The Oracle Paths

" Well, well, well, that's quite an eclectic bunch we've got over there." The young woman's crimson eyes sparkled with an unfathomable gleam as she said this. "Two Vampires, four Mutants, a Dawn Elf, a dwarf, a human, and a Blue Minmin, including six Guilties. Listening to your scheme, I couldn't help but applaud your ambition."

Jake and Wyatt exchanged an alarmed look as they realized she had been monitoring their conversation all along. They hadn't noticed anything until the inn emptied. Yet they had erected a sound insulation barrier before they began discussing the terms of their alliances.

"Don't be surprised." The female warrior kindly consoled them as she tapped her single horn with her fingertips. "This unsightly thing has the very practical property of allowing me to sense people's intentions from several hundred meters away. I don't need to hear what people are saying to know what they are talking about."

The Guilties in question were not at all relieved when they heard her explanation. These kinds of mysterious abilities were extremely hard to counter, but their real interest lay not in espionage, but in combat. This native would be able to anticipate their movements as soon as the mere thought of the act arose in their minds.

Besides... Each of these Mutants looked like a worthy opponent. Jake would probably have to give his all to defeat any of them, while in one-on-three he would consider himself lucky if he managed to stay alive for more than a minute without resorting to the Purgatory.

Jake showed no sign of panic, but inwardly he was already preparing to summon the Purgatory Dream. The young woman who was watching them curiously put on a puzzled expression as she perceived what he was planning to do, but she couldn't tell clearly what it was other than that he was planning to activate something to escape.

"I'm not here to arrest you." She stated suddenly. "At least not yet. My name is Aisling Dracul. You should know who I am and my reputation."

All the Players and natives in the group stiffened as they heard that they were facing the absolute ruler of the Mutants. Her reputation preceded her and none of them had any confidence that they would win the battle against her.

"Whether you are Guilties or not," she continued, "it doesn't really matter to me. What matters is whether you are a danger to this city and my faction. I want you to answer my questions and based on your answers, I will decide what to do with you, how about that?"

Jake and the other Players nodded slowly after a brief hesitation. Did they even have a choice?

"Great!" The horned woman grinned ominously. "First question, are you guys really Guilties?"

"We are." Jake, Wyatt, Carmin, Ruby, Seren and Lily confirmed in unison.

"We are not." Elduin, Bhammod, Jeanie and Trash vehemently exculpated themselves.

Aisling remained silent for several interminable seconds, her index finger resting thoughtfully on her lips, then acquiesced.

"You are telling the truth. Second question. Are you the Guilties responsible for the Lodunvals incident?"

Her tone was much less friendly as she questioned them this time. If the answer was unsatisfactory, she would kill them on the spot.

Wyatt and his group immediately denied the accusations, but Jake shot a resentful glare at Ruby. If not for her lunacy, how could this tragedy have happened? However, they had nothing to do with the invasion of the Khinchod army. It was just an unfortunate turn of events.

"The two Guilties mentioned in the incident are indeed me and Ruby." Jake answered truthfully, pointing to his slave. "But I deny any responsibility for the destruction of Lodunvals. To tell you the truth, I was tricked and I was only defending myself. I did destroy part of the city, but I kept all the innocent citizens safe and I didn't touch the walls and the other defensive infrastructures except for the palace of Laudar who gave the order to eliminate us. The truth is that it was the knights-mages, Laudar and his fucking pegasus that caused most of the damage."

Aisling was silent for a few seconds, a little longer than the previous time, then she nodded again.

"You're telling the truth." She assented. "But, then, you are indeed indirectly responsible for Lodunvals' poor defensive response to the Khinchod army. This brings me to my third question. Are any of you in league with the Khinchod Protectorate?"

"We're not. It's a pure coincidence. The kid can testify to that, I've only been in this world since this morning." Jake justified himself in contempt.

"Truth again, but that doesn't mean your comrades have nothing to hide." The Mutant leader retorted sharply.

Meticulous and faithful to her principles, she then questioned each of them, repeating the previous questions and improvising new ones according to what they answered. She easily learned every detail of their daring plans, as well as Ruby's crucial role in the Lodunvals disaster, who made no attempt to deny her responsibility.

"All right. I think I have a pretty clear idea of what happened." Aisling declared in a more relaxed tone. "I will not kill you. I have no authority over the Vampire faction and I don't care if they're being sabotaged from within by a bunch of otherworldly Guilties. Wyatt and Seren, you are free to go about your business. As for Jake, Carmin, Ruby, Lily, and the others, you've joined my Mutant Faction, so you owe me obedience. Since I do not trust you, I expect you to prove me wrong."

Jake didn't know what she expected of him yet, but it made sense to him so he agreed. Wyatt wasn't especially thrilled about being separated from Carmin and Lily, but he had been bracing himself for the possibility since the two sisters had been turned away by the Vampires.

"What do we have to do to prove our sincerity?" Carmin asked with annoyance.

Aisling suddenly broke into a wide smile.

"Do you know what's going on right now in Lodunvals?" She asked another question instead of answering.

"I assume the city is in bad shape and the military is doing its best to ensure the evacuation of civilians." Jake speculated sullenly. Remembering that bastard Laudar, he added sardonically. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Laudar took off when he found out how big this army was. That guy is a total asshole."

Aisling let out a bitter laugh at his remark. His theory was dangerously close to reality.

"Close enough." She conceded coldly. "Laudar and his knights-mages did indeed get away, leaving the civilians and the rest of the army behind. The remaining adventurers, guards, and loyal soldiers are currently sacrificing themselves to buy time for the civilians, but they are only a handful against an elite army of 600,000. If we do nothing they will all be dead by tomorrow morning."

Jake frowned. Why tell them all this. His Player's instincts foresaw the announcement of an unpleasant mission. And he was not disappointed.

"The Emperor has ordered Laudarkvik to assist the remnants of the Lodunvaliese army by all means and if possible repel the Khinchod army and even counter-invade their territory." The Mutant leader informed them with an impassive air. "The emperor has opened his coffers and generous rewards await all those who volunteer. The Council of Laudarkvik has voted... and my faction, along with the Humans and Astrals have been chosen to rescue Lodunvals. Through the Adventurers Guild, it is also possible for other factions to participate, but unlike my faction their participation is not mandatory.

"I and these twenty-six Mutants are the vanguard and we will leave Laudarkvik in less than half an hour. Shall I continue to elaborate, or do you see what I'm getting at?"

"Well... When in doubt, I'd like to hear the full version." Jake grunted as he tucked his saber away. Now that he knew what was expected of him, he didn't need to be wary anymore. The others sheathed their weapons as well.

The Mutants were one of the weaker factions and these 27 Mutants, including Aisling, were probably the best the faction had on hand. Sending in more weak Mutants would only increase the death toll.

This was good timing! Four powerful Guilties had just joined her faction. She didn't care what happened to these suspicious individuals, and by conscripting them she could make the most of their alleged strength. The best part was that because of their infamous status, they were unable to refuse her offer.

Aisling's 'complete' version only confirmed their fears. As soon as she finished her speech, their Oracle Device made it clear that they could not avoid it.

[Side Mission n°3: War between Ret'Asi and Khinchod. Regardless of the final outcome of this conflict, your rating will be affected based on your performance.]

The impromptu notification ruined any hope the four Players entertained of avoiding this war. To their slight surprise, Jake, Carmin, Lily and Ruby had been given the same assignment simultaneously. The terms were vague, not even specifying which side they were to choose, but that only made the field of possibility broader.

They exchanged a meaningful look, then accepted their fate with a sigh.

"I accept the mission." Jake croaked reluctantly.

No sooner had he left Lodunvals than he had to return. Karma had a funny way of keeping him in line.