Yero sat up, “Sir! I was bringing in this suspect, named Jude, for interrogation via Truth Icon. I’m sure you’ve heard my report concerning the deceased in the forest. I have reason to believe this man has insight into another matter that is likely connected to the incident.”

“I told you! I don’t know anything abou-”

“Peace, Master Jude. You have my word; the Icon will exonerate you if you speak the truth. Now, Sir Midian, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Knight Captain Roukk.” The robed man nodded, “I simply desired to inspect this man to my right. I trust you have no objection?”

Inspect? What am I, a cut of beef?

“Hmm… Very well.”

I balked, “The hell do-”

The man turned towards me, and suddenly it felt like I was back in that bunker, ice ran up my spine, as I felt those Eyes settle on me. I froze in the seat, locking my eyes on the wood grains of the table.

“It would be easier if he looked me in the eyes, Knight Captain.”

Over my dead body…

“Sir…” I heard Yero say.

“Don’t worry, Little Yero. He has a right to it, even here. Although… Hmm” Roukk went silent, then continued, “He does seem uncomfortable. Ah! I’ve decided. You’ll just have to do it without eye contact, Sir Midian.”

“As you say, Knight Captain.” The man replied, and I swear I felt his gaze intensify.

After seconds of silence, the man grunted, "Dammit.”

It took a split second.

I felt a hand turn my face forcefully, and suddenly I was staring into glowing blue eyes…

I saw white-

“Aargh! You little shit!” The Seeker stumbled away from his upturned chair, clutching his nose.

I was soon crouched against one of the walls, cradling the aching knuckles of my right hand. Yero stood between me and the Seeker, his sword pointed at the robed man. The Knight Captain stood over him, holding the man’s hand away from his swollen face, “You overstepped, little ‘Dian. You were warned.” His voice grew hard, “Now, what did you see?”

Silence.

If I wasn’t watching so closely, I would have missed it.

The Seeker’s gaze grew hard, lips pursing, as though telling Roukk to do his worst.

Roukk smiled in response and patted his shoulder, “No matter. Stay here, don’t leave unless a superior of at least my rank bids you.” The hand squeezed, “Is that understood?”

“Crystal.” The Seeker strained.

Yero took a step forward, “Respectfully sir, we don’t have much time.”

“Alright, follow me. Stay behind the suspect.” Roukk picked a notepad from the table, muttered a few words, and several webs of light restrained the Seeker in his position, and strode out of the office.

Yero extended a hand towards me, “I know you’re confused right now, but trust me. This is for your safety. We’ll explain later.”

“Quickly!” Roukk called from outside.

Yero pulled me up.

We left the office, Yero taking up the rear. The Knight Captain stood in the hall, facing a wall.

Once he saw us at his periphery, he walked straight at it. Before he hit, the wall parted, bricks floating off their place on the wall and formed a staircase leading through empty space, walls, other staircases, floors and ceilings deeper within the structure.

He walked down the floating staircase, but I hesitated behind him, overwhelmed with the roller-coaster of event. I mean I’d literally just being thrown like a shot-put a few minutes ago! Yero made an impatient noise behind me, startling me.

I nearly lashed out, but after taking a bracing breath, I set my shoulder, deciding to go with the flow and breakdown later.

We went at speed. The Knights set a quick pace, and I trucked on between them, accustomed to ignoring the pain in my feet by now.

“Sir!!” Men and women in armor stood at attention from myriad positions, not at all shocked at their ceilings, walls or floors turning into a staircase midair.

I would probably have found it amusing outside of the current circumstances, but now I just wanted the day over with.

We reached the air above the ground floor with its hectic energy. There were a lot more robed men in various colors. One of them in blue green robes with gold highlights on the sleeves and shoulders looked up at us as we came down. He pointed, a scowl on his wrinkled face, “Roukk! You impudent child! The boy is mine!”

Who?

“Lord Seeker Miard! I’ll be right with you, you jolly old crone!” Roukk waved down at the man.

“Stay where you are, Roukk! We’re having a discussion right now!”

“In a few hours!” He jumped through a hole in the wall of another room, "Love what you’ve done with your beard, by the by!”

He beckoned to me. Before I could follow, Yero overtook me and dropped down into the room. Then he turned to me with his arms raised.

“No.” I said.

He shrugged and turned away.

I dropped down immediately after… into Yero’s armored arms.

“... Bro. This is emasculating.”

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“Apologies. Forgive my lack of faith in your physical prowess.”

He calling me fat?!

“Put me down.”

I’m saying that too often nowadays.

He dropped me, then walked over to Roukk, “How far can I go, sir?”

“Careful! Don’t give them ammunition. Just stand before the door and turn on the occupancy lights.”

“Sir!” Yero sped out the door and soon after, a previously unseen light above the door glowed a bright ochre.

I brushed imaginary lint of my borrowed clothes as I looked around the room. It was bare and gray save for a metal table with two wooden chairs on opposite sides of it. A small rectangle of whitish rock stood at the center of the table, and one of the walls had what looked suspiciously like a one-way mirror.

Roukk beckoned to the table. “Please, take a seat.”

No sooner had we sat down than we heard a bang at the door.

Yero yelled, “Lord Seeker! There is an ongoing interrogation. You cannot-”

“Roukk! Get your guard dog away from the door!”

The Knight Captain turned to me, “There are cuffs under the table, quick! Put it on!”

“What!”

“Trust, lad! We don’t have the time!”

There was the sound like screeching metal outside the door followed by Yero screaming.

Roukk looked constipated, “Young man-”

“No!”

“Jude! For mercy’s sake, the trajectory of your life will change drastically, very quickly, depending on this choice! If that cuff is not on your hand before those men get in, it’s out of mine.”

His words sounded like a convenient manipulation, but my intuition strongly suggested otherwise.

I looked behind me to find the hole we came through closed up. I turn to the door and what sounds like an epic battle behind it, and then the man before me, who could force the cuffs on me regardless…

“Dammit!” I reached below the table and cuffed my hands to the chains attached to it, sitting down.

It’s not like I can escape from here, anyways.

“There… Explain.”

The Knight Captain relaxed, a smile blooming on his face, “Okay Yero! You can let them in!”

The door flew open, banging against the wall and in its place was the robed old man from before, panting, his hands glowing a bright red.

Behind him, I spied a banged up Yero leaning against the wall behind him.

I stood in alarm, “Yero!”

Yero’s armor looked half peeled off his frame, his skin underneath exposed and bleeding. Regardless, he stubbornly held what was left of his shield in one hand.

Roukk’s expression darkened, “Miard. You’ll pay quite dearly for that… “

He pointed at the old man, “That door’s made of Sivan Steel!”

… What the fri-

Yero chuckled weakly as he slid down to sit on the floor in the corridor, "Thrice beamed at the mana forge. That doubles the price.”

Unlike my flabbergasted self, Miard seemed familiar with the song and dance, “Burn the dross, you crafty bastard! I want the boy, I will not be denied.”

So, he was talking about me!

“Certainly!” Roukk crowed.

“Over my dead body!” I gaped. Why did I trust this guy again?!

“After the interrogation is concluded. He has the cuffs on and everything.” He said gleefully to the old man.

Miard’s left eye twitched.

“As you know…” Roukk explained with the cadence of one talking to a child, “Once the interrogation’s started, it must be finished, or the Commander would have my head. You understand... Please wait outside and listen in, if you want to.”

The Seeker stared at the Knight Commander for long minute, then he stormed out of the room, slamming the deformed door closed behind him.

Roukk finally turned to face me, all levity gone from his demeanor, "With that unpleasantness out of the way, let me explain how this works.”

“So, we’re just going to just ignore the heavily injured man outside?”

Roukk waved dismissively, “Yero will be fine. Trust.”

Never again, man…

He pointed at the rectangular crystal on the table, “This is a Truth Icon. It is a highly complex working of a very rare type of magic. It reaches into reality itself to draw forth Truth.”

“Wow. You must have barely any crimes here then.”

“Safest city in Virrydia.” He smirked, “The Icon gives many results depending on the color it glows. Blue for half-truth, red for lies and green for unvarnished truth. There are other colors, but those are the main ones we mostly need.”

He pulled out a small jotter and pen from… his pants presumably, and flipped it open, writing on it, “Any questions?” He turned his jotter to face me:

’Stall for time.’

Easy.

I asked a stupid question, “Am I allowed to not answer a question?”

Roukk laughed, “As long as you're wearing those cuffs, you can’t not answer a question pertaining to the case. How can it tell whether it is? It’s complicated. I’m also not a mage, but we can try it out if you like. Have you ever shat yourself before?”

I said not a word…

He smiled impishly, “Now! What is your name in full please?”

The words spilled out of my mouth, “Jude Sani- The hell!”

Is there a way to control my response...

“Just to confirm, you said your full name is Jude Sani?” He was frowning now.

“Yes?” I finally looked down at the Icon.

It was glowing indigo.

“I swear I’m telling the tru-”

“I know. Indigo implies even you, don’t know the whole truth.”

“Well, that doesn’t make any sense.” I muttered.

“It would. If you weren’t told your full name, or if you had amnesia…”

“...”

“You do have amnesia… right?” He leaned forward.

I remained silent.

“Huh. Not related then…” He sat back, scribbling in his notepad.

“Given you’re only a suspect, you have a certain number of rights that are, frankly, irrelevant to you currently.”

“I’d still like to know them, thanks.”

He pretended I hadn’t spoken, “In the interrogation of a suspect, I’m allowed certain…creative freedoms, as it were. Most of the time it’s used to create rapport, to help make it easier for you to tell me what I need to know.”

He tapped his jotter twice. I looked at it again:

‘DON’T ask about your rights.’

I gave him an incredulous look, trying to understand why.

Perhaps…

In certain countries on Earth, not being read your rights could be used to argue for your release, even when found culpable for a crime. As long as it wasn’t a serious crime… I think.

Honestly, crime series are probably not the best reference for this.

“Therefore, I’m going to let you ask me a question, after you’ve answered two of mine and if I answer, the Icon will, of course verify.”

I belatedly notice the crystal glowing green in response to his words.

“Hmm… I’ll do you one better. I’ll give a quick statement. You ask clarifying questions and for every other question you ask, I’ll ask you one in turn. How does that sound.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, “Very well.” He pulls at the corner of the open page of his jotter, extending it into something roughly the size of an A3 paper, “I’m listening.”

Okay. Make statements, not questions. Let the Icon do the work of convincing. As long as it isn't rigged of course.

Trying very hard to ignore the ridiculous magic on display, I begin, “My name is Jude Sani. The last thing I remember, that is relevant to the case of the likely dead Knights, occurred, by what I calculate, to be in the very early hours of this morning. Before dawn at least.”

Green

“Crap. I guess it is related… Anyways, I woke up in the middle of a ritual diagram. It was designed to usurp my soul in some way with that of an evil spiritual entity.”

Green

“Another, good? greater being intervened and purged me of its influence. The ritualists all died at the hands of their god.”

Green

“The… ordeal created enough miasma to birth a corrupted monster, which became at large. I left the bunker and after some careful navigation. I happened upon the scene of Yero fighting said monster.”

Green. Blue. Blue.

The Knight Captain gave me a look.

“I was fairly discombobulated for a bit in the forest.”

Green

“I… may have also tried to actively help Yero fight said monster…Unsuccessfully”

Green

“No matter how foolhardy your decision. It saved Yero’s life I hear. I thank you.” Roukk said.

Green

I sighed, “Right… I passed out for… reasons and woke up to Yero carrying me. I told him an abridged and slightly embellished version of events, and from this point I believe he’s told you the rest.”

Green

“I’d still like to hear your version of events.” Roukk said.

I ignored him, “I’ll make another quick statement. I have never, do not currently, nor do I in the future, intend to cause anyone harm, directly or indirectly… Except maybe Fijan.”

Green

“Who?”

None of your business…

He stared at me for a bit. He dropped his pen then leaned back in his seat.

He hummed with a smile.

” Are you an Otherworlder?”

“No… Damn…”

Red

Damn…