The hall was filled with silent shock. I had expected a little more running and screaming, yet the politicians were made of sterner stuff. Maybe this wasn't the first bit of blood shed in this hall. Or maybe they just didn't know how to react.

Ivonne's face was shocked and confused, while Amelie was actually smirking. Her hand was off her sword, and her posture relaxed. I suppose shooting someone she didn't like gelled well with her. Not that I needed her approval

The two daoist didn't even flinch, much less look surprised. In fact, Luo Liang nodded approvingly, as if this was a completely reasonable outcome.

The guards were the only ones moving. They strove to close the distance but seemed to move like molasses. They were weakened just like everybody else, so their ridiculously thick armor was probably slowing them down immensely. Just enough to give me an extra few seconds.

"Cease!" yelled Ivonne, and most of the guards stopped. Most of them.

The rest of them would meet Hoffman.

"Cease," came another voice from behind me, and this time they listened. Power seemed to suffused through the room, and I felt a physical urge to bow. I shrugged it off instantly, but the guards did not. They stopped their fruitless charge and kneeled were they stood.

It was clearly a skill of some kind. It felt like my soul was under a foot of mud.

I refrained from holstering my guns and turned behind me.

A man walked through the same poorly decorated gates as I did. His red fur cape only accentuated his locks of blonde and powerful poise. His dead eyes looked straight ahead, and I knew his authority knew no question. Truly, he would look far more at home on the throne than Ivonne did.

Too bad it was the dumbass from the hot spring.

He marched over to us, robe trailing behind him. He came to a stop next to the five guards closest to me, the men who opted to ignore Ivonne's order.

"If any of you have hearing problems, speak now, and I'll honorably discharge you from service," he said, voice ice-cold.

He waited a moment, and none of the guards lifted their heads. "No? That would imply that you all ignored a direct order from the heir to the throne. Is that correct?"

The guards stared at the tiled floors, mouths sealed shut.

"That was a question!" he roared, and I felt the same wave of power as I did moments ago. The guards all flinched violently and finally responded. "Yes, Inquisitor! You are correct!"

The man nodded, more to himself than to the guards, blue eyes sweeping over them. "Should I take this to mean you have abandoned your oaths?"

The guards were far quicker to respond this time. "No, Inquisitor! We live to serve!" they yelled in unison, voices merging together.

"Then why did you do as you did?"

"To protect her highness!"

"Elaborate," he demanded as if it wasn't obvious.

Four of the guards turned to look at the fifth, the man who was the head of the pack. His face was masked by the helmet, but I knew it was sweating.

He gulped, trying to hide his confusion, then began to speak. "This man attacked and slew lord Huffman. We feared for her Highnesses safety, and thus sought to restrain him."

I wasn't too sure what the point of this little charade was, but I suppose I could let him finish whatever he was doing.

The man nodded to himself. "I see. So you believe you know better than her?"

The guard was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking through his options. He then slammed his forehead against the floor and kept it there. "Lord Inquisitor, it was a temporary lapse of judgment and a failure on my part. Please, punish me in place of my men!"

How kind of him, to take responsibility for a decision they all made. It rubbed me the wrong way, and I'm not quite sure why.

The Inquisitor looked down on the guard for a moment. He took a knee in front of him, while his robes splayed out across the floor, blending with the tiles. "Raise your head."

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The guard did so, hesitantly. The inquisitor locked eyes with him. He had no trace of humor, and his eyes were dead and cold.

"Do you know what kind of man is least likely to fail me?" he asked.

He didn't wait for an answer. "One who has made the very same 'mistake' before."

The Inquisitor let the words hang for a moment before continuing. "Do you know who never makes a 'mistake'?"

He leaned in, uncomfortably close.

"The man who makes it twice."

The Guard gulped, swallowing his fear, and struggled to hold eye contact. The hall was silent. Ivonne looked sullen, Amelie was cringing, and the daoists were still standing as still as statues, as if nothing around them concerned them one bit.

The noblemen on the late Huffman's side were all trying to become as small as possible. The same could be said for the other faction, only to a slightly lesser extent.

It seemed everybody feared the Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor stood up abruptly, leaving the guard still kneeling. "Despite your failures, I can understand the confusion. Why are we letting a man execute such a 'distinct individual' as Lord Huffman?"

He swiveled in place and leisurely stepped towards me. In all honesty, I didn't know how to react. Half of me wanted to shoot him, and the other half just wanted to take a shower.

Maybe I could still find time in my schedule for both.

During my hesitation, he had already reached me. He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't the smile of a vulgar comedian, no. It was far colder. "You see, Her Highness and I have suspected Huffman for treason for quite some time. Our new friend here agreed to do me a favor, and provoked him in hopes of revealing his true inclinations."

He took his hands off me and swept his hands towards the headless corpse, blood beginning to soak into the carpet. "As you all heard, he proclaimed her Highnesses authority to be false, and our loyal friend Mr. Jones took exception to that."

Not a soul in the room believed him. I could tell by the looks on their faces. It was an empty lie.

Which made it truly ironic that most of that is technically true. It's not like it was in self-defense, as I'm sure Ivonne would not have let him get away with it. I suppose my motivations don't really matter anyway.

"I just didn't like him," I said, shrugging.

The Inquisitor's smile grew even wider, somehow. He stared towards the right side of the hall. "Nobody likes a traitor."

Ivonne finally spoke up. Her poise was crumbling by the second, and her voice was barely steady. "Thank you, Inquisitor Hound. And you too, Mr. Jones, for your timely assistance. Guardsmen, see our new guests to their rooms. I think we've all had a long day."

She exhaled slowly, hand over heart. "You are all dismissed."

----------------------------------------

I found myself in yet another room far bigger than it needed to be. It was a guest bedroom of sorts. The design was minimal, yet somehow heavily decorated at the same time. It was filled to the brim with displays of wealth, though nothing held actual personality, placements soulless and pristine.

Besides, the bed was way too big. I threw myself onto it, only bothering to kick off my shoes. I flailed for a moment as I sunk far deeper than expected. Good lord did I hate this room already.

I have an appointment with royalty tomorrow. I would figure out what exactly it is they want from me, and I probably wouldn't like it.

I sighed. The Princess was right, it had been a long day. I feel like a young boy in a whorehouse, unwelcome and very confused. I wasn't even too sure why I shot that obnoxious fool. Being either of those things shouldn't be a death sentence, yet I cast judgment like it was nothing.

It wasn't my place.

I looked at my hand. I clenched it, and watched the muscles flex under the strain. I suppose that ain't quite true anymore, is it? I'm a big shot now, by pure virtue of the size of my proverbial and literal gun. They say only God can judge, but if a small-town wannabe sheriff can, so will I.

I'll be proven wrong when someone puts me in the grave, and not a moment sooner. I'm a fool and hypocrite, but not so much either of those things to not expect my just deserts someday. After all, people who kill can only expect the same.

The bed was awful, and I didn't need to sleep anyway. My new body cut down that need by quite a bit. Another way I'm a little less human.

Enough stewing in self-reflective misery. I'm going to go find Jeff.

I got out of bed, put my boots back on, and proceeded to wander my way out of the castle. Nobody stopped me, which surprised me, frankly.

I found him near the stables, much as I anticipated. I just followed the scent of bloody meat, as I'm pretty sure he's the only carnivorous horse they have. He was lying down in the grass, staring into the stars. I walked over to him and stared right along with him.

"Do you know your stars, Buck?" he asked, voice quiet.

I chewed on a piece of hay I'd found on the way, staring into the sky.

"I knew some of them. It don't much matter anymore," I answered. The sky was bright with a tapestry of stars, in more colors than I knew stars could be. I didn't recognize a single one.

I continued to chew. "We're a long way from Texas."

Jeff said nothing.

"What's been on your mind?" I asked. "I hadn't pegged you for the silent type.

His hoof traced circles in the dirt. "I just.. don't want to be seen as a monster. Everybody we've seen here is human, and they don't have the best track record with non-humans."

I nodded along. If people can't accept people because of ethnicity or gender, it wouldn't be far fetched him to assume the worst.

"Maybe these people aren't like that. They ain't from earth, after all."

Jeff scoffed in his odd horsey way. "Do you really believe that?"

"...No."

Another moment of silence stretched on. I spit out the hay. "I'll tell you what," I began, turning to him. "If these folk can't appreciate a fine steed such as yourself, then I'll just shoot em."

If Jeff was capable of real facial expressions, he surely would be smirking. "You can't solve everything with a gun, Buckaroo."

I shrugged. "Worked so far."

I walked towards the saddle that was hanging from the stable wall. "Let me ask you a question."

Jeff stood up, suddenly full of energy. "What is it?"

I put the saddle on and began to work the straps. "Can you get shitfaced?"

Jeff whinnied thoughtfully. "I have no idea."

I finished setting it in record time and quickly climbed onto his back. I patted his side.

"Let's find out."