The Primal Hunter

While Jake and the Automata Legion had their discussion, Vesperia got the chance to have a talk with her fellow True Royal.

“I hope I am not overstepping by wanting a more private conversation,” the True Royal Hive Queen reached out to her.

Vesperia naturally took no offense to a sister of hers taking such liberty, and she found it only proper to show respect towards one of superior power and position to herself. They may both be True Royals, but the one before her was a leader of the Endless Empire. She felt that instantly.

”I greet the Odonstrom Hive Queen, and I am honored you came here personally,” Vesperia answered.

“Please, just call me Odonestra,” the other True Royal answered. “And excuse me if I am a bit too emotional. Vesperia is a name I had not heard in many eras. I still remember the first Vespernat Hive Queen, and it feels like we lost her just a few years ago. You look just like her.”

“I, too, remember you all, though not very vividly. The inherited memories are all very blurry, which is part of the reason I wish to return to the Endless Empire. I have much to learn,” Vesperia answered, sending some positive emotions through the link.

“That is good,” Odonestra said. “I must ask… I noticed that you also seem to have some innate resistance to auras? If not near-immunity?”

True Royals had inborn resistance to auras, the same as any other high-level talent. However, True Royals were still a bit different. All True Royals had immunity towards the presences of other ectognas, including other True Royals, but they were still hit like any other creature in the multiverse by the auras of other races. So for Vesperia to remain unaffected while in the room was indeed out of the ordinary.

“A trait I inherited from the Records given to me by my sire,”Vesperia clarified to the True Royal.

“You keep referring to him as your sire. If you could, would you give me some insight as to the exact nature of your relationship with the Chosen of the Malefic Viper? Could you clarify your emotions towards the human?” Odonestra asked.

Vesperia wouldn’t say she was taken aback by the question, but she still had to collect her thoughts to properly formulate a satisfying answer.

Her emotions were hard to adequately put into words. What exactly was Jake to her? She called him Sire, yes, but she didn’t truly view him as a father. Neither did she view him with the reverence many races created by gods had towards their maker. No, it was odd to explain. All she knew was that he was family.

Sandy, the Chosen of the Lord Protector and the Boundless Hydra, had given Vesperia some great insight. Sandy hadn’t been made but led towards their current Path by Jake and had a similar feeling to herself, albeit not as powerful. They both viewed Jake as someone important to them, despite there not truly being anything making it as such. Usually, a connection through Records would be there when one was a creator and the other their creation. Similar to the one between a father and their children. Such a bond was just not there. Nothing stopped them from simply cutting him off and walking away. No karmic repercussions or negative impacts on their Paths would occur.

Oddly enough, this knowledge was not a comfort to Vesperia. No, it was a genuine fear. Because this lack of connection went both ways. While she could simply leave at any moment and never look back, so could Jake. From the looks of it, he would only lose some invested Records during her creation, but the mere act of creating a True Royal had likely resulted in a net positive already. So… would he one day decide he didn’t care about her anymore? Despite it not being something she should feel, Vesperia felt hollow just from the thought. Despite being a True Royal who would soon be surrounded by more family than nearly any other creature in the multiverse, the thought made her feel alone.

This is where Sandy had given Vesperia insight. Perhaps from having spent longer time with Jake than Vesperia herself, or maybe just because the Cosmic Genesis Worm was a better judge of character, but they seemed to have a great understanding of their shared Sire – though that was not a term Sandy used.

“Jake is Jake, same as Sandy is Sandy. Trying to say Jake needs to be like a worm just wouldn’t make sense, right? So why do you want Jake to be like another True Royal or whatever it is? Why do you need to have some special thing to call him when you already got Jake? Isn’t that why people got names? Jake is Jake to you, and you are Vesperia to Jake. Same as I am Sandy to both of you. Nothing is ever gonna change that. He will always be Jake, and you will always be Vesperia, so stop worrying.”

The words of the Lord Protector’s Chosen appeared simple but were profound in their own right. Perhaps Vesperia had been too stuck on labels all along. She didn’t need a comparison when she already knew what he was to her.

“He is Jake, my sire, and my family,” Vesperia simply answered with a smile. “And that will always be so.”

“I want to clarify… where do your loyalties lie? With the Order and the Chosen, or the Endless Empire?”Odonestra asked, her tone slightly worried.

“While I do not think those mutually exclusive, my loyalties lie with the hive, now and forever. All I am saying is that Jake is part of my hive, and that shall never change either,”Vesperia tried to clarify. “But if a war was to occur between him and the Endless Empire… I cannot answer what I would do. Just know it is not the Order or the Malefic One I hold a sentiment towards, but only my sire.”

“Hm, very well,” Odonestra said, though Vesperia was not entirely confident she was satisfied with the answer. “Thank you for the insight. I look forward to showing you how our home has grown, sister.”

agreed as they directed the conversation in a more casual direction and refocused some of their attention on the room that now at least didn’t have those accursed automata in

Hive Queen land on him quite a few times during what Jake suspected was a telepathic talk. Seeing as Vesperia also threw him some glances, he was certain they were talking about him. Rather than desperately attempting to figure out what they

I heard the United Tribes also wanted to be part of this private meeting,” Jake said. Okay, he wasn’t really surprised as he didn’t know much about the faction, but he just wanted to at least talk about something. Inspecting the spaceship more closely was also an option, but

we did not at least try to establish contact and learn more,” the phoenix goddess smiled. “Now, seeing

gods with her as he nodded and took out a

of slaves or expansion of your territory, so I hope our rather unconventional approach will be

all against that idea. “I am sure she will appreciate that,

goddess nodded, and the male bear

that wishes to consume it is ready,” the woman said. “What is within is one of my feathers, crafted specifically for your

it do?”

be able to absorb it, and it will give her beneficial Records. And… should she find herself slain before the feather is fully absorbed, it shall expend the rest of its energy to give her a second chance,”

the two other gods with her, as Jake realized he was perhaps a bit too casual. He collected

inspired by the initiative of the Golden Road Emporium, would you be willing to allow individuals from the United Tribes to enter your land? Not as slaves, but as a semi-independent force that will naturally operate under all the rules of

didn’t already have at least

Tribes do have many pure beasts such as I among their ranks, we try to avoid Blessing

encountering that many blessed beasts. There were the Hive Queens and the Sky Whale, but the Sky Whale was because of Karroch, and the ectogna wasn’t

also didn’t seem to think it a problem either, so he saw no good reason to reject it. Besides, if he could get people who knew more about making nice stuff for beasts, Sylphie would be happy, and he could maybe even help Hawkie and Mystie out. Sandy, he wasn’t worried about… worst-case, that damn

phoenix goddess said. “Who shall

should promptly connect you to her,” Jake said, only feeling a little bad

I do not believe we have anything more to discuss. I would ask you to consider bringing one of the young candidates we brought

towards Jake and the Viper. “We thank the Malefic One and you, Lord Thayne, for humoring us and allowing us to join the discussion.

question why she had said any of

up to back in the big meeting

he would find out once he got back to check things out. The only ones who remained left in the meeting were Vesperia, Jake, Villy, and the three from the Endless Empire, so it shouldn’t be that

as she regarded Jake. “I also want to finally properly introduce myself to you, Lord Thayne. I am known as Odonestra and have the rank of

Vesperia! Jake cheered her on internally. Cool titles were always cool,

make the entire situation a bit awkward, and while there is no true precedence, I would like to extend you the title of honorary member of the Endless Empire. A title that will hold no responsibilities, but if you

did a quick check-in with Villy and got a mental thumbs-up, making

see no reason to reject that,” Jake said, admittedly

“As for a true material gift, I must admit we have been struggling on this front. The Endless Empire primarily cultivates unique treasures for ectognamorphs, and anything we can truly offer you is something the Order could do better if they so desired. Am I also correct to assume you have no

and ruin the spirit of battle. There was a reason he didn’t even want Villy to resurrect him

Hive Queen settled in or

note, I am not sure if I should apologize or not, but I killed a mid-tier C-grade Isoptera Hive Queen who was blessed by the Fourth Desert Queen, and that act triggered some response to try and brand me a heretic?” Jake asked, remembering the

I must apologize, and I shall bring it up with her for sure. Would you like these ectognas off your planet?” she

take any actions,” Jake waved her off. He had a strong feeling that if he said yes, then in the very next moment, she would inform him that every single ectogna blessed by the Fourth Desert Queen in the

are there any things you desire?

for a second before he looked at the Hive Queen still

something so we can