Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

The Oracle (I)

When Goldmi woke up, her body was surrounded by the comfortable fur of her feline sister. Reluctantly, she got up, with sleep in her eyes, and went to the small bathroom that, conveniently, was one of the facilities of her peculiar tent.

When she came out, she found that the lynx was waiting outside, sitting by the castle, staring straight ahead. Following her gaze, the elf was startled to discover a figure whose gaze seemed to be directed at her, although it was impossible to be completely sure, since a mask covered his face.

"The Oracle..." Goldmi murmured, dumbfounded by a visit she didn't expect.

She stared at him for a while, fascinated, at the same time that she remembered that strange character dressed in black and white, and who, in the game, had provided them with a lot of information, sometimes useful, others not much. Finally, she decided to approach him, followed by her sister, who didn't seem to feel hostility towards him.

"Hello," Goldmi greeted, somewhat nervous.

"Welcome again, Luna Dorada. You have arrived earlier than expected," he greeted her, with the usual neuter voice that made it impossible to know his sex, if he had any.

"Is this your home? I'm sorry if I entered without permission."

"The world is my home, but it doesn't belong to me. This village was created to welcome you, the players as you called yourselves, the visitors as they called you, although what you saw was only a reflection of reality. It still stands in order to welcome, in addition to serving as refuge and protection, the last visitor from the elven race. So, it could be considered yours.

"Really!? Mine!? So why are you here? Have you come to give me a mission?" asked the elf.

"The missions were nothing more than directions given in the past, following the rules of what you called game. My mission has always been that of a guide, not that of a commander."

"Ah, guide... Well... Do you know if other players have arrived? Gjaki or Eldi?" she asked, not quite knowing of what it meant to be a guide.

"Others have arrived and others will, but I can't give you information on individual visitors. That, you will have to find for yourself"

"You always talk mysterious... What about my other sister? Do you know if she's alive? Do you know where she is?"

"When the time comes, you will know the answer."

Goldmi was feeling a little frustrated at the lack of answers, she even puffed out her cheeks like she was an angry little girl, staring intently at the Oracle. Finally, she sighed, giving up, and taking a deep breath. In the game, it was also like this, so she had to get the information she could, and assume that other clues would never be gotten from him.

"There were spirits of the jungle with me, and, then, other similar ones came, but with a dark, evil aura. They were scary. They ate the arm of a spirit. I attacked them and they disappeared. But, from what they were saying, it seems that it was strange, that they can't normally be seen or attacked. Do you know what's going on? Who or what were they? Why can I attack them?" she asked hastily.

The Oracle was silent for a few seconds before responding, looking up at the sky, as if pondering the answer, or searching for the information in the stars that the sunlight was hiding.

"Shortly after the visitors left, an evil spread through the once fertile forests and jungles to the north. Plants and animals were corrupted, and even some spirits fell at the temptation of evil, because, unlike the former, they must accept evil to obtain its power. That evil has been stopped, but not repelled. Hordes of corrupted beings from the north confront those who defend their home. The battle is stalled, but not over.

"The dark beings you saw are some of those corrupted spirits, some of the lowest level ones. They are the ones who direct the troops of evil, knowing that they are immune within the miasma that surrounds the corrupted areas. In their arrogance, a few invaded the jungle, despite the risk of being annihilated by the higher level spirits. Their intention was to feed on young spirits that still can't defend themselves, but, luckily or by destiny, they found you.

"You have the blessing of fairies, a blessing that can't be granted if the conditions aren't met. It is needed the who. The why. The when. The where. And you brought them together for the first time in hundreds of years.

"For this reason, within you, the power of fairies flows, allowing you to see and interact with them, be they adult or younger forms. And, therefore, you also have the power to oppose them, even those who have betrayed their kin and their own essence, allowing themselves to be corrupted.

"So, you are the hope against this evil, but it is too still early for you, you don't have the power yet. You must be cautious. If they discover you, the evil will want to eliminate you at all costs.

"I must also warn you about these portals. You can explore and enter them, but they are no longer as they were in the past. The places they lead have been corrupted. It is an opportunity for you to level up and free corrupted beings at the same time. But also a great risk, that of being discovered, that of being their target. Crossing the portal isn't dangerous, but going further can be. The decision is and should be yours."

Goldmi was speechless. This time, he had given her a lot of information, but that information had been somewhat overwhelming. Suddenly, she was no longer just a visitor, but a kind of chosen one. And she was in danger for the simple fact of being it.

From her encounter with those corrupted spirits, she had glimpsed what kind of evil the Oracle was talking about, and she had even seemed to feel a trace of anger in his voice. But Goldmi also needed to know more. She felt like she had to go through the portal and see for herself. If not, she wouldn't even know what she was up against.

However, her visit to the corrupted areas should wait, since she still had questions, although she wasn't quite sure if she would get answers. In fact, after the last one, she was even afraid to get them.

But, she couldn't stop asking for that reason, stop wanting to know. Although the answers may be painful, not knowing them would only delay the pain and waste valuable time. She had already made the mistake of ignoring reality in the past, and it had been worse than facing it directly.