Two Goblets

 Grabbing the Goblets she wondered if this could really work. Do these goblets take you to another dimension, or to a different world? She had to find out for herself. This was too tempting to pass off as some mumbo jumbo. Was she really going through with this? As personnel of the investigative team for the enchanted, divine, occult and arcane, Agent Moonsugar had the job of collecting any artifact or trinket with some signs of magic or paranormal mixed in. Handpicked from the ranks of the Black Coats, Irene Moonsugar held experience with the undead, shapeshifters, ancient dark warlocks, some ethereal monsters, shamans, beasts from folk tales, multiverse creatures, and aliens under her belt. It was a lot to encounter in the course of four years. At the age of thirty-two she felt a little accomplished by this job. She served in the Black Coats from the age of eighteen until the age of twenty-eight. Behind her stood the mechanical dragon lord some knight took down three years ago. Her coworkers put it together, which made her snigger at them behind their backs. It took them three tries to get it right. She checked to see if anyone else was in the chamber before taking them over to her office. 

Inside a vast exhibition chamber of maroon walls and arches with black veins Agent Moonsugar had her office behind a pillar. A good and bad location. If anyone needed to find her they would have to go behind the pillar near the rest rooms at the back. Making her way up to her office she passed display cases on tables containing the most recent discoveries. With both goblets in her hands, she took a second to glance at three of the exhibits no tourist or regular citizen were allowed to see. The Black Crown of Gimassuun, Piggy Bank of  Aicila Nikkison, and the Gauntlets of Liv rested in their designated cases. Looking down at herself she wondered what everyone would do if she went missing. Everyone wanted to suckle her for hours drinking and enjoy her. That is what Moonsugar did not want to happen. Going ahead with what she was about to do, Irene entered her office. Quickly shutting the door, she locked it. Forced to tuck one of them under her arm pit she dropped a pen. Just leaving the pen there she placed the goblets on the desk. Not in the mood to receive any calls she disconnected the phone from the floor plug connection. 

Irene's office was decorated with inspirational quotes from her favorite celebrities within the country. Beatrice Voidriver the singer, Mariette Evenglide the Model-Seamstress, and Noel Icestone the clever dancer choreographer, and actress. Their quotes meant everything to her. Before she could read one of the quotes the Goblets started glowing at the embedded gems. One Goblet was decorated with a topaz, and the other had a finely carved emerald. Seeing them both glow like this freaked her out. Irene went for a bottle of wine inside the side cabinet on the wall. Inside the cabinet she had eight of her favorite drinks. Eager to get through the glowing gem situation Irene snatched up the white liquor bottle. Pouring some in the goblet with the emerald, she prepared to drink from it. Irene's world sort of stopped as her heart beats slowed then quickened. Growing louder her heartbeat thumps engulfed the room. Irene could only hear the heartbeats. Taking a drink from the Goblet she saw the other Goblet Levitate then shoot straight for her. The other one ripped out of her grasp and spun around her while the other did the same counterclockwise. Enshrouded in a whirlpool Irene stood still with amazement and fear, scared of what was happening before her eyes. She wanted to scream for them to stop, but nothing came out of her mouth. Inside a whirlpool of green, gold, and white she felt sick. Expecting her stomach to churn and force her to upchuck the wine Irene sat down. Instead of the fine carpet her hands felt she was sitting on sand. Picking up the sand in her hand she looked at it with disbelief. 

After what felt like an hour the Goblets stopped spinning to reveal her surroundings. Irene's surroundings were no longer an office, but an Oasis in what appeared to be a desert full of dunes. Getting up to check it out a figure came up to the oasis. Astride a camel creature the figure dressed in a blue desert cloak that covered them head to toe. Irene called for them, but her voice did not reach them. Was she in some kind of dream or hallucination? Moving around she discovered an abandoned village in the desert and oasis jungle. Beside the village she found a mechanical golem, shut down for some reason. Approaching this golem Irene was confused by the markings. These markings were unfamiliar to her. Recalling all the runes she studied, and saw, she could not put a finger on what these markings were. She was not on the planet she was born on. All the Golems were either nonexistent, in a museum, or torn apart and turned to scrap metal.  Searching herself Irene looked for a piece of paper and something to write on. Finding nothing to use she looked for a piece to remove and take back with her. Whatever figure she saw noticed her and called to her from the grouping of palm trees. Giving up on the markings Irene snatched up the goblets. Unsure if she recognized the language Irene still went over to the blue cloaked figure. She still tried grasping where she was or if she was sent to some other dimension. Approaching the blue cloaked figure Irene was greeted by a grouping of small green marble sized balls that emitted from their hand. Ducking down she assumed the little balls were shot at her. She was wrong about that. 

Whoever this blue cloaked figure was they sent the green marble lights towards a wooden statue that resembled a winged feathery lizard of some sort. Sitting on a stone pillar the wooden carving near the same village of the golem animated before Irene's eyes. Turning around she kept telling herself this was just a dream and clutched the two goblets. Glaring at the one she drank from Irene suspected this had something to do with a prank. Irene's profession slapped the idea out of her mind. Looking at the Blue Cloaked figure Irene made herself blind to the statue's movement. The figure pointed at her and said something she barely understood. Some dialect of desert elf. From behind the statue swooped at her. Using wooden talons, it grabbed her by the shoulders. At its animator's or conjurer's beckoning the statue brought Irene over to them. Just as it dropped her on the sand, something else burst out of the abandoned village. A brass statue, standing ten feet tall holding an instrument, came alive. Causing the base, and its foundation to shake and crack, the brass crafted statue broke itself free. Emerging from its stance it stood at a towering nineteen feet tall. This was not her day at all. Irene was expecting something different, not something that would try killing her. At least that is what she believed when seeing the wooden carving statue came to life. 

Exiting the village, the brass statue glanced around at the living figures that barely came up to its knees or so it appeared. Resembling a tribal figure with a large hat, and beard, the stature also wielding a brass tribal horn with ornaments dangling from it. Grasping its instrument, the brass put the piece to its metal lips and emitted a horrible metallic screeching sound from the instrument that looked like a horn she saw in a museum somewhere. It had holes like the instrument that was decorated in civil tribal markings. Irene had to cover her ears as did the blue cloaked figure that sent the other statue to attack the brass giant. Watching the wooden carving go after the metallic figure she wondered if the figure could also reanimate the metallic golem. When she turned to the figure another one emerged from the village in a maroon-colored robe. Irene guessed this was some enemy of the blue cloaked figure who immediately threw a knife at them with their powers. 

Irene felt herself up for a weapon but found a small handgun she always kept on her. Drawing her little pistol she shot at the maroon figure in the leg, and side. Not intending to wait for them to react Irene rushed over to the Oasis. Diving on the ground she dipped the other goblet into the water. Quickly gulping it down to see what would happen the sand swirled around her. Experiencing the same effect only with sand, pebbles, rocks, and water swirling around her Irene closed her eyes. The feeling of throwing up grew intense, and she could not hold back. Holding on to herself she waited for it bring her to wherever it took her before throwing up on the floor of her own office rug. One she swore would never get any stains on it, ever.