Chapter 23.2: Crimson Incense

"Apologies for the disturbance," he began, "I fear one of your followers did not take kindly to our intrusion."

The Nether Oracle bowed, his grimace widening before saying, "Oh, no need! He's a novice when it comes to greeting guests, so I should apologize for his misdemeanor. Also, your appearance is ever so familiar to me, green one, have we met?"

Joanne remained stunned, her gaze shifting between the man in green and the unusually polite monster. The man turned to her, giving her a nod in a feeble attempt to reassure her.

"Oh, we have," he muttered, his voice taking on a slight growl, "Remember your stay in the Isle of Trusa?"

The Oracle let out a raspy cackle, "Oh, I do! The lighting, the unrelenting rain, the melodious screams of agony as my followers struck down vulnerable mortals. Such a beautiful sight! Alas, Xybelios was rather...troublesome to deal with. And still, he plots to derail my plan, does he? For why would two mortals walk into a derelict place on their own accord?"

He glared at the two, his eyes glowing with increasing anger.

Joanne frowned and scoffed, "You're freakin' crazy, you know! The heck do you want with the guardians?"

The Nether Oracle remained silent for several seconds, until he answered, "Nothing that concerns a mortal such as yourself. But it shall result in something greater, I assure you."

"And killing off the guardians, those who keep our realm and yours in balance, will accomplish that?" asked the man, crossing his arms.

The cloaked leader leaned forward, brandishing a crude wooden staff to balance his weight on. He shook his head and laughed with mocking glee.

"Oh yes, yes! I'm well aware. I am merely aiding Her Wickedness in claiming a higher power, which I rightfully believe is hers! Why should her magic be restricted to that of the Netherworld, so full of vile creatures, undeserving of her grace? She never dared say otherwise, for she is humble, but I believe she coveted this realm's magic."

The man slammed his fist on the wall beside him, shattering under his mighty hand.

"Lies! You betrayed your Queen's trust when you forced her to slumber, and you dare claim your goals as hers? Blasphemy, I say!"

The mask began shattering before his eyes, observing his fist writhing with violent desire. Glancing at Joanne, her defiant eyes glinting against the Nether Oracle, gave him the courage he so needed. Taking slow, steady breaths, he walked toward the reviled leader in the shadows.

"Forgive me, I may have overstepped certain boundaries," he said with a short bow, "As for ourselves, we must be going soon. Though, given that you exposed your motivations to us, I doubt you will let us go without issue, am I correct?"

The Nether Oracle shambled forward while golden medallions hanging over his cloak clinked and glittered in the light. Under the twilight sun, the Nether Oracle's slender, mummified figure took on a malevolent yet dignified stance. His robe, with its thin platinum seams, revealed its dark purple shades. Whereas he had glowing orbs for eyes in the dark, his black sclera and red pupil-less irises studied the man closely. His jaw and forehead muscles twisted as if trying to recall a sight from the recesses of his memories.

"That's not what concerns me," he murmured, lowering his head, and tightening his grip on the staff, "I don't care what becomes of the female accompanying you, but your appearance... I cannot ignore the animosity I feel as I observe you. I'd like some answers, green one. We met in Trusa, did we not?"

Joanne cupped her hand over the side of her mouth, whispering, "You met this wacko before?"

The man kept his gaze on the Oracle and nodded, muttering, "It is complicated, but yes, we have met." Raising his voice, "In fact, I was among the few who fought your followers upon Xybelios' altar. Surely you remember stealing a certain jewel..."

Taking out the ever-glistening orb from its container, he cradled it in the palm of his hand for all to see. Joanne and the Oracle's eyes reflected its alluring glow, though the latter's hand trembled with frustration at its near-perfect shape.

"So, its nearly complete," the Nether Oracle muttered between gnashing teeth, "I should've stayed and made sure my followers did their job correctly back then. Tch, to think leaving you for dead could cause me such headache... ah, but you're no ordinary survivor."

The man's eyes widened and his stomach sank as the Oracle's words echoed within him. His right hand tightened its hold on his other sleeve while observing Joanne's wound. Though the bleeding slowed down, her breathing remained unsteady, and the whites of her eyes contained thin, red lines.

His arm froze when she placed her blood-soaked, gloved hand on it. Her defiant gaze and lowered brows told him enough; he steadied his breathing and assented.

"You have caused me much grief, and frankly, it is a miracle that I am alive still. However, I can conclude that your near-sightedness is your undoing," he chuckled with a small, mischievous grin, "After all, you failed to kill two guardians. One of which you never got the chance to attack, due to a little blue dragon and two mortal children."

The Nether Oracle emitted a guttural growl, hissing with every breath. His jaw clamped against his upper teeth, producing an agonizing, shrill sound. His teeth chafed as he moved his lower jaw in frustration, making Joanne recoil as if hearing someone scratch a plate with a metallic fork.

"Frikkin' maniac... he's gonna shatter my ears at this rate," she mumbled, backing out the door and into the street. "C'mon, let's knock him out and get outta here, we've heard enough!"

The man shook his head and said, "You go ahead, I shall continue our lovely talk here. Besides, you require medical attention." He turned and stepped toward the Oracle, leaning out of the sun's reach so his face was covered in shadow, save for his shimmering eyes.

The Oracle jerked his head to the side, scoffing, "As I said, the mortal woman doesn't concern me. Her time of reckoning will come soon enough." He made a gesture with one hand, shooing her away.

Joanne took a sharp breath and frowned but flinched when she threw her injured arm forward. Letting out a hiss, she took a final, longing gaze at the man, her expression shifting to one of concern. She muttered curses and hung her head low as she jogged through the path she came, steadying her arm. Curious teens playing in the streets observed her, yet she remained focused on tending to her wound and finding someone, anyone, who could assist the man.

Back inside the abandoned building, the man in green ambled past the Oracle toward a large room. The humid, musty air felt as if an amorphous hand pushed his chest inward. Finding a worn sofa beside a boarded, glazed window, he trudged through the dark and sat on it. A cloud of dust jumped away from the sofa, invading his throat. As he coughed, the Nether Oracle's shivering figure relaxed, slowly regaining its composed façade.

"Seems you've become far too soft in the presence of humans. A far cry from the tenacity you showed me on that day," the Oracle sighed, "Pity. Now then, where were we? Ah yes, you were slinging insults during our civil conversation."

The man crossed one leg over the other, taking care not to disturb the skittish dust around him. "Yes, perhaps I got carried away. Now then, our main purpose for trespassing concerns the two human hostages. They are...of utmost importance to me, you see."

"The mortal couple? Goodness, had I known better I'd have left them alone. Especially the female. Far too uncooperative lest I mention her darling children. Even then she's caught on, and is right back to sitting in her room, being useless. The male, however, is most enthusiastic about the work! Oh, the joyous grin he makes while listening to his chores for the day, as I hold his mate by the throat! Makes my old heart skip a beat every time."

The man kept a neutral expression, becoming used to the Oracle's attempts to get under his skin. "Yes, the mortal couple. I hoped to negotiate an early retrieval, you see. Surely your followers are better suited to ambush Suilah, rather than two untrained humans," he proposed.

The Oracle paused and tapped his cheek, his pose resembling that of a philosopher deep in thought.

"True, you could call it a waste of energy to keep those two around. However, they've yet to fulfill their purpose. Your presence already satisfies half of it, but I'm missing a few, ahem, obstacles that I'd like eliminated. You see, I'd rather not repeat my failure on Mount Reilu, so, I must lure out the blue dragon.

The man squinted his eyes, filled with suspicion. A tiny whirlwind of fear arose in his guts as the meaning behind the Oracle's words became clear. "I thought you did not concern yourself with ordinary humans. The guardians are your objective, yes? Handing the hostages to me should make it easier to focus on them."

The Oracle's perpetual grin widened as he lurched toward him. "I can't let possible obstacles distract me again, green one. So, killing off the dragon and her young masters are one of my priorities, now that I know of their presence in this city. You as well, but I'll give you the privilege of being last." He extended his arms forward and gave a mocking bow. "After all, someone of your status deserves a more dignified end!"

The man dug his fingers into his thighs, taking a deep breath. "I see our bargain will not conclude under favorable terms," he grumbled. "Then I shall have to take them by force."

Before he could blink, the Oracle fell to his knees with a stinging pain in his stomach. The man wound his fist back and leapt toward the stairs, gliding up them as swift as a wyvern.

"What the— he dares sucker punch me?" the Oracle groaned.

Smashing open doors with a swift swipe, the man in green inspected the first two rooms on the second floor. The sun, having descended to sleep, left him meandering in near total darkness. Cracks in the floor allowed the musty air to squeeze from below, yet he felt it much easier to breathe.

The first room remained empty, while the second room greeted him with three cloaked creatures. They stared at him, mouths agape, while holding small figurines of demons, knights, and dragons. He promptly shut the door, hoping they would be more concerned with their game over chasing him. The sole door on the opposite wall was a bathroom, its yellow tiled walls covered in strange, green, and rust-colored smears.

He dared not imagine what the stains contained, given the intense, repugnant smell invading his nose. Thinking he would faint if he observed any longer, he turned away towards the last unexplored room. The Oracle's muffled groans, accompanied by slow steps coming from the stairs, alerted him. His time grew short.

Opening the final room, his racing heart dropped to his stomach. The room contained a large bed, its sheets unfolded still. Just as Mrs. Diderot described, there was a view to the ocean from the window, albeit blurred. A cabinet and a closet lay beside the bed, both looking as if they would fall apart merely glancing at them.

If humans ever resided there, they were gone now. All that remained was a faint powder on the floor, and hints of incense in the air. The man felt his blood boil in his veins, and his eyes stung from shame. He stomped on the frail floor, cursing himself for arriving too late.

A chill ran down his back as he heard a piercing wail, snapping away his scrambled thoughts. Jerking his body around, he met the Nether Oracle's seething eyes. Raising his staff, the purple jewel encrusted at its tip glowed with a sinister, dark hue. The air around it seemed to flow into it, its light intensifying by the second.

"How disappointing... I'd hoped to give you a fitting end in the land of your birth. Sadly, you've exhausted my patience!" he hissed, waving his staff in an oval motion.

The man in green hunched down, tensing his arms and legs. A small, dark dot manifested within the jewel, swiftly growing until it consumed its light. A perfect sphere of darkness, with purple rays firing from its core, floated above the staff. The Oracle lowered the staff to face the man, like a cannon ready to fire a black hole, ready to consume all who stand in its path.

A thin line of sweat ran down the man's forehead. Cornered, his only option would be avoiding the blast at any cost.

The Oracle shouted, his smile so wide it could jump out of his face, "Truly, you've been one of my greatest adversaries in my journey. A shame I'll not have the honor of beholding your true, glorious form once more, Xy—"

A cloud of mist overwhelmed the room as a shrill roar trembled through the building. The Oracle desperately waved his arms through the fog, firing into the floor below through the chaos. The sounds of clicking, heel-like steps grew louder as the fog became near impossible to see through. The man felt his clothes become damp from the moisture. The fog seemed to drown out the putrid scent, replacing it with the comforting smell of grass after a night of rain.

The man straightened his posture, taking careful steps through the cloudy wall. Raising his arm through the spot where the Oracle stood, he felt no presence any longer. Instead, he found a silver-scaled creature growling at him like an old friend. Stepping forward, Dolce placed her snout under the man's palm.

The man sighed and grinned with relief. "You have my eternal gratitude, silver one."

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