Now that I wasn’t trying to track others through the wilderness I was able to make it home in just under a day and a half. I walked through the still broken gates to see my house and the two adjoining buildings gutted. Some people were up on the roofs of the other buildings making repairs. One of them saw me and called out. Soon half the town had gathered around me asking questions about where I had been and what happened to set off the heroes. I ignored them looking for my brother until Elder Sun stormed up and quieted everyone down.

“Well boy? What happened and why did you run off?” the elder asked in a waspish tone. He was a cantankerous old man and had often butted heads with my father. I stared at him for a moment deciding if I would allow myself to be bullied. With my father dead I was technically the lord of the settlement now for all the good it did me. The Elder soon lost his patience and grabbed my arm shouting. “Answer me Boy!”

I decided I would not allow myself to be bullied. I drew in Aether causing my eyes to flair and at the same time I channeled Ki to my muscles and pulled my arm free. I also channeled my father as I said “Do not take that tone with me Sun. I did what was needed. I tracked down the murderers and put them down.”

“You what?!” the old man screeched. “What if other heroes come looking for them? What if they have friends? You have doomed us all.”

“Calm down. No one is coming after them. They weren’t Heroes, they were army deserters. I found a band of knights by the road when I caught up to them and was rewarded with aid awakening for my help.” This was partially true. Looking through their things it looked like one was a deserter and the others were bandits he had recruited. “The king of Serisol sent troops through the pass to cut off a monster hoard in the riverlands. We should be fine here but from what they told me there may be a dearth of peddlers this year.”

This got the villagers attention, without peddlers there would be few luxuries this year, combine that with the losses and the fires and it was looking to be a bad year. I would have continued but my little brother rushed up to me crying my name.

He was only eight, a year older than our youngest sister, so I lifted him up when he reached me. “Gan, I’m glad you're safe, did you take care of Sarnia? Did you keep the box safe like I asked?”

Gan started to tear up and I feared the worst for our sister when he said, “Sarnia is ok, but Elder Sun took the box, he said it was his now because he was in charge of the village.”

“Did he now,” I said looking at the irate elder. I set Ganzaya down and turned to the old man. “What right did you have to take that box Elder Sun?”

“It belongs to the lord of the village and with your father dead and you run off the council has decided that I should take that roll.” he said with a sneer.

“There are two problems with that,” I said, “first, the box belonged to my family, not to the head of the settlement. Second, the title of lord is hereditary and neither you nor the council has the right to change it while myself and my brother live. Give me the box.”

“No,” he cried, “I will not be dictated to by a stripling boy. I am in charge now. I’ll see you banished. Seize him.”

The old man was fuming now. A few of his lackeys stepped forward to grab me. A glare from the shining eyes of an awakened, so soon after the attack, had them stepping back. I gave them a moment to try something else and then started walking towards Elder Sun’s house calling out, “Fine, I’ll get it myself.”

The elder railed as he chased after me. He tried to grab me but even the little Ki I could use was enough to drag him behind me. The other villagers followed and as I got to the house they formed a crowd outside when I opened the door. There on the table was the broken remains of the box surrounded by its contents. One of the ancient books was open on the table, notably upside down, and the page marked with a dirty spoon.

Incensed, I turned to the crowd. I shouted, “Summon the Elders.”

Elder Sun looked smug as he took off to the town Green.

“Yes,” he said, “Summon the Elders.”

I gathered up what I needed from the pile of my families treasures and headed for the central Green where most business was done. In the time it took me to get there, those who saw the altercation spread out to inform their neighbors and the whole settlement soon crowded into the Green. Before me on the small dias were not the Elders I expected. Elder Sun was surrounded by his supporters, of the five of them only Elder Sun and Elder Wiet were supposed to be there. In the crowd I saw Old Gran Cosh with my sister, beside her was Elder Cob with his arm in a sling and Elder Dec in her old gray dress. None of them made a move to step onto the dais where they belonged. Timmon Selk stood up to the tall oak round we used as a podium.

“We have gathered as you asked, boy,” he said with a smirk, “What cause do you have to be wasting the Elders time.”

“A matter of theft,” I said. “But first, Timmon Selk, by what right do you stand at the Elders’ Round? You are not an elder and have not been confirmed by the lord, I would know, nor have the true elders died. How is it you come to stand there?”

“You imputent welp,” Selk sputtered, “Lord Sun put me here after dismissing those incompitent dodders who lead this village to ruin.”

I heard an angry murmur in the crowd, though whether it was at calling him Lord Sun, or bandying the excuse they used to push off the old elders I didn’t know. They quickly quieted as they waited to see what happened next.

“By what right do you call him Lord Sun,” I asked, projecting all the dignity that my father used to show. “Lord is a hereditary title. I am fairly sure he is not my older brother, or even my uncle, so how can he be lord if my brother and I live?”

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The fool fell right into the trap declaring smuggly, “We made him Lord in your absence.”

“You and your fellow elders on the dais with you made him the Lord of the Settlement?” I asked and he nodded. “You made him the lord as elders so he could confirm you as elders?”

“Yes,” he said confidently before thinking it through. The villagers erupted in anger as Elder Sun stepped up to relieve the bumbling Selk.

“This is all irrelevant,” Elder Sun shouted over the crowd. “We are here to discuss this boy's actions.”

I raised my voice as well but pitched it like my father showed me so it would carry without being a yell. “That is where you are wrong, Ping Sun. I, the rightful Lord of the Settlement, called this meeting as half the village heard and even goodman Selk acknowledged, and I called it to address a matter of theft before the true Elders. Now, Tully Smith, would you escort those three from the Elders' Dias so the Elders may take their place.”

In short order the giant of a smith had led the three false elders away. Elders Cob and Dec ascended quickly, glaring knives at Elder Sun. Old Gran Cosh only paused long enough to pass my sister off to my little brother before resuming her role as Elder Cosh. As she took the steps Elder Sun Started to look a little frantic.

“Now,” I said for the third time, “I called this meeting over a matter of theft. Though some other matters have come up that need to be spoken of, I would like to deal with that first. While I was away dealing with matters of justice for our slain neighbors, Ping Sun stole the puzzle box that was left in my brother’s care. This Item was an heirloom of my family that was older than the settlement. He admitted to taking it in front of witnesses and when I went to his house to retrieve it, I found it broken and the contents riffled.”

With this I cast the splinters of the antique box on the ground in front of the elders. I also drew out a scroll I had grabbed from the pile and handed it to Elder Dec. I asked, “In my grandfather’s time the settlement fell on hard times due to a drought. He had the box and its contents appraised so he could sell some of it to buy enough grain to see us through that winter. Elder Dec, would you please read the second line for me.”

“One late era Borinalish puzzle box of medium size valued at three hundred and fifty gold sovereigns.” she read out loud with her voice spiking at the end when she got to the amount.

This was an astronomical sum. More than what most whole families combined could claim. I turned to Elder Cob who was known to keep all the old records and laws in his head, “What is the penalty for theft or willful destruction of property in value over a hundred sovereigns?”

The Elder cleared his throat and said in a clear voice, “That is High Theft. Restitution of property followed by either pillory or public flogging. If restitution cannot be made there shall be a seizure of assets both material and of note up to half again the value of the object stolen followed by the same. If significant assets cannot be found and the amount is still in excess of one hundred sovereigns,” the elder paused to swallow, “the perpetrator may be sold into slavery, branded an outcast and banished, or killed at the victims discretion.”

Once he had finished there was deathly silence. I would have been hard pressed to say if anyone was breathing. The stillness was shattered a moment later when Elder Sun burst back to his feet.

“This is ridiculous,” he screamed in a panic. “That box had the village tax record, how was I to rule these people without knowing how much they owed me. Other than those records there was nothing but books filled with gobbledigook.”

I had had enough and jumped up onto the dais to confront the man. “Taxes aren’t due until fall, even if you had the right, it was a puzzle lock and you would have had half a year to figure it out. You were just to stupid and power mad to care.”

“You can’t do this to me, this village is mine.” He looked over at the rest of the Sun clan, “help me you fools, stop him or they’ll ruin us.”

The entire Sun family charged the stage as their patriarch demanded. They were a big family of over two dozen adults and it looked like all of them were going for broke. Unfortunately for them it seemed the rest of the villagers had had enough of the Sun family. I watched as they were all quickly grabbed by their neighbor. It looked like things would work out, so I was shocked when I turned to see that Ping Sun had drawn his belt knife and was preparing to stab me.

My world slowed down. Unlike the frantic attack of a few days ago I felt like I had all the time in the world. My hand seemed to have a mind of its own as I reached over to the hilt of my sword. While I knew what I was doing and was in control it was still like watching from the outside. The knife came towards me. The Ki flowed through my muscles. The sword was drawn into the first guard position. The knife, and the hand holding it fell to the ground at my feet.

The world sped up again. Ping Sun was screaming as he clutched his stump. The other elders were all screaming at Ping Sun and it felt like the entire rest of the settlement was staring at my glowing eyes and drawn sword with a mixture of fear and awe. On top of it all I heard a woman's voice in my head.

-Skill Learned: Battle Trance, enter a detached state allowing you to observe the battlefield and make clear decisions. Perception of time will be sped up wisdom + skill level% faster and the transe will last up to intelligence minutes.-

-Skill Learned: Sword Mastery, you have taken the first steps in mastering the sword, Mastery skills guide your knowledge and muscle memory as well as contributing the all subskills.-

-Sub Skill Learned: Counter, using a sword you can deliver a counter blow while you block an attack. This skill is dependent on, and helped by, your Sword Mastery skill. 1/(Combined Skill level /2) X base miss chance for a counter strike at exposed areas when blocking and opponents melee attack.-

I took a moment to breath and process that and realized I had used half my Ki. That was scary if it used that much just to draw my sword. I looked around at the people. They all looked confused and some of them were near panic. I remembered my fathers words. “When there is uncertainty, that is when you must lead, even if you are uncertain yourself.”

I pulled a kerchief and wiped the sword before sliding it home. I faced the people. I raised my voice over the crowd again and said, “I think this Fiasco has gone on long enough. As Lord I shall now sit in Judgement, as much as it pains me that such is needed in our community. Ping Sun, I find you guilty of High Theft for the theft and destruction of Sel’Andur family puzzle box and its contents; Sedition for unlawfully claiming the title of Lord; And attempted murder for you act upon this stage. For the first I shall sentence you to make restitution and in the balance I shall commute your death to the loose of your right hand. For the second charge you shall be stripped of your family name and all rights thereto and shall be marked as an outcast, as this is the least punishment available under the law and it saves your family from having to pay for your crimes. For the last charge you are sentenced to death, but I commute the sentence to banishment. You will be put out of the settlement with only a robe, a staff and a skin of water. Given the circumstances I will also grant you bandages and any medicines Old Gran Cush chooses to send with you.”

Through my pronouncement the gathering watched me in stunned silence. When I was done the only sound was the weeping of the now Outcast Ping as he sank to his knees in despair. I look around another moment before once again motioning to Tully Smith to act as the defacto bailiff for this gathering. He stood tall and said, “yes, m’lord” before leaving with Old Gran and Ping in tow. Once I got over the shock of being addressed with my fathers title I had to think of what to do next.

-Skill Learned: Leadership, you got this.-