Zogarth
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Chapter 921 - Hive Queens Are Scary
🕑 Added 2024-05-24 11:04:55 +0000 UTCJake and Vesperia hadn’t ever really spent that much together, and he truly didn’t know what she was actually capable of. All he had seen from her was her ability to enter fighting mode, which ultimately wasn’t her main power.
She was a Hive Queen. A living one-woman army that commanded an entire hive of powerful insectoids to overwhelm and slaughter anyone who dared oppose her. Her personal ability to fight was a last resort or to be used only alongside her workers and soldiers. Well, primarily soldiers, Jake reckoned, as workers were meant to stay back at the hive.
Now, after a few years, Vesperia had plenty of time to learn more about her abilities, but more importantly, to actually create some creatures for her hive. Something she enthusiastically wanted to show off.
“My internal space serving as a temporary hive has expanded significantly as I have progressed through C-grade, and I have even absorbed unique treasures provided to me by the Endless Empire to facilitate further growth. This has led to me having an internal space capable of storing at least a few million creations, though I have far from filled it up. To do that, I will likely need some more Hive Queens to assist me,” Vesperia happily explained, as Jake nodded along with interest.
“Have you made any more Hive Queens yet?” Jake asked.
“Only two so far, and both of them were made without any fertilization,” Vesperia answered nonchalantly. “I find it too early for me to look into any potential mates. Besides, if they are too weak, their Records will only end up weakening the Hive Queen.”
Yeah, Jake wasn’t going to touch that topic with a ten-foot pole. He sure as hell wasn’t going to discuss Vesperia’s potential love life, though going by the tone she spoke with, it didn’t seem like she viewed the act of fertilization as anything that had emotions involved in it. It was purely a way to potentially improve the Records of a Hive Queen.
“One of those Hive Queens is in my stomach right now! I’m making a wasp farm!” Sandy added happily.
“That’s nice,” Jake said with a smile. “How about the second one?”
“Would you like to see her?” Vesperia asked. Jake nodded his head without any hesitation, quite curious for sure.
“Do note this one is still very young,” she said, as Jake felt the movement of magic. That is also when he learned that the way Vesperia summoned things from her internal world wasn’t just like pulling stuff out of spatial storage.
A large yellow spinning portal appeared, and a few seconds later, a pretty damn massive wasp walked out. It had no humanoid features at all but just looked like a big wasp with a surprisingly huge thorax compared to the wasps he usually saw. Jake also felt that this Hive Queen was barely in C-grade and not particularly strong either… likely because it was focused on tending to and expanding hives.
[Vespula Hive Queen – lvl 208]
It was even an entirely different race. A Vespula Hive Queen. Still a wasp but far from a True Royal. Jake wasn’t disappointed or anything, though. The mere fact Vesperia could create a creature like this all on her own, possessing a full Truesoul and being its entirely independent being, was incredibly impressive.
“She hasn’t had time to learn to change her form yet,” Vesperia quickly clarified as she looked at the large warp.
The warp bowed its head toward Vesperia before it looked at Jake. “I greet the Sire of the True Royal.”
Yeah, Jake definitely shouldn’t be surprised the big wasp could talk and responded politely: “Nice to meet you, too.”
“As you can see, despite being young, Hive Queens are born with the same innate knowledge that I was, albeit far less. She is only a year old and already ready to establish her own hive once a suitable site is found,” Vesperia explained.
“I see,” Jake nodded, impressed.
Could he just mention how fucking scary eusocial insects like Vesperia were? She could create creatures that could make more creatures, creating a massive army within only a few years. He totally understood why many sought to eradicate any ectognamorphs once discovered on a planet, as should they go uncontested, most planets would be overrun.
“Alright, please return to the Internal Hive,” Vesperia said to the young Hive Queen. It bowed its head once more and quickly walked back through the portal, which did make Jake wonder…
“Say, can others enter the portal? Could I?”
“I apologize, that’s not possible. Only creatures I have created can enter. Even that Hive Queen cannot make any spawns within, and I wouldn’t be able to house anything she makes in the future either,” Vesperia said very apologetically as she deflated a bit.
“Why apologize? That’s not necessarily a downside. It means the space is far safer by default, and enemies have no possible way to sneak in and hurt the young within. In fact, I would say it’s a feature more than anything else,” Jake said, shaking his head.
Vesperia smiled as his words quickly pepped her back up. “Hive Queens are far from the only spawns I have made. Actually, they are the only creatures not truly part of the Vespernat Lineage.”
She proceeded to bring out more wasps to show off. Three pretty different insects appeared, all with varying names, looks and purposes, their races pretty explanatory.
[Vespernat Soldier - 267]
[Vespernat Worker- 255]
[Vespernat Pollinator - 248]
All of them looked purely like insects. The Soldier was the biggest of them at about three meters long, and it definitely looked designed to fight. The Worker and Pollinator looked a lot less dangerous, especially the Pollinator. Rather than a wasp, it looked more like a cross between a wasp and a bumblebee, with its many soft hairs, making it look pretty cute.
“These are some of the common drone variants I can create,” Vesperia said proudly as she proceeded to briefly clarify some more ectognamorph things.
These three weren’t like the Hive Queen in that their souls were a bit… lacking. They were the same as the termites from that hive back then. They relied on the Queen and didn’t have the intelligence to act on their own. Should Vesperia fall, they would also cease to function and quickly just die.
This did come with some upsides, though…
“While I am still lacking, I am up to around two thousand Soldiers, five thousand Workers, and a few hundred Pollinators,” Vesperia said with a sigh as if that wasn’t already a fuckload.
Jake raised an eyebrow, surprised at the number. “How many of those are C-grades?”
He could already imagine… If just a tenth of them were C-grades, that meant she had an army of two hundred C-grade Soldie-
“Oh, those are the C-grades. Counting D-grades and below, I have approximately fifty times that,” Vesperia clarified.
Jake stared a bit as he processed this. Even if these Soldiers were weak variants compared to regular beasts… that was still a fucking army, wasn’t it? What’s more, she genuinely didn’t think this was a lot?
Again… Hive Queens are fucking scary.
“That’s quite the army,” Jake said after a brief pause as he processed Vesperia walking around with a few hundred thousand insects in her pocket. He did have one more thing he wondered, though. “Do you have more powerful variants?”
“Two more,” Vesperia said. “Royal Guards and Queen’s Guards.”
“Damn,” Jake muttered. “How many of each?”
“Twenty-six Royal Guards and four Queen’s Guards,” Vesperia answered.
Sending back the three drone variants, a new specimen appeared that looked a lot different than anything prior. These did not look much like wasps at all but reminded Jake far more of how Vesperia looked in her warrior form. They each carried what looked like stinger spears, as well as carapace shields, and they walked on two thin legs. Their far bulkier forms than Vesperia in her warrior form, as well as them not giving off the same kind of scent – likely pheromones of some kind - made Jake wonder something as he also used Identify.
[Vespernat Royal Guard – lvl 274]
“Are these males?” Jake asked curiously.
“Yes,” Vesperia confirmed. “Royal Guards are those among a brood who failed to fully mature into Queen’s Guards, hence why they are males.”
Jake nodded as he kept observing the five Royal Guards Vesperia had summoned to show off, ignoring the fact that in ectognamorph society, males tended to be the half-cooked specimen. A very matriarchal society that one. Focusing on the Royal Guards, they were impressive indeed and even pretty powerful variants. They are at least above average, and dealing with an entire army of them would be quite the challenge.
Dismissing the Royal Guards, Vesperia finally brought out her biggest guns: the Queen’s Guards.
The four of them were about six meters long, and they looked a lot like regular wasps except massive. No, perhaps calling them hornets would be more accurate, seeing as they had far darker colors and looked more aggressive. One big difference was that their mandibles were far larger, and their legs looked almost metallic, reminding him a bit of the Hive King from the termite nest.
Then, there were, of course, their stingers. They were not as puffy but longer in shape, with a very pointy tip. Jake’s Sense of the Malefic Viper also made it very clear that there was some nasty venom on the other end – something that wasn’t really unique to Royal Guards, as most wasps had venom.
Anyway, the entire bodies of these Queen’s Guards looked made for combat, and even their antennas were glowing with magic. Healing magic, as far as Jake could tell. These weren’t low-tier variants at all but were powerful in their own right and would no doubt be considered high-tier elites worth nurturing if they were part of any faction. He doubted their level of teamwork was anything to scoff at, either. Even their levels made it clear they were far from weak.
[Vespernat Queen’s Guard – lvl 282]
[Vespernat Queen’s Guard – lvl 280]
[Vespernat Queen’s Guard – lvl 281]
[Vespernat Queen’s Guard – lvl 282]
These four huge Royal Guards sat passively on the lawn, not doing anything as if waiting for Vesperia to give them any commands.
“I can only create four Queen’s Guards currently with my abilities, and the rest of my elites will have to be Royal Guards,” Vesperia explained. “I can make way more of the regular drone variants, as they barely consume any Hive Energy to maintain. Ah, Hive Energy is a special resource I have that dictates how many I can spawn, and everything that isn’t its own separate Hive Queen counts.”
“You sure learn something new every day. Also, I do wonder… why do the Royal Guards have humanoid forms while these four look perfectly insecty?” Jake asked.
“Oh, that was just a choice for this demonstration, and due to the peculiarity of the transformation of these guards,” Vesperia said as she looked at the four Queen’s Guards. “Transform.”
Instantly, they reacted as all four of them grew in size, and within seconds, they turned into carbon copies of Vesperia in her warrior form. Even their auras changed to resemble hers, and without his Bloodline, he wasn’t sure he could have told the difference. Jake even tried using Identify…
[Vespernat Hive Queen – lvl 284]
“Are these…?”
“Look-alikes,” Vesperia said, smiling. “A tried and true strategy of old."
“That’s… impressive,” Jake said, as he kept comparing the four of them to Vesperia. “Are these also considered drones, or?”
“Partly,” Vesperia clarified as she motioned toward one of the Queen’s Guards, who promptly spoke:
“We live to serve the Queen and have the required mental faculties to do so efficiently,” she spoke in a voice that was even identical to Vesperia’s.
“Having a look-alike that couldn’t even act like me wouldn’t be a very good one, now would it?” Vesperia said proudly. “You four may return to the hive.”
The four of them nodded and went through the portal without saying anything more. After they left, Vesperia closed the portal again.
“Ah, I should mention their ability to mimic me isn’t a known ability and shouldn’t be shared, as it would make it far less effective,” Vesperia casually clarified that she had just revealed one of her big trump cards.
“Of course I won’t share anything,” Jake reassured her.
“I totally would if they had the right bribe,” Sandy also decided to jump into the conversation. “Ah, who am I kidding. I wouldn’t do that to my little sister Vespy.”
“That actually reminds me,” Jake said, looking at Vesperia. “Are you alright with Sandy calling that nickname? I know that Sandy can be a handful, and I would gladly give the big worm a stern talking to.”
“It… it’s fine,” Vesperia said a bit shyly as Sandy jumped right back in.
“Vespy is also having mixed emotions about having her own name already and you not naming her like the rest of us. Seeing as your naming convention sucks, Vespy totally sounds like the name you would have given her if you had been the one to decide, so me calling her that makes her feel like we’re all closer,” the worm once more inflicted panic upon Vesperia.
“… if you want me to also call you Vespy, that’s totally fine?” Jake muttered. “And… well, that probably is the kind of name I would have given.”
“Make it a special family name!” Sandy wriggled happily.
“I… I would be fine with whatever Sire wishes to call me,” Vesperia said.
“That means she wants you to call her Vespy as that sounds way more familial,” Sandy just wouldn’t let up causing Vesperia mental attacks.
“Vespy it is then,” Jake smiled as he saw Vespy blush, making him instinctively reach up and pat her head. Her only response was to lower herself a bit, making it easier for him to do so.
“I must say, your abilities surpass my expectations,” Jake said happily while still rubbing her hair. “You really are a one-wasp army. Do you also remember what we talked about earlier regarding you helping me with something?”
Vespy’s head instantly shot up as she looked at Jake. “What is it?”
Jake smiled and shook his head and pulled back his patting hand – much to Vespy’s disappointment - before explaining. “While preparing for the Prima Guardian to arrive, we are addressing as many potential risk factors as possible. The skies, seas, and land are very much covered, but the subterranean world is still mostly unexplored. What we do know is that there is quite an Isoptera presence that, last time I heard, is far from fully addressed. There might even be some ants or other hives, too.”
“Does Sire wish for me to make contact with these hives and eradicate or place them under our control?” Vesperia asked nonchalantly.
“Not gonna lie, as long as they are addressed, I don’t care how you do it,” Jake shook his head. “But I would still be careful. They are underground, where I don’t know how good your variant is at fighting, seeing as you’re wasps and all. They also had a lot of time to grow, so they might have become quite powerful. Not to mention the fact that much of the underworld remains unexplored, and I don’t know what other dangers might be waiting. As I said, much of it remains unexplored.”
“Firstly, Sire, the Vespernat lineage does not struggle underground. Many of the offshoots from the Lineage are underground dwellers already, and we are more than adapted to that kind of environment. Perhaps not as much as other True Royal Lineages of the Endless Empire, such as the True Royal Lineage ruling the Isoptera line, but in the end, they are only Isoptera. My goal will also not be to fight them. Simply to announce my presence and allow them the honor of swearing fealty.”
Jake furrowed his brows. “Are you sure they will be that receptive? What if they choose to fight back?”
Vesperia looked at Jake with a perplexed expression. “Why would they ever fight against the honor of submitting to a True Royal? One who even acts with the blessing of their True Royal ancestors? Even if I asked the Hive Queens to all kill themselves, it would be the greatest moment in their lives, simply for having the privilege of carrying out a direct order from me.”
… had Jake ever mentioned that True Royals Hive Queens are mega scary?
Comments
Osamaru Ta
"Even that Hive Queen cannot make any spawns within, and I wouldn’t be able to house anything she makes in the future either,” Vesperia said very apologetically as she deflated a bit." This directly contradicts what was said before about her needing the help of hive queens to fill her temp hive.
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Abriel Blauer
Strange how Jake failed to notice that Hive Queens Are Scary
Seen Death
"hadn’t ever really spent that much together" Needs to be: "much time together" Tyfcs!
Yaldabaoth
I love this chapter so much!? Vespy is damn adorable and scary asf! All at the same time!? Jake needs to spend more time with Vespy as well! And get to know each other, and become close! (FuSa) Please excuse the "fan-girling," so to speak, I'm just excited for this 😄
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Xien
Let’s hear it for Vespy , the baddest of bitches! The head pats are hilarious and a true Jake family quirk. Tftc!!!
Ken
Totally out of context but I hate how Jake makes himself at a lower level it's so frustrating like I feel like it's better to brag then to down play urself
Chase Burton
I’m excited to see Sandy’s fighting capability now that’s he’s harboring an army of wasps. He’s an spaceforce carrier now.
Ian Allen
"...capable of storing at least a few million creations, though I have far from filled it up. To do that, I will likely need some more Hive Queens to assist me,” “I apologize, that’s not possible. Only creatures I have created can enter. Even that Hive Queen cannot make any spawns within, and I wouldn’t be able to house anything she makes in the future either,” I may well be misunderstanding things, but these two bits seem to be in conflict. Either she needs the help of hive queens to populate the special space, or hive queens cannot populate the special space--only her. If I'm confused here, someone please let me know.
Ron von Paulus
Yes, I follow that as well
Ron von Paulus
I’m reading all three.
Endern
Have you heard of The Wandering Inn?
Jeff McCulley
He’s still got time!
Jeff McCulley
So, then after taking over Ell’Hakan’s planet and freeing his people, he just kills him? Good enough for me. No reason to wipe out everyone else on the planet while he’s at it.
Jeff McCulley
What did you think that half the Labyrinth is going to be? The other half a water dungeon! (Jake would hunt down every single Minaga clone, however long it took him)
Burkholt
That moment when you realize it's Saturday and there is no new chapter.
Kelarys
It seems like generally the insects share in common that of the risen and the church in that they much prefer being able to completely dominate their planet, and being in a situation where they can't is just purely negative. Although I would still like to see her wasps take over the termite colony area
Kelarys
Other than Jake the only one I'm positive of is Arnold, who far outclasses Jake in the very specific connotation of having a distinct clear path. The only thing Jake has him beat on is being the main character haha Sandy followed by Sylphie (and then maybe Miyamoto) are the only other ones I would put money on, although I'm personally rooting for Carmen and Casper I would love to know what the current record is for a single planet though. The potential is certainly there
Kelarys
I think its more just that she wants to call him sire rather than his name, which he decided to allow since it makes her feel closer to him, even if he would prefer she call him by name. Although I imagine she would be even happier to call him papa if he allowed it lol
Chloe
Ha. Called it. Vespy sorts out the ants. Terrific chapter, she is an amazing character. Hoping she stays safe being out of the endless empire territory
Chloe
I agree it will be a quick end and then off to help the 500 planets and win their loyalty accidentally
Chase Burton
Thanks for the chapter
Richard Rader
What would we all say the order is? I’d have to say Primal, the HWFWM then Defiance (though the top two can flip depending on the current arc.
SmokeJam
Not wrong, but I have to admit that DotF is somewhat falling off in my humble opinion. A very good RR read though.
SmokeJam
I get the feeling Zogarth just hates to write multiple syllable names :D Some longer are there, sure, but most are or get shorten to two-syllable ones, kinda funny^^
Alex Cox
Lets just agree that anything Jake decides to give an 'ie' or 'y' at the end of the name is scary
Tucker Glick
Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Kenneth Welever
“She hasn’t had time to learn to change her form yet,” Vesperia quickly clarified as she looked at the large warp. The warp bowed its head toward Vesperia before it looked at Jake. “I greet the Sire of the True Royal.” I think you meant wasp both times instead of warp but I could be wrong since it happened twice. Autocorrect is a stinker.
Sean Casey
Jake and Vesperia hadn’t ever really spent that much [time] together
Spirit Stones
Some of you may die, but I am fine with it
MacMahon Wenzl
Have you heard of our lords and saviors the Holy Trinity? Defiance of the Fall He Who Fights Monsters Primal Hunter (In no particular order)
MacMahon Wenzl
One word: Jake-juice I know you know 😉
Jeff McCulley
Wouldn’t you?
Darshar Griffonmane
Yeah...I can see how this is going to go. "Oh hey Miranda, having Vespy conquer the underground. Like all of it. She'll let ya know how it goes! K Bye!" tftc!
Ron von Paulus
I’m a voracious reader. I really appreciate that this book is 900 chapters in and still is wonderfully entertaining. Thank you.
Decibel790
Vespy may be precious but she really is scary too haha. What an absolute monster, just an army on demand.
DirePants
You’ve created a lot of interesting characters and lore for your world Zog but the Endless Empire is one of my favorites. I love the way they are both very insect like in hierarchy but with very anthropomorphic thinking. Definitely one of the factions I would love a deeper dive into. Like a docu-series narrated by Sir David Attenborough lol I’ve said it before but the potential for your IP is vast. With the webcomic expanding your reach, you’ll find yourself with a show soon enough.
donvitogonzalle
@Accio123 It has been mentioned that, once they have dealt with their own prima, the system menu to help other planets will be enabled.
Boombaga
Nah I think it was meant to be cow!
Frédéric Cantin
Thx for the chapter
Trollbjorn
Now VoidWasps would be a special kind of nightmare
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Daniel Hamilton
“ The warp bowed its head toward Vesperia before it looked at Jake” was that supposed to be wasp??
Dominick Gelardi
Your second correction might not be necessary. He might be talking about the "internal space [that is] serving as a temporary hive has expanded []."
WannaBeATree
Fertilisation came up AGAIN. I ship Vespy x Arnold, just to watch how everyone (gods included) would react to it. :)
Accio123
As funny as that would be to see, I don't think that's really how the event works. Since Earth already chose to face their guardian alone, there shouldn't be any system facilitated transport between worlds, and although Jake has the spaceship given by the Automata he would still need to actually find planets that need help.
WannaBeATree
Oh shit! Good call! And since Regoria was build to protect the Race, it might become subserviant by proxy.
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Hunter Thornton
Mega scary? This chick sounds like if Mary queen of Scot had her own brain washed followers, or queen Elizabeth the I forget, or anything in the year 2024 between the ages of im bund as dirt to how the fuk do you remember to breath. Scary is a downplay. Goddam horrifying is appropriate
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
Bruh no. That's dumb, legitimately why do you think letting someone who's murdered jakes friends and is planning to kill him and all his allies, go? It's such a common trope as well, I banished the villain because I'm better then he returns arcs later even stronger? It's such an overused plot device. Would mesh with Jakes character and it would make him look mentally weak infromt of the entire universe
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Brandon King
TFTC!!
Demonshadow639
Wow talk about the scariness of inbuilt devotion.
ChRiAn
Honestly, I was surprised he didn't ask for a spar or a bit of that juicy venom for palate.
SwiftVogel
This book is actually so good. I never thought a single book (or any other piece of media) could keep me entertained and interested in the story for this long, yet 900+ chapters in, Primal Hunter is still great. Thank you Zogarth
ChRiAn
Jake got promoted to Marque when becoming World Leader. But as his path has nothing to do with nobility, I doubt he will get much out of that. And I don't think the nobility system is used outside the enlightened races, with the Fallen King being a unique exception.
ChRiAn
I want at least one more mushroom kingdom. Maybe with some sentience. Was far to long since Jake commited Genocide.
ChRiAn
I think it only counts some system provided treasures, as Sylphie also consumed quite a few, but seems to be perfectly allowed to fight.
ChRiAn
A good number of those potential gods are already affiliated with rather powerful factions, so Earth should be pretty safe, but a priority recruiting ground for everyone.
ChRiAn
That was my impression those chapters as well. My explanation would be that she now spent a couple of years away from Jake without him contacting her once, so the abandonment fear is far more real than before, when she never was separated from him. Plus the Minaga commentary about his exploits making it clear that he is a big number, even now.
ChRiAn
Is it just me or did Sandy become more sassy after dying?
Sushi
Jake and Vesperia hadn’t ever really spent that much together Jake and Vesperia hadn’t ever really spent that much time together My internal space serving as a temporary hive has expanded significantly My internal space, serving as a temporary hive, has expanded significantly Tftc
Jeff McCulley
A FAR better message would be to take over Ell’Hakan’s home planet, disgrace him (with William’s help) to the point that his citizens revile him…and send him into exile. As pariah. From the whole 93rd Universe.
Jeff McCulley
Sandy just told us what was wrong, in multiple dimensions. The time she spent with Jake wasn’t long—a month—in comparison to the time they’ve been apart. Four years? And in that time he’s only grown and become more noteworthy, which makes her seem less significant. Oh…and he also went off and created/helped create a demon lord who is now a Chosen, while he was at it… At least Sandy is being a good Big Sibling.
Jeff McCulley
For those who wondered, I went back and looked. It says that Vesperia is “standing at nearly two meters thirty”. Google tells me that’s a bit under 7 1/2 feet tall.
Mat
True on that. For me Vesperia is giving off serious old Meira vibes. She was comfortable with Jake and even the presents of the Viper last time due to influence from Jake records. So I do wonder what changed? I thought the fear of Jake severing karmic connections was addressed by Sandy during the chose ceremony
Arieh Sochaczevski
I bet Jake rebirths the race that created Regoria before all is said and done.
Karim Saadi
Damn Vespy, chill would you :D
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter! I’m starting to think that with so many different groups working in advance, the Prima Guardian will end up with a small army, if not completely alone. My guess is that earth will be done with the Guardian one way or another before anyone else, and Jake will go hunting Prima Guardians on other planets just to find a good fight… thereby ruining EH’s positioning.
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
What better message about fucking with you is there than destroying a "rivals" main planet. Yip of Yores strength is based off his legend, so if El'Hakans entire planet which worships Yip was to "dissappear". I think you see were I'm going with this, likely the fight between the Viper and Yip will coincide with Jake and Hakans, you know for style.
Jeff McCulley
It’s only beasts that have to worry about it. And Sandy is already disqualified from directly helping Jake. Though maybe that’s why he’s building his personal Wasp Defense Force? That, or more long term personal fighting ability.
donvitogonzalle
What a damn freak Regoria must be to wage war not only against Vesperias ancestor, but 100 True Royals.
John Looney
Oh yeah do we even know if ectomophs hold system authority cause most or all the leaders are “hive queens” but are some of them actually system queens
Vega
If I remember correctly, Vesperia was perfectly fine with calling Jake by his name. Not sure if this is a continuity issue / plot relevant / due to her lingering discomfort. Thanks for the chapter, I’m really enjoying the lore.
Jay tolley
My question at this point is how many gods are going to come from Earth in the long run. Are they going to set a record adding even more records to earth. Then what kind of impact is that going to have with a place like Earth with no real faction charge.
Jeff McCulley
That termite hive might be perfect for the Vespula Queen. Or…maybe Ell’Hakan’s world?
Jeff McCulley
Likely about to embark on that Emperor thing as soon as Earth’s Guardian is defeated.
Jeff McCulley
I think that Miranda was going to call one right before Prima. Heh. William and the Sky Whale walk up to Jake. “Hey, World Leader, let us tell ya all about Ell’Hakan’s homeworld…” Because if Miranda or didn’t hire him, the Sky Whale is next most likely. After all, Fallen King doesn’t have a Blessing—though it seems he falls under Jake’s umbrella as far as the Order is concerned. And William thought who hired him had a Divine sponsor.
jazz
I don’t think the treasures matter. Sandy, Jake, and Carmen have used stuff from outside the 93rd. Probably all the chosen. Except maybe sword saint. Can’t remember him going to the aeon version of the order or valhall
Jeff McCulley
When he’s part of her Hive, ALL of them recognize him as such—and it’s people who hurt HIM who should be worried.
Jeff McCulley
The drinks are on the house. Pun-ch for everyone!
Jeff McCulley
Or giving it to a Vespula Queen.
Jeff McCulley
I think that would be a stretch, considering that Zogarth just spent half a chapter explaining to us how Guardians are set—and planets who didn’t kill many Primas have an advantage if they have lots of Deity Blessed who sent heroes off world. I do expect there to be lots and lots of Primas along though. I still think the meat of the Event is what Jake & Co do to Ell’Hakan’s “alliance” after Earth’s Guardian is finished off. Remember, Jake can claim OTHER Planetary Pylons. And Jake just mildly objected that he doesn’t have an Empire. (Yet.)
Dennis Bell
Great Chapter. Btw not sure if she has any but wasps have quite a bit of species that use parasitism and hyper parasitism. Because each focus on one species to parasitize "This makes Hymenoptera the most species-rich order of all animals."
Jeff McCulley
Why would he want to do that? He can claim Planetary Pylons.
Jeff McCulley
A bit wary of a couple of things. The first one was this: “…I have even absorbed unique treasures provided to me by the Endless Empire to facilitate further growth.” At first, I thought that Vesperia wasn’t going to be able to fight in Prima Guardian. And then, I realized that those treasures may be unlikely to be system treasures—and EXTREMELY unlikely to be system treasures of the 93rd Universe. Er…unless her fellow queens wanted to make sure she didn’t fight? Guessing we’ll see shortly. “She is only a year old and already ready to establish her own hive once a suitable site is found,” Sooo…is a former termite hive a suitable site for the Vespula Queen? Though if Vesperia can command the termites to help fight the Primas, perhaps wait until after the Event to tell them all to drop dead? Or maybe the Moon? Start infesting it back?
Chase Koehn
Vespy is unbelievably op🤣
Jeff McCulley
Thanks for the chapter!
Jeff McCulley
Vespula Wasps are what Americans would call “yellowjackets”. Vesperia started off with tough ones! “Yellowjackets are very aggressive and sting or bite when they are disturbed or even when they feel any threat. They attack you when you are in their vicinity even if you do not disturb them. The aggressiveness in yellow jackets increases by the end of summer (during fall.”
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
My predictions is that Jake is going to become a planet cracker or surface cleanser in B grade, his "Flow state" that baffled the primordial seems like the perfect thing to develop an attack that can reach and disrupt a planet core or even ignite an atmosphere. He'll eventually be able to put a hunters mark on an entire planet I'm telling you, it's just another hunting target xd
Rahsheem Reid
Sheesh Jake has some HEAVY HITTERS.
Jeff McCulley
Neutral. They’ve eaten system treasures. Assuming Vesperia doesn’t off them.
Jeff McCulley
I’m not sure how much longer E’H is gonna last.
Cam
They are definitely super mega scary
RonGAR
Hey now, Look who is getting ahead of the game and delegating work before Miranda gets to do it. LOL Yessirr sending Vespy to dominate the local Isoptera population for the betterment of all was a great idea. But like Jake, I wonder what else is down there. Even when Earth was the size of Earth and not Saturn, humans barely scratched the surface. Pun intended. So there is a LOT of unexplored areas there. There could be Geofronts down there the size of Europe or China. And who knows what the creatures who were down there before evolved into.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
RonGAR
Facts!!! lol
JJB4345_80_815
The Dad Jokes are strong in this one!
Amathew2
“Not to mention the fact that much of the underworld remains unexplored, and I don’t know what other dangers might be waiting. As I said, much of it remains unexplored.” The last line seams a little redundant.
Drew
It's funny, the chapter a bit ago all about how E'H was shaping this totally loyal Prima Alliance of planets like some big bad juggernaut... but what a joke... Jake's going to end up rolling with his own dedicated multiversal faction before he even reaches godhood (run by Miranda, of course). And Earth is packed with so many just straight up bosses that E'H and his scrub army better just stay on their side of the universe.
Sam Rosenberg
That was a super fun chapter
TKOva
I actually think she'll stay for a while.
Lonez Zhavec
The Next World Congress is Gonna Be Amazing. We Have the Fallen King and Now the True Royal Hive Queen. And Jake is somewhere stuck at Earl? What Id give to have Mr. Conspiracy man do his POV.
Ty Cooper
Ha Sandy coming in clutch with the Familial naming and attitude. I wonder, do you think the pocket army Vespy is carrying around will get the same benefits of presence resistance as Vespy does by being close to Jake? If so damn did her army just get a whole lot scarier. Jake not realizing he just improved thousands of her brude.
Charlie Jones
He is also a bit of a geek and if Arnold suggested just removing the ghost vines and turning the moon into a machine base a la Death Star, he would be down for it.
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter!
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
Lmao Jake literally is the most powerful man on earth. His own prowess already makes him that, but the sheer connections and loyalty he has among so many factions is insane, and now his "kid" a legitimate leader of a universal super power, has her own self populating army and the ability to absorb the wild insectoids making her own forces exceed humanity's by far just appeared on earth? Looking from and outside perspective Jake literally is a Warlord Emperor to be feared xD
Mownmbasa
This was such a refreshingly fun chapter! I thoroughly enjoy when i see the end result of the creationist side of Jake. Don't get me wrong , his fighter side is a beauty to see and enjoy but his creationist side gave birth to some of the most memorable moments of the story (Sandy, Sylphy and Vespy on the direct slice of life side and Chimera weapon on the pure batshit crazy side just to name a few). On a sidenote regarding the Prima Guardian discussion, i feel at this point the guardian will be B grade or some fucked up form of top C Grade unique bullshit lifeform (a real term coined by Jake) regardless of what Villy said before not being B grade. I don't see anything below that pose any challenge regardless of the mental gymnastics. And knowing Zogarth or at least pretending to know how he thinks i believe he used missdirection to put us in a false sense of security about the strength of Prima. I have a feeling it might be a swarm type encounter with massive amounts of C grades led by a more crazy top C or B grade deliciousness. Either way it's going to be fun!
KipBR
Those poor, poor termites. They are now on the human side against the prima guardian.
Joshua Morris
If you remember from a couple of chapters back the moon is haunted, so Jake is planning on blowing it up.
Sean
I was hoping she’d leave a queen on earth after all was said and done. Oh by the way how are all the snakes doing over yonder?
Matthias
Tftc
Naotsugu97
Very punny! 🤣
Naotsugu97
TFTC! Enjoy the weekend!
WannaBeATree
Ob boy, i can see it. Every faction living on earth. Insects undergroud and maschines on the moon. Without water there should not me any rust for them, breathing is also no problem. Energytransfer even better. Fights with the insects will be in asteroidbelts for resources. How many faction can Jake cram into one spot i wonder?
D.Pidge
“Look-alikes,” Vesperia said, smiling. “A tried and true strategy of old. Missing end-quote
Jonathan Venn
Jake would have called her Waspy...Sandy did a better job
Rolf
No Bee-grades?
George Campbell
Vespy is adorable.
Michael
Jake sitting there making the mental note to not piss off his pseudo daughter
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Strato Junon
Very scary indeed! Tyfc!
Phasmatic7
Thankies for the chapie zogie!
Phallusar
Sandy with the assist, cutting to the heart of family matters
Sayjinlord
Thanks for the chapter.
Cory Sauls
Tftc
Ivan Majstorović
Ttftc
Nicolas Lougheed
I don’t think I’ve ever been faster to a chapter in my life
Gavin Smith
Tftc
