The Oracle Paths

Since Laudarkvik is structured like a wedding cake, the remainder of the journey became one long uphill climb. To get from one plateau to the other, pedestrians could either walk up steep staircases with over five hundred steps or take the spacious elevators provided for vehicles and lazy people.

The lifts were not free of charge, as if to make it clear to ordinary commoners that the luxury of the Inner City was not meant for them. Furthermore, whether it was an elevator or a staircase, a new city wall, portcullis and guard squads screened every entrance and exit. Adding the sheer height of each plateau, this city was a natural fortress.

At least on the surface.

Here and there, Jake noticed with his keen vision suspicious marks in the cliff side suggesting that the base of Laudarkvik was initially a single mountain about 2500m high that had been progressively carved by man's hand to form this rocky wedding cake.

After the first checkpoint and a long white staircase, Jake and his group reached the second plateau which formally marked their entry into the Inner City. Here, no more depressed and anemic paupers, but no upper class people either. According to Bhammod, the visitors, intermittent merchants, and Day Races with a nest egg resided mostly on this level.

The buildings and houses were still packed together, but they were made of clean stone and brick, had one or two glass windows, and were properly insulated. The humans, elves, dwarves, and other less common species walking these streets were decently dressed and didn't seem overly burdened.

Jake and Ruby did notice, however, that most of these denizens had physical scars, some of them recent. Bite marks that had barely healed were not uncommon, and many people were missing parts of their fingers or limbs. These people were often much older than the others, but also held better jobs as if that was the price to pay for being able to thrive here in peace.

'Well, at least the miasma's getting thinner.' Jake remarked as he calmly scrutinized the place with his Myrtharian Sight.

Less miasma, meant less negativity and a much lower probability of evil spirits or demons emerging. There were a few ghosts, but they were content to play good-natured pranks or scare passersby. Apart from lifting skirts and flashing lanterns they were harmless. The locals called them Poltergeists.

The second checkpoint proved to be more meticulous and Jake met his first Quanoth Vampire. In fact, he felt it more than he saw it. The nocturnal being was hanging upside down under the archway where the checkpoint was held. Wrapped in his black cloak and sound asleep, the vampire did not grant them a single glance until he was forcibly awakened by one of his colleagues when they too found themselves dumbfounded by the information regarding Jake and Ruby.

Even then, the individual merely nodded without opening his eyes, but as he swished a sleeve under his cloak a flock of small bats flew out of it, speeding towards one of the castles standing near the top of Laudarkvik.

From the third plateau, Jake and his companions formally entered the opulent and aristocratic city center. They were already over 800 meters above ground and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the lower plateaus.

The streets were less crowded and everyone here was luxuriously dressed while the women were adorned with plenty of jewelry. Their hairstyles and makeup were sophisticated and eye-catching, and various fragrances frequently tickled their nostrils.

On this level, the smaller residences were spacious two-story villas with well-tended gardens, while the grander ones were on par with the finest mansions. It was in this plateau that the various Guilds were located and Jake was shocked to learn that the Adventurers' Guild building was virtually identical to the one in Lodunvals.

Surprisingly, even in this affluent neighborhood, Jake and Ruby found many citizen victims sporting fresh scars. Amputated limbs were a rarity and there were no more miasmas, but there was a proportion of bitten people comparable to the Outer City.

'Seems like Vampires have a more picky palate than the other races.' Jake scoffed inwardly as he noted that the vast majority of their victims were handsome young men and women.

These haughty, smug, wealthy men and women didn't even try to hide the evidence of their bites, choosing instead to display their throat or wrist scars proudly as if they were some fancy tattoo.

Jake shook his head when he saw this. These youths had probably been completely brainwashed by their abuser to behave like this. Anyway, it didn't concern him.

The third checkpoint barring access to the fourth plateau was even stricter, but when they explained why they had come, the huge Alghoul supervising the checkpoint let them through. Unless they had special permission or permit, joining or changing factions was the only legal way to proceed to the next plateau.

This Alghoul was a fairly rare Ghoul evolution characterized by high intelligence, exceptional fighting abilities and regeneration. Their fangs, spikes and claws were venomous and a scratch was often enough to cause death. In return, these monsters were cannibals and their hunger was notoriously difficult to keep under control, but they could survive on an ordinary meat diet, unlike the Wendigos.

In terms of appearance, the Alghoul checking their papers was an elderly man with bleached hair, but the fabric of his black tailcoat would occasionally tauten up as if something was trying to get out. Each time this happened, his red eyes would flare up and he would drool over their muscles with a slightly excessive obsession...

When his gaze lingered a little too long over Ruby's white arms, she snorted loudly and released a hint of killing intent. The Alghoul then slowly withdrew his gaze, but never stopped smiling. Each of his teeth was like a long, sharp, cartilaginous fishbone and his mouth had several hundred of them per row.

Once the checkpoint was passed and the creepy Alghoul far behind them, Trash finally caught his breath.

"Damn it, that was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. I really thought it was going to try to eat us." The kid exclaimed as he clutched his hand over his pounding heart.

" Erk! If you were on your own, you'd already be roasting on a spit shoved deep up your ass." Bhammod laughed loudly as he gave him a loud slap on the back that nearly made him bite his tongue.

"Yep, I think so." The elf chimed in with a mischievous grin. "He would have told you that something was wrong with your papers and kindly invited you inside the tower to investigate further... In the best case scenario, you would have come out with a finger or two missing."

"That's why no merchant visits Laudarkvik without an escort." Jeanie beamed, her head popping out momentarily from Jake's pocket.

The dwarf darkened as he heeded the little fairy's statement. It brought back memories he would have much rather forgotten.

"That's absolutely true." He admitted glumly a few seconds later. "Many times, one of the youngest and fittest mercenaries will be sacrificed by the merchant, claiming that he must stay behind to handle the procedure. Some of my clients would deliberately choose a young, naive, good-looking adventurer to facilitate these inspections. That's their take on bribery."

Jake could imagine how that played out. When issuing the assignment, the client would offer a paycheck attractive enough to motivate Rank B and A adventurers, but would not place any conditions on recruitment. Those who knew the risks would immediately suspect that something was up, but a newcomer unfamiliar with the secrets of the milieu would see it as nothing more than a handsome reward and an escort mission like any other, or perhaps even easier.

After all, it was uncommon enough to be attacked by bandits or anybody else when the escorting army was of high caliber. With the presence of B and A rank veterans, the beginner might even think that if attacked, he could simply lay low and let the other more experienced mercenaries take the brunt of the risk for him.

How could they imagine for a second that they had been hired especially for their worthlessness and lack of experience? By the time they realized they had been played and what fate awaited them, it was too late.

Once they were back, the client only had to count them as accidental casualties and as long as it didn't exceed a certain quota and didn't happen too often, no one would investigate the disappearance of some unknown adventurer. On Quanoth, thousands were already dying every day before the Celestial City descended, so one more or less didn't really make any difference.

The staircase leading to the fourth plateau was much steeper than the previous ones. The number of steps was the same, but each was almost a meter high. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Trash finished the rest of the climb by hovering a few inches above the ground with Ruby's assistance.

Jake and the others thought in disbelief that this was her way of redeeming herself, but when the orphan's knees scraped the top of the steps a little too closely, they realized that every one of her kindnesses was a poisoned gift.

By the time they reached the fourth plateau at nearly 5,000 feet, Trash's knees were bleeding and his kneecaps were showing. If Jake hadn't taken over with his telekinesis, the teen would most likely have no legs left.

Jake finally understood what Fallen Angel meant. Being a good person, wanting to do good, but causing evil and harm to those around you instead.

Now, whether Ruby truly wanted to do good in the first place, and not just break his knees, was still to be determined...