The Oracle Paths

At that moment, Jake and the other Myrtharian Nerds there, received a notification from the Oracle System.

[Side Mission n°6: Assist Mirror Vanguard in their war against the Serinese Theocracy.

Sub-mission 1: Rescue the kidnapped Mirror Vanguard Players

Sub-mission 2: Rescue Ruby Hale.

Sub-mission 3: Eliminate the Schwazen threat.]

This was the first time that an Ordeal Mission was clearly broken down into multiple sub-objectives. It was as if the Oracle System itself wasn't sure how far they could go.

"Did you get the Ordeal Mission too?" Jake checked as he glanced at his comrades.

They all confirmed with a grim expression. Regardless of their ambitions for revenge against Lost Divinities, the Oracle System had now recognized their perseverance and decided to reward them for their efforts by offering them a second chance.

"Very well. So let's give it our all with no regrets, but keep in mind that our main goal is still to survive this Ordeal to the end." Jake reminded them seriously. "Don't sacrifice yourself in vain. Your life is more important."

Crunch meowed grumpily in response,

"I haven't died in any of my Ordeals so far!

"Neither have I." Lord Phenix crowed boastfully.

The three Beskyrians responded with far less enthusiasm, but they were still confident. The one who was ironically the least confident was Tim. His death at the end of the previous Ordeal had made him painfully aware that he was by no means invincible.

"I'll do my best." He finally promised in a small voice.

"That's good enough." Jake smiled as he turned to Vexa and Prysm. "Whenever you want we can start the operation."

The cube man nodded as he pointed to the ground,

"Stealth mode approach from now on." He instructed telepathically.

Jake swooped down toward the pine forest below him and sank beneath the canopy of trees. Vexa and Prysm silently tailed him. Once on the ground, the Myrtharian wove several Stealth Spells around his companions to render invisible and muffle the noise, presence, and scent emitted by his companions.

The two Mirror Vanguard Players watched with interest and then the flower woman commented approvingly,

"Good enough. Cast those spells on us too."

Jake did not argue and cast his Stealth spells on Vexa and Prysm as well. The cube man then generated several mini black cubes in his hand the size of dice and asked each of them to pick one and sprinkle their blood on it.

They followed his instructions and soon the black cube disappeared in their hands and if they had not felt the link connecting them to it they might have doubted its existence. At that moment, the object dissolved, coating their bodies like a second skin.

"Now only those with one of these cubes can see each other. For the rest of the world, friends and enemies alike, we no longer exist."

Prysm in turn produced a colorless powder from the stigma of one of the blood red flowers blanketing her body like a natural dress. She brought her palm to her lips and blew gently. The invisible pollen spread over them and she said,

"From now on, every living thing will be inclined to look away, to focus their attention elsewhere in your presence.

Tim and the others put on mildly convinced expressions, but they still chose to take her word for it. Before they sneaked into Schwazen City, Vexa warned them sternly,

"If this is your first visit to a Schwazen city, what you're about to see will drive you nuts. Don't attack until I tell you to. We're just here to rescue my men, not save everyone else. No Oracle Scans either, it won't work and there's a chance it could get us spotted."

Jake and his companions frowned but nodded calmly.

"Okay, Tim and Skorgeld, we' re behind you." Prysm crooned.

Jake and the other Myrtharian Nerds transferred their Luck Aether to them and they started moving ahead in the direction the surviving prisoners were supposed to be. A few minutes later, they entered the city.

This city was distinctly different from those of the Ret'Asi Empire. The architecture was streamlined, sleek, more round than square. All the walls and buildings were made of the same silvery-gray material, with a texture reminiscent of a mucous membrane. There was no surrounding wall, as if these angelic creatures were not afraid of any attack.

As they entered the city, they soon realized that there were no guards actively controlling the entrances and exits. The Schwazens were virtually identical and dressed alike, flying overhead, flapping their wings frantically, making an annoying droning sound. Very few roamed the alleys like them on foot.

Within seconds of entering the city, they came upon their first Schwazen, a six-meter tall angelic creature with two pairs of silver wings and batrachian gray skin. Its body was covered with a tunic and armor plates made of the same material as their dwellings. He carried no weapon, but held a skewer of roasted meat in his hand, gobbling piece after piece with a gluttonous appetite.

"A civilian or a worker." Vexa briefed them in a low voice. "They have only one or two pairs of wings and are usually only used for the most basic manual tasks. Since this city is already built, they are essentially unemployed and enjoying life until they receive new orders. Make no mistake about it. This Schwazen may be at the bottom of his race's social ladder, but 99% of the Players deployed on Quanoth are not his opponent."

"What's he eating? It smells good." Tim muttered, sniffing the air as he salivated.

Crunch and Lord Phenix made a funny expression. This wasn't the first time they'd smelled that kind of odor. They had smelled it hundreds of times during this Ordeal.

"You'll find out soon enough..." Vexa growled glumly.

Jake and the others pressed their lips together but refrained from commenting. Stealthily, they walked the broad, identical streets of the city, watching like bystanders as the Schwazen citizens went about their daily lives.

On the surface, their way of life was no different from that of humans. They would meet to converse, trade in their own language, shop, eat in restaurants as in any civilized society. However, there was something unnerving about them and Jake soon found out what was bothering him.

These gray angels never laughed. They didn't smile either. Everything they did was done with apathy and indifference. Whether a Schwazen was a lowly worker or a respected and influential aristocrat, they showed no emotion, each accepting their role unabashedly. Only when they ate did they reveal a hint of ferocity in their white eyes, reminiscent of those of a blind man.

Soon they were halfway across the city and reached a grand building the size of a hypermarket with no windows. Some Schwazens were lined up at the entrance and they managed to squeeze in between two angels.

As soon as they found themselves in the building, their faces fell. A mouthful of vomit rose to Tim's lips, while Fo and Trea covered their mouths with an aghast expression. Skorgeld was pale too, although he had mentally braced himself for it.

It was a mall very similar to those on Earth, except for the monochrome design. There were shelves full of foodstuffs and the Schwazens were shopping there with their shopping carts, Storage Pouches, or whatever Space Artifact they happened to have.

Except that there was only meat stored in these shelves. It was neatly wrapped and packaged, making it impossible to tell at the time what species it was.

However... There was also a fresh section. In the same way that crabs were kept in a fish tank in a fish shop to ensure their freshness, humans of all races and origins were crammed naked into indestructible armored glass cages. Most were missing a limb or two and their eyes were filled with terror and despair.

In this butchery department, they could see limbs and even whole human bodies being roasted on a spit or hanging upside down behind the display after curing or smoking.

Right then and there they saw an old, inexpressive Schazen ask for a pound of ground meat, and the "butcher" cut off the leg of one of the caged humans and threw it into the grinder. Tim couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited everything in his stomach.

Jake clenched his fists, a killing intent that he didn't think he was able to feel toward any species other than the Digestors slowly seeping into his consciousness. Remembering Vexa's warning he bit his lip and forced himself to quell it, but at that moment he realized that the cube man and Prysm were no longer at their side.

CRACK!

Suddenly, an explosion resounded in front of them and they saw the armored glass cage shatter. Amidst the crowd of Schwazen customers, they recognized Vexa and Prysm seething with rage. Truly the personification of "do as I say but not as I do."

"I-I will exterminate you all!" The cube man roared, a colossal golem formed from a constellation of multicolored cubes engulfing the hypermarket while crushing hundreds of angels.

The one whose leg had just been cut off and the other men and women roasted and butchered in those stalls, they were all his friends!