Waiting always sucked, but sadly, Jake couldn’t really do anything but wait at this point. He had no agency to decide when the next arc of this conflict would begin, and thus simply had to sit back and wait for a message from Ell’Hakan before he and Valhal would make their grand denouncement of the Malefic Viper.At least he had a few things to keep himself occupied, and the first he did after the truce announcement went out was follow Bobby to inspect the ritual they had been preparing for him. It was a ritual Jake had hoped he would never have to use, but it had been made anyway to sell their story. Professionally speaking, Jake did have to admit he was curious to see a circle capable of helping him become a Usurper.From the vibes he got from Bobby, Jake also suspected that the guy low-key wanted the Viper to die. Jake wasn’t entirely sure how much Bobby and likely a few other top people from Valhal knew about what he and Villy planned, but they did suspect that the Viper had a pla

Sometimes, it was good to take your mind off things and just chill with a little break. And Jake’s ultimate method of taking his mind off things was to really dive into doing some alchemy… so that was precisely what he did. Plus, being at Valhal, this was a great opportunity.Different factions had their own methodologies for their professions and crafting in general. Their Legacies were based on prior heroes of the faction and what they passed down to the next generation through knowledge in the form of books, recipes, and still-living teachers, but also—and perhaps far more importantly—Records and skills.The Order of the Malefic Viper was a good example of this. The Order was filled with alchemists because the Malefic Viper had been hailed as the greatest alchemist in the multiverse when it came to making poisons and certain branches of transmutation. The Records of the Viper had naturally been passed down to the next generation, who often relied on skills granted by the Legacy, su

Jake ran through the city toward the same formation circle they’d used to communicate with Ell’Hakan. He knew the message would soon arrive, and on the way there, he got word that the other Chosen had been in contact while Carmen was on her way to fetch Jake.It really was time… and Jake would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous as fuck. Not just about doing a good job, but in hoping that everything would work out.Primordial-4 was the last stronghold of the Order of the Malefic Viper, and it was time for Jake to help land the final blow to the Viper’s reputation and fully exalt Yip of Yore as the hero and living legend he was… At least, that was what it was supposed to look like. Yip of Yore would for sure roll with Jake’s words even if he performed terribly, welcoming the power boost.Arriving at the mountain with the magic circle, they found Bobby already pacing back and forth, making it evident he was as nervous as Jake. Nearby, a few shamans were busy making modifications to th

Tapping her fingers on the makeshift table within the cave beneath her office, surrounded by altars and catalysts filled with power, Miranda double-checked everything was ready while she waited. She’d spent a good deal of time and energy ensuring things would work out well for their planet, and with the help of her Patrons, she’d prepared the greatest ritual she’d ever made down in the chamber with the Planetary Pylon.Miranda found herself in quite a unique position, as she realized she knew more of the Malefic Viper’s plans than even her own Patrons. The Witches of the Verdant Lagoon had been very involved in the conflict and had questioned Miranda many times about what was going on with Jake after it was announced he now worked with Valhal. Lying to them wasn’t an option, so all Miranda could do was tell them to trust her, as she was acting according to the will of the Malefic One.Luckily, that had been enough to convince them to help her prepare. They’d also agreed to inform her

One likely had many expectations of how a battle between gods looked. Perhaps it would be a fight where every clash shook the very cosmos or collapsed solar systems, and while that certainly could happen, it was never the objective of the two fighters.The Viper had spoken a lot to Jake about the importance of intensity in energy over scale. Quality over quantity. For the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore, destroying things was easy. Blowing up a few galaxies was effortless... but also supremely wasteful.Why launch an attack causing an explosion the size of a planet when you could instead condense that very same explosion down to the size of a large house, increasing the intensity several times over while reducing the cost? If your goal was only to strike one small target in the first place, a huge explosion would ultimately just waste a lot of energy hitting thin air.Launching attacks of a larger scale only made sense when fighting a massive opponent, trying to ensure a hit on a speedy