Chapter 1458 - A Snake's Plea (Patreon)

In retrospect, Jake should have seen this coming. How could the Malefic Viper ever resist pulling a fast one like this and putting Jake in an uncomfortable position? Villy was a bit of a dick like that, so Jake should have really expected it.

Foolishly, a part of him had thought that this ceremony was far too important due to the World of the Exalted Prima, Jake being in personal danger should things go awry, and the desire to recruit the natives into the Order. However, all those things paled in comparison to Villy having a good time.

“I can totally tell what you’re thinking, you know?” Villy’s voice echoed in Jake’s head. “I’m not just doing this as a gag, but to test something out and heighten our chance of success. Just follow along and continue to trust me.”

“So you’re saying that this isn’t going to force me even further out of my comfort zone and isn’t partly done to fuck with me because you thought it would be fun?” Jake asked.

“Well, I never claimed that either. I just said that things will work out fine!” the Viper insisted. “So enjoy the show and play your part, my dear Chosen.”

Right after Villy was done talking, the Great Sea Serpent took over and continued.

“I apologize to the Chosen for speaking up, but I feel obligated to apologize for my fellow natives. They are ignorant and do not fully understand the error of their ways. Please do not attribute malice to ignorance, but give them a chance to see what I saw. Experience what I experienced. If they do, certainly they too will come to understand and make the right choice,” the Great Sea Serpent said, having clearly been coached on all this.

“And now you just relay what I tell you to, and you’ll surely be in for a fun surprise...”

With those words, the Viper relayed the next part of Jake’s speech that could have totally been given to him beforehand, but that Villy had definitely delayed on purpose. He took in the words, as it probably looked from an outside perspective that he was considering the request.

After a few seconds, Jake resigned himself to his fate and responded.

“You are rushing matters. They are not yet worthy. The Nomads were chosen due to their innate connection to the Malefic One, giving them the bare minimum qualifications. The Arachnecs and Venusians do not share this connection, and are thus not qualified.”

“I am aware,” the Great Sea Serpent said, continuing to speak incredibly subserviently. “Yet I beg of you to allow it. Myself and the Nomads are willing to take responsibility and pay the price to make it happen.”

“How?” Jake asked in a haughty voice, just doing what the Viper requested of him. “How are you going to pay the price? What do you possibly have to offer that the Malefic One might want?”

“Nothing, which is why we can only beg and hope to be granted this request, even if we are unworthy of making it. I merely wished to relay that we are willing to give anything, even if we have nothing,” the Great Sea Serpent continued to plead, lowering his head deeply while sounding really pitiful... and it seemed to kind of work.

Jake saw movement among the Venusians and Arachnecs as this was clearly making them uncomfortable, but he also saw some who looked touched. Even if they didn’t fully understand what the peak A-grade snake was asking for, they could see that the Great Sea Serpent was making a plea on their behalf.

Such a powerful being had lowered himself to begging. Begging to give them a chance. Not only the peak A-grade, but all the Nomads, including their leaders, were all kneeling towards Jake, joining the Great Sea Serpent in making the request.

Needless to say, this all made Jake incredibly uncomfortable, especially as he didn’t know how many of the Nomads were aware that this was all theater. A script, written by the Viper to achieve his goals.

Knowing the snake god, the answer was probably that only the Great Sea Serpent truly knew what was going on, and the Nomads were just joining the snake in begging, believing it all to be genuine. The best actors were those who didn’t know they were acting in the first place, after all.

Either way, Jake once more remained silent for several seconds, internally having a very bad time, while outwardly looking like he was contemplating the outrageous request of the Great Sea Serpent.

After these seconds passed, he let out a loud sigh. “This is a day of celebration indeed. You are more fortunate than you can even begin to imagine. The Malefic One has agreed to grant your request.”

The Great Sea Serpent was really selling the story, positively beaming while continuously bowing his head. “I thank the Chosen and the great Malefic Viper for granting the wish of this unworthy one. Know that I will do anything in my meager power to repay you, even if it takes my life.”

Again, a little overboard in Jake’s opinion, but clearly it was all working splendidly based on the reactions of the ceremony attendees. They were gobbling it all up with no real skepticism, probably because they couldn’t even imagine someone as powerful as the Great Sea Serpent willingly lowering himself to pull off a plot like this.

“Enough,” Jake raised his hand, as he nearly didn’t speak the next words due to the absolute terror they sparked in him: “Bring out the statue.”

“Villy, I fucking swear, if what I see next is what I think I’ll see...”

“It’s fine! Actually, not a gag this time around. Quite the opposite, as I do want this entire thing to turn out in our favor.”

“Thank you. Truly,” the Great Sea Serpent said, sending a signal to a group of mid-tier A-grade Nomads who usually stuck around the peak A-grade. They quickly acted as they flew over and landed in front of Jake, both bowing deeply. One of them took out a small, decorated metal box and had it float between the two A-grades.

They didn’t dare to speak as they created some kind of small formation that seemed to require both of them to work together. The formation interacted with the metal box and unlocked it. Jake also understood at that moment that this was the “artifact” that the Great Sea Serpent had apparently been getting.

The box slowly unlocked, and when it did, it turned into a cloud of dense smoke, and from within that smoke, an object appeared. Standing more than ten meters tall as it towered up in front of Jake on the platform, he looked up at it and had to admit...

It actually looks cool as fuck?

The statue depicted a colossal serpent coiled around a jagged pillar of black stone, its body rising in loops before ending in a head held high above the pillar with its mouth open, looking pretty damn intimidating. Every scale had been carved individually, overlapping like plates of polished obsidian, and veins of dark green metal ran between them in patterns that looked almost like venom coursing beneath skin.

It was unmistakably the Malefic Viper.

This was not how the god usually appeared when Jake talked to Villy, as it didn’t depict a smug guy lounging around with a beer and an irritating grin. This was the Viper in his true form: ancient, powerful, and fully worthy of being called a Primordial.

Anyway, Jake kept inspecting the damn thing and all its overly intricate details. Long fangs curved from the open maw of the coiled snake, each one nearly as tall as Jake. A faint green mist seeped from between them and dripped onto the pillar the snake was coiled around before dissolving into nothing. The Viper’s eyes were narrow slits made of crystals, glowing with an inner light that made them seem fixed on every person present at once.

The craftsmanship alone would have made the thing impressive, yet there was more to it than that. The longer Jake stared, the more the shadows between the scales seemed to shift. Its body appeared to tighten around the stone, and the raised head seemed to lean forward ever so slightly, as if the statue were seconds away from tasting the air with its tongue that was barely visible within the statue’s mouth.

A presence clung to it. Not overwhelming enough to force anyone to the ground, but heavy enough that the entire area had fallen silent. Even the most powerful natives stared with wide eyes, instinctively recognizing that this was no mere work of art.

“You made yourself look way cooler than you actually are,” Jake mentally commented, being perhaps a little heretical.

“I would argue artistic license and all that, but honestly, this can’t even represent a millionth of my awesomeness,” Villy replied without shame. “Besides, this is closer to how most people should see me. You just have unrealistic beauty standards, and you’re quite frankly not the nicest Chosen at times.”

Jake ignored him and looked down, inspecting the large statue further. At the base of it, the serpent’s tail ended in a point that penetrated into the metal. Hundreds of tiny channels had been etched into its sides, echoing with energy as runes slightly lit up. The construction of the base, especially its underside, practically screamed it had a function with this ritual, and the fact it resonated with the circle Jake had placed down only further sold this idea. Jake finally fully understood why Villy had insisted on the theatrics.

This statue was not simply meant to represent the Malefic Viper. It was built as a catalyst for the ritual. A vessel Jake was meant to infuse energy into.

The two Nomads who had carried the box remained bowed as the Great Sea Serpent raised his head. Around them, the Venusians and Arachnecs had gone completely still. Some looked frightened, others awed, but none appeared capable of looking away from the black serpent towering over the platform.

“It has been prepared,” the Great Sea Serpent announced to all, also letting a certain Chosen know that he should probably be doing something soon.

Jake felt the familiar connection in his soul stir before Villy spoke again, his amused tone still there, though now with an air of seriousness.

“We’ve finally gotten to the best part of all this. Quite frankly, everything prior was just laying the groundwork for this moment, while also hopefully working as damage control should we fail. I don’t think we’ll fail, but who knows, as this is a first for everyone involved,” the Viper said, and as he did, the god’s thoughts slowly entered Jake’s mind.

He understood what the god intended, and for the first time since this entire ceremony started, he felt a bit of genuine excitement at trying out something new. It was a ludicrous idea, but Jake was fully on board with giving it a shot.

“This is risky as fuck, and something could easily go very wrong,” Jake told the Viper. “We’re mixing things here that probably should be kept apart, and I can see it all end very badly.”

“Oh, for sure, but the Great Sea Serpent has been informed his primary job is to protect you should it fail. I will give you the choice to back out, though, as we do have a backup plan in case you’re not interested,” Villy surprisingly offered.

“Fuck no, let’s see what happens,” Jake answered with a smile as he returned his attention to the ceremony.

He’d given the crowd a chance to observe the statue and take in its aura, allowing them to vaguely feel the aura of the divine for the first time. Of course, this wasn’t a statue with that much power. Something Jake planned on changing with what would come next.

Lifting a hand, he spoke. “As the Chosen of the Malefic One, I shall call upon the Malefic One. Bear witness.”

Finally, Jake activated the ritual circle he’d put down personally. At the same time, Invocation of the Malefic Viper flared to life, focusing on Pride of the Malefic Viper as Jake embodied the presence of the Malefic Viper.

Instantly, shock spread among the audience, and he saw the expressions on the leaders of the Venusians and Arachnecs change, but he clearly also detected that they weren’t that surprised. They’d seen something similar before... but what Jake and Villy planned on doing next they definitely hadn’t seen.

The ritual circle connected to the statue, forming a tight connection as Jake’s presence mimicking that of the Malefic Viper flooded into it. At the same time, Jake reached out and laid a hand on it, preparing to do the truly crazy part.

“Good luck,” Jake said to the one who was about to take on the most challenging part of this. “You’ll need it.”

“Never have, never will,” Villy replied with confidence, even if Jake held some doubt.

The statue quickly absorbed the Invocation-empowered presence of Jake, starting to also take on the Viper’s aura just like he did, but this was only temporary. It only amplified what Jake was already doing, and while that in itself was plenty shocking and at least had all the nomads down on their knees, it wasn’t what Jake and Villy were aiming for.

That came next as Jake took a deep breath, and alongside the Invocation-empowered presence, used Lesser Primeval Energy Manipulation as he infused the statue with the inferior version of Primeval Origin Energy. He poured in a large amount, not seeking to control any of it, but only closed his eyes as he strengthened his connection with the Malefic Viper through the use of Invocation.

On the other side of his bond, the Viper acted. The god, through Jake as a catalyst, started controlling the energy within the statue. It was already made nearly solely of his Records, and now, with fuel in the form of Lesser Primevil Energy, it started changing.

The aura of the statue seemed to grow weaker as Jake kept Invocation active and continually infused small amounts of Lesser Primeval Energy into the statue. Inside the statue, he felt his energies move, manipulated not by himself, but by a far greater power.

These changes were subtle at first, with no outward signs of what was going on as seconds ticked by. The audience simply looked on, unable to see what was truly happening, though they could definitely feel the subtle shifts in aura from the statue. If not, then Jake’s fluctuating presence mimicking that of a Primordial would surely give them plenty of food for thought.

At this stage, Jake wasn’t doing anything, nor could he fully detect what Villy was up to. All he knew was that, at this very moment, he was a conduit of the Malefic Viper’s power as the god channeled himself through his Chosen.

Not too deeply, though, as Jake faintly felt his Bloodline stir, ready to reject should the Viper dare overstep. Fortunately, Villy already knew of this and primarily used the ritual and Jake’s own skill to pull off this experiment of his.

A dozen more seconds passed with Jake standing there, channeling energy, his only real contribution from his infusion of Lesser Primeval Energy and keeping Invocation and the ritual circle going. The many items meant to power the ritual were rapidly being drained of energy as the Primordial drew upon them, the aura of the statue continuing to rise, until suddenly, he felt it.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

At once, the entire ritual circle shattered, causing a shockwave as every single item placed within crumbled to dust, and Jake was sent floating backward in retreat, leaving only the statue standing there on stage. He didn’t even have time to land when the aura descended, and time appeared to slow down.

The eyes of the snake statue started glowing, but no one looked at it, as instead, their gazes were instinctively drawn towards the sky as a massive flickering eye of a snake seemed to cover the entire Minor World.

“And now... let the prayer begin.”