The Oracle Paths

No answer.

'He must be busy.' Jake frowned reprovingly.

Will could delay the inevitable all he wanted, but he would have to be held accountable for taking liberties behind his back. Jake had warned him in the past, and he'd been extremely clear on the subject.

Will and most of his comrades needed him, or at least an Evolver strong enough to take on the role of Faction Leader, but he didn't need them. He was a loner and an individualist. Aside from his family and those he really cared about, he could emotionally detach himself from almost anything.

Jake was happy to lend his name and authority, but the least they could do was to reciprocate by respecting his opinions and keeping him in the loop when making such crucial decisions.

Now, that' s not to say that he was always cold and disliked everyone. In fact, his introverted nature hid a certain degree of hypersensitivity. He guarded his heart by keeping people at bay and barricading himself under a wall of indifference.

His first meeting with Ruby had left a lasting impression on him because she had immediately figured him out. Her infectious cheerfulness and her proactive way of breaking his shell and forcing him to open up had been perceived as destabilizing, not to say invasive, but he couldn't say that he kept a bad memory of that encounter.

These days, after all the dangers and Ordeals he had overcome, eliciting the same emotional response in him would be much harder. But deep down, if he was honest about it, he valued each of his new friends.

He never felt alone.

Lucia reminded him of his past self and seeing her go from being a cocoon to a butterfly was almost cathartic for him. Gerulf, by his good-nature, his straightforwardness and bluntness, had taught him to roll with the punches and created the basis of the warrior he was today. These two people held a special place in his heart.

The two sisters, although they always seemed to behave differently in his presence, even avoiding him, preferring to hang out with the rest of the clique, had always been very friendly and loyal to him. Their teamplay was excellent and their abilities meshed.

Kyle... Boy, Kyle was definitely a loser. If Jake had met him on Earth before the apocalypse, he would have been jealous of him for plenty of reasons, and their first meeting on the wrong foot had for a long time made him despise this Playboy. Although he tolerated his existence, he didn't care much about what might happen to him. That had only changed after the Third Ordeal when the latter had entrusted himself to him. For this reason, he had readily agreed to save Maeve, and despite his apparent restraint after learning what had happened to him, he longed to find Hecate to rescue him or seek revenge if it came to that.

And lastly, he appreciated Will's shrewdness and drive, as well as his innate propensity to connect with people and build relationships. While Jake was capable of this if the situation called for it, it would still be a chore for him. Beyond that, Will, if not a saint, was a deeply caring person. Despite his ambitions, a natural schemer, and a certain selfishness stemming from his insecurities, Jake did not discount all the hard work he had put into becoming indispensable to his friends and subsequently the Myrtharian Nerds. As such, he was highly reliant on the merchant and held him in high regard.

Will, along with Kyle, also had the characteristic of being in a similar age bracket to him. Their musical, video and literary backgrounds were very similar, making it easier for them to get along and communicate. The upshot of all this was that regardless of the leader facade he had to maintain, Jake really did see Will as a friend and this kind of concerted decision without warning was experienced by him as a form of treason.

This painful feeling of being betrayed was not only a feeling Jake harbored toward the merchant, but toward all those who had been in the know and had not informed him. His cousin Kevin definitely knew, the two sisters too, and how many others?

In a very bad mood, Jake tried to put on a dispassionate and concerned smile as he listened to Wyatt and Carmin's story, but deep inside he was ranting. Carmin and Seren weren't an issue, but Wyatt had almost killed him! Sure, he was influenced by the Corruption at the time, but that was no reason to make friends.

A few minutes later, his patience reached its breaking point and he cleared his throat to end the chatter.

"I've got a pretty good handle on what's going on and why you're on Quanoth." Jake cut in in a fed up tone, "What I'd rather know is why you're all here in the Mutant District? Wyatt being a Vampire, wouldn't it have made more sense to join their faction?"

Carmin and Wyatt showed a wry smile upon receiving this jab.

"That obviously wasn't our intention. Our original plan went awry..." The blonde Vampire sighed tiredly.

"To put it simply, Wyatt and Seren did join the Vampires, but Lily and I were rejected." Carmin revealed with a frustrated and humiliated countenance. "They said they didn't want filthy vermin like us in their ranks."

"Because of your Blood Human condition?" Jake realized his assumption was correct.

"Precisely." The young woman sighed as she tilted her head slightly to the side to dodge a third plate.

The plate in question continued its trajectory, smashing into Trash's completely unprepared forehead.

"Tssk! Why is this crazy woman only throwing plates?" Jake twitched as he helped the kid to his feet. He was starting to get sick and tired of this nuisance.

"If only I knew..." Carmin chuckled happily, enjoying seeing him so annoyed. If he could snap back and teach this Mutant a lesson it would be perfect.

On the other hand, if there was one person who was unhappy, it was another young woman with long silver hair.

Ruby grumbled silently as she realized that she was becoming more and more isolated.

With what she had done to her comrades during the last Ordeal, the likelihood of any of them ever cooperating with her was extremely low. She didn't really regret it from an emotional standpoint, but from a strictly rational standpoint she had acted foolishly.

Then she rolled her eyes.

'It's not like I could have done anything different. Whether it's me or the Digestor speaking is all the same. I've never felt possessed or influenced.'

That was the Trojan Digestors' biggest burden. The host was not just sharing space with a Digestor, in which case it would still be conceivable to resist. No, their consciousnesses were now one single, indivisible mind. That Ruby was aware of this did not help her in any way. It was like asking a lion to give up meat.

PLAF!

This time the fourth plate didn't crash near them. As soon as the female Mutant had picked up another plate and pulled her arm back to make a better pitch, Jake had blown up the plate in her hand with a finger snap.

The plate's sharp fragments flew in all directions, scraping the Mutant's fingers, who let out a startled whimper of pain.

"Are you satisfied now?" Jake growled in a low, threatening voice as he walked toward her.

The hysterical Mutant suddenly felt like she was being spied on by an apex predator and she felt like a bucket of ice had been poured on her.

"I-I am." She stammered still reeling from the shock.

When Jake came in front of her, she quickly stepped aside to let him pass. Once at her level, he turned his head to face her and asked,

"What's your name?"

"My name is V-"

"Nobody cares. Just don't get in my way again." Jake sneered coldly as he released a hint of killing intent. He'd read enough stories to know how to play the bully when the situation called for it.

The mutant woman was so terrified that she lost a gallon of sweat in an instant. Livid, she nodded her head and ran out of the building noiselessly.

Once the Mutant was gone, the whispering of the audience resumed, accompanied by some chuckling.

"This is the first time Vely has been put in her place like this." A Mutant with pointed ears, but sporting a pair of membranous wings on his back, whistled admiringly as he swirled his glass of red wine.

"I think the last time that happened was when she went after Aisling." Another Mutant chuckled oppressively.

"Yeah, that was memorable. I still remember her pleas. It sounded like the screams of a sow at the slaughterhouse." A woman with charcoal-colored skin, and wearing a dress even more suggestive than Carmin, recalled with rapture.

Indifferent to the mixed reactions of the Mutants in the hall, Jake again shook his hand to gather the pieces of all the broken plates in the same place, which earned him a grateful smile from the cleaning lady.

With the matter resolved, he went straight to the counter with Carmin and the others, and a manager immediately took over. The impertinent woman he had just expelled was supposed to be in charge of admissions, but her attitude had been insufferable.

When it came to pretty half-elves, demons or weak vampires, the people in charge usually tolerated her misconduct, but it was different when it came to future talent. Whether it was Carmin or Jake, neither of them looked ordinary.

Ten minutes later, they left the office with their new membership cards in hand. They were now officially members of the Mutants.