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

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

---

It wasn't long before Augustus found Cepra. Much to his annoyance, she hadn't been caught in the explosion.

He saw her tending to some unfamiliar mechanical creature, and in the distance, he saw the accursed leech that had taken control of his mind fleeing the scene.

For a moment, Augustus thought of seeking his vengeance. But no, he concluded; he needed to prove himself to Azungrada, and that meant making an effort to retrieve Saturday's coin.

And then the spider woman started talking to him.

"Hello!" she shouted. Much to Augustus' surprise, he understood her.

Presumably, then, she would understand him as well.

"I've come for the coin you stole," he said, advancing towards her. "Hand it over now, I really don't have time for this."

"Pardon?" Cepra asked.

"What do you mean, 'pardon', you imbecilic creature? I could hardly have been more clear!"

"Perhaps circular alphabetic character shall allow understanding," the small robot in Cepra's hands suddenly said.

"What?" Augustus thought for a moment.

"Outwitted? How worrisome. Your knowledge's no good, obviously," Cepra replied.

It took Augustus a moment before he was able to piece together the link between robot's suggestion and what Cepra had just sad.

"Do you possess one stolen coin?" Augustus asked, this time more accusatively.

"Own coin only," she said calmly, pointing to the one behind her goggles. "Lost yours?"

Augustus paused. He did have one of these silly coins, didn't he? He checked his pocket quickly to be sure.

"No. Other fellow's coin. Our contract obligates locating, on condition of reciprocation."

"Oh," Cepra said. She scurried away as he drew closer. "How unfortunate for you."

"No possibility of prevarication on your words?"

"Stole coin, lost coin, now bored of our common comrade." She pointed at Redclaw and Triumphian fighting some distance away; the fight appeared to primarily consist of one of them picking up the other and slamming him against a tree, then having the opponent break free and return the favor.

"Found those two, explosion enveloped our bodies," she explained. "Your words more comprehensible now."

"Only some words, however," Augustus replied, drawing closer. "Prove you've no coin, or would force compel more cooperation?"

"Halt, invaders!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind them. Augustus and Cepra turned to the voice, and saw a larger, much less friendly robot than the one Cepra currently held in hand.

"Release machine," Assassin said. "Noncompliance shall demand termination."

Cepra looked down at Ampersand, then at Augustus, then at Assassin.

"No problem," she replied, putting down the robot. "Enjoy yourselves!"

She then started to scurry off, but Assassin fired a missile at a nearby tree and it fell in her path.

"Remain at that location," the machine ordered her. "Situation necessitates interrogation."

"Can Ampersand have aid?" the smaller machine asked. "Barely ambulatory."

"Later," Assassin replied. "After gathering adequate information about devastation and establishing threats."

"Acceptable!" Ampersand chirped.

This conversation grows more and more irritating, Augustus grumbled. Oh mighty Azungrada, if only you could do something to rid me of these accursed machines!

***

Saturday's desperate thrashing had knocked Azungrada aside, and after that, the serpent simply lay motionless on the bottom of the lake.

Enforcer's scans did not show the statue to be alive, or mechanical, and it wasn't moving at all. Consequently, it had opted to ignore Azungrada in favor of locating the other intruder, the one which had escaped it.

This would ultimately prove to be a mistake.

Azungrada suddenly lifted itself up, hearing a request from Augustus that it could fulfill. It slithered towards the nearby generator, and reached towards it with its muscular arms.

***

Enforcer suddenly paused in the middle of its conversation and turned back to the lake.

"Detecting movement near Circumvent Generator," it said. "Large being. Intruder, perhaps. Hastening advance preferable."

Before Kruger could respond, the robot had already turned toward the lake and was readying a weapon of some sort.

"Detection negative regarding lifesigns, mechanisms," it said. "Restricts simple neutralization possibilities. Underwater travel advised, further examination necessary."

And then the lake erupted around them, flinging a large metallic snake through the air. Kruger quickly retreated to the safety of the mannequin, leaving it, Enforcer, and Vex's Encyclopedia drenched.