Re: The Fearsome Encounter (GBS3G8) [Round 2: Oh Two Oh]
05-11-2012, 04:42 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
"He dares to call upon Azungrada as an errand boy?" Augustus growled. "Such insolence! Whoever this man is, he has earned himself nothing save our Judgement!"
In his rage, the Divine Arbiter was oblivious to the attention his tirade was drawing from the next table. In fact, it hadn't registered with him that there was a next table at all, or for that matter, that he had materialized in a tavern filled with unsavory types.
Three of the unsavory types in question watched Augustus' anstics for about five minutes, before he suddenly turned to his snake statue and went silent.
"So what do you make of this guy, Ab?" the smallest of the three asked as he climbed the side of his mug. "Drunk, or mad?"
Not waiting for an answer, the lizardlike creature removed his hooded cloak and dove into his drink, a contented smile on his face as his head popped above the surface.
"Goin' with mad," the largest of them replied, raising his own drink with one hand while scratching his chin with another and resting his lower pair of arms on the table. "And would you quit tossin' yer clothes around, Errat? Some of us prefer not to see our colleagues in the nude, y'know."
"But then I'd have to wear beer-soaked robes all day," Errat said, reclining. "Anyhow, 'snot my fault yer jealous of my body. Ain't that right, Ion?"
The blue-skinned humanoid simply snarled something incomprehensible, then poured one of his six beers out onto his forehead. He then smiled as his skin shifted to a light orange.
"I told you guys, I don't get involved in yer fights," Ion said, relaxing. "I'm only here for the business, and it seems to me that there's a good bit of it to be had here."
"It better be profitable, Ion," Ab growled. "Only reason I don't get picked on for bein' the only one at the table to actually drink is that I get paid well for stickin' with you losers."
"I do drink!" Ion protested, pouring another beer on his head and turning a pale green, and his voice took on a feminine tone. "I just do it through my skin. Far more convenient that way, I don't know why you other species insist on complicating it with so many ." He poured a third beer and turned a bright violet, his voice turning more serious. "But let's focus on the matter at hand. Would you like to know what that snake of his is made of?"
"Looks like silver to me," Ab replied, gulping down the last of his drink.
Ion shook his head.
"Zanite."
Ab spewed his drink out in surprise. Ion turned jet-black as the drink struck his skin, and he continued, although sounding slightly more annoyed.
"Ahem. As I was saying. Other than the jewels in its eyes, that serpent is made, head to tail, of the purest sample of Zanite I've ever sensed. I'm sure you know what that means regarding its price."
Errat climbed out of his glass, dried himself on a napkin, and put his cloak back on. He smirked.
"Worth enough to risk the theft penalty?"
Ion nodded, then grabbed Errat's glass and poured it onto his hand. He turned a silvery color and smirked.
"Gotta say, Errat, you really add a nice flavor to this stuff."
Augustus' audience hadn't realized that their next victim was in the middle of a conversation. This was largely because he wasn't actually talking, and as far as they could see, no one was talking to him.
In truth, however, Augustus was receiving new orders from his God.
Recall your duty, Arbiter.
"To guide you to new worlds, and to judge the sinful," he said.
And is this not a new world? And does it not have sinners?
"It is, and it does, O Destroyer."
Do not lose sight of your duty, Arbiter. Judge this world. Judge their sins.
"Of... of course. I allowed my anger to blind me. Forgive me, O Destroyer."
No.
Augustus could say nothing. That one word filled him with great sorrow, for he knew he had failed.
I am disappointed in you, Arbiter. You failed to retrieve me from the lake, and you are losing sight of your duty. You have performed well up to now, but I am beginning to have doubts.
"I swear, O Destroyer! I shall not fail you again!"
You must redeem yourself in my eyes, Arbiter. Punish the sinners of this world, and I may forgive you.
"I understand. But what of the man who sent us here?"
You may pass judgement on him once you have proven yourself a worthy Arbiter.
"Yes, O Destroyer."
Until then, as a punishment for your failure, you are to complete the tasks he assigns you. So long as they do not interfere with my will, of course.
"What?"
That is my judgement. Do you question it, Arbiter?
"...I do not. I am your loyal servant, Azungrada."
But are you a capable servant? That is what concerns me.
"I shall prove my worth to you. I swear it."
Augustus snapped out of his trance. Azungrada had finished, and he was disappointed. And why not? Augustus had failed his God. There was no denying that.
He unfolded the slip of paper to learn the item he was to retrieve. He would find it, and then he would pass judgement on this new world, and prove himself worthy of his title.
"A petrified Roagarian Slugmonkey?" he muttered to himself. "What's that, and where could I possibly find one... urgh."
Augustus' thoughts were interrupted by a small venomous lizard biting his neck. He fell unconscious, his head landing on the table in front of him.
"There, got 'im," Errat said, hopping off his . "But I'm gonna want another beer. Humans taste awful."
"It'll have to wait," Ion said. "Ab, take the statue."
Ab sighed, wrapped all four arms around the snake, and lifted it up.
"Damn, this is heavy," he grumbled. "And I think it's movin' a little, too."
"Don't be absurd, Ab," Ion replied. "The Zanite's too thick for there to be any circuitry in there. It looks pretty flexible, you're probably feeling it swing around a bit."
"Feels more like strugglin' to me, and I oughta know," Ab muttered under his breath.
"Leave through the back," Ion continued, ignoring his larger colleague. "I'll start a distraction."
"Please tell me you don't mean a song," Errat sighed.
Ion opened up his jacket and dumped his sixth beer on his chest, turning turquoise as it soaked in.
"Thanks for the suggestion!" he said, grinning widely. "Meet up with you later. Don't go negotiating with the buyer without me."
Before either of his colleagues could say another word, Ion ran off to the middle of the tavern and began his song.
"He dares to call upon Azungrada as an errand boy?" Augustus growled. "Such insolence! Whoever this man is, he has earned himself nothing save our Judgement!"
In his rage, the Divine Arbiter was oblivious to the attention his tirade was drawing from the next table. In fact, it hadn't registered with him that there was a next table at all, or for that matter, that he had materialized in a tavern filled with unsavory types.
Three of the unsavory types in question watched Augustus' anstics for about five minutes, before he suddenly turned to his snake statue and went silent.
"So what do you make of this guy, Ab?" the smallest of the three asked as he climbed the side of his mug. "Drunk, or mad?"
Not waiting for an answer, the lizardlike creature removed his hooded cloak and dove into his drink, a contented smile on his face as his head popped above the surface.
"Goin' with mad," the largest of them replied, raising his own drink with one hand while scratching his chin with another and resting his lower pair of arms on the table. "And would you quit tossin' yer clothes around, Errat? Some of us prefer not to see our colleagues in the nude, y'know."
"But then I'd have to wear beer-soaked robes all day," Errat said, reclining. "Anyhow, 'snot my fault yer jealous of my body. Ain't that right, Ion?"
The blue-skinned humanoid simply snarled something incomprehensible, then poured one of his six beers out onto his forehead. He then smiled as his skin shifted to a light orange.
"I told you guys, I don't get involved in yer fights," Ion said, relaxing. "I'm only here for the business, and it seems to me that there's a good bit of it to be had here."
"It better be profitable, Ion," Ab growled. "Only reason I don't get picked on for bein' the only one at the table to actually drink is that I get paid well for stickin' with you losers."
"I do drink!" Ion protested, pouring another beer on his head and turning a pale green, and his voice took on a feminine tone. "I just do it through my skin. Far more convenient that way, I don't know why you other species insist on complicating it with so many ." He poured a third beer and turned a bright violet, his voice turning more serious. "But let's focus on the matter at hand. Would you like to know what that snake of his is made of?"
"Looks like silver to me," Ab replied, gulping down the last of his drink.
Ion shook his head.
"Zanite."
Ab spewed his drink out in surprise. Ion turned jet-black as the drink struck his skin, and he continued, although sounding slightly more annoyed.
"Ahem. As I was saying. Other than the jewels in its eyes, that serpent is made, head to tail, of the purest sample of Zanite I've ever sensed. I'm sure you know what that means regarding its price."
Errat climbed out of his glass, dried himself on a napkin, and put his cloak back on. He smirked.
"Worth enough to risk the theft penalty?"
Ion nodded, then grabbed Errat's glass and poured it onto his hand. He turned a silvery color and smirked.
"Gotta say, Errat, you really add a nice flavor to this stuff."
Augustus' audience hadn't realized that their next victim was in the middle of a conversation. This was largely because he wasn't actually talking, and as far as they could see, no one was talking to him.
In truth, however, Augustus was receiving new orders from his God.
Recall your duty, Arbiter.
"To guide you to new worlds, and to judge the sinful," he said.
And is this not a new world? And does it not have sinners?
"It is, and it does, O Destroyer."
Do not lose sight of your duty, Arbiter. Judge this world. Judge their sins.
"Of... of course. I allowed my anger to blind me. Forgive me, O Destroyer."
No.
Augustus could say nothing. That one word filled him with great sorrow, for he knew he had failed.
I am disappointed in you, Arbiter. You failed to retrieve me from the lake, and you are losing sight of your duty. You have performed well up to now, but I am beginning to have doubts.
"I swear, O Destroyer! I shall not fail you again!"
You must redeem yourself in my eyes, Arbiter. Punish the sinners of this world, and I may forgive you.
"I understand. But what of the man who sent us here?"
You may pass judgement on him once you have proven yourself a worthy Arbiter.
"Yes, O Destroyer."
Until then, as a punishment for your failure, you are to complete the tasks he assigns you. So long as they do not interfere with my will, of course.
"What?"
That is my judgement. Do you question it, Arbiter?
"...I do not. I am your loyal servant, Azungrada."
But are you a capable servant? That is what concerns me.
"I shall prove my worth to you. I swear it."
Augustus snapped out of his trance. Azungrada had finished, and he was disappointed. And why not? Augustus had failed his God. There was no denying that.
He unfolded the slip of paper to learn the item he was to retrieve. He would find it, and then he would pass judgement on this new world, and prove himself worthy of his title.
"A petrified Roagarian Slugmonkey?" he muttered to himself. "What's that, and where could I possibly find one... urgh."
Augustus' thoughts were interrupted by a small venomous lizard biting his neck. He fell unconscious, his head landing on the table in front of him.
"There, got 'im," Errat said, hopping off his . "But I'm gonna want another beer. Humans taste awful."
"It'll have to wait," Ion said. "Ab, take the statue."
Ab sighed, wrapped all four arms around the snake, and lifted it up.
"Damn, this is heavy," he grumbled. "And I think it's movin' a little, too."
"Don't be absurd, Ab," Ion replied. "The Zanite's too thick for there to be any circuitry in there. It looks pretty flexible, you're probably feeling it swing around a bit."
"Feels more like strugglin' to me, and I oughta know," Ab muttered under his breath.
"Leave through the back," Ion continued, ignoring his larger colleague. "I'll start a distraction."
"Please tell me you don't mean a song," Errat sighed.
Ion opened up his jacket and dumped his sixth beer on his chest, turning turquoise as it soaked in.
"Thanks for the suggestion!" he said, grinning widely. "Meet up with you later. Don't go negotiating with the buyer without me."
Before either of his colleagues could say another word, Ion ran off to the middle of the tavern and began his song.
Spoiler
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