by Aleron Kong
“Unfortunately, there is, my lord. During the course of my interviews, I learned the identities of the other prisoners that had been giving information to the goblins. There had been mumblings of this the first day the captives arrived, but I had not had the chance to discover the truth. After the incident, however, I spoke with dozens of captives separately and they provided the same names each time. The likelihood that this is a coordinated conspiracy to malign these fourteen is extremely low.”
“Fourteen?” Richter asked, his voice rising. Unless he heard something remarkable in the two men’s defense, he was already fairly sure what he was going to do. Now that there were twelve more though… could he really… He needed time to think. “Where are these others?”
“I did not take any action against them as of yet, my lord,” Randolphus answered. “I decided it would be best to bring this to your attention first. I sincerely doubt that the freed slaves have not been speaking amongst themselves, however. Whatever is to be done, I believe it should be done quickly.”
The chamberlain’s advice was more than sound. It was exactly how Richter had always lived his life. “Indecision causes confusion, confusion causes accidents, and accidents cause death.” Mama’s advice still rang in his ears at pivotal moments. He wasn’t perfect and he knew he never would be, but he’d be damned before he’d be indecisive. It was time to act.
“Find Caulder. Have him gather more guards and round up the other twelve. Have them bound. If Sion hasn’t left to go hunting, enlist the help of the meidon sprites as well. Use the feast area and have the fourteen perpetrators placed in front of the stage. After that, bring everyone we freed and all of the villagers.”
Richter stared hard into his chamberlain’s eyes, “And I mean everyone. Even the miners, farmers, smiths, fishermen and gardeners. We won’t wait for any hunters or guards on patrol to return, and leave the guardsmen on the walls where they are, but everyone else needs to be in attendance. I want them to see this. Use Futen to get everything done as quickly as possible. Invite Lady Hisako and adept Yoshi to come as well. I am going to the Quickening. Send word to me when everything is ready.”
Richter began to walk off and Randolphus called after him, “What is it you plan to do, Lord Richter?”
The chaos seed stopped walking. His shoulders slumped slightly and in a resigned voice, he answered, “I plan to see justice done.”
CHAPTER 39 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC
Richter made his way through the village. His people greeted him with their customary smiles, but it did nothing to improve his mood. He looked up at the overcast sky, and the ubiquitous grey seemed appropriate. The chaos seed did not pause when he walked by the guards stationed at the hill. Instead, he kept moving until he reached the Quickening. It was the soothing aura around the celestial tree that he was after.
Once under the silver canopy, pixies flew around above his head. Richter walked up to the silver trunk. He put his hand on the smooth wood and closed his eyes. For a full minute, he just breathed in and out. The calming energy exuding from the tree helped to clear his mind. After that, he sat down and started doing some mental exercises he had learned from Alma.
His Self-Awareness skill increased both his mental and emotional stability. At level seven, he received a bonus of +14% to self-control. The primary reason that he had begun this mental training was that using Deeper Magic had a tendency to unbalance him, sometimes hazardously. Blood Magic put him at the mercy of his passions. He acted impulsively even if it put his life in danger. Spirit Magic ramped up his ego. It made him feel like he could accomplish anything, inducing a sense of mania. It also felt amazing. His cravings to use it again made him think of it as almost a drug.
Deeper Magics were incredibly powerful, but Richter had not been able to use them safely until Alma had helped him to gain a measure of control. Through their deep psychic connection, she had helped him both build up mental defenses and improve the skill. She had even helped him build a fortified mental area in what she called his “mindscape.” It was a representation of the village, but with a small barbican that symbolized his mental defenses. When he used Deeper magic, he imagined his mind inside of that fortification. As long as the mental version of him stayed safe, he had nothing to worry about.
While originally that had just been a mental exercise, Alma had shown him it was actually interactive with the greater world. Now when he cast Deep Magic, he actually saw Blood Magic as an encroaching red haze that couldn’t penetrate his mental defenses. Spirit magic manifested as specters that were similarly rebuffed by his mental walls.
Richter placed himself in his mindscape now.
When he had initially heard about the murder, he had felt betrayed. Not by the men who had committed the act. He felt as if the village itself had betrayed an unspoken covenant between them. To be perfect. To be the one thing he could rely upon in this violent world. Richter knew intellectually that his reaction made no logical sense. He also knew that didn’t matter. You could not apply rational arguments to solve an emotional problem. Thoughts and feelings were not necessarily oppositional, but they were two distinct paradigms of existence. There might be overlap, but each operated by its own set of natural laws. What that translated into was that if Richter was going to find peace, he needed to deal with his emotions, not intellectualize why they were not valid.
Richter settled himself into a kneeling position under the Quickening. He had tried meditation before on Earth, even going so far as to adopt a lotus position, but it had always felt like he was going to tip over. Kneeling was good enough for him.
For the next several minutes, he took cleansing breaths. Once he felt reasonably centered, he summoned his mindscape. A representation of the village appeared in his mind. The one addition was the fort of his mental defenses. He stood atop its ramparts and looked around. The walls of the village were the boundaries of his conscious mind, and near the periphery he imagined a pool of filth. Those were his negative feelings about the murder.
Richter had long ago learned that the first step in dealing with negative emotions was to accept that they were part of you. A basic mistake that people made over and over was to try and deny the worst parts of themselves. ‘I’m not angry, jealous, vindictive, petty, etc.’ Though it was only natural to shy from difficult truths, denial did not give you control over yourself. It merely ignored a part of what you were. That was actually the complete absence of control. It was why people suddenly snapped or boiled over. No, Emerson had been right. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
Richter examined his feelings. For long minutes, he confronted his anger, his sense of betrayal and his sadness. Another wonderful perk of his mindscape was that it changed how he perceived the flow of time. When he committed his consciousness to the psychic plane, time moved slower. Alma had told him that the deeper their bond, the more he would benefit from this shift in perception. At Psi Bond level six, time moved six times slower. Spending ten minutes meditating gave him a full hour to confront his feelings.
Once he was emotionally ready, he imagined cutting a trench in the ground near the pool of filth that was filled with his negative thoughts and emotions. With sludge-like slowness, the ugliness drained out of his mental village. Then he thought of his resolve to do whatever the situation required as a cleansing rain that blanketed his mental village, washing the last of the negativity away. The more he used his mindscape, the more impressed Richter was with its power. It might only be an example of mind over matter, or it might be his proximity to the Quickening, but afterward, he felt much more at peace.
It wasn’t long after that Hisako found him, “Your chamberlain has told me what has happened, Lord Richter. I am sorry this has come to pass.” Her voice was soft and sympathetic.
Richter looked at the sprite Master, “I am going to listen to the story from the accused, but,” he paused and took a deep breath, “if what Randolphus told me is true…” His voice firmed and his
tone was as implacable as gravity, “If these men raped and murdered in my village, I am going to kill them.”
She was silent for a moment. When she spoke, there was neither agreement nor condemnation in her voice, “You must do what you believe is right. No matter what you decide, I am your ally.”
He looked at the redheaded woman, really looked at her, for the first time in a while. Her fine, asian-appearing features communicated a solidity and understanding that he imagined must have come from decades of rule. Part of him had hoped that she would provide some perfect words of wisdom. That she would tell him what to do and he wouldn’t have to decide the fate of fourteen people. When she finished speaking, he realized that wasn’t going to happen. Hisako didn’t give him a false smile or a stern judgement. She just stood there and gave him her support.
A few moments later, Richter realized that was enough. He stood and smiled at her. There was no real happiness in the expression, but it was still warm. It was a show of appreciation that did not need to be explained. The two leaders stood there for a time, listening to the pixie children’s innocent and unaware peals of laughter. Elora flew down from the branches above and shared their company. The three of them merely existed in that frozen moment of peace until reality forced it to shatter.
CHAPTER 40 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC
Randolphus approached with a grave expression upon his face.
He bowed to Hisako and Elora, who inclined their heads in turn. Then he turned to his liege, “It is time.”
Richter asked Elora to stay behind so that she could keep her children near the tree. The pixie queen, though young, understood what was to come and readily agreed. She had seen many horrors before being cocooned in the chrysalis so long ago. The queen had no desire for her children to see the trial.
The chaos seed reached into his bag and pulled out his swords. He also donned his armored boots. Other than that, he wore no armor; the enchanted blades were enough to illustrate his power. Long ago he had been told that while the badge of a police officer was the symbol of his authority, his gun was the power behind that authority. All knew Richter was the lord of the village, but a visible reminder of the power he wielded might serve him well in the next hour. With that done, Hisako, Randolphus and Richter began their walk.
The trinity moved in silence through the meadow, though there was a laughing tumult around them. Randolphus had gathered all the village children, and the children of the freed prisoners, and brought them up from the village. The former prisoners’ children were huddling together as they could not see far in the mist, but it was the work of a moment to clear a suitable area. Soon they were all playing in blissful ignorance. A dozen villagers were assigned to watch them. Their own expressions were slightly strained.
Every adult in the village now knew what was about to happen. They bowed to the rulers as they walked by. Richter returned the respect, but did not tarry. The three continued down the hill and into the village. No one was milling about. The ringing of the Forge was silenced. No smiling faces greeted Richter. The village was waiting, breath caught, tense in the silence.
It seemed to Richter that it took no time at all to reach the feast area from the night before. More than a thousand people stood in a half circle in front of the stage, villagers and freed captives intermingled. Kneeling before the simple wooden platform were twelve men and women. Some looked angry, some cried silently, and some just wallowed in grim acceptance of whatever was to come. Guards stood behind them, keeping them down.
On the stage itself, two men stood, bound and gagged. One was actively struggling. His eyes were wild as he strained against the cloth in his mouth. He was well-muscled with olive skin and wild black hair. It took two guards to restrain him, one on each arm. Despite the obvious and precarious nature of his situation, he still glared defiantly at Richter as the chaos seed approached. The other man just stood quietly off to the side, bound, restrained. His head hung low and he had an air of defeat about him.
The murmuring crowd quieted as Richter ascended the stage. Hisako and Randolphus stayed with him. Terrod stood at attention near the two captives. With a loud and official voice, Richter barked, “Report!”
“Sir!” Terrod replied loudly, clapping his hand to his chest. The easy humor that normally typified the man’s demeanor was absent. Today, he was a soldier who was duty-bound to keep the peace and his lord had given him an order. The captain relayed the events for all to hear. How the body had been found. How the freed prisoners had been questioned. The report ended with the arrest of the fourteen men and women. The one still straining against his bonds, Lieb, had injured one of the guards with a rock. The damage was minimal however, and had already been healed. The other, Paulen, had been taken with no difficulty. Lieb shouted against his gag during the entire recitation of events.
Richter used Analyze.
Name: Lieb
Level: 12
Disposition: Loathing
Race: Human
STATS
Health: 180
Mana: 90
Stamina: 160
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 42
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 18
Endurance: 16
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 10
Luck: 11
DESCRIPTION
Humans are one of the shortest-lived but most prolific breeders in the Land. Humans have a broader affinity for skills than other races. No special bonuses to race. Humans receive four points to distribute per level.
Name: Paulen
Level: 12
Disposition: Apathetic
Race: Human
STATS
Health: 160
Mana: 110
Stamina: 170
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 38
Agility: 13
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 16
Endurance: 17
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 12
Luck: 10
DESCRIPTION
Humans are one of the shortest-lived but most prolific breeders in the Land. Humans have a broader affinity for skills than other races. No special bonuses to race. Humans receive four points to distribute per level.
Randolphus had been right. Both of them had invested heavily in Strength but neglected their other stats. Back when Richter had been gaming, they had a special name for people that built characters like that: “Vodka Shots.” Strong, but if they didn’t kill you with their first shot, you could easily wear them down with a higher movement and attack speed. They were also known as “Absolut Dumbasses.”
Richter turned his attention to Randolphus, “Is there anything else you have to add, Chamberlain?”
“Nothing that you do not already know, my lord,” the Spy replied.
“Then tell all who are assembled here why these men and women have been arrested. Speak clearly of their crimes and the evidence arrayed against them. I want everyone to know what has occurred. There will be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this village is a place of law.” Richter last words were more barked than spoken.
Randolphus gave him a slightly puzzled look, but did as he was commanded. He presented the evidence in the same way he had before. He detailed the body being found and his interviews with the freed captives. That led him to relate how he had identified the woman and how she had named her attackers. The chamberlain also spoke of how the men and women kneeling in front of the stage had been accused by many of the freed captives as being informants and abusers while they had been enslaved by the goblins. Much of the information was the same as Terrod had already shared, which was of course the point of this for Richter.
A great murmuring was taken up by all present. There were shouts from the crowd condemning the bound men and women. A few of the kneeling captives cried out that they were being unjustly accused. Upo
n hearing that though, the murmurs coming from the other captives rose to the level of a clamor.
“Murderers!”
“Elom killed my brother!”
“He raped me!”
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
In the space of a minute, the noise of the crowd swelled in volume to a roar. The villagers were still talking amongst themselves, but the freed captives were working themselves into a frenzy. The months, or in some cases years, of abuse and degradation they had suffered at the hands of the goblins had created a festering rage that began to bubble over. Every hurt, every indecency, every beating was being remembered all at once. A monster was clawing itself up into the light. There was no doubt in Richter’s mind that it was ravenous and would only be satisfied with the lives of the fourteen people who were now on trial.
Richter knew he had seconds, not minutes, to regain control. Speaking a word of Power, red light surrounded his hand, and a gout of orange flame shot from his hand. The show of magic quieted the burgeoning mob instantly. He stopped channeling the spell and glared at them all.
“I will have quiet!” the chaos seed bellowed. “This village is a place of law, not mob rule!” Alma took that moment to descend from above with a cry. She landed on his shoulder and hissed at the crowd. Flanking Richter were Hisako, Terrod, Caulder and Randolphus, standing resolute behind him. The show of strength and support was unmistakable. The crowd of freed prisoners were reminded that the man speaking to them was the same powerful being that had slain an army of goblins. They got the message.