The Oracle Paths

Jake's mood began to sour noticeably as he got closer to the front door. The atmosphere in the Guild's crowded lobby had suddenly become chilly and solemn. Minmin had quickly forsaken the flower vase at the counter to take refuge in his mantle pocket, while Trash anxiously followed at his heels.

'I won't be able to avoid this fight.' Jake sneered openly as he continued to walk with an even, measured pace as if unaware of the hostility he was receiving.

"J-Jake! You're not going to leave me, are you? These-these people all want to eat Jeanie!" The little fairy began to sob hysterically inside his mantle, soaking the pocket she had curled up in.

"Relax. If nothing else, I'll be out of town a little sooner than I thought." Jake placated her casually.

As soon as Jake walked through the door and stepped outside, the morning sun shone on his face and the Guild gardens. Trash covered his eyes with one hand because of the glare, but Jake kept his eyes wide open, not even blinking.

The first thing he saw once he was outside was a human barrage of adventurers of all races and backgrounds surrounding him closely. From the moment he began to head for the exit, several groups of adventurers near the door preceded him to prevent any escape.

One, two... 67 men and women armed to the teeth blocked his path. With his current visual acuity and processing speed, one look was enough to count the number of enemies. If he wanted, he could even tell the number of bricks and tiles in each building in his field of vision.

Faced with this small army, Jake continued to behave as if they weren't there, walking nonchalantly towards the outer gate delimiting the Guild gardens. If he passed this point, he would leave the Adventurers' Guild territory, returning to Lodunvals' jurisdiction.

In the city, with the exception of the Guilds who set their own rules and laws, the laws of the empire applied and any disturbance of the peace was highly condemned. Basically, if he made it to the street, he would be safe.

Unperturbed, he crossed half the gardens, pacing the cobblestone path, until he found himself fatally blocked by a formation of warriors in heavy armor so tightly packed, they could have been a team of American footballers or rugby players.

"Move." Jake said softly as he lifted his head slightly to stare the taller fellow in the eye.

He had long since noticed this individual. The other nerdy adventurers like Holson and his cronies seemed to fear him and even his own comrades made themselves small around him. The warrior was personally blocking the path to the exit, theoretically giving him the advantage to steal the fairy. The amazing thing was that no one dared to challenge him.

The adventurer in question was a massive human with an unusual appearance. Gray skin, dark and abundant hair, protruding jaw, long canines, prominent eyebrow arch, long muscular arms dropping to his knees and simian features. One could definitely call him an ape-man. At any rate, one of his parents had undoubtedly fucked a gorilla.

Jake didn't know if his appearance was the result of cross-breeding with another race or if he was just very ugly, but it had obviously given him prodigious physical strength. His steel armor was old, but by the thickness of the breastplate alone, it weighed at least 200 kilograms. His shield was a huge rectangular bulwark forged from the same metal as his armor, and his left arm held a heavy, spiked warhammer almost as large as himself.

A scan told him that this terrifying adventurer was a level 51 Warhammer Champion. His confidence was justified. Compared to those cheap mercenaries Jake had exterminated, this was a real warrior who could boast superhuman strength. His strength was a whopping 96, which was simply incredible for a human.

Unfortunately, against Jake, such insignificant stats could only lead to a tragic end. The saddest part of the story was that this adventurer was completely unaware that he was about to miss his only chance to retreat without debilitating injury.

"Mwhahahaha! Did you hear him? This brat wants me to 'move'." The gorilla warrior laughed out loud, his thunderous voice echoing to the far reaches of the Guild and the surrounding alleys.

After a while, he stopped laughing and a vicious expression appeared on his already hideous face. A menacing growl escaped his throat and he slowly raised his hammer before letting it rest heavily on his shoulder pad. Throughout the intimidating display, Jake remained deadpan, as if he were watching a bug about to be squashed.

"You want me to move, is that it?" The adventurer growled grimly in a deep voice before exploding in anger. " DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, RIGHT NOW?! The adventurer's guild! Only killing is forbidden! Kid, if you refuse to sell me the fairy, prepare yourself to receive the beating of your life! I've got enough potions to beat you up as many times as I want and even more ways to make the life of a pretty man like you a living hell. Choose! Either you give me the Minmin now, or I'll take it by force and you won't like how I do it..."

The other adventurers in the circle recoiled slightly as they heard the gorilla make his threats. His reputation preceded him and he was known for his hazardous accuracy. He would destroy his targets, for sure, but he would also smash anything that had the misfortune to be around him...

*****

Leaning over the fourth floor balcony, an elf with a beauty that dwarfed even those of the hotties clinging to his arm peered over the railing. His form-fitting armor was a mixture of white leather and pale gold plates and a mysterious energy oozed from it, betraying their status as magical equipment.

On this balcony stood several exceptional adventurers sunbathing on deckchairs around a pool in which a mermaid and several men and women whose bodies were mostly athletic and covered with scars were swimming happily.

This floor and the various amenities it provided were reserved for adventurers of rank B and above, which in this city was close to the top of the heap. It was a place of relaxation and fun and those like the elf who wore their armor and remained vigilant at all times were incredibly rare.

"What are you looking at Elduin? Another one of those good-for-nothing brutes racketeering a new adventurer?" A dwarf the size of a ten year old, but wider than a full grown troll asked with a laugh.

His beard fell to the bottom of his bulging belly and was braided, greasy and reddish like his hair, and beer stains covered his loose-fitting doublet flared at the collar to reveal his huge pecs. Beside him, a heavy rusty armor and a huge battle axe were piled up in a disorderly fashion along with several empty pints of beer.

The elegant elf did not hide his revulsion at such debauchery, but he answered with a smile anyway,

"This human is amusing, Bhammod. He has the audacity to show up at the Guild with a Minmin on him and show it to everyone. I don't know what was going through his mind... If he's not an idiot, then maybe we have an opportunity to see a wonderful show."

"Oh that bad?" The dwarf's face suddenly lit up. "Who's that blocking his way?"

"Simgut." Elduin revealed succinctly, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

The dwarf frowned at the name.

"Simgut?" He repeated darkly. "That brute is no threat to us, but to an ordinary human he is an insurmountable mountain. If he's not careful, I'm afraid he'll end his career prematurely."

Bhammod emptied the rest of his pint of beer into the water in the pool, then went to the balcony to the right of the elf to witness the scene in person. As the human below opened his mouth to say something, the crash of a door slamming open behind them made them turn around with a start.

At that moment, eight warriors in golden armor and emitting a killing intent stormed inside the large balcony, jostling several waiters and adventurers in bathing suits. Between these scarred six men and two women, a slender woman with long white hair walked with her head held high, giving the illusion that they were the guard escorting her.

As he crossed the eyes of this woman, the arrogant but ever alert elf was spellbound on the spot. Her eyes... Two inimitable jewels. The left one surpassing the perfection of the most sublime sapphire, the right one, an amethyst more precious than all the Auraes of Quanoth. He had never seen anything like that.

"What a splendid woman..." He praised admiringly.

Coming from a dawn elf, this was no small compliment. The dwarf Bhammod was much less subtle and bawled out loud,

"What, she hasn't given up yet? She really thinks she can recruit us for free!"

"We agreed to join her adventuring group. Our old group has already been disbanded." The man at the head of the group, a warrior in his prime with thick eyebrows and a military haircut, said coldly.

"WHAT?!" The elf and the dwarf shouted at the same time, completely shocked.

The sublime young woman merely flashed them an innocent smile and their incredulity instantly faded by half. If it was her... they could accept it.

"What are you doing leaning over the balcony?" Their former leader asked abruptly.

"Oh... Whatever. See for yourself."

At that moment, the other warriors in golden armor leaned over to the balcony in turn, and with nothing better to do, the white-haired young woman did the same.

When her wistful gaze finally landed on the human below, her eyes brighter than jewels bulged with amazement.

"Jake!"