Kara hadn't felt this much distress and fluster in her whole life.

"Sir, the warrant is invalid. Executing it will be a grave mistake!"

The City Guard Commander, an army Colonel who filled the position in times of peace who took the position in times of peace, was having none of that.

"You should trust your superiors more. I don't believe they would do such a thing intentionally. I heard about this Adventurer. Some kid the Guild Master was infatuated with and handed him a badge. Elves are fickle. Go back to your duties, Clerk Kara. I am willing to overlook your insubordination and ignore this transgression, this time. Make sure there's not a second one."

She knew this wasn't a fight she could win but one that needed to be fought, for the sake of the city. Her argument was ignored, this time. Kara could only shiver as she thought about what that woman would do when she found out what the Guard did to her protégé.

Kara had to escalate it further. She could retreat and let fate decide but it was… wrong. This wasn't what the Guard should do. If anything, it was the opposite of justice and protection.

She left the headquarters.

It was a career ending move. She could be killed. But if she had to end there, she would meet her fate as a true Guard.

*

*

I waited for an entire day. They brought me dirt water, some gruel, but I didn't eat or drink. Instead, I removed my shirt and unraveled the thread. Using Rope Mastery, I knotted and unknotted the thread, frayed and spun it until all the grime stuck to it fell away. Then, I knitted it back into cloth and used the bowl to filter the water. It was still disgusting but at least the floaters remained behind.

Endurance increased one's immunity but with a minor effect. It wasn't a 1% increase per point. Yet, the odds of catching some nasty disease were lower than the certainty of dying of thirst.

On the second day, a warden came. "You have a visitor, Adventurer."

I stood up and looked. Kara, of all people, came to see me. "Leave us, warden," she commanded.

I had no idea why she was here. I saw a flashback of our last meeting, how she seemed hurt, how Alice had trampled over her life without a care in the world and shattered any chance at a relationship. Why was she here? My first thought was that she was with the Guard and came here to mock me.

But Kara seemed worried and a flash of anger took over her expression as she looked at my clothes. I could have imagined it. Definitely my distress playing tricks on my mind.

The warden wasn't happy but complied.

Kara brought her face close to the bars. "Listen, George. I don't know why they did this, but the warrant for your arrest is invalid."

I bit away the urge to laugh. Kara was here to help, I hoped. I huffed a long sigh to clear my mind and focus. "I know that. You say you don't know why they did it? Let me tell you. They wanted a creature that was under my tutelage. A creature so valuable they managed to buy whoever was involved in this farce."

Kara's shock told me she wasn't aware of Sleepy. Why would she? Kara did some mental math and balked at the sums she believed would corrupt this many members of the guard.

"What can we do?" She asked.

Since she knew about the warrant and asked those questions, I assumed she had exhausted the avenues available to her. Maybe not.

"Is the Guild Master still away from town?" I asked.

Kara shivered at the mention of Alice. Whatever the elf did to the poor woman, it had traumatized Kara. "Yes, thankfully. What can we do?"

"Escalate the situation. Talk to your boss."

"I already did that, and was reprimanded."

I clicked my tongue. "Damn. It goes that high?" Kara nodded. "You should let Hector know."

"Lord Hector?" Kara couldn't hide her shock.

"That one. He owes me one. And this isn't even calling in a favor, this we doing him and his father another favor. I alerted Alice. She will come back any time now."

Kara winced. "There's no telling what that old monster will do. She might break half the city."

She wasn't wrong. Though Alice could be reasoned with, a trait monsters didn't display in their vast majority.

"Agreed," I paused because I heard footsteps. The warden was coming back. "Go and find Hector, Kara. We need to solve this mess before things escalate. One last thing. How many Adventurers did they capture?"

"Only you. A Paladin and the deputy Guild Master managed to break the fight before anyone got seriously injured. Your bow is still there. Nobody dares touch either the tree or the weapon. Take care. Do not provoke anyone."

"Yeah, I don't fancy getting beaten."

She stared at me, was about to say something, then turned around and went away.

I slumped on the straw bed. Kara was my last chance at getting free before Alice arrived and broke half the city. We gad to avoid that at any cost. The image of the wrecked forest was vivid in my mind's eye.

What was she going to say? I never learned.

Not two minutes after Kara left, the warden came. "Time for a search," the guy said as he unlocked the cell.

After the search, I really I wished Alice came and broke half the city.

*

*

Several hours later.

Kara's badge as a member of the Guard got her inside the castle but getting an audience with Lord Hector took that long. Only at her insistence that it was a matter of security and that heads would roll if she didn't get to Hector in time made the young Lord's staff decide to bother him and then drop the blame on her.

"Guard Clerk Kara," the charismatic and charming young man said as he entered.

Kara stood up in a flash and dropped into a curtsy. "Milord Hector, I bring dire news in urgent need of your attention."

Hector wasn't happy. "At ease, Guard. Why did you come here instead of contacting your superior officers? This is very irregular."

"The Guard issued a faulty warrant and arrested George, the Guild Scout. George believes they wanted to steal his creature."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Hector went from not happy to boiling lava livid. "THEY DID WHAT?" He hollered. "Where's the warrant and why do you believe it's faulty?"

Kara held her breath and knew she had to follow protocol. Someone had. "I, a Guard Clerk, am entitled to work as custodian of documents. This document here never left my possession after taking it from the archives and I vouch for its chain of custody. I am now releasing the document to a higher authority, Lord Hector."

Hector sighed but let her make her declaration. These kinds of traditions had their place and his father always told him he shouldn't change them until he understood what they meant and why they existed.

"I, Lord Hector, heir to the City, hereby take custody of a document handed to me by Guard Clerk Kara." He took the Warrant and read it. "I see no problem with this."

"George is a Guild Officer, not an Adventurer, milord. The warrant had to be signed by a Major or a higher patent, not just a Captain. It violates our treaty with the Guild."

"A clerical error."

Kara wanted nothing more than wilt and vanish from the young Lord's gaze.

"A clerical error that will incur the wrath of the Guild Master. That, added to the accusation that the valuable specimen under George's tutelage was the real target of the operation, will cast a shadow upon the Guard's integrity, milord. I know that woman. She will not let this slide easily."

Recognition dawned on Hector's eyes. "You are the Guard whose house Guild Master Alice demolished, right? The one who was dating George!"

Kara had to fight to keep from grinding her teeth. "We went on a single dinner date and no more, milord."

"Of course. Are you two still together?"

"No. We only had one date and then decide to go on our separate ways due to irreconcilable differences."

"Irreconcilable differences. Right. Are you still romantically interested in him? Of course no. I can read it in your face. Why go through all this trouble, Clerk?"

"The Guard reputation should be spotless, Milord."

Hector sighed. The talk had slowly cooled his rage from scalding magma to a simmering burn he could keep under wraps. "Well done, Kara. You should stay here at the castle while I deal with this. If corruption took roots within the guard, you are in danger. I also will need a witness."

Hector called his aides and gave orders to accommodate Kara as His guest and to keep her safe. He stressed the last part. It also kept the woman accessible in case he needed more information or her report proved false.

*

*

In the last hours of the afternoon, they took me for an arraignment hearing. I stood shirtless before the magistrate. I had no legal counsel.

"Adventurer George, you are accused of trafficking a dangerous creature," the magistrate read. "What do you say on your behalf?"

"I was never an Adventurer, your honor. I'm a Guild Officer, a direct subordinate under Guild Master Alice. I wore my Guild badge when I was captured."

"Officer, where are this man's belongings?" The magistrate asked one of the Guards.

"In the Garrison's vault, your honor."

"Send an order to fetch the man's badge. Check with the Guild too. We will see if his claim of being a Guild officer stands."

"At once, your honor."

The Guard left the room.

"Proceed, George."

"There is no dangerous creature, your honor. What they alleged was a dangerous creature was a lupine lagomorph hybrid monster not two weeks old, transported in a certified locked pet carrier it could not break out of."

"The report says it belongs to a species that killed several men." The prosecutor said.

"An adult dragon can raze cities and lay waste to kingdoms, yet a dragon hatchling is legal in this city. I broke no laws regarding the transportation of creatures, your honor. Several upstanding members of our society were aware I was in possession of said creature —"

"Objection!" The prosecutor shouted.

"You sound a little flustered, Mr. Souza. What are you objecting to?"

"The Guard report should be sufficient evidence to the danger of the creature."

"Overruled. Proceed, George."

"— including the City Lord, Lord Hector. The same Lord Hector whose hunting party I joined to hunt said dangerous creature. And I must report, the several men who died in the fight weren't attacked by the Wolfertinger male. Lord Hector fought that creature one on one. Every fatality during the hunt was due to a giant treant who was engaged with the Wolfertinger prior to our arrival. A detailed report about the hunt can be obtained from the castle."

The prosecutor didn't like it one bit.

"Request information about Scout George from the Guild Hall, the Castle, and the field reports from the arresting officers."

"Your Honor, this is not necessary. This man is clearly lying!"

The gavel banged. "I believe what he said. The defendant is to remain in custody. Move him to the courthouse detention. I want these reports on my desk tomorrow morning. The court session is adjourned."

"But…"

A bang of the gavel silenced everyone. The bailiff took me to the much better accommodations of the courthouse detention. I got to shower, put on a fresh change of clean clothes, and some decent food and clear water. I couldn't sleep, though. I worried about what happened to Sleepy.

*

*

A series of explosions stirred me awake. I could hear shouts, screams, and the sound of boulders falling.

If I had to guess, Alice had arrived.

I knew little about the Guild Master's past beyond the last two centuries. She's been the Guild Master, content with running the Guild. She didn't involve herself with politics beyond the necessary.

But her potential for destruction scared the bejeezus out of me.

The door to the cell corridor opened.

"Out of the way, you dumb oaf!" Hector shouted, his tone imperious and hurried. "George!"

"Over here," I shouted and waved my arm through the bars.

"Back away! Brilliant Slash!" His sword b came a white blur as it cut through the bars and the lock. "Come quickly! You must stop the Guild Master's rampage."

I walked out of the cell. Hector had Scout's Oath on his back. He removed the bow and handed it to me.

"Still not a tree," he grinned. "Come!"

We rushed out of the courthouse. Outside, I saw a big plume of smoke rising from the garrison.

"How many did she kill?" I asked as we ran. It was easy for me to match pace with Hector.

"Surprisingly, nobody died yet. The Guards are suspended in bubbles of Force magic. She's searching for you."

"My Guild badge. She placed a tracking enchantment on it."

"Riveting. I swear we will do it right by you, George!"

People ran away from the garrison, getting in our way. We could barrel past them but with our physicality, that would be the same as bludgeoning them.

We crossed a dust cloud that was blown away by a strong wind and reached the garrison. Hundreds of Guards floated, awkwardly compressed but uninjured, in what looked like soap bubbles. Alice was flying over the crater, standing as if on a platform of air. Though her feet were dangling. The furious winds also didn't ruffle her white dress.

"Alice!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "I'm over here!"

She glanced out way. Transfigured, the elf looked like a wrathful avatar of destruction. Then, she locked eyes with Hector. I moved to obstruct any direct attacks.

"He's on our side!" I shouted.

"Appreciated," Hector whispered.

Alice floated down. "Are you injured?"

I laughed to release tension. "No, they didn't beat me this time."

"This time?" Hector mumbled, confused.

"I got your equipment," Alice said. "Where is Sleepy?"

That question was directed at Hector.

"We are doing our utmost to find the Wolfertinger pup, ma'am. If I may suggest, how about we question those who took the… Sleepy." Hector gestured at the guards.

"Which one of you took the creature from George?" Alice demanded.

I pointed at the sergeant. "Start with that one." The bubble floated closer. As I saw the man's frightened face, anger boiled inside me "I told you things weren't going to end well, you stupid idiot! Where is my companion?"

"Sergeant, if you may," Hector said, all but asking.

"I don't know. The Captain took it when we returned!"

"Who's the Captain?" I shouted. "Dangerous creature my ass! You bloody coward! You swore oaths!"

If I had an arrow, I would have shot. Instead, the sphere shrunk until we heard the sound of bones breaking over the sergeant's screams. Then the orb became opaque, and finally, silent as it became a dark red.

Some Guards soiled themselves, a yellow puddle forming at the bottom of their spheres.

Dammit, Alice. Fortunately, telling who the Captain was by the uniform was easy.

"Captain, I am disappointed, to say the least. By the power invested in me by my father, I swear every single family member you have is going to be executed on front of if you do not give us your full cooperation," Hector said.

"I don't know anything," the Captain lied. "You cannot do that! My father is the Baron of Lichtstern!"

"And he shall be the first one to die, then," Hector retorted. "And all his titles and lands are hereby confiscated on grounds of sedition. Time is of the essence. Next one is your firstborn son, then your daughter. How old is she again? Three?"

Like a bucket of icy water, Hector's threats quenched my rage. I looked at his face and the young lordling wasn't bluffing. He was cold and detached, no emotion on his face but stern determination.

"Or maybe I will keep her alive and have her work as a maid-in-training at the castle."

"You bastard!"

"Chop, chop, Captain. Don't think we haven't found the money already."

The man in the bubble paled. "You are bluffing."

"Now it's your wife. You know the law better than me, Captain. You are a dead man walking. What remains to be seen is how many will you drag to the grave with you. How about that bastard son you hide from your wife? Yes, I know the runt exists. And his mother, your lover. Talk or they are gone."

"Smugglers took the creature out of the city! I don’t know where to! I swear!"

"How much did they pay you?"

"Fifteen hundred gold coins!"

"Guild Master, please don't crush him. We need him alive for a public execution."

Alice stared at Hector. "Fine."

"You have my eternal gratitude."

The air cooled twenty degrees. Celsius. "But if we don't find Sleepy, you join him on the chopping block."

Hector gulped.