My map had led me to an old pre-war house. Although the buildings both on its left and right side had been renovated to comply with modern safety-regulations, its wooden façade stood unbothered by the centuries moving by.

It seemed out of place in this city, just like me. Internet reviews hadn’t lied, I was already getting a good feeling about this.

I pushed the old wooden door open. It creaked as it led me into a cozy, candle-lit nook. The windows were covered up by thick curtains, and all walls were hidden behind rugs. Candles floated in the air, as if suspended by magic. Despite the scarce light, I had no trouble seeing my surroundings. Opposite the main door, a pair of curtains created a narrow passageway into the next room.

This place really did give me the strangest feeling. With only fabric around me, it was hard to assess how wide or tall the room was, and the patterns woven into the rugs, and those painted on the curtains, swirled about, like endless clouds whimsical wonder.

“Come forth, young lady.” A female voice called out from somewhere deeper within this palace of linen.

I spun around, briefly disorientated by the voice and the fabrics. But I found my bearings quickly enough, and pushed aside the curtains to enter the next room.

Dragon Eye

A+

Oracle

Time Walker

Eye of Neith [Ac]

Wondering Mind [Ac]

Shift (Human, […])[Pa]

Dragon Eye +

It seemed my skills had picked up on the owner of this place before I had. As soon as the notification window disappeared, I got to take a better look at the Oracle. They were sitting, arms folded under their chin, behind a round table. The table was covered in the same embroidered fabrics that filled their whole shop. Their face was hidden behind a large hood, although the cloth did allow for an amused smile to slip under it.

“I am glad that I have helped level up one of your skills, darling.” The Oracle said in a smug voice. “Take a seat, won’t you?”

“Hello. Yes, of course.” I replied.

I glanced around before noticing a stool half-hidden under the long tablecloth. I pulled it out, and took a seat.

“So…” I trailed of, unsure if I was meant to speak first, of they would.

“Well, how about a proper introduction?” They said, while maintaining that same amused smile.

Their ESW appeared before my eyes.

Madame Astra

Older than my tongue and younger than my teeth

--

Oracle

--

Knows more than you think

Can see the future

“And you, darling, are?” Madame Astra asked.

“Not this good at customizing my ESW.” I joked, as I displayed my own status window.

“Oh, no, no.” The Oracle waved a hand, in a displeased motion. “None of this, please. I have my own means of knowing you are a very unlucky Courier. I am asking who you are as a person.”

“Umm, well that’s a complex question.” I replied. “For now, I am just a barista with a poor relationship with my family, and some slightly unbalanced skills.”

Madame Astra nodded. It seemed she was agreeing with the last part. But seeing how she knew my class I still had hope she’d help me. Then I realized I had showed my ESW not even thirty seconds ago. I didn’t know if this was the ambiance of the place, or the soft and enticing way she spoke, but something was starting to mess with my mind.

As if reading my thoughts, Madame Astra replied:

“I am not playing with your mind, dearest. It seems you have a hex placed on you. You may have noticed that your wisdom statistic has been permanently reduced.”

“Wait permanently?” I suddenly jerked up. I had thought that was a side effect of me reincarnating and not knowing much about this world.

“Well, every curse, and every spell, and every hex can be removed with the right tools. I have heard ‘Amber tears of Saint Catherina’ do wonders for people in your predicament. Although, I am not certain they will help you specifically.”

I was about to ask for more clarifications, but the Oracle didn’t give me a chance.

“May I have your hands, dearest?”

I extended my palms over the table, and she gently took them. I couldn’t help but notice how rough and wrinkled the skin on her hands was. It felt more like leather than like human skin. A deep purple light emanated from below her hood, no doubt a sign that she was using some kind of skill.

“Oh my. Saint Catherina won’t be much help to you dearest. No help at all. But there is job to be had in knowing that I was wrong. Your predicament is not permanent.” The woman said.

The light under her cloak disappeared, and she looked up at me with that same amused smile before saying:

“Have you tried picking up a book recently, maybe that will help you increase your statistics?”

I gave her a disapproving look. If this was her idea of a joke, it wasn’t funny. But this old lady clearly wasn’t trying to offend me, so I just let it slide. This seemed to be one of those ‘generational gap’ issues.

“I have actually come here to ask for help with my skills.” I said. “I’d like to have them sorted, and annotated if possible.”

“Mhuum, yes.” The smile vanished of Madam Astra’s face. “I still remember times when people your age came to me to have their future read, to see if they could become great adventurers, or find great riches. Now it's all business talk. The world does not need women of my profession anymore.”

There was something in the tone of this woman’s voice that made me feel bad for her. Maybe this was just a tactic to get more people to buy her services, but the sales pitch was working. Except, I still could only spend my own money in this place, so I couldn’t do this even if I wanted to.

Once again, having seemingly read my mind, Madame Astra spoke:

“Oh, don’t worry about it darling. You are sweet. Let me see what I can do for your skills.”

I extended my hands forward once more, and she nodded before taking them.

“This might take a while. You youngsters always have too many skills nowadays.” She spoke.

This time, there was no arcane light emanating from her eyes. Instead, she sat there, holding my hands, and in complete silence; deeply focused on her task.