The Oracle Paths

"You want to raid Lost Divinities' HQ?" Nicolet asked with a toothy grin. "I'm in!"

"No, we can't. Even though we're willing to take them on, they're probably prepared for our retaliation. Enya rebuffed him sternly as if she were dealing with a complete idiot.

"Enya is right." Wyatt shook his head in agreement. "They weren't prepared last time and there were only three generals to man the helm. We don't know anything about the abilities of Deimos, Ozo, and Khag' Dagmai, but according to Jake's report, only Hade, Jake, and I stand a chance. The other officers weren't weak either and factoring in their near immortality, we're at an extreme disadvantage."

"About that..." Lucia clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "I can also deal with one of their generals. Besides, there's one thing you're wrong about, Wyatt. We know a little more about them. Hephais... You have the floor."

Upon hearing his name, the Egaean assassin who had been dozing in his seat in a stealthy state opened his eyes lazily and sharply increased his presence. Ingranus and Svara, who were sitting next to him, were startled to discover that there was another man sitting next to them. They were so focused on the meeting that they had not noticed.

It wasn't that they couldn't see him, but he had been so inconspicuous that the two Players had simply forgotten he was there.

Right now, Hephais was hooded and clad in leather armor as dark as a starless night. He carried two shortswords crossed behind his back and several daggers, smoke grenades and other shurikens, needles and potions on his belt and various pockets sewn onto his armor.

His face was just like his armor, cold and dreary. His look was that of a murderer, but not of a psychopath. His raven black eyes and hair betrayed his affinity for the Dark Element.

"As Lucia instructed, I went back to infiltrate Laudarkvik and the enemy coalition to get more information on them and Lost Divinities." The assassin explained dispassionately. "I had to slit a few throats and pull out a few fingernails, but I ended up getting the information I wanted."

His voice was so detached as he spoke of torture and murder that Nicolet and the two Vampire Nobles vowed never to mess with him. His bored indifference was exactly the same as a fed-up person taking out the garbage every morning.

Of course, Jake, Hade and company were unfazed. Esya and Enya had long since lost their naivety about the cruelty in the world, and their father Phirune, though he spoiled them rotten, had never hidden the dark side of his daily work. To rule, a Duke and an Archmage at that, had to be prepared to get his hands dirty when necessary.

Wyatt didn't like violence either, but he had been confronted with it on a daily basis since he was a child. The number of humans he had seen ending up as blood bags for his clan was probably in the millions.

As for Ingranus, he was an old knight in his home world, and he had seen his share of horror, especially after loitering in the slums of an Oracle Shelter for several months.

"You can tell them what you know." Jake gave the assassin the green light with a nod, sensing that he was waiting for his go-ahead.

Hephais nodded and continued,

"I don't need to remind you of the important people in the coalition, so let's talk about their capabilities. First, the Demons. Astraroth Thozuch is the one to watch out for. He is the one who drove the Wengol army and the survivors of Lodunvals to kill each other. He is a Grandmaster Soul Destroyer lvl 90. So he can ignore Digitization to crush our Souls directly. No one here but Hade can survive a mental clash against this demon without protection."

"Objection, I should now be able to." Jake stated proudly as he activated his Gold Stone Skin.

The skin covering his skull and skeleton turned into Adamantium, an incredibly dense metal capable of restraining, if not completely suppressing, spiritual energy. In this state, Jake's Extrasensory Perception did not exceed a few centimeters. If he also made a custom helmet like Magneto and added some liquid alloy, he could raise his psychic defenses to unprecedented levels.

Hade watched him carefully for a few seconds, then commented,

" That will do if the fight doesn't drag on. Astraroth is also a formidable Archdevil approaching 1000 years old. This Adamantium skin protects your mind, but it also deprives you of many of your faculties. In the end, it's better for me or Haynt to face him. But even for me it will be hard to get any advantage. We just have to hope that his talent for fighting is not equal to his wits."

In doubt, everyone decided to wear an Adamantium helmet for their next counterattack anyway. It would affect them a bit, but it was better to be overly cautious than to die without knowing how.

"Aggenur Dorgrarauth is the opposite of Astraroth, a big brute." Hephais resumed his speech. "He is a Demogorgon of Wrath, a demon prince with colossal brute strength and in addition to being deemed nearly indestructible, his regeneration abilities are monstrous. He can also use his anger to increase his power tenfold and affect the psychological state of his allies and enemies. If we decide to confront him, the most suitable are Jake, Gerulf and Rogen who have not yet arrived."

"In that case, no attacking the Demons this time." Jake decided adamantly.

Hade, Lucia, and Wyatt agreed with his decision.

In addition to the ambiguous attitude of Xaverie, Aisling's mother, their power was just too high. A fight between Jake and Aggenur would flatten Laudarkvik in no time and that was not his intention.

"That leaves only the Vampire Thrajah clan, the Metamorphs and the Undeads." Aisling chipped in with slight relief. She wasn't too enthused about the idea of facing her mother.

"The Undeads are keeping a low profile right now, so it will be the Thrajah clan or the Metamorphs." Wyatt corrected her.

"To tell you the truth..." Hephais interjected with a slight smirk, "The Undeads are actually an excellent choice. By monitoring suspicious entrances and exits of the various clans with my Shadow Clones, I was able to spy on two members of Lost Divinities. Shamash and Azeus."

Turning to Lysander and Kenway, he specified,

"They are, if I am not mistaken, the two responsible for the Werebeings massacre last night."

Lysander snarled like a ferocious beast as he heard the names of his archenemies. Kenway frowned, but his aura became oppressive for a split second before returning to normal.

Acting as if nothing had happened, Hephais revealed what he had discovered,

"Shamash and Azeus regularly visit a certain mansion in the Dark Races' district. They drop off corpses of various species, as well as ingredients and equipment. The neighbors say they regularly hear screams inside, and many people have been carried into the neighborhood in recent months. Without being able to affirm it with certainty, all the evidence suggests that a necromancer is hiding inside. It could of course be another Player or native working with Lost Divinities, but I'm pretty sure it's Vhoskaud."

"Oh? And why?" Jake smiled. He was already almost convinced too.

"Because among the ingredients and materials provided, there was a high proportion and variety of metals, both ordinary and magic. Unless there is a forge hidden inside this mansion, it could be used as spare parts for an android. You said Vhoskaud was an Android Lich, right? He's already lost two bodies, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was struggling to replace them. Vhoskaud is one of the two seats of the Undeads, and his status is a bit strange. He is a Player like us, but his name has been known in Laudarkvik for hundreds of years. I don't know how he did it, but he must be from a faction as influential as Lost Divinities, but not Lost Divinities.

"Vhoskaud controls a gigantic Undead army, and it's a safe bet that the second leader Xellmezon is also hiding with him. Xellmezon is a very old Wight also commanding a huge army of Undeads, but he also has the support of other necrophages like the Ghouls and Alghouls. If we can eliminate Vhoskaud and Xellmezon, we'll deal a severe blow to Lost Divinities and the enemy coalition."

Jake and the others were silent for a moment, but in their hearts they had already accepted the plan. This Undead army was a thorn in their side, an unpredictable force they had no control over. Now that Hephais had possibly located their HQ, they would be foolish not to take the chance.

"Good work Hephais. If you need something, ask me." Jake congratulated him in high spirits.

Nicolet and the other Myrtharian Nerds present, with the exception of Lucia and Sigmar, showed an envious expression when they heard that Jake owed him a favor. A favor from the leader was incredibly valuable. If they were in trouble, they could use it to summon him to their rescue at any time.

After that, the idea suggested by Hephais was approved and they discussed their strategy of attack together. At nightfall they began their operation.