The Oracle Paths

Haynt was not the talkative type. Once his curiosity was satisfied, he devoted himself to his recovery and Jake did the same, deciding to postpone his own questions for later. In the end, it was the Astral who first recovered his optimal condition.

At that very moment, the native emanated an overwhelming radiance, every particle of his being bursting with energy. By comparison, Jake felt insignificant and it had nothing to do with the suppression due to their Spirit Body level discrepancy.

Whereas Jake was confident that he could assassinate an ordinary level 90 human with his immense attribute advantage, Haynt was a much harder nut to crack. Regardless of his powerful Soul, this nearly 1000 year old Astral boasted racial abilities equal to or slightly exceeding those of a rank 10 bloodline.

Given equal Spirit Bodies, Jake would not necessarily have the upper hand. The Astral could switch between a physical and energy state at will, becoming virtually invulnerable to all physical attacks, but also most spells and other curses that depend on a body to express their effects.

As a being of pure energy, Haynt also had a very high tolerance to heat, and radiation like Jake, but also to electricity. Last but not least, his evolutionary potential was almost limitless.

As long as the stars he was connected to existed, he would never run out of energy and his power and attributes would keep growing. He could also derive all sorts of abilities and spells from his constellation magic, a magic Jake didn't understand much about.

Xi tried to reassure him that not all Astral people were like Haynt. Although all Astral people were born equal or nearly so, they were a species that placed a high value on talent and discipline. Perhaps more so than other Laudarkvik factions such as the Vampires and Demons.

The Bloodline Ability allowing the Astral to connect with sentient stars of their choice was as unfathomable as it was complex, requiring outstanding perception and fortitude that was not necessarily inborn.

The reality was that less than one in ten Astral could establish such a link. Most were content to scrape together the crumbs of light that the sun of Quanoth deigned to offer them. In Laudarkvik, where daylight lasts less than two hours a day, it was no surprise that the Astral were considered the weakest faction after the Humans. If Haynt didn't hold the fort, they would have been wiped out long ago.

When Haynt ended his cultivation session, Jake ended his as well. His Bloodline had not yet fully recovered, but he had regained 75% of his fighting power.

The Astral leader stood up gracefully, in no hurry. The corner of his lip curled into a delighted smile and he told his savior,

"It is time for me to return to Laudarkvik. Aisling is finally awake."

Jake had no intention of talking him into staying here, but he couldn't help but voice his doubts,

"Whoever put you and Aisling in this state is also in Laudarkvik." He reminded Haynt circumspectly. "Are you sure you want to go back?"

"I have to." The Astral declared deadpan. "And it's not as risky as you think. Why do you think they set up this whole farce to get rid of Aisling and me? Because in Laudarkvik, it's much more tricky. On the surface, we are all allies and vote together in the Council on important decisions for the future of the city. Each Faction has its allies, or if not powerful friends, otherwise none of them would have survived until now.

" On a personal note, Xaverie Zangruth, the leader of the Zangruth demon clan and also Aisling's mother, is a childhood friend. Her father, Grimbald Dracul, was also a long-time friend. He was sentenced to Eternal Rest for his past crimes that nearly caused the extinction of his clan, but he can be revived from inside his coffin at any time with a few pints of blood. I also get along very well with Kenway, the one people call the Lion King. He left his clan, but he's by far the most powerful Were-Being on this planet."

Jake got his point. Not everyone in Laudarkvik wanted him dead and that was why they had to ambush him far from the city in a war where his death could easily be justified. For the same reason, Aisling was not afraid to show up in front of those same enemies who had just tried to kill her.

If that was the way it was, then there was no reason for him not to return to the city either. As long as the Mutant Faction and Aisling were alive, he and his comrades would never be the priority targets.

A moment later, Jake and Haynt walked side by side to join the others, but Aisling intercepted them midway. Although she didn't show it, inwardly she was surprised by the Astral's good mood. She couldn't remember seeing him so cheerful in years.

"Grandpa Haynt!" She greeted as she caught sight of the fitful native.

"I'm glad you're okay." The Astral smiled as he ruffled her hair as one would do to children. Despite this infantilizing treatment, Aisling did not dare to shy away and let her hair be tousled without flinching.

When he got tired of messing with her, the young woman turned to Jake and bowed exactly as Haynt had earlier.

"Thanks for saving me. There aren't many people who would have taken such a risk." Raising her head, she thanked him while staring intently into his eyes, then said, "I know it's presumptuous of me to ask this after forcibly conscripting you for this mission, but what are your plans from here on out? After what happened last night my faction could use some extra hands... But I'd understand if you were planning to leave...

Sensing her embarrassment, Jake didn't insist. With two of the three Vice-Leaders out of the picture and only seven Mutants left of the original 26 elites, her Mutant Faction was more vulnerable than ever.

"I have no intention of leaving the Mutant Faction." Jake finally answered, which made Aisling heave a loud sigh of relief. "But I want a status that suits my talent and complete freedom. My goals are not confined to Laudarkvik. This city is only a stopover on my way."

"Oh yes, I forgot that you and your comrades are Guilties?" Haynt commented thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "So you're heading to the Celestial City?"

Jake nodded. "That is indeed my goal, but there's no rush."

"If you're going to take your friends with you, you'll need to be a lot stronger than that. Or an army." The Astral pointed out with a wink to Aisling, who caught on immediately.

"Good timing, Laudarkvik also intends to fight to earn its place on the Celestial City." The young woman chuckled as she puffed her chest out. "If you stay in my Mutant Faction, I can promise you that all Mutants in my service will fight loyally by your side until the final battle."

"The final battle?" Jake sneered. Talk about a crappy deal!

Aisling let out an awkward chuckle as she sensed his disdain. Obviously, he understood the situation as well as she did. Maybe even better considering his Guilty status.

"Laudarkvik will remain united on the surface as long as there are still enemies capable of threatening its integrity." Haynt explained coldly. "The Nine Factions are powerful, but there are hundreds of kingdoms and empires on Quanoth. Compared to them, Laudarkvik's forces are insignificant, and even the empire of Ret'Asi is only a dispensable pawn. Therefore, until the last moment we will remain loyal to the empire, while the empire will also maintain as many alliances as possible. In case of victory, the major alliances will break up, followed by the minor alliances, until the companions and friends of the same faction start killing each other.

"That's why Aisling can't promise you the support of her faction until the very end. Because the Mutants will also end up killing each other when they realize that there are only so many places on the Celestial City. Desperation can drive men to commit terrible crimes and in this case, their desperation will be more than justified. To survive, they will have no other choice."

"How many places are there on the Celestial City?" Jake inquired curiously.

Aisling also gave the old Astral a quizzical look. Faced with the overflowing curiosity of his two interlocutors, Haynt chuckled wrily, then with a weary sigh he spilled the beans,

"10,000 places. This is information I personally obtained from a pythia of Aurae. The other leading clans also know about it."

"10,000 places..." Aisling's face broke down as she heard that meager number.

It might sound like a lot, but there were hundreds of trillions of living beings on this planet and probably a billion B-Rank adventurers and above.

"I didn't want to keep it from you Aisling, but I was afraid you'd get discouraged when you found out." Haynt murmured sympathetically when he saw her so crestfallen.

There were far more than 10,000 Mutants in Laudarkvik. 10,000 was perhaps the number of decent fighters, the rest were ordinary citizens of Laudarkvik depending on the shade of Aisling and her faction to subsist.

And Aisling was very attached to her faction. She was willing to risk her life to save every one of them. To learn that she would be forced to knowingly sacrifice most of them could only break her heart. In an instant, her mind sank to the bottom of the abyss.

Seeing her fall into silence, frozen in despair, Haynt shook his head and sighed again.

"Let's go home. Maybe we'll find a solution." He said without conviction.

A few moments later, the survivors appeared at the gates of Laudarkvik, ready to commence their new life.