Re: The Fearsome Encounter (GBS3G8) [Round 1: Circumlocution]
11-19-2011, 11:58 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
Augustus stared at the book. It read "Encyclopedia". The most surprising thing was that he could actually understand the word.
He vaguely recalled the Apprentice's explanation of the book; something about how there was a universe of knowledge within. That sounded promising; he opened it up, hoping that perhaps it might offer some insight as to raising his god out of the lake.
Needless to say, Augustus was more than a little disappointed to find that the pages were blank. He didn't realize that Vex's universe had no language like his own; the book simply couldn't understand what he wanted.
At least, not the words. After about a minute of furiously flipping through, something formed on the pages. It was a diagram, marked with symbols Augustus didn't recognize; but the basic diagram was clear enough. A right triangle, with a square formed on each side. To Vex, it was known as the Pythagorean Theorem, among a galaxy's worth of other names; to Augustus, it was best known as Ganfrell's Third Equality. Regardless, it was a basic truth of geometry, one that was shared between the two universes. In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.
Similar diagrams began to fill the book as Augustus held it. Though frustratingly vague, there were some results he hadn't seen before, which piqued his curiosity. He wondered if somewhere among these, he might find an equation relevant to his planned salvage operation.
His ponderings were cut short, however, as the book suddenly flew right out of his hands. Unbeknownst to the Divine Arbiter, as he had been poring over the book and studying the diagrams, Vex had managed to get his bearings and make the Encyclopedia move.
With a deep sigh, Augustus watched the book fly off. He considered pursuing it, but then he noticed the birds nearby.
Specifically, he noticed one speaking to the unfamiliar alien creature that had been introduced as one of his opponents. Or apparently speaking. From what he could hear, their screeches sounded somewhat similar.
Might one of these birds be able to understand him, as well? It seemed an avenue worth investigating. He turned to the birds gathered around the mannequin and yelled.
"Can any of you understand me? I am Augustus the Divine Arbiter, and if you assist me, you may be spared the wrath of Azungrada!"
The birds returned his invitation with a series of incomprehensible squawks and screeches. He couldn't even tell if any of them were actually trying to talk to him.
Augustus stared at the book. It read "Encyclopedia". The most surprising thing was that he could actually understand the word.
He vaguely recalled the Apprentice's explanation of the book; something about how there was a universe of knowledge within. That sounded promising; he opened it up, hoping that perhaps it might offer some insight as to raising his god out of the lake.
Needless to say, Augustus was more than a little disappointed to find that the pages were blank. He didn't realize that Vex's universe had no language like his own; the book simply couldn't understand what he wanted.
At least, not the words. After about a minute of furiously flipping through, something formed on the pages. It was a diagram, marked with symbols Augustus didn't recognize; but the basic diagram was clear enough. A right triangle, with a square formed on each side. To Vex, it was known as the Pythagorean Theorem, among a galaxy's worth of other names; to Augustus, it was best known as Ganfrell's Third Equality. Regardless, it was a basic truth of geometry, one that was shared between the two universes. In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.
Similar diagrams began to fill the book as Augustus held it. Though frustratingly vague, there were some results he hadn't seen before, which piqued his curiosity. He wondered if somewhere among these, he might find an equation relevant to his planned salvage operation.
His ponderings were cut short, however, as the book suddenly flew right out of his hands. Unbeknownst to the Divine Arbiter, as he had been poring over the book and studying the diagrams, Vex had managed to get his bearings and make the Encyclopedia move.
With a deep sigh, Augustus watched the book fly off. He considered pursuing it, but then he noticed the birds nearby.
Specifically, he noticed one speaking to the unfamiliar alien creature that had been introduced as one of his opponents. Or apparently speaking. From what he could hear, their screeches sounded somewhat similar.
Might one of these birds be able to understand him, as well? It seemed an avenue worth investigating. He turned to the birds gathered around the mannequin and yelled.
"Can any of you understand me? I am Augustus the Divine Arbiter, and if you assist me, you may be spared the wrath of Azungrada!"
The birds returned his invitation with a series of incomprehensible squawks and screeches. He couldn't even tell if any of them were actually trying to talk to him.
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse