The Primal Hunter

Jake and everyone else in the Treasure Hunt all got the notification at the same time.

While the curse slowly claimed their world, the inhabitants of Yalsten did all they could to fight back. As a final gambit, they created a device to seal the curse forever and banish it from their homeland. Yet the curse was too powerful and the device too weak… so they waited - empowering the device as the curse slowly weakened.

During this time, when Yalsten deteriorated and the nobility began weakening, they sought ways to preserve their heritage and wealth for future generations. To do this, Vaults were set up with the most priceless of items, hidden away within the cursed mist till the day Yalsten was ready to rise again.

That day never came… and now the Treasure Hunters from another universe have come to seek them out. Nine Counts have fallen, the keys assembled, and the spire summoned. As the curse is made to retreat and the mist washed away, the vaults have been reactivated once more.

However, the keys to these Vaults have long been lost and forgotten. To acquire the treasures in the Vaults, the Treasure Hunters must overcome their defenses, and whilst these defenses have weakened with time, they are not to be underestimated.

Be warned… that legends long forgotten may be released as the Vaults begin to open.

May your continued Hunt be fruitful.

What is a good system message without ending with a warning and then telling you to do the exact thing it just warned you about, Jake joked with himself.

He was a bit surprised at the system just spelling things out like that, but perhaps that was a part of the rewards for clearing the first phase? Or maybe it was to get everyone up to speed, as it assumed most of the influential forces who had hunted down Counts knew this already.

Which, from what he had gathered, they did. Most had found out through old recordings or messages or such left behind. Jake was pretty sure he had lucked out with the projection, even if the information he had received was a bit flawed. It said there would be a treasure left by that True Ancestor in the center of the Mistless Plains, and Jake had a hard time seeing that be the big crystal spire. Primarily because the True Ancestor should have left the treasure there long ago, while the spire was made to fight a curse that came to be later on.

Jake also wasn’t sure if that crystal tower could be called the “greatest treasure” either, so he felt pretty damn lied to.

Well, technically, the projection hadn’t lied… for in the eyes of the vampires, this tower probably was the greatest treasure to be found in this world. It was their final hope of fighting against the curse - a way to seal it in and then possibly take the entire spire and toss it away somewhere.

Of course, that would still leave all the usual vampire problems, but at least they would have cleaned up one issue.

But… there was still one thing bothering Jake a bit. Why was this entire plain devoid of mist while it existed everywhere else? The spire didn’t remove the mist itself; it only absorbed the curse in it. Perhaps the altars had absorbed the mist? Or was it something else?

While he saw many others around the plains begin to group up again, Jake headed straight towards the spire to get a better look at it. The red runes still dominated the inside of the circle, with the energy walls still present, but Jake didn’t feel any danger towards the energy. It was just there for the spire and not harmful to him.

He made his way towards the spire and, with his sphere, saw complicated devices that appeared to be made of the same black beneath the ground. All of it was organized in a highly complex matter, giving the magic circle both a magical and physical form.

Jake kept getting closer and saw the complexity only increase the closer he got to the crystalline spire. Sadly, he had to stop when he got within a hundred meters of it as the power of the curse began invading his body, proving that while it was contained, it wasn’t fully suppressed.

This would have stopped him if not for his special little Root of Eternal Resentment. He summoned it, and instantly the curse let him pass as he moved closer to encompass more of the spire, but more importantly, what was below the spire.

A coffin.

The bottom part of the spire encased a coffin that was even more intricate than any of the other ancient-rarity coffins. Within it, Jake saw a figure lay, and the moment he did, a shiver went up his spine. Strong. Below the coffin itself was not an altar, but what looked like a giant safe of some kind… a giant safe that was pure darkness when he tried to look inside it. Like a system lockbox, Jake noted.

he just spotted the final boss of

their basecamps out of the Mistless Plains, as he had a feeling

allies. So Caleb,

Holy Church could handle things themselves and didn’t need a heads-up, right? And if they didn’t prepare, and some powerful creature went on a rampage and began tearing things up… those in the camps better be fast on those Hunter Insignias. If they weren’t?

who am I

his weird-ass prediction skills, and the moment the factions

her and Carmen but was surprised to see that Caleb had also come and was currently conversing with

to be there. Jake’s face

more as the little traitor was clearly sharing

me in?” Jake

Caleb confidently stated with

my

happens,” Caleb dismissed it, still

wanna bet I have more perception than all

the multiverse,” his brother said

the two women. “Caleb faked having diarrhea for eight hours straight because he was too scared to ask out his now-wife and hid away

a moment. “It wasn’t eight whole hours, and it wasn’t like I

she

like sixteen,

up asking him out because he

let’s just

booked them a table at a family restaurant but accidentally chose the

his hands dismissively, muttering under his

didn’t say anything; you must have misheard me. See, that’s what

you will go and explore them?” Miranda finally came in, saving poor

a final boss on our hands, sleeping right below the large crystal spire. No doubt

planned on de-centralizing all control personnel to not risk a direct attack on us. The members of the Court of Shadows will spread even more out from here… do be warned

Miranda asked,

“I cannot say the same about the members of Valhal. While those unassociated with larger factions will be prioritized as targets, those from Valhal will undoubtedly also be hit.

Carmen said dismissively.

perplexed before just shaking his head. “I’ll have to head

sky, Sylphie mimicking his waving movements, looking cute as hell. Jake felt the intensely jealous gaze of Carmen,

Sylphie, but only his head was a satisfactory

wanna go and find these Vaults and possibly do near-suicidal and reckless things to clear some of them quickly… would you two be fine taking care of Sylphie meanwhile? You

with Sylphie, the reality was that she simply wasn’t powerful enough to travel with him, and his entire style just functioned better alone than with others. Miranda and Carmen also both seemed to have taken a liking to Sylphie – especially Carmen – and the woman from

yet, besides maybe that Shade of Eternal Resentment, but his belief it could was primarily based on him not knowing what it was capable