Vostus was sitting calmly next to his brother Iyseuss. They both were slowly sipping freshly made tea and admiring their surroundings. They were in a temple in the deepest part of a forest, a place where even a god could lose themselves if they weren't careful.
The leaves rustled and the trees swayed in the wind as the two drank.
Until Iyseuss broke the calm.
"Brother… does it not get to you?"
"Does what?" Vostus asked for clarification and took another sip of his drink.
"Everything. We walk amongst the races, but you have to hide away in the Tower or this temple. It's unfair."
"I prefer the solitude brother. They all have their own will, did we not make them that way? As such, its only right that they have opinions. I won't get angry at them for that." Vostus answered calmly.
"But-! Ah…" Iyseuss shut his mouth and turned to look out the window, "It's not your fault though."
"Iyseuss. Life without death is life without meaning. I truly believe that. I am just doing my duty despite their hatred towards me. It's not as if I don't understand them or their actions."
Iyseuss just continued looking out the window in silence as Vostus sipped his tea. Minutes passed by and eventually Vostus laid down an empty cup.
"Thank you for the tea brother." Vostus said with a smile before getting up from the mat they were sitting upon.
"Vostus, if it ever gets too hard, tell me. Please."
"What kind of older brother would I be if I put all my burdens onto you." He laughed.
"You're forgetting we're twins. You're only older by a hundred years, you big goof."
"Still older." Vostus smiled and left the building.
Iyseuss shook his head with a sigh and reached towards his drink.
"Ugh. Its cold." Iyseuss said with a shiver before pouring out his tea.
Vostus walked underneath the fall leaves that glided gently to the ground. The beautiful colors brought vibrant life to the world, but only after the leaves had died. Vostus smiled at that thought.
He made his way to a small bridge running over a tiny creek. He stopped there and took in the sight.
All the tiny threads of fate that ran through the river from the fish looked astonishing to Vostus. They weaved in and out, following the complex current. However his serenity was quickly ruined when he heard a commotion. With a sigh he stepped back from the railing and vanished from the bridge.
He immediately reappeared in a completely different location. There were now buildings all around him and the bar that housed the commotion sat just in front of him.
Even from outside the building he could easily hear the shouts, although being a god probably gave him an advantage in that regard.
"Ah, Vostus, you're already here?"
Vostus looked over and saw Erus. Recently his adventures into creating a new form of magic had taken place so he had wounds all over his arms as a result. To combat them, he wrapped them in bandages. It didn't help much, but it was something.
"Yes, it seems there's an argument inside." Vostus replied.
"Well that's why I came running over." Erus said with a smile. "Look, I'll handle it, so don't worry."
Vostus looked at Erus with a frown and shooed him away.
"I'll be fine, they won't hurt my feelings."
"I more so meant for their sake, what if you give them a heart attack on the way in?"
"Well that's just what fate has in store then." Vostus gave Erus a slight bow before turning to head into the building. Erus scratched his head in worry before vanishing.
Upon entering the building a glass mug smashed against the wall next to him, dousing him in alcohol. He tilted his head momentarily and looked at the wall. With a sigh he placed his hand on the wall and repaired a tiny crack that had formed on it before making the alcohol disappear from his body.
He looked around and noticed that not a single soul had noticed him. Instead, everyone was focused on the two arguing.
"You damned cheat!"
"You're the damn cheat! Don't think I didn't notice you swap out your cards!"
A dwarf and a woman were having what was very rapidly going from a petty squabble to a fight. The woman lifted the dwarf by his shirt and yelled some more.
On the table next to them, aside from the sheer amount of alcohol, was a game of cards. It seemed that was why they were fighting.
Vostus walked forward while the two pushed each other. When people started noticing him, they all grew dreadfully silent.
"Which one is it?" He heard some whispers.
"He has those tags dangling from his ears, I've heard only Vostus wears them." Then some more.
"My daughter is dead because of you!" Suddenly a beer was thrown at him. He didn't care however and just let it hit him. "Why would you separate us like this?!"
The person who threw the mug collapsed to the floor with tears falling from their eyes.
People quickly began comforting her as Vostus watched the scene with tired eyes.
Vostus hadn't done anything except create the concept of death. His brother created life, the other gods did the rest of the steps in between, then at the end was Vostus, awaiting to take whoever passed on to the afterlife.
They didn't appreciate him however. After all, why would they when they could live forever? So Vostus simply took their abuse, although he disagreed with them.
There was more to it than what Vostus told them, especially about the afterlife, but they never listened. Instead his words always fell on deaf ears so he eventually stopped telling them.
Despite the outburst, the two arguing didn't even spare a glance in Vostus' direction.
"Can you two take a moment and calm down?" Vostus asked when he arrived at their table.
"Who the hell are you?!" The woman snapped.
The dwarf looked over towards Vostus and shrank back with wide eyes. It seemed he had instantly sobered up.
"Y-yes sir." He said with a gulp.
"You know this bag'a dicks?" The woman asked the dwarf with a gasp while pointing at Vostus.
"…"
The entire bar quickly grew silent as they all looked towards the woman in confusion and shock.
"I feel like I'm missing something…" She stroked her lips with a concentrated expression.
Vostus opened his mouth to say something but she quickly interrupted him with a drunken hiccup.
"You! What's your name?" She pointed at Vostus again.
"Vostus."
"V-Vostus? What the hell kinda name is that? Sounds like a baby made it!"
"…" Vostus looked at her in silence with apparent confusion on his face.
Eventually he opened his mouth and calmly said, "I think you've had one too many drinks miss."
The bartender coughed, "S-sir, she only had a single shot and she was sipping it. The rest was for the dwarf."
She hiccuped again but this time a tiny flame shot out of her mouth and she fell towards the floor. Vostus quickly grabbed her before she smashed into the ground.
"Flames… so she's a dragon."
Vostus lifted her up with a sigh.
"Does anyone know where she lives?"
"Aye." The dwarf burped and left the building with a wobble. Apparently, he lost his hostility when sobering up.
'For a dwarf to get so drunk… what kind of gamer were they even playing?' Vostus thought before shaking his head.
They walked throughout the stone and marble city and most people avoided Vostus upon noticing his tags. With each step the dwarf seemed to sober up more and more.
"Alright, I think I'm all good now laddie. My feet seem to be properly rooted to the ground now, I can take her the rest of the way."
"No!" She grumbled with groggy eyes before leaning into Vostus' chest, "It's warm here."
"Ma'am…"
"Ma'am? I'll have you know I'm ten thousand years old! I'm still in my prime!" She complained with tears in her eyes, as if she'd been gravely offended.
Vostus sighed again.
"Alright." He made up his mind and looked at the dwarf, "I don't mind carrying her, but I still don't know the way to her home."
The dwarf scratched his head.
"Its just down the road. Come on."
It didn't take long before they stood in front of a shabby little shack.
"You're home miss." Vostus said.
"Ah?" She took her head away from Vostus and looked around. Then she laughed, got out of Vostus' grip and fell to the ground. He clicked his tongue in response as he watched the dragon in humanoid form slowly get up.
Then she barfed in a hedge.
"Home sweet home." She said with a smile while opening her little door. Vostus could see a tiny pile of copper coins laying on the floor and the dragon slowly walked over and sat on it. However, not before she gently kneaded the coins much like a cat.
"See ya dwarfy." She said out the door, much like the dwarf, she didn't have any hostility anymore.
"Aye." The dwarf responded simply.
"And see ya… what was your name again?"
"Vostus."
"…I don't think I'll be able to remember that. See ya Vostuck."
"It's-"
She closed the door with her foot before Vostus could correct her. The dwarf scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I wouldn't worry about her sir, she's always like that. One the weirder side, I mean. She's a lot less rude when not drunk."
"No, it's alright. I don't mind." Vostus said with a shrug.
"If I may sir?"
"Yes?"
"You're not as bad as everyone says. I expected your personality to be, ah, what's the word… Ah! I expected you to be far more sinister sir."
"Oh… I see." Vostus didn't dwell much on the topic before bidding the dwarf farewell and disappearing.
***
The next day, the dwarf stood outside the dragons door and gave it a hearty knock.
"Ohhhh Sybell! Have I got a story for you!"
"Ugh…" Sybell's eyes opened with extreme pain as a massive migraine assaulted her mind.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Knock one more time!" She snapped.
The dwarf took a step back and noticed a ton of smoke rising out from the windows.
"Hangover?"
"Ugh." She lazily kicked open the door while laying on her tiny pile of coins. "What do you think?"
"That you're in perfectly good spirits." He answered sarcastically.
"Har, har, har. What're you doin' here? You know I don't like being disturbed on hangover day." She leaned back with a sigh while rubbing her temples. She had the urge to throw up but she was resisting with all her might.
"Yesterday you called the God of Death's name dumb to his face."
Then her resolve crumbled and she ran to her terribly made bathroom.
She came back a few minutes later with bags under her eyes.
"You missed a spot." The dwarf tapped his cheek.
She wiped the throw up off her cheek.
"What happened! Tell me everything!"
The dwarf smiled and quickly recounted the story.
"Oh gods."
"Oh gods indeed." The dwarf chuckled.
"I need to apologize!"
"I wouldn't worry about it, he didn't seem bothered by it."
"Dragons have more pride than a dwarf." She retorted. "Also, what happens if he decides to shorten my lifespan? Ah! But I've barely made my money pile yet!"
Her eyes widened and her lips began trembling.
"Do you know where he lives? I have to apologize!"
"I've not a clue. Why not try the Tower? Maybe you can seek counsel with the other gods and they can tell you."
"Ah!" She exclaimed in delight, "Your tiny little dwarf brain is brilliant!"
She quickly got up from her money pile and ran out the shack. However she accidentally spilled some of the coins from the pile so she ran back and quickly put them back.
"Perfect!" She smiled with wide eyes and ran out the shack.
The dwarf scoffed incredulously before laughing.
"By the gods she's a wreck, heh, heh, heh."
Before she got too far, he leaned out of her shack and yelled, "You also called him a bag of dicks!"
In the far distance he could hear a scream of fright.