Zogarth
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Chapter 1056 - Thieves At The Lodge
🕑 Added 2025-01-17 12:19:24 +0000 UTCUsing Gwyndyr to contact Maria had been a bit of a gamble, as truthfully, Jake hadn’t even been confident the god was able to. There was still a bit of a veil between the ninety-third universe and the rest of the multiverse, but now it could at least be pierced a little. Doing so wasn’t that hard from inside the ninety-third universe, and Jake hoped that gods could poke through if they really needed to. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to communicate directly, but they should at least be able to send the divine version of a quick shoulder tap, right?
Jake didn’t know if it worked like that, and Villy hadn’t tried to reach out to Jake even once, but that wasn’t really a surprise as the god clearly preferred Jake being the one to establish contact. If it was because he couldn’t or because he respected Jake’s time and didn’t want to disturb him, Jake didn’t know, but he had a feeling that even if the god could contact Jake, he wouldn’t.
The only reason he ever contacted Jake normally was because he could literally see what Jake was up to and if he was busy, thus knowing if it was a good time. Now he couldn’t, meaning it was entirely possible Villy tried to reach out while Jake was in the middle of a fight or on the most important step of concocting his best poison yet.
Anyway, none of that overly mattered as clearly Gwyndyr and Maria had somehow made contact, and the fire archer was on her way back to Haven already. It would take a little while for her to arrive, but luckily, as Jake was heading back, he was informed that Carmen had also made her way to the quaint little forest town.
Only a single teleport later from what he’d dubbed Labyrinth City – Jake wasn’t sure if that name was actually official yet – he was back in Haven. Miranda informed him that Carmen would just head straight for his lodge for them to meet there. Jake just quickly confirmed as he returned home to his own little valley.
Arriving at the valley, he indeed found Carmen already there, having clearly just arrived. However, his smile quickly faded as he spotted her through his sphere and saw what she was doing. In her hand, she held a precious stolen artifact. What’s more, she was even consuming it with much vigor.
Jake walked into the valley and instantly made eye contact with the Runemaiden as she spoke in between bites. “Hey, Jake! Damn, these bananas are good, even tastier than the last time I had one.”
That’s right... she had stolen one of Jake’s bananas straight off the musa. He stared at her, holding back himself from yelling thief as he crossed his arms. “Are you even getting any Agility from consuming it?”
“Hm? No, all capped out in that department,” Carmen answered completely shamelessly, finishing off the poor banana that hadn’t even been allowed to fulfill its purpose of giving permanent stats.
“You do know that according to the law in Haven, you just committed grand larceny, stealing a valuable treasure like that,” Jake said.
“As a representative of Valhal, am I not kind of a diplomatic and have immunity or something?” Carmen shot back. “Besides, you asked to meet me, only nice of you to offer a banana to a guest.”
“I didn’t offer one.”
“It’s your word against mine, and I explicitly remember you telling me that I could take as many bananas as I want,” Carmen said with a grin as she reached out to grab another.
Oh no, you don’t!
Jake instantly reacted by using One Step and teleporting over, gripping Carmen’s wrist before she had time to pluck the poor banana from the musa. The Runemaiden just stopped as she looked at Jake.
“You’re really protective of this tree, huh?”
“Not a tree,” Jake insisted.
“If it looks like a tree, smells like a tree, and acts like a tree, I’m gonna keep calling it a tree,” Carmen shrugged, though she did pull back her hand. “Anyway, why did you need me so urgently?”
“I don’t think I ever said it was urgent,” Jake said, a bit unsure.
“Well, I told others it was, which was why I had to sadly skip a big meeting with a bunch of City Leaders. You should know the sacrifices I’m making to be there and all the political talk I’m missing out on,” Carmen said, faking a sigh.
“Oh, woe is you. How about this, to make up for it, I’ll ask Miranda to host an even bigger and longer meeting just for you to take part and really feel part of the political arena,” Jake teased her back.
“I think I’ll pass. I prefer arenas that allow you to punch people,” Carmen shook her head.
“Hey, punching someone in the face is the number one way to instantly turn a political meeting at least five times as interesting,” Jake grinned before he finally got to the actual reason he’d called her over. “Have you heard what happened with Ell’Hakan and the Holy Church?”
“Only vaguely,” Carmen said, also focusing up as the mood got more serious. “I think they took his soul or something?”
“Yeah... they plan on using it to resurrect him for the Bloodline, and...“
Jake proceeded to explain what had gone down after he’d killed Ell’Hakan – while also going on a side tangent about his actual fight with the Usurper at the urging of Carmen. The explanation ended up being a lot longer than Jake had planned, but in the end, Carmen got the gist of it. For the most part, anyway.
“I’m still not sure... is the Augur an ally or not?” Carmen asked.
“Kind of neither? Maybe both? Something in between?” Jake said, still not entirely sure what Jacob actually wanted at the end of the day. Clearly, he wanted to enact some change in the Holy Church, but how that would look was yet to be seen. “All I do know is that, in this instance, he wants to see Ell’Hakan and his Bloodline gone from the multiverse for good. And we need to strike sooner rather than later before they get the chance to flee out of the universe and actually resurrect him and his damn Bloodline. No way getting to him if he ever reaches the Holy Church heartlands.”
“I’m with you that far, but do you really need my help? I doubt the Holy Church has anyone capable of fighting against you, and while they could try to stall you with numbers, won’t that just result in their planet going the way of Ell’Hakan’s?” Carmen voiced her thoughts.
“I don’t plan on making it a habit to blow up planets whenever I want to kill someone on it,” Jake muttered. Not that it wouldn’t be a great way to assure people wouldn’t mess with him...
“Fair enough,” Carmen shrugged. “But they should know the option is on the table if they try to start shit. Actually, why are they even allowing a scenario where fighting you is an option? Wouldn’t it be way smarter to teleport whoever is carrying the soul around all the time, just avoiding you until the universe opens back up?”
“Jacob is carrying the soul,” Jake clarified.
“Oh... well, I guess that’s why,” Carmen muttered. “Still, why would that Bertram guy say it would be smart to keep me as a backup? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining and more than happy to have skipped out on a boring as fuck meeting; I just don’t get the reason.”
“I have a theory...” Jake said, proceeding to briefly share his thoughts, and after doing so, Carmen instantly understood.
“Very well, I’ll be ready to go in if you need me, then,” Carmen nodded. “I guess Arnold will teleport you there, and then I can just stay back and be ready to also be teleported should the need arise?”
“Exactly,” Jake nodded. “I plan on going by myself in the beginning. If I bring along an entire group of powerhouses, or even just a second person, it’s gonna look like an invasion even on the surface. However, if I go alone, I’m just responding to their call for negotiation Miranda informed me of. Well, I don’t think they like me visiting their planet for this negotiation, but no one ever said I couldn’t either.”
Jake had actually thought this through at least a little and would act with some measure of level-headedness.
He knew that despite everything, the Holy Church was not an easy enemy to have, and he wanted to at least leave the door open on both sides to reach a compromise down the line. If the upcoming scenario could be framed as just a fringe group from the Holy Church acting out of pocket while mostly cut off from the rest of the multiverse, it left a way for both Jake and the Holy Church to save face after Jake effectively kicked their asses and got rid of Ell’Hakan’s soul.
With Ell’Hakan gone for good, the Holy Church had no need to want to keep Jake an enemy either. As a mega faction, the Holy Church tended to be mega-pragmatic, and if they had nothing to make Jake an enemy over anymore, they just wouldn’t. As a faction all about unity and whatnot, they could be surprisingly quick, cutting off their members who proved too problematic... then again, what was more Holy Church than sacrificing the good of the few for the good of the many? Because keeping Jake as a long-time enemy would more likely than not result in many bad things happening.
However, all paths to any kind of short-term compromise would be cut off should Jake come barging in with an entire army. His intent to openly attack the largest faction in the multiverse would be evident to even the dumbest of observers. At that point, the Holy Church would need to respond with force to not appear weak, starting a far more drawn out feud.
Truthfully, Jake would prefer to fix this entire thing without having to kill a whole bunch of people he didn’t really want to kill. He had no desire to fight the Holy Church as they, quite frankly, didn’t have anyone among their ranks that Jake found worth fighting, and he’d never been a big fan of fighting larger groups, which was definitely what he was about to face should things go south.
Despite his apprehension, he didn’t have any doubt that no matter what, this would end with Ell’Hakan’s Truesoul sent back to the system to hopefully never by recycled again. There was no scenario it could end any other way.
“So when are you going?” Carmen asked.
“We’re currently waiting for Maria to get here,” Jake said, making Carmen look at him weirdly for a second before he clarified. “During my fight with Ell’Hakan, my bow began to really show that I got it before Nevermore and got really close to breaking. So I’m gonna need a new one for this upcoming planetary visit. One that can hopefully tide me over till the universe opens back up, and I can head to the Order for a full proper upgrade. I reckon Maria is my best hope to get a good one, considering she’s a bowyer.”
“Oh, I see,” Carmen nodded before smirking. “I couldn’t imagine having to rely on such a feeble thing as a weapon. Truly a horrible weakness.”
“Pretty sure you’re far more feeble than Eternal Hunger, even if you’re a Runemaiden of Valdemar,” Jake shot back, quickly taking out the katar as he spun it in his hands a few times before dismissing it again.
“That weapon can change shape, right? Can’t you just make it into a-“
“Tried it, doesn’t work,” Jake shook his head. Right as he said this, he realized Carmen had definitely already known as she grinned.
“More durable but definitely less flexible, it seems.”
Jake shook his head and was working on another comeback as he sensed a strong aura approach the valley. He stopped halfway through his headshake and looked toward the entrance as it got slightly warmer in the valley as the fire archer walked in, looking as if she’d really rushed her return. Her hair was a mess, her leather armor was in less than stellar condition, and she’d definitely burned through – pun intended - a lot of resources getting there.
That’s probably why she just stopped and stared a bit at Carmen and Jake, who just stood there rather casually. She took a second or two before she asked:
“What’s the emergency?”
Jake stared back at her for a moment before scratching the back of his head. “I wouldn’t really call it an emergency per-se...”
“Jake ruined his old bow and needs a new one, and since you’re a bowyer, he wanted to ask you for one,” Carmen instantly chimed in.
Maria looked back at Jake who really didn’t have a good answer as he just smiled meekly. “Was there some kind of miscommunication?”
“I got an emergency order to return to Haven immediately straight from my Patron,” Maria said, not returning Jake’s smile. “I left the dungeon with the final boss in my line of sight.”
“Okay, I see that I’m definitely in the wrong here, but in my defense, I do really need a new bow, and it is time-sensitive,” Jake said, knowing he didn’t have much ground to stand on. So, to escape the awkward situation, he tried to change the topic as quickly as possible.
“Also, how did Gwyndyr contact you? Are gods capable of piercing the limitations placed on our universe and send messages if they really want to? Or do you have some other kind of skill to communicate back and forth?” Jake asked.
Jake knew there were some skills gods had that allowed them to “contact” those they blessed, this contact often coming in the form of demands of some kind. In other cases, such as Valhal making offerings after a fight, that would also create a faint connection to the gods for them to then latch on to even if the connection was weak.
Luckily for Jake, Maria was willing to share despite clearly not being in a super good mood.
“The Crimson Flame is a mercenary group first and foremost. Just like your profession is about both alchemy and being a Chosen, my profession is about being a bowyer as well as a mercenary of the Crimson Flame. My Patron used one of my profession skills to give me an official assignment... they’re essentially quests that higher-level members of the mercenary company can give out,” Maria explained, Jake nodding along with genuine interest.
“That’s pretty damn neat,” Jake said, feeling like they had totally moved past the fact Jake may have fucked up a li-
“It was an assignment of the highest level. One that once granted, I must immediately act upon, or I will not only lose my Blessing but be branded a heretic and have a bounty put on my head for desertion,” Maria said, only making Jake feel more and more awkward about everything.
Fortunately, Maria soon sighed, but then she did something Jake hadn't seen coming. On her way over to sit down on the steps up to the porch of the lodge, she went by and plucked a banana right off the musa just like Carmen without even asking first... and this time, Jake didn't feel like he could call her out on her thievery as he just silently watched her eat it before she spoke again.
“I thought something bad had happened in Haven since I was told to return so urgently, so to find out nothing was wrong... at least I got a lot of merit points for completing the assignment.”
“I want to ask more about these merit points and whatnot, but I feel like you’re not super in the mood,” Jake began as Carmen again cut him off.
“So instead, he’s gonna ask you for a bow, and he definitely isn’t going to be satisfied unless it’s a really good one,” Carmen said.
“Well, I would more than gladly offer compensation,” Jake quickly corrected her. “But she isn’t wrong in that I need a bow, even if it does feel a bit shitty to ask for one now. I hope you can at least make it back to the dungeon in time for the Pioneer title.”
“I should,” Maria sighed. “Just give me a moment to catch my breath and I’ll go over what I have... hopefully one of them can be used for... what was that time-sensitive thing you need the bow for so urgently?”
“Pay the Holy Church a visit to snuff out the Truesoul of Ell’Hakan before they can flee from the universe,” Jake answered honestly.
“You know what? I’m not even gonna ask, and I’m gonna act as if I didn’t hear anything because that’s definitely not something I wanna get involved in,” Maria sighed yet again. “Now let’s see if there’s any of these you find useable...”
With those words, Maria summoned five bows in front of her; Jake finally at the final stage of his “obtain a new temporary bow” quest.
Comments
Dave
Tftc
Fabian
So.. the lost child making a comeback? Wanna see the Runemaiden fight! Aaaand.. Maria totally has her stats maxed out as well.
Phil Ritter
Let’s assume there js a possibility of an emergency and she arrives too late. This could draw the ire of the Viper someone who just recently wiped out an entire peak faction. I don’t think this is something taken lightly by a god like gwyndir
Phil Ritter
Let’s hope not. He doesn’t strike me as a harem guy since he’d probably fail to make enough time for one partner and I don’t see carmen competing with Artemis ending in something good
Chloe
Tyftc
King Nereus
Maybe so, but I saw it as just Carmen teasing Jake about a girl, the way good friends do.
David W. Baijense
Yeah, tbh I can see where they are coming from Villy just killed thousands of gods after mercing a really strong one publicly.
Shaibene
Jake should buy multiple bows and fuse them together using transmutation
Asher Mack
I kinda hope not…. Jake has badonked 2 other women one technically a goddess and has only ever exhibited ‘friends with benefits’ vibes with Carmen. Would be troublesome. I guess that’s assuming she’s interested in monogomy though.
SqrlyGrly
All the gods lebelled it an emergency because what mortal would dare to use them as a messenger service if it wasn't an emergency? They don't know Jake well enough to understand that he doesn't see superiors.
Hotep Saxis
Carmen getting a little jealous, looking at Jake with a side eye when he mentions needing Maria, and then claiming ownership of Jake by answering before he had a chance is a new development. She might be catching some feelings.
Erik Bekke
Yes I know....he typed Maria as Maira and I did a poor attempt at a joke
Seth
Couldn’t he have sidestepped his bow issue by making one from an arcane construct? Like he did in the colosseum. Although it was fun to check in with Minaga
Pheo
Love the title haha
brjenness
Well...then...Miranda should know better...I say before spinning quickly nearly slapping you with my pony tail and storming off
TwoMoreYears
Jake mentioning getting back to the order to get a proper upgrade made me think about how much I’m looking forward to spending some time at the order/shopping trip again and all the places like the Altmar empire/pantheon of life/ghost lands I’m looking forward to seeing. This story arc has been top tier but I did a reread recently and it reminded me how much I miss Jake just having fun in the multiverse. Not complaining at all, more just excited for the future as well as the present.
Damian Horbal
Actually he was, that's exactly what he said to Miranda 🤣
Ty Cooper
Lol same
Jeff McCulley
Why are you blaming Jake? He only sent a message that he wanted to talk to Maria. All the gods in her patron’s pantheon are the ones who decided to label it an emergency. If anything, it’s his fault for being modest and underestimating his own pull, not that he was selfish.
Jeff McCulley
It was upgraded right before he left for his fated first meeting with Minaga. Just before Nevermore.
Jeff McCulley
Jake wasn’t the one who labeled it an “emergency”.
Jeff McCulley
They were very, very happy to be used as pagers. It was the gods who labeled it as an “emergency”, not Jake. Because they wanted to please Villy that much.
Jeff McCulley
I read this when I woke up, cheerfully thinking, “Okay, I’ll find out about the bows tomorrow”. Cheerfully thought that all day. About bedtime, it finally hit me. Shit. It’s Friday!
khielira
She's the gal that acting as Jacob/holy church mercenary muscle when they were on the planet. That she also made a bow for Jake way back when Sultan first showed up. Jake end up changing the element affinity to his own with alchemy and he used it in the treasure hunt. Don't remember if he broke it at all but he traded it out when the auction happened.
Corvid
Yeah I can't see them getting too upset at the guy who just literally ate a primordial tier god and his army of other gods, or his best friend that gave a dead planet to him as a souvenir.
Corvid
I like how much more villy-esque he is getting as the story progresses. I guess they've been kindred spirits from the beginning, but now he's on the "maybe if i just casually genocide a planet things would be less annoying" train.
Michael Ferguson
LOL 😆!!! Other gods are already trying to keep Villy happy.
King Nereus
Yeah I think it is a bit early for her to get involved still. Since Jake is making comments this chapter, I am guessing he will be in for a surprise that the bows on offer will be far better than he is expecting. If for some reason he still isn’t satisfied, he can still just pick one up from one of the shops at the Order on Primordial 4.
Lonnie
It's for the viper. They won't even care. With Vilas killing yip so easily and Jake killing ell after he usurped yip. Rising stars get their own special treatment
jb qspam
“…to hopefully never by recycled again.” by->be
Peter Smith
My favorite part is how maria wasn't upset at being told its an emergency, just at the timing of it. If im correct she got enough merit points that it was not only worth it but that the fact he called on her increased her standing in the mercs that it was absolutely worth it.
Michael Ferguson
This is a fun chapter. Thanks again for the chapter. Jake just interrupted every one like spoiled chosen.
Michael Ferguson
Banana thieves! 😋
The Uub
Yes this. Gwyndyr has an archery-boner as well and that's probably why he wants to help Jake all the time. This will be the 3rd bow he has helped Jake aquire now.
The Uub
Also, a whole lot of sighing going on. As if people have forgotten other emotes. I mean, literally, *everyone* is sighing all the time. We need some variety in the emote department.
SqrlyGrly
So what do you think the gods' reactions will be when they realized they were just used as pagers?
The Uub
And because she is a god, she can't make anything useful for a C grade. System Fuckery
The Uub
Yeah but that was like... 100+ levels ago. IIRC he wasn't even C grade at that point.
Rahsheem Reid
He should take them all and transmute them.
Asher Mack
Lol multiversal fear of Villy returning to gods FAST after Yip
SilverSentry
Preaching to the choir, my dude. I'm glad there are people that tell him when he's full of shit, or being a dick. He's a powerhouse, but it's nice when people keep him grounded from time to time.
ItsFin
It was D grade and upgraded/repaired right before his Chosen ceremony.
ItsFin
Jake would be beyond pissed if it was him. She should get something very good
Dlandis
I share your sentiment! It's also nice to know that Jake can realize when he fucks up. I agree wholeheartedly that 92% of all litRPGs these days are people who start as plebes and turn into the be-all end-all of the universe at large, and it sucks. At least Jake confesses to his failures and is smart enough to know he sucks at politics and is best when he is just out there doing his thing and backing up the smart people. Also I think Sylphir would kick his ass for being rude.
Drew G
Small typo—> diplomatic should be diplomat
Stuart Thwaites
Jake better give her a very generous tip on top of her rush fees. The boss was right there and he interrupted her hunt. Few things are less forgivable than interrupting a hunt near completion.
Zach Newman
She should have something to hold him over it may be made from something that amplifies fire mana but we all know Jake can fix that lol
Ty Cooper
So i know Jake got it a long time ago but could he use soul marble to make the soul healing calm water along with the new meditation to heal pallet?
austin kutz
Probably true. He wouldn't be lucky enough for it to just fix itself
Asher Mack
Always refreshing to have people who are at Jake’s level who get fed up with his selfish shit sometimes. I like Jake don’t get me wrong but it’s the worst in LitRPGs when everyone is afraid of the main character just because he’s a power freak. Having people like Miranda, Lillian and Maria who aren’t like that and just have to deal with his shenanigans makes everything feel more realistic and rounded out.
Tommy S
Isnt his current bow the one he got from the auction forever ago? I recall it being legendary; hope Maria has some good stuff
Dan
He's got the perfect patron for it, seems like everyone has Jake on speed dial now so they can stay in his good graces 😂
Dan
"QUICK, THE CHOSEN OF THE MALEFIC VIPER NEEDS A BOW, WE NEED TO GET IT TO HIM BEFORE WE END UP LIKE YIP!" -Gods besides Villy when his C grade chosen makes a small request.... Probably.
TyranT-Rex
Jacob did also say that he needs to focus on stabilizing the remnants of EH's soul.
TyranT-Rex
I believe Jake needs to spend some time working on the meditate skill using the sages legacy first. We will likely see that after his visit to the holy church.
Erik Bekke
Maria is cool but who is this Maira person that showed up at the end of the chap? Another Musa thief?!
Ty Cooper
Lol i love Jake's divine pagers. Ha I believe i just let it be known I'm an old fart. Plus I just realized this is a Friday cliffhanger. For some reason I thought it was Thursday. We'll i am very curious as to what she has available for Jake to play with short term. I love her reaction to the holy war Jake is about to kick up.
Tom C
You bet Jake better pay her a LOT. Fully channeling his inner Young Master here 😂 TFTC!
Triggerman
Towards the end you have her name as Maira instead of Maria
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
austin kutz
I feel like this is the shortest chapter you've written in months. Also, wouldn't Jake be able to fix his pallette skill with his soul upgrade?
Gareth Morgan
Worth remembering anything Artemis makes will be god tier unless she has the skills to make it a soul bound growth item. Maybe she'll upgrade Jake's bow?
Jose Reyna
TFTC!!!!
NerdyFellow
Its also probably because as Jacob is the highest Church authority in the 93rd universe, and he does not want El'Hakan's bloodline to propagate, he is probably mucking up the processes somehow in order to ensure Jake kills him and the bloodline is recycled
itsdlow
I should have known better! Silly, Carmen xD
Borbino the great
I bet they have there own group chat and force the SS to host parties😂
Borbino the great
Yeah deadass she was just being an ass to Jake😂😂
Borbino the great
Ohhh yeah I’m pretty sure the holy church will release it if need be and Jake and Carmen are gonna beat the shit out of it and the fallen king will take over
Borbino the great
I think a lot of the reason too was didn’t he need to set up some kind of ritual so he could stabilize EH soul I vaguely remember him saying something about that
Borbino the great
That would be sick ngl I want to see more Artemis too she was one of my favorite new characters from nethermore right up there with minaga
Titaniumtac
Ss she walked----> She walked (or this is intentional and Vilas is infecting her turning her into a snake person, could go either way)
Tonberry101
I think the reason the plan wouldn't work is because Jacob won't move or teleport anymore, since I'm pretty sure he is against the whole resurrection of Ell'Hakan.
SinCinnamon
I like Maria. We need more Maria. Good common sense. Can’t she apprentice a bit with Arnold to improve her bowyer skills?
Ender419
Maria the ultimate clutch side character. I hope she gets something incredible for helping Jake with this mission like a time chambered one on one session with Artemis’s protégé.
Zack Leach
I was just thinking about how we havent heard from artemis in a long-ass time. But, considering she's a god and jake isnt exactly great at remembering things that arent prey, an opponent, or a special flavor of poison, I figured it had to be one of those things that Jake just kind of forgot about.
Sailesh Kumar Kumar
TFTC
Gardor
Oh, well if Jacob is on board and also in charge, this should be pretty easy.
Jared
Jacob is in on helping Jake destroy the soul. He is also a leader in this universe of the holy church, so he can just say he doesn’t want to teleport around and they won’t make him.
Mike
It makes sense that the holy church was the one to accidentally make a false god with some BS. It's time to see who was fing around behind the scenes and finally fully kill the desolate child of loss
Mike
I have a theory in B grade Jake will make part of Eternal hunger into a bow and Maria will make the string part and then they will kinda craft/transmute together a Mythical bow. Also this now would be a perm fixture alongside the melee enteral hunger. Plenty of curse energy to go around at least
William WIlson
I also believe that teleportation may effect his fortune telling. Like what if it takes Jacob a few minutes to read the future one he's teleported? It would make him far more vulnerable.
SyndaXatrix
TYFC!!
William WIlson
Jacob's used one of his skills to gather the true soul so no he can't pass it off.
Gardor
Are you saying they're teleporting him at random? I'm pretty sure they get to pick where to send him, and would just not send him to an active battlefield
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Mike
Can't risk Jacob triggering his last light skill again I would guess. If he dies to something on the run the soul and the last use of the skill this grade are gone
Kristopher Hanson
9th paragraph from last there is a double "s" typo paragraph starts "Fortunately, Maria soon sighed, but then she did something Jake hadn't seen coming. Ss she walked over to sit down on the steps up to the porch of the lodge
Rocotrap
And maybe blow a planet up in the process
Rocotrap
He's totally "not" going to mess one up with Touch and transmute it into something unexpected and actually useful
Robert Warner
Yes! I can't wait for some Artemis screen time!
Gardor
Wouldn’t it be way smarter to teleport whoever is carrying the soul around all the time, just avoiding you until the universe opens back up?” “Jacob is carrying the soul,” Jake clarified. Can Jacob not teleport? Can no one else hold the soul? I'm not sure this is really a reason not to do Carmen's "smarter" plan.
Amorian
Since this bow is ganna be temporary I wonder if he’ll get the new permanent one from Artemis ?
David W. Baijense
tbh I'm not so sure about the level thing, because Jake just got a whole bunch from the fighting recently, and the whole First Sage stuff, but he does also level slightly slower, and even more now because of his soul. So Maybe?
halfknight
Also they want to negotiate with Jake right? The only person in the church Jake puts up with is Jacob.
Phasmatic7
Thankies
Cam
Haha! 🤣 we all knew that was how it was gonna happen. But I’m so amused! Poor Maria!
James Faulkner
Tftc lol
Blaq Jesus
I second this.
Blaq Jesus
It's nice yeah
mitchell kaiser
Not enough time I’m guessing.
Blaq Jesus
We're all better for it. (The lack of "sparring.")
ABTelford
Hehe, poor Maria! And stupid Jake. Lol! Fun chapter.
Shaibene
Thats not a typo, its just Carmen is abit of of bimbo
Loststar7
Thanks for the chapter.
Loststar7
Jacob probably has to carry the true soul due to him being the augur and the lantern being part of his class. As for hopping him around the universe he’s a very rare class and I doubt they want to risk misplacing him.
Rewdan
Thanks Zogarth
Shaibene
It might be that its just the fact her sacred battlefield skill stops enemies from being able to escape
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
BumAssBumAss
Why does Jacob carrying the soul indicate that they can't make him teleport around? Is it because Jacob is not as loyal to the mission? Or that Jacob is the best person to preserve the soul?
Xander
Thanx for the chapter :)
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter! Neither sex nor sparring?!? What?!?
Beemoss
Tftc
Steven Tuttle
the desolate child will be there i have the feeling and villy had said carmen is a false god slayer thats why jake needs carmen and the desolate childs prob. the desolate king now shits going to be good were going to see carman snap
JSC
These are the parts of the story I really enjoy. Just the normal (for them) interaction of friends and such.
JSC
Actually for Carmen she might just say it like that.
NovaZero
"Would the young master like a belly rub too? Foot massage? Empowering circumcision, perhaps? Truly, the young master is of great need." - Sword Saint, maybe?
Stephen Heng
I love all the reactions to Jake’s truly honest answers are just shock, disbelief, and acceptance all rolled into one. They don’t even question anything crazy, and just accept it. TFTC
Mrburns93
I would assume archery and mercenary records flow thick and heavy through earth due to Jake and the court. She's probably in the best possible place for strong steady advancement. Plus zogarth has a good reason to keep her relevant. She supplies Jake with bows. Also she may be equal or higher level than Jake atm. She's at least very close to his level
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter!
Ser
That was Artemis! Though he does meet Gwyndyr indirectly as thanks for helping his order
jlb3275 gaming
No Gwyndyr wanted to bless Jake at the end of his tutorial I believe, it was Artemis (could be wrong it’s been a while) that Jake had a thing with.
BenjiVoid
Ss -> As
Andrew Reber
Typo: “Maira sighed yet again.” Maria spelled wrong, second to last paragraph.
Jack
I love how Jake to regular people is a person of near God-like power but to the people who know him he's just an idiot that likes to shoot arrows at things
Jack
That was Artemis
Endern
If things will go as they had before Jake will just select the highest rarity one and transmute it with his arcane affinity.
Zera
TFTC! Wasn't Gwyndyr the one Jake kind of had a thing with in the Nevermore Challenge? Or am I confusing names?
The Uub
I like the subtle way Zog is showing how powerful Maria is getting, even though we hardly ever see her in action. Imagine how she's changed if the whole valley gets warmer just from her presence.
David Sanders
It's not a tree!
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Roy
You're the best Z! Ty4c
Clint
Yep. Which means the Holy Church was making plans to fight Jake even before they stole his loot. Chances of a quick diplomatic resolution: zero percent.
Cory Sauls
TFTC!
SilverSentry
Agreed! Or just to step in if they try to flee eith the soul, I guess? Jacob can't fight.
JJB4345_80_815
So, is Carmen needed because the Church acquired the Desolate Child of Loss? It just feels like that thing is going to pop up soon...
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Sayjinlord
Thanks for the chapter
Frédéric Cantin
Tyftc
Quark Eiweis
Tftc
itsdlow
Typo: “As a representative of Valhal, am I not kind of a diplomatic and have immunity or something?” - diplomatic -> diplomat
Ify Achu
Tftc
Staudi
Tyftc!
Almer Reyhan
Sorry I don't play it
Daniel Brian
Thanks for the feeding my addiction!
GSA
The new mark of being an elite from earth is taking one of Jake’s bananas in front of him and surviving🤣
Joseph Coonelly
"Ss she walked over to sit down" Ss - As Thx for the chapter!
Will Murry
Jake really is a cheeky bastard sometimes isn't he
Jordan Rogers
Thanks crack daddy zogarth, for the fix. See you Monday
D3monEmper0r
Wow no cliff this weekend, the new year brings many surprises...
Valhazstromoz
That's right Jake congrats on being the asshole of the day!! -minaga probably
Valhazstromoz
Do you play wuthering waves? XD
Zogarth
Fix
Darune Albane
Love how she just said .. nope i did not just hear what you just said .. laalaalaa
SilverSentry
"Jake was heading back, he was informed that Carmen had also made her way to the quant little forest town." This should be quaint. Thanks for the chapter!
Matthias
tftc
Unwillingmainer
Damn, does everyone steal from his banana tree? Guess he shouldn't have planted it in the open like that. And time for an upgrade before Jake's favorite kind of diplomacy, arrow first.
Phallusar
I like Maria receiving commensurate kudos. And Jake has the right mix of 'time sensitive' and 'not an imminent threat'.
Almer Reyhan
Mamma mia I'm third already how
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
Kevin Watson
thanks for the chapter
