The Oracle Paths

"Where are you going?" Carmin halted her steps as she saw him heading in the wrong direction. "The Vampire district isn't that way."

"Who said I was going to save Wyatt right away?" Jake rolled his eyes, trying hard not to sound too scathing. "If someone like Wyatt got set up, I'd be a complete moron if I went into the lion's den headlong."

Carmin tensed under the remark of scorn from the man walking in front of her, but she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth. It was because of her restlessness that she had overreacted. In comparison, Seren, who had joined the Thrajah clan at Wyatt's request, was not worried at all. Knowing her character and the supremacist beliefs of the Thrajahs, it was a safe bet that the arrogant lolita was having her best time.

"In that case, where are we going? This isn't the Mutant district either." Carmin huffed vexedly.

"The Prophetic Stele." Jake replied merrily, pointing to the Cathedral of Laudarkvik in the distance.

It was located in the heart of the Outer City, opposite the great staircase leading to the Demon District. One could see in it the will of Aurae, or at least of its clergy, to keep the Demons' wickedness under control. The religious building's proximity to the slums kept the gloomy thoughts of this poor and desperate population in check to some extent.

"Do you want to change your Soul Class? Or get a new one?" Carmin marveled. It hadn't been long since they'd arrived in Quanoth and it seemed a little early to be picking a new one.

The young Blood Human had chosen a common Soul Class, very common among Vampires, but not so easy to master: Blood Sucker.

All Vampires drank blood and could therefore easily awaken this Soul Class. This Soul Class increased their ability to metabolize the blood of their own species, but also of species other than their own. If these Vampires were willing to diversify their diet and suffer a few episodes of excruciating diarrhea, this Soul Class could eventually lead to Soul Classes of much higher tiers such as Universal Blood Sucker or Blood Evolver.

As Carmin could already consume other types of humanoid blood thanks to her Blood Human Bloodline, she was obviously aiming for one of these two Soul Classes, but unfortunately she had quickly realized that it was much harder to endure than it looked.

Besides her persistent and obsessive bloodlust, non-human blood still tasted disgusting on her tongue, forcing her to exert an immense willpower to overcome her revulsion and diversify her diet. It would take her quite some time to meet the requirements of a better Soul Class.

Sensing what was bothering her, Jake summarily explained,

"I think I've met the requirements for a much better Soul Class. If this goes as planned, my chances of rescuing Wyatt will be much higher."

It was as vague an answer as it could be, but it was enough to reassure Carmin. The duo then made their way through the grimy, narrow alleys of Laudarkvik's slums, finally reaching the Cathedral Square a few minutes later.

"This should be the place." The young woman said in a hesitant tone.

Hesitant because the supposedly Prophetic Stele in the center of the square was black with filth and from the smell it had been used as a pissing spot by many tramps and hobos.

"Are you sure you want to touch that?" She winced as she plugged her nose. One more step closer and she might throw up her breakfast.

"I'll have to..." Jake frowned as he smelled the ammoniated, foul-smelling scent assaulting his nostrils. The smell was so strong that his eyes involuntarily began to water.

As he took a tiny whiff of air through his nose, Jake's eyes bulged as if he had just been kneed in the testicles and his body jerked reflexively.

His arm outstretched in front of him, an Aether Symbol as large as himself that no one could see save the other Players formed in front of him and a burst of purging flames shot out, incinerating the Prophetic Stele and everything around it. With his telekinesis, Jake confined the flames in a funnel, forcing them to billow into the sky.

The impressive inferno drew the attention of the crowd, causing a slight panic, but when the flames finished burning out, an intact Stele covered with several inches of ash reappeared in the center of the square. The stench of urine and other filth had been completely purged.

"Phewee... Remind me not to hire you to clean my house." Carmin whistled in mock amazement as he contemplated his handiwork. "I would like to still have a place to sleep after your intervention."

"You can't afford to hire me to clean your place anyway." Jake retorted laconically.

"Hehe, what about something else?" She fluttered her eyelashes in a suggestive pose before realizing he wasn't even looking at her. Seeing that an old soot-covered stele attracted him more than her, she couldn't help but sigh. What a boring man.

'And a grudge-holder.' She couldn't help but add inwardly as she saw his cold demeanor with her. She hoped he would apologize first, but it seemed she would have to make the first move. So be it. She wasn't that petty. Especially, since he had just saved her ass and hadn't refused to help her.

"By the way Jake... For what happened three months ago at the Mutant Office, I'm sorry. Sincerely." She apologized with eyes averted and cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment.

Nervous, she fiddled with her long hair, playing with her curls, but when the answer of the interested party took time to come, her face darkened.

Radio silence.

Finally finding the courage to stare directly at him, she almost fainted with anger when she discovered that he had already put his hand on the Prophetic Stele, his mind already elsewhere.

While Carmin was ranting at him and herself for her bad timing, Jake's consciousness had returned to that infinite space filled with constellations interconnected through an incomprehensible network of light. In some places he could vaguely recognize the pattern of some of his Soul Glyphs, but the network was constantly changing, making it extremely mysterious and unfathomable despite his recent progress as a Rune Engraver.

This modeling of his inner Soul was still fascinating, but he also knew that he was far from being at the level to even begin to delve into it.

[List of available Soul Classes:]

[Tier 1: Sprinter, Swimmer, Flyer, Puncher, Kicker, Headbutter, Screamer, Grunter, Eater ...]

[Tier 2: Carpenter, Warden, Miner, Farmer, Hunter, Technician, Ranger, Acrobat, Barkeeper, Herbalist, Torturer, Tamer, Psychologist, Actor, Astronomist, Moneylender, Butcher, Tailor, Tanner, Brawler, Engineer, Mercenary, Soldier, ect...]

[Tier 3: Gladiator, Blacksmith, Barbarian, Swordman, Marksman, Assassin, Spy, Monster Hunter, Pyrotechnician, Enslaver, Artist, Soul Torturer, Fire Mage, Light Mage, Earth Mage, Spirit Mage, Ice MageSlayer, Destroyer, Mentalist, Illusionist, ect...]

[Tier 4: Body Enhancer, Designer, Alchemist, Berserker, Terraformer, Geneticist, Savior, Survivor, Hero, Challenger, Inventor, Master of Arms, Monster Slayer, Clone Slayer, Mage, Beast Master, Curse Breaker ect ...]

[Tier 5: Spellcaster, Rune Engraver, Warmage, Elementalist, Clone Slayer, Arcanist, Ruler, Sunlord, Paragon, Chameleon, Ordeal Player, Myrtharian, Myrmidian, Kintharian, Eltarian, Demon Slayer, Were-being Slayer...]

[Tier 6: Harbinger of Chaos, Plot Armor Wearer, Ordeal Ace, Immortal, Sower of Chaos, Daemonifier, Rune Warrior, Rune Master, Knowledge Thirster, Unperishable Soul].

[Tier 7: Aetherist, Archon.]

The list hadn't changed too much since he'd last seen it, but his gaze immediately fell on the Soul Class he was looking for: Aetherist.

"Bingo." Jake exulted proudly with also a hint of relief. If this Soul Class hadn't appeared, he didn't know what he would have done.

In the list he noticed intriguing new additions like Rune Warrior, Knowledge Thirster, Unperishable Soul or Archon. Were-being Slayer was probably a salute to his victory over the Alpha Were-Eagle Lansho.

Rune Warrior and Rune Master were self-explanatory. These two Soul Classes reflected how he intended to use his newfound mastery of Aether Runes in battle. If he chose one of them, he could expect an immediate power boost.

Perhaps the Words of Power would tire him less or be more effective. Perhaps he would gain a whole range of offensive and defensive skills that would exploit his prior Rune mastery, but the unintended consequence would be an obsessive passion not for the study of Runes and languages, but for their application in combat.

While in the short term this might be beneficial, in the long term it would likely become a hindrance in his evolution as an accomplished Aetherist.

In this respect, Knowledge Thirster was much more interesting but also much more dangerous. On the surface, it sounded even better than Aetherist with probably absurd ease of learning and understanding in all areas. The trade-off would be the inability to prioritize the things that really mattered, because to a Knowledge Thirster everything was worth learning.

Without a strong will, it was a risky choice and based on his experience as a Rune Engraver, Jake did not feel up to the challenge.

Archon was placed in the same tier as Aetherist, so it had to be a formidable Soul Class. Commonly in the literature, an Archon was a very powerful mage with divine abilities. Jake was obviously not anywhere near that, but what made Archons unique and the reason they were given a pseudo-divine credential was that they could bestow magical abilities on the selected ones of their choosing.

Intuitively, he concluded that it must refer to his ability to produce lasting Aether Spells and Skills for himself and others, but it was still less interesting than Aetherist in the long run.

Thus, without hesitation he validated his choice.