Oracle and The Hierophant

Seated in the place of honor on a raised platform on the second floor, Nast glanced at the pirate kneeling below and spoke with authority:

"Dawak, you should understand that what you're doing violates the rules I set."

"Yes, my lord! But when you made those rules, you didn't say they couldn't be broken. You said those who broke them would be punished..." The man named Dawak glanced toward the lounge occupied by Pale Admiral, his voice thick with resentment. "I'm willing to bear any consequence, so long as you give me a chance to duel Maria fairly.

"That is a request—a transaction. It has nothing to do with whether I broke your rules."

Nast nodded slightly. He was, after all, a Beyonder of the Lawyer Pathway, not an Arbiter. Finding loopholes in rules and exploiting them was his trade, so he actually approved of Dawak's argument.

Bird Mustin, second mate of the Black Emperor and the Horror Viscount with a bounty of over ten thousand pounds, stepped beside Nast and said respectfully, "My lord, as far as I know, Dawak is a brute. Someone must have taught him what to say."

"That doesn't matter." Nast paid it no mind. He raised a hand to stroke his short black beard, making his already towering figure seem larger still. His presence alone weighed on the entire palace hall, plunging it into a dark, oppressive hush.

Even the rowdy pirates fell silent.

Several seconds passed before he looked down at Dawak and said:

"I can grant your request... provided Pale Admiral accepts your challenge. But whether she agrees to the duel or not, and whatever its outcome, you will be punished with death for breaking my rules."

Dawak seemed to have anticipated the King of the Five Seas' answer. Though he had