> Dave

>

> Trial

>

> 14th of Cycle 3, 1015

The prosecutor quickly recomposed herself and prepared for another set of questions. I’d evaded a murder charge, but I wasn’t out of the hot seat yet.

“Your testimony implied that you had no involvement with the high elf infiltrators in our village, but I find it hard to believe that you just waltzed in during a battle and took a high-value target without repercussions. What’s more likely is that you, along with your friend Jason, were involved with the high elf group.” She gave me a look that exuded confidence.

The judge nodded. “The circumstances paint an ugly picture for you, Dave. Unless you have some kind of evidence that you were uninvolved with the group, I’m afraid this trial will be over soon.”

Why do I have to provide evidence? What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Where are my rights?

“Your honor, I have the evidence you are looking for, in testimonial form,” Crow said. “I’d like to call the owner of the tavern, 'The Drunken Hunter,' to the stand.”

“Very well. You may return to your seat, Dave.”

I walked over to where Crow was and watched as a grizzled man approached the stand. “Is that the owner? Why’d you call him up?”

Crow put his finger over his mouth, and I decided to stop asking questions and listen. Apparently, the owner of the bar we stayed at eavesdropped on some of the conversations Matilda, Jason, and I had. His testimony cleared me of any suspicions in regards to the high elf fiasco.

The prosecutor tried to rip apart his testimony any way she could, but in the end, the judge ordered her to stop. Seemingly at the end of her wits, she decided to call up one last witness.

“Elrund. I call the blacksmith Elrund to the stand.”

A shiver went up my spine.

“Dave…” Crow whispered in a sinister tone. “What is the meaning of this?”

“It-it’s n-n-nothing m-major, Crow. I just didn’t have any weapons, you see, and I… Well, I might’ve taken some.”

“You didn’t think it important to mention—”

The judge cracked his mallet down. “Now is not the time to be holding secret discussions. Elrund, your testimony, please.”

The short, burly elf had already reached the podium, and he was glaring at me with a fury in his eyes. “There ain’t’ much of a story to tell. The boy stole from me. The bow on his back and the dagger on his waist are tools I forged. He snuck back into the village some two days after he left, and he took those with him.”

“Is that true, Dave?” The judge asked.

“Yes, your honor,” Crow answered in my stead. “But I ask that you grant him leniency in his punishment.”

“Why is that?”

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“It is due to his efforts that I stand before you today. If not for him, the entire expedition would be dead in a cave right now.”

“Elaborate.”

Crow gave a long explanation of our time in the cave and how I ended up saving them.

“I think I understand now, but theft is theft, regardless of how valiant the thief is. Iktaar, do you have anything else to add?”

“No, your honor,” The prosecutor said with a satisfied grin.

“Then I will give my judgment. For the crimes of murder, espionage, and conspiracy to commit murder, the defendant is cleared. However, for the charge of stealing, I find the defendant, Dave, guilty. I sentence you to one month of jail time and a fine equivalent to the value of the weapons you stole.”

I let out a relieved sigh. A month in prison was bad, but it was something I could handle.

But the crowd was not happy with the judge’s decision, and within seconds, there were articles of food and empty bottles flying toward me. A particularly lively member of the audience decided to charge onto the stage.

“If the guards won’t kill you, the order will!” He said as he drew his sword.

Without a moment of hesitation, Crow slammed his staff onto the ground and called out, “Hear the maidens song.”

A shrill noise permeated through the air and stopped the attacker in his tracks, giving one of the nearby guards enough time to pin him down.

“I die for my people,” He said,and a bright red light appeared inside his chest.

“Get away from him!” Crow yelled as he grabbed me and dived off the stage. A torrent of flame erupted behind us with a loud boom as we slammed into the stone floor. The sound was loud enough to blow out my eardrums, and a high pitched ringing was all I could hear as I got back up to my feet.

My vision blurred as I looked around at the fleeing crowd, and to my horror, I noticed some people who weren’t running away. They were getting closer. Quickly.

The situation clicked in my head as I felt Crow tug at my shoulder, and I followed him without a moment of doubt. We ran through the village at a pace that was hard to keep up with, considering how disoriented I was, but when I glanced back and noticed our pursuers hot on our tail, I decided it was best not to complain.

As my hearing slowly started to fade back in, I heard Crow chanting a spell. I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but the keywords ‘death,’ ‘shadow,’ and ‘soul’ were coming up a lot, so I just assumed it would be something ominous.

He stopped on a dime and turned around. A dark cloud of fog erupted toward our attackers with the tip of his staff as the epicenter.

“This way,” he said as he ran into a nearby alleyway. After a few quick turns, we emerged onto the streets, right in front of Aura’s house. The door was wide open, and she was standing near the entrance, waving us in.

Just as we passed through the doorway, she stepped inside and slammed the door shut. “Were you followed?”

“No. I made sure we weren’t.”

“Good.” Aura led us up the stairs to a windowless room, where we all sat down.

“What *pant* the hell is going on?” I asked.

“A group calling themselves The Order has formed during the time we’ve been gone from the village,” She said as she handed me a flask of water. “I’ve yet to find out their end goals, but on the surface, they oppose the current government.”

“And the members of this ‘order’ are so deluded that they’d kill themselves for their cause?” Grey asked.

“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.”

“Dammit all. We should’ve never left.”

“We should look ahead,” I joined in. “What are we going to do now?”

“We?” Crow tilted his head in confusion. “You’ve done enough for us, Dave. Let us handle our village’s politics on our own.”

His words felt like a slap in the face.

He’s right. This isn’t my problem, so I don’t have any obligation to solve it. But, if that’s the case, then why? Why do I have this burning sensation in my chest?

I stood up and stared Crow in the eyes. “I want to help.”

He let out a laugh. “Should’ve expected as much from you.”

“You’re a fool. A useful fool, but a fool nonetheless,” Aura said as she shook her head. “We need information before we make any moves.”

“I’ll call in a few favors. You two stay here for now.” Crow got up and looked at me. “I’ll be counting on you when the time comes, friend.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Crow nodded and left the room with a smile on his face, leaving me alone with Aura.

“You may have done well back at the castle, Dave, but don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve seen overconfidence kill a lot of people.”

“Are you… worried about me?”

Aura stood up, walked over to where I was, and jammed her fist into my gut before leaving the room.

Was it something I said?