Verin awoke to banging on the cell door. It was one of the guards who had checked him into the jail the previous day.

“Get up.” The guard said in a gruff voice. “The Judges want to see you in their office, now.”

Verin had learned from the guards that the way the justice system was set up was different from where he was from. Instead of a king deciding what happens, three judges work together to decide on the fate of an accused person. They had to be unanimous, not outweighing the others with only two votes, as this would reduce the likelihood of a punishment happening without a valid reason. Verin stood up and followed the guard down the hall to a set of doors after being shackled again.

“ Judges are waiting for you.” The guard motioned for Verin to enter. “They will decide on what happens with you.”

Verin nodded and walked through the door.

Inside there was a large table slightly elevated from the ground giving the Judges a more intimidating feel. There were three other chairs in the room. Two of which were facing the door and both had people in them. One was Gabriel and the other was Beck. As for the judges, in the middle was a man, likely in his forties with a beard in red robes. To his left was a woman older than him, likely in her sixties, and also had a red robe on. In the right seat was a younger man likely in his late twenties, also wearing red robes. Verin was unsure of what to do, so he walked in and stood behind the open seat, not wanting to get himself in trouble.

“Verin, you are brought before us for trespassing into the king's forest.” The young judge said. “You are also charged with the use of Blood magic which has been outlawed. What do you have to say in your defense?”

Verin hesitated. He had been listening to the stories he was told about blood magic, and there was one thing he remembered. Blood magic had a red hue to it, which is what made it distinct from natural magic. The magic he used had a blue hue. He did not know what that meant, but he figured it would get him out of some of the trouble. Blood Magic also required the use of dead magic creatures. This gave Verin an idea of how to handle the situation. He responded to the question, by asking his own.

“Gabriel, what did I have with me when you found me?” Verin asked.

Gabriel maintained a neutral expression and turned to the judges, who gave him a round of nods as permission to speak.

“When we found you, you had nothing, not even clothing which we provided you,” He said.

“Ok, and Beck what happened as we were headed here,” Verin continued.

Beck did the same as Gabriel and also got a round of nods. The judges had seemed just as frustrated, but they were curious as to what Verin was going for.

“We were attacked by elves,” Beck said.

“And what happened?” Verin prompted.

“You proceeded to summon and launch magic at them as we rode.” Beck responded.”

“And what color was the magic I used?” Verin asked.

“It was blue,” Beck said.

Verin turned his attention to the judges sitting high at their table.

“If I had nothing, and the magic I used was blue, then what makes you all think I used Blood magic?” Verin asked.

The judges shared a silent conversation with slight head gestures. After a moment, the female judge spoke.

“No human can perform natural magic,” She said. “If you used magic, then you must have been using blood magic.”

“That is the thing,” Verin said. “I am no human.”

The Judges looked at one another confused.

“If you are not human then what are you,” The older male asked.

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“I am unsure,” Verin said.

“Explain,” The same older male said.

“I’ll be honest, I don't know what I am, But I was told I was not human,” Verin said.

This was not exactly true, but he had read in the field guide that he was not human, and he was unsure of what he was supposed to be. There was no information in the Field guide on what his race was. He also did not want to say too much. He wanted to keep some of his cards to himself. The Judges began to talk aloud, but quiet enough that Verin could not hear what they were saying. After a moment they spoke.

“Guards take him back to his cell.” The woman said. “We will send it to him after we come to a consensus.”

Verin had not noticed the two guards standing behind him until they grabbed him and started to lead him back to his cell. He tried to ask the guards questions, but the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he got hushed with a punch to the gut. Once he was back in the cell, his bindings were removed, and he was left in his cell alone. He decided to check his Field guide and see if he could learn anything.

Stats

Verin Aldem

Race: Outworlder Thirdling

Primary Speciality: Novice Mage

Secondary Speciality: Undecided

Level: Two

Health: 6

Mana Regeneration: 5

Stamina Regen: 2

Max Stamina: 50

Max Mana Capacity: 110

4 Unspent Skill Points. (Used to upgrade field guide and learn/upgrade different skills)

There was a slight movement in his stats. Not a considerable amount, but any improvement was a good thing. Verin was starting to understand what was going on. It seemed as if some of the things he did not know were just becoming known. He also noticed he was thinking differently, but only when he looked back into his past. He realized this when he was not acting like the shy person he was just a few days ago. He felt better about himself, and more powerful. At the same time, he felt out of control of his situation. He wanted to understand what was going on. Since his arrival in this strange land, he had felt alone and wanted a way back, but he did not know where home was. He was tempted to spend another skill point trying to get more information like he had earlier, but he could not find where to get that information. So he instead used the skill points he had to get a new skill.

Would you like to spend 4 skill points on New Ability

Yes No

Since he was becoming better at not using his hands to deal with the book, he gave a mental assent. He felt a surge of power course through his body. He could feel his mind changing. He could see how the energy moved through him, how the energy around him flowed and worked. He could see it, but could not understand it. Yet somehow, after a few moments, he understood how to use that energy, that mana.

You have used 4 skill points to unlock a new ability

Light Bringer

Life Bolt: Gain the ability to call upon light to form a weak beam which will slowly drain mana from self to heal an Ally at a small distance. This ability cannot be used on self.

“Well, that could be helpful if I had people I could trust,” Verin said after reading the description.

The ability would indeed be helpful, but it would not aid him in escaping. He tried to blast the jail door off with his basic bolt spell, but it just dispersed when it hit the door. Frustrated that the power did not give him a way out, he sat down to wait until the guards came back for him. A few minutes later a different guard than the one earlier came by with some bread, cheese, and a glass of water. The guard remained until Verin was done, then spoke.

“The Judges are ready to see you.” He said, then turned to walk down the hall and through a side door.

A moment later two guards emerged from the same door and headed to Verin's cell. This time they only put on the hand bindings, making it easier for Verin to walk. They escorted him back down the hall and into the same room he had seen the judges in before. This time, however, there was no Gabriel or Beck.

“You may be seated,” the woman said.

Verin sat down in a chair at the center of the room.

“We have come to a decision,” The eldest man said.

“Verin, you have been accused of trespassing, and suspected of Blood magic,” The youngest said.

“We have decided that you are to be hanged at noon tomorrow,” The older man said.

Verin turned pale and was stunned with fear.

“Guards take him back to his cell for the night,” The woman said.

“I don’t know blood magic!” Verin called out Still pale and voice wavering.

“You were seen performing magic, and only humans practicing blood magic can do such a thing,” The older man said. “Guards take him.”

Verin continued trying to convince the judges to change their minds but was quickly silenced by a guard who punched him in the gut.

“Silent,” the guard commanded in a flinty voice.

The punch knocked the air out of his lungs and caused him to double over. The guards then continued to drag him back to his cell. As they approached, a tall woman entered from the other door at the end of the hall. The guards stopped and drew their weapons.

“Stop there,” One of the guards yelled.

“Civilians are not allowed in the holding area,” the other of the two guards said.

Verin looked up at the woman and noticed something was off about her.

“ELF!” the first guard shouted. Then charged at her sword in hand.

The elf made a gesture and the man flew across the room and hit then went through the door to the judge's chambers. The second guard did not engage, instead turning and running back the way he came. The elf did not follow, instead, she spoke to Verin.

“Come with me,” She said.

Verin hesitated. He remembered what Gabriel and the other three had said. They had told him they were bloodthirsty monsters.

She said something in a language he did not understand then turned to the door she had come through and opened it. Verin concentrated on what she had said at first, trying to figure out what she had said. When she spoke again he was able to understand her in the same language she had initially spoken in.

“More of them will be coming. We have to move now.” She said.

Verin then ran to catch up and followed her out of the hall and the building. She led him down several streets, changing directions when guards showed up. The whole city had to be looking for them. She led him for a while, before stopping at a small gate in the wall at the edge of the city. When they arrived, eleven other elves jumped off a roof.

“So you found him,” One of the elves said.

“I did, but he was under guard,” She responded. “I managed to get him out, but we need to go now.”

Another elf turned and opened the gate that led out of the city. All twelve of the elves and Verin ran through the gate and into the forest. It was night which made it hard to see for verin, but when he glanced over his head, he could see lanterns the guards had as they chased after them. He brought his attention back to in front of him and continued to run, trying to keep the same pace the elves were demonstrating.