The Oracle Paths

The unexpected reversal left Jake so confounded he momentarily lost his bearings, watching his rabid girlfriend slip from his grasp with his mouth ajar. By the time he recovered, she was already snapping her teeth at the Oracle Guardian's carotid artery.

Or at least, she was trying to. Seeing what was coming, Saros deflected her mouth from his sturdy neck with icy calm, his large hand effortlessly cradling Lucia's skull, keeping her at arm's length. The stark contrast of size and strength made escape impossible for the Myrmidian princess.

Still, within a fraction of a heartbeat, the enraged Lucia changed tactics, shifting her attention to the hand that held her head in a vice. Grasping the massive thumb that kept her jaw shut, she yanked with all her might and, as soon as her mouth was partly free, she bit down hard.

"This bitc- She bit me..." The Oracle Guardian was speechless. Were it not for Jake, he would have sliced her into mincemeat for her audacity.

Of course, his gauntlet, which met the defensive standards of a Silver Artifact, protected him from any real pain. Even if Lucia possessed jaw strength and teeth a hundred times stronger, she wouldn't have been able to dent his armor.

Nonetheless, his patience was wearing thin. "Jake, take care of your girlfriend now, or I will assume it's within my rights to end her torment," Saros warned coldly, a fleeting hint of killing intent seeping from his gaze.

Caught off guard, Jake looked stricken, like someone who'd been doused in icy water. His face hardened as he emerged behind Lucia, knocking her out cold with a swift chop of his hand. Lucia's eyes opened wide, flickering with a glimmer of lucidity, before she collapsed into his arms, limp as a rag doll.

In his arms, she felt feather-light and frail, but her allure was gone. As he gently laid her down, he stayed silent, a somber shadow hanging over him, then turned his questioning gaze toward the Oracle Guardian.

"Explain what just happened," he demanded, exhaling sharply to regain composure.

"Smooth move. You control her brain waves, right?" Saros shifted the topic, then noticing his compliment fell flat, pursed his lips. Knowing he couldn't evade the question, he sighed heavily and conceded, "Why ask what you already know? It's the Corruption, as always. She's too far gone this time..."

Before Jake could question him further, Saros reluctantly brought out a device resembling those used for body scanning at airports, purposed to measure an individual's Corruption level.

Opting for demonstration over explanation, he swept the device up and down Lucia's body, finishing with forcing open her eyelid to carry out a retinal scan. The results came back promptly and decisively.

Jake's heart sank at the values displayed on the screen.

"Corruption: 89%, Stage 8. Recommended course: Immediate extermination of the patient."

Reading the diagnosis, Saros, too, gave a wry smile. Despite expecting it, confirming such a fact was never a joy. He patted Jake's shoulder, who seemed entirely bewildered, and sighed,

"My condolences."

"Must I really kill her?" Jake asked impassively a few seconds later, his voice devoid of emotion.

Xi, connected to him and aware of his feelings more than anyone else, also held her breath, knowing full well Jake was a ticking time bomb ready to explode. Saros could feel it too, and after clearing his throat awkwardly, he answered with a conflicted expression,

"No, you don't. If you want her to live, you just need to prevent her from coming into contact with any lifeform from the Mirror Universe that's over three Stages below her Corruption. Basically, anything and anyone whose corruption is below 50%. It's a rough estimate, though. Simply put, she should avoid contact with the uncorrupted. My corruption is at 52%, but my soul is strong enough to suppress the symptoms. Thus, I appear to her as uncorrupted."

Jake immediately picked up on his implication.

"Hmm? Then why doesn't she attack me? My Corruption is also above 50%, but like you, I don't believe I've lost control."

Saros looked at him oddly, following his comment, a bitter, envious chuckle rumbling from his throat.

"Indeed... You don't seem to have lost control," the alien admitted in an ambiguous tone. "But you are indeed Corrupted, a Trojan Digestor or whatever you are. That's probably what interests the Oracle about you, and why I'm tasked with watching you."

"I see..." Jake muttered grimly.

"By the way..." Saros continued, breaking into his dark thoughts, "Don't we have something more urgent to address?"

Jake blinked, a moment passing before understanding dawned on him. A fierce vengeful glint sparked in his eyes, an overwhelming killing intent radiating from him.

That's right. While he might not be able to revert Lucia back to normal, he could still make the culprits pay. Moreover...

[If anyone can bring a Corrupted back to normal, it's probably you,] Xi encouraged him in an utterly sincere voice.

She genuinely believed it. Since they'd been together, he'd proven time and time again that his future feats couldn't be predicted based on his past achievements.

"Thank you, Xi." Jake's grin softened, the comfort of her companionship laced through his relief like a silver lining around the darkest cloud. Her presence was the anchor that steadied him against whatever storm might rise.

[Of course, hehe.] Her giggle echoed warmly in his mind before her voice took on a playful lilt. [After all, why fret? Lucia is merely corrupted. Strip away her insatiable hunger and violent urges, she should remain fairly the same in your presence. Isn't that what truly matters?]

Jake's lips parted, poised to concur, but he swallowed the words unspoken as he realized that was his perspective alone. Lucia, the victim, would most likely beg to differ.

'Unfortunately, we have no other option...' He rued inwardly, his expression shrouding in gloom.

"Time is of the essence." Saros prodded, noting that Jake's inner discourse with his AI was becoming a lengthy soliloquy.

Jake blinked back into reality, nodding absentmindedly. His gaze fell upon Lucia, pondering over what course to take. To leave her behind posed one risk, to place her in his Inner Space Dimension with Ulfar and Siri awaiting his updates was another gamble.

Realizing they must be growing anxious, he quickly updated them about the unfolding events, including Lucia's predicament. After finding a temporary fix by sedating the young woman, he resumed his pursuit with Saros.

Ensuring Evolvers remained unconscious, given their robust constitution and vitality, was currently a complicated task. Jake thus assigned one of his Familiars to the duty.

Jeanie, plagued by boredom in her Spirit Dimension, had volunteered instantly. Boasting the highest intelligence and possessing vast experience, her selection was a foregone conclusion.

"Me! I'll do it!" She giggled, materializing in her spiritual form before him.

Without waiting for Jake's command, she dived straight into Lucia's forehead, disappearing within. The diminutive female fairy spirit swiftly took over from Jake, controlling Lucia's brain waves. Satisfied with her performance, Jake then placed Lucia in his Inner Space Dimension next to Ulfar and Siri, who had already been informed of his intent.

To simplify the process, Saros also decided to don his full armor-a completely sealed steel ensemble obscuring his true form and scent.

Combined with a proficient Stealth ability-a skill every Oracle Guardian was expected to have in their arsenal-he explained to Jake en route that this would mitigate hostility from the Corrupted, should they regain consciousness. He was referring to the other disciples still waiting for rescue.

Nevertheless, it was a patchwork solution, ill-suited for the long term. Past field experiences had long since proven that a Corrupted didn't necessarily need to see its prey's true form to wish them dead...

The psychological factor played a role as well.

*****

Several miles ahead of the duo, Syrbarun jerked his Sinewshade mount to a halt with a vicious spur, his gaze darting behind him, anxiety and sweat pervading his features as if he expected to see a phantom. Recognizing only his grotesque monster escort in the gloom, an overt wave of relief washed over him, and an inadvertent laugh of joy cracked from his throat.

"Ha, haha, I've shaken them off! The sentimental card always does the trick with these shithead humans."

Triumphant in his evasion, a smug sneer carved itself onto his bovine face before it darkened, his mind turning over how Rigel had heartlessly abandoned him.

"That bloody rock on legs. I swear I'll make you pay once this mission is over-if we make it out alive."