The Primal Hunter, #4
The Primal Hunter 4
by Zogarth
Contents
52. Will of the Chosen
Overview
Jake debriefs Chris after the possession, challenging Chris’s unhealthy loyalty and urging him to choose his own path. Felix briefly wakes, reveres Jake as a Primordial’s Chosen, and fixates on a "depiction" Jake idly shaped with mana. Jake departs for the Fort under stealth. Felix vows to craft the Primordial statue and recuperates, deepening the Church’s hold and Jake’s unintended influence.
Summary
Jake waits for Chris and Felix to recover, idly shaping humorous mana statues of the Malefic Viper. Chris wakes disoriented; Jake explains Felix was possessed by a god and reassures Chris about the knockout. They discuss recent beast activity and Fort affairs, with Jake planning to get details from Miranda later.
As they talk, Jake learns Chris is competent yet disturbingly self-sacrificing and loyal to Jake. Concerned, Jake presses Chris on long-term goals, urging him to choose freedom and purpose beyond repaying a debt—echoing the blessing’s creed. Chris is unsure, but Jake’s words clearly unsettle his mindset.
Felix wakes, grievously weakened yet ecstatic to serve a Primordial’s Chosen. On seeing Jake’s mana figurine, Felix prostrates himself, assuming it to be the proper depiction of the Primordial and pledges to sculpt it perfectly before collapsing again. Jake leaves a potion and departs with Chris, then activates stealth and heads toward the Fort.
After they leave, Felix awakens, treasures the potion as a gift he must preserve, and reaffirms his doctrine of serving Primordials’ will beyond words. He destroys his in-progress works to honor the new piece, then meditates to recover, vowing not to stop until he completes the statue exactly as "shown" by the Chosen.
Who Appears
- JakeProtagonist and Malefic Viper’s Chosen; counsels Chris to choose freedom; leaves for the Fort under stealth; inadvertently inspires Felix’s new sculpture.
- ChrisBuilder blessed by a freedom god; struggles with unhealthy loyalty; prompted by Jake to define his own goals; departs to continue work.
- FelixDevout sculptor recovering from divine possession; venerates Jake’s mana sketch as a Primordial model; vows to sculpt it and meditates to heal.