. Something that likely wouldn’t be very easy:
Actually contacting the Seeker. Someone who was a mostly solitary god who traveled all the time and loved going to hidden realms all across the multiverse. Oh yeah, he also happened to have some of the best stealth skills in the multiverse, so if he wanted to stay hidden, he would be an absolute pain to find, if it was even possible.
Being put to work by my Chosen once more... what has the world come to, Vilastromoz chuckled to himself. He couldn’t complain too much, and he did feel like he somewhat owed the Planeswarper.
Because the Viper had been more than satisfied with the rewards he’d reaped from the ritual, Invocation having proved itself a worthwhile boon for both Chosen and Patron alike.
--
“Good news,” Jake said with a smile as he looked at the Planeswarper busily cleaning up the cavern he had evolved in just a few hours prior. “I spoke to the Malefic Viper, and he said he’s on the lookout for a really compatible Patron. So probably don’t accept any Blessings from weird gods until he pulls through, alright?”
“Okay!” Jasper yelled back while he continued putting the items away from the loot piles that had been fully drained during the ritual. From what Jake understood, the little guy wanted to keep them for sentimental reasons. So, yeah, definitely a hoarder as it was all trash now, but Jasper still carefully sorted everything and stored it away.
“Who did the Malefic One consider?” Artemis, who was upstairs in the living room while still listening in, asked.
“The Seeker,” Jake answered, seeing no need to keep it a secret from her. He didn’t want to tell Jasper yet, though. In case nothing came of it, Jake would feel bad if the little guy had gotten his hopes up. While the B-grade wasn’t super knowledgeable about multiversal factions and whatnot quite yet, Artemis had already expressed an interest in giving him a crash course while Jake remained at the Order.
Jasper had already expressed interest in leaving with Jake.
“The Malefic One is planning on reaching out to the Seeker?” Artemis asked with surprise. “I cannot say it doesn’t make sense, but the Seeker is... a unique figure.”
“He can’t be bad, though,” Jake argued. He simply refused to acknowledge that the creator of his beloved Puzzle Box sucked, because how could someone who made something that cool possibly not be at least a little awesome?
“I never said he was bad, and I have even met him a few times,” Artemis said, surprising Jake a little.
“Where? At some divine parties or something?” Jake asked curiously.
“One time at Nevermore, once here on the Great Planet, and twice inside of hidden realms,” Artemis answered. “He’s an interesting sort, for sure. I’ve never had any bad interactions with him, but neither would I call them positive. Not a bad choice, assuming he decides to give his Blessing. Oh, and that the Malefic One can get in contact with him in the first place.”
“You know what? I’m just going to trust the Viper with this one,” Jake said, deciding not to put the cart before the horse. There were several scenarios where this Seeker guy would end up never giving a Blessing to Jasper, so he would bother learning more about the god when he had to.
For now, Jake was back to doing his regular schedule of alchemy, meditation, and, due to the recent mention of the Seeker, playing with the Puzzle Box and solving a few of its levels.
With the ritual involving Jasper complete, Jake began to have very little reason to stick around in the Pantheon of Life. He’d done everything he could do only while there. Also, he found it pretty funny that, despite being the official leader of the mortal delegation of the Order of the Malefic Viper, Jake had not been asked a single time to attend anything political whatsoever.
Still, he would stay a little longer. Dina and the Sword Saint were still somewhere doing stuff, and he hadn’t heard from Sylphie recently, but could feel she was still chilling with those Sylphs at the giant space-unraveling tornado, so she was probably having fun.
Jasper also needed his lessons about the multiverse from Artemis before he wanted to leave. Finally, Jake kind of just wanted to spend some more time with Artemis as he knew that once he returned to the Order, she wouldn’t be around as much as before. Hopefully, the two of them could even get in one more archery lesson before it was time for him to go.
Because... well... he kind of still hadn’t managed to upgrade his archery skill yet.
--
Parameters were set. Payloads deployed. Satellites all synced and in position.
A thick cloud of magical smoke covered the entire far side of the moon, blocking it from all sunlight. This had resulted in the Lunewood forest looking far less lush than before, and many of the monsters below had entered a hibernation state to conserve energy.
Sitting on Earth, within the workshop he would hopefully soon replace with the one on the moon, he analysed the final data and made some last-moment calculations to try to predict the outcome of the attack and spot any faults he’d failed to consider. According to Oras, such calculative measures, where one attempted to gather as much data as possible to create a predictive model outlining the most likely future, were considered a method of divination.
Arnold just called it math.
He was not the type of person who would ever do something unless he felt extremely confident he would succeed. Taking unnecessary risks by not being cautious could lead to loss of life and resources, which, before the system, had been a major legal liability, but was now simply a waste of time and resources, as Arnold was fully responsible for his own funding.
Finishing his calculations, Arnold checked in with the most unpredictable variable in the operation.
“Confirming readiness,” Arnold sent to the Cosmic Genesis Worm.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve eaten all your metal men and I’m totally ready! Let’s blow up that damn moon!” Sandy responded enthusiastically.
“We’re not blowing up the moon,” Arnold quickly corrected the worm for the two-hundredth and thirty-ninth time. “Move on my command to invade the core room and deploy the golems.”
“Yeppers!” Sandy agreed, using a word that Arnold didn’t believe existed in any credible dictionary, despite its meaning being clear.
“Good, then let us begin. Commencing Operation: Moonfall in three... two...”
“Let’s blow the damn thing to smithereens!” Sandy yelled in excitement.
“One.”
With the final word communicated, Arnold gave the command, putting into motion nearly a hundred thousand drones at once.
<AUTHOR NOTE>
And thus, we go on yearly break once more. Now, I will make a slight correction to my last post on the matter, as I kind of realized, upon others pointing it out, that I committed myself to posting three days in the middle of my little vacation, which honestly would just be damn weird.
With that in mind, I’ll be taking off from today, with the next chapter coming on the 15th of September. So, a nice little three-week break, which is still less than the full month I usually take once a year.
I hope you all have a nice few weeks. I know I’ll try to while giving myself some time to mentally disconnect and just relax, hopefully returning all invigorated. One thing is for sure: lots of Dota will be watched and Skyrim played. I’ll even go to a vacation home a little!
Farewell for now, and as always, thanks for reading.
<AUTHOR NOTE OVER>
Comments
Alexander C Hyde
Looking outside of the Primordials, one figure did come to mind instant(ly).
Rachel Clements
TYFTC! Enjoy your holiday:)
Chloe
Tyftc
Phallusar
I like coming back and re-reading this chapter just because I like the Villy perspective on the gods. And that Sandy frustrates Snappy by not listening to him.
Meir Banon
Tftc
Jordan Rogers
Minions!!!! Tonight we steal the mooon!!!!!!!
Cameron Taylor
I wonder if the seeker even puts something in there. He might get notified when they reach the second last level, break in and hide something appropriate at the time. Breaking in to whatever hidden planes the recipient is doing the puzzle in, using the gift as an anchor, sounds like a fun challenge for the Seeker.
Cameron Taylor
Probably not the ones worth accepting a blessing from. Jasper doesnt need a god who can't even find stuff!
Devillelouch
Does anyone have lore on Autemius? Atlas is a known modern god. The others on that list are all known.
beeve
What level of the item box is Jake on? Any ideas on what is inside?
Yahyo Malikov
She dieded
Korrasis
Random thought. Whatever happened to dr Kim? Williams therapist?
Trumangolorian
If you find out how let me know, as far as i know you cant.
brjenness
I bet zog did that on purpose.
NovaZero
Arnold should totally mess with Sandy by not blowing up the moon at all. And then deciding he needed a new command centre and to make it by blowing up the moon.
kandiana
Shouldn't the part *Artemis had already expressed an interest in giving him a crash course while Jake remained at the Order.* be about Jake remaining at the PoL? Since Jasper wants to leave with Jake
Tommy
Hey guy! Does anyone know how I can get my Patreon chapters downloaded. So I can read later when I don’t have a connection
Gardor
"value of the gained goods through a unique ritual to that particular Lineage of monsters."-> ritual unique to
TNT
Zog is mean, He might completely blue ball us until Tuesday, pivot to a Miranda or Sword Saint POV instead of following up on operation Moonfall.
Darshar Griffonmane
Moonfall on Monday! Because nothing of significance will occur with Arnold controlling the moon. As for Jake, other than working on his archery *snicker*, I assume his next task is to start the prep for the True Dragon Hunt, or he might finally tackle his broken skill before that. tyftc!
Michael Murphy
"one figure did come to mind instant." instant should be instantly
Georgia Guy-Williams
Has anyone thought that maybe jasper will escape the notice of those that will /could bless him with shroud?
MrEM4N
The image of Jasper picking up a rock and fondly caressing it as one of his precious treasures is just too dang cute. Zogarths hidden talent is creating beloved characters with endearing personalities.
Cees Tollenaar
Suggested edits: "through a unique ritual to that particular Lineage of monsters." -> "through a ritual unique to" - makes more sense in this context with the one on the moon -> the one on the moon suggests there already is an existing base? Removing the word "the" to: "with one on the moon" fixes this
Georgia Guy-Williams
Reading above that would probably make the seeker want to bless him more
Jose Reyna
TFTC!!!!!
Ty Cooper
I was wondering that also.
micah Hogan
You must be thinking of coffee.
Ian
I completely forgot there was a God called the Seeker who was responsible for the puzzle box! I suspect the only way it would have been reasonably guessed or sussed out is if someone caught up to current yesterday finishing up an insane binge
The Dregs
That killed me
SereneHush
Would be funny if the Seeker tries to communicate with Jasper to give him a blessing, only to get rejected as one of the 'weird gods'. All the while Vilas is still trying to contact him.
JJB4345_80_815
Yeppers, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Rick Lehmann
smithereens!
Clint
Mooncliff!
Daniel Golding
I can't wait until they blow up the moon.
Corvid
Tom is Tom, duh
Alex Webb
Through a ritual, unique to that particular Lineage of monsters.
TimeDrawsNigh
TFTC!
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Namorat
Looking outside of the Primordials, one figure did come to mind instant. - instantly?
Xien
Sandy is a riot!!!! He hears what he wants always… anything else is drivel or delusion. Soooo anyone know who Tom is yet?
BucFanJKE
okay Deidara
Carl Never
Conquer that big wind!!
Sushi
Art is an explosion!
Beemoss
Tftc
Lemonsqueezy
I honestly forgot about the Seeker.
Lemonsqueezy
I am most curious about what the puzzle box holds.
Lemonsqueezy
They don't need to breathe anymore. Their bodies are almost pure energy at this point, living in space won't be an issue.
Azazel
Definitely a Bond film 😆
Lemonsqueezy
TYFTC. Ending the week in your usual way, but this time with a double cliffhanger.
Lemonsqueezy
It will be on MOONday.
Lemonsqueezy
I honestly don't see them getting along because they would both want the treasures they find, and Jasper has the ability to sneak pretty much anywhere undetected and steal it. He could probably even teleport into Sandy's realms and take treasures from the worm.
Carl Never
Whats with the text's
Sylphie
REE!!
Carl Never
She has asked about blowing up the moon 200 times sense friday lol
Fdrugc
Tftc
Carl Never
No one guessed the blessing at all. And he was even mentioned before. The seeker makes alot of sense. And i would find it hilarious if the baby talking cat could be a cartograoher
Jordan Rogers
Edit: Sitting on Earth, within the workshop he would hopefully soon replace with the one on the moon, he “(analysed)should be (analyzed)”the final data Never mind: difference between British standard and American standard, stupid Brit’s kept taxing tea and now the whole language is extra screwed up…seriously who came up with taxing nasty brown water anyways 🤷🏻♂️
Kt-x
Woohoo!! 🙌
DDHG
“This summer, hot to the theaters. We have a buddy cop film you’ve never seen before. Coming soon Worm and scientist. That’s right you hold me, worm and scientist in operation Moon Fall. Can this two even get along? One is a pinnacle genius at the top of his craft and the other is a nerd who builds tasty drones and provides snacks. So what happens when Worm and scientists work together to kill a ghost moon?? Find out next season in the straight from book to movie event of the summer”
Alex Lane
I wonder if Jasper can teleport to the Sandy Plane or even the stomache spaces.
Silver
BUST THE MOON!
Sarianne
Have a nice weekend everyone and see you on moonday 😂
Phil Ritter
It seems like Sandy and Jasper won’t be friends after all. Jasper will have to do his best just to keep Sandy from eating all his shit. Stealing together tho might be still an option even tho I’m not sure Jasper would even need any of the help Sandy can offer
Sayjinlord
Thanks for the chapter
Bobo
Great!!! Edit: Jake had spoken about the Malefic Viper finding (*a blessing for*) the Shimmershroud Planeswarper
Childish Jordino
I got a good laugh out loud moment at Sandy ignoring the words of Snappy and only showing up to demand food
J W
Hoarders only. They dont sneak or thief
Xander
TFTC :) Have a great weekend all and Monday? THE MOON!! Suggested edits: "two of the two " should either be "all of the..." or ""two out of two of the" " a *unique ritual* to that " should be "ritual unique" "for him could be *an option*. " repetitive from earlier. I suggest ditching the last two words. "No, he merely *farmed* karmic" think this should be "formed" "he could *do only* while there. " should be "only do" " two-hundred*th* and thirty-ninth time." extra "th"
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
SinCinnamon
That is gold!!!
Xarroworth
Dam, arnold is starting the dronecopalypse
SinCinnamon
He is annoyed. It’s just not a relevant data point.
Rewdan
Thanks Zogarth for such a dastardly cliffhanger. Operation Moonfall, will Sandy get what he wants or will Arnold? Will the moon monster get to eat Sandy again? So many permutations my mind is not gonna rest over the weekend, thanks.
Rewdan
🤔 Operation Moonfall wasn’t that a Nintendo?
Rewdan
😂😂😂😂😂 Sandy only tuning up to demand food and not listening , just like a teenager
John Durrett
tyftc. Seek! and Ye Shall Find!
John Durrett
They've been training at Walmart's Annual Black Friday sales for generations. ;)
Bartlomiej Głowacki
Arnold flexing on all seers and augurs, its not divination its simple math.
Gareth Morgan
We're finally blowing up the moon
Damascus
I'm sad the sword saints vampire friends at the order weren't considered. They are hoarders after all.
Daniel Gesualdi
So Sandy and Arnold make a surprisingly good buddy cop duo. If for no other reason than Arnold not caring enough to actually get annoyed with Sandy.
atome 4 000
TFTtext
Matthias
Tftc
KatHabit
I wondered how you would leave us on a cliff hanger. Awesome chapter!
Jennifer Leigh
Thanks for all the views and keeping us in the loop with Arnold. Hopefully no one's forgetting something important (like living space).
CinnamonHawk263
He was the one who made Jakes puzzle box but that’s about all we know.
Phoenixdrop
Okay so not really surprised the people of the multiverse consider a predictive simulation a form of divination but yeah it’s basically just math really but it would be really fun if Arnold ended up with a divination skill simply because he uses such complex predictive simulations before all of his experiments but yeah anyway can’t wait to have Jake finally pull off that meditation upgrade maybe get that prodigy title for the rarity between mythical and divine
Devillelouch
Damn we could have guessed the seeker. Always go through the full list before going to unkown. Tyftc
Jared Bell
Tftc
Violet
Agreed, gave me a chuckle lol, cause of course a dragon would be racist
Violet
Has the seeker been mentioned before or is this the first time? Tftc!!
kandiana
That cube probably won't be finished till Jake is S grade
Mohamed Elshazly
They are not blowing up the moon
Tom C
The contrast between Sandy and Arnold couldn’t be clearer and yet they are working together which is classic setup for comedy! 😂😅 TFTC
Jesper Hansen
hmm, maybe jake will be the one to contact the seeker by finishing his cube, noticing a presence observing him afterwards and speaking out loud to catch his attention?
NinjaDad
Great chapter to end the week. Thanks Zog!
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
Levi
Damn I hope Arnold accidentally blows up the moon. Or maybe Jake will just console Sandy at their next reunion and say something like "I definitely would have blown up the moon, buddy. Probably would've poisoned it first too"
Talmadge Hires
Let’s blow up the moon!!
TKOva
TEXT
IntenseSushi
Tftc
Grant Anderson
TFTC
joel southard
Thank you for the chapter
Alex
Looking outside of the Primordials, one figure did come to mind instant. (Instantly/in an instant)
JLee
Tftc
Unwillingmainer
Oh, we might get to meet the Seeker soon. He's bound to be an interesting guy. And we will be getting the moon blown up soon as well.
John Burton
Tyftc Edit: Looking outside of the Primordials, one figure did come to mind (instantly)
TyranT-Rex
"dude was kind of racist when it came to giving Blessings" idk why this made me laugh so much. Loved the chapter!
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter!
BlackBolt7129
How are yall so fast 😂
Frank Zander
Text tyftc
Tilen Praprotnik
Text. Thanks for the chapter
sinewyk
I think there's a messed up part in front. A missing "a god", or "a blessing" before "partly in jest"
Samuel Nelson
Fuck, fourth...
Little Silly
Gotta love Patreon updates
Dayton Field
Text
Hayden Leech
Text
Exaiter
Text lol
Death Dealer
TFTC
