The Oracle Paths

The last part of the journey went smoothly. Jake enjoyed the quiet and peacefulness, while Aisling regained her usual composure. Rifalen kept his distance, and Haynt just kept smiling all the way, his true thoughts a mystery.

In the space of an hour or two, Jake had visited over half of the city's districts. Including the Vampire district he had visited a few hours earlier, he had only four left, all of which were, with the exception of a few sub-clans, part of the enemy coalition.

The Dark Race District was both as Jake had imagined and yet different at the same time.

Just as he imagined because the Night Elves, despite their reputation, had the same penchant for aesthetics and harmony as the other elf species. Usadra's manor where Aisling's sister was kept hostage looked like any other elven palace of the legends, except that the stones, gildings and paintings tended towards cold and dark colors.

And also different, because the Night Elves were not the only race in the Dark Races, although they were by far the most influential, but not the most numerous. The Black Goblins had the largest numbers, followed by the Albino Orcs, the Shadow Dwarves, and the Ash Gnomes. There were other minorities belonging to rarer species, but their presence was also strongly felt, such as the Subterranean Trolls and the Blood Ogres.

Depending on their prevalence, these species greatly influenced the local architecture and sanitation, and because of the rampant population of goblins and orcs, it was no exaggeration to call this district a giant dumping ground.

The goblins' and orcs' reputation preceded them and it was not uncommon to see them urinating, defecating and fornicating in the open in the middle of the street. Brawls and score-settling events were also frequent and no one seemed willing to put a stop to them. Of course, neither Jake nor anyone else in their group had any intention of intervening.

Haynt, Aisling and Rifalen, of all people, were completely desensitized to this debauchery as if they had long since become accustomed to it, but the young woman who was half Succubus and half Vampire had enough common sense not to release her charm or the consequences for them, but especially her, would be catastrophic.

It was Jake, mainly, who shook his head, seeing the endemic number of goblins and orcs and their lack of civility. Without Fodnyr and Usadra, the Dark Races were left leaderless, and he had high hopes of recruiting them before coming here. After seeing how these goblins and orcs behaved and lived, he changed his mind. At best, all he could do with these creatures was to use them as cannon fodder and nothing more. If he won, reorganizing and leading them would be a pain in the ass and he would also have to be prepared for betrayals, and other insurgencies once the real end of the world became imminent.

It wasn't worth the trouble.

This district did have its strengths, though. The cosmopolitan atmosphere had its charm, and every time they changed streets there was a refreshing change of scenery. From the depraved and insecure dump of the Black Goblins and Albino Orcs, one could suddenly transition to the spotless residences of the elves, the scorching forges of the dwarves or the steampunk workshops of the gnomes.

With a specific goal in mind, their group did not actively seek out sightseeing or shopping, but that didn't stop them from being attentive to their surroundings.

Jake, for instance, acquired a 6kg nugget of Mithril in the dwarf district, as well as another nugget of Xasnite, a magic material which, when ground into a powder and added to an alloy, improved its hardness and Mana conductivity.

By the way, Fodnyr, one of the two deceased leaders, was a Shadow Dwarf and his death had put his race in a tough position. This partly explained how these precious magical ores could be found on sale in a street stall.

For payment, it was Haynt who generously volunteered to pay and Jake was not one to turn down free stuff. Now that he knew he had a wealthy tycoon with him, Jake gave up his last qualms and began buying samples of any materials, plants or tools that caught his eye. The former Astral continued to smile imperturbably, as if these expenses were a drop in the boundless ocean that was his fortune.

The most shameless part of all this was that Jake was now far from poor. Thanks to Aisling and Jake's irresistible Charm and deterrent intimidation, their combination of softness and hardness had overcome the Duke Gole's opposition in an instant. With Usadra's unexpected death, Louis Nosferati's silence, and the push of the fake Remus backing their request, the head commander of the griffin knights had no choice but to capitulate.

It was by far the best call he could make. Duke Gole was just there to oversee the recapture of Lodunvals and avenge his son's death. After two near-death experiences in a short period of time, his values were becoming more flexible every day than he would have ever thought possible three months earlier. Jake and Aisling's strength had convinced him, and they had the same goal. Once Jake's plan was clarified, the warrior immediately promised his support.

Moments later, Jake and his group arrived at the palace of the defunct Usadra. The Night Elves had not yet learned of his death and the residence was serene and peaceful except for a few suspicious moans from the adjacent villas.

Two guards in black leather armor and assassin's gear tried to stop them to check their identity and reason for coming, but Jake sent them flying into the walls with a flick of his hand. Impatient and anxious, Aisling's figure became a blur, racing into the mansion at a speed almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.

Waiting outside the entrance, Jake heard a few startled cries and clashing blades, followed again by silence. A few minutes later, Aisling emerged with a beaming smile, holding the hand of a young teenage girl who looked just like her.

"Uncle Rifalen! Uncle Haynt!"

" I would like you to meet my sister, Chloe." Aisling shoved her little sister forward, firmly pressing her shoulders down to make her stand in front of Jake. "Say hello to your new leader."

The little girl was clearly unwilling, but listening to her older sister she made a cringeworthy bow as she trumpeted in a squeaky voice,

"My name is Chloe. I'm 11 years old and level 6."

"Cough... Nice to meet you Chloe." Jake felt embarrassed for her. Even the late Trash had a higher level. He didn't think it was possible to surpass his incompetence.

Only Chloe was also a Dhampir Succubus like her sister. She may have been level 6, but her stats could probably compete with a level 30 or 40 human. Her Soul, on the other hand, was extremely weak for a native. Even with her racial advantages, she would not survive a mental attack. Hell, even a trace of Jake's killing intent could obliterate her soul if he wasn't careful.

'You're not doing her any favors overprotecting her like this.' Jake lectured Aisling telepathically. 'She shouldn't be this weak at her age.'

The Dhampir's smiling lips curved downward at his criticism. She pouted, but didn't dare retort. Deep down, she knew he was telling the truth.

"Any treasures?" Jake inquired unblinkingly, tactfully changing the topic like it was nothing.

Aisling didn't have a Space Storage like he had, but wore a Storage Pouch made through the cooperation of a Magic Rune Inscriber and a Space Mage. Jake was interested in this technology. His own instincts were telling him that it should be within his capabilities since his promotion to Aetherist.

Upon hearing his question, the young woman remained silent, but she opened her Storage Pouch for him to take a look inside. In there, Jake saw millions of gold and silver coins, as well as a fair amount of enchanted armor and weapons made of rare metals. There was also a significant amount of unknown Mana rich materials in the corner that could match his expectations.

"Good!" Jake exulted as he burst into laughter, barely holding back from giving her a hug because of how ecstatic he was.

With the Mutants' wealth that the Duke Gole had returned to them, plus Usadra's entire fortune, Jake had what he needed to test his theory. Jen the Mimic, currently impersonating Remus, had also promised to hand over all the rare metals from the Draculs' vault to him a little later.

"What's the plan now?" Haynt asked imperturbably, hands in his pockets.

One should not forget that in addition to their small group, there was also the procession of Astrals loyal to Haynt following closely behind them, as well as the Mutants loyal to Aisling that they had met on their way along their various stops. Their force of several thousand was already attracting attention and the enemy coalition had certainly been informed of their movements.

"For the time being, I would like Haynt, Rifalen and the other refugees to remain in the Human district controlled by Duke Gole and Prince Edric. I'm sure they'll be delighted. You'll take the opportunity to rally the scattered Mutants as well as the Dark Races who are undoubtedly about to descend into anarchy before long."

"What about you? What do you plan to do?" Aisling asked when she saw that he hadn't mentioned her name, or that of her sister.

"You will wait with me until the rest of my faction arrives at my previous hideout. I'll have to go away for a while, but I've already told them to lock their Shadowguide on you so they can find you."

A day earlier, Jake's words would have been incoherent gibberish, but now Aisling could pretty much understand what he was getting at. Having nothing to complain about with this plan, she silently nodded. In truth, she was pretty curious to find out what kind of subordinate such a man was actually leading.

The group split into two groups, one small, one large, and moments later Jake, Aisling and her sister returned to the underground cavern where Jake had taken up residence.

The time had come to explore the limits of his digestive system.