Their lawyer claps his hands together, and a tall, gray stone block grows beneath him. He now stands over the crowd.
"Hello everyone, my name is Robert Wilson. My client Balgor the Fighter is a well known hero of this city who was only defending himself against this despicable man Jacob Deatrix. I have several witnesses that are willing to testify to this fact." he explains calmly.
I gasp when I realize I have no idea where my witnesses are. I look around and don't see them anywhere. I turn to August with extreme concern painted across my face.
"August, where are our witnesses?" I whisper urgently.
August's eyes widen with concern, and looks around. She takes a deep breath, and exhales tensely.
"I don't think any of them are here." she whispers nervously.
"Fuck!" I curse quietly. "You have to find them, and quickly. We need their testimonies. And you might want to bribe Dallphi, he said he'd only testify if we had a lot of witnesses." I whisper seriously.
August sighs annoyedly, then nods.
"Jacob is lucky I value him so highly." she complains quietly.
August walks off at a brisk pace. I can only hope she comes back soon. I turn back to Mr.Wilson.
"Allow me to call my first witness to the stand. Will Mr.Jameson please come here?" Mr. Wilson says calmly.
I see a Guard with a black eye approach Mr.Wilson. He claps his hands together, and another block raises the Guard a few feet up, but notably still lower than Mr.Wilson. The Guard turns to the crowd. He looks nervous.
"Mr.Jameson, is it correct you were one of the Guards posted on the intersection where the fight occurred?" Mr.Wilson asks calmly.
"Yes, that's right." Mr.Jameson says calmly.
"Could you please explain what happened that day?" Mr.Wilson asks calmly.
Mr.Jameson nods. He takes a deep breath, and exhales tensely.
"It was a normal day honestly. The day was peaceful, just people going about their day. Until Mr.Deatrix bumped into Balgor on the street. Balgor apologized quickly, but Mr.Deatrix started yelling at Balgor, and drew his blade. Balgor tried to defuse the situation, but when Mr.Deatrix swung his blade, Balgor was forced to draw his own weapon to defend himself. From there, they fought for a few moments, and as you know, fights are allowed as long as no one dies so I just kept an eye on it. At least, until Judge Sordelia appeared and declared Mr.Deatrix as evil for this. Something I agree with since Balgor is a hero, and Mr.Deatrix started trying to kill him for a very petty reason. After that, us Guards surrounded the fight and deescalated it very quickly, and arrested Mr.Deatrix who was later bailed out that day. And that's pretty much it." Mr.Jameson explains nervously.
What a bunch of shit. I know for sure this is wrong. But my only evidence I can use to disprove it is a double edged sword. I sigh as I realize I don't have much of a choice though.
"I see. This seems accurate to me based on what I've heard from my other witnesses, so this will be all for now." Mr.Wilson says calmly.
Cato nods, and turns to me.
"Mr.Sheeves, do you have any questions for him?" he asks calmly.
"Yes, I'll begin my cross-examination." I say annoyedly.
"Oooo. cross-examination. Is that a special lawyer technique of yours?" Cato asks warmly.
I stare at Cato, confused and annoyed at this question until I realize this continent, and maybe even this world, definitely doesn't have a term for this. It fills me with hopelessness for this world. I sigh sadly.
"It's just a term for challenging or extending this testimony. The cross part is because I'm the opponent in this case." I explain wearily.
"Hmmm. Very interesting. Perhaps you'll add more words to our dictionaries as well as new laws. Anyway, you may begin this cross-examination." Cato says warmly.
I grit my teeth to restrain myself from insulting him for this nonsense. I face Mr.Jackson, and look him dead in his eyes. He glares back at me.
"Sir, you claim that Balgor attempted to deescalate the situation?" I ask firmly.
"He definitely did." Mr.Jackson says angrily.
I turn to Cato.
"Your honor, I have evidence that counters that. A magical recording of the actual events caught on a recording spell that was used to help secure a jewelry shop on that very corner. Could I show it to you?" I ask calmly.
"Ah yes, but please, show it to everyone." Cato says warmly.
I stare at him blankly for a moment.
"You mean one by one?" I ask nervously.
Cato laughs at that.
"You don't know how to make that recording sphere show the events to everyone, right? It's fine if so, I can show you. Bring it here." he says warmly.
I approach Cato, and give him the sphere. He holds it up over his head, and then a hologram forms over his head. It appears like a floating tv screen with high quality. We all watch the video for a few minutes, up to Jacob's arrest. At the end, I turn back to Mr.Jackson.
"Sir, that video clearly shows that they were yelling at each other. There was no attempt for deescalation." I state firmly.
"That video is fake. You're painting myself and other Guards as liars with this illusion when you in fact are an evil bastard." Mr.Jackson says angrily.
Cato laughs at that.
"Now now, let's not be so hasty. I know for certain Henry isn't capable of creating something like this. Admittedly though, his allies could make something like this but I know Henry well enough to where he wouldn't do something like that. However, I do have a question for you Henry." he says warmly.
I tense up, and face Cato.
"It appears that Mr.Deatrix swung first. Is this true to you as well?" he says warmly.
I take a deep breath, and force myself to state what I believe.
"Perhaps, but being fair to Mr.Deatrix, Balgor clearly starts to draw his blade first. They're both warriors, and I believe both were trying to strike at the same time." I answer hesitantly.
Cato strokes his chin. Then he replays the video, this time holding it in front of him. He observes closely, and nods.
"Indeed. I agree, Henry. They were both trying to kill each other. It is also clear that Balgor started the argument. That doesn't excuse Mr.Deatrix's behavior, but you are indeed right that they both are warriors. And it's well known they're both rather hotheaded." Cato says warmly.
I can't help but sigh with relief. But then Mr.Wilson speaks up.
"Sir, you can't seriously believe him based on that clearly fake evidence! I have several witnesses, most of which are loyal Guards of this city! They all agree Deatrix started that fight!" he argues angrily.
"Do you have any proof of this? A recording of the events like Henry does?" Cato asks calmly.
Mr.Wilson falls silent. He looks down, trying to put together some argument, I presume. I smile cockily at this sight.
"This does not excuse Mr.Deatrix from his crime, however. I would still consider it evil to start a fight with Balgor, and any other hero like him." Cato says seriously.
"You're wrong! Balgor is a thug of the Bloody Fists! A gang that terrorizes this city! Cephellion is a drug dealer! And Wilbur is a member of the Seekers of Knowledge! A Guild that is rightly rumored to commit heinous crimes against society! They literally eat babies with ketchup!" I yell angrily.
Gasps fill the air as I accuse them of these crimes.
"Libra please, say it's not true!"
"This can't be right. They're heroes!"
"Anything but ketchup! Ketchup is the worst sauce ever!"
"I tell the truth! Try and prove me wrong! You certainly can't with Cephellion, he literally admitted to it earlier!" I yell angrily.
"Yeah, well those drugs were awesome until you made them illegal!" Cephellion yells angrily.
Cato laughs loudly at that. Then he holds his hands up sheepishly to his sides.
"Well, Mr.Dingleberry is definitely guilty of that. He will be going to prison for a year for sure." Cato says amusedly.
Cephellion's jaw drops along with Wilbur's. Balgor approaches Cato slowly, each step loud and filled with rage.
"You dare do this to my friend, you bastard." he says furiously.
"STOP!" Wilbur yells seriously.
Suddenly Balgor is frozen in place mid-stride. Then his body robotically backs up, and moves to stand with Cephellion and Wilbur. I'm shocked that his own ally would control him like that, but honestly it probably was necessary. Otherwise, Cato would've killed him or something.
Cato clicks his tongue and wags a finger at the "Heroes."
"That's a major point for making me believe Balgor started that fight. Wilbur, I'd like to ask why you didn't use that spell to intervene in the fight? You could've stopped the fight altogether before Judge Sordelia got involved." he says warmly.
Wow, now Cato's doing my work for me. Never had a Judge do that for me before. It almost makes me like Cato. Almost. He's still a bastard.
"Especially when Mr.Deatrix is a foreigner. You could've gotten a new slave." Cato says warmly.
My hatred grows to an intense flame within seconds of hearing this.
Wilbur shrugs nonchalantly.
"I thought Balgor could handle himself. Plus I didn't need a filthy Disciple of Gilgamesh as a slave. I'd rather die than have one honestly." he says calmly.
Cato strokes his chin, and "Hmm"s loudly.
"I suppose that satisfies me. However, I am still not convinced Mr.Deatrix isn't evil. These are still great heroes, despite how hotheaded Balgor has been lately. Mr.Deatrix should've apologized properly." he says calmly.
I roll my eyes and exhale with pure annoyance. Then I grit my teeth, and focus. As my mind scrambles, August returns with the witnesses. There's also several people I recognize from the Crimson Wolves' Guild. Like that rude guy who wears all black, and the tanned guy with the pompadour. However, to an extent, the witnesses are useless. I've already used the recording sphere, so there's probably no need for them to take the stand. I gasp when I realize I do have a witness that can help.
"Your honor, do you still own the thug which claimed Balgor is a Bloody Fist?" I ask seriously.
Cato smiles amusedly, and nods.
"Yes, but I didn't bring him here. However, for the public's sake, I shall explain the importance of this man and the validity of his words. Recently I enslaved a thug of the Bloody Fists. He admitted while under my control that Balgor is a Bloody Fist. Admittedly that is quite an Evil thing. Especially since he's a Champion of theirs." he explains warmly.
Mr.Wilson's face turns red as he starts yelling angrily.
"These claims are false, and you sir aren't being impartial at all! There is clear favoritism for Henry present now! Do either of you have proof that Balgor is a Bloody Fist!?"
"Check Balgor's armor, and then his body. All Bloody Fists have their symbol on them in some form or another. And knowing that Balgor is a Champion, I'd bet his fists are blood red like their leader's." August yells calmly.
The crowd turns to August with angry shock. Cato smiles amusedly, and points at Balgor.
"Guards, check Balgor for any marks of the Bloody Fists. Be thorough." he commands warmly. "And Wilbur? Make sure Balgor cooperates." he says coldly.
The Guards look nervously at one another, and approach Balgor's inhumanly stiff body. As they do, Cephellion and Wilbur are whispering urgently to one another. Then Wilbur starts hissing angry words at Mr.Wilson who turns and whispers back. They all look stressed.
"Get ready. You've cornered them, Henry. It's about to be rough, knowing these guys." August whispers seriously.
I nod tensely. As the Guards draw close, suddenly Balgor roars to life with a terrifying war cry. It makes almost everyone take fearful steps back. Then Cato holds a hand out, and Balgor becomes covered in the same purple aura that controlled me before. However, Balgor resists the strength of this spell, and begins drawing his blade.
Deatrix steps forward, drawing his own blade. I quickly put a hand on his arm, and look at him with serious concern.
"Don't, you'll only make trouble for yourself."
Deatrix growls angrily, but stops for now. Then a loud clattering of footsteps comes from behind the courthouse. I turn in time to see hoards of Bloody Fists pouring in from the sides of the courthouse.
"Fuck the law! Get Balgor out of here!" Thug Leader yells furiously.
"Oh please, don't! You're making things worse!" Cephellion cries fearfully.
Cephellion pulls out his ukulele and starts playing a soothing song.
"Please, please, cease the violenceeee. There's no need for thissss. Let's remain blissfully calm. Please hear this song, and calm dowwwnnnnn!" he sings desperately.
However, his song falls on deaf ears. Especially since Balgor roars again, and swings his sword at a Guard approaching him. Cato laughs with amused shock, and the aura around Balgor grows more intense. His movements slow to a halt almost instantly, his blade stopping inches from a Guard's neck.
"You two, don't interfere. Or I will declare you Evil, and have you arrested as well." Cato orders coldly.
Cephellion gulps nervously, and puts away his ukulele. Wilbur sighs sadly and holds his hands up to his sides in defeat for a moment. Cato turns back to us. He smiles and gestures with his other hand at the hoard of Bloody Fists.
"I will take it greatly into consideration if you Crimson Wolves could handle those thugs." he says warmly.
"Fuck yeah! I'll kill them all right now!" Deatrix yells happily.
I gasp fearfully, and watch Deatrix charge headlong into the thugs.
"Deatrix, wait! Don;t kill them, you'll go to jail!" I yell urgently.
"No, I'll allow it this time. They shouldn't be trying to interfere in a trial. That's definitely Evil." Cato says warmly.
I turn to Cato with shock clear in my eyes and a dropped jaw. August claps a hand on my shoulder, and smiles warmly.
"You should get away from here. It's gonna get messy." she says nicely.
I take a deep, fearful breath. Then I nod and start running off. I'll come back once I hear the fighting is done.
I pull out my First Blade Katayana and my Fourth Blade, the Promethean Knife. I pour mana into my Fourth Blade, and it quickly grows an intense aura of flames around it. Then I swing it hard left to right, creating a huge arc of flames. This is my Flying Slash of Flames. It cuts through the crowd of thugs, first literally cutting them into pieces. Then the flames burn the remains to ash.
A stone wall suddenly grows out of the ground to block the Flying Slash. It smacks against the wall. The flames make the wall sizzle and begin to melt. But the Flying Slash is stopped and dissipates into nothing soon after.
It doesn't take long for the thugs to start going around the wall. It takes me less time to leap into the air. I pour mana into both of my blades, and ready them both. My First Blade on my right shoulder, and my Fourth Blade high over my head. Then I swing them rapidly, unleashing a storm of regular and fiery Flying Slashes. They quickly fall upon the thugs, tearing them into shreds.
"Mr.Deatrix, please avoid damaging the courthouse! I will make you pay for any damages!" Judge Tyshira yells nicely.
I growl angrily, but do as I'm told. To avoid property damage, I use wind to propel myself back to the ground in the midst of the thugs. They quickly encircle me. They start yelling insults at me, but none of them are coming closer yet. I grin with malice at these cowards. I can't wait to make them all corpses.
"Shadow, quit stealing my kills!" I yell angrily.
I see Shadow stop for a brief second to flip me off, then he resumes killing everyone before I can. I try to rush through to get to someone, but he gets there first! Again, and again, and again! And when it isn't Shadow, it's Lucius's zombies that are in the way. And I'm not a kill stealer like Shadow, so I clearly can't fight them.
I hear August laughing at my frustration. I ignore her, and finally see a Thug within my reach. I leap at him, swords high over my head. But fucking August now fires a fireball at him that engulfs the bastard in flames. He falls to the ground, howling in pain. I turn and glare at August while this guy burns to death.
"Ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist making you mad. It's always funny." August laughs.
I growl angrily, and turn back to find that everyone is either dead with a slit throat. Or about to be dead by the hands of zombies. I growl even more, and walk off to the steps of the courthouse. I turn and bitterly watch the battle come to an end within the next fifteen minutes.
When it's done, I yell for Henry. I see him crawl out of a barrel that's sitting in a nearby alley, and genuinely laugh. Henry may be weak, but in a funny way at least.
"With that said and done, I will state I am still not convinced Mr.Deatrix committed no wrong. He was rather hotheaded. However, it is clear based on Balgor's actions that he started the fight. So Mr.Deatrix will be given community service. Specifically he must accept and complete three Quests given to him by the city for free regardless of how difficult it is. He will also not be allowed to collect any loot from these quests. Failure to complete these quests within three months will result in Mr.Deatrix's case being reviewed, and he will be charged with jail time that will be determined in that unfortunate future. Hopefully Mr.Deatrix will make sure this future doesn't come to exist." Cato explains seriously.
I sigh with relief as I finally have succeeded in preventing Deatrix from being punished. In a severe matter, anyway. Based on how Deatrix growls angrily and turns his back to Cato, he's upset by his community service. But it's the best I can do.
"Thank you, your honor. We appreciate this lenient punishment." I say politely.
Cato laughs with a smug smile.
"Oh, this is not lenient. The work will be difficult, and Mr.Deatrix will be quite annoyed when he learns how much money and loot he could've got." he says with sadistic glee.
"I'm already fucking mad." Deatrix mutters angrily.
Cato laughs again, and turns back to Balgor. He lifts him up into the air with a single finger curl.
"I need some Guards to come with me. Just in case Balgor starts any trouble, though I doubt he'll manage to." he orders amusedly.
Cato walks away, Balgor and some Guards in tow. I turn to Deatrix with a sheepish smile.
"Well, you're not in jail at least. That's a plus." I say nicely.
Deatrix sighs bitterly. Then he turns to me and holds his fist up. I bump fists with him.
"Thanks man. That honestly could've gone a lot worse." Deatrix says bitterly.
August laughs at that, an amused smile on her face.
"Maybe for you Jacob. But for everyone else, this was the worst situation. Never in the history of Pordrig did two Judges accuse one another of being Evil. And look at the chaos that ensued because of it." she says warmly.
"Indeed. We will have to do something about this. We may have to punish Judge Sordelia, though I'm unsure how to do it." Judge Jacksonson says seriously.
I turn to him with a sheepish smile. He looks pretty tired.
"You could make it illegal for Judges to declare one another as Evil." I say warmly.
Judge Jacksonson nods gravely.
"Indeed, that's probably smart. But please, no more new ideas for laws. You already made my life hell with those divorces." he says seriously.
I laugh at that, along with August.
"Yeah, I feel for you guys. I've got to deal with some divorces myself." I say warmly.
Judge Jacksonson sighs sadly.
"Please tell me you're not gonna put as much work into them as you did in this trial. You literally caused a small war." he says gravely.
"What? This isn't all my fault." I say, offended.
"At least eighty percent your fault." Judge Jacksonson says seriously.
I sigh with pure annoyance.
"Agree to disagree on that, your honor." I say.
"I suppose that's how it is. I'm going now. Please, for the love of Libra, don't cause any more trouble or invent any new laws today." Judge Jacksonson says seriously.
I laugh again.
"Yes, I promise." I say warmly.
"Yeah, same. I'm fucking done for the day. I'm going home. I'll see y'all around." Deatrix says bitterly.
Deatrix and Judge Jacksonson starts walking away. August turns to me with a warm smile.
"Thank you again, Henry. You helped us a lot. I hope you continue to train with Deatrix. I see great potential in you." she says.
I smile back.
"Definitely. I need to grow stronger to survive here." I say with warm determination.
That wrapped up my first trial. Thankfully, my next two trials were the divorces I promised to do. They went surprisingly smooth. Probably because even though we're in the medieval ages, women still get favoritism from the law. To a major extent, anyway. I do worry about how they'll survive as single mothers, though.
I didn't do Bellencia's since her husband is dead. She's trying to get me to be her lawyer for her murder charge, but I'm avoiding that like the plague. Hell, I almost want to avoid all future trials. At least if they're all as crazy as this one. There was barely any logic to it. No real structure. And most trials don't result in a war. For now, all I want to do is train and get stronger. That consumes enough of my time and energy as is.
However, this world isn't a good place. I see the slaves walking around me. The thugs blatantly beating and robbing people. And of course, the corruption of the Guards as they stand and watch the chaos ensue. There is barely any sense of morality here.
Every time I see the blank eyes of a slave, it fills me with anger and determination to change the world. So soon, I will begin. As soon as I can make more laws. Unfortunately, that will be a while. The Judges of this continent barely managed to make it illegal for Judges to declare one another as Evil. And Judge Sordelia wasn't even punished. He's still a Judge even. It's ridiculous.
I want to change this world for the better. I didn't do it in my previous life cause I wanted to be rich. But this life will be different. I can already feel that I'm a better person.
"I mean, yeah, you are. But your soul has only improved by ten points. You've still got like, thousands of good karma points to collect before you can go to heaven." Libra says calmly.
I sigh wearily at Libra's words.
"I didn't even know the scale was that precise." I say annoyedly.
"Yup! Another unfortunate thing for you. Since you're aware of how going to heaven and hell works, your ability to collect good karma points is halved and your bad karma points are doubled." Libra says warmly.
I groan with pure annoyance at that.
"Life isn't fair, that's for sure." I complain bitterly.
But I will make it fair for everyone. I've got the time. And I even have some powerful friends now. I'll do it bit by bit, piece by piece. Until this whole world is perfect.
I see Libra give me a concerned look in my mind.
"You better not put statues of yourself up, and start trying to rule the world." she warns seriously.
I laugh at that.
"Trust me, I'm not trying to rule. I'm just a lawyer." I say warmly.