The Oracle Paths

Jake was done playing games. As soon as Ceythie had recognized him, her loyalty became irrelevant. He swiftly decided to remove this erratic factor. Faye's transformation had already shown him the wonders his charm could work. Buoyed by this initial success, he didn't doubt to use it again.

Without a second thought, he unleashed his buried charm, focusing it entirely on Ceythie and, to a lesser extent, her close guards. Her Soul,  much stronger than Faye's, didn't experience a drastic change, but soon a faint flush tinged her cheeks, and her breath became noticeably uneven.

The conscripts, still reeling from the revelation that they faced a Great General – and a stunning woman at that – noticed nothing amiss. But there were exceptions. Among these recruits were also former officers and commanders, now without a regiment after their units were slaughtered during the Havocspire reconquest or other battles.

Consistent in his actions, Jake once again projected his Charm, and this time, his Charisma as well, to pacify them. Charisma worked differently from Charm. While Charm made everything about him more attractive, likable, and irresistible to the opposite sex, and to a lesser extent those of the same sexual orientation and even other species, Charisma was a double-edged sword.

Charisma granted him a attractive presence, captivating, enhancing his credibility in the eyes of those who listened. At higher levels, it could lead to admiration, adulation, and eventually fanaticism.

The main difference from Charm was that while the latter only benefited its user, Charisma was more of a natural charisma amplifier. In other words, a detestable person would likely become even more so with a high Charisma stat.

Jake didn't have this problem. He was handsome, strong, had long mastered every aspect of his body language, and more importantly... didn't rely solely on that. It was when Charisma combined with Charm and Spirit Power that it truly unleashed its full potential, eventually altering beliefs and reality itself.

Will was their faction's expert in this domain with his Dragon Soulspeak Skill, but Jake could issue similar commands through sheer power. If his location was about to be discovered, he might as well go all out.

'From today onwards, you're all secretly my loyal soldiers. If any of you even thinks of betraying me, your memories of the past few months will be erased,' Jake commanded telepathically, releasing an invisible spiritual blast that spread across all the grounds of the Ironsoul Berserker Army.

The rest of his squad, though spared from his declaration, immediately sensed the difference. On the surface, nothing had changed in these fresh troops, but Hephais and Meribelle, more sensitive to spiritual fluctuations, knew that the two future legions of recruits were now under his control. He didn't control them directly, but it was as good as.

"Was that really necessary?" Hephais whispered with a highly perturbed frown. "It might alert both our enemies and allies. It's hard for them to trust you after such an overbearing demonstration."

"That's precisely what I want," Jake shrugged matter-of-factly. "If maintaining my anonymity is too complicated, then I'd rather make their job as hard as possible. Cho Min Ho will soon know I'm in this army if he isn't already aware, but he'll think twice before sending spies to watch me. Similarly, if I can allure a Great General under his command, he'll avoid letting his trusted men approach me for any reason, lest the status of who's spying on whom gets reversed."

"And the loyalists of the true Soulmancer King?" The assassin inquired with a mixed tone. "Didn't you confirm that Meribelle had promised their support? Wouldn't they now suspect that you've forcefully charmed her just like this illustrious Great General?"

"Maybe, but I'm willing to take that risk," Jake declared adamantly. "Because in my pessimistic view of things, there are always traitors and the indecisive. I prefer to force their hand from the start."

Hephais pondered the double meaning of his words, then nodded, "As long as you know what you're doing. I suppose this also won't make it easy for our enemies hoping to ambush you. Just showing that you can allure an army so easily should make them hesitant to assassinate you forcefully for a while."

"That's the goal," Jake grinned.

"But be careful, boss," the pale Egaean warned him seriously, looking him straight in the eyes with an intensity rare for him. "Killing people is my specialty. The more I know about my target, the less I fear them. Don't show them everything. Otherwise, the day they actually come to claim your life, their ambush will be fatal for you."

Jake's eyes narrowed solemnly, but otherwise, he remained unflappable. After a few seconds of heavy silence, he said, "Don't worry. Even if I showed them everything today, even I have no idea what I'll be capable of tomorrow."

Hephais blinked in bewildered realization upon hearing this strange response, but after brief reflection, he realized it made sense somehow.

"And don't worry too much," Jake added calmly. "I'm not acting on a whim. I've thought carefully about my actions before deciding to proceed this way. This signal will also be a beacon for other Myrtharian Nerds who will quickly know where we are. Now that my bloodline has advanced a level, I've already figured out how to reestablish communication between us. By tomorrow night, we should be able to talk telepathically again from anywhere in Twyluxia, just like in the Faction Chat, if all goes as planned."

He wasn't joking. The previous night after their return, he hadn't had time to test his new abilities, but he had read his new status thoroughly. He could easily estimate what his new abilities made him capable of.

Following Jake's mass charm, the welcome ceremony led by Ceythie continued, the young woman carrying on her speech as if nothing had happened, though her face remained slightly flushed.

"... These two new legions will consist of three divisions, each with three regiments. Each legion will have 75,000 soldiers, that's 25,000 men per division. Two of the three regiments will have 10,000 soldiers each, the third only 5,000. Depending on how the war progresses, these legions may be reorganized later. You, the conscripts of Ground 3, will be part of the second legion, third division, directly under my command. Now, I will ask you to..."

Ceythie was tough as nails. Clearly influenced by his Charm, she was still able to maintain clear and articulate speech, losing none of her vigor and bearings.

With her short, tousled black hair, thick enchanted steel armor, pale gray skin, and piercing violet eyes typical of Underworld Barbarians, she was indeed very different from the dainty Faye. Hideous scars marred her exposed forearms, another large, poorly healed scar ran along her neck – physical reminders of how many times she had cheated death.

Adding to that her remarkable spiritual power, Jake doubted his allure alone could buy her devotion for long.

"Meribelle, who does she work for?" Jake telepathically asked the Soulmancer hovering miles above them, while Ceythie finally asked them to freely form squads of ten people, appointing a leader.

The Soulmancer was still shaken by his show of force, but after that night, nothing really surprised her anymore about him. After a brief moment to refocus, the beautiful brunette cleared her throat, before remembering she didn't need to with telepathy,

"There are 5 major military forces serving the Dusken Throne," she recited, forgetting he already knew all this. "First, the Protectors, led by the late Great General Winchu, killed and replaced by Lord Calyx. They are charged with defending the Ironsoul Rampart and the many citadels like Havocspire that form our main defensive line. Each citadel like Havocspire is overseen by an eminent general who has proven themselves, but only Havocspire was commanded by a Great General in anticipation of the Soulmancer King's secret arrival. The loss of Winchu has hurt the Duskwight Lands more than one might imagine."

"Cut to the chase," Jake interrupted her exposition.

"..." Meribelle paused obediently without realizing it, then continued, ignoring him, "You already know Radahn, the Great General at the head of the Volzhul Legion. He's in charge of defending the sky but is also our fiercest spearhead. He's never shown his ambitions, but I believe... he's loyal to the Duskwight Lands, not the Dusken Throne or the Soulmancer King, though. I don't think we have to worry about him as long as you don't directly threaten what he's fighting for.

"Great General Sheanu controls the Wargod Raiders, and he's the one to watch out for. He's a bandit at heart, and like any greedy criminal, he's loyal to whoever lets him indulge his base instincts. Cho Min Ho will have no trouble buying him, his policies being far more permissive than the true Soulmancer King's.

"Then there's the order of Soulmancers led by Grandmaster Lorentz, who play more of an auxiliary role and aren't considered a military force per se, and the last two forces. The first has no affiliation, each legion having its own banner and serving the major general of the citadel where they've been assigned, and then there are the Ironsoul Berserkers. They actually contribute the bulk of the war effort, taking the most risks and going to the most dangerous fronts. Usually, you need to have proven yourself before being invited to join them. Recruiting recruits who have never held a sword to form two new legions is already unusual, but Ceythie's personal presence makes her actions even more suspicious."

"And so, what does she really want?" Jake interrupted her again. "I suspect she's not just a brute, and wouldn't take all these risks on the battlefield just to switch loyalty to the first foreigner who comes along."

Meribelle turned her tongue seven times in her mouth to think carefully about her answer, then hesitantly said, "I think she really wants to recruit you."