Seph had heard the buzz about the new position at The Libra,
heard something about High translation, and about polearms, and inquired immediately.
He found that there was already a crowd outside the The Libra, and — though he had brought a hastily drawn resume and ran himself through interview questions prior coming — it seemed that the hiring process was not really going in a convention manner at all. Rather, one at a time, students would enter the store and then either leave immediately or leave a moment later, bleeding from some part of their body. Seeing the blood, Seph felt an extra chill move through his body.
The rest of the crowd of students just appeared to be watching.
Seph hesitated a while, but fell in line anyway, thinking that it was long and would give him ample time to think about whether he wanted to do this. He did need a job — and didn't qualify for others in the area. Restaurants required a food permit as certified by Low Anthem Committee Standard, which would take Seph at least another month to obtain; the other labs required a cetain amount of scientific knowledge which Seph lacked completely. There were normal stores too, but they tended to hire out the students rather than some newly-moved-in, uneducated person.
The other students were remaking on him, he noticed immediately, and with some grimness; they tried to keep it quiet but he had a pretty good ear, and self-consciously he rubbed the back of his neck.
"He's sweating pretty bad," one of them noted with a slight, disgusted laugh, and Seph looked down at the palm of his hand, which was indeed gleaming with moisture. It wasn't sweat — it was condensation — but it would take too long to explain. He ignored the student.
Soon he reached the doorframe, stepping aside briskly as a student ran out, clutching his forehead, which was bleeding profusely. There was a gasp from the surrounding crowd, and the student collapsed into them, yelling. Seph watched momentarily as they started to carry him off in the direction of the University's medical department, and turned back inside the store.
He hadn't really been expecting what he saw; he'd known what The Libra essentially was, but somehow also expected it to have a semblance of order. There were books everywhere, except where there had been a space that looked hastily cleared away, in front of a counter, a little brawlcircle lined with towers of books. There was some blood on the floor, and a halberd there too, discarded hastily.
There was a golem present too, and Seph eyed it warily.
"From myself to the heavens," it said, in a rather slow and slurry voice that emanated from somewhere at its grill of a sternum. It had spoken in High and Seph nodded and said back, "From the heavens back unto you," which was the literal translation of Anthem High's version of "Hi."
The golem seemed not displeased, and immediately its arm extended, twisted, with a glimmer of flexible hydraurum. Its fingers twisted around the handle of a rather short-looking halberd. Seph quickly picked his up.
"Handed are the left?" the golem said with a tone that indicated surprise.
Seph hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant. "Or right-handed, if you want," he said finally, tossing it to the other hand. He waited a moment to see some approval from the golem, but instead it lunged, the point of the halbert pointing at him; Seph gasped and dodged, but wasn't quite fast enough, and the blade sliced through his upper arm.
He cursed under his breath and quickly retaliated, swinging the halberd (a little clumsily) so its axe-half would chop the golem's left arm off; the golem however, caught it with a whip of its other arm, which now reformed and twisted like a tentacle around the tarnished metal.
Seph shouted in surprise — the golem yanked him off balance, and he slid, palms sliding on the blood-covered floor, he fell full length on it and turned around on his back in fear. The golem looked down at him, his body suddenly bursting into a furious scarlet.
"I that is what color," the golem demanded, and Seph stared at him for a moment, and then realized, and shouted, "Red!"
"You that is hired," the golem said, and helped him up. Outside, the students cheered, and eventually dissipated, and together Seph and the golem cleaned up all the blood.
He found that there was already a crowd outside the The Libra, and — though he had brought a hastily drawn resume and ran himself through interview questions prior coming — it seemed that the hiring process was not really going in a convention manner at all. Rather, one at a time, students would enter the store and then either leave immediately or leave a moment later, bleeding from some part of their body. Seeing the blood, Seph felt an extra chill move through his body.
The rest of the crowd of students just appeared to be watching.
Seph hesitated a while, but fell in line anyway, thinking that it was long and would give him ample time to think about whether he wanted to do this. He did need a job — and didn't qualify for others in the area. Restaurants required a food permit as certified by Low Anthem Committee Standard, which would take Seph at least another month to obtain; the other labs required a cetain amount of scientific knowledge which Seph lacked completely. There were normal stores too, but they tended to hire out the students rather than some newly-moved-in, uneducated person.
The other students were remaking on him, he noticed immediately, and with some grimness; they tried to keep it quiet but he had a pretty good ear, and self-consciously he rubbed the back of his neck.
"He's sweating pretty bad," one of them noted with a slight, disgusted laugh, and Seph looked down at the palm of his hand, which was indeed gleaming with moisture. It wasn't sweat — it was condensation — but it would take too long to explain. He ignored the student.
Soon he reached the doorframe, stepping aside briskly as a student ran out, clutching his forehead, which was bleeding profusely. There was a gasp from the surrounding crowd, and the student collapsed into them, yelling. Seph watched momentarily as they started to carry him off in the direction of the University's medical department, and turned back inside the store.
He hadn't really been expecting what he saw; he'd known what The Libra essentially was, but somehow also expected it to have a semblance of order. There were books everywhere, except where there had been a space that looked hastily cleared away, in front of a counter, a little brawlcircle lined with towers of books. There was some blood on the floor, and a halberd there too, discarded hastily.
There was a golem present too, and Seph eyed it warily.
"From myself to the heavens," it said, in a rather slow and slurry voice that emanated from somewhere at its grill of a sternum. It had spoken in High and Seph nodded and said back, "From the heavens back unto you," which was the literal translation of Anthem High's version of "Hi."
The golem seemed not displeased, and immediately its arm extended, twisted, with a glimmer of flexible hydraurum. Its fingers twisted around the handle of a rather short-looking halberd. Seph quickly picked his up.
"Handed are the left?" the golem said with a tone that indicated surprise.
Seph hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant. "Or right-handed, if you want," he said finally, tossing it to the other hand. He waited a moment to see some approval from the golem, but instead it lunged, the point of the halbert pointing at him; Seph gasped and dodged, but wasn't quite fast enough, and the blade sliced through his upper arm.
He cursed under his breath and quickly retaliated, swinging the halberd (a little clumsily) so its axe-half would chop the golem's left arm off; the golem however, caught it with a whip of its other arm, which now reformed and twisted like a tentacle around the tarnished metal.
Seph shouted in surprise — the golem yanked him off balance, and he slid, palms sliding on the blood-covered floor, he fell full length on it and turned around on his back in fear. The golem looked down at him, his body suddenly bursting into a furious scarlet.
"I that is what color," the golem demanded, and Seph stared at him for a moment, and then realized, and shouted, "Red!"
"You that is hired," the golem said, and helped him up. Outside, the students cheered, and eventually dissipated, and together Seph and the golem cleaned up all the blood.
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