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Jake still used the wings a lot due to their relatively low upkeep, which meant the only time he really spent resources on them was with the initial summoning and when he pumped out poison. The poison pumped out also wasn’t exactly impressive. It mostly just served as a way to keep his current poison active and the occasional area of effect attack.

Upgrading the poison mist aspect of the skill did not appeal to him either. Besides, if he upgraded his Blood of the Malefic Viper, he would inadvertently also upgrade the mist. There was also the approach of trying to make them more durable or perhaps increase the maneuverability and overall flight speed. There was even the approach of going the same direction as Draskil, where his wings allowed him short-range teleports and speed-ups in battle. His version was clearly one specialized for movement in combat and taking advantage of his existing physical stats. But that wasn’t the direction Jake wanted to take it.

During his vision, where he saw Villy get smacked by Valdemar, he had seen Wings of the Malefic Viper be used as an escape skill to great effect. He had felt how the wings had somehow been activated, and a ”tunnel” of sorts had been formed that allowed him to escape. Jake wanted something like that.

He wanted an escape skill, not necessarily to run from a fight he could not win like Villy had, but to escape situations that rendered him stuck or sealed in some way. Like the skill, Ell’Hakan had used that had seemed to isolate Jake from the rest of the world for its duration.

One Step was already better at long-distance movement anyway. It was a legendary skill specialized in travel, while Wings had so many other aspects. There were some issues with upgrading it, though.

Having already been shown the skill twice, Jake was not sure if he could see it again. It did say that he could only view a vision of a skill once, but did the one he had count? It felt more like that one had been about Fangs of the Malefic Viper rather than Wings.

Nevertheless, Jake tried to use the Path of the Heretic-Chosen skill as he focused on Wings of the Malefic Viper. Not necessarily to use it, but to see if he even could, and to his disappointment, the skill did not activate right way. This left him even more unsure as he still didn’t know if it was because he didn’t fulfill some requirement to see the vision or because he had used his one chance on the skill.

He also tried to reflect on the feeling back during the vision he had before, but it was all too blurry for him to remember. His focus back then had been on Fangs of the Malefic Viper and Fang of Man and not Wings, so even when he had felt the escape technique, his mind had partly been elsewhere.

”You busy?” the worm suddenly asked Jake as he meditated on the issue.

”Only a little,” Jake answered. ”Why do you ask?”

”You said you wanted to hurry, right? The problem is that up ahead is the territory of scorpions, and they like to hide in the sand and attack if we try to go through, so we tend to avoid them. Avoiding them and going around will be slower, though… but if the human is strong, then maybe…” the worm said very leadingly.

”Let me guess, they have a C-grade leader of some kind?”Jake asked.

”Yep, and it is very dangerous. One of the big worms tried to scare them off once but was hit, and it took weeks to recover from the nasty venom. We aren’t that good at fighting, if you haven’t noticed, and trying to swallow them wouldn’t end well as they have tough bodies and are very poisonous even when eaten. A few worms have eaten some of them, and it never ended well,” the worm explained.

”So I guess this all for the well-being of worm society?”Jake asked a bit teasingly.

”Their leader may or may not also be guarding a very tasty-looking rock that I wouldn’t complain if I happened to eat,” the worm admitted, making its intentions clear. Even if worm society was very altruistic and they believed in sharing, then there was still some greed when it came to unique, powerful natural treasures. The C-grades tended to monopolize these according to what the worm had told him, and the only exception was when a treasure was found that would allow another worm to break through to C-grade. Another C-grade among them was far more valuable than the limited growth of one of the existing C-grade worms, and often these treasures didn’t really benefit one already in C-grade that much.

The rock the scorpion guarded was one that fit the criteria of both C-grades and those wanting to evolve being able to use it, according to his worm buddy. It was also one that no other worms dared go for due to the scorpions guarding it. Jake considered it for a moment before agreeing,

”Fine. Tell me everything you know about them,” Jake answered as he at least wanted to go in with information.

While Jake had not lost his ”fight” with Ell’Hakan because he was weaker, being stronger would potentially have allowed him to avoid getting thrown away entirely. No concept or advanced magic truly mattered before supreme power. If Jake had been a C-grade and just released a massive wave of destructive arcane mana, he would have broken any spell Ell’Hakan could ever conjure up.

Also… Jake still wanted levels, and doing some killing would surely do him good. He felt like he needed it too. Besides, he had the excuse of helping out the worm that was already helping him and the worm even mentioned this way would be faster. Did the worm specify how much faster or how much of a detour it would be? No, not at all. And he didn’t ask either.

”Okay! So, the scorpions are not that large, only a few times bigger than you, and the most dangerous part is their stringer. The pinchers look dangerous, but they aren’t actually that bad as they can’t really grab our skin… oh, but they could probably cut off your small parts. So also watch out for those. To make it worse is that their skin is not really skin but more like rock, and…”

Jake listened along as he considered if maybe fighting them wouldn’t just be a quicker way to find out as, quite frankly, they just sounded like normal scorpions. Massive scorpions, but still scorpions.

Soon to be dead scorpions.

Caleb sat before the man that he knew had been the impetus of this entire conflict. Why the hell he had asked for a meeting was beyond him, but Caleb had agreed nonetheless. As the Judge of the Court of Shadows in this branch, he was obligated to. The reason was that the leader of the United Cities Alliance had not come to invade the Court. He had not even necessarily asked Caleb to meet.

He had simply approached them as a client.

Arthur sat across from Caleb in a small tent constructed between the group from the United Cities Alliance and Skyggen. Both had men stationed nearby, but Caleb wanted to avoid a fight if necessary. He had to admit that looking at Arthur, he wasn’t sure if he could kill him. Not because he was strong or anything but due to the many items he possessed. Not that Caleb would let that show as he confidently spoke.

”I find it brave for you to meet me under four eyes like this,” Caleb said.

”Why?” Arthur asked. ”I am not meeting Caleb Thayne, the brother of the Malefic Viper’s Chosen, but the Judge of the Court of Shadows. I am here as a client looking to hire the Court. Nothing more, nothing less.”

”And yet you show up with an army,” Caleb said a bit mockingly.

”I had to gauge the response. Let me make it clear right now, I feel for you, but your brother is not the man you once thought he was. I am sure you are aware of what the Order of the Malefic Viper is. It is an organization that is not about working together and prosperity but one of domination and death. Recently, after their Patron returned, what did they do to strengthen themselves? They forced every other faction on the planet that the Order was placed on to submit or die. Those who refused they slaughtered or enslaved. While you may hold the belief that your brother is not a person who would do that, I do not. I look at a history spanning trillion of years and see a pattern,” Arthur said.

Caleb fell silent for a moment before answering. ”I do not contest that the Order of the Malefic Viper has unpleasant means, but for there to be any conquest, there must be intent. Jake has absolutely no interest in taking control of this planet. He would rather have someone else become the World Leader than manage any of it himself. He is a fighter and a hunter through and through.”

”As long as he remains, no other faction can gain control as he will always be here. Always hold influence. Even if he truly does not care, it doesn’t mean others won’t. Being the Chosen, there will be significant interest in our planet once they are aware he is from here. His lack of interest will only fuel their desire to take over our world if just to say they did. But let me concur for a moment that Jake Thayne is no threat. He is not the only reason for this. Can you say that others will not try to dominate our world? The Risen? Or, worse yet, the Holy Church?” Arthur asked.

”I don’t know them that well,” Caleb confessed. ”The Risen, that is. The Holy Church will try to take over the planet; that is something I have no doubt in my mind about. It has been their MO since the very first Era. Which leads me to… isn’t Jacob your son? You know, the leader of the Holy Church on Earth? Are you willing to kill your own son for fear of losing control of… what, a piece of rock floating in space?”

”Jacob is a prime example of what is wrong with these ideologies spawned from religion. He is now nothing more than a puppet. But you are right. Even if I got the opportunity, I could never bring myself to kill my own son, which is why I made sure he was not on the planet when all of this began. He is just a cog in the machine, and the Holy Church will gladly make use of him by just deploying him elsewhere. I hope he finds peace but never returns,” Arthur explained.

Caleb listened along, not even aware that Jacob was off the planet. It kind of made sense based on the recent movements of the Church. Even so… Caleb still wasn’t certain what the man wanted of him. ”You still haven’t said what you mean by coming here as a client.”

Arthur smiled and took out a piece of paper. ”I want to clarify that it is not that I despise all organizations run by gods. I would actually argue it makes sense in this world to have the highest echelon be made up of gods. My problem is with the religious aspects. The missions of these gods. The Court of Shadows is more a business than organized religion, and you operate not based on faith but a far more understandable concept: money. I am here to hire the Court of Shadows to assist the United Cities Alliance in our mission to take control of this planet by having you get rid of certain problematic characters that will stand in our way come voting for World Leader.”

He handed Caleb the paper, which turned out to be a list, and Caleb took it almost instinctively. He skimmed some of the names but recognized only a scarce few as City Lords belonging to the Holy Church and City Lords who had refused to join any other faction. Notably absent was anyone Caleb actually knew.

”As I mentioned, then I understand. Even if this is all business, we are still humans. Asking you to hunt your own family or friends is something I know you couldn’t do, even if it conflicts with the mission of the Court,” Arthur said apologetically.

”But you still want me to assist you. You, who have allied with someone intending to kill my brother,” Caleb said.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and shook his head. ”Kill? No, no. Killing Jake Thayne would be utterly moronic. I am not willing to gamble on someone from the Order of the Malefic Viper not suddenly deciding to pay us a visit in a century and blow up the planet just for slighting their god. But force him to abandon the planet? Now that is a whole other story. Now, if Ell’Hakan does manage to somehow slay him, I do not see it necessarily leading back to us but to him. This would not be my ideal outcome, but an acceptable one”

Caleb considered it for a moment and could see Jake just leave Earth altogether if he could no longer find a good reason to stay. He had already gone to the Order several times. There was still one problem, though: ”Bold plan that still does not address the elephant in the room: Ell’Hakan.”

”A means to an end. His intentions and mine are aligned in this, and he and his comrades will get what they want without it impacting humanity too negatively in the long run. There truly is no need to worry about Ell’Hakan. Don’t think I allied with him out of desperation. Everything is in a system-enforced contract, and so far, he has stuck to the plan,” Arthur said with little concern.

Caleb sighed, not believing Arthur had even a tenth as much control of the situation as he believed. ”Let’s say you succeed in forcing Jake off the planet, and your alien helper sticks to all his promises and leaves too once all this is done. What stops Jake from just coming back in the future? What stops the Order from still wanting to claim it?”

Arthur smiled confidently. ”I do recognize that the multiverse is not a place where some fledgling faction can just emerge on its own without finding itself conquered. So I have found an ally. An ally that does not care about conquering the Earth and one with its Origin in humanity.”

It took him a moment to figure it out as Caleb frowned. ”Why the hell would they agree to that…”

”All want a foothold, and I offered them good terms. As long as I become World Leader, our deal stands,” Arthur explained. ”And Valhal is more than welcoming of any outside forces wishing to invade their land. Be it the Holy Church or the Order of the Malefic Viper.”

Caleb frowned even deeper. He wanted to protest, but just then, he felt a prickle for the first time in a while. A divine message. As he heard the words, his eyes opened even wider than before as he gritted his teeth.

”As the Judge of the Court of Shadows, I accept your contract… but we are increasing the fee. Significantly,” Caleb said with annoyance.

”If there is anything we do not lack, it is Credits,” Arthur answered as he extended his hand for a shake. ”May this be the start of a great working relationship.”

Caleb looked at the hand before swatting it away. ”I have no interest in any kind of relationship, professional or not. You are making a huge fucking mistake, and it will come back to bite you in the ass. The only reason I am accepting the contract is because I am the Judge. Being nice about it isn’t in the job description.”

Not seeming offended in the least, Arthur simply nodded. ”Sometimes, we must do business we are not particularly fond of. Accept losses and do things we are not proud of in the moment, but that will lead to a greater future. That is what true leadership is about. I thank you for meeting me here today, Judge of the Court of Shadows. Be it with your blessing or not, I wish you luck in your task, and I genuinely do hope for a fortuitous future. For all of us.”

With those words, Arthur took his leave as Caleb was left with a long list of names. He took out a special token and checked, only to quickly see that a contract had indeed been signed, not by him, but by another Judge of the Court of Shadows. One not even in their fucking universe. All with the approval of Umbra.

”Fuck me,” Caleb sighed as he stood up and went back towards Skyggen. Sometimes it really sucked to be a for-hire guild of assassins.