Zogarth
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Chapter 1066 - An Unfortunate Child
🕑 Added 2025-02-03 12:16:30 +0000 UTCJake still wasn’t entirely sure how to approach Jacob and Bertram, who seemingly just stood there waiting for him, but he knew he wanted answers, one way or another.
Flying over, he landed not far from the two of them, and Bertram didn’t even try to stand in front or be defensive. Not that he needed to, as Jake had no thoughts of attacking, at least not if he wasn’t forced into it.
“So, I’ll need a really good explanation,” Jake said, not much friendliness in his voice.
“And I’ll give one,” the Augur nodded with a sigh. “Nothing that happened here played out the way I would have preferred it to, and I can’t even say the outcome was unpredictable.”
“I would say quite a few unpredictable things happened,” Jake said. “Such as, oh, I don’t know, the sudden reappearance of a False God?”
“Yes... everything related to the Desolate Child of Loss is just tragic,” the Augur said with regret in his voice. “I was drawn to him when he barely survived the clash with the Unique Lifeform and-“
“Fallen King,” Jake cut the Augur off. “Someone who died protecting the rest of us from that living calamity. A living calamity you apparently decided to scoop up and help by not only healing it but even making it stronger. So, let’s start there. Why the fuck was the Desolate Child of Loss in your possession?”
“Alright, but as I said, it isn’t simple, and there are two primary reasons. First of all, I was told to try and make the Desolate Child of Loss into an ally. You weren’t the first one who became aware of the creature. The Holy Church had sacrificed people before to know more about what they were dealing with and ultimately decided they wanted to try and use the False God if possible. But to be clear, they don’t view the Desolate Child of Loss as an actual creature but just a tool,” Jacob began. “That leads to my second reason. I’m an Augur. Even before I am a member of the Holy Church, that’s my Path. Before this Desolate Child of Loss, I had never met a creature who needed guidance more. You called him a living calamity, but he is not. He is just a creature with power he’s never learned to control and emotions he cannot comprehend. As the name implies... he is still only a child.”
Jake let Jacob talk and give his entire explanation. Sadly for Jacob, in the end, Jake definitely wasn’t satisfied.
“That answered nothing,” Jake scoffed. “Have you ever heard of the word no? I didn’t ask what others told you to do but why you did it. Oh, and no matter what, if we at all go by that second explanation that you were just valiantly trying to guide a lost child, then using that child as a soldier to fight right after doesn’t seem very Augury now, does it?”
“I told you before, nothing went as I had hoped, and the internal politics of the Holy Church are incredibly complicated, so-“
“Bullshit excuses,” Jake once more scoffed. “You make it complicated by not having a fucking spine. Without even going into how fucked up it is that you wanted to help the Desolate Child in the first place, you were the one who chose to release him here today. You could have told the head priest to fuck off, but you didn’t.”
Jacob just looked at Jake, not even offering any excuses as he just looked at the ground. “Again... the situation isn’t what I hoped it would be. But please, do at least allow me to try and make you understand while we go where the Runemaiden and the False God are fighting.”
“Fine,” Jake said after a moment’s thought, having wanted to head over there anyway. “But don’t you try anything.”
“I won’t,” Jacob said as he, Jake, and Bertram headed off. The Augur was definitely not the fastest flier, but then again, Bertram was also bloody slow. Still, Carmen wasn’t fighting that far away, and Jake had a basic understanding of how the battle between the two was going, and he was definitely impressed by the sheer dominance of the Runemaiden.
Shortly after they set off in flight, Jake heard the Augur’s voice echo in his mind. “I apologize for not being entirely straightforward, but I’m not in a position to speak freely these days. Even now, I’m constantly under surveillance, and I couldn’t be sure if anyone was still listening in before.”
“No one was listening in as far as I could tell,” Jake simply said, confused about Jacob’s shift in tone. “Not that I can see why it would overly matter if anyone had. Another thought that crossed me was also... how is the Holy Church related to the birth of the Desolate Child of Loss?”
“Not at all,” Jacob quickly shot down that notion. “No one in the multiverse can purposefully create a False God. But I will not deny that we – or especially I – saw an opportunity when the Desolate Child of Loss appeared.”
“Explain,” Jake said, genuinely hoping for a bloody good explanation.
“Let me first give you a bit of a backstory on the Desolate Child of Loss. As I suspect you already found out, it was born from a freak accident ritual performed by people entirely brainwashed by Ell’Hakan. People who genuinely believed he was a god. When they were struggling, facing the onslaught of the Prima Guardian they had foolishly released, they performed this ritual to try and summon Ell’Hakan and make him descend to their planet. As newly integrated people, they didn’t even fully comprehend how gods worked, and their old religion mixed with new knowledge and delusion, leading to their ritual being somewhat a success,” the Augur began, and Jake was actually kind of curious as he had plenty of theories himself.
“What they summoned was their idea of what Ell’Hakan was supposed to be. However, their idea and reality didn’t match up at all, and what appeared was an incomplete husk. Everything they knew about Ell’Hakan had been a lie, so when the False God was born, the Records it was born with were a complete mess. The main problem was that they didn’t have a unified vision of what Ell’Hakan was, as his mass indoctrination made them all simply see him as their ideal kind of god, something that differs from person to person. In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were born. All that power and faith gathered but crumbled instantly... only for desolation to take its place. All that remains of their original intent is that the Desolate Child of Loss believes it’s the Celestial Child. The child has exact copies of some of Ell’Hakan’s Records, which is also why he felt like you had killed his other self. That you killed Ell’Hakan, who the Desolate Child of Loss views as a fake he was born to reclaim Records from. Now whatever Records of Ell’Hakan remain were absorbed by you.”
“You’re saying that the Desolate Child of Loss wanted to kill Ell’Hakan but now wants to kill me?” Jake asked.
“Yes and no. I think the word want is incorrect here, as the Desolate Child of Loss operates nearly entirely on instinct. Most False Gods are born with some prerogative from birth. Either they are made to protect the local tribe or even the planet, or perhaps created to kill a certain enemy. But the Desolate Child of Loss has none of that. This is why I was genuine when I said I wanted to guide him if possible. He needs it more than anyone. Or, well, needed it.”
“Your actions still don’t really make any sense, at least not to me,” Jake said. “Tell me, how am I supposed to interpret this? Because from my point of view, I can’t see it as anything other than you knowingly helping a mortal enemy of mine. Even if the Holy Church ordered you to, you did it, so you have to take responsibility.”
“I never approached the Desolate Child of Loss with the intent of having it fight you,” the Augur answered. “I told you already. The closest thing to a purpose the Desolate Child of Loss had was to reclaim whatever Records it could to make it at least somewhat whole.”
Jake took a moment as they kept flying before he realized: “You saved it because you wanted to make it fight Ell’Hakan? Seems pretty counterproductive when the same faction is both helping and trying to kill the same person.”
“Some parts of the Holy Church view the Usurper’s Bloodline as an invaluable boon that they simply must obtain, while others see the hidden dangers of doing so. As you know, I’m part of the camp that wants his Bloodline dead and gone. I have met Ell’Hakan personally, experienced his Bloodline, and seen what it can do. What he, a mere C-grade, could do with it. I don’t even want to imagine someone of a higher grade, much less a god, with such a Bloodline,” Jacob answered before continuing.
“Acting against Ell’Hakan openly wasn’t an option, though. We simply didn’t have the ability to defeat him here in this galaxy... not before the Desolate Child of Loss appeared. You can view the False God as your backup should you have failed to defeat Ell’Hakan. While the head priest believed the Desolate Child was a backup to defeat you, the Holy Mother and I always viewed it as a backup to defeat him.”
Jake really wasn’t sure how much he trusted Jacob at this point, but his words did make some sense. Something that also made a bit of sense now was why he’d asked Carmen to come along.
“But now that the Desolate Child of Loss has outlived its purpose, you decided to get rid of it,” Jake said in a rather cold tone.
“That... is not my choice,” Jacob said. “Genuinely, I believe the Desolate Child of Loss can be guided toward a proper Path. You’ve seen it today. He has improved his control tremendously in a small amount of time and given enough training and patience, he should one day be able to fully control it. If not in C-grade, his B-grade evolution may even turn the Desolate Child of Loss into something entirely different... perhaps even allowing it to lose its status as a False God.”
“You’re seriously asking me to show it mercy?” Jake asked with disbelief. “You know what? No, I’m not going to assume you are. Because we should both know that’s not gonna happen.”
“I did consider asking you to show it mercy, yes, but I know that isn’t possible,” the Augur said with a mental sigh. “It has caused too much destruction already, and if I were you, I wouldn’t trust me with such a dangerous creature either. Especially not when we will remain trapped in the galaxy for a while longer, and no one would enjoy having something closely resembling a living calamity in their backyard. Finally... you need that fragment, don’t you?”
Jacob mentioning the fragment from which the Desolate Child of Loss had been resurrected made Jake perk up a bit. “What do you know about the fragment?”
“Truthfully? Not much. All I have been able to glean is that it carries some resemblance to the Fallen King,” the Augur said.
“Are parts of his soul in there? Maybe even his Truesoul or something like that?” Jake asked with a bit of hope.
“The Truesoul? No, of course not,” Jacob answered, sounding genuinely confused. “A Truesoul cannot truly exist in two places at once within reality. Not unless they are clones or avatars. So with the Truesoul of the Unique Lifeform residing within your mask, it cannot also be within that fragment.”
Jake got quiet as he slowly sighed internally. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what he’d hoped to hear. He already knew the Truesoul of the Fallen King still resided within the mask, but that didn’t really help much. Right now, the Truesoul in Jake’s mask felt a lot like the Truesoul of Ell’Hakan that Jacob carried around – something he would definitely need to properly claim later.
A Truesoul in itself really wasn’t worth much without all that surrounded it and made someone who they were. Records would continue to linger on a Truesoul until it returned to the system, which is how the Holy Church would resurrect Ell’Hakan, but the Records would be incomplete and shattered.
That’s why the resurrected Ell’Hakan would be nothing more than an empty shell of his former self. Chances were he wouldn’t even know who he was. The same was true for the Fallen King... while it was possible Jake could resurrect the Unique Lifeform, what would the point be if what appeared wasn’t the Fallen King that Jake knew?
He’d hoped that the Desolate Child of Loss would give him some hint, and a part of him still hoped that. Alas, only time would tell.
“I want to make something clear, by the way,” Jake said as they were soon at the battle site between the False God and Runemaiden. “After this bullshit, the Holy Church is gone from the Milky Way Galaxy. That includes you if you truly wish to stay with such a fucked up faction.”
“I expected that to be the case,” Jacob just answered, not even addressing Jake’s heavy hinting that he should bail from the Holy Church. “It was the foreseeable outcome, after all. I am not saying this to lay any blame on you, but one of the reasons the head priest and those he serve chose to side with Ell’Hakan in the first place was because they saw it as their only option. You have already continuously shown your distaste for the Holy Church before, after all. They expected to be thrown out of the Milky Way should you win in the battle of Chosen, so they chose to support the one who would at least continue to allow their presence. Seeing as they believed you would throw them out no matter what, should Ell’Hakan lose, they wouldn’t really lose anything.”
“Except for the potential death of billions by truly making me and the rest of the galaxy into a mortal enemy,” Jake countered with a scoff.
“A rounding error to the gods of the Holy Church,” the Augur agreed, sharing Jake’s disapproving tone.
They didn’t have time to say more as they finally arrived at the battlefield of Carmen and the Desolate Child of Loss. It hadn’t been that far, but, again, Jacob and Bertram were both slow as fuck, making it take a while. Not that their delay mattered much, as Carmen definitely didn’t need help. In fact, Jake was positive she would get angry should he interfere toward the end.
Truthfully, Jake didn’t have a good taste in his mouth after talking to Jacob on the way there, but seeing Carmen in action instantly put him in a better mood.
The Runemaiden was absolutely pummeling the Desolate Child of Loss, not even giving the False God any breaks between her fists slamming into its body. With every hit, her body flashed with energy, and the Desolate Child screeched in pain and anger as it tried to retaliate. From the looks of it, the False God had entirely lost any sanity and was just wildly attacking, which just made what was bound to be its final moments sadder.
About a minute more passed before Carmen evidently believed it was time to end things. Jake felt the aura on the battlefield change as the Runemaiden’s body burned with energy and her aura spiked. The golden runes on her body began to turn a shade of red as Jake saw a skill he recognized.
Carmen shot forward and punched the False God as her voice echoed throughout the skies.
“Fist of Ragnarok.”
Jake couldn’t hold back a smile as he saw the absolute destruction unleashed by what he knew was Carmen’s strongest finisher. Even as the shockwave struck him and Bertram had to step in front to defend his Augur, Jake kept smiling, looking out at the massive wave of destruction that had permanently altered the geography of the planet.
An utterly enormous cone-shaped scar of pure devastation stretched out from the battlefield for thousands of kilometers, everything within perfectly destroyed. At the starting point of the cone, Carmen lowered her glowing fist as the False God just floated there for a while, now in five pieces as its entire midsection had been blown away, only leaving parts of two arms and legs as well as the upper half of its head.
Carmen didn’t hesitate to fully finish everything as she knelt down and smashed her fists into the ground. As she did so, the parts of the False God were also forced down, and with a few whispered words, a large rune appeared beneath the broken Desolate Child of Loss.
Jake knew then that things were over as he began floating down, with Jacob and Bertram staying a good distance behind. Making sure not to disturb the Runemaiden, Jake slowly approached, curious about what she was doing.
He didn’t recognize the rune at all, which wasn’t surprising as it was an entirely different branch of magic than what he practiced, but he could still see the effect. The remaining body of the False God was slowly being dissolved and burned away, the Desolate Child of Loss ultimately dying a sad death for a creature that had been born and killed before fully realizing who and what it was...
And in Jake’s mind, just more proof of how fucked up Ell’Hakan’s Bloodline truly was.
Comments
Inv7ctus
I have a hunch this whole arc of hunting a stolen true soul is going to have some inter3esting effects on his records and his next class skill. Mayhaps the ability to influence a true soul isn't so far off. I except it'll take the form of either a skill like mark , or a soul attack through his arrows.
Dave
Tftc
ItWasIDIO!!
again F JACOB!!! "Oh he wasn't a weapon to kill you jake i wanted to guide him he was a lost child but also if El won he'd have been used as a weapon to kill El... did i mention i was just following orders while also disobeying selectively"
Chloe
Tyftc
Phil Ritter
I get that but considering what is on the line for her I thought influence or at least a good relationship to the most interesting/ powerful galaxy in the new universe would be worth more than a little scheming. But maybe she just doesn’t care or trusts Jacob will rectify the situation. Also I thought Villy was very much a outlier when it comes to demanding respect so if others see that there are no big repercussions for defying their leader it could lead to problems but in the end I’m also just guessing so who knows
Bree Mendoza
My whole issue is that Jake interacts with Jacob Differently than he would in any other situation. As you’ve all pointed out how he had acted in a variety of other situations… it’s out of character and I don’t like it.
TwoMoreYears
We’ve seen the holy mother working with the blight father to engineer a war that kills countless followers to strengthen the few that rise through the ranks. The same would likely be true for political paths. Disagreement would foster competition would fuel strength and growth. As long as all parties involved have a strong faith in the holy church, the church still wins. No matter which party within the church triumphs it’s still the church getting stronger. Not for sure obviously but a theory that makes sense with what we know.
Phil Ritter
I wouldn’t say either is really spineless here. It’s just a major difference in methodology. If Jake sees something that bothers him he directly addresses it and if whatever it is doesn’t give way he is willing to use whatever force necessary and does so with conviction. Jacob on the other hand tries to find the solution to a problem with the least sacrifices and conflict possible. Whether either solution is better or working as intended I can’t say since I have no idea yet what Jacob’s end goal entails
Phil Ritter
I get that the desolate child wasn’t bad by nature but Jake is very much an eye for an eye person or a more extreme version of that. He pretty much exterminated an entire planet because someone pissed him off and killed an acquaintance. Yes in the end EH killed them first but he was more than willing to. But I don’t really see him changing at least in the near future he is hypocrit and somewhat of a psychopath but he fully knows that and embraces it. And it’s very in line with his path too. egoistic to the end
Phil Ritter
They have way to different paths for that to work and for Jacob’s sake I really hope they Station him far away from Jake because more conflict with the church is bound to happen in the future and at this point Jacob is just tanking one hit after the other
Phil Ritter
Am I the only one who is wondering why the holy mother for some reason has absolutely no grip on her own organisation. It’s pretty much stated multiple times that power is law in the multiverse and getting rid of gods that don’t agree is not above the church unless the church is infested so deep that removing all those going against the holy mother would mean rooting out half her supporters and weakening her faction immensely in the process. Dunno how exactly the holy church is run but until now it seems like the leaders of factions were in all cases the absolute unquestionable rulers. We know there are a lot of different factions in the church but they should still all answer to the holy mother or am I wrong? So if it’s the interest of the holy mother to get rid of the bloodline why would they go against her wishes so openly risking loosing all influence in what may just be the most valuable galaxy in the newly integrated universe in the process. And I get the Jacob is playing the long game even tho I have no idea what exactly the end result is that he wants to achieve but he knows Jake very well and through him so should the church. My only guess at this point is that he is using Jake to make that faction fuck up so hard that the holy mother has enough justification to just straight up wipe out that faction without anyone voicing dissatisfaction even tho she should be able to do that from the get go as a primordial
Phil Ritter
But isn’t the holy mother the boss? Her word should be law and if she decides to just get rid of a godqueen or two nobody should question her. Might as well brand them as heretics before. It’s not like the church is new to do that to people who have different opinions.
Phil Ritter
Nope I’m using the app tho
Phil Ritter
I think Valdemar was just too stupid to figure out what desolation was or how dangerous it could be and his absolute believe that he could punch it made it possible. Sounds stupid but I think it’s funny so I stand by it. Pretty much Warhammer Orc logic if you just believe enough into it, it becomes fact.
Blackened
Unless I have missed where this was explained in the past, are we to assume that the RuneMaidens of Valhal have the ability to fight desolation because it was a technique that Valdemar originally used to fight Villy's desolation back in the day?
Blaq Jesus
So he's a spoiled child throwing a tantrum and making demands while refusing to acknowledge the stances of others and the desolate child is a child who hasn't learned empathy who just so happens to have a gun. Great lol
Blaq Jesus
I agree. He felt needlessly stubborn in this chapter. I get his perspective. But sometimes guy be doing a little too much lol. Like I get your stance, but he refuses to budge in anything no matter how logical it is. Jake will inevitably kill far more than the desolate child ever has. It's his path to kill. So it feels kind of hypocritical especially when you consider he still has a neutered mass murderer known as William at home with his close aids and friends. Someone who killed people gleefully I might add. Also, him smiling while Carmen finally took down the false god left a "bad taste in my mouth." It felt like killing a child who was manipulated into murdering someone and hasn't even learned empathy yet (which was no doubt something Jacob would have taught him.) We have examples of The False God having the potential to no longer be a living calamity as stated by Jacob and the fact that he purposefully didnt use his power on his allies while fighting. He has the capacity for self control. The same as William. His death feels needlessly cruel to me. The fallen king was a close friend of Jake's, but he didn't kill him out of aggresion, just a lack of guidance and understanding. I dunno, I'm a little mixed tbh. I would prefer to have a revived Fallen king over a false god, but the way Jake went about it to gain the fragment felt quite a bit off to me.
Zogarth
Fix
SqrlyGrly
Jake also expects people to be loyal to their paths, not him. As long as their path doesn't violate his lines, he doesn't care. Just like with sultan. And him always telling people to follow their own paths not.
Sharibri
Jacob is able to revive himself. It's from that ability he got from the tutorial, the one that helped him survive William. It makes him gain an extra life for each grade he progresses through. Oh and btw, he died a 2nd time in Nevermore, so he only has one life left.
Arieh Sochaczevski
@Tommy S: The class of Augur is about being “A hero to many, mentor to most, a guide to all.” It’s something EVERY faction wants and needs. Jake is already working on social change in the order - which is why I suggested he talk to Jacob about Meira. Jake doesn’t know it, but it’s also explicitly what Villy wants to happen. Jacob could get more done with more effect working with Jake in the order than he ever could with the HC. The problematic behavior in the Order is peripheral to the basic ethos of “Get stronger, make free choices”, while the problematic behavior of the HC is inherent to its core philosophy.
MacMahon Wenzl
If that's the case, then there will definitely not be a war that spans the entire multiverse caused by the Holy Church fracturing...
MacMahon Wenzl
With how the Holy Church is set up, I would wager a guess that the Holy Mother gains power/ records from having a bunch of different Gods under her, and she would lose a lot of power outright if she just started killing them. If, instead, she is able to create a situation with the pretense that the Gods under her are now doing "harm" to the Church, she can take out the undesirables without some type of backlash on her records.
Gage Ostrander
But it still doesn't change the fact that it's an excuse. Jacob is basically saying I didn't have a choice they told me to do it.... he could have just said no... But Jacob instead just follows his marching orders. He's shown he is willing to compromise his own morals for the politics of the faction he joined, despite his supposedly high position as a Auger. He's willing to take covert actions but, won't just say no. Sorry I just don't like the I didn't have a choice, because of orders arguments. There is always a choice.
Troy Telford
Edit: this sentence has Jacob looking at Jake and the ground at the same time. "Jacob just looked at Jake, not even offering any excuses as he just looked at the ground.". Change it to two sentences: "...any excuses. He then looked at the ground..."
Michael Ferguson
Nice
Samuel Granderson
Jacob has too many personal qualms to do something like that, and I don’t think Jake would/should trust his word even if he did agree to be a double agent. Jacob’s loyalties lie with helping others find their path, and Jake often finds himself opposing Jacob’s stance, ultimately ending many paths Jacob would rather see realized. They may be friends, but I feel their goals would not align without extenuating circumstances.
J7
I think she's using it like Villy would, find out who truly stands with her, and who works against her. Once they are rooted out, then she cleans the house. Primordial's are not omniscient, so they can't tell who's is working with them and who's paying lip service.
Austin Byrd
Good point
Gman
I hope that Jacob remains with holy church and sort of becomes a double agent for Jake. And when Jake ascends, he should become his Augur lol. that would be too funny.
Gwiddion
I think it's on the basis of let lower ranks decide what happens in lower stakes. If she intervened directly it could damage the faction. This way she sabotaged the attempt via proxy and can now sit by and see the losing group lose influence or even reprimand them.
Gwiddion
Now you just have to meta game your predictions to try to direct the story the way you want it to flow.
Gwiddion
I doubt he will bring the king back I feel like he will use the fragment for another origin creation. Constantly resurrecting the king is also a bit boring in my opinion sth new would be way better.
Gwiddion
I thought so too but I feel like if Jacob truly wanted to be a heretic he could become one. He has shown often enough before and even in this chapter that his true calling is his class and not his faction. If he deems it necessary he will defy the holy mother.
J Snyder
Anyone else having issues with patreon not showing content for specific creators? I can’t see Zogarths individual posts on his page, and could only access this chapter by going to my new posts notifications tab. Have the same issue with one other author as well… go to their page and can’t see any of their content available.
Austin Byrd
Why can’t she? I think it’s kinda strange. Prior to Jacob admitting the holy mother shared his opinions, I assumed she was ambivalent. But if she has an actual opinion, then why can’t she? Kinda ridiculous, she’s a primoridal. I think the story works much better if she is ambivalent. Instead , now we have a primordial that lacks agency. Especially for the holy church. Maybe if it was the Daofather you could say “eh he’s just too zen, he disagrees but he lets things play out”. No this is the holy church. If she’s got an opinion, it’s kinda ridiculous that she wouldn’t express to her factions that “I’ve decided to point us all in a certain direction for this situation because I have an opinion” And it wouldn’t create a schism lol. It’s the primordial. It’s not two factions going at it. It’s the primordial making a decision. There’s no schism. She can smack down whoever opposes her. Having separate ‘factions’ only work if she’s ambivalent. It’s not a queen who has to appease her nobles or she’ll be dethroned. it’s a primordial..
Zizawah
There are empathetic people who are so nice to everyone even people you feel don’t deserve any kindness at all. When I meet these people I admire them even if I don’t agree with them. It’s not that Jake does not have a spine when it comes to Jacob but knowing he means well to everyone you kind of have to take that into consideration and assign that person as a special case. I get Jake is what I am saying. He’s angry but he can see Jacob is who he is. We all have soft spots and Jake’s is his friends.
Obar
jake needs to give jacob his tome to become a heratic
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Bree Mendoza
I’ve always been 100% Jake. He can do no wrong in my book EXCEPT with how he acts with Jacob. I get he’s his old world boss I get he was a good guy I get that Jake has always had a tight hold on his “bloodline” pre system. But FFS grow a goddamn spine. I never ever thought he would be a bottom I’m so disappointed.
MacMahon Wenzl
I think it was implied that Jacob was acting on behalf of the Holy Mother, and everything he did was because she asked it of him. All of the other priests were working for a different god in the Holy Pantheon. I might be reading too much into it, but I don't think the Holy Mother wants El'Cheetoe's bloodline or the Child of Desolation, but she can't openly act against other gods in her pantheon without causing massive faction-wide problems... Now that I think about it, we might get a schism in the Holy Church and have a whole ark where there is a "Holy" war.
MacMahon Wenzl
You have to remember Jake is extremely emotional and still has some trouble controlling his emotions. Anything he feels is ratcheted up to 100+, and there is no looking back or using logic.
MacMahon Wenzl
You make a good point. As for Jake, you have to remember he is extremely emotional and still has some trouble controlling his emotions. Anything he feels is ratcheted up to 100+, and there is no looking back. Jake feels slightly betrayed at what Jacob did, and instead of analyzing it, Jake basically feels like the betrayal is his own brother stabbing him in the back and should be responded to with extreme prejudice, regardless of any potential reasons/ reasoning.
Gardor
I'm curious to see how many people read the comments before posting their own.
Ravert
Auto correct Maybe 🤔
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Luke Scheffe
Honestly, I'm not sure I'm reading the same story as everyone else. From my point of view, it's Jake that's currently acting spineless, and Jacob who has been plotting against the gods of his own faction. Personal convenience is not the height of self-confidence, nor is working alongside those more powerful than you while plotting their deaths a sign of weakness.
brjenness
son of a... now that you mention it, I bet you are right.
Luke Scheffe
Guiding the desolate kid was absolutely going for quality over quantity, but Jake is abnormally murderous, so no luck.
Rob Lyon
@brjenness are you sure that's not minaga
brjenness
Jacob and Casper are named by Jake as co-custodians of the seat of the prima (nevermore for D grades.) most major factions participate in supporting the wonder and the milky way becomes a training center for under privileged potential elites. Unfortunately shortly after the complete integration of the 94th universe the seat is destroyed by a rampaging Jake following the destruction of earth by forces of the 94th and their overpowering bloodline. Villy supports Jake with the order and nearly all primordial agree as villy backs Jake down from some bad decisions and scares away some higher level gods who think Jake is going too far with the complete destruction of the 94th. A Minaga, sylphie, Meira, Sandy, and Snakey remain constantly by Jake's side leading the combined armies of the priordials who support his cause. In the end, Jake finishes his hunt as he eradicated the insidious bloodline that dominates the 94th. villy remains his friend and slowly brings him down from his rage. we readers are relieved when vespy and those she rescued are discovered in her void hideaway. Arnold also makes a triumphant return with many refugees. Jake juices up the remains of earth and rebuilding begins. we are constantly arguing how much villy and the other primordials knew and are responsible for as they continue with their plans to provide Jake with the challenges he needs to reach their level.
Xander
TFTC :) Hopefully Jacob realises soon that quality over quantity is a thing. He can only help so many people at any given time so pushing people forward in such a fucked up organisation is counter productive. If he was guiding the gods towards better paths then maybe but theres no chance of that since, to be a god, you have to be absolutely set in adamantium on your path. He should move away from a faction altogether ot even make is own for all the unguided in the multiverse helping people find a path that havent got any direction at all. Meiras village shows there a people all over that have no idea that anything other than grinding away at the bottom is even possible. Hopefully Jake, through Meira, introduces Jacob to people like these. Starting from HC people just means hes lifting up people whos greatest hope is to live quietly doing little of note for as long as possible which is less than ideal to my mind. This whole ramble is why I read books instead of writing them :D Suggested edits: "then using that child as a soldier to fight *right* really doesn’t seem" extra word here? "delusion, leading to their ritual being somewhat ** a success," missing word "of" " “Tell me, ** am I supposed to interpret this?" missing word "how" "pure *destruction* stretched out from the battlefield for thousands of kilometers, everything within perfectly *destroyed*." Pet peeve with repeated words from the same root being used in one sentence. Perhaps "devastation" instead for the first?
Cody
Think about how Jacob would do with the Dao Sect. “The Wandering Augur” could be an awesome mini series.
Ty Cooper
Well i didn't expect Jacob to low key healing the soul of the fallen king for Jake to use it to heal and possibly bring him back. I hate how Jacob has to do things so shady to make things happen. I am really not a fan of the Holy Church and glad they are making them leave. Hope Jake gets to kill that head priest but I don't see it happening.
Gingerlochs
Imagine if more of the brain washed planets had tried that ritual o.o
Tommy S
Nah the idealologies of the Order wouldnt allign well with the auger. Jacob has said before he looks to do the most good. and his faction is the largest. Once he gets more power, I think he start to shine.
Tommy S
Jacob revealed that he and the HolyMother are allied (at least regarding orangy). Jake seems to not understand Jacob is playing the long game.
brjenness
Go ahead. You know you want to. One of my favorite images is the look on villy's face as he says that.
brjenness
I know, but zog likes to make me look stupid, so he changes things to make my predictions wrong. Such a meanie.
Jose Reyna
TFTC!!!
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter! I think Jake should have a quick chat with Villy, take Jacob by the shoulder, and offer him a divine-level blessing. Talk to him about Meira, and how much more good he could accomplish being an Auger to the Order.
Phasmatic7
Thankies
Rui
can he ressurrect? i assume it's only Berthram that can, because he is tied to Jacob. i do think that Jacob won't be easy to kill, since it was hinted already (in the fight against the monarch), that he invested a lot into HP, and also because he has bought the token for escape on the auction, which means that it's likely that he has a ton of "get out of jail" cards. Basically, Jacob can't do shit in a fight, but he likely can escape one very easily.
Kuniku778
Its fun reading the theories after the chapter, none of us truly know whats going to happen which makes it all the better.
Gage Ostrander
You never did answer why Jacob never said, not just NO, but F**K NO. I mean his excuse is the same as certain European soldiers from WWII, "But I was only following orders". Is that going to be addressed?
Wraithy
Man these comments are filled with porn. 😂 TFTC! It was great, I still don’t like Jacob’s too soft bs.
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Jack Liu
TFTC
John Durrett
I’m curious how many people read comments before they post a comment? Seeing at least 20 repeat the same damn lines as if it hasn’t already been said. Yeesh
Josh
Glad to see the predictable, yet logical outcome was reached. The Desolate Child dead, the Holy Church evicted. Jacob continues to be an absolute spineless bitch but other than that things wrapped up nicely.
John Durrett
And that orb Jake keeps licking
John Durrett
Those damn glory holes. :p
John Durrett
Oh yeeahhh, that’s the good stuff. ;)
brjenness
Earth ain't real it's a simulation ran by a bunch of bored primordials.
Rewdan
Thanks Zogarth I appreciate your work
Nate Slusher
What a torture artist. …that ending. I need more chapters 🤣. Thank you!!!
Gareth Morgan
It'll more than just the head priest. I suspect the whole subfaction, including the gods, will be toast.
Gareth Morgan
His ability to see the future is blinded by Jake. It would have been simply because of his bloodline but Villy's blessing ensures it too.
Brian Schutt
Wonder if he already used it or if his skill supersedes it. He died at least once in Nevermore because it said he used his One More Light skill or whatever his resurrect skill was. Would have thought the item was used up before his skill, so potentially dying two times in Nevermore, unless the item was forgotten about since it was bought so many books ago.
Sushi
“Yet records were porn”. Scary to think that Jake keeps records of the first sage and Villy inside him.
Fervent Fiend
It’s like this entire arc is about what happens when people don’t learn the lessons the Wyrmgod made them endure whilst in Nevermore. Like killing living calamities on sight so they don’t wipe out planets. One could even argue that the holy church isn’t following divine authority, since they’re directly interfering with Jake’s and Vilastromoz’ plans. Plus the whole breeding an army of bloodline child soldiers. Yeah, the church f’ed around, and now they get to find out how badly things go. (Just a several hundred billion people rounding error)
Stuart Thwaites
The System hasn't truly cut the 93rd off from the multi verse. It's blocking interference from outside the prima event. It's why the Millyway had some outer-universe communications restored after was done with the prima bosses. The system wouldn't stop souls going to the Holy Mother. The reason El'hakan had to be contained until after the event is because he was blessed by Yip and couldn't be blessed or baptized by the holy church.
KenTX325
Devine heretic is someone who fought a god. I think Jake should make a heretic chosen grimwar for William then he is blessed again by Eversmile. I think there is something about having all primordials represented on Earth.
denym123
The token plays into it I think, but by making the head priest order it the results will be on his faction rather than Jacobs. I don't think there is a universe in which the priest and anyone near him don't now experience the find out part before the galaxy opens up. The resulting loss of opportunity when Jake obviously grabs control of the wonder and maintains control of the powerhouse generator that earth is probably going to continue to be will hurt the factions internal power base.
KenTX325
There was someone from the church in competition for the administrator seat. Would be nice to know his fate.
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter!
Michael Younger
All of those statements are valid, I didn't say it would be easy, simply that Jake should do it.
Tr0LLach
And he bought a life-saving item at the Auction post treasure hunt
brjenness
Makes you wonder about the pills that are frequently used to advance in other systems.
deus vault
The augyr isn't that easy to kill. First, the dude can see the future, to a certain extent. Second. He has a primordial and the largest multiversial faction behind him. And third, the dude can fucking resurrect.
brjenness
Yay. Now we get wonder if a heretic blessed augur is exactly what the holey mother needs to clean up her church because of some awful token system that gives priests power. (for some reason I just decided hm began her existence as a false god block of Swiss cheese because one of the priests performing the ritual that was asking for her protection from the system was hungry and couldn't concentrate.)
Michael Younger
I like Jacob but Jake really should kill him. The Augur class would be a great boon to the galaxy if it weren't in service of the Church, how many paths has the Church cut short for the sake of the collective? It's the antithesis of my understanding of the Augurs role.
Gardor
Not to be too cynical, but I'm pretty sure the answer is gonna be the fragment left floating there like video game loot, with either a half assed "can't destroy the unique lifeform while his soul exists" explanation, or just directly ignoring the lines about the body being destroyed.
brjenness
I think the answer is in the token the priest pulled out when he ordered Jacob to use the child. Just another thing that shows how screwed up this faction or that priest or the whole of the church is.
Zack Leach
Thats my theory as well.
brjenness
That's today's cliffhanger. Does Jake need to stop Carmen to save the piece of the fallen king? Will Carmen's ritual only take DC and she'll then bend down and say, "hey, Jake. I found a piece of your friend over here." Or has carmen known all along and knows the piece of the fallen king will be okay.
Gardor
Hey, with the 93 universe cut off from the rest of the multiverse, what happens to all the Holy Church souls trying to get in to their afterlife? Also, i guess Jake didn't get the fragment of the Fallen King, cuz Carmen just burned away all of the DCoL?
Alexander C Hyde
“Tell me, (how) am I supposed to interpret this?
alex
I’ve got a theory that she’s going to prune some branches of the church and is going to use Jake and Jacob as her reasoning
NoctisMi
Still wouldn't surprise me if Jake made Divine-Heretic Tome for Jacob if Jacob ever wants to turn on the Holy mother. I mean it would fit him kinda, since his Path is all about helping others and then choosing to do that without the direct influence of a god would make it more unbiased
Loststar7
TFTC.
ABTelford
My guess as to why Jacob rescued the Desolate child was correct, but I don’t get why he caved and released it - doing so would end its potential to have a path, so wouldn’t that be a betrayal of the Augurs path? I think that would screw him up pretty badly. ? Great chapter, btw! Liked the conversation.
Chioke Nelson
I've always kinda thought of Jacob as bitch-made but this really cracks it. He either needs a spine or an arrow to the eye. Pick one and fuck off lmao
MrCynical
Jake doesn't have a Heretic-Chosen Grimoire. He only made the one and it stayed with Nevermore. Nevermore also agreed with Jake that it was a VERY GOOD THING that it's creation and the fact he even could create it was hidden from the other gods watching him in the world wonder.
Victory Holcomb
Username checks out.
Canis
I can't wait for a Jacob chapter talking to the Holy Mother about this.
Apollo Greed
TFTC!
Seiryus
I doubt the Viper wants or needs an Augur, but and Heretic-Blessed Augur would be really interesting.
Stevean Bozek
Jacob is pretty much the poster child for how too much empathy can be catastrophic. Dude tries to see the best in everyone and even when he knows something is deeply wrong he won't or really can't stand up. I guess that's why he's the auger though, his path is to help others realize theirs regardless of who they are. He and Jake were always going to butt heads due to that.
Marc Jay Arr Cotamora
I suspect Jake will give Jacob the Blessed-Heretic grimoire when Jacob and Bert decides to leave the holy church. Jacob will evolve to B grade as a Blessed-Heretic together with Bert. But wouldn’t it be funny if Jacob becomes an Augur for the Viper?
Daniel Brian
A fruedian slip. 😉
Daniel Brian
'in the end, nothing for together, yet records were PORN.' Probably should be 'born'.
Vinstro
I imagine it's similar to the royalroad dragon emoji slamming it's head in a wall. 😆
Jordan Rogers
Boor zogarth, this will pe a hard one to live down
dash w
Thanks for the chappy
Jeff McCulley
“In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were porn” Now I understand the First Sage much bette— Er… >born?
Burkes
Zog head butting a wall rn after that typo
angel
God I feel like a teenager giggling at this
Ray Light
Thanks for the chapter! Found a potential typo?😅 "yet Records were porn." I think you mean "records were born"?
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Devillelouch
So Gods have alot of records, and records are... This is a very different universe.
JJB4345_80_815
First comes the porn, which leads to beings getting born. Completely understandable. :-D
JayseKnyte
You guys think Zog knows he made a typo?
A. B. Edwards
Yeah, Cheeto really was fucked up. That bloodline was so simple yet when used properly way, way too powerful. It needs to go.
Naotsugu97
Now we know why records are so important! TFTC!!!!
Joshua Morris
Makes you wonder what he has been typing for the autocorrect to chose that word.😉
Fervent Fiend
Glad to see Jake no longer tolerating Jacob’s bs.
David
So mathematically, your response would be read as porn is greater than born, which combined with your user name makes for the funniest damn comment I've ever read! 😂😂😂😂😂
Darshar Griffonmane
Apparently records are porn *piles in with the rest of the comments*. That sentence should remain there, cause we all chuckled. So, what I want to know is why hasn't Jake demanded the fragments from the lantern yet? I would have figured that would have been his second demand after asking about the False god. Ah prob next chapter or two. All of this seems like a solid wrap up for this part of C-grade. We should be now seeing maybe a small time skip as we head towards peak C-grade, B-grade evolution and new/old enemies! tyftc!
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Clint
Best typo ever. Don’t be too quick to fix it. Late readers need sudden unexpected laughter too.
Jordan Rogers
something that differs from person to person. In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were porn. Think you meant born not porn
Anthena Sales
Records were porn, okay, that's a new concept.
Matthias
tftc
C0bra$
Thank u for story
Hudson Ashby
"yet Records were porn." should be "Records were born." Unless this story is making one HELL of a tonal shift of course...
Leviathan
"Yet records were porn" should be yet records were born. Honestly funniest typo I've seen in your chapters zogarth
Beemoss
Tftc
Strings
In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were porn -> born
Hayden Leech
“yet Records were porn” The wisdom of the Auger. All records are porn.
BubblyGhost
Some things never change ay, Z? Those p's and B's are a real killer
angel
"yet Records were porn" hehe sorry but it probably should be born
Krispy sock
Porn > Born
IntenseSushi
“Yet records were porn” -> “yet records were born” hilarious
Indevan Jones
Fix "yet Records were porn" should be born.
Jesper Hansen
"yet Records were porn" the teenager in me is giggling Zogarth
Bobtur
« In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were porn. » 🤔
Zachary Johnson
"In the end nothing fit together, yet records were porn" obviiusly I know it's a typo but it made me chuckle. lol
Lizy Flore
Okay usually I don’t do that, but here 🤣🤣 : « In the end, nothing fit together, and Records were porn. » —> « … Records were born. » Jacob on Desolate Child, at the beginning of the chapter.
David
Records were porn (born) Snorted the first time I read it!😂😂😂
Tsorov
In the end, nothing fit together, yet Records were porn. I don't need to say anything more
Toonin
"Yet record were porn" That got me laughing
TyranT-Rex
Typo - Records were porn (born)
Boffadeez
"Records were porn" Nice
Blaze
“Records were porn” …..
Greedsmith
Perfect timing, I was just done catching up again 😁 Tftc Edit after reading: I see that everyone else also noticed the error 😂 I completely forgot that Carmen can also offer her prey through a ritual, no need for the Divine Bargain.
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
TyranT-Rex
Tftc
