An aggressive knocking woke Gene up from his less than peaceful slumber. He scrambled out of bed and threw on his robes, then headed out to the main lobby of the inn. Once he was on the stairs, he could hear the knocking getting louder and quicker with an angry muffled voice shouting something. Other members of the team opened their doors as well and began to slowly creep down the stairs with their leader. Shortly, after the group entered the tavern area of the inn, the door finally swung open.

A group of guards swarmed the place and quickly grabbed the group and forced them to sit down at a table. Once the initial shock had ended and the room was quiet, a very tall man entered the room. He had short brown hair with a well-trimmed short beard to match. The man seemed like he could be half-giant by the size of his body. His beautiful silver armor looked like it wanted to explode off of him. Every part of his physique was extremely well built just like a statue chiseled to amaze others with its details. Scars could be seen on any part of exposed skin that wasn't covered. An aura of confidence came from him and every step he took demanded respect.

"You are all suspected of murder," the man said with authority in a low, strong voice. "Men, search the building for the body. We will stay here and watch this group." He pointed at to men, "Guard the door, no one goes in or out of this place without my consent first." The two men went to the door, locked it, and stood there without twitching a muscle.

Gene was not very impressed by the whole display, where he comes from there is almost no sort of authority. He wasn't exactly sure how to react to all of this but there was one thing he was sure of, he was thirsty and wanted a glass of water. The monk stood up to get a glass of water just to be shoved back down by the tall man. "Excuse me but I would like a glass of water.”

"You'll get your glass of water when I decide you can have a glass of water." The man snapped back.

"Excuse me, but who are you to decide if I can enjoy water?”

"I am Commander Threen. I'm the head guard of Tormund and I protect all of its people from low lives like you." Gene simply glared at Threen. That man needed to be knocked down a few pegs. While the monk was deciding how he was going to humiliate the commander three guards came out from the kitchen area, behind the bar. Ken was shackled and being shoved towards the Jellybeans while another guard spoke to Threen.

"You will want to take a look in the cellar, sir.”

"Very well, show me where it is and watch this lot." Finally, the giant of a man was gone. Gene stood up and walked to the bar to get himself some water. Guards around him put their hands on their swords but did nothing to stop the monk from pouring himself a mug of water. With his water pour, he took his mug and returned to his seat, sipping merrily.

Two of the city guards and the commander appeared behind the bar sometime later. The guards were holding the corpse of Cormund as the commander had a twisted grin on his face. "You are all under arrest for the murder of Blair Cormund, there will be no trial as the evidence is overwhelming. You are all set to be hung at dawn tomorrow." Threen approached Gene who was finishing his water. The gigantic man tried to swat the cup out of the monk's hand but Gene turned away to quickly and Threen only succeeded in hitting the air. His face turned to rage and he grabbed the leader of the Jellybeans by the arms and handcuffed him.

"Handcuff all of them and chain them together. We are taking them to the council's jail to await their execution." The rest of the Jellybeans were cuffed and chained together along with Ken. Everyone could tell that Kira felt the most ashamed.

"Ask Trent from the Bruntworth estate to prove we had nothing to do with this! Lady Bruntworth paid for this crime! Arrest Shield who is under the Northern Bridge. He hired the person who killed that man!" Aliya was struggling with all her might to stop her friend from being cuffed.

"Very well," Threen looked at a couple of his guards. "Go to Ronald's place and get the information. Until your alibi can be confirmed we are still taking you to the jail."

"If any of you would have listened to me, they would have been doing this wild goose chase instead of us!" Her face was on the verge of tears because of how flustered, angry, and frustrated she was. Being dragged across the city like a real criminal didn't improve her mood at all either. People were yelling and cheering as they watched the group being pulled across Tormund. Some of the merchants wore disappointment on their faces and they believed the Jellybeans were good people for helping their various businesses continue to trade.

Seeing how disgusted Kira was with herself made Gene feel like a failure. He couldn't continue to allow themselves to be paraded around like cattle for Threen's entertainment, which the commander was getting a great deal of joy from this display. "We are innocent and we will bring the rightful criminals to justice! We will not allow the true criminals to enjoy a life of peace because of the failing authority in Tormund!”

The group abruptly stopped and Threen stared at the monk who was bold enough to shout about innocence. He looked at the guard closest to Gene and made a backhand motion. The guard then tried to punch Gene in the face but since he had a lot of warning, the monk slipped past the punch and hit the guard in the nose with his forehead. A slight trail of blood dripped out of his nose, splashing onto the dirt beside him. Enraged by the humiliating sight, the guard drew his sword to cut down this rebellious leader. Threen ran next to the guard and punched him in his already bloody nose. "You fucking idiot! We are not above the law! He will die tomorrow if their alibi doesn't check out. How dare you try to kill him without my orders to do so! You will be disciplined tonight!" The furious captain looked at the proud looking monk and punched him in the gut. "Shut up and accept your actions like a real man!" Threen then went and resumed his post at the head of the line and began leading the group again.

Everyone arrived at the council's palace and was forced to stop. The walls weren't that much different from Bruntworth's estate but the amount of security was. There were four guards on duty above the wall and two guards by the main gate. A few more guards on the ground circled the perimeter while more of them paced along the walls. This was the guards Gene had ever seen guarding a place. As he tried to obverse the positions of each of them, one of them brought Threen an armful of sacks. One by one he starting placing sacks over everyone's head and then they felt the pull on the chain, dragging them into the unknown palace.

Walking in darkness had always annoyed the monk. Almost all the people he chose to be around could see in the dark except him. It made him wonder why humans were even the most common race since they had such a glaring flaw. "Watch your step!" Threen's low voice rang out, "We don't want you to trip and fall because them you'd drag everyone down with you. Hands against the right wall!" Gene did as instructed and then carefully stepped forward. The first step startled him as he found the group was descending a staircase. The Jellybean's leader counted every step and by the thirty-second step, they started walking on a solid surface again. The sounds of metal doors opening screeched through the darkness. Slowly, the chain that connected everyone became less taut as people were moved into separate cells.

Finally, Gene was put into his cell and had the sack removed from his head. It was dark but there were torch lights in the main area so the guard on duty could see all the inmates. Once everyone was locked up, Commander Threen and most of the guards with him left. Ken began to quietly sob in his corner and he had every right to. If it wasn't for this group of would-be detectives, he'd be at his home serving some decent folk. "Don't cry, Ken. We'll figure a way out of here," Aliya tried to comfort the inn owner but all he could feel is the rope that could soon be around his neck.

Meowlynn could not sit back and allow herself to die. People are fickle and she can't rely on someone proving her innocence. She summoned a magical hand beside her and moved it towards the key rack that was near the entrance of the room. Upon seeing the hand floating through the air, Ciylia tried the oldest trick in the book. "Hey, I don't feel great. My skin feels so hot," the elven ranger yelled.

"Shut up," the guard replied. "Don't think you can trick me into letting you out.”

"Is it okay if I take off my clothes to try to cool down?" The man stood up and walked over to the cell to watch. "Are you a pervert," asked Ciylia in a playful tone.

"No, I just have to make sure you're not doing any funny business." With the guard distracted, the wizard kept focusing on moving her magical hand closer to the keys. It arrived at its destination and slowly tried to pull a key off the wall. Once it had completed its task, it began to move back towards Meowlynn. Muffled shouting erupted throughout the room as some sort of commotion was happening outside the room. The door swung open and the wizard dissipated her hand out of fear. A noble-looking man entered the dreary room and seemed to be escorted by none other than the commander himself.

The noble glanced around the room, he had very soft facial features, almost boyish. His brown hair was almost to his shoulder and was combed flawlessly. He wore red robes with golden trim and had rings on every finger. Before he spoke he let out a sigh, "Who is in charge of this group?”

"I am," replied Gene.

"Very well, let him out." Threen walked up to the cell door and waited for the guard to hand him the key but nothing was happening. The poor guard was at a loss. He couldn't find the key anywhere.

"I believe you dropped it on the floor when you were going to watch our companion get undressed," cooed Meowlynn. Some laughter came from most people in the room. Rage crossed the commander's face yet again as he picked the key off the floor and stared daggers at the foolish guard. He then unlocked the door that held Gene and pulled him towards the noble.

"My questions are simple and so should your answers, why did you kill Blair?”

Gene looked softly at the noble, "We didn't kill him. A man named Shield was hired by Lady Bruntworth to kill him.”

This man began to stoke his beardless face, "Does Ronald know anything about this?”

"According to our intelligence, he does not. It was solely Candice's choice to have him killed. Perhaps she believed it would bring her husband closer to the council." A brief moment passed before Gene spoke again, "If you don't mind me asking, are you his family?”

"Family? I suppose you could say that. He belonged to my house and was trying to help me win the election." It became obvious that this man was Kenneth Storn, the man running against Ronald Bruntworth for the election.

"I'm sorry for your loss.”

"We had sent guards to ask about your alibi from Trent. He came out with a blank look on his face and said that he was busy and that the estate wasn't to be bothered for the rest of the day" Threen sighed before continuing, "As for Shield he was the one who said where the body was and denies any involvement or knowledge of you guys. As it stands now, you all will be killed tomorrow."

The leader of the Jellybeans looked towards the commander, "What are we to do then? How are we to prove our innocence?"

The large man merely gestured toward Kenneth, "That is why he is here. He too seeks proper justice and is only here because he wants a chance to bury his competition as well."

"Finally, to the matter at hand. I have a favour to ask of you. I want you to go and get Lady Bruntworth and take her outside of the estate. We can't touch her as long as she stays with her walls as we have no evidence to prove she did anything.” Storn looked eagerly at the monk, "Besides, it's not like you really can refuse me. We have men stationed at every exit of the city and will attempt to kill you if you try to flee when we release you."

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"So why do we have to do it," yelled Kira from across the room.

"Because you will be a group of innocent people who broke out of jail to stop the corruption within the Bruntworth's home and to clear your name to save yourselves from execution," Storn clearly believed he was doing a real service with this proposal.

"So as long as we do as you ask, we can all live?" Gene asked slightly annoyed.

"That is correct," smiled Kenneth. "Of course we are going to keep poor Ken here as a prisoner while you do this job. That way if you choose to go into hiding instead, we have someone to hang for the crime. After we will find you and kill you privately.”

"Very well, let my team go and we will take care of this matter.”

"Just so you know, you have until dawn to do it," Threen's holier than thou voice finally making itself known.

"All the more reason to be quick about it, we will be back before dawn." The monk waited for his team to be released. "Ken we will save you, don't worry." With that, they all ran up the stairs and were escorted to the main entrance.

"I need everyone to go to the inn and grab their stuff and meet at the town square in about two hours," their leader said.

"What are we going to do?" asked Aylia.

"Yeah," agreed Fern. "What are our options here?"

"Well, you guys could follow my idea to go back into the estate, we grab the vile woman and return to our lives as free people. We could run or hide which I'm sure some of us will successfully do while the others are killed." Gene was very serious for once. "It is up to you guys but I am going to try and see this through to the end so I may continue my life and not as a fugitive."

Everyone looked at him shocked. He never talked this sternly to any of them before. He was always very kind with his words but this time it was determination and his survival instinct driving his intent. "I'm with you," announced Kira. Aliya walked beside her best friend and took her hand.

Fern looked at Gene and sized him up. He knew he could escape for a bit at least because he could change shapes into at least some creature, nothing that could fly, however. He still needed to work out how to use wings. But could he last long? He also had something he had to do and needed the help of a group he could rely on. After shrugging his shoulders, he joined their team.

Meowlynn, also walked to their side because she was taught that the world favours numbers. Not only this but he had a vision that she would grow powerful with these people and she couldn't risk losing that chance, she was, of course, the selfish type.

Ciylia was the last one left. She was confident that she could escape on her own, she'd done it many times in her life. The only thing stopping her was that these people weren't abusing her or forcing her to do anything. She wasn't really alone for the first time in her life. The elf wasn't ready to throw that away quite yet. Also, if things go south she could leave anyways so what is the harm in having at least one last adventure with this group.

"Ciylia and I are going to get a dress. My plan on getting into the estate is to seduce the guards on duty with Meowlynn and Ciylia. After that, the rest of us can go confront Ronald about his wife and we will have Trent to back up our story. Something must have happened to him again like in his story last night.”

Fern shrugged his shoulders, "It's as good a plan as any I suppose. Alright, we'll bring Ciylia's stuff as well just in case.”

"Thank you," both Gene and Ciylia said at the same time. "See you guys in a couple of hours," the monk stated as everyone else starting walking back to the inn.

"Well Ciylia, are you any good at finding things that aren't in a forest?”

"I'm pretty good, in fact, I saw a dress shop on the way to being locked up.”

"Can I ask why you were looking for a dress shop?”

"I wasn't just happened to notice it as a potential place to steal from if and when I broke out of that jail. I would need some starting money and a change of clothes to begin my life as a fugitive.”

Gene stood there with a slightly stupid look on his face. Why didn't he realize that the thief would already have an escape plan for herself? He gestured for her to lead the way and he followed.

Not far from the council's palace was a cozy little dress shop called Kendra's Dresses. It was a tiny wooden house with a beautiful display window. It showed off four mannequins, three that wore dresses. On the right, there was a beautiful summer dress with light blue thin fabrics decorated with simple sunflowers. The left side had a more formal ball gown that was a deep purple on the top and layered down into a light violet. In the center was the wedding dress, an elegant slim white dress with a long train with many hearts weaved into a snowy design. A male's formal suit was beside that dress to depict a lovely couple.

When the duo entered, the store seemed void of other living people. Many dresses hanging on racks around the room although there was no way of knowing how they were sorted. Ciylia started to creep her way into the room to grab the closest dress when a thin woman came out from the back room. She was a high elf like Meowlynn but older than her. Her hair was brown with a few white streaks in it and done up in a bun at the back of her head. She also possessed pointed facial features with light blue eyes that were very gentle. A tailor's suit fit perfectly on her body with pins in the jacket and measuring tape draped around her neck.

"How can I help you?" she called out with a soft but firm voice.

"Uh, my wife and I are looking for a dress to attend a ball," the monk stammered.

"I see, and what is your price range?”

"Probably on the lower side, I'm afraid," Gene replied "We heard you were the best in town and my wife deserves a nice dress. I'm sure even your lower end dresses are better than most's best.”

The flattery was getting to her. "I'm happy to hear you say so. Now come dear, let me measure your lovely body." Even Ciylia enjoyed being treated like a high-class girl. Feeling the tape go across her body and measuring her perfectly so she could have a gorgeous dress made her fantasize that she was finally rich. Kendra allowed her to try on many dresses and as Ciylia thought, her favourite colour was indeed green.

The ranger then pulled her fake husband aside, "How are we going to buy one?”

"We aren't,” he replied. "You are going to steal one." Then the monk walked away from his wife and towards Kendra. "Excuse me, ma'am, we were wondering if we would be able to come back and buy that green dress?”

"No gold now?" Her soft tone became slightly harsh and aggressive.

"I'm so sorry, we are getting our gold soon but I wanted her to have the joy of at least trying on some of your dresses. To make up for it, I'll help you put them all back.”

"I suppose it's actually the least you could do." The tailor then turned to Ciylia and yelled, "Alright, take off the dress and leave now.”

The elf did as she was told and got ready to leave. Gene began to help Kendra take the dresses back. She was determined to take all the dresses back in one trip so she stacked as much as she could on the monk and took a few herself, paying attention to take the green one that Ciylia loved.

As they were walking Gene faked tripping over his own feet and fell into Kendra, blinding her with the pile of cloth. He then grabbed a blue dress from the pile and tossed it at Ciylia. "Wait for me outside darling, I have to help this disaster I just made." The thief took the dress and walked out and hid around the corner.

After much apologies and finally helping her hang the dresses, Gene left to reunite with everyone.

Once in the town square, the leader of the Jellybeans, the wizard, and the thief snuck into an alleyway and changed into there disguises. Meowlynn was slightly jealous that the wood elf looked sexier than her. With everything prepared the team marched to the Bruntworth estate.

Once they arrived they went up to the gate but the guards didn't open it. "Excuse me, could you open the gates? I have continued business with Ronald," replied the man disguised as Ulborg.

"No visitors are allowed in at this time, Trent's orders.”

"Not even if a pair of wonderful women can help relieve some of your stress?" Gene pointed at the two elves next to him.

Temptation flashed across their faces but then they straighten up again, "I'm sorry sir but these are Trent's orders.”

"Then let me speak to Trent. He should still be under contract and therefore, under my command for the next couple of hours." The guard on the left went down his ladder and disappeared into the manor.

Moments later, Trent emerged from the estate with a blank look in his eyes. "No one is interrupting the Lord and Lady tonight. I will make sure you will not enter tonight." His voice wasn't quite right, it was mono-toned as if he was forced to say it.

"Open this gate, Trent! I still own you, you belong to me right now!”

Hearing about his twenty four hour oath to Gene slightly brought back the light in his eyes before it faded out again and anger consumed him.

The halfling turned to the other women, "We could try to seduce him, I mean half of you are already dressed to attempt it and Aliya and I could try to trip him or something." It was the only non-violent solution she could think of under pressure.

"I think we need to prepare to fight," mentioned Fern. "Look at his face, he wants to kill Gene." Aliya panicked and lifted her shield up. And as the druid predicted, Trent began to draw his great sword.

"Open the gate!" the head guard screamed. The other two guards hesitated before lifting the gate up. The rest of the Jellybeans moved to the sides leaving a straight path open between their leader and Trent. As soon as the gate was high enough for Trent to go through, he dashed at Gene and Gene dashed back determined to not engage in close quarters with the head guard. Realizing this as well, Trent pulled a loaded crossbow from his back and fired it at Gene. The arrow went slightly to the right of his torso, grazing the fabric of his top.

Everyone else was trying to think of something to do. Ciylia picked up a rock, that was almost perfect for skipping across the water, and threw it at Trent. It sailed through the air and smashed into Trent's nose as he was about to fire another shot causing it to shoot into the dirt. Even with his nose broken and bleeding, his eyes were still fixated on Gene.

He yelled out then ran after the monk again but this time he failed to see Aylia. The gnome gathered up some courage and ran towards to unstoppable fury that was Trent. She pulled out her mace and bashed it into his shins making him fall over. Fern taking the chance, whacked the head guard in the back of the head, knocking him out. Guilt coursed through Aylia so she began to heal the poor man.

His eyes flickered open and he was staring up at Gene. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. One minute I was talking to Lady Bruntworth about turning her self in then the next I was trying to kill you, but I couldn't stop my body.”

"I see," whispered the monk to himself. "Well let's get going. We must warn Ronald!”

Trent yelled for the gate to be opened up again and everyone ran for the main entrance. The head guard opened the door, allowing everyone inside. Once inside, Candice could be seen on the balcony above them. "Such a disappointment. No matter, I will dispose of you all and get the chair on the council that I deserve." She then began walking away as if nothing was happening.

The doors to the dining hall flew open and eight guards rushed out. "Run to the top of the stairs then go down the left hallway. The Lord's chamber is at the end of that hall on the left side. I will hold as many of them off as I can.”

Gene only had time to nodded at Trent before Fern grabbed his attention. "Gene, when we get to the top of the stairs jump as high as you can." The party ran up the stairs and Gene did as instructed. The druid morphed into a brown bear and the monk landed on top of him. Then, the bear bolted down the hall where two guards were waiting.

The bear used its mighty claws and tore through one of the guard's faces, splattering his brains on the wall beside them. The other guard stabbed into the bear as the beast jumped on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Gene hopped off Fern's back and sprinted to Lord Bruntworth's room.

Two more guards slipped past the head guard and chased the Jellybeans up the stairs. The team made a silent vow to try not to kill these men as they had the same blank stare in their eyes as Trent did. Alyia and Meowlynn decided to take care of the first one. The cleric summoned a radiant flame into her hand and fired it at the man's legs. White flame started to burn away at the man's clothes and some of his flesh. While that was happening, Meowlynn was using her right index finger to swirl rose petals in the air. As soon as the petals started to move fast enough that they seemed like a perfect circle, she reached into her pouch and grab some fine sand. She blew the sand through the circle of petals and the components flew towards the man. The sand hung in the air and drifted softly over the man as the petals covered his face. The guard couldn’t help but yawn and drift to sleep. The sleeping spell was one of Meowlynn's specialties.

The next guard rushed at Kira, she was a very brave and strong woman and didn't even flinch as a sword cut into her arm. Ciylia, unfamiliar with none lethal tactics decided she would follow the halfling ranger's previous advice and try to seduce the man. The wood elf felt she was pretty enough to do it and she saw that Trent had a moment of clarity even while attacking Gene. If she could get that same reaction from this man then perhaps she could pull him to his senses. She took off her pack and laid out her bedroll in the middle of the hall and posed sexily on it. "Hey there handsome, why don't you have some fun with me?”

Kira may have been the one to suggest it but she was shocked that her fellow ranger would attempt to entice a man in the middle of combat and to make matters worse it seemed to be working. The man moved towards her, his blank eyes slowly becoming filled with lust. His body constricted for a moment and glared back at Ciylia. He then grabbed his sword and lunged it at the elf. She rolled to the side quickly and grabbed the man's waist with her legs. The halfling took advantage of this opportunity and wrapped a vine around an arrow. She shot it into his arm and then the vine came to life, grow at rapid rate and finally wrapped around the man's body. Ciylia pushed off of the man before the vines could get her as well, leaving the man tied up.

Gene arrived at the door and opened it, the room he entered was small and empty but he could see another door to his left. He opened that door and saw Ronald tied to chair and gagged. The monk went to help but Lady Bruntworth came out from the shadows and stood in front of him. Hearing about what happened to Trent, Gene adverted his eyes from hers and stared at her breasts. Candice stabbed him in the gut with a dagger. As Gene was thinking about what to do, Fern entered the room and roared loudly in hos bear form. Candice jumped in both fear and surprise. Using the opening his druid teammate just gave him, Gene threw an elbow to the side of the woman's head and knocked her unconscious. He then used the blade that stabbed him and cut Ronald free. Both Fern and Gene tied up Candice with ropes and sheets, making sure to blindfold her so she couldn't use her charms against anyone else.

"What happened?" asked Lord Bruntworth in a very confused manner. He was staring at his wife in disbelief and couldn't imagine why she attacked him.

"I think that is a question you should ask Trent," Gene replied. The monk and druid pair picked up the wife and carried her to main entrance. On the way, Ronald saw two of his guards killed, the wounds clearly stating that Fern had killed them in his bear form. Then, he saw to two men who were captured alive, one trapped in vines while the other slept. When they arrived at the staircase he only saw Trent leaning against the rails, blood spill from his body while Aylia was doing her best to heal him, and six corpses cut down by the man in charge of them. Trent had blood and tears pouring down his face, the guilt of killing his coworkers and friends was weighing down on him.

"Trent, are you okay?" the lord of the house ran down to his head guard.

"I'm sorry sir," Trent cried. "I had to do it to save you.”

Ronald wrapped his arms around Trent, "I know you did. I'm sorry for your losses. You are a finer man then I deserve to work for me.”

Trent merely starred off into the distance, "Thank you sir."

"Rest here, Trent, I will take care of the rest." He walked out of the front entranced and yelled at the two guards to go get Threen. While they waited, the Jellybeans helped clean up the bodies and place them in the main courtyard so that their families could come to say their goodbyes later.

Ronald approached Gene, "I can see now you are no noble but none the less you are welcome into my home anytime you wish. I can never truly repay you for what you have done. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask." He then hugged Gene as tight as he could.

"You're welcome Ronald," the monk replied. "I'm sorry for fooling you. I honestly try to avoid lying. I find it untasteful and the truth normally gets you quicker results. This was a rare exception for me."

"Well that is behind us now." Ronald gave a slight grin, "I look forward to seeing you again and I hope you can share some ale again. A man who can drink is rare at my table."

"I'm glad we could help." With that the two men parted and Gene continued helping clean the bodies but he mostly lingered around Trent. He knew this was going to be a hard herb to swallow for him but maybe he'll come out stronger for it. The monk also hoped that the families didn't hold it against Trent either but only time could really tell.

The commander showed up a while later and took Candice with him. Before he left he informed everyone that Ken had been set free and their names have been cleared. After some final goodbyes, the Jellybeans made their way back to the Home Inn. Ken was already waiting with a feast and a party for the heroes of the day. He hugged each member and gave them all the food and drink they wanted free of charge.