“The Oracle?” the priest said. “He’s been on leave for a while now.”

Maria stood behind Chariot as she spoke with the priest. He looked much like Father Varrond, carrying the characteristics and physics of an old wise man, with aged spotty skin, and gray hair. His long, flowing robes brushed against the ground as he walked down the front steps of the church. Tanalia leaned up against the gated fence nearby. The church wasn’t quite as big as the one in Oxfell, though a church like that wouldn't have fit anywhere in this city. The largest building Maria had seen was the palace at the heart of Berlington when they passed it. This church was much more condensed. Beside it was a columbarium that stretched for two city blocks.

“A while?” Chariot asked.

“Yes. It’s quite unfortunate, I’m afraid. He was cornered in the streets and robbed. He was left gravely injured.”

“Oh.”

“I fear for him, though he is alright. We’ve given him leave while he heals, though for him I imagine it will take longer than usual.”

“He can’t just pray his wounds away?” Tanalia muttered.

“Has he been drinking healing potions?” Chariot asked.

“I imagine he has, but they can’t fix what was taken from him. I’m sorry, I wish I could do more to help you, my child.”

“You could tell us where he lives,” Tanalia said, pushing off the metal gate.

“I don’t think I can. That’s information privileged to only a few.”

“We need to speak with him,” Maria said. “He was old friends with my master, and he sent us to check on him, make sure he was alright.”

“We have some questions for him as well,” Chariot chimed in.

The priest looked between the three women and sighed. “Very well. He lives in the market district, a housing complex that overlooks the plaza… what was its name?” The priest rubbed at his chin. “It was… I don’t remember. It’s this wide blue-colored building with silver shingles and stained glass windows. He lives in apartment one one five.”

“Alright, thank you,” Chariot said. “We wish you a good day.”

“And I to you. May it be blessed by the Lunar Goddess.” The priest gave the trio a polite bow of respect, but Tanalia was already walking away. Maria and Chariot caught up with her a bit up the block.

“Finally,” Tanalia groaned. “The man looks old enough to forget how to tie his boots.”

“Don’t be so disrespectful to him,” Chariot said. “He’s a priest of the church.”

“And?”

“And so you should treat him with respect.”

“I never cared much for religion.”

“That doesn’t prevent you from acting polite to him. I believe in religion, do you have a problem with me?”

“I have several, but now I have one more problem with you,” Tanalia grinned.

Chariot’s face puffed up, and she crossed her arms. “Do tell.”

“You’re stubborn, stuck up, a pain in the ass—”

“I could say the same about you.”

“Only I’m better and stronger than you.”

“That has yet to be proven.”

“I’ll prove it one of these days when you aren’t acting like a chicken and just fight me.”

“You would never win in a fistfight against me. No armor, no weapons, you would lose.”

Maria sighed, rubbing at her head.“Can we just stop arguing?”

“She started it,” Chariot said. “I’m not in the mood to argue either. I figured elves would have enough respect for other religions considering how they worship their god.”

“It’s annoying,” Tanalia groaned. “Everything is always in the name of the Goddess of Light, or in service of the Goddess of Light. I’m in no one's service but myself.”

“That’s… one way to look at it,” Maria said. “I kinda get where you're coming from. Back home people believed in a god, but even though many people believed in him, some groups believed in him in different ways. Their way was always the right way, and everyone else was sinners or false in their eyes.”

“Sounds frustrating,” Tanalia said.

“It was, believe me.”

“Sometimes here it’s whose god is better.”

“I figured, yeah.”

The marketplace was not that dissimilar from the one in Oxfell. It consisted of rows and rows of stands selling an array of foods, trinkets, wares, fabrics, and cloths. It was far bigger too, which Maria noticed right away. It was such a crowded place, she had never seen so many people packed into one area before.

“So, he lives around here?” Tanalia said. “Must be awful with how noisy it is.”

“I’m sure it quiets down in the evening,” Chariot said. “Most marketplaces clear out around dusk.”

The trio walked through the marketplace. Many of the shopkeepers looked at them with suspicious glances. They were stiff, and alert. It was almost unnerving having this many people look at her like she was a criminal. It almost made Maria believe she had actually done something wrong.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Beside the marketplace was a complex of small homes. The walls were painted blue, just as the priest had said, and the windows were stained in a rainbow of colors. Banners hung over support beams creating an awning walkway alongside the marketplace, from which several more flower pots hung.

Ascending to the upper floors, the trio navigated through the monotonous halls, devoid of any character. There was a severe lack of decorations that left the hallways with a sterile atmosphere. After a while, they arrived at room 115, blending seamlessly with the countless identical doors lining the uninspiring corridor. Maria knocked on the door.

“Go away,” an old, withered voice on the other end said.

Maria knocked again. “Excuse me, we’re looking for the Oracle!”

“I’m not seeing anyone today, this week, or month. Off with you.”

“We just want to talk to you! Please.”

“I said to leave!”

“Eardwulf sent us.”

There was a brief moment of silence. The sound of floorboards creaking grew closer. There was a tapping noise. The latch was undone, and the door finally opened. The Oracle was a man of average height, old, and hunched over, his skin hanging off his speckled face. A strip of white cloth was wrapped tight around his eyes. “Eardwulf? He’s still around?” he asked.

“He is, yes,” Maria said with a forced smile, though quickly dropped it. It’s not like he could see her attempts at hospitality anyway.

“With how reckless I’ve known him to be I’m surprised he managed to live for so long.”

“Barely,” Tanalia commented.

“How many of you are there?” The Oracle asked slowly.

“There are three of us. I’m Maria, and this is Chariot and Tanalia.”

The Oracle was quiet for a moment, his head glancing slightly towards the ground. “All three of you are his apprentices?”

“No, only I am. Chariot and Tanalia are simply members of my party.”

“I hear the sound of armor clinking.”

“Indeed you do,” Chariot said. “I consider myself a warrior.”

“Again… barely,” Tanalia scoffed.

Chariot glared at her. “The other is an annoying elf.”

“I don’t know who you’re calling annoying, but I could say the same to you.”

The Oracle sighed, grabbing all three’s attention again. “So… what does Eardwulf want? Actually… hold on one second.” He opened the door all the way and stepped aside. In his off-hand he held onto a staff as white as snow, but with the texture of tree bark. It was capped with a shimmering crystal polished into the shape of a lunar crest. “Please, come in. We can discuss somewhere more comfortable.”

Maria stepped into the Oracle's home and was greeted by a pervasive dustiness that made her shudder. The air carried a potent fragrance, a curious blend of herbal candles, and the distinct mustiness of old people's smell that reminded Maria of the times she visited her grandmother. The furniture squeezed tightly together, seemed to occupy every available space, from the drawers, couches, chairs, and tables. There was a single, open door leading to the bedroom, where stacks of books seemed to be pushed against the wall beside an already overstuffed bookshelf. The drawn curtains left little light in the room, leaving it rather dark. The Oracle swiftly opened them, letting light shine in.

"I take it you'll need some of this to see," he said. “I apologize for the state of my home. I try, but keeping an entire house clean when you cannot see isn’t quite as easy as you’d imagine.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I never cleaned my home whenever I had guests,” Maria said.

“You should. Impressions are important, though unfortunately, I can only clean so much without noticing if I’m missing anything. The Oracle felt around for his couch and sat down slowly. He let out a weak, and tired groan. “These damn legs of mine,” he sighed. “So tell me. What is it that Eardwulf wants.”

Maria folded her hands in her lap as she sat across from the Oracle in one of his cushioned seats. A glass table stood between them, with an array of old dusty books stacked atop it. “Well, foremost he wanted to make sure you were alright. You weren’t answering any of his messages. Though, I’m starting to get an idea as to why.”

“On account of me being blinder than a bat?” The Oracle chuckled. “If he has sent me anything I do apologize. Ever since I lost my eyes it’s been… difficult.”

“We heard from the priest at the nearby church that you had something stolen. He never mentioned it was your eyes.”

“What’s the other reason Eardwulf is looking for me?”

Maria paused for a moment and took a long, deep breath. “He wanted you to pay back a debt you owed him— by helping us. We’re looking for someone. He goes by the name of The Ringleader. Master Eardwulf said you’d be able to find him.”

The Oracle sat in silence, for a good long moment. Eventually, he shook his head. “You seek a member of the demon king's army?”

“You’re familiar with him?”

“Not personally. I have seen visions of him though. I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I haven’t been able to use my powers for some time now, not without my eyes.”

“Lucky you to have special eyes,” Tanalia said. “We elves have special eyes too.”

The Oracle chuckled. “Not like mine. My eyes were made of glass, and with them, I could see into the futures of anyone whom I looked at. I could see where people were or flashes indicating where they could be close to or frequent. Unfortunately, my eyes were taken from me by… oh, I forget his name. Rynec?”

“We’ve heard of Rynec,” Chariot said.

“He’s had the people of this city on edge. No one's valuables are safe, not with him running the streets.”

Tanalia scoffed. “You couldn’t see your own fate and see him coming?”

“It doesn’t work like that. My fate is forever a mystery. Not even those eyes can tell me.”

“What if we were to get your eyes back,” Maria said. “Could you help us then?”

“I would appreciate it very much if you could get my eyes back, but I doubt it to be a simple endeavor.”

“We can still try.”

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to remain unblinking? Even now, at this very moment, I can see where my eyes are. I haven’t been able to close them. It’s a dark, musty place. The sewers beneath the city. That’s where Rynec took them. Walking independently of what I can see, especially when I have no eyelids to blink or ever be graced with darkness for sleep… it’s a living hell.”

“We need to find The Ringleader,” Maria said. “He nearly killed Eardwulf.”

“This is about revenge then?” The Oracle asked slowly.

“No. He took something from us as well.”

“We wish to bring him to justice,” Chariot said. “He is a cruel man, who has hurt a great many people. The world will be safer with him behind bars.”

The Oracle sighed. “Very well. If you can retrieve my eyes, I can help you find the Ringleader. The quickest way into the sewers, if you aren’t keen on jumping into the waters head first, is through the catacombs of the Church of the Lunar Goddess. They’re beneath the columbarium. I have keys that you can take hanging beside the door. At least… I think I left them there.”

Maria glanced over to the door, where a ring of old rusted keys hung. They all looked nearly identical to one another, down to the rust and color. “Looks like it.”

Tanalia approached, and grabbed the bundle, jingling them as she walked back over. “Which one?”

“Give them here.” He held out his hand. Feeling the keys with her fingers, he eventually found the one and held it up. “This one. Years ago when I dropped the key it got a knick just below the handle.”

“That’s how you can tell?” Tanalia asked.

“I tend to notice the finer details of things.” The Oracle held the key out, and Maria took it. “Just where he is, I’m not sure. I’ve only deduced that he has set up his lair in the sewers somewhere. I have watched him return several nights with sacks of stolen goods. Other friends of his come to pick them up and… I don’t know where they are going.”

“We’ll find your eyes, don’t worry,” Maria said, and stood up.

“Thank you, my dears.”

“Maybe you’ll get to see us take him down,” Tanalia said.

“A sight I surely wouldn’t mind seeing,” The Oracle chuckled.