The Ruby Oracle Reveals Himself

Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat.

“Hey, everyone, could I have your attention?” I asked, looking to the two visible peers.

Unfortunately, Rionriv continued to fiddle with the window, and Sharzin remained hidden. But then there was Aesandoral, who observed me like a cat watching a toy.

With a bit of coaxing from both Aesandoral and me, we were able to wrangle the attention of the other two members of the triop. And, once I finally had them, I began with a question that I hoped I knew the answer to.

“How did the meeting with Professor Skir—erm, the teacher you were working with—go?”

“Professor Skirrtlegirt—”

“Bwaha—eherm. I’m so sorry.” I caught myself. “Please continue.”

“The professor,” Rionriv continued. “While skeptical to let us in his office at first, he was very impressed by our find. When we told him what we had done and provided him with the materials, he even cried.”

“It was blood.” Sharzin spoke up.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re nearly killed by a frangulnoa.” Aesandoral informed me, “If you’re restored to health before you fully transform into one, you cry blood going forward.”

“What happens if you’re restored after you fully transform?”

“Oh, you don’t; you explode into a pink mist and are freed of its eternal torment.”

What the fuuu—wait, then why not say...never mind.

“Ohhh-kayyy. So, what does that mean for your group?”

Rionriv smiled as she gave me a thumbs-up.

“We’re all good! He wasn’t the most excited to pass us, but he said he respected our follow-through. Whatever that means.”

“Great! That’s awesome. Now, if I could ask you all again, how about you work with me? I don’t have a triop. You do. And I’m looking to make you money while ensuring the best possible future for this world.”

The three of them looked to each other, and then the other two locked their gaze on Rionriv, who quickly jumped off the bed and stood before me.

I was still growing, I think, so currently we were roughly the same height. Her intimidating posture was made more intense as she brought her face right up to mine. Placing a finger to my forehead, Rionriv gave it a push.

“We need to hear what your deal is first,” She ordered. “Sell us on you and your abilities, and we’ll consider it.”

Luckily, I had been practicing this bit while I waited for them to return to the shoppe.

“That’s fair. You deserve to know what we’ll truly be doing,” I said as I walked over to the portable CD radio and changed to a more dramatic song.

“I am Ishara, yes. But I bear a title given to me by Phyllis, my patron. I am the Ruby Oracle. I am in this world to fix an ancient wrong using my knowledge of everything that is and could be for years to come. And, while I will never be the main character of this world’s story, I have my own quest before me, and I need your help. We will travel this great world of Esseria, maybe even beyond our realm of existence, and face innumerable foes. With courage and cunning, we’ll gain allies and, in a few years, when the final war starts, I hope to be in a position to help those displaced.”

I hadn’t planned to say that last bit, but it sounded good. So, I’m going to roll with it.

“A war?” Aesandoral asked.

“Yes, one that puts the Two-Generation War to shame. I’m sure they’ve talked about that in a few of your classes. This war will touch every corner of the world, and what comes after the dust settles—well, that’s my job to worry about.”

“Okay.” Rionriv nodded before crossing her arms. “And what do you want?”

“Peace, obviously. A unifying and everlasting one that allows everyone to progress and finally end this cycle of cyclical pain. But, selfishly, I also want a place to enjoy my own peace—you know? It’s funny because the area I’m looking at is the small village which lies between Goodshore and Valenkamp. I was considering buying a bit of land there, so maybe one day we can all travel and—”

“The village between Goodshore and Valenkamp? That creepy, haunted little podunk hamlet? Yeah, hard pass.” Rionriv stepped away from me. “But the rest seems pretty normal. I mean, it's kind of ‘Little Miss Goodshore’ pageantry, though—so, I don’t know how much I believe you, but they seem to.”

Aesandoral and Sharzin looked between Rionriv and me, nodding agreeably with her statement.

“But hear me, our triop has some rules, got it?! Firstly, we’re graduating from Al’Magi.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can continue to attend. I’ll adjust our adventuring schedule accordingly.”

“Second, if at any point we determine what you’re doing is nefarious, we reserve the right to leave and kill you.”

“Fair—wait, leave me, then kill me? Isn’t that backwa—whatever, as excessive as that is, sure.”

“Just don’t be evil.” Sharzin said from the bed where she cuddled with one of my decorative bed pillows.

“And third, we demand an equal share for all bounty.”

“Yeah, that’s reasonable.” I nodded, tossing the coin purse from earlier to Rionriv.

“I want you to know, I’m not worried about the money. Hell, I’ll even find a way to handle the expenses of our group for the beginning bit. Whatever it takes to make sure the world moves towards an agreeable and happy ending.”

“And do we get to know what that means?”

“Not yet. I don’t trust you enough with that information. But don’t be evil, and one day I will. So, do we have a deal?”

The triop exchanged glances and whispers before Rionriv turned back to me.

“We have a deal.”

Shaking on it, the tense air in the room faded, and it felt like I was suddenly amongst friends.

With a smile on my face, I crossed the tight room and reached into the nightstand drawer. Withdrawing a pair of hand-rolled sticks of the finest fyreweed the Dwindlefyre dealer known as Skeezy had to offer, I barely had a moment to ask if they wanted to partake before Aesandoral ripped the joints from my hand.

“Nice. We share?” She asked excitedly as she held out both cigarettes to Rionriv, who, with an arc of electricity between her fingers, ignited the dried herb.

“Uh, yeah.” I laughed as they surprised me with their openness.

Thuh-thump! Thuh-thump!

Grabbing at my heart, I smirked. I didn’t know what I was getting into. But one thing was certain. This group was going to be interesting.