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"Names huh? Hmm…" I mutter to myself, as I contemplate a few different ideas. At first I think of normal names, ones like Jonathan, or James, or Henry, but I find those names boring and not particularly well-suited to a cryptid. Over the course of a few moments, I begin to slowly think about thematic names, ones that touch on and hint at my supernatural nature.

A perk named "Universal Translation", something I stole from Marcus, lets me understand, write, read, and speak in languages I've heard before, even ones that are a part of my memories. I realize, almost immediately, that this perk counts the memories of my shadows as my own, which means that I can think of words in languages like Spanish and Chinese as readily as I can think of words in English. It only takes me a moment to use those words to come up with a name.

"'Oscar' could be my 'Human' name, and "Oscuridad' could be my cryptid name! The Spanish word for darkness, particularly given the fact that oscuridad is a "feminine" word, makes an excellent name, and a slightly shortened, gender-swapped version of it for any non-cryptids I eventually become allies with is also a solid name. How excellent. I am now "Oscar"! Armed with this knowledge I shift my focus and think solely about items, particularly the ones I own.

"Items" are a resource that I was previously incapable of fully appreciating. Now that my mind is well and truly my own, I can begin to suss out the true utility of the various items I own.

The instant that I focus on the idea of parsing through the items in my possession a lengthy, list-type notification appears in my mind's eye that lists out the things I own, as well as provides me with a brief description of the items I am examining. The list reveals that the sheer amount of stuff that is "Mine" is impressively broad.

By studying the list I can see everything from a train I can call upon so long as I'm somewhere where it's dark to a tome containing details on the types of monsters that are common enough that human societies have reliably documented them. This list is organized based on the origins the items appear to belong to, but there are some curious entries that fail to denote which origins they come from. The items in my possession tend to be straightforward things, but two of them are… not straightforward.

"Human Industries" and "Traitorous Whore" are two of a handful of seemingly "Origin-less" items I possess, and both have descriptions that are very mysterious. "Human industries" is an item that apparently gives me a "Pleasure Establishment" which I own that turns out a neat profit.

"Traitorous Whore" is not an item but rather a title given to… someone, who is apparently fanatically devoted to me, that I'll encounter not only in this world but in future worlds I visit, assuming I get the chance to visit other worlds.

Both items are also new, as I was previously told what items I owned when I first learned of items, and they were not on that list. As I examine them over and over I begin to vaguely sense that they aren't alone, but rather that "somewhere" there are other items, and maybe even perks, linked to them.

"This is curious…" I remark. I am alone aside from the strange consciousness that seems to reside within the cabin, especially since neither of the items feel connected to the new perks I possess because I defeated Marcus.

I ignore the two more curious items, for the moment, and focus on some of the other things in my possession. I focus on the curious tome containing information on monsters, and as I focus on it the thing abruptly appears on the floor in front of me. The book looks like any sufficiently old journal, but on the cover of it is a simple image of an oddly phallic looking number of circles made of stones.

"Hmm…" I mutter, a fully human voice coming out of my tiger-like body. I lift the book up using telekinesis and I open it. The first thing I see a title page which would serve to reveal the name of the book, the "Monster Manual" to anybody who didn't own the thing in the same way that I do. I begin to flip the page using telekinesis.

The next page is a table of contents that lists out what I know are various sorts of monsters someone might encounter. The table of contents is long, well over two entire, front-to-back pages, with well-over one hundred different types of monsters. The list is long, notable, and exciting. I can see everything from "Slenderman" to "Demons", and a part of me wonders how differently the battle I just won might have gone if Marcus wasn't an idiot.

I possess several abilities, perks with names like "Marathon Edge" and "Cantrips" which once belonged to him and several of his items as well. If he had used even just what I stole from him effectively, there was a real chance he could have at least escaped before I managed to deal a mortal blow to him.

Though, I suppose long-term it's not bad for him that I lost my single-minded determination to hunt him down before he gained monstrous allies for me to turn against him… Still, losing what I stole from him has dealt him a positively enormous blow, especially since some of the newest additions to my arsenal are clearly meant to allow him to befriend monsters.

It's clear from their descriptions that items like "The Monster Manual" and "Halloween Wardrobe", along with perks like "Monster Hugging" and "Stranger In The Woods" are clearly meant to ensure he gains monstrous allies. I can read the descriptions of all the new things in my possession and it's clear that they are meant to be used by someone who plans to befriend and even tame monsters. Now I possess them… As I am thinking how best to maximize the potency of my new abilities, I am interrupted by the thoughts of one of my servants.

"Master, what do we do in the short term? We don't need to sleep; we could begin working on our tasks right now." Nathan asks, speaking to me mentally over the connection I have with all my shadow servants. I chuckle, the sound eerily human despite my current form, at Nathan's suggestion.

"Nathan, you and Roger should be working on your tasks. Peggy is an immediate priority, and if you can figure out where she is you are to deal with her immediately. As for everyone else… We're still missing vital information that should influence how aggressive we are." I explain, somewhat cryptically.

"We don't know how common supernatural beings are, broadly speaking. We also don't know if you, as shadow servants, stand out to other supernatural beings. I was able to detect Marcus, though that was because of my status as a drawback, but I also detected Alexander and before his death he was only barely supernatural so it's clear that some supernatural beings can detect other supernatural beings. I don't want to be overly aggressive and have you all catch the eyes of something we're not ready for." I add, a moment later. This causes the shadows to murmur amongst themselves.

"Murder is one tool in my arsenal. It is but one arrow in my quiver. It's not the only tool I possess, nor will I act like it is. With my powers and the items I possess there's a lot I can do that is subtler than murder, and there's no point to me doing what Marcus did and behaving stupidly by ignoring some of abilities." I explain, causing my shadows to do the mental equivalent of a thoughtful nod.

"In time we absolutely will expand our forces. For now, though, the plan is for us to be subtle and to cement our positions before we add people to our faction." I tell the creatures, aware that they desire to serve me and that above all else they will most likely be willing to obey me so long as I give them concrete and definitive orders.

This seems to satisfy them, which is good because I genuinely don't want them to do something stupid and overextend us before we're ready to expand. Without more knowledge of supernatural elements of society reckless expansion is risky and I don't want to get into a conflict with something powerful like a dragon just because I didn't know some unspoken, unwritten rule of supernatural conduct.

As the creature speaks to its servants the world begins a process like that which it underwent when Marcus first entered it. Items, particularly "Traitorous Whore" and "Human Industries", are placed in locations where they can do the most to help their owner, while perks such as "Scary Story", "Myth", and "Memetic" warp history to subtly implant falsified memories of people overhearing chilling stories of a creature vaguely like Oscar.

These changes are, for the most part, easy enough to implement. Various minds of varying levels of influence are cursed, ever so slightly, to know of the existence of an inhuman, predatory being who dwells in the woods and who kills without hesitation. The touched minds include those of humans and monsters, and the living and the dead alike.

They learn that it busies itself by building a court of living shadows to rule over, and that to meet it is to court death. These tales are exaggerated but rooted in truth, and some of the minds that are touched by this knowledge are deeply unwell and gain unhealthy fascinations with the creature.

They wish to be in the presence of what they think might be an eldritch immortal with powers over darkness and death, to feel its stare, and endure its touch. Some, a very small handful of even the people aware of the beast, are aware of what such desires would cost them, even wish to become part of its unholy court!

Elsewhere, certain individuals are touched by the raw power of perks and items and their histories are altered, to account for them making different solutions. A prominent woman is transformed into the depraved "Traitorous Whore", while men and women alike are radically altered to account for them becoming employees of the "Human Industries" item.

At the same time, the creature continues its unholy evolution. One of the core features of this evolution is something wholly unique which explains some of the odder additions to the beast's own inventory of personally owned items. Predatory monsters benefit strongly from predatory origins, and Oscar is no exception to this.

The creature's desires and existing powers are mixing with the essence nestled deep in its soul. This is resulting in a spontaneous evolution of the creature's existing powers, one which will culminate in Oscar gaining a whole new origin: "Predator".

He is not the only beneficiary of what is occurring to him. Distantly, his shadows begin to undergo evolutions of their very own, evolutions which are slow things but primarily boost them in subtle ways. Their appearances are improved, their minds are sharpened, and they begin to become unfettered in the same ways as their master, though retaining their willing, genuine devotion to the creature whose powers enables them to exist in the first place.

Their evolution is simpler than that of their master. One by one, based on the order in which they were transformed into shadow servants, they begin to feel themselves becoming free in the same way as their master. Their minds clear, and their bodies become more streamlined, becoming more beautiful or handsome even as their physiques are modified and pushed towards something not far from "Peak Human" level.

As the changes happening to the world and to the creatures begin to firmly take root in them all, time begins to pass. Minutes begin to turn into hours, which the creature spends honing its familiarity with the resources it now owns and the powers it possesses. During this time, one mystery moves closer and closer to resolving itself as the soul of the creature begins to stabilize, and its evolution begins to crawl towards completion. This begins to culminate with Oscar, as he familiarizes himself with the layout of the cabin, receiving the first of two notifications.

[Alert: Predators & Alt-Forms

You are a predator, in both senses of the term. Biologically speaking, a predator is an animal that hunts and kills other animals. When used by humans in reference to other humans, being called a predator is most often an insult that is meant to insinuate that the insulted party exploits others and feeds on their suffering.

The unique nature of your apotheosis has resulted in you gaining a single completely unique gift: the ability to direct your own evolution. In the future this will be a genuinely self-guided process, but for now this ability has resulted in you undergoing the equivalent of 'Front-Loading' yourself with powers from a single origin, from a single, distant setting. You have become a 'Predator', which has resulted in you acquiring new powers and a new, wholly original alt-form.

Alt-forms are forms you will gain that differ from your native form, which you've also never entered. You are a curious sort of demi-Jumper who can acquire alt-forms as easily as you can breathe, should you opt to utilize your powers for violence. For now, please utilize 'Low Budget Production' so you can begin to customize your newest alt-form.]

The creature reads the notification and chuckles. He does, however, also do as it asks.

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I lazily scan my surroundings as I will "Low Budget Production" to activate. I'm in one of the bedrooms of my little cabin, staring at a tiny bed, while I mentally reread the description of the perk.

The thing's description begins with a snarky series of sentences about "Legendary creatures" and budgetary restrictions before continuing and stating that it gives me a human "Alt-Form". I sense it beginning to activate, and as it does I am surprised to feel time slow to a crawl around me.

A series of menus, ones that would make sense during the part of a video game where you create your character, appear around me. These menus all offer me modifications to different aspects of my appearance, from my height to things like my eye color and hair color. I spend a few moments fiddling with the things, before eventually focusing and deciding to continue with a Spanish & Hispanic theme.

I spend the next few moments customizing my form and doing so in a way that I know that Mary and Dakota would find attractive. My completely original human-form ultimately ends up being that of a lightly tanned, casual bodybuilder. I get a second to study myself in the mirror, in my new human form, before time begins to resume. The instant that time resumes I see a new notification, a lengthy one that explains the details of my new perks. One part of is relevant beyond that, though.

"At this stage in your development as a demi-Jumper, your powers are restricted to the alt-form they are linked to. In this case, your 'Predator' powers are linked to the form you have just created, which in a moment will experience the effects of your 'Predator' powers. There are perks that will allow you to overcome this restriction, and perks you possess because of your essence are also not affected by this restriction."

This is a curious message. I get to think about that for a second before I feel a bevy of new powers flow into me. I hiss in dark satisfaction as I feel new knowledge, such as how to make a range of potent drugs, and also new strength well beyond that of the humans I've met so far fill my muscles.

"These perks… 'Gender Supremacy', 'Alpha', 'Drug Farmer'… Using these powers really would make me a predator." I muse, grinning darkly as I study the newest additions to my repertoire.

These powers are curious, and clearly intended for someone who wishes to make others suffer. Many of them are explicitly geared towards fighting women, but a few of them don't have gendered language in their descriptions, or at least make it clear that they aren't gender specific. Potent perks like "Cuckoo Bird", "Slaver", and "Parasitical Love" are clearly gender neutral, which is good given how powerful they are.

My appearance is altered by some of my perks, and I sense myself slowly growing taller over the course of a few seconds. By the time I'm done growing I stand exactly seven feet tall, which I know is not the tallest height a human can naturally reach but is very decidedly up there for normal humans. I look at myself in a nearby mirror and chuckle.

I possess a brutish appearance, with powerful, plainly visible muscles. I can tell that I'm an intimidating figure, and while I am currently cut off from the main abilities I've used until now I still feel comfortable in my own skin. This is undoubtedly due, in part at least, to the fact that I still possess the perks I took from Marcus and from Alexander, and I can still very easily sense my connection to them.

"Well, at least this doesn't cut me off from ALL of my powers…" I mutter, speaking in an accent completely unlike that of Nathan, Roger, Marcus, Anthony, Alexander, Mary, or Dakota. I can faintly hear a gentle undertone of Spanish in my accent, and it makes me smile as I replay the words I just said, in my head.

I can keenly feel my connection to the perks I stole from Marcus and the ones I gained when my shadows killed Alexander. Everything from "Cantrips" to "Don't Go Down Without a Fight" is still easy enough for me to access, and that is something that I'm thankful for.

The "Human" perks I stole from Marcus are powerfully visible in my mind's eye. These handy toys are mostly about monster taming, and dealing with monsters in general, but some of them relate to things like physical stamina and mental acuity. The sneakiness of my "Human" perks that allow me to deal peacefully, and carnally, with monsters is also something worth considering, since I can use them in any of my forms thanks to the fact that I stole them from Marcus.

Then there are my "Documenter" perks… Of all of them, the boost to my ability to handle firearms is perhaps the handiest if I want to disguise myself as a human and walk among people while stripped of some of my native perks.

There's also the fact that "Don't Go Down Without a Fight" is still accessible to me which is quite handy, since it means that even in this form I can fight supernatural creature. With it I can stun supernatural beings with physical blows and actually deal damage to them through the basic spells I can cast even in this form, the so-called "cantrips" of the perk of the same name.

I glance at the description of the perk, which includes a fairly lengthy list of the spells I can cast, and opt to see its effects for myself. I walk over to a wardrobe in the room I'm in and open it, while I mentally begin the process of casting "Light", one of the cantrips I can cast using the perk I possess.

The wardrobe has some clothes in it, which does not surprise me. This cabin is a decently popular tourist destination and when I was in my cryptid alt-form I practiced one of my powers, psychometry, I did so on the cabin itself. I learned a lot while doing this, and the most valuable thing I learned was that people really like putting stuff all over the cabin. They also tend to forget where they put their stuff, and in some cases even that they put stuff somewhere in the first place.

I grab a single sock that was lost months ago, and I silently cast my spell. The sock immediately begins to glow, and I chuckle as I admire the light it radiates. Up close it's brighter than the room's lightbulb, though for some reason the amount of light the thing radiates drops enormously supernaturally fast and at a range of about fifteen feet the light is almost nonexistent. That said, up close this thing is incredibly bright. I quickly put the sock away and close the wardrobe it was in, thereby returning the room to its previous brightness.

"Hmm… This could make for a decent distraction. It's a shame about the range though." I mutter, as I study the spell in my mind's eye. Annoyingly the spell is limited in the sense that its range is nonexistent. I must be touching the object I want to make radiate light, which is tremendously effective at reducing this spell's utility in a lot of situations barring impressive planning and preparations.

For the next few minutes I take my time and practice using various cantrips. They are all surprisingly handy things, with a number of them being surprisingly handy attack spells like "Eldritch Blast", and "Ray of Frost", while others like "Mage Hand" and "Prestidigitation" are useful utility spells that can do a number of different things if properly honed.

During this time I also note many differences between my cryptid form and this one. One of the biggest differences between my cryptid body and this one is that my senses are weaker than they were when I was a cryptid. I still have finely honed senses, but nowhere near the degree of sharpness my cryptid body possesses, which is disconcerting. I also lack the ability to access my psychic powers, or the power to manipulate elements in this body. All in all it's a considerable downgrade, but I can still feel the potential of this body given the perks I stole from Marcus, coupled with my new perks.

"What a fun little grab bag…" I say, as I study the shimmering, ethereal hand created by "Mage Hand". I am referring to the combination of my new "Predator" perks and human perks I took from my foe. The hand I am studying is a handy third limb that is much weaker than my actual hands. Nonetheless I can tell that in the right circumstances this spell could be essential when it comes to actions that require finesse.

After a few moments spent admiring the ghostly extremity I have created with a simple application of my magic I begin to feel a bit odd. This is not as intense as when I fell to my knees earlier, but it is a curious sensation. My senses begin to improve, abruptly, and the sensation is so intense I instinctively shut my eyes, as a notification begins to materialize in my mind's eye.

[Alert: Essence

You have reached the final stage of this evolution. The central consequence of that is that your essence has matured and awakened to the point where its name and traits are capable of being known. You possess the 'Essence of the Unnamed Anti-Immortal', a powerful essence that blends powers relating to darkness with powers related to death and to slaying or taming the greatest beings in existence.

Your essence is far from fully powered, but your assault on Marcus's etheric organ has enabled it to tremendously mature and reach a stage where you can understand what it grants you. Previously hidden aspects of the essence inside of you played a role in determining that you were a predator, and other aspects of the essence are why your senses are sharpening.]

The notification is not finished. Beneath the part where it talks about my assault on the etheric organ of my enemy it describes the powers of the essence that is maturing inside of me. It does so in a way that is humorously vague but is also thousands of words long because my essence is very powerful. What it describes is… awesome, for lack of a better word. It also explains what is happening to me.

The souls of those I slew were captured by my essence when they died. Until just now they dwelt within me, but my essence maturing to this extent allowed it to reach a level of power where their souls could be torn apart by my essence. This allows me to complete my assimilation of them in a way that is absolute and adds things like their mental processing speeds and the capabilities of their senses to my own, even in my human alt form.

This process also gives me the power to create new shadow servants, ones that are formed from the shadows of animals I slew before I killed Nathan and in doing so forcibly acquired the version of sapience I possessed until my mind was freed from the limitations of being a drawback. I silently allow a deer shadow servant to form, and I sense the creature appear behind me and dart off towards the stairwell that'll allow it to leave the house. As it leaves I cast "Message", one of my cantrips, on the beast and in doing so establish a permanent connection which will allow me to communicate with it non-verbally.

I am armed with knowledge now and I know a lot more about my shadow servants than I did before. Knowing what I know now, including things like the fact that my "Pocket Realm", which ought to be linked to my nature as a cryptid is actually linked to my essence and far more useful than it should be, and all sorts of handy secrets about my shadow servants, I know that even animal shadow servants can be quite handy. I also know that if I track and kill other cryptids I can gain the ability to use my cryptid powers independent of whatever form I am in… Now, if only I knew where other monsters were actively hidden.

Without opening my eyes I mentally direct my mage hand to go to one of the other pieces of furniture in the room and open it up. I listen as this happens and my keen senses allow me to detect what is inside of the opened nightstand. The mage, obeying my mental commands, rummages around the opened portion of the nightstand until it grabs a single small t-shirt, one fit for a toddler, and brings it to me.

I open my eyes and touch the shirt, and as it does a notification appears in my mind's eye. Reading it causes me to smirk.

[Alert: Absorption

Would you like to absorb this shirt? Doing so will shunt it into your pocket dimension, and allow you to create copies of the thing at a rate of one, per object, every year. Created copies will be perfect and indistinguishable from the original object you absorbed.]

I nod and inform the notification that I would indeed like to absorb the object, which causes it to vanish and for my hands to be empty. I feel the object become a part of me, and my mind's eye tracks the thing as it appears inside of an empty house somewhere in my pocket dimension.

________________________________________________

"Oh yeah… This is neat." I remark, as I study my empty hand. In the middle of my hand is a small black dot, which grew a little bit bigger, on the scale of nanometers bigger, as it absorbed the object I just made a part of myself. Over the course of a few seconds the dot begins to subtly vanish, until the whole thing completely disappears.

For the next few hours Oscar busies himself by exploring the parts of the cabin that are readily accessible to anyone who visits the cabin. During this time he continues to hone his ability to absorb objects, greedily feasting on objects that the place's renters have long forgotten.

The passage of time is unrelenting and persistent, and before almost anyone notices Saturday comes and goes, and then so does Sunday. During this largely uneventful weekend the founding members of the faction of the monster named Oscuridad busy themselves with their work.

Nathan persistently tries to get in touch with Peggy, but gets nowhere other than getting noncommittal, usually single-word text messages from the young woman late Sunday afternoon. Alexander takes to his duties with impressive stoicism, determined to find opportunities to facilitate the murder of more people, when his master okays the addition of new people to their faction. The teen detectives are the only group who manage to acquire immediate successes, having left the motel on Saturday and having arrived in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, the same day.

Upon arriving in the state capital the teens, aside from Roger, manage to get a bus out of state heading towards rural New York, where Mary's family is from. Roger quickly grabs a bus heading to Burlington, Vermont, and then manages to snag a spot in a hostel for a few days, rather than staying with Nathan, while the professor continues to try and figure out where Peggy is located.

Eventually the weekend comes to an end. When the sun rises on Monday it heralds the commencement of the first full week since the arrival of Marcus and the apotheosis of Oscuridad. At this point, only Peggy, Marcus, and Oscuridad itself, have even the slightest inkling of the terror the monster will cause the people of this world, and of the three of them only Oscuridad knows the true potency of its powers.

As the sun begins to slowly climb past the horizon on Monday, Nathan is fully prepared for his first chance to show off to his master. The man is well-dressed, well-groomed, and on his way to campus well before his first class of the day. His mind is divvied evenly between the importance of teaching effectively today, and also looking for potential targets to induct into the service of the king of shadows.

Meanwhile, Oscuridad himself is deep underground and he is making use of the new abilities he possesses and the resources he has acquired. The creature is in its cryptid form and is sitting on top of a chair deep in the secretive part of the "Cabin in the Woods" item, physically watching several monitors that are connected to secret, well-placed cameras throughout the cabin.

The creature's powers have settled, and it knows that from this point on if it wants to accrue more power, new powers, it'll have to take it the old-fashioned way: through murder. Copious amounts of murder. But, annoyingly, it has to be targeted, specific murder. So for now the creature is busying itself and slowly, tentatively, testing the water, while attempting to discover where it can feed on people who might grant it new powers.

The creature is silently watching something else through the usage of its ability to see the world through the eyes of its shadow servants. It is mentally directing the early morning actions of Mary, as she looks around the largely unchanged bedroom she once slept in as a kid. Mary is silently doing as she is told, and allowing her eyes to serve as a means of amusement for her master.

Mary and the teen sleuths are here to get more money from their families, and maybe even recruit them. The found family of teens are in their hometown of Augustville in northern New York, and all of them have done excellent jobs feigning excitement and joy at a chance to take a short break and spend time with their families.

"Remember… Look for supernatural beings." The creature in the back of the minds of the shadow servants telepathically whispers, a predatory, hungry tone audible in its voice. Oscuridad needs them to see if other supernatural beings can detect them, and of all of the different forces in the service of the monster, the teens are the ones who will soon get to conduct a test to see how cautious their lord needs to be when it comes to other supernatural beings.

After all, what town doesn't have its fair share of psychics who seek to make money off their talents, genuine or otherwise? And the creature already has plans for self-proclaimed psychics who lack any actual supernatural skill…