The Oracle Paths

1201  A Flawless Plan?

Millions of miles to the south, two women sharpened their swords in silence. Their movements were calm and controlled, their flawless faces serene yet focused. But if someone could peer into their minds, they'd find nothing but anxiety and despair.

This was especially true for the beauty with silky, deep azure hair tumbling messily over her shoulders. Every now and then, the corner of her lip would twitch, or her ocean-blue eyes that matched her hair would dart anxiously. She was pale with fear.

Her companion—long black hair, irisless white eyes, and natural dark armor plating her body—was tougher to decipher. Every time she finished honing or cleaning a weapon, she'd seize the moment to shoot a hostile yet bewildered glance in a particular direction.

Both women were profoundly unsettled, completely off their game. Anyone who knew them would recognize them as Amy and Lee Yoon. Last night, along with the rest of Ceythie's army, they'd planned to head to the central front for the final battle. But this morning, they woke up here, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by strangers.

That was only their first impression.

Quickly, they recognized several faces, then many more, until they realized with horror they were surrounded by none other than the Players of the King's Idol Alliance—the very faction they themselves belonged to. They'd done everything to avoid going back, but here they were, smack in the middle of all those familiar faces...

The only thing keeping them from totally losing it was the surprising fact that they weren't the only ones looking utterly lost and shocked. Many Players, like them, had no clue what the hell they were doing here and seemed to have woken up here just like they did.

Despite it all, most were relatively calm. The Players recognized each other and could figure it was one of their leader's schemes. If they waited it out, they'd find out sooner or later what was going on.

And sure enough, a few minutes later, the real Cho Min Ho appeared before them, emerging from the Lustra Plains, flanked by a terror-inducing insect-man and a shifty-looking albino Nosk just as unsettling to behold.

Amy and Lee Yoon instantly recognized Natan, their leader's new best pal, but the Nosk was a recent addition. He'd been recruited three and a half years ago by chance during their last trip to B842. The alien had just wiped out his entire tribe infected by the Sinewshade Virus—wife and kids included—and since then, all he had left was his pride and the hunt.

Unlike the males of his species who craved glory, this one just wanted a peaceful life. You might mistake that for weakness, but in his culture, aspiring to a simple life took matching strength. In fact, he was a renowned warrior among his kind.

Before the King's Idol Alliance stumbled upon him aimlessly roaming B842, killing any Digestors he encountered, the albino Nosk hadn't taken part in any Ordeals—he didn't feel the urge or need. Even after joining their faction, he'd only done the bare minimum, steering clear of missions involving scheming and sophistication.

As a result, his Oracle Rank was mediocre for his power—only Rank 13 like Amy. Yet none of the Players here would dare underestimate him. His name, Harrkesh, meant "Silent Blade" in the Nosk tongue. Besides their leader, only Natan could match him.

"If he's out in the field, things just got serious," Lee Yoon murmured with a frown.

Amy nodded subtly, replying in a low voice without caring who overheard, "No one's seen him since the beginning of the Ordeal. A Nosk doesn't exactly blend in. What's he been up to?"

"We'll find out soon enough..."

Internally, the former bodyguard of Cho Min Ho was more concerned with how they could get word to Jake, and more importantly, how the hell did they end up here?! Possession, some kind of mass memory-wipe spell, puppet magic, brainwashing, hypnosis? Not knowing gnawed at her gut.

Fortunately, her nightmare was about to end. When the Korean was sure he'd captured everyone's undivided attention, he smiled.

"My friends, you're probably wondering why I've brought you all here without your knowledge," he began, cutting straight to the chase. "For reasons of confidentiality and caution, I had no other choice. I used one of my abilities to bring you here, but rest assured, there are no side effects, and you have nothing to worry about."

Anyone with half a brain wouldn't have bought that for a second, but strangely, all the Players who'd been skeptical and anxious moments before nodded as if it all made perfect sense. They even looked... relieved. Like a heavy weight had just been lifted off their shoulders.

Even more unsettling, Amy and Lee Yoon were no exception. After hearing their leader's brief explanation, their anxieties evaporated in the blink of an eye. After all, there was nothing to worry about.

"The reason for all this secrecy is to guarantee my plan goes off without a hitch," Cho Min Ho continued smoothly. "Natan and Harrkesh have set the stage and confirmed that the Radiant Conclave and two of the three guardian Titans have moved to the central front. Bones and Chillmire have also left Dusken. The Myrtharian Nerds and the Dusken Throne are hogging the enemy's attention for us, and we'd be idiots not to capitalize on it. The path is clear for us to march on Lustris and pick up a little something from Dusken.

"If Lustris falls and the true relics—the Chalice of Nethershade and the Goblet of Ethershine—end up in our hands, the credit for victory will go to our faction. If we nail these three objectives, Jake and his Myrtharian Nerds won't dare challenge the outcome. As strong as they are, they don't want to sabotage our Mirror Universe's chances of winning. However, even though we can't confront each other directly without risking our ratings, we can make use of one another. In this regard, I have complete faith in my plan.

"If you yourselves don't know how you got here or where you are, then neither do our enemies or allies. Nearly all the garrisons from the Lustra Plains and the Duskwight Lands have been moved to the central battlefield, which means that right now, no one has any clue where we are or what we're up to."

Even under the sway of some strange magic, all the Players wore skeptical expressions. Sure, no one knew where they were, but guessing what they were up to was easy. The relics and the two capitals were too significant for their enemies and allies not to have considered them. There would inevitably be resistance... and surprises.

Cho Min Ho could obviously sense what was bugging them and quickly admitted, "I won't lie to you. While the real Jake has been confirmed at the central front, most of the Myrtharian Nerds are MIA. Among their heavy hitters, we don't need to worry about Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar. Asfrid and Will are with him, along with his devilish cat and turkey. However, I must inform you we have no clue where Gerulf, Rogen, Hephais, Haynt, Aisling, and many others are. That's why only Harrkesh and a select strike team will head to Dusken. They'll exploit the chaos to snatch the relic and lend a hand if the capital looks like it's about to fall. The rest of us will go with me to Lustris to march on the capital and grab the other relic. Just like with Dusken, we'll operate in secret, letting the Myrtharian Nerds engage the enemy first. For those wondering why they'd be stupid enough to do that, don't overthink it. Everything has been planned. All we'll have to do is swoop in and reap the spoils once the dust settles.

08:28

Cho Min Ho could obviously sense what was bugging them and quickly admitted, "I won't lie to you. While the real Jake has been confirmed at the central front, most of the Myrtharian Nerds are MIA. Among their heavy hitters, we don't need to worry about Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar. Asfrid and Will are with him, along with his devilish cat and turkey. However, I must inform you we have no clue where Gerulf, Rogen, Hephais, Haynt, Aisling, and many others are. That's why only Harrkesh and a select strike team will head to Dusken. They'll exploit the chaos to snatch the relic and lend a hand if the capital looks like it's about to fall. The rest of us will go with me to Lustris to march on the capital and grab the other relic. Just like with Dusken, we'll operate in secret, letting the Myrtharian Nerds engage the enemy first. For those wondering why they'd be stupid enough to do that, don't overthink it. Everything has been planned. All we'll have to do is swoop in and reap the spoils once the dust settles.

"Any questions?"

The only response was unanimous silence.

"In that case, on my signal—move out!"

Amy and Lee Yoon had no choice but to comply, wearing dejected and resigned expressions. They were part of the main group headed to Lustris. They still had no clue how to warn Jake, and deep down they were starting to seriously freak out.

Just then, a moment of eye contact with Cho Min Ho confirmed everything they dreaded. He knew! And he was keeping a close eye on them.

But more than just being an open book to him, it was the scornful sneer on his face that truly plunged them into despair. It was like, to him, everything they thought or schemed was laughable.

Alas for the Korean, he wasn't the only one pulling sneaky moves. Stuck like a leech in the hollow of Amy's right ear, a tiny device no bigger than a speck of dust and disguised as earwax blinked at regular intervals, transmitting everything it recorded—including their coordinates.

Neither Amy, Lee Yoon, nor Cho Min Ho had any clue about the tracker. At that very moment, far to the north, Asfrid was relaying the intel to Jake.

"We've got their coordinates."

Jake, poised to launch the first strike, let a subtle smirk curl his lip, then declared confidently,

"I can't wait to find out what he thinks of our gift."