Master Vargas passed the test with flying colors! Khavur had to reign in its surprise. There were many things Khavur could do in a week, its mind had already begun the planning process... although it might just come back early, perhaps to impress Master Vargas, but more so to begin on the Draco project it was genuinely interested in.

The motivations were stirring in the air, many threads to the weave of fates being built today. Generosity, calculation, caution? The particular case, Khavur did not know, but the test had now made certain that Master Vargas was indeed capable of adaptation, just like any steward of Chaos. With that attitude, someday there may not be any more Orthoclase-Alphas!

Take that as you will.

"Thank you Master Vargas. I will report in when I return." If you want a modern translation, that would amount to: 'Thanks for the leave, boss! See you later.' And, if we continued with that transmutation of dystopian war setting to dystopian office job setting, we might have a scene where, immediately upon leaving the boss's office, Khavur would pump its fist in the air and have a moment of private celebration.

Ah, but most transmutations are imperfect works of fiction. You cannot turn gold into mercury, you cannot turn a kaiju into a traumatized business-dude. But, just this once, you can have a little kaiju victory wiggle upon making absolutely certain that no one is in sight.

...Woo! GACK, venom--

- exit -

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

"Very good."

Vargas glanced after it, watched it go--and turned back toward his work. Would Khavur view his generosity with the surprise it deserved? Perhaps. Vargas did not particularly care; the gesture was there, and hopefully it would distract the creature from the horror that had so tarnished the meeting in a slash of blood.

They all deserved that much, at least. The lesson could not have possibly been missed; there was no need for any of them to simmer in it. And anyway, he did intend to treat well those who performed: Khavur had, for the most part, been willing.

They would see, perhaps, how far it would go.

exit