FortuneCraft in Apocalypse

Oracle

Elena explained the concept of games and their importance, but she couldn't help but feel a growing irritation at the stupid guys in front of her.

She spoke, her tone tinged with annoyance, "So, understanding our characters is essential. You'll know more about yours when we find the Oracle of the Shrouded Sands."

Draven looked puzzled. "The Oracle of the what?"

Elena rolled her eyes, barely concealing her frustration. "The Oracle of the Shrouded Sands, Darwin."

"It's Draven to you"

"Whatever. The Oracle of the Shrouded Sands is a mythical figure in this game world who possesses knowledge about our characters which are associated with the amount of wealth we can acquire. Finding the Oracle is one of the primary objectives in uncovering the full potential of our characters."

"So, how do we find this Oracle?" Leo chimed in.

"There's a map. There's a map leading to it. But the map is long lost. No one knows where it is. Some say the map was torn into two equal halves."

Leo looked at her thoughtfully."And why do you need to find the Oracle?"

She fixed him with a cold gaze. " I don't know if you've been listening to a word I've said. The Oracle of the Shrouded Sands will give us more information about our characters. Or maybe you don't want to know yours, but I sure do want to know mine!"

Giving her a sidelong glance Leo said, "You know you don't have to sound so rude."   

She didn't reply.

He continued. "I think I have something related to that. I found a map in a chest during a quest but it's torn in half."

Her eyes immediately lit up. "So it is real. Can I see it?" She sounded excited even though she tried to downplay it.

"On one condition."

Elena sighed, her patience wearing thin. "You can keep your map to yourself. Goodluck finding the other half!" Then she stormed out of the room.

"Damn. What a lady." Draven chuckled.

"I only wanted to make a deal with her. I wanted her to promise not to betray me. She can't be this nice if she doesn't have an agenda."

"She's not even nice."

"She helped us and brought us into her hideout. That's as nice as anyone can be."

"So you said you wanted her to promise not to betray you. What about me? I thought we were together in this?" Draven asked

"All man for himself out here, lad. All man for himself." He stood up from where he had been sitting. "Let's go find our Jane doe."

"Oh, that's how we're gonna be right?" Draven called out after him.

They found Elena sitting on the staircase. She had a dagger with her with an emerald green hilt. She looked up when she heard them approach. 

"Ok, fun time's over. Nice to meet you two. Now, you can both leave" she said while giving them a withering look.

"Ok, ok. Wait. You've been accommodating. Sorry my friend here is being such a jerk." Draven said. Leo gave him a cold stare.

"But we want to find this other map with you. You've been nice to us. You know more about this place than we'll ever do. So please we need your help."

She looked at them with a sneer. "I'm done helping. Leave."

"But we'll be helping you too by giving you our map. Out Half-torn map" Leo sighed heavily. 

"Of course, it's torn. It can't be that simple, can it? We have your Half-torn map and what next? We'll need to find the other one to make it whole. You need me."

"Alright. You win. You're the boss" Draven said, with a nervous smile. "Now can we stop this banter and get down to business? We need that map to locate the Oracle of Wuthering Heights."

"Oracle of Shrouded Sands" Elena corrected.

Her irritation was slightly appeased by Draven''s optimism. "Right. So, we need to search for clues or any hints about the missing half of the map. We'll need to be thorough and keep an eye out for anything related to the Shrouded Sands."

Leo held up his torn map. "This is all we have to go on for now."

Elena nodded in agreement. "That's a start, but remember, this won't be easy. The Shrouded Sands could be a vast area. We might need to gather information from other players or NPCs to narrow down our search."

Draven grinned, happy that they were all agreeing to something at last. "We've got this, El. We'll find the other half of the map and find the Oracle. And then, we'll all be one step closer to discovering our characters"

"Alright. Let's start by revisiting the locations where you found that torn map and see if any clues point us in the right direction."

"We're going back to the location I found the map? How's that gonna help? Hell, that place is dangerous."

"We need all the clues we can gather."

"But you said the map has been divided for a long time right? That means the other one is lost too."

Elena sighed as she realised he was making sense. "Ok, that makes sense." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "If we're gonna find this map, we need help. We're going to meet someone."

"Oh man. We're meeting someone else? I hope it's a chick. I hope she's gonna be as beautiful as you are." Draven winked and she gave him a disdainful look. 

The trio left the underground sanctuary with renewed determination. Elena was still cautious of the two men, but she knew she needed their help. The knowledge that she had Draven and Leo by her side, despite their initial ignorance, gave her assurance.