The Oracle Paths

Chapter 471 - First Victim

A few minutes later Jake slowed down as the new light arrow shot to the ground below them. Following the arrowʼs path laid out for them, the group began their descent, quickly breaking through the layer of artificial clouds to discover a new Village, this time quite different from the Inuit Village they had just visited.

This Village was intact, but desolate. In the far north of the map, the usual Forest, Lake, and Mountain were present, but where the neighboring Villages should have been, there was nothing but more Forest and more Lake.

That no lights or torches were lit was not unexpected, but the dead silence was somewhat unnatural. It wasnʼt just because it was night and the Villagers were sleeping. Nor was it because its former Villagers had fled the place after an attack.

Considering the overgrown fields and gardens and the immaculate homes, this place had simply never been inhabited. And that made it all the more suspicious.

On alert, Jake and the others set foot on land noiselessly, warily scanning the buildings around them. All the shutters were closed and every item was untouched, though it was best not to jump to conclusions.

Pulling out the Purgatory replica again, Jake waited for the local runes to be assimilated before generating a new light arrow. When it appeared, it pointed someplace straight ahead of them, but still downward.

The problem was that, as far as he knew, there were no bas.e.m.e.nts or underground passages in these Villages. The Castleʼs dungeons were the only facilities below ground level and the direction indicated by the arrow was pointing the opposite way.

In fact, they were headed for the Villageʼs central square. Cautious, they quickly crossed the distance to the amphitheater structure where the past votes had taken place.

Since the start of Round Two, the relaxation of the rules and the rapid spread of the Corruption, the daily vote had pretty much gone out the window. No Lord wanted to lose his Villagers. Aside from ensuring compliance, these votes served only as a deterrent.

Vigilantly, Jake crouched down, placing a hand on the ground precisely where the arrow had fallen. As he feared, it was pointing downward, inviting them to dig in to continue their adventure.

When his hand touched one of the cobblestones that littered the ground, Jakeʼs expression did not change, but the Fluid Ghost hidden inside him took the opportunity to sneak through.

Apart from Ostrexora, who followed the ghostʼs movements with her eyes, only Hephais and Mihangyl felt its presence clearly. The others with decent mental stats like the two sisters or Carmin felt an abnormality, but to preserve their minds they had retracted their Spirit Body, weakening their senses accordingly.

Only Ralnor, Kyle, Tim and Peter did not notice anything, but they did take note of their comradeʼs change of expression. Nevertheless, it was coming from Jake and they had nothing to fear from him at the moment. At least, Ostrexoraʼs ectoplasmic figure intimidated them much more.

Jake was waiting calmly for his bracelet to return when he received bad news from Xi. He closed his eyes for a second to digest the information, but quickly adjusted to the new reality.

”Seren is dead.” Jake calmly informed Carmin, giving her a serious look.

The vampire freaked out for a fleeting moment, but the rabid hunger clouding her beautiful face quickly took over. Drawing a sharp breath, she chugged down another blood vial.

The others didnʼt know who this Seren was, but from Jake and Carminʼs reaction, they suspected that it didnʼt bode well. Sensing their questioning, Jake clarified briefly,

”Our mole at Wyattʼs, the leader of one of the two big Monster Villages.”

No one commented, but a glimmer of understanding lit up the faces of Kyle, Peter, Mihangyl and Ralnor. Kyle remembered the vampire because of Sarahʼs betrayal, Peter had investigated them thoroughly, while the two Egaeans had met him in the command room of the Titan Pearl.

All of a sudden, Kyle drew his sword and parried in extremis a powerful stroke from Ralnor.

”The hell, man?!” The former Playboy howled in rage.

Ralnor chuckled evilly in response, an aura of red flame similar to the two sistersʼ enveloping his body and extending to his claymore. The tense but serene atmosphere within the group suddenly cracked and everyone scrambled backwards, distancing themselves.

”Tsk, he lost it.” Mihangyl sneered as he beheld his old friend turn into a raging beast.

Stamping down hard, a wave of emerald light spread through the ground from his body. The group didnʼt notice anything special, but vines grew at a prodigious rate around Ralnor, cracking and splitting the cobblestone floor. Within seconds, Ralnor was immobilized.

At that moment, a soothing sweet smell reached their nostrils despite the distance between them and Ralnor. The toxin was so pervasive that those with the lowest Constitution felt their legs go limp and their minds foggy. Kyle and Tim increased the distance another notch, while the two sisters produced a flame screen to clear the air around them.

There was one moron among them who did exactly the opposite. Like a moth drawn to the brightness of fire, Peter started stumbling like a zombie towards the poisonous flowers with an intoxicated expression on his face.

”Drugs...” Jake heard him babble repeatedly.

Fortunately, Mihangyl retracted his spell before giving him satisfaction. At the epicenter of the sweet gas, Ralnorʼs frenzied fit ended abruptly, and a forlorn expression appeared on his face. Alas, like Carmin, his remorse did not last long, and his warlike d.e.s.i.r.e soon recurred.

Meanwhile, the Old Ghost had finished his scouting tour. Reaching back through Jakeʼs hand and into his body, he confirmed their doubts.

”The Purgatory Fluid Artifact is far below us, deep in the Pit.” Jake reported back to the group looking for guidance. ”Another issue is that the artifact is constantly moving. Its area stays the same, but in the Pit a difference of a few feet could send us into a completely different room. The spatial laws here donʼt follow conventional logic.”

”We have a bigger problem.” Hephais scowled. ”How do we break the rules here?”

Everyone put on a grim face when they heard this. This was quite a predicament. Because they all had the Traveler Role, they could walk anywhere, and because this was not their Village, whatever they did here would not be punished.

The only solution left was to attack each other.

So it remained to be decided who of Peter, Enya, Esya, Tim, Ostrexora or Hephais would break the rules and how.

”Ostrexora, I know you are capable of surrendering and escaping the Pit on your own. Why donʼt you show us how you do it?” Jake suggested with a devilish glint in his eyes.

The half-woman-half-ghost Player snorted dismissively in response.

”Just because I went there doesnʼt mean it was easy.” She retorted icily. ”Anyone can go in using their Spirit Body, but itʼs still a violation of the rules. I was punished severely for that. Donʼt underestimate the Pit. Itʼs a Purgatory, not a resort. If the first sentence doesnʼt hit home, the next time will start to target your weaknesses not to mention the elevated difficulty that goes along with it. Iʼ ve been there three times already and thatʼs three times too many.”

”Cough, I can confirm her statement...” Peter grimaced with a pale face, ”The first two times were okay, but the third time came really close to killing me. The fourth time will probably succeed.”

Jake stared at them hard as he gave them a murderous look. Who the f.u.c.k did they think they were?

”Let me put some lead in your brain.” Jake growled in a low voice. ”No matter who breaks the rules, if you follow that person into the Pit you will be punished too. Whatever crap youʼve overcome down below, what we will meet this time together will be ten times worse. We want to win and Iʼll do anything to win, but some of us will probably die, maybe all of us if we fail. If any of you want to give up, itʼs now or never?”

Ostrexora gave him a murderous look, but she simply humphed without disagreeing with him. Peter merely shrugged as a way of letting go.

”Letʼs be honest.” Jake resumed more gently this time. ”Carmin, Ralnor and Peter, youʼre the three closest to go bonkers among us. In the case of Ralnor and Carmin, it would have happened already if we hadnʼt arranged countermeasures. If someone sacrifices themselves in your place, donʼt make them regret their choice.”

In the end, it was Peter who heaved a tired, defeated sigh. The sense of urgency, his withdrawal symptoms and the Corruption had consumed his last bit of fortitude.

”Fine. Let me do it. Just... Whatever, Iʼll drug myself to death once Iʼm back on B842...”