The Primal Hunter

The Sword Saint’s absolutely brilliant plan to make Jake try and seduce the Prime Consort through the power of dangling his Bloodline in front of her had just one minor problem: how was he supposed to prove he had one?

Only people with Bloodlines could tell if others had one, and Jake had not encountered anyone with a Bloodline there in the labyrinth, so he really wondered how in the hell the old man expected him to sell the lie.

This was totally not Jake trying to find a way around the plan by arguing that it was unfeasible to begin with and they had to find another way to get to the Prime Consort. Totally not. It was just that the plan was actually really bad and totally impossible to pull off and-

And…

Why am I here? Jake questioned himself as he leaned against the wall inside the small fogged-up hallway leading to the Prime Consort’s residence. So, yeah, the old asshole had already planned for this. Sure, the Sword Saint couldn’t exactly go around spreading rumors himself, but they had someone in their party whose job was to know about the people entering the city.

The Fallen King had simply informed the Guard Captain that he had discovered Jake had a Bloodline. When asked by the Guard Captain how he had discovered this, the Fallen King just said he had a special ability to detect them, which was tied to his existence as a Unique Lifeform. The Guard Captain had the ability to tell truths from lies, so when he saw that the Fallen King spoke the truth in both instances, he instantly informed the ruler of the city – the Prime Consort.

Technical truths were still truths. The Fallen King had indeed ”discovered” Jake had a Bloodline a long time ago, and the Fallen King did also have a special ability tied to him being a Unique Lifeform that helped him do this… his ability to die and become a mask that Jake then Soulbound.

So, yeah, the Fallen King had been Jake’s downfall. He had even spread details about Jake’s Bloodline. Just the fact that it amplified his presence and made him immune to other presences was the original plan. But the Unique Lifeform also decided to add that it allowed Jake to sense other presences far better and thus more easily read their intent and thus predict any and all attacks. It wasn’t even a lie, either. It was just that this ability to better detect presences was just one part of his overall increased ability to sense… well, everything.

This meant Jake was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. For some bloody reason, the Sword Saint seemed convinced Jake wouldn’t need any assistance when it came to the Prime Consort, showing complete and utter confidence in his seduction skills.

Jake had no seduction skills.

He had never even asked someone out. Alas, this was a challenge he had to overcome… his party relied on him to get the job done, and as much as he hated it, Jake was the only one who could do it. Sure, the Fallen King could have gotten an audience given enough time, but they still hoped to get the floor done within a week, so that wasn’t an option. Sylphie was known to be aligned with the Second Mistress, and Dina was known to be aligned with the Sword Saint, so… yep, that left Jake.

Just bite the bullet, he told himself as he walked through the fog gate and entered the labyrinth room that belonged to the Prime Consort. This room was far larger than any of those prior and had a dozen or so buildings, with the central building being a large circular structure. Through a pulse, Jake saw that the structure had a vast underground complex beneath it in the shape of a pentagram. Definitely a hidden magic circle.

Also, even if the guard faction was not allied with any of the Mistresses or even the Prime Consort, they still protected them, and there were far more guards present here than in any of the other rooms. There were also a lot of high-ranking cultists around, making Jake more sure than ever that this room was designed for a potential big fight taking place there.

Shortly after entering the room, two male Courtesans walked toward him. Both were at a higher level than the ones on the outside and from the shadows, he felt several people observe him. Demonic cultists, no doubt.

”Welcome to the Prime Residence, my lord,” one of the Courtesans said as he bowed. ”Her Excellency is awaiting you inside. I would heavily advise not making her wait for more than necessary.”

”Thank you, I shall go immediately,” Jake answered with a bow, the two Courtesans seemingly satisfied with his answer as Jake walked up the many steps leading to the house of the Prime Consort. Through his sphere, he already saw her within.

While the other Mistresses were distinctively non-demonic, the Prime Consort clearly had demonic aspects to her appearance, such as small horns on her forehead. From a cursory scan, she looked to be half-succubus, though she lacked some distinctive features like the tail. Rather than sitting on a large bed like the Ninth Mistress or casually at a normal table like the Second, the Prime Consort was sitting at a small table close to the ground on some pillows within a large room, likely waiting for his arrival.

Taking a final deep breath to calm himself, Jake entered the building. The moment the door behind him closed, he felt the magical seals set in, and he knew it was only the two of them in the entire structure.

was waiting and looked at her as she scanned him up and down. He felt

–

Jake noted instantly. He wasn’t there to kill

said as she summoned two wine glasses from

saying anything as the bottle levitated up and poured them

words?” she

I meant no offense,” Jake said, trying to be polite. ”I am just not usually in

feeling uncomfortable around the opposite sex? Now, that is something I have not encountered before…

deny that,” Jake

demonification can be

Jake interrupted her as he scratched the back of his head. ”It is just rare I spend time with someone like

him that the First Mistress had a skill to tell lies from truths, and seeing as

were rather

Mistress and even spent some time within her residence. Several days, in fact… do you mean to tell me you managed to avoid having her dig her fangs into

Jake felt something impact Shroud. A lie-detection skill. He instantly

real conversation with her, and I truly have no interest in her. She only allowed me

to assist her?” Prime Consort

only agreed to do what I believed would benefit me, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I simply took advantage of her offer to

of both. The last one had been a pre-prepared line,

high hopes for her. I also know that, unlike some others, she truly does not covet my position as Prime Consort. That it is contestable is a bit silly, to begin with. In all honesty, then I see no need for this entire setup with Mistresses and me as the Prime Consort anymore… the Demon Lord has no interest in us anyway,” the Prime Consort shook her head. ”He never truly had. Our titles are more there to indicate that we belong to him and heighten

Lord,” Jake said with a smile. While it was certain that the Prime Consort was far more ”real”

dialogue if he could and eventually turn it toward the

a hint of suspicion in her voice.

audience with him would be a dream come true,” Jake smiled. Because if I had an audience,

Prime Consort said in a

made him aware of a strong toxin coming from the wine bottle the moment it was summoned. Intended toxins, mind you, as the magical alcohol potency was quite a lot higher than one

held back on activating Palate, as him not being at all affected by the alcohol would be damn suspicious. Seeing the bottle and how it

actually planned on getting drunk in the first place, just a little tipsy at most. While the wine was strong,

same camp as some herbs that made you hallucinate or maybe feel more clearheaded. These were not actively harmful and didn’t deal any damage to the

Soul poison.

wasn’t that deadly, never left permanent damage, and was easily detectable and pretty much impossible to hide. If you wanted to hurt someone, it was shit. However, what it was really good

getting drunk purely for work, and not a

they naturally got talking, and after the fifth glass, Jake began to share some

after a