The Oracle Paths

As if to prove him wrong, Jake abandoned the almost vaporized shapeshifter at the same time, with only a few grams of biomass left, to teleport directly back to Vhoskaud.

With the same flippancy as with the Shapeshifter, he smashed his Aether Sun Core right onto the top of his skull, using the artificial sun as a flail.

The Lich instantly melted under the effect of the infernal temperature.

At that moment, the few survivors still present drew a cold breath. The Vampires with third degree burns no longer dared to leave the crypts and chests of the nearby cells where they had been hiding. Remus Dracul was also shaken, unable to fathom that there could be such a thing as a Guilty being their arch-nemesis.

"What the bloody hell are you?" The old Vampire Ancestor asked with his chin quivering and a utterly bloodless face.

"His friend." Jake shrugged with indifference as he pointed to the hundred jars containing Wyatt's severed organs and limbs.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small mass of gooey blood the size of a snot trail crawling hastily across the floor in a vain attempt to get away. The Shapeshifter, or rather what was left of it, thought it was discreet, but to Jake its efforts at stealth were as laughable as an elephant trying to hide behind a flowerpot.

"Stay here." Jake snorted as he aimed his index finger at him without looking. "Forever."

What was left of the Player Shapeshifter was immediately obliterated by a plasma bullet. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, he added a fireball and a telekinetic cage on top of his victim to prevent any miracles.

Regrettably, when he was about to get satisfaction, the Player's presence vanished and he knew that it had managed to escape.

"Oracle Teleportation, huh?" Jake locked his eyebrows. "What a shame..."

The Players in this Ordeal were definitely all well prepared. Unless one planned a perfect trap in advance anticipating their every move, eliminating them altogether was virtually impossible. Still, given the biomass it had just lost, it would not be easy for it to recover for quite some time.

Jake couldn't be sure, though. There were so many bloodlines, Soul Classes, abilities and mysterious items that he couldn't claim with certainty that his enemy wouldn't find a way to recover in record time.

With the Shapeshifter Player and Vhoskaud out of the way, Jake could now focus on the main culprit of Wyatt's demise.

"Where's Carmin?" Jake asked coldly as he walked toward him with a lumbering step that sent tremors through the catacombs.

Remus Dracul flinched as his killing intent coursed through him, but due to the pain caused by the ultraviolet radiation he was barely able to maintain his haughty and dignified facade. He spilled the beans after a few seconds.

So much for a thousand-year-old Vampire.

"Carmine... I don't know where she is." The Vampire admitted honestly as he groveled at his feet, his back still sizzling and blackening from the sunbathing.

Jake's face hardened as he heard this mushy response. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. With a thought he doubled the intensity of the ultraviolet rays.

"Aaaarrrrghh! Please, stop! I'm telling the truth, I swear!"

Jake gazed with a cold and disdainful look at the emaciated carcass of the old Vampire writhing and screaming on the ground. From his excruciating screams, one could tell he was in agony, but this high-level acting could not fool his senses.

The Vampire's heart was beating unnaturally slow, the screams were believable but insincere. There was something fake about the way Remus contracted his vocal cords and convulsed on the floor.

Probing him with his Myrtharian Eyes, Jake didn't notice anything strange, but his instincts subconsciously told him what was wrong. It was the same as with Carmin.

"You're a Shapshifter too. But you're not a Guilty." Jake stated with mild amazement. " Since when?"

Remus, who was feigning his own agony, took a few seconds too long to process the implications of his words. When he realized that his identity had been exposed, his eyes popped out of his head, but literally this time.

Crack!

Jake had just stomped on his skull with all his might. The Vampire's skull burst like an overripe fruit, his blood and brains spraying the walls, floor and ceiling of the dungeon corridor. The most impactful part of this gory scene was that Jake's boot and armor stood unblemished, blood trickling down their surface but not staining them.

Jake wasn't trying to kill him. Instead, confirming his suspicions, the Vampire's headless body decomposed, then rearranged itself to form a strange solid gold treasure chest this time, about five feet long, three feet wide and two feet high.

"A Mimic." Jake commented without being surprised this time.

Mimics were a shapeshifting monster well known to RPG players. To hunt their prey, namely dungeon explorers, they took on the appearance of what the latter coveted most: a treasure chest.

The moment an adventurer opened the chest thinking he would get rich, the anticipation of the reward would make him let his guard down. This was the moment the Mimic would choose to strike, snapping shut on its prey, the inside of the chest being lined with nothing but mucous membranes, a highly efficient digestive system and thousands of sharp teeth.

Mimics were born small and relatively harmless, but as they accumulated biomass and intelligence their range of transformations expanded. At a certain point, keeping the appearance of a treasure chest became absurd and counterproductive and they would leave the vaults, ruins and other treasure rooms they were holed up in to join civilization.

Most of them would never again take on the appearance of the chest they were born with, but it would always remain the preferred form when they wanted to rest or needed solace. This chest was for them like the maternal womb for a mammal.

[Jen, Mimic lvl 79]

In his original shape, the Mimic was much weaker than the Remus he impersonated. His level was too low to be one of the two Shapeshifters sitting on the council, so he could deduce two bad news.

The original Remus was probably dead. And, probably for a lot longer than one would think.

"Jen, tell me everything you know or die." Jake laid down his ultimatum with a blood-curdling chillingness. "This is your last chance."

Hearing his own name, the Mimic lost his last hope. His cover was blown. Amusingly, this shifter was not very loyal to his faction. In his Mimic form, he was no longer influenced by Remus's personality and his simple, primitive nature came out in all its glory.

Crouching in front of the Mimic, Jake listened intently to his confession, his brain registering each revelation with frightening analytical performance. His face grew more and more taciturn as the story progressed, but there was also a renewed sense of hope. When the Mimic stopped talking, Jake stood up.

The creature began to quiver under the inquisitive gaze of the scary man staring back at him. If Jake willed it, he could take its life with a single thought. The Mimic was no genius, but he was clear-headed enough to know that he had no chance of escape. The Shapshifter Guilty, who was far more talented than he was, hadn't managed to escape either.

"So... Are you going to kill me?" Jen stuttered in terror a few minutes later. He couldn't stand the uncertainty of life and death anymore. Whether he died or lived, he wanted closure.

Jake was silent for a moment, then said with a cruel smile,

"It's your lucky day."

Over the next few minutes, Jake transferred 500 grams of liquid alloy from his personal collection to him, just as he had done for Jeanie. With Xi's help, he repeated the procedure, helping him set up his Oracle Device and receive his Oracle AI.

Unlike Jeanie, however, the gift did not end there. Immediately after his Player status was recognized by the Oracle, Jake forced him to sign a Slave Contract. As he read the terms, the Mimic did not show the expected disappointment. On the contrary, he was even relieved. With such strict clauses, his new master would have no reason to suppress him.

"Jen greets the Master." The Mimic declaimed heartily, the lid of his chest half lowering as if to simulate a bow.

"Take on the appearance of Remus." Jake ordered.

"I can't, I've lost too much biomass..." Jen apologized shamefully.

"...In that case, eat the dead Vampires. You're spoiled for choice." Jake shook his head, suppressing his disgust.

" Gladly my Master." The Mimic thanked him obsequiously.

"And stop calling me Master."

"Yes Master."

" ... "

A Mimic enjoying a meal, that was worth watching. Once the chest was opened, it became as loud as a vacuum cleaner and just as effective at cleaning a room. The charred Vampire mush that littered the hallway was quickly devoured. A moment later, Remus Dracul reappeared at his side.

" Take back control of your clan and concoct a story to put Vhoskaud and the other Shapshifter Guilty at ease if they ask you any questions."

"As you wish Master."

Jen personally eliminated the few Vampires still alive, then after devouring them as well, he left the dungeons.

Jake then made his way to Wyatt's cell, and while trying not to vomit he began to put the puzzle together...