The Primal Hunter

Jake burned through the sides of the gate to get it free from the wall as he kept Eron trapped. However, it ended up taking him nearly ten minutes to get the door off as he had to split his focus, and he felt Eron attack his arcane barrier with more and more power.

Once Jake got the gate off, he grasped hold of it and pulled. The moment it stopped touching anything, he put it in his inventory and saw the barrier behind where the door had been. The people there, surprisingly enough, didn’t look alarmed but just kept channeling their mana.

Jake walked up to the magic barrier and placed his hand on it. Touch of the Malefic Viper pulsed out from his palm as the entire barrier began being corroded. It had only been there to make sure the gate stayed in place, making it far from durable.

With a final punch, the entire barrier shattered like glass, and Jake made it through. The moment he did so, all the casters and healers formerly channeling their power into the barrier just disappeared, leaving Hunter Insignias in their places.

They just fucking left like that?

He frowned as he quickly claimed all of them… and saw that every single Insignia was empty. The fuckers had handed off all their loot to someone else already, and this entire thing had been planned. Jake rushed forward as he had now wholly cut his connection to the arcane barrier behind him.

Passing through the halls, he soon looked down the hallway to the Count’s chamber. The gate was open, and in front of it, he saw only a single person he didn’t recognize sitting on the ground, waiting. Jake realized, there and then, that he hadn’t made it. Eron and the gate had together delayed him by over half an hour, which had proven to be enough time for the Church to kill the Count and leave with the key.

Jake walked slowly towards the chamber and the man sitting there. It was just a random level 101 human who didn’t look special in any way, shape, or form. It was just a D-grade from the Church who had barely qualified to enter the Hunt. Or, as the Church had clearly viewed it, a disposable messenger.

“Lord Thayne,” the man said as he stood up and bowed.

“Where is the Count and the key?” Jake asked, already knowing the answer.

“I apologize, the Count of Blood was slain a quarter of an hour ago, and the key claimed. The Augur expresses that he finds this entire situation unfortunate, but he made the choice he believed was the most advantageous for the Holy Church. Therefore, he hopes that these treasures can serve as an apology,” the man said as he summoned a number of items.

Jake narrowed his eyes as he saw the altar and coffin appear. The same ancient-rarity ones he had already claimed four of each of. This was all the loot the Count’s Chamber usually held. However, that wasn’t all.

There was also a black metal claw and a metal pike, as well two red gems. It was the hearts and weapons of two Counts of Blood.

“Due to other obligations, we cannot provide the keys, but the Augur and Church as a whole truly hope this can be viewed as recompense. The Noboru clan has already made prior claims on the keys, and how could we as a Church be trustworthy if we didn’t fulfill our obligations?” the man kept explaining.

Trying to play both sides… classic Jacob.

He really wasn’t sure how to feel about this entire thing. On the one hand, Jacob was an asshole for getting in his way, and on the other hand, Jake was an asshole for trying to kill the Count under the Holy Church’s nose. The fact that they now even gave him some kind of compensation for claiming a kill that most would rightfully point out was theirs to begin with, was a bit weird.

Jake swiped all the loot the guy had thrown on the ground, and the moment he did so, he saw the guy light up a rune on his hand as he spoke a final time. “The Holy Church hopes this does not create bad blood between Haven and the Holy Church or between the Progenitor and the Augur. Sometimes you lose, and this is simply the nature of the competition.”

“Oh, for sure,” Jake agreed.

It was also the nature of competition to openly rob people and kill them during this Treasure Hunt, so was that fine too? Jake had a strong suspicion that the last part wasn’t part of what Jacob had instructed the guy to say. Because Jacob wouldn’t have said something that dumb, that could be interpreted in so many ways.

else from the Church. Jake walked further towards the Count’s chamber, and right in front of the gate, he found remnants of a magic circle. As he stood in the middle of it, he vividly

would have 100% gotten the key from them if they

this entire situation but just shook his head as he reminded himself. Keep things simple, and take the complications as they

as there was nothing left to claim in the chamber, Jake turned around as he headed back towards the Mistless Plains, unsure of how he would confront the Holy Church. He

was the majority of the significant forces of the Treasure Hunt,

at least discuss the distribution of loot properly,” Sven tried as Miranda and

this is what Sylphie and I agreed. Are you saying I’m a fucking liar or what? Oh, or are you arguing that it wasn’t the two of

related to Haven, but she still chose to support the small hawk over the faction one would expect she should. It made Miranda believe that perhaps the relationship between Carmen and the nominal leader of Valhal on their planet

position in Valhal was one Miranda wasn’t certain of. Clearly, Sven recognized her as of higher rank than him, and Miranda wasn’t sure if that was solely due to Carmen being more powerful. Miranda knew that Valhal placed

course, even if Carmen supported Sven… Miranda couldn’t really do anything about the hawk. Something she had

I am not able to command Sylphie,” Miranda asserted once more. She wasn’t sure if she could divulge the actual relationship between Sylphie and Jake, but she was pretty damn confident both Carmen and Sven had figured it out. Primarily by

human had to have some kind of bond with the beast to bring it into the Treasure Hunt… and who else but the Lord of Haven could bring in a small green bird that was one

the City Lord of Haven doesn’t even have the authority to give

silently floating through the air alongside them as if perched on an invisible branch. Miranda had noted how she tended to refuse to sit on anyone except

Miranda was sure he thought of both Miranda

partly with purely political intentions, but from their first encounter, she had liked the woman, and Carmen was starting to become someone she would consider a friend. In some ways, she reminded

I’m beginning to

probably also fine

she continued to talk to Carmen as they made their way back, ignoring Sven for the most

was having a good

hundreds walked through the

to wrestle with appeared calm and even gave away to the large group. Shades

this group were three people. Two Risen and a wraith, with a man walking slightly ahead of everyone

of the Risen in the Treasure Hunt. They were a group that had not hunted Viscounts or Counts, not solved puzzled or sought after loot,

listened to the Shades as the powers of the curse bore into his body but did no harm.

time now before they activate the device,” Casper said

have a head start,” Priscilla answered. “Once the

the most information. It was a pure stroke of luck, or perhaps what some would call fate. For when they entered, and Casper felt the

taught about magic and curses, the one that inflicted Yalsten was one of his topics of research. It was an example

one other interesting snippet of information. The ritual performed on the mist to attempt to help the vampiric race had not been thought up by the King as many believed. It was one he had acquired. What

had been altered and

Yalsten had been ultimately engineered by the Risen. This was their world, and to them, the curse was no obstacle. They also knew about the next phase the Hunt would enter based on what the Shades had told them… they just

but when that phase would activate. But he had to admit… it had gone faster

came and saw the cube of white fire as his arcane barriers were being corroded at an ever-increasing speed. Finally, after a few seconds, the entire box exploded in white

his inventory before Eron could claim them. His arcane barrier had made it so Eron couldn’t put them in his Insignia, but Jake feared that the guy could now that