Zogarth
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Chapter 960 - Incompetence All Around
🕑 Added 2024-07-24 11:01:40 +0000 UTCA large group was gathered in the spacious tent as the teleportation circle lit up. The scalekin World Leader stood side by side with his queen, surrounded by those who remained loyal to him and their tribal alliance. He knew many were skeptical when he told them help was coming, and when the teleportation circle fully activated, the disappointment from some of them was palpable.
A single figure appeared in the center of the circle, wearing a dark hooded cloak and a wood-like mask, revealing only two eyes reminiscent of a beast more than a human. In truth, he didn’t strike the scalekin as that impressive, but he knew looks could be extremely deceiving in the multiverse. There was no way to tell how powerful someone truly was simply by looking at them.
“I greet the Chosen of the Malefic Viper,” the scalekin World Leader bowed politely, his wife and others following suit despite their reservations. “We humbly welcome you to our planet.”
The human quickly regarded the scalekin, and it felt as if his very soul was laid bare as the man responded. “You’re the World Leader, I take it?”
“That is correct, my lord,” the scalekin said, his respectful tone now even more genuine.
“Good, then let’s not waste more time than necessary and head straight for the Prima Vessel,” the Chosen continued, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That is…” the scalekin muttered.
“What is it? If there are no teleporters nearby and we have to travel a bit, that’s fine, I just hope you aren’t a slowpoke,” the human continued, still speaking so casually it was truly shocking. Perhaps… didn’t he know?
“The… the Prima Vessel is not currently under our control…”
A second passed before the human scratched the back of his head. “Alright… it’s pretty clear there’s a story here, so let me hear it.”
--
Jake would definitely come to regret hearing their story, as it was not only cliché but also pretty boring.
Warring factions, lots of racism because of the many different races who didn’t like how others looked, century-long blood feuds between different clans because some chick married one guy over another, and so many damn twists and turns around who different clans allied with at different times. Honestly, it was a shitshow.
All of which Jake, quite frankly, didn’t care about. He did care about the last part, though.
“They have invited other World Leaders from planets that have already cleared their own Prima Guardians and did this before the teleportation permissions were locked down… and while the lockdown does mean they can’t bring in more invaders, we remain severely outnumbered and have cause to believe these World Leader brought along powerful allies. With me being the World Leader, we are also disproportionately targeted by the Primas and are struggling,” the scalekin World Leader explained, Jake surprised at and only really noting the presence of two other World Leaders.
He didn’t even need to be told where they were from either, as the answer was obvious. Still, the scalekin told him.
“These World Leaders are allies of the Celestial Child and are sent here to claim the planet. I… was also approached by the Chosen, and we had an agreement, which was why I kept teleportation open for all from the alliance, but…” the scalekin admitted, though he didn’t look like he felt good about it.
“But you were betrayed. What a shocker,” Jake sighed. He had already released a Pulse, and… he wouldn’t even say he was in a city. It was just flatland with a few thousand tents and very temporary-looking buildings spread about. Clearly, this wasn’t the most stable of factions.
The part about the teleportation circles was at least a bit understandable. The scalekin wouldn’t have believed those who teleported there from planets part of the alliance would join the enemy, but here the guy was, very much regretting his prior choices.
From Ell’Hakan’s point of view, siding with the other coalition of factions who fought the scalekin and his tribes probably made the most sense. They had more people, a stronger fighting force, and likely also a better leader than the scalekin Jake was looking at because the guy really didn’t give off leader vibes. His level was pretty good, though.
[Scalekin – lvl 280]
In fact, the levels Jake saw when he briefly scanned people in the tent were pretty good. It turns out that being on a planet going through constant war with other factions ever since the integration was a great way to gain a lot of levels, even if it also meant the planet had pretty sucky population numbers.
“Yes, I was fooled, betrayed, and taken advantage of,” the scalekin nodded in shame as he clenched his fists. “I believed the words of the Celestial Child, that he would-“
“Why do you keep calling him that when he fucked you over?” Jake asked, raising an eyebrow. “No reason to show such respect for some manipulative sack of shit.”
The scalekin looked about to answer as someone from the back decided to get involved in the conversation. A large horned man who looked a bit like a minotaur stood up as he stared daggers at Jake. This minotaur-looking beastkin wasn’t the only one either, as several more looked uncomfortable with what Jake had said, including even the queen at the World Leader’s side, but it was only the minotaur guy who was dumb enough to yell loudly:
“How dare a mere human disrespect the Celestial Child! Your pathetic kind belong only in-“
Jake looked at the man, his eyes glowing for a second as he decided to be nice and only froze the guy. With a low sigh, Jake silenced the room entirely as he spoke calmly.
“One more interruption, and it won’t end with a warning. That goes for all of you.”
The scalekin did react quickly as he seemingly sent some telepathic message, and two people grabbed the frozen and drooling minotaur and dragged him out of the tent. With him gone, the scalekin went as far as to go down on one knee, the shock from many of those there not something they could contain.
“I sincerely apologize for the disrespect from both myself and the representative of the Iron Bull clan. While it is no excuse, we have a less-than-positive history with the human race who once lived here before they all died out a few decades before the integration. They had enslaved much of the planet a very long time ago, with our history books emphasizing the evil nature of man… of course, we now know better, and I can only beg for your forgiveness,” the scalekin said, clearly trying to gather some sympathy points with his historical explanation.
Again, Jake seriously didn’t care about the history lesson, he just wanted to get things moving and not have anyone and everyone interrupting him. Maybe he noticed Jake’s disinterest, but at least the scalekin had the sense to continue without any prompting.
“As for the matters regarding the… other Chosen… I truly meant nothing by it. It’s simply the title we referred to him as and the one he introduced himself with. That, and I cannot rule out the existence of Bloodline manipulation from his side, still controlling my mind and the minds of many others who have met him.”
Okay, that last part was a bit bullshit. Ell’Hakan didn’t control people’s minds, just their emotions. Simply being aware of the Chosen’s ability made it several times less effective, and often the negative emotions born from being told you had been manipulated into having a positive view of the orange fuck overshadowed any others, amplified or not. But Jake really didn’t want to enter an entire conversation about that as he steered the topic toward why he was there.
“You said the Prima Vessel was under the control of these other clans and the two World Leaders helping them, correct?” Jake questioned.
“Yes, they are guarding it, so I cannot approach and enter,” the scalekin nodded.
“Are they afraid you will release the Prima Guardian?” Jake asked, trying to get a feel for how strong these two World Leaders who had arrived were.
“I do not believe that is what they fear. They instead don’t want me to hide in there and make it impossible for them to gain my key. I have heard they possess the ability to take the keys from other World Leaders if they slay them, and I fear that is what they plan to do. Afterward, they will likely release the Guardian, slay it, and… then I do not know their plan,” the World Leader admitted with a sigh.
“And why are they not just hunting you down?” Jake kept pressing.
“They have tried to a few times, but we move around and attempt to make ourselves difficult to pin down. Also, they do not appear to be in any kind of rush, as they keep gathering more unaffiliated clans and tribes under their banner as they slay Primas. Once more, I do not know the cause for their lack of urgency.”
Jake had a good theory of why they were not in a hurry… why would they with such an incompetent and cowardly World Leader? Shit, maybe they were even trying to… oh, yeah, that orange fuck would totally go for that kind of story.
There was a very good chance they weren’t necessarily aiming to even kill this World Leader but would instead wear him down until he surrendered and willingly submitted himself before them to save his own hide. Ell’Hakan was going for a story as the one who united the galaxy, and making a warring planet come together would definitely track. Also… being known for killing other World Leaders and “stealing” their planets would likely make it harder for Ell’Hakan to keep recruiting.
It also explained why they hadn’t just killed this group if they were truly that much more superior. Of course, it could still be that the people Ell’Hakan had just sent were incompetent, but Jake liked his own theory better.
Not that any of it ultimately mattered. If Ell’Hakan’s plans interfered with what Jake was there for, there was no way they could avoid getting into a scuffle.
“Let’s not wait around any longer until they decide to come for you again, then,” Jake said, seeing no reason to stay around any longer. At this point, he really just wanted to get moving… but life had other plans.
Jake saw the winged beastkin queen beside the World Leader shift a little, and he was pretty sure she sent some telepathic message to the scalekin, which made the guy hesitate. “Are… are you sure it’s wise to not make a proper plan for our approach? Assess the situation properly first?”
For a second, Jake wondered if this entire thing was really worth it. Why was he even helping some clearly unpopular and untalented World Leader in the first place? He wouldn’t kill the guy as that was one of the things he’d agreed with Kindroth, and Miranda would fuck up all their future plans as convincing a known killer of World Leaders to visit would be hard. Actually, this fitted well with why Ell’Hakan didn’t just kill the guy, huh? Either way… man, did Jake just want to knock out the guy and drag him to the Vessel at this point.
“We do have a proper plan. Me. Now let’s go,” Jake insisted… yet the damn scalekin kept hesitating, and Jake was pretty damn sure he knew what caused it. More accurately, who caused it.
Turning to the winged beastkin woman, he stared straight at her as he caught her attention. She stared back, and Jake easily saw how damn nervous she was. She was way too nervous for this conversation, almost as if she didn’t want any of this to be happening.
Not only is the World Leader incompetent, his own damn wife isn’t even fully on his side, Jake sighed internally before she spoke in an accusatory tone.
“Or is there a reason people here wouldn’t want you to go for some reason… now why would that be?” Jake said with a smile as he looked at the wife. “I do find it bold of you to try and hide in front of me so openly. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I’m a hunter. I specialize in sensing clues and uncovering truth. So, do you want to take this opportunity to fess up yourself, or would you prefer my interpretation of what you’ve done?”
To be clear, Jake had no proof and was one hundred percent bluffing; he just knew she had done something shady. He wasn’t even sure exactly what she had done, and outright accusing her of something specific could give away the fact he really had no idea. Luckily, the queen wasn’t smarter than her dear husband. Jake’s staredown probably also helped convince her.
Turning to her husband, who looked at her with utter confusion, she practically screamed her explanation.
“I… it was the only way! How long has this war been going on? How long can it continue? We need to unite, or this damned system event will be our end, and we have clearly shown we aren’t capable of coming together without outside help. You know they promised stability and safety! Help with the Prima Guardian! Why are you so stubbornly resisting when assistance is offered!? You said they betrayed us first… nobody betrayed anyone. The Celestial Child made a deal with everyone, not just you! He made a promise to this planet, and you’re the only one still refusing to see that! I… I will not raise our child in this kind of world!”
The scalekin looked at her with wide eyes. “You… you’re with child? I…”
Watching this family drama unfold before him, Jake regretted his decision of not just kidnapping the World Leader and dragging him to the Prima Vessel. His patience was truly being tested, but he had to resist the urge to do anything.
Jake couldn’t help but think about who the “good” guys truly were on this planet. One side had the majority of citizens and was still expanding, with more clans joining them all the time, while the other was ruled by a World Leader desperately holding onto what little power he had despite the popular opinion of the population.
But… all that wasn’t really his problem. He looked on as the scalekin and winged beastkin were talking in a hushed tone, half of the conversation clearly also happening telepathically, as emotions were running high. Jake decided to give them a choice, as he cleared his throat, making the two of them shut up as they stared at Jake in fright, seemingly having forgotten he was even there.
“All of this strikes me as a waste of time, so let me offer you one of two options. Both include freeing the Prima Guardian. Either the two of you go to the Prima Vessel and meet these other World Leaders to reach some agreement, or he and I head off to the Prima Vessel. The first option also includes me coming along, but I will remain hidden unless I have a reason not to.”
The two of them looked at Jake for a moment as the scalekin clenched his fists. “If… if there is a peaceful solution…”
“First option it is, then,” Jake smiled. It was time to show that Ell’Hakan couldn’t be the only scheming sleazebag around.
Comments
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
ABTelford
I uh…don’t get it? EllHakan has orange skin and the Fvword is Jake’s favorite so…
Mad Hatter
Good. He’s clearly going to pop out of stealth and fuck up their underhanded plans. As a side note, I tire from seeing “orange fuck” as it is clearly a political jab from IRL, and I prefer to not think about real life when enjoying fiction
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Jordan Rogers
What time do chapters drop?
Tejas Jay
I was looking forward to Jake going to the order and dealing with the politics since he left for Nevermore, but these chapters have been entertaining. I have enjoyed the direction it's been going while keeping up with El Hakin's storyline. I do miss his interactions with the Viper.
Irakli Jishkariani
Oh there are consequences. If he goes murderhobo elhakan will use that as a weapon. And there will be lots of political consequences if not much strength.
Gallagher.563
This is actually a really interesting thought because no way can Jake avoid being a murder hobo for long.
AfroMocha
Jake is setting up Ell Hakans goons to try and kill the world leader being hidden. Prob use gaze to freeze them. Just to show this world that the Orange fuck doesn't care about the other worlds or leaders. Just wants to gain power for Yippy
William WIlson
Nah Jake would see the stories that could bring. Personally I think Jake freezes all the people native to this planet kills Ell’Hakans goons kills the Prima then basically tells them to figure it out. With a warning like he gave olliandra.
William WIlson
I think your basically right except that killing Ell’Hakan would help villy directly. Personally I think it would hurt Yip thus helping villy but it wouldn't do mush for villy otherwise. I mean he's only a c grade and yes it would be his choosen doing the killing but I think the ex wouldn't be noticed. Not like the Vesperia situation.
William WIlson
He doesn't have a planetary sacrificial ritual skill he simply knows how the ritual works.
William WIlson
I can't be the only one who thinks this won't actually turn out that bad. Personally I think Jake will have to use gaze to stop them from instantly killing the world leader then force a meeting after killing Ell’Hakans goons o and the prima and simply tell them to figures out there own shit. Basically comes in removes outside influence then removes the need for more outside help and tells them to deal with thier shit.
Tommy
To my mind, there is a small amount of tension as he is going into a situation involving EH and we don’t know what is going to happen. Not know what will happen creates minor tension for me. Might not for you and that is fine. It’s not hugely tense with massive ramifications for sure. But it’s some light unknowns that are quickly resolved. Which is what I meant, apologies if that wasn’t clear
Ty Cooper
Yeah discrediting everything he says would be better for Villy because Yip is tied to EH and vice versa. So the more full of sh*t he proves EH to be would also make the multiverse look at Yip the same. But I think killing EH outright would still help Villy but probably not as much.
JC
??? There is 0 tension to these mini arcs. Tension occurs when there are difficult choices to be made or problems to be solved where there are consequences for failure or the wrong decision. This is not a difficult situation for jake in the slightest as he has stated and there are no consequences for failure.
Killjoy
It would be nice if Jake could just use his planet sacrifice ritual
Daniel Hamilton
Along with the Yip of yesterday
T
I guess that as long as another world leader kills the world leader that privilege would transfer otherwise who knows
T
2 or 3 I would think
T
Either that or the top contenders were to close to each other so in order to not give anyone else the power they chose someone they could easily eliminate
Jose Reyna
TFTC
Andromeda Adams
Wasn’t it because they just needed to pick someone.
Kaizen Androck
Yeah, just one problem with that line of thought. In a gamefied world, how did he become World Leader in the first place if he didn't have a sufficient amount of competence? Wasn't he picked because he was the most influential at the time?
PatienceHoney
Just like at the latest world conference... where he "non-violently" killed the impertinent guy from the Holy Church faction. I love his killing gaze, so OP!!
Kaizen Androck
Awesome arc..Love this stuff.. You know you are dealing with S-grade stuff when even the micro-arcs are as good as the macro-arcs which are Primordial level.
Michael Lambus
And we want to avoid stories
Michael Lambus
Ambitious goal
Andromeda Adams
True enough
Michael Lambus
Well respect is earned and he doesn't seem that worthy
kingofshibainu
Jake is the plan. Jake is the plot. I love it.
Azayrian105
Kindroth. He has changed the name back in all of the previous chapters.
TKOva
Yea but if a planet has a coup and then Jake comes and annihilated the other world leader in charge. Now that's a story.
Ian
Sooooo is it Kindroth or Kindroch?
Darshar Griffonmane
This will of course end very peacefully, not the slightest bit of chance of violence... Though I do wonder if those other World Leaders confront Jake, what the fallout will be after he kills them. wonderful chapter, thank you!
Biggy smalls
Nah. You're thinking like a pre-system individual. Nobody of any consequence to Jake moving forward would bat an eye at Jake wrecking EH. It only do him good. Send a message to the multiverse that Jake means business. He's not just a primordials chosen for show.
ItWasIDIO!!
Oh the poor sweet summer child thinks misunderstandings are schemes
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Tommy
Unfortunately death to EH at this time might make him into a martyr? I’m not sure if that is the best course just yet. Making the multiverse aware of how much of a toolbag he is and completely discrediting everything he does…. Might be a better first option?
Tommy
I like these mini-arc type things. We get some tension which is quickly resolved. We get world / multiverse building as we see new and different factions reacting to the prima event. And the overarching story is progressed as well! Thanks for the chapter!
Matthias
tftc
Preston Stokes
Cant wait to fry this orange fuck
Andromeda Adams
TYFTC! Oo this should be fun. Poor guy though. World leader and no one respects him.
Shai182
TFTC!
Stuart Thwaites
YES! The shit show that is Jake+politics
SmokeJam
Time to yoink a planet and then forget about it.
Sam Rosenberg
This will certainly end well in a peaceful outcome
Chewbacchus
In the paragraph talking about the invited World Leaders, the 'World (Leader)' in the middle should probably also be '[Leaders]' given the context of the sentence
Chewbacchus
Tftc!
Jana
Definitely but these people strike me as brainwashed enough to comit suicide by incompetance aka attacking first.
David Thomas
This is gonna turn into a shitshow… I hope…
Micah Molina
This is great! I wonder what happens if your World Leader dies during the event, off world, after claiming the pylon? Would that turn the teleporter off or something? Or does the planet choose a new one? Or is your world forfeit to whomever killed them?
RonGAR
Jake and Earths biggest selling point is that they are not there to 'take' power away from anyone. Just kill the Primas. So taking power now should be a big NO NO. #imho
RonGAR
Oh boy... Politics. SMH Don't do it my guy, don't do it. LOLOL Stick to your smelly pot! LOL
Ty Cooper
Upstanding would be nice. Kill would be better. So ready for Jake to kill EH. Doubtful if happens on this planet
Ty Cooper
Though I would love for EH to die on this measly planet.
Ty Cooper
Oh gosh! Wasn't expecting Jake the marriage councilor this morning. Lol there weren't even any arrows involved.
John Kinkead
You’re the bomb Zogarth!
John Kinkead
I will be first
John Kinkead
One day
Zogarth
Fix
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter!
Jana
If these other world leaders kill the scalekin and Jake repays them in kind, he will get their Rings/whatever item they got after claiming their Pylons right? Sure Miranda is going to love that :-D
Cory Sauls
TFTC
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter! “[…]did Jake just want to just knock out the guy[…]” —> “[…]did Jake just want to knock out the guy[…]” .
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Conclave
The sneaky boy will play hide and seak
Paulo Furlaneto
Tftc
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Adurna
I can feel Jake's pain and decision to just see how this does not work out.
Clint
Uh oh. Jake does politics. Not his strongest suit. But if EH isn’t there, maybe perception and presence for the win??
Exaiter
Hope he pulls some real ainz ooal gown shit, just trying something light, but ends up with massive reprocussions (edit: words)
Exaiter
Lets goooooo. Tftc!
Lay Nkay
Thanks for the chapter. Now here's Jake's chance to upstage Ellkanan
Naotsugu97
Cheers!
Xarroworth
Tftc!
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Abdulaziz ALRumaih
Thanks for the chaoyerb
BumAssBumAss
Thanks for the chapter!
