The Fearsome Encounter (GBS3G8) [Round 3: Ark of Hope]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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"I am the chosen Divine Arbiter of Azungrada! It is outrageous that you would have me go crawling on my hands and knees in search of a mere trinket!"

"Then pray to your great and mighty god for guidance! If he can see anything at the bottom of the lake, that is."

"Your impudence is unbearable!"

"Yeah, well, guess you'll have to find someone else to help you drag your god up then. Oh well!"

Augustus sighed. Much as Mr. Saturday irritated him, the Divine Arbiter had to concede the point.

"Very well. I accept. But know that you are not yet freed from Azungrada's wrath. If you fail to show him proper respect..."

"I got it! I got it! Sorry 'bout that, I just got a little heated there. Really don't want to deal with whatever happens if you lose your coin, see. So let's get crackin'. 'Sgotta be around here somewhere."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Augustus asked.

Saturday looked at him.

"Well, where else could it be? I mean, this is right about where I had a fight with the spider-lady after she grabbed my coin..." Saturday glanced around to see that Cepra had vanished. "Hey! Where'd she go?"

"You had a fight with her and then she just stood around while you looked for the coin?"

"Huh. That is weird, I guess. I didn't think much of it at the time because I was pretty sure she was mocking me, and also I guess neither of us was really in the mood to keep fighting after that penguin barged in?"

Augustus blinked.

"A penguin."

"Yeah. Real big fella. Just barged right in when I nearly had my coin back."

Augustus paused.

"Couldn't the spider or the penguin have grabbed it?"

"I wondered about the penguin for a bit, but nah, don't think so. Pretty sure penguins aren't about the shiny stuff, not like magpies. Seemed like a dumb brute, too. And the spider ain't got it. I was tryin' to get it back from her, but it wasn't where... I saw her put it..."

Mister Saturday slapped his forehead.

"Dammit! She probably stuffed it somewhere else just to watch me hunt for it like an idiot. And now she's run off while I was distracted! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Or the penguin might have taken it over to that doll with all the birds."

Saturday stared.

"Yeah. Huh. Guess it coulda."

Augustus sighed. Even putting aside Saturday's unpleasant mannerisms, the man was an utter imbecile. And yet, he was the only one Augustus could turn to for aid.

Azungrada clearly had a severe test in mind for his Divine Arbiter. But Augustus would not fail.

"Fine. I will search for the spider woman, since you clearly aren't capable of handling her. Meanwhile, you can try to talk some sense into those worthless birds; perhaps you will have more success with them than I did. We will meet at the lake in ten minutes; if neither of us has retrieved the coin by then, we should at least have some idea of which of them took it."

"Good man! Thanks for the help. And, ah, thanks to Azungrundy too."

"Azungrada!"

"Yeah, that also." Saturday walked off, waving to his new associate.

"The birds are that way," Augustus said, pointing the way he'd come.

"Oh! Yeah, that would have been a good question to ask, wouldn't it. Thanks!"

Augustus groaned as his new acquaintance wandered off. Now he'd have to find that worthless spider.

Only then did it strike him that he didn't have the faintest clue where she was.