Zogarth
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Chapter 863 - Nevermore: Wartime
🕑 Added 2024-03-04 11:43:59 +0000 UTCWar…
War never changes…
Except for when a group of five extremely powerful beings decide to just fuck shit up. In cases like that, war would very much change, and not for the better. At least not for those already involved in the war.
Floating far above one of the smaller battlefields of the Vast Plateau, this group of five appeared as the fighting was ongoing. There were only a few hundred on both sides at this point, primarily because most of the weaker C-grades were already dead. The fighting also didn’t happen as one would usually expect from a war like this in the multiverse, which, for reference, was quite a bit different compared to wars on Earth before the system.
Usually, based on what Jake had read, even if an all-out war did happen at the beginning of a conflict, it would often devolve into a standstill. The most powerful beings on both sides would be hesitant to enter the fray out of fear that they would be teamed up on by the most powerful people on the opposing side.
This resulted in the weaker C-grades fighting in a big skirmish, with the stronger ones standing back for the most part. Only when it was clear one side would win the stronger people would step in, and even then, it was done with caution.
To become a C-grade, one had to have walked far on one’s Path. C-grades were not weak in even the context of the multiverse, and only a scarce few of the enlightened races would ever manage to reach it. It was only natural that someone would be careful after making it that far and not want to die needlessly in some big war just because thirty people decided to attack them at once.
Due to all this, what usually happened in big wars after the slaughter of those on the weak side was that the strong ones would only do smaller skirmishes. If one side sent out three fighters, the other side would respond with three in kind. If one died, the one with a death would send out another. If it could be avoided, neither side wanted to send out a fourth to get a numerical advantage because all that would result in the other side doing the same, making it a four versus four now.
If more was sent out, it could quickly become a five versus five, then six, seven… until suddenly everyone was fighting at once, and none of them wanted that. Big wars like that were simply horrible for the individual. As a C-grade, everyone had a strong sense of self-preservation, and entering a conflict where you could get unlucky and have a hundred people decide to attack you at once was not fun for anyone involved.
Even if one side did have a numerical advantage, such as having six hundred fighters while the other only had five hundred, the larger group wouldn’t just rush in. Sure, they would more likely than not win, but how many of them would die? Half? To the individual, the danger was simply too large, resulting in an all-out fight pretty much never happening.
This was also how war and just single battles during the war could last for extreme lengths of time. It was more akin to a sequence of duels between fighters from opposing factions, with neither side ever running out as they kept up getting new fighters to join them. At least, this is what Jake read as part of the explanation why factions like the Risen and Holy Church could have ongoing battlefields for thousands of years. This entire structure of war was also far more beneficial, as it allowed those fighting to improve more and gain Records without risking just getting unlucky and dying during a massive skirmish.
All this had to be clarified to understand why the wars on this floor were... off. When Jake and company arrived at this first battlefield, expecting things to be pretty calm, with things proceeding as usual, they instead found around a thousand total C-grades in a massive skirmish, just trying to tear each other apart.
There was no structure, no caution, just reckless fighting. Jake was really taken aback until he felt something, and he wasn’t the only one, either.
“Their souls are… polluted,” the Fallen King noted.
“I sense a negative energy inflicting them, affecting their mental states,” Dina also added.
“It’s a curse,” Jake finally said. “And a pretty damn powerful one at that. I can’t say for sure, but I get the feeling it’s there to amplify hatred for the other empire. At least that would explain what we’re seeing right now.”
“The picture is coming together, huh,” the Sword Saint said. “This entire conflict is truly manufactured. But, this does make me wonder… if these Twin Emperors want everyone to kill each other during these battlefields, won’t we just be helping them by interfering?”
“Isn’t that the plan?” Jake grinned. “To let them do whatever they plan on doing and let them get as powerful as possible… to then have a proper damn fight to finish out Nevermore.”
The old man smiled. “I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.”
“Ree?” Sylphie asked.
“Yeah, I think it’s time to put an end to this war once and for all,” Jake smiled.
“By leaving no fighters alive on either side,” the Fallen King agreed.
“And then kill whoever is behind it all,” Dina nodded.
Without further ado, Jake pulled out his bow as the others also prepared to enter the battlefield.
The C-grades fighting were all around level 290 to 310, meaning the guard they faced had been on the weaker side of this world. At least of the remaining survivors after the Twin Emperors had borderline wiped out the population of the Vast Plateau with their scheme.
Spells were flying as the air repeatedly exploded with magic. Melee fighters clashed as they flew through the sky, sometimes crashing into each other as groups spiraled toward the ground. Whenever someone seemed to have a flash of clarity from the curse and tried to escape, they were hunted down. Jake watched all this as he nocked an arrow and concluded that without any interference, everyone would be dead within the next couple of hours.
Jake and company would cut that time down by a lot. Releasing an Arcane Powershot, Jake took down one C-grade before he even had a chance to react. The Sword Saint dove in from the side to pick off some of the ranged fighters, while the Fallen King and Sylphie dove straight into the middle of it all and unleashed their skills. Dina had the unfortunate job of watching out that the two of them didn’t mess up and got ganged up on.
Even as their party interfered, the two warring groups didn’t team up or anything. Jake and the others just become more fighters of the enemy side for both factions. The entire situation was also so damn chaotic that even if some of the C-grades did notice Jake and company weren’t part of either faction, they didn’t exactly have the opportunity to voice this insight.
Thus the slaughter continued, but after ten or so minutes, the situation did change. Hundreds had died at this point, many of them easy kills due to their existing injuries. However, as numbers reduced, some stability did return to the situation, and the surviving C-grades had their level of bloodlust subside as more and more gained clarity.
More tight groups were formed on both sides, as everyone backed off a little, regrouping with their own factions. Jake and the others tried to incite more fighting, but soon enough, they noticed a clear target on their backs. Not necessarily because they were a third party interfering in the battle but because of the small size of their group. In a battle where two groups had over a hundred each and a third group only had five, they would definitely stick out as the weaker prey, right?
Just not in this case.
“Seems like the real fighting starts now,” Jake said through the Golden Mark.
“Leave them no quarter,”the Sword Saint also said without hesitation. “Focus on the left group and get behind them.”
They all did as the Sword Saint said as their group began to retreat and circle around to get behind the group on the left, putting them between their party and the other faction. Sylphie helped as a wind tunnel was created, and while their movements weren’t quite teleportation, it was nevertheless damn fast.
The moment they appeared there, they all attacked as arrows, crescent blades of water, and wind, along with golden shockwaves, rolled onto the army in front of them. Jake instantly knew what the Sword Saint wanted as the opposing faction noticed their sworn enemies suddenly under attack and decided this was a great time to restart the battle.
“Avoid using boosting skills and do not tire yourself out, but fight with longevity in mind,” the Sword Saint reiterated, as they were very much taking this first battle as a trial session for the many more fights to come. “Simply watch the fires burn across the river as we wait at leisure while the enemy labors.”
“For those who forgot, he is telling us to chill while the enemies tire themselves out before we attack and wipe them all out,” Jake made sure to explain as he already saw Sylphie look confused from the old man talking like an old man.
Following the Sword Saint’s elementary plan, one group was rapidly wiped out as they were attacked from both sides. When desperation set in, some did break completely free from the curse, but at that point, it was too late. Jake and company made sure to not advance too much during this fight, resulting in many from the other faction also dying. Those who managed to survive till the very end were also well and truly tired out, making them easy picking as Jake’s party let loose and cleaned up the rest of the battlefield.
After they were done, they quickly moved on toward another battlefield. On the way, they also ran into some smaller groups of soldiers and groups coming as reinforcement to other battlefields spread throughout the Vast Plateau. One of them even had a map detailing the few closest battlefields. Through some extrapolation, In total, there were at least thirty active battlefields, with even more now-abandoned areas filled with only undead and curse energy.
The Vast Plateau was truly vast, but as they traveled, Jake did notice how odd things were in regard to the placements of these battlefields. They weren’t in a line as expected if two factions with borders fought but were far too spread out throughout the Vast Plateau. Jake began to consider if they were maybe placed purposefully to set up some form of large magic circle, but he couldn’t make that fit either with any of the knowledge he had.
Things were weird until they reached the two-month mark since arriving on floor eighty. On one of the battlefields, where more curse and death energy than usual had already begun to appear, Jake questioned how it happened so fast. He and Dina had already talked about it plenty during their travels and how it felt off, but after reaching this particular battlefield, they understood.
Jake landed on the ground as he inspected the soil in the process of turning gray, and right as he did, he felt something from his boots. A natural treasure of some kind, hidden in the middle of the battlefield, pretty deep underground. With the help of Dina, they quickly dug it up as a sphere of bones attached together appeared before them.
Unsure what it was, Jake inspected the sphere as, surprisingly enough, it was the King who had some insight. “This is a soul-sealing hex-trap created from collecting all the ancient bones long-buried here. Bones that are connected to the land. It creates a field that seals in the soul energy of those who die in a ruthless way… which often results in the birth of curses or undead in the land where one is deployed. Based on the runes on it, I believe it even serves to amplify the curse.”
“You have come across one before?” Jake asked.
“No, I learned about things like this from the witch on the World Council. And while this Totem Bone Sphere, as they are called, is not witch magic, it isn’t far off. Whoever made this is a powerful witch doctor or shaman,” the Fallen King responded.
“Likely one of the Twin Emperors,” Jake said with a frown. “Can any of you use Identify on it? Mine isn’t doing anything.”
Everyone shook their heads as the Fallen King added. “It has protection against such things placed on it. In fact, it should have been hidden from most forms of detection. Something that doesn’t seem to matter to you.”
Jake shrugged, not going to deny that one.
“What are we going to do with it?” Dina asked. “Destroy it now?”
“Hm,” the Sword Saint hummed, and Jake felt everyone glance at him.
“I got nothing,” Jake shrugged. “I could absorb the curse energy in the sphere with Eternal Hunger, but it doesn’t really have much in it yet.”
“I would reckon it has the function to absorb all the energy in the domain,” the Fallen King shared. “Doing so will complete the item. In most cases, these totems are made to cultivate curse and death energy, likely to be used in some form of ritual at a later time.”
“In that case, we probably shouldn’t mess with it,” Jake said after thinking a bit. “Destroying it may mess up unlocking the event boss. Maybe a bit like how you needed the Demon Lord to have all its artifacts intact for the fight.”
“It’s possible, if not probable,” the Sword Saint agreed. “Let us do that then.”
“Alright,” Dina didn’t argue as she put the sphere back underground, and they buried it again, trying to act as if they had never been there.
Knowing what was going on now helped a lot as they continued their crusade. Their objective was clear: end the fighting on every battlefield and complete all the preparations for the Twin Emperors to come and extract them. Or, at least one of the Twin Emperors. They still needed to figure out what was up with them and how the two were connected. It could just be the same person acting like both, but that was something they had to confirm.
Perhaps by going to actually see one of the two leaders of the Vast Plateau.
On a particularly large battlefield at the five-month mark, Jake and company had to be careful as they often had to retreat and reenter the fight again later. Each side had commanders who were effectively mini-bosses around level 320, and that forced their party to be very careful, as both had at least five commanders. While killing a single commander wasn’t that difficult, killing several at the same time sure as hell wasn’t.
And this is kind of what happened. Sylphie and the Fallen King messed up and got overwhelmed with enemies from all sides, forcing Dina to go all-out and use one of her trump cards to bail them out. While she succeeded, this did leave Dina in a weakened state for at least several days, making them hesitate if they should keep fighting or maybe take some time to recover.
Ultimately, they decided to recover, but in order to not waste time, they agreed on at least still doing something productive. A job for Jake and the best bird.
“Getting to the capital shouldn’t take more than a week, especially not with Sylphie assisting you,” the Sword Saint said as he looked at a map, showing this battlefield pretty close to one of the capitals. “Remember, the job is not to fight anyone but to get a feeling for who or what one of these Twin Emperors is.”
That’s right… it was time to finally figure out the true identities of the Twin Emperors. Or at least one of them.
Comments
Echohunter
I think the Totem Bone Sphere should probably be called the Bone Sphere Totem instead, it just feels like it sounds better I guess?
Endless Nature
Thanks for the chapter
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Tyler S.
I feel they will have about 2.5 years left before the Prima, which would give Jake time to raise his Alchemy up to par with his class
David Bennett
Remember in the minga labyrinth Jake tested him self against a b grade he lost but could survive and scratch the b grade that was before the leveling spree so he was at level 258 ish I think he also got his new skills and his op skill that boosted his stats when he fights above his level he probably will end up one shooting a b grade if the prima is not b grade Jake will probably do a lot of prep and end up one killing it with one shot.
David Bennett
While killing a single commander wasn’t that difficult, killing several at the same time sure as hell wasn’t. Was this on purpose. It is funny just double checking.
Ral
Going from d rank to c rank we learned that stat points take on a qualitative change. F to E it was a noticed change. E to D it was about a ten times multiplier. The D to C each point was worth at least a 100 more. Taking that in mind I think Jake right now has a higher number of stats then weak to average beinging B grades (they still stronger though).
Ral
I want a India Jones moment where Jake just one shots the thing.
Cnewton84
Yeah but those alchemy levels translate to human levels. He’ll also be crafting elixirs and boosting his stats and skills. With his class giving him a boost against higher enemies, a level 300-320 Jake could def kill low tier B grades
Loading Error
I mean it probably is! First Contact is full of references 😂
Naotsugu97
TFTC
Naotsugu97
I thought that was an homage to Fallout!
JC
Ya i hope zogarth edits some of the chapters before they release in book format to add some more significance and emotional weight to Nevermore. As it is its just a 200 chapter long training arc. If zogarth had focused more on the saint finding his path or on dina gaining exp or the rivalry between the factions, esp jake and ellhakan, nevermore would have seemed less like a training arc and more like a "real" event.
Bobby B
This is where Nevermore gets exciting. The end. The leaderboards. The gods. Zo drawing all the strings. Should make for excellent reading over….say the next 3 weeks? A month? Going to be great. TFTC
Loading Error
Nice “First Contact” reference with the “… War never changes…” bit. I see you Zog.
Blake Noyes
He won’t be killing B grades in 2 years. Remember they’re spending a long time in nevermore in an ideal leveling environment. Once he leaves he’ll get most of his levels from alchemy for the next couple years
Ty Cooper
Lol
Bobby B
Mmmm… Dynasty Warriors was an awesome game!!!
Bobby B
That’s insane!
Mateo Lopez
Well you also need to take in account the other Prima’s that humanity failed to kill. They will be fighting right along with the Prima. My guess is early B grade for the Prima, and peak C tier for the Prima guardians
Mrburns93
Good thing level 300 is within 15 levels and he has the next 2 years or so to get there. Also good think he won't be fighting it alone
Numbzy
Then I will die on the opposing hill. Jake has no shot at fighting a B Grade until at least lv 300. Even with a group or a weak variant.
Skyler Brown
and the quicker that happens the faster the story will eventually come to and end what better the stomping u did on the way or the final stomp of the path if u really are so impatient when u need stop going soooo far ahead and relook at y you like this story soo much in the first place
Mownmbasa
As the Nevermore Arc wraps up, i've suddenly come to realize that there is a beautiful shit show waiting for Jake once outside in the real world so let's recap shall we? Artemis saga, Meira Saga, Irinixis saga, dragonflight saga, Automata Legion and Endless Empire debacle, El Anoyan confrontation, Valdemar and all other Primordials keeping a close eye on him especially now that they have met him in person and he thoroughly beat them in aura measuring contest, pun intended, Earths, slaves/population boom, The Exalted Prima conflict... And so many more, Jeezus Jake has a full C Grade calendar :)) I almost feel sorry for him if i wasn't so excited for the development of it , popcorn in hand! Oh and di i mention the excitement once the Leaderboards are revealed and he brakes some longstanding record since at least one of them we have it confirmed by him beating Valdemar! Good and spicy times ahead for sure. And what better way to celebrate this? By starting reading The Primal Hunter again in full for the 11 time to get a proper refresher before the main events unfold! Can't imagine a better form of entertainment.
Minaga is for sure coming back, he has given Jake the Dungeon, given the SS the practice formation, made contact with the wasp, and literally told Jake he would come to earth when it opens up.
Rezkin
Hmm, maybe, I still think a peak C that is on the level of a unique lifeforms. Though maybe a strong low tear B grade may be possible
Mrburns93
You mean they won't catch any windfalls at all in two years? I suspect that the earth will be rushing to train in the coming years hunting the remaining primas to prevent them from becoming soldiers. Jake will begin hunting at a pace that will eclipse what he's doing now. And that's only if el Hakan doesn't stir the pot. The only way I can see the next few years being wasted is if Jake spends the whole time at the academy doing alchemy. Even then I'd put money on earth's ability to kill any level 349 right now let alone in two years
Lo-Fi
Well, we also have to remember that whilst Jake is levelling up very fast right now, the likelihood he levels that much (in all but his profession) after Nevermore concludes up and till the Prima Guardian fight is quite low. A peak variant level 349 prima guardian can thus pose a challenge to the elite of Earth as they won't be that much higher level than they are now.
Mrburns93
I think a peak C teir variant isn't enough to fight an entire planet of mid to high teir C grades. Especially when a significant portion of those C grades are as powerful as they are. Any C grade would be too easy for our team in 2 more years. I wouldn't doubt if these twin emperors were peak C grades. And it's like I said, that fight will need to push further past our expectations to live up to the build up.
jazz
I think you’re underestimating the advancement quests for b grade. We’ve seen a couple entities close level wise but they’re not at the power level they should be for what we know about b grade. Which is why I’m suspecting the true challenge is the quest. And they take long enough that their power level rises exponentially while they’re completing it. The prima’s quest for b could be winning whatever the contest is
Andrew Lavoie
I see why you think that but my gut is telling me no and like Jake I follow my gut most of the time even if it goes against logic
Mrburns93
I don't even believe it'll be a low teir B grade. I'm fully expecting a mid teir B grade variant. I have a few supporting factors to back me up as well. First Jake is taking out things at 320 now, we can expect this floor 80 boss to be 10-20 levels higher than that so near peak C grade. Obviously we want the team to struggle. But when he leaves nevermore he still has between 2 and 3 years before the primo. He will be killing B grades solo by then maybe even aiming to one shot a B grade. And then factor in that this is a global battle with all of the denizens of earth fighting. The primo will need to exceed our expectations.
Cnewton84
Honestly it might depend on how long they have until the prima event starts. If they still have several years, Jake might level to high tier C grade or close to peak, in which case he would be powerful enough (based on previous grades) to kill a low tier B grade
Lo-Fi
I mean it would have to be one heck of a weak B grade for Jake and crew to stand a chance, and at that point, it may as well be a supremely powerful peak C-grade variant.
Josh Hietpas
I am inclined to agree. At this rate, Jakes level of strength is stupid. Im sure he could pull off killing a peak C grade over a prolonged battle by himself. I think the prima has to be at least a weak early mid-tier B grade or a incredibly strong low tier B grade variant in order to compensate for not only a few fighters of high c-grade, but the sheer level of power they probably shouldn’t have lol. Them earthlings built different.
Luke Scheffe
Most characters he meets on the outside won’t have a long term effect either. The characters in nevermore probably have more impact on the universe than almost any mortal character. Everyone who visits Nevermore meets the people from the coliseum of mortals. That’s more of an impact than nearly anyone from earth will have.
Sean Wilner
Haven't most of the system events averaged 1+ books? I'm okay with Nevermore being longer since it's so varried. As for getting back to "progressing the story", as several other comments have complained, the story IS about Jake's growth and path to godhood (and beyond?) in which the growth from Nevermore is incredibly relevant. Overall, I don't really agree that it's detracting from the story at all.
Jerrid Klassen
Hahaha I had the same idea
Mrburns93
The "mini bosses" being lvl 320 has me even more convinced that the primo guardian will be B grade. I've said it for weeks and have been told no multiple times but I will die on this hill (probably to a B grade attack)
Captain the Red Beard
Oh villy I hope not lol.
Captain the Red Beard
Some people like to watch the momentum burn
Keith Jennings
Apprentice
Keith Jennings
Again Draskil is “real” so no issues there. I don’t expect every character to face time in every chapter.
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Keith Jennings
Only almost every person he’s met along the way who only exists as an extension of nevermore. I can only think of two exceptions being the goddess he boned in the Colosseum, and his appearance as he will most likely be very pivotal in the MC’s development going further. But honestly almost nothing and no one else from nevermore. Like the his friends from the colosseum, they’re gone and had only a passing impact.
Keith Jennings
Yes please this this!!
Brad S
They enter nevermore city on chapter 653, nevermore proper on 657. The first 8 books averaged less than 73 chapters per book, so the math suggests Nevermore will be 3 full books.
Keith Jennings
What made you choose violence today?
Keith Jennings
Yep, I’m sooo done with this nevermore bs.
Brad S
As Green Day said: Wake me up ... when Nevermore ends.
D.Pidge
I for one hope they get some super secret bonus that lets them extend their stay in Nevermore for at least another full book's worth of chapters.
Xarow
Please do not rush. I would rather they trigger the event boss through a hidden mechanic and have a full fight. Than feel there is lots brushed over.
Kuurth
Who are the characters who will have no long term impact?? Zogarth is writing and creating this story as we read, how do YOU know you’re getting invested in somebody that doesn’t matter? Unless your favorite character of all time is Temlat or something, Zogarth has kept basically anybody that has had some form of relationship with Jake relatively relevant. Maybe Draskil is an exception, but even he was brought up recently.
Captain the Red Beard
I mean it feels like nevermore is gonna be at least two books long when it releases, I'm not saying it's going to be, but it feels like it. There's nothing wrong with people wanting the story to move forward. Personally I'm over nevermore and want actual story progression not training montages. I still love the story obvi or else I wouldn't be paying for patreon. I'm just over nevermore along with a lot of other people. We are all entitled to talk about the story here, that's the whole point of the comments section. Faster we are out of nevermore, the faster we can read about Jake roflstomping the orange baddie.
Danny
Sylphie + Jake = Godspeed :D
Ben Heystek
Please don't have him speed up the story to just finish nevermore, it will mess up what he has in mind, and it will ruin the work he is doing to build up before the big prima battle. It seems like he is already rushing the story because of people complaining about nevermore. This is his story to share with us all, and not our story to share.
Jockameanie
That was a filler chapter :(
Keith Jennings
I mean as long as it isn’t this big of a time suck, then yeah nevermore has its own charm. It’s just annoying to get invested into characters who ultimately have no long term impact on the story as a whole.
Chris
Sure hope so
john henderson
Yo I love seeing them go full dynasty warriors. Thanks for the chap!
Michael Fannon
I'm thinking one is undead and the other is some sort of life monk as a shoutout to Zac.
Michael Fannon
Last floor. Probably, hopefully, will be over in a few more days. Then leaderboards, reactions, and maybe some hints of fallout from the results. Should be completely done and moving on to new things by the end of the month at this pace. Of course, bad news is Jake will be back to nevermore in each grade, so this isn't the last of nevermore.
Decibel790
Tftc!
Thenais
I was gonna comment « war, war never changes» last chappy … lol
Jed
Watch how the “Twin Emperors” are the same person. But there’s still 2 of them. “Somehow, Minaga has returned”
Keith Jennings
Can we please be done with nevermore? Please please please please please.
Piers Wilkinson
I think the ending wasn't should be a was. As in killing several at the same time sure as hell "was" difficult
Isley
good chappie
Rippchord
"While killing a single commander wasn’t that difficult, killing several at the same time sure as hell was. " would be the correct way to say that.
Ty Cooper
I was a bit sad eternal hunger didn't get a snack. Still hope Jake gets to suck up all the curse energy. Would be funny for the final boss to try and collect it all in the bone sphere and Jake just hold up eternal hunger like Lionel from Thundercats. All the curse energy goes to eternal hunger instead. This all making the final bits weaker and surprised. With the team just cleaning house afterwards.
BerciTheBeast
TFTC!
Zogarth
Fix
Zogarth
Fix
"While killing a single commander wasn’t that difficult, killing several at the same time sure as hell wasn’t." I feel something is wrong with this sentence.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy, Zogarth!
TwistedVanity
Thank you
Joseph Coonelly
"fighting or maybe time some time to recover." Just a friendly suggestion: think you meant "take some time to recover" Thanks for the chapter!
Yaldabaoth
Quoting Fallout!? Hell YEAH! 🫡🤘🤘🤘🤘
Yaldabaoth
WoooooHOOOOOOO LETTSSSSSS FCKN GOOOOOOOOOOO!?
Karim Saadi
Are we the baddies?
Saynightknight
TFTC!
Max
I think that was the best chapter opener.😂
Valhazstromoz
Oh we quoting fallout all up in this bitch? I see how it is zoggy
Skyler Brown
yesss
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
