The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 1: The town of anglers and worms

Nightmarish Scourges could learn a thing or two from upper class humans. The malicious glee in their faces when attempting to humiliate others for one, and how to emit the appropriate amount of spit to thoroughly disgust their listeners when yelling profanities for another. It was enough to make fabulously murderous fantasies seem rather reasonable after all.

Lucius Cromwell would never relay this observation however. He much preferred the pale, wrinkled abomination his Scourge of choice had chosen to represent its otherworldly presence.

"You do know I can hear your thoughts though?"

Lucius let out a sigh only a person under constant, unhallowed surveillance could as the creature in question made itself known, and he clicked his tongue.

Even you wouldn't stoop so low.

"A physical appearance is bad enough to begin with, but no soul on your plane is worth looking like that."

Lucius shifted his focus back to the unbecoming commotion he was walking away from, grateful to finally be out of the spit-zone. He should never have offered to come down there in person.

Agreed.

"Did you hear that, Lady Cromwell!?" Mr. Whitbrow, the goatish owner of one of many fishmonger places in town spouted as he followed Lucius' steps, gesturing back at Miss Duval who was in the process of rolling up the yellowed sleeves of her dress as if threatening to throw a punch.

Lucius had not heard, and he was certain he wouldn't have wanted to anyway, but for the sake of his job he at least had to pretend.

"I'm afraid no further physical violence will be tolerated, Miss Duval," he therefore raised his voice to announce. The guards had already broken up three fights before Lucius got there and that was more than enough. "As you all know I've already made my decision and you can go back about your day."

He turned his head in Whitbrow's direction.

"And with that, I believe I have other matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me."

"But surely you can't be serious?" Mr. Whitbrow threw his hands out, and Lucius found it impossible to ignore that the man's sleeves were too short. "I'm even offering them money to get out of that building. Worms like them should be grateful if anything!"

Scourgefucking angler.

Lucius had no desire to hear more of the situation, but he suppressed his discomfort with a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, my dear Mr. Whitbrow, the money you offer for them to leave that building isn't enough for them to find a place to live anywhere else. While I understand you feel like it's inconveniencing your business, throwing people out on the streets for such a small reason just isn't right, is it?"

"They're not just inconveniencing my business, they'll have it shut down all together!" Mr. Whitbrow went as far as to shake his fist back at Miss Duval, who had decided to fold her bony arms instead of readying them for a fight. "No one will even come close if people like them live right next to it!"

"Well my reasoning, as I've told you twice already, is that Miss Duval and her children needed a place to live, they found out that building's upper apartment had been abandoned a few months ago and took their chance." Lucius raised his shoulders in a light shrug, only realising afterwards that it probably came off as rude. "They did claim it first and unfortunate or not, their need to survive comes before you expanding your business into another building."

Mr. Whitbrow was taken aback, and began a sentence only to interrupt it several times before getting it out properly.

"With all due respect, Lady Cromwell, it's not about me expanding my business, it's about vermin from The Entrails spreading into the nicer parts of town and ruining them!"