The Oracle Paths

As three figures emerged from the ashen haze, their eyes widened in awe and unease at the sight before them. The sprawling expanse of Dusken City loomed ahead, an imposing fortress built at the foot of the mythical Underworld Cascade. The cascading water disappeared into the earth, giving rise to the Lumyst River that slithered through the wastelands like a serpent forged from translucent liquid ectoplasm.

The air was thick with spectral energy, as if the very atmosphere sought to ward off intruders. Yet, the ancient city beckoned them forward like a siren's call. It felt like the land itself whispered secrets and old sorrows into their ears—tales of power, betrayal, and dark splendor.

Built from dark, age-worn stones, the city's architecture was a haunting paradox. Its elaborate structures, maze-like alleys, and towering spires were worlds apart from the primitive tech of the Underworld Barbarians who currently called the place home. Dusken City had an inherent grandeur—a testament to a long-forgotten civilization whose artistry in dark stone could never be replicated by its current inhabitants.

But above all, it felt alive.

Staring at the awe-inspiring cityscape, it was clear to the trio that they were standing at the threshold of a realm deeply steeped in both majesty and malevolence. With a blend of dread and fascination, they pressed on, each step echoing in the stagnant air as they crossed the invisible boundary between the known world and the enigmatic expanse of Dusken City.

The gates creaked open in grim welcome, and for a brief moment, all the legends, whispers, and ominous prophecies they had ever heard from captured natives felt like mere child's play compared to the reality before them. The dark allure of Dusken City swallowed them whole, promising both doom and wonder in equal measure.

And so, with a mixture of trepidation and curious zeal, they took their first steps into the darkness that cradled the city—an endless flow of questions, risks, and unspeakable rewards swirling through their minds, much like the enigmatic Lumyst River that lay beyond.

These shifty individuals cautiously entering the city were no ordinary folk but three outstanding Players: Rank 17 Divine Knights. Except, they weren't exactly welcome here, hence their vigilant silence.

"Shadrex, you sure we're in the right place?" Kaelum muttered under his breath, navigating through a crowd of Underworld Barbarians very different from those they were used to fighting.

Though most were dressed like civilians, their clothes glowed uncannily, signifying an enchantment level far superior to that of standard military gear. Their spectral auras were also sometimes remarkably more striking, indicating that these civilians had, without exception, a lot of blood on their hands.

In addition to these strange civilians going about their business and even more terrifying guards here and there, they also had to deal with thousands, perhaps millions, of ghostly servants and wandering souls buzzing around due to the proximity of the Underworld Cascade. The rich spiritual energy released by its waters was like an addictive elixir they couldn't get enough of.

"Verily true," Shadrex replied tersely. Pointing to a gothic architectural marvel of dark stone at the heart of the city, one that any native of the Duskwight Lands would easily recognize as a Netherwell Cathedral, he cryptically added, "Not to the Underworld Cascade our prophecies steer, but to this sacred hall we must adhere. For here lies a relic, essential and dear, that grants us the ability to collect waters clear. Without it, I fear, our efforts would merely disappear. Besides that…"

"What then?" Weiss raised an intrigued eyebrow, levitating invisibly above passersby, oblivious to her presence. Her appearance was too distinct from these natives for her to walk around in plain sight.

Shadrex's luminous green eyes dimmed briefly, then with exaggerated gravity, even for him, he confessed, "To cascade's depths if we now go, returning might be lost, you know. The future mists when gaze I cast, a timeline yet not ready to be unmasked. The hour's not ripe, the time's askew, a fate awaits that's yet taboo."

"Pssh!" Kaelum spat disdainfully, shoving aside a hulking barbarian blocking his path with a flick of his hand. "Just say you're scared of their Abyssal Revenants. I'm not."

He lived up to his moniker of Titan of Vrax, as the robust Underworld Barbarians bustling around them looked like puny runts in comparison. The one he had just sent flying was over ten feet tall but still barely reached his waist.

The metallic-skinned behemoth never shied away from a good fight, and in that respect, he and his subordinate Sokal were cut from the same cloth. Kaelum was yet to realize it, but he and the copper-skinned warrior had just lost a crucial commonality: their insatiable thirst for battle.

A crushing defeat can do that to people. Luckily for him, that moment had never come. But with Jake rampaging across Twyluxia, that unavoidable turning point might be just around the corner.

Speak of the devil...

Beep!

An unexpected notification from their bracelets yanked their attention away from the breathtaking Netherwell Cathedral, where Shadrex was leading them. Each of the three Players had received a call simultaneously, but not from the same person.

For Kaelum, it was Sokal's knotted and suspiciously frail voice that echoed in his mind, souring his already irritable mood.

"Boss, we failed... The enemy is too strong. Don't call me back."

Without further explanation, the line went dead with a final 'click,' leaving the Titan of Vrax stumped and without an outlet to vent his anger.

Shadrex received a more neutral and dignified message, but essentially similar in essence from his right-hand woman Iaoth:

"Shadrex, I'm afraid we'll have to cancel our plans for tonight." The young woman continued, "The target Doomhorn pointed out to us is not acting alone. With him, another man was—"

Hearing the details from his best subordinate, while Kaelum was fuming, the Bipolar Seer found himself deeply troubled. Discounting her lower Divine Rank, he considered her his equal. With her leading the operation, no enemy should have been able to deal them such a setback.

However, upon learning what this unknown Player was capable of, and that their Shadow Guide didn't react in his presence, Shadrex realized they were indeed up against a significant problem.

'If our Divine Paths don't account for such a Player, then...' His eyes narrowed ominously, arriving at an unsettling conclusion. 'All the more reason to trust my prophecies even more.'

At least in his own head, he thought normally.

Coming to this realization, Shadrex stopped playing it safe and sped toward the Netherwell Cathedral, still kilometers away, alerting the guards. Kaelum and Weiss, who were also taken aback after hearing the news from their subordinates, understood the stakes and also charged forward, drawing their weapons.

A blaring siren then rang out across the sprawling city, kicking the hornet's nest. Like a swarm of bees enraged by the attack of an Asian hornet, millions of wandering souls and vengeful specters descended ferociously on the three intruders, unleashing hell upon them.

The Praetorian Guard protecting the palace of the Soulmancer King and other key locations in the capital were also alerted and quickly joined the fray. Added to this were the squadron of Vorzhul Riders defending the sky, as well as a slew of senior and apprentice Soulmancers left in the capital, subjecting the trio to unprecedented mortal danger in the blink of an eye.

As if that weren't enough, an angry roar echoed from behind the city. The ground and building walls began to tremble, and soon after, a mountain of bones lying at the foot of the Underworld Cascade suddenly animated, rising from the ground to form, in a brief moment, a bone titan whose skull vanished into the clouds.

"Bones..." Shadrex muttered grimly, quickening his pace. The next instant, he stealthily entered the Netherwell Cathedral with Weiss, leaving Kaelum alone outside in a tacit agreement.

Letting out a fearless battle cry of his own making to draw the enemy's attention, the Titan of Vrax fully embraced his role as a decoy. Without any warning, his body began to swell, growing exponentially with each passing second.

Within a breath, the already imposing metallic-hued colossus, standing at five meters tall, transformed into a towering goliath of over fifty meters, trampling on quite a few buildings and civilians in the process. Sadly, despite his awe-inspiring growth spurt, he was still just a slightly bigger ant compared to the vastness of Bones.

Bones' enormous hand then descended like an asteroid onto the lone 'Titan of Vrax' and, grabbing him between its thumb and index finger at astonishing speed, squashed him like a bug before tossing him eastward like a dirty sock...

*****

A few minutes later, the trio of Rank 17 Players reconvened halfway across the Lustra Plains, where Kaelum had landed, creating a star-shaped crater large enough to wipe out a medium-sized town.

"You still breathing?" Weiss snickered sarcastically as she poked the big steel head of the proud titan, who was still snappy from what had just happened.

"How about you tell me if you got the object?" Kaelum growled irritably as he laboriously rose to his feet, returning to his normal size.

A wry smile twisted the faces of his two companions upon hearing the question.

"What, don't tell me I got my ass kicked for nothing?" He thundered in disbelief.

"No... We succeeded," Shadrex announced with a complicated expression. "Here's the Chalice of Nethershade. Unfortunately, even though my vision and our Divine Paths led us there, it's also a replica. Harvesting pure Spirit Lumyst Water shouldn't be a problem anymore, but our real goal is still up in the air."

Kaelum blinked dumbfoundedly, realizing it was the first time he actually understood what his cryptic comrade was saying.

This lukewarm outcome was not what they had hoped for, but it wasn't that bad. Not something to lose your cool over. But something else was amiss. Noticing that it was mostly Weiss who was looking grim, he inquired with sadistic curiosity,

"What else are you hiding from me?"

Realizing she couldn't keep the secret much longer, Weiss suppressed the ugly grimace on her face and let out through her tightly clenched lips,

"Lord Ooom is dead. He got eaten."