World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive

by M. A. Carlson

  Enables you to sense the threat you pose an enemy and the likelihood of being attacked. Enables you to sense hidden threats.

  It wasn’t much later the sun set and the children were told to return home, much to Baby’s disappointment. She was just getting the hang of it. Her skill may have been at the maximum level, but it still took practice to get used to it. As an added bonus, Baby earned a total of 11-Wisdom from the exercise.

  Baby found Titan almost right where she left him. Titan was grooming Perses. The Bearfae was combing Perses’s fur with what looked like a rake. Perses meanwhile looked . . . happy, like a puppy that was getting attention, lolling tongue and all.

  “Babs, you’re back,” Titan called excitedly, rushing over and hugging Baby. He set her back on her feet and began speaking rapidly and clearly excited about what he had learned and wanted to share. “You won’t believe it. I gained 76-Charisma today, all from interacting positively with Perses. I learned the skill ‘Beast Grooming’, it gives me a ton of Charisma experience in addition to giving Perses a Charisma boost of his own. Did you know pets care about their appearance? I need to completely rebuild my combat platform. I’m going to need to up my ‘Woodworking’ skill a ton to make it look better. Probably need to learn the ‘Carving’ and ‘Engraving’ subskills to go with it. Tomorrow, Taj and his boys are going to help me learn to fight better with Perses. Ooh, and that reminds me, do you know how to make poisons with your ‘Alchemy’ profession? Tuma, he’s one of the riders, his beast is named Talisha and she is the sweetest warthog you will ever meet. Anyway, he suggested I start using a paralysis poison on my crossbow bolts. It will slow down attackers and give Perses more time to deal with fewer numbers at once. I can’t believe how much I missed out on,” Titan finally finished with a happy smile before he noticed Baby’s state. “And you look . . . beat up. What happened to you?”

  Baby giggled, hugging Titan. “I’ll tell you on the ride home. It’s late.”

  “Can we come back tomorrow?” Titan asked.

  “Yeah, I want to come back as well. I need to practice that skill,” Baby said, earning a curious look from her fiancé.

  “Oh, and what skill is this?” Titan asked, walking hand in hand back to the waiting bear.

  Chapter 22

  Rose and I slept in the first morning after my return from Root City. The trip went off without any problems. I went to the bank, took out the money I needed and spent the rest of the day reading up on ‘The Bazaar Laws of the Endless Savanna’. I had read it once before but figured reading it one more time wouldn’t hurt. Then I took an hour to use ‘Meditation’ on the book but didn’t glean anything from the effort. I could have taken an hour on each of the quests but decided against it. After reading and meditating, I checked in to an inn near the portal back to the Endless Savanna. I won’t ever admit this to Rose but sleeping in that hotel bed was so very nice. No cold feet using mine to warm themselves. No covers being hogged. And no random kicks, punches, elbows, or knees waking me up in the middle of the night.

  Then Rose kissed me, and I forgot about all the reasons sleeping without Rose was nice.

  “Morning,” I said after the kiss ended.

  “Morning,” Rose replied, laying her head on my chest. “I missed this.”

  “I was only gone one night,” I said.

  “Still missed this,” Rose said, squeezing me tightly. “What time is the trial?” Rose asked after a long silence. I used to think the silences like that were awkward, now they were kind of nice.

  “Midmorning bell,” I answered, using the local time measurement. It basically translated to around 9:00 AM.

  “I suppose we should get going then,” Rose said, not moving or relinquishing her hold on me.

  “Probably,” I agreed. I wasn’t ready for this nice moment to end either.

  “Bye-bye, Rose, hurry up, we’re going to be late,” Baby’s voice called from near the entrance to the tent Rose and I shared. Since the tent was sound proofed from the outside, it meant that Baby had entered the tent of her own accord. But that was impossible. For Baby to get in, it meant that we either left the tent open, which was very unlikely, or Rose gave Baby permission to enter.

  “Sis, I’m revoking your access!” Rose yelled grumpily, then proceeded to pull the covers over her head and hide from the world.

  Rose also made the mistake of relinquishing her grip on me. Seeing as we were both up and our friends were waiting, it was inevitable that we would get moving soon. However, I must have been more aware of this than Rose was. I sprang from the bed and darted into the bathroom. Getting the first shower mattered.

  “Hey!” Rose called after me.

  “First shower,” I replied, closing the flap behind me. Fortunately and unfortunately, the shower was barely big enough for one of us. It meant getting in and out of the shower quickly was easily accomplished. It also meant no sexy-fun-time in the shower as Rose like to put it.

  “Meanie,” Rose pouted as I exited the bathroom, cleaned and dressed for the day. I don’t know why I bothered with the shower, what I really needed was a wash basin for my armor and clothes. I was clean and it was refreshing, my armor and clothes were not.

  “Remind me to buy a wash basin and clothesline while we’re in the Bazaar today,” I said to Rose as she walked past me into the shower.

  “You could just use the shower to wash your clothes,” Rose offered then close the flap.

  “Not the same,” I called back with a shake of my head and a scrunch of my nose in distaste. I wasn’t sure if she heard me, but it didn’t really matter.

  After Rose showered, we joined the others outside. Then, as a group, we made the trek to the Bazaar. Well, most of us did. Marie and Loral went to the Hunter’s Union camp. Apparently, they had been commissioned to make armor and weapons for a number of upcoming expeditions. Harrison was committed to mining as much ore as he could for Marie to work with. Every ingot was subtracted from what he owed me for the armor he now wore. Out of the NPCs, only Sooty and Nahid joined us, at least I assumed Nahid joined us. The Catgirl was always using her ‘Stealth’ skill . . . always. I wondered if there was a threshold of some kind to rank the skill up. It definitely required investigation.

  The Bazaar was as busy as usual though not as lively. It felt like the people were only going through the motions distractedly. You could see people’s eyes drawn toward the city center every so often.

  The city center was crowded with people that seemed to be interested in the results of the trial, including a pair of tribes that could make this whole event into a bloodbath if the way one glared at the other was any indication.

  On the left of the entrance to the city center building was the Rhinomen Tribe. On the right, the Cheetahmen Tribe.

  “It is your oafish leader’s fault,” one of the Cheetahmen shouted.

  A Rhinoman shouted back, “And you think your former chief’s manipulations were warranted? Attacking our tribe was warranted?”

  “Enough,” a familiar voice shouted, exiting the city center. Zemira looked the same as always though her robes looked new and in a slightly different style. “Both Chosi and Gofi were wrong and both shall be punished according to the law.”

  Tikka followed out just behind Zemira, she had been chosen to replace her sister as chief of the Cheetahmen Tribe. “Lady Zemira is right. My sister was wrong. Gofi was wrong. Today, both shall be punished for their crimes.”

  Thankfully both groups seemed to be mollified by the two leaders showing support for each other. I would have hated to have gotten caught up in a feud between the two tribes on top of everything else. The sad fact was, regardless of the outcome of the trial, the two tribes could still end up in a feud.

  “Mr. Jacko, please come with us,” Zemira said, spotting me. “Your friends may wait for you here.”

  “I guess I’ll see you guys soon. Try not to get into trouble,” I said jokingly. Though it was said as a joke, a part of me was legitimately worried, especially w
ith the two tribes . . . calm for now but anything could set them off.

  I really hoped I knew the law well enough to be able to say with confidence, when it was all done, that justice was served.

  Inside the city center building, I followed Zemira and Tikka to the second floor and into a large room. There were chairs setup in a circle surrounding a single chair, each of the chairs in the circle had a Beastkin sitting in it, all of them a different animal represented, there were nine in total with Zemira and Tikka being the last to be seated. I saw a Girafeman, a Meerkatwoman, a Gazellewoman, a Badgerman, an Elephantman, who was taller and larger than Gofi, a Vulturewoman, and last I saw a Crocodileman. And in a center of the room sat a single chair where the accused, or in this case, guilty would sit and be judged. According to ‘The Bazaar Laws of the Endless Savanna’ a tribe could act in defense of one of their own people but had no say in the punishment. That would be decided by the other tribes with the offended tribe having more weight in passing judgment. All this meant, was that for Chosi’s judgment, the Cheetahmen Tribe would not get a vote when the punishment was decided and that the Rhinomen Tribe would get two votes. Likewise, in Gofi’s trial, the Rhinomen tribe would not get a vote. “Please sit and observe only,” Zemira said, pointing to the chair in the corner of the room.

  “My only job here is to see that justice is served. I have read your laws and will know if you fail to apply an appropriate punishment,” I said, accepting that I was only there to observe but making it clear that appropriate punishment would be applied. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to intervene.

  I took my seat and watched as Chosi was escorted in. Once she was in front of the chair, she had a single shackle clapped around her leg and the other end to a ring set into the floor in front of the chair.

  “Chosi of the Cheetahmen Tribe, you have confessed to attempting a coup and selling the members of a Bazaar Tribe to the Bandaka Slavers,” Zemira began coldly. I couldn’t exactly blame her though. Her husband was one of the people Chosi sold to the Slavers. “Do you have anything to say for your actions?”

  Chosi stood and looked at the assembled chiefs slowly, meeting each one in the eyes before clearing her throat and speaking. “I acted for the benefit of my people, for all of our people. Leonidas was a threat to all of us. So long as Gofi supported him, we would never be rid of him. I did what was necessary and I would do it again. And as you all see, it worked out in the end. Leonidas is gone and the Bazaar has been returned to the people of the Savanna,” Chosi answered. “Only Leonidas, an adventurer who would have come to no real harm, was to be taken by the Slavers. He interfered in our politics, a place he had no business involving himself. And regrettable though it was, Gogi did align himself with Leonidas. Used Leonidas to become Lord of the Bazaar. Who knows what tyranny would have been imposed on us if those two had succeeded?” she asked, letting the question hang before retaking her seat.

  I was amazed by how thick Chosi was laying it on. I was more surprised when I saw a few of the chiefs nodding in agreement. Did any of them really buy this? Was Chosi using her hypnotism? I really wish there was a way to tell. I understood that she was allowed the chance to speak in her defense, as per the local laws, but I would still be concerned about the hypnotism. I even checked for system messages just to be sure I hadn’t resisted anything, but there were no messages waiting for me. Maybe she was just that good of a speaker?

  “My husband is dead due to your actions, regardless of who he called friend,” Zemira said, taking her turn as prosecutor for her tribe as they were the ones injured by Chosi’s actions. “Yes, Leonidas interfered with our politics and it was wrong of my husband to involve himself. However, Leonidas might never have become the monster he was if not for your actions. I am not defending what Leonidas did, but he was created as a result of your actions.”

  Thankfully, there was more nodding from the various chiefs, even some who nodded at Chosi’s words just moments earlier.

  Then Tikka stood. She looked solemn and uncomfortable with the stares directed her way. “Former Chief Chosi served the Bazaar for years. She looked after the people first and always. Made sure trade flowed at the Bazaar. She was a good leader. Unfortunately, my sister made mistakes, many mistakes. I do not deny this. She does not deny this. But she did not act out of malice. She did not intend harm on the tribes of the Savanna. Chosi saw a great evil and tried to fight against it. She should not be sent to the Deep Dark for such a crime. We of the Cheetahmen Tribe would seek banishment as a fair and just punishment.”

  The Deep Dark. The World Tree’s ultimate prison. Patrolman Rhyes had mentioned it a couple of times in passing at the beginning of last month and basically told me it was a prison but refused to elaborate. According to the Bazaar laws, if the crime was serious enough the prisoner could be shipped to the World Tree and imprisoned in the Deep Dark. For Chosi, she could easily be sent to the Deep Dark. The maximum punishment would be death, but based on the room, I didn’t see that happening. At the minimum, she would be banished from her Tribe and from the Bazaar. Banishment didn’t seem like enough to me but it was within the law. I worried that it would just make Chosi someone else’s problem . . . like mine.

  “We will deliberate,” Zemira said, ending the chance for those involved to speak their piece.

  I was kind of impressed by just how quick this trial . . . sentencing was completed. It couldn’t have been more than 15-minutes. Unfortunately, that was the fastest part of the process. Per the Bazaar Laws, after statements they allow 4-hours to come to a decision and a decision must be made at the end of that time period. I was forced to listen to multiple whispered conversations, one chief talking to another who talked to another after that and so on. The few snippets of conversation I overheard revolved around mundane topics, things like dinner plans, how someone’s sons or daughters were doing, and almost nothing about the person waiting to find out her fate. This went on for hours, Chosi endured in silence, chained to the floor and sitting in the chair the entire time. I was a little disgusted with this part of the process. The least they could have done was take Chosi back to her cell. It was almost cruel making her wait while chiefs casually discussed her crimes. That and the punishment they felt she deserved.

  Finally, the time expired and the chiefs retook their seats.

  “Chief Tikka of the Cheetahmen Tribe,” Zemira said. “Once more, what punishment do you seek for Chosi of the Cheetahmen Tribe?”

  “The Cheetahmen Tribe humbly requests banishment,” Tikka stated, making a plea to the chiefs that actually had a vote.

  “Chief Issa of the Giraffemen Tribe,” Zemira looked to the next in line. “What punishment do you deem appropriate?”

  “Banishment,” the Giraffeman replied, offering no explanation for his decision. According to the law, he could explain why if he wanted to but was not required to.

  “Chief Zola of the Meerkatmen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira asked.

  “Life in the Deep Dark,” Zola replied, earning a wince from Chosi.

  “Chief Gala of the Gazellemen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira pressed on, not giving any hint as to how she felt about the punishments thus far.

  “Death, far too many are dead, and their spirits might never find peace so long as the one responsible still lives. Yes, she did not kill them herself, but she is responsible for Leonidas becoming the monster he is,” Gala said, explaining why she dealt a vote for such a harsh punishment.

  “Chief Caedmon of the Badgermen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira asked.

  “Life in the Deep Dark,” Caedmon answered. “A quick death is not enough punishment in my book.”

  “Chief Bach of the Elephantmen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira continued.

  “Banishment,” Bach answered.

  “Chief Jadwiga of the Vulturemen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira asked.

  “Banishmen
t, maybe some of my lesser kin will find your body when you fall in the Savanna,” Jadwiga answered, cackling at her answer. It honestly creeped me out.

  “Chief Nigel of the Crocodilemen Tribe, what punishment do you deem appropriate?” Zemira asked.

  This was the last vote other than Zemira’s which counted for two votes. By my count, if he voted for banishment that would make four votes. Zemira couldn’t get the death penalty at that point. However, if she voted for the life in the Deep Dark it would cause a tie. Chief Gala would then have the tie breaker as her vote would be returned to her as the only one to vote for the death penalty. It was likely she would vote for the Deep Dark as that was as close to death as they could get. However, if Nigel voted for the deep dark and Zemira voted for death it would create a three-way tie and bring about another 4-hour period to discuss. It wasn’t the most efficient way to choose a punishment.

  “Life in the Deep Dark,” Nigel answered. “Chosi did wrong the people of the Bazaar, it is true. However, she also helped the people, even if it was at great cost to some of us.”

  With that vote, life in the Deep Dark was tied with banishment at three votes apiece.

  Zemira’s cool exterior finally cracked slightly. She was clearly dissatisfied with the outcome. “For my people, I cannot accept a punishment less than death,” she finally said, creating the three-way tie I hoped they would try their best to avoid. “As such, we will reconvene in four hours and recast our votes.”

  Four more hours. Four hours of mostly small talk between the chiefs except for Tikka and Zemira. Both of whom were frantically trying to politic in an effort to sway chiefs to their side of things.

  When the votes came around there was a single defection, and that was all it took. Chief Zola of the Meerkatmen Tribe changed her vote to banishment.

  Looking rather sour, Zemira announced the final verdict. “With 4 votes, Chosi is hereby banished from all tribes and the Bazaar for all time. Guards, escort Chosi outside the Bazaar and ensure she does not try to reenter.”