The Vorrgistadt Saga: The Shattered Oracle - III - As Oracles are Wont to Do

III

As Oracles are Wont to Do

- Page Eight -

"Hyah! Ha!" The young woman on the other side of the collapsing balcony clapped her hands together and stomped one of her feet. It was a moment of unbridled, youthful emotion which she immediately regretted once she heard some crumbling from the balcony beneath. She froze for a second, spreading her feet out and looking over to the large man who still held Maenthrai's hand. The young woman's green eyes went wide and she immediately pushed by Maenthrai into the metal doors. "Maybe we should get off this thing and get back inside, neigh?"

"A good idea if ever I heard one." The large man let Maenthrai's hand fall and he began to softly push her towards the door with his revealed — broad and hairy — forearms. "We were able to save you once, we might not be able to do so twice."

Maenthrai followed his directions and squeezed through the rusted doors after the incessant pushing and scrabbling by the young woman ahead of her. As she stepped over the threshold and took her first step into the warm and sedate confines of her room, she looked over her shoulder to see the large man lift his forehead up one more time at her. It was less a look of confusion and more one of childish fear mixed with impatience.

"Heh! Here we are, Hildger, in some forgotten ruin; we've been on the run for years from some immortal horror; we're delving into forbidden magicks we have no business bringing up; all for this here, oracle, right?" The young woman spun on her leather-covered feet in the middle of Maenthrai's room. She stopped on her toes to look Maenthrai straight in the eye as the oracle let her other foot take hold on the stone floor. "We've suffered much and are just about to let her know that all our efforts and sacrifices are bearing fruit." She stopped and lowered her eyes at Maenthrai. Her feet and lower legs arched outward as she did so while she pivoted on the balls of her feet. "Finally." She looked back up and swung her arms in loops at her sides. "...And here she goes, wants to jump off a damned balcony!"

Maenthrai caught herself glaring at the young woman for a moment, still somewhat groggy and slow in her mental reactions. She hadn't realized that she cut the man behind her off at the doorway. He managed to push by her, sliding from her left into the room. She took a few steps closer to her writing desk. His eyes were still panicked at the prospect of being trapped outside on the crumbling balcony, yet his mouth was pursed to scold the young woman inside the room. Maenthrai took one more step forward, giving the large man even more room to get in and decided to save him the trouble of articulating his words.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself." Maenthrai's words were curt and seemed to scrape out of her throat. She hadn't realized how tense up she had been in her mortal terror. She cleared her throat and took a few steps closer to her chair. "I was lost in visions." She sat down in the chair, lifting her arms up to hug at her chest.

"Well-" The large man named Hildger interjected as he finally had both feet on secure stone. "That is what oracles do, right?" He squinted his eyes and gave a scathing sideways glance to the young woman who continued to stand defiantly in the middle of the room.

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