darkSpyro

The leader was about to order the behemoth to roll over, not willing to risk an unruly dragon, before Shade began to calm down. "Good, good," the leader said. "You will be safe, as long as you comply with our orders. This is meant to minimize risk to us, after you have shown yourself to present a danger to us. If you do not appear to be a threat, then we will not have to take any further action."

"That's very sweet of you, considering me like that," Ilasi said. "But you don't need to worry about me. All I have to do is go in and say my piece - after all is said and done, the judge makes his decision based on what everyone says." Ilasi didn't sound concerned at all about the mattter; she sounded hopeful. "I know you haven't exactly had a good impression so far, but the trials here are real - no kangaroo courts or anything like that! If there's sense in our reasoning, then you will be free, I'm sure of it! From what I hear, Sere and Captain Wayson are also coming to vouch for you. You just rest well tonight; we will have this whole mess sorted by the morning."

"Did you hear that Angorita? We'll have Godfather Sere and Captain Wayson themselves vouching for us!" Maverick said ecstatically, knowing that will increase their chances of freedom. Angora however, seemed gloomy.
"Angorita? What's wrong mi vida? That is great news!" he assured, but she simply looked down.
"That's great for you Maverick. But... I can't say the same about Shade... or me. In case you have forgotten, I'm a troll, and no matter how much good you see in me, it won't be the same for them. And Shade... if they see him as too wild, chances are they'll either kill him or try to forcefully domesticate him like those poor wyverns." Angora said depressingly, knowing that being a troll alone was enough for them to want her dead. And Shade was just too much of a free spirit. She even dared to believe they will be dastard enough to plant false evidence to make both her and Shade seem like the evil creature they've been hunting down. Maverick however, refused to see things that way.
"Well, I won't have any of that nonsense! If you guys don't go with me, I won't go either! You're my family, and I will make them see reason! If they don't want to see it, well I will force them. If they still don't see it, well they're blinder than a naked mole rat!" Maverick said furiously but with an air of innocence. Even if he was cleared of all charges, he wasn't going to leave without his two companions.

"Well... all we can do is try," Ilasi said. "But I think it will work out. I hope, at least. As for the dragon... maybe there is some way to more effectively tame him? Maybe if we can show that you're willing to go through with such a thing, he would be fine! I don't know, though, I'm not the expert. Now, if you don't mind, I have some cleaning to get back to..." Ilasi was evidently displeased with her job, but it was one that needed doing, and one she had to do.

After a brisk flight, Latnok and Sere could see Orcford in the distance. In their view was also a war behemoth, with some things on its back - a ballista and something black... Shade?
"Well, looks like they're here already," Sere telepathed. "We will be landing a bit short of the gate. We should have a much easier time than they have."
"Ah, such a nice flight, it gets my blood pumping!" Veris said. "Though it does make me hungry..."

"Can't you stay for a little while longer?" Maverick begged, not knowing if they will ever see her again. Even if all three of them were exonerated of their false crime, he was certain they would have to leave Aelinion forever.
"Let her be Maverick. We don't want to trouble her any further. And don't worry Ilasi. I trained with Shady and he's calmer now." Angora assured, though she was still too worried about him. It pained her to think how he was probably locked up in some pen like some vulgar cattle or chained up like a savage creature. But right now, all she could do is pray that he will be alright, and that if everything turned out fine tomorrow, the torture would be just for one night.
"Come on my friend, let's talk for a little while then it's off to sleep. We will need it to be well rested and alert for tomorrow's trial." Angora said kindly to Maverick as she pulled him to a corner of the cell and began talking. Her suspiscions were that the judges will first discuss about his supposed crime and hostility and then get to the Shade topic after that was done. They had to prove that their dragon friend was obedient and calmer now, and Angora planned to do some dangerous stuff with him, even things that she was certain the wyvern owners wouldn't dare to do with their mounts. She had everything planned, and told Maverick the same thing so that he would be ready for tomorrow and prove to that whole court what a mistake this whole, ridiculous ordeal was.

Quote: A Guy

After a brisk flight, Latnok and Sere could see Orcford in the distance. In their view was also a war behemoth, with some things on its back - a ballista and something black... Shade?
"Well, looks like they're here already," Sere telepathed. "We will be landing a bit short of the gate. We should have a much easier time than they have."
"Ah, such a nice flight, it gets my blood pumping!" Veris said. "Though it does make me hungry..."

As Raclaw saw the massive behemoth and what had to be Shade probably chained to its back-- Raclaw could only imagine what he was going through Shade's head right now. They were still too far away for any of the previously established mental links to re-establish themselves between he and Shade, but was sure the dragolet wasn't too pleased with the current situation. 'Poor guy...,' he thought to himself. He also wondered what was happening right now to Angora and Maverick, but figured that they were probably having an easier time than Shade was right now. 'They're probably just thrown in a cell somewhere.,' he thought as they proceeded towards their destination which understandably wasn't the immediate city. "Don't worry-- I'm sure they'll feed you. It is nice to get some air though and feel the wind under your feathers.," Raclaw said over the links as he flew alongside Veris.

The group landed not too far from the entrance to Orcford, where many men watched them, though without weapons trained. As the night approached, some of the men stationed were being cycled out with galuds, on account of their being naturally nocturnal. Upon landing, a galud came out to greet them as they dismounted.
"Welcome, Godfather Sere," the galud greeted.
"Thank you," Sere said. "I take it you know what I am here for?"
"Yes, we do," the galud said. "The trial is tomorrow, and the prisoners are in the dungeons."
"May I speak with them?" Sere asked.
"Yes, you may. We will be present, however."
"Wait, what about Shade?" Latnok asked. "Are we going to speak to him?"
"The dragon will not take part in the trial tomorrow, therefore he will be kept away for everyone else's safety until we come to a conclusion," the galud said. "You may not speak with him."
"...very well, then," Sere said, acquiescing. "Take us to the cells."

After almost an hour of explaination, Angora and Maverick lied down on the hard floor, ready to sleep. From that deep underground, they had no way to know if it was night, but Angora arrived sometimes after mid afternoon, so she figured dusk would be upon them soon. She watched this cell gloomily and felt really bad for poor Maverick, having been locked up in this forsaken place for a whole week with very little food and water, without any means of communications or contemplation of the outside world. If things turned out alright tomorrow, the agony would finally be over. What was being done to them was anything but justice, and all of them, especially Maverick, we're paying a very painful price for a ridiculous misunderstanding. Angora even believed the galuds that Shade attacked went as far as to exaggerate the events of that night to guarantee their punishment. Hopefully, they would make things clear on that trial and they would finally have their freedom back.

As soon as they landed, a familiar voice entered his head-- that of Shade's though he could feel the connection getting weaker. "Shade? Yes, it's me. It's really me. Listen-- just hang in there alright? I promise you, we're doing all we can get you out of this.," he quickly responded via his telepathy knowing that they were likely taking Shade far far away from the city. Shade wouldn't be able to maintain the connection for much longer and for a brief period-- he could feel all the emotions that were going through the Dragolet's head. "I can feel your pain. Just.. just hang in there.," he added before they got too far away. He quietly followed Sere and the others, not wanting to say or do anything that would make anything worse.

Just like the others, mermen led the group to the dungeons; Veris, being too big to fit inside, had to stay stationed near the river.
"Don't worry about me - I'll be fine right here," he said. "I may find something to hunt while I wait!"
The mermen, opening up the trapdoor as before, led the trio deeper into the dungeons. Latnok and Sere were unperturbed by the surroundings; nothing they hadn't seen before. Eventually, they reached the cell which contained Angora and Maverick.
"Angora. Maverick. We are here," Sere announced. "We will see what we can do to get you out."
"You've caused us way too much-" Latnok said, but was given a concise telepathic order by Sere to stop.
"I will need to hear your side of events," Sere said. "If we are to create a suitable defense, I must know everything that transpired that night." Sere figured that the two had probably done a lot of explaining of what had happened already; nevertheless, he would need some information himself.

Angora sighed at the sight of the Guardians, particularly at Latnok. She never expected to see them again, especially not like this.
"We've caused you too much... what, Latnok? You believed them in the blink of an eye, didn't you? You've seen the gentle soul Maverick is. And you were witness to my actions with Darkmatter, and the fact that all I wanted was peace, but that all went to hell, didn't it? And what about that crappy apology back then, hmm? That wasn't for my own sake. It was for yours. You didn't want to feel guilty, so you only apologized because I apologized first! You're just like them. You'll never see me as anything but a troll." Angora expressed in an eerily calm voice, showing that even though she has learned to control her temper, her extreme bitterness and disdain for Latnok was still there.

Maverick let her talk for a while, having hoped that she would have something more pleasant to say afterwards, but when he saw that wasn't the case, he interfered.
"Por favor Angorita, not now. Señor Sere, I don't know what they told you, but I promise we're innocent. This is all just a very big misunderstanding..." Maverick pleaded, as he started to explain everything in almost exactly the same way he did to Ilasi. After he was done, he hoped the older Guardian could understand the serious mistake that was being committed here.
"... that's all there is to it, I swear. Believe me, if we had known this place had such harsh laws, we never would've come here in the first place." Maverick finally concluded, starting to agree with Angora on that matter. The biggest mistake was them coming to Aelinon. They had travelled to many places with little to no trouble, but as soon as they set foot on that territory, their happiness, and now their very freedom, had been taken away from them.

As Maverick explained, Angora was hoping that her previous words stung Latnok. Even though they had parted ways on relatively good terms back then, she should've known he wasn't going to change a bit. It didn't even mattered that the world was still existing because she had fulfilled the dangerous mission Neo had set upon her back then.

"I don't have time to deal with your nonsense right now, honestly," Latnok said, completely unmoved by Angora's words. "Our priority right now is fixing this mess - nothing more. If you can stop being self-righteous and actually teach Shade to use common sense instead of acting aggressively to make you feel better, then maybe... you know what? This is pointless. I'll see you at the trial tomorrow," Latnok said, as he silenced Angora.
"So currently, the problem seems to be that Shade attacked the soldiers of his own accord, despite their alleged restraint," Sere summarized. "Hmm... I do believe that it may be possible to get you two cleared. Shade, however, will no doubt not get off easy. He will likely be barred from these territories - and they are expanding - if he isn't killed outright. Unless, of course, you can show that you are capable of keeping him under control. Which, of course, is only relevant once we have given them sufficient enough reason to believe that Maverick didn't order the attack."
"Of course he didn't," Latnok said. "I wouldn't count on him to attack a sandwich if he were starving. Regardless, it would be best if you just leave the country, anyway - or I would suggest that, if their space wasn't expanding with this war. This is looking to be quite a big expansion - the new king came into power not too long ago, and he will no doubt be looking to cement his power, and his legacy. As long as Shade is with you, and as long as he is reckless as he has always been, he is a severe danger to your freedom and your lives. No doubt you have seen how effective their assassins can be - if they want you gone, they will make it happen. These are the last people you want to piss off."

As they reached the cell, Raclaw was pleased to find that Angora and Maverick were safe and relatively unharmed-- aside from perhaps the lack of food. He almost gave a sigh and considered saying something-- when Maverick interrupted Angora and carefully explained their side of the story. He was right-- Maverick hadn't ordered Shade to attack and their actions were simply a result of their slightly unstable nature. Unfortunately for them, they had merely chosen to do so in an land where such actions had very harsh consequences. He gave a simple nod as they told their story, but otherwise remained quiet and let the Guardians explain their legal options. He believed them and he only wished the best for them-- and Shade.

Angora shook her head at Latnok, being too familiarized with that particular spell by this point.
"Ah yes, the old silent spell, always taking the easy way out to avoid having the truth being told to your face." Angora said slowly to make sure Latnok got, but even if he didn't, it wouldn't matter. Angora addressed to Sere next, this time with a normal voice.
"Look here, they better not hurt Shade! It's true that he acted impuslively, but you can't possibly blame him for that. Those galud soilders had their spears pointed at me. I was trapped in a net with no weapons. How is that a fair fight? Of course Shade thought the worse! Wouldn't you? We're here on the supposed account on being hostile, but what about those galuds? They acted hostile first, and had every intention of killing me without giving me a chance to defend myself, and you don't see them awaiting trial, do you? Where is the justice in that?" Angora explained with great disdain in her voice, knowing this was an unfair, biased trial. Maverick never thought about it that way, but she was making perfect sense.

Sere sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "Angora..." he began. "I wish it were so simple. If everything was so simple, then it would always be easy to make the right decision. But alas, it is much more complicated than that.
"According to the report, you, Maverick, and Shade told Captain Wayson that you were here as travelers - noncombatants. Then, being on an active battlefield, you stepped into a trap. When soldiers came to investigate - as they had every duty to - Shade, with Maverick on his back, attacked them, despite them questioning you rather than taking immediate aggressive action, as their knowledge of your connection to Captain Wayson would corroborate.
"Now, from their perspective - people coming off as noncombatants, then actively engaging the military forces they made such claims to, on an active battlefield - this comes off as one thing - perfidy. Perfidy is almost universally seen as a war crime, and the penalty for such in Aelinon is as harsh as you can imagine. Were Shade to have taken a less immediately aggressive action, such as a defensive pose or grabbing the net, the situation may not be so bad.
"But as it is now, every sign points to hostility on your part. What we have to do is convince the judge that that is not the case - and, hopefully, also convince them that Shade will never do such a thing again, lest they see it fit to put him down."
"Eh, when have these guys ever been capable of seeing the bigger picture..." Latnok thought out loud. "Only ever see things from their perspective..."

Angora listened carefully, even if she didn't agree with everything.
"Well, like I said, it was all a big misunderstanding. Besides, Shade acted out to scare them. It was never his intention to kill them. As for the net, I was simply taking a stroll around that beautiful forest with the glowing mushrooms. How was I suppose to know that such a natural looking place had such complex traps?" Angora asked, but noticing how annoyed Sere was, she knew it was better to leave all these observations and discussions at the trial.
"I know it's pointless to continue explaining. So right now, all Maverick and I can do is sleep well for the trial tonight, and pray that all those... people have enough brain to realize what a mistake and waste of time this all is!" Angora expressed, dismissing Raclaw and the Guardians.

But before they left, Maverick had to know something.
"Wait! Please, before you leave, tell us how's our Shady doing? Por favor, if you see him, tell him we're always thinking of him, and to hang on." Maverick begged innocently, really worried about Shade. He wanted nothing more than to give a big hug to that toothy snout of his and tell him that they will be fine and that they will soon be a family again.

Raclaw didn't say anything and was prepared to walked away from the others, but stopped as soon as Maverick spoke. He turned around and with a somber look in his eyes, responded to the desperate hybrid. "I.. I was able to get in contact with him for a very brief moment before he was taken away. He's emotionally hurt, but is alive and is otherwise unharmed. I ensured him that we were doing everything we could to free him and told him to hang on. Don't worry Mav-- we'll figure this out and if all goes well, you will see him again.," he then said looking Maverick in the eyes and trying to reassure him.

"Thank you Racly. That's all I needed for now." Maverick said with teary eyes, believing him immediately. He was so sad for Shade not being there with them, but at least he was alive and well. He waved gloomily at the trio, turning away to be with Angora and try to sleep as best as best as he could. This whole ordeal seemed like a nightmare that refused to go away. He wanted tomorrow to come soon so that everything could be resolved.

Night passed slowly for Angora. Maverick managed to sleep well, having grown accustomed to that cell, but Angora was a nervous wreck. She would only get a couple of hours of sleep each moment and then she would wake up to look outside and pace. There was no way to tell time in that underwater prison. She always relied on the sun to know, but nothing ever came from the bars of that dastard enclosure. Some merpeople guards would ocasionally look at them to see that everything was in order, but other than that, there was no activity in that oversized box. Angora would look around and feel nauseous about the fact that Maverick, the gentlest, noblest person she has ever known, was kept here for an entire week as if he was some lowlife criminal. It just showed what a joke the justice system was in that country, so at that trial, she was going to give her all no matter what. So with that in mind, she spent the last hours after midnight sleeping soundly, determined to be only awakened by the guards to announce the new day, the day they would fight for their right for freedom.

Soon after the sun had come up, several mermen came to Angora and Maverick's cell, weapons at the ready. "Get up," the lead merman - the same one from yesterday - ordered harshly. "You will be taken to the courtyard. Your trial will begin soon after your arrival." Using a key, another merman opened the cell door, motioning for Angora and Maverick to leave.

Latnok and Sere awoke with the sun, as they lay on the ground near Veris. "Today is the day," Sere said. "Let us hope that this all works out well." Latnok grabbed Raclaw, shaking him gently in order to wake him up.
"Well, let's hope those two don't do anything dumb like try to criticize the system during the trial," Latnok said. "It wouldn't surprise me - they've always shown to be those types, always think of only one way of doing things, never seeing the bigger picture. In their minds, they're right, and everyone else can go to hell. All I want is for them to not be idiots for just one day. Is that too much to ask?"
"As soon as you're ready, Raclaw, we can begin heading to the courtyard," Sere said. "Remember, you're not going to fly high once you're past the gates - no higher than about twice the height of a man."

Meanwhile at Shade's holding, several guards remained in position, including one with a ballista pointed at him from the opposite end. The guards were evidently still on high alert, not willing to take any chances. As the sun continued to rise, the galuds on guard duty began to cycle out with humans.

Quote: A Guy

Soon after the sun had come up, several mermen came to Angora and Maverick's cell, weapons at the ready. "Get up," the lead merman - the same one from yesterday - ordered harshly. "You will be taken to the courtyard. Your trial will begin soon after your arrival." Using a key, another merman opened the cell door, motioning for Angora and Maverick to leave.

Maverick woke up immediately, but Angora had to rub her eyes to wake up better. She was still rather sleepy, but the nerves of the moment gave her enough adrenaline to be on high alert. She and Maverick walked away passively, no discussions or questions asked. Angora looked annoyed with the treatment, but said nothing, knowing she would only waste her time. Her friend however, walked with a meek expression, his heart pumping so hard, he thought it was going to pop out. Today was finally the day. He couldn't believe it came at last. He had spend so much time in that cell that he even started to feel weird not being in it, but knew that once they finally win their freedom, he wasn't going to miss it one bit. He knew what to do, and so was Angora. They were ready to defend themselves and Shade with words alone. If there was even an ounce of justice in that country, he knew they were going to be alright...

Quote: A Guy

Latnok grabbed Raclaw, shaking him gently in order to wake him up.
"Well, let's hope those two don't do anything dumb like try to criticize the system during the trial," Latnok said. "It wouldn't surprise me - they've always shown to be those types, always think of only one way of doing things, never seeing the bigger picture. In their minds, they're right, and everyone else can go to hell. All I want is for them to not be idiots for just one day. Is that too much to ask?"
"As soon as you're ready, Raclaw, we can begin heading to the courtyard," Sere said. "Remember, you're not going to fly high once you're past the gates - no higher than about twice the height of a man."

"Got it.," Raclaw nodded as he awoke indicating he understood. One thing was obvious-- the Aelinonians liked having control both over their own people and over the very creatures that roamed their lands. He considered himself fortunate though that he was even allowed entry and that unlike the currently imprisoned Shade; he at least had some degree of freedom here. While he didn't entirely care for being told how high he could or couldn't fly, he would obey and follow the law-abiding terms. "I'm ready. For their sake-- let's hope you're right.," Raclaw said as he prepared to move.

The guards took a more aggressive stance as Shade moved, arbalests and pikes at the ready. "You attack US and then YOU want to tell US what right you have?!" one of the guards asked. "The only thing you should have a right to is an arrow up-"
"Let's take it easy, now," another guard, a mage, said. His outfit, being somewhat more decorated, seemed to indicate a higher rank. "Now, listen, dragon. You don't want trouble. And I don't want to have to fill out paperwork or explain anything unusual. So here's what I will do. I will cast a scrying spell, with the help of a device in the courtroom attuned to a device I have. With it, you will be able to see what is happening. You cannot, however, be in the trial - the room is too small for you, and your status as an aggressor and difficulty in subduing you would make things much more risky and difficult than they need to be."

Latnok, Sere, Raclaw, and Veris reached the gate of the fortress at the entrance to Orcford. The galuds had just retired, being replaced by humans.
"Welcome, Guardians," one of the guards greeted. "You are cleared for entry - I will not need to check your posessions for now, at least. I wish you best of luck in the trial."
"Thank you," Sere said. "Speaking of possessions, do you know what would have happened to those possessions the defendants possessed?"
"One of them had a hyperspace bag, which we have confiscated," the guard said. "The key is held by the commander of the guard."
"So they will have them back when this is all over?"
"Provided they are cleared, of course," the guard said.
"Thank you. We best get moving on."
Orcford was a small city - existing primarily as a support to the fortress, with residency having been an afterthought. The biggest buildings were government buildings, such as the courthouse, which was a bit of a walk from the entrance.
"The others should be here not too long from now," Sere said. "Are you all prepared?"

Angora and Maverick were escorted from the prison, away from the water and finally to the surface. Maverick breathed on the air with the warmest smile he has given in a long time. It felt so good to finally see the world again. Even though it had only been a week, it had felt like years to him. To be out of that prison and be able to smell the fresh air from the surface, it was like being born again. Angora was happy for him, but knew this was just the calm before the storm. Their very lives depended on how they handled themselves at that trial. The little troll knew that she would have to keep her ill opinions and sassy attitude to herself, cause she knew that even if she threw the unjust truth to that court, if it sounded disrespectful or insulting to them, it could lead them to a guilty verdict in a lightning flash. She had to choose her words carefully and control her attitude.

As she was about to enter the city where the trial would be held, as suspected, she and her companion were handcuffed before entering, a predictable precaution. As she entered, she didn't want to make eye contact with anybody. She only saw where she was going, nothing else. She didn't want to look at the population's faces, knowing they were probably cursing her and wishing she was excecuted. She even started to him so she could drown out whatever insult and belittling they were throwing at her. It didn't matter if she was this ridiculous size. All that mattered was that she was a troll. She knew her kind wasn't loved, and no matter what she did, too many people were never going to change their opinion. Nevertheless, that wouldn't stop her from defending herself or her friends. The world may not love or even respect her, but Maverick and Shade did, and that was more than enough for her. If she couldn't save herself, she hoped that she could at least save them. They deserved a happy life.

Quote: A Guy

"The others should be here not too long from now," Sere said. "Are you all prepared?"

"Let's do this.," Raclaw said with a nod. The last thing he wanted to see was that of Angora, Maverick, and Shade being executed. The trio may have made a mistake and may have underestimated the impact of their actions, but they didn't deserve that fate-- especially the sweet and innocent Maverick who had only merely gotten mixed up in the action. They knew now exactly what had occurred and what thoughts went through Angora's head-- he only hoped that the troll could contain herself and not say something that she would later regret once a verdict was drawn. As they entered the city, Raclaw reminded himself of the rules and made sure to abide by them-- not wanting to become the court's next subject anytime soon.

Quote: A Guy

Ilasi listened attentively as Maverick explained his story. When he was done, she seemed rather satisfied. "Oh, I knew there must have been more to it!" she said. "You wouldn't just come here to attack us - you are too kind for that! There must be something I can do..." Ilasi paused for a few moments to think, then resumed her speaking.
"I know! I will testify for your character at the trial tomorrow! The judges... they can actually be quite reasonable people, well sometimes. I'm sure that once they understand how good you are, they will realize that this is all a huge mistake!" Ilasi gave out a hopeful smile. "I do worry about your dragon, though. If they see him as uncontrollable, well..."

"YOU! HOLD STILL OR I WILL ROLL OVER AND CRUSH YOU!" the behemoth bellowed. "YOU BOTHER ME!"
"You, dragon, you will cease your resistance," the man said. "I would prefer not to have to use more potent measures to sedate you, but I will if I must. You have endangered my men enough - I will not tolerate any further such action."

Bier looked at all of the objects, before taking a scroll. "This - this is it. It is known as a divinity scroll. It is capable of invoking incredible divine power - artifacts with a scary amount of potential." Bier continued to look through the artifacts, but a look of worry came on his face as he finished. "Now, he had two of these scrolls... we have one here, but it would seem that someone has acquired the other one. This... this is not the best news. It will be up to us to find where the other scroll went."

"He had business records in the store. But ofcourse he did not put selling stuff like that in there. But i will be ready if you need me after you find out who has it. Was there anything else for now" Dex answered

Bier thought for a moment. "No, that will be all for now," he said. "Excellent job. Keep the other artifacts and do with them as you will. I will get in touch with you when I have something else for you. In the meantime, you are free to continue doing as you wish, remaining on standby." As he spoke, Bier wrote a note, then signed and stamped a seal to it before putting it in an envelope. "Take this to the treasury, they will pay you for the job."

"We know your excuse from what we have been told already," the mage said. "Let me tell you that whatever excuse you have, the soldiers you attacked were showing restraint at the moment and attempting to find out whether the troll was friend or foe. Your attack while they were attempting to establish this fact, when you and your allies have claimed to be peaceful travelers, comes off as perfidy. Your justification for it will do little to help your case." As he spoke, the mage began charhing an orb he had in his tool belt.

As Angora and Maverick were brought to the courthouse, all of the others involved in the trial were motioned to come in. The guards escorting them removed their restraints, keeping weapons pointed as they brought the two into the main courtroom. Awaiting to the side was Ilasi in one of the pools built into the sides of the courtroom to accommodate her.
"Well, here we go," Latnok said. As much as he and Sere wanted to just ask for all three to be released, they knew that any suggestion of theirs had to be based on reasoning the court would support, and any misdeed conducted by the three would come back to bite them if it was facilitated by anything suggested by them.

Dex looked at Bier And said. " I Will make sure that nobody can make any connection to the guardians when i sell the stuff i dont want to keep. Could i keep the bag for now, it is very usefull To a creature like me who usually can not take much stuff with him?" Dex said taking the envelope and waited for a response about the bag. Dex had already made a belt kind of add To the bag. With that he could easily but the bag to his back and make sure it would not fall.

"Feel free to," Bier said. "The bag isn't anything major for us. Feel free to come see us should you need a replacement." Bier's focus resumed on the various forms of paperwork he had to sort through on a daily basis, having finished with Dex and being satisfied with the result. "In the future, if there are tools which you think may help you with the job, let us know and I will see what we can do."

"Is that so...?" the mage asked Shade. "If you were truly unaware of the situation as you claim, that may be in your benefit. However, the reports say that you were spoiling for a fight, taunting the men as they retreated. That would indicate aggressive intent, and is rather damning. Nevertheless, I will see to it that your perspective is relayed in the trial," the mage assured, as he continued to charge his device.

As everyone was seated in the courtroom, Raclaw looked around the room from his angle-- having never been in such a setting before. He took a mental note of the city's ability to accommodate various races-- an impressive feat actually. He even noticed the small poor of water holding Ilasi. It wasn't long until Angora and Mav were brought to their places.

'Angora-- don't do anything stupid. You can get out of this.,' he thought to himself hoping Angora knew when to speak and when to stay quiet. After all-- it was only her life that depended on it. He hoped she knew that one wrong word could very well mean the death penalty for not only her-- but Shade and Maverick as well.

Finally in that courtroom, Angora and Maverick took a deep breath, knowing they had to be smart and patient in this environment they weren't accostumed to. How ironic it was that while being a pirate, Maverick had evaded justice, and now that he was finally trying to lead an honest life he was arrested and jailed for something he didn't do. But this was for his friends, and he wouldn't change it for the world. As he wanted for the trial to begin, his only thoughts were how Shade was doing and what was Angora thinking at the moment. All the little troll could think of was what everybody present was thinking at the moment. She was certain that Maverick was going to be let out once they see how incapable he is for attacking somebody, but what about her? She was a troll, a small one that is, but still a troll. This was probably the first time ever a creature like her was prosecuted instead of killed on sight as many were probably doing at the moment. And Shade wasn't a wyvern. He was a four legged dragon capable of speech that attacked some of those accursed galuds soldiers. Even if he was possibly seen as only a mount, if the court found him as a sapient species as well that never meant any real harm, they could let him off the hook. She was ready for anything, even a certain trump card just in case it was ever brought up...

With everyone seated (or the closest equivalent for non-bipeds), the judge, stationed behind a large pulpit, raised his hand and called for silence. "This is the case of the human-fawn hybrid Maverick, the troll Angora, and the dragon Shade for perfidy, the punishment for which is death. We reserve the right to inflict a lesser punishment in the event that they are found guilty of a lesser crime, should their actions not fall under perfidy. Now, Pixian, Obulus, you are called to speak about the incident."
The two galuds took to the center podium. "Judge," one of them spoke, "as we were performing the duties which we were tasked to do, we had discovered that a trap which we had set up was sprung, by the troll you see here, and we moved to investigate. Knowing that there was a troll of that description who was cleared to pass freely, we were questioning it, to see whether it was indeed that troll.
"As we questioned it, we learned that they had indeed encountered Captain Wayson and the mermaid we would presume to be Ilasi. As we were about to free it and order it away from the battlefield, the man and his mount swooped down and attacked us. As we retreated, the mount attempted to goad us into q fight."
"In what manner did the mount attack you?"
"By grabbing me and throwing me into Pixian."
"Did you hear a clear attack order?"
"We did not - the sounds of the night and the wingbeats would have made any such thing hard to hear."
"Did the mount make any attempt to follow up its initial attack?"
"Not immediately."
"Very well, that is all for now. You are dismissed until further notice." With that, the two galuds stepped off the podium.
"Human Maverick, troll Angora, you are called to the podium. Explain your side of the story," the judge ordered. "I would warn you not to attempt to lie to me."

The two companion did as they were told, and the took the stand. Maverick looked at Angora, allowing her to speak first.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, what happened that night is quite simple. I couldn't sleep that night, so I took a stroll to tire myself. But unfortunately, I was careless enough to fall into a trap. I didn't know a forest like that even had traps. The forest looked so natural with all those glowing mushrooms and insects, so I must admit shamefully, I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to escape desperately when those galuds arrived." Angora expressed meekly, wanting the judge to know that she indeed wasn't paying attention, otherwise she wouldn't have fallen to a trap like that. She was running by the time she was caught, but didn't mentioned any of that, although she knew what to answer if it ever came to that.

With Angora finished, it was Maverick's turn to speak.
"That night, I was sleeping soundly until the dragon was awakened by a nightmare. I had to calm him down, and when I did, we noticed Angorita was missing..." Maverick started to explain, with Angora embarrassed he was using her nickname in that court. She didn't stop him though, and let him proceed.
"... I climbed the dragon and asked him to search for her since he could see better at night. And when he saw her from the sky, what he was seeing was those two galud guards pointing spears at her while she was trapped. We didn't know they were questioning her. Before I could realize what was going on, the dragon lunged at them. I couldn't do anything to stop him. I know he acted impuslively, but I can assure you, he never meant any harm to anybody. He just wanted to scare those galud soldiers away." Maverick explained truthfully, jumping immediately to Shade's defense. What calmed him down a little was that the two galud guards admitted they didn't hear him give an order to attack, cause nothing of the sort ever happened. However, he was still very worried about Shade, which is why he came to his immediate defense after he was done with the explaination.

Now that the two of them recalled the events of that night, he waited for the judge to think of his own opinion. If they had to give new testimony or answer a question, they would do it...

The judge nodded to indicate his understanding. "There are some questions I have for you two," he said. "Troll Angora... according to the reports, the area was an active war zone, with the sounds of combat audible throughout. Why would you be taking a stroll in the night, without your companions present, in such a dangerous environment, where it was very possible that any number of events on a battlefield may occupy you and leave your allies without word as to your whereabouts? And human Maverick... according to reports, your dragon had shown to be highly noncompliant with soldiers previously in the day, and he is not completely domesticated according to your claims. Would flying through an active warzone, where he was likely to run into many soldiers, not appear to be potentially negligent on your part?" Despite his wording, the judge's tone remained completely neutral - indicating his questions were legitimate, rather than rhetorical.

The mage shook his head. "This is one-way communication," he said. "My men will relay your view on the matter when the time comes. For now, just watch and wait."

Dex nodded To Bier and put his stuff to the Back. Rest of the day Dex used To get his reward and sending a letter to blackmarket keeper he knew telling that he wanted To meet To sell stuff. Some of the stuff he put to his room, those where the items he wanted to keep

Ooc: Dex is now in the same day with others.

"Precisely because of the sounds, I was not able to sleep, so I took that stroll. I didn't want to bother my companions, so I went alone. I did figured out with the sounds there must've been a fighting somewhere, but the sounds happened only after we landed. I took the stroll quietly to avoid trouble, but I didn't imagine there could be traps as well. I admit it was an oversight of my part not thinking that as a possibility. As for my companions, like I said, I didn't want to disturb them. I wouldn't have strolled so far away, but I got distracted by the beauty of the flora, so evidently, the trap caught me off guard. We would've moved somewhere else, but we had been traveling for such a long while that the dragon needed a rest, so that war infected zone was the best place we could get at that moment." Angora explained with the same, calm voice as before, making sure that everybody would understand that anybody could be distracted by how incredible that forest looked at night, even if such a beautiful sight was a dastard battlefield.

With Angora finished, it was Maverick's turn to talk.
"When we arrived to that place, we didn't know it was a war zone señor. We thought it was just an ordinary forest. We were very tired and went to sleep almost immediately. The sounds started only after we went to sleep. The dragon and I, we are both heavy sleepers, so we didn't hear the sounds until after we woke up. Our dragon companion had a nightmare that night, so I believe that made him more sensible and impulsive than usual. It's true that he isn't completely domesticated, but I can assure you he is not a bad dragon. He never means any harm to anybody. He didn't have an easy past, which is why he acts that way sometimes. We can assure you señor, that we're doing everything we can to make sure he doesn't act this rash again. We were even thinking of resorting to therapy to make him tamer." Maverick explained meekly, wanting everybody in that court to know that Shade wasn't a dangerous wild animal like everybody was making him up to be, and that the events transpiring that night were understandable.

The judge nodded, seemingly satisfied with, or at least accepting of, the response. "Very well. You two are dismissed. Wayson, you are next. Explain your experience with these three and your professional opinion on the matter."
Wayson took his spot on the podium. "Judge, my experience with these three came as a result of some of my scouts reporting a sighting of a large dragon. Preparing appropriate weaponry, we arrived in force to investigate. What we found was the scene of an attempted robbery of the humqn by another human at knife-point. We gave orders to everyone involved to surrender; the human Maverick and the troll Angora complied without anything but minor questioning, which is expected, but the dragon was highly combative.
"Maverick had a wound on his neck, which we learned was caused as a result of the man trying to rob him. Following the laws of our land, we beheaded the man - not without Maverick and the dragon begging for his survival, however. This man, Maverick - I cannot possibly see him in any way inituating any sort of attack on anyone, short of demonic possession. The troll was compliant as well, encouraging the dragon to do the same.
"I do not believe what had happened was a result of anything but the dragon acting of his own free will, carrying Maverick along for the ride. In my professional opinion, I believe that the human and troll should be free to go. The dragon, however, should be thrown into the arena to sate his aggression, or, failing that, neutered to curb his aggressive tendencies."
The judge nodded. "Very well. Ilasi, you are next."
Ilasi crawled out of the pool, slithering to the podium. "Judge, these three found me cleaning up one of the lakes within our new territory, just as I was ordered to. Despite me stating that their efforts were not necessary, and their... well, their lack of underwater breathing... they went out of their way and invested so much effort into helping me! The dragon didn't even attempt to eat me! Maverick, especially - despite such a dive into the lake potentially coming at risk to his own life, he wanted to do it anyway - it took insistence on my part not to! There is absolutely no way that they are out here to hurt anyone!" she finished, sounding very pleased.
"Very well. Ilasi, you are dismissed. Guardian Sere, you are next."
Sere stepped up to the podium. "Judge, the service Angora has done us has been integral to saving many lives - if not all. We do not know if the Void Breaker would have been capable of destroying the creature we fought, and even if it was, the monster would take many, many lives before that. I do not think she did it for our sake - however, such an action should be considered. Maverick, though he had absolutely no involvement in the mission, still offered his own time and effort to assisting us, and has been shown to be a strong pacifist, to the point of being unreasonable. I do not think these two would go out hunting Aelinonians; Shade, however, has shown to have both reckless tendencies and a strong loyalty to Angora. I feel that Maverick and Angora should be clear, with Shade being with them as long as he is appropriately restrained - we have the means of doing such, which we can discuss with the appropriate authorities once this is all over."
"Very well. Sere, you are dismissed. Guardian Latnok, you are next."
Latnok dreaded what was coming next. Though he would normally just go along with Sere, he felt that his experiences were key, and that an important decision regarding the two should be made based on considering them - lest something happen as a result of them being ignored. In addition, the memories of last night, Angora's personality seemingly not having changed a bit, were fresh in his mind. "Judge," he began, "to start with, Maverick has been shown to be extremely pacifistic, to the point of ludicrousness - there is absolutely no way he initiated any sort of attack. He does not even carry a weapon, despite being a trader, on account of not wanting to hurt anyone - and it's not like he has magic to fall back on. Angora, on the other hand, has shown to be incredibly willful and contrary, and has shown disdain for humans in general. She is extremely selfish, and highly driven by emotions; based on the nature of this war, I fear that she may take rash action against Aelinon if trolls are involved. However, she is capable of doing the right thing if her life depends on it. Maverick has been shown to be capable of controlling her, to some degree. The dragon Shade, he is extremely reckless, and loyal to Angora. Therefore, I believe that Maverick should go free; Angora should go free, and be able to stay in these lands on the condition that she has to be with Maverick at all times, and Maverick is accountable for all of her actions; and Shade should go free, on the condition that he be properly restrained at all times, and that Angora and Maverick are accountable for all of his actions."
"Very well, Latnok. You are dismissed," the judge said.

At the court, Angora rolled her eyes at Latnok's testimony, having suspected that he didn't have very nice things to say about her. What's more, he made it seem like Maverick had to be her caretaker, maybe even her owner. Even though she found that humiliating, she didn't argue against it. Instead, she was worried about what Captain Wayson suggested.
"Permit me judge, if I may, Captain Wayson, I know it's comprehensible that you would want to ensure the safety of your men, but throwing our dragon into the arena is too much of a punishment. If you would recall back at the lake, that lowlife thief that did that to Maverick..." she said, as she pointed to Maverick's still noticeable wound
"... even after doing such a thing to a man that had no way to defend himself, the dragon wanted his life spared too. What you and your men witnessed from the sky was him teaching the thief a lesson for almost killing our friend. He just wanted to give him a big scare that hopefully would make him reconsider his life. He never wanted the man dead, which is why he fought for his life. Likewise with the galuds, all he wanted was to give them a scare. In both ocassions, our lives were in danger, or at least in my case, it really seemed that way. All he wanted was to scare, not kill anyone. So you see, his apparent hostility was simply a result of his instinct to protect us. He is very loyal to us, so seeing us in danger is what makes him act so rash. We are trying very hard to correct that behavior, to help him think before he acts, but I'm afraid that if you do send him to the arena, you may make his aggressive nature worse, and thus harder for us to tame him." Angora explained serenely, not knowing how this arena was, but imagined it must've been a horrible place.

Captain Wayson turned to face Angora ash she spoke, waiting for her to finish. "In the arena, lawbreakers are kept and made to fight until they either reform, or die for the entertainment of the populace. Should the dragon continue to show aggressive tendencies, we can simply keep him fighting and killing criminals for us, or skin him and use him as behemoth food once he dies. Failing that option, though, as mentioned, we can neuter him to curb his aggression and protective instincts."
A guard walked into the courtroom, providing the judge with a copy of a message. "Ah, the dragon's words on the matter," he said aloud. "According to him, he was acting simply to protect his companion, and was not aware of the soldiers showing restraint. Very well. I will give the defendants an opportunity to say anything else they need to, and the relevant parties the opportunity to respond - then we will have a few more testimonies, closing words, and my decision."

"Do NOT push my kindness," the mage said. "We will only take off the muzzle when this is all over. Should you bite anyone or breathe fire and kill anyone, my negligence will have me put to death. That is not a chance I will take with someone who has attacked us. Now look on at the trial."

Angora found it disgusting and despicable how criminals were put into that infernal arena for the sake of entertaining crowds. That was just too sadistic. But once again, she kept her opinion to herself and only spoke about what it mattered.
"Still Captain Wayson, that's too strong of a punishment for someone who hasn't even killed anyone. And neutering him is still too severe. We want to tame this dragon, but we want to do it the old fashioned way. No weapons to threatenened him or submit him to obedience. We want to correct his impulsive behavior while keeping his freedom. As you know, this dragon can talk, meaning he is more conscious and intelligent than the average mount." Angora then explained, hating to address Shade as a simple mount, but knew he would have to be seen that way to prevent him from being seen as a simple wild animal traveling with them.

When the guard walked into the courtroom and explained about Shade, it demonstrated Angora's point.
"You see judge? The dragon's attack on the galuds was simply an act of protection. The galuds were still pointing they spears at me when they were questioning me, so it's understandable why he mistook that situation as something else. He was still flying high, so he didn't know what was going on. So as you can see, this was all a case of a misinterpretation and bad timing." Angora explained kindly to the judge, really fighting for Shade's freedom. He has caused no fatalities in this situation, so Angora knew that one of those Aelinonian punishment would be too harsh and unfair.

"My concern is not for your mount, but for those who dwell within Aelinon," Captain Wayson said, in the same robotic voice as usual. "It would be ill-advised to leave a creature like that free without some means of ensuring he will not attack anyone. Most of the population of Aelinon is armed - what would happen should he mistake one as threatening? How we go about preventing that, I will leave to the judge.
"Very well, Wayson," the judge said. "Laszur, you are next."
Laszur approached the podium. "Judge, I was ordered to deal with the attackers in a way I saw fit. I was planning to kill them, should I find evidence of blatant hostility; however, I found nothing of that nature. Instead I found the human singing the troll's praises - quite literally singing her praises. He had a song made for her."
Latnok began laughing at the mention of a song about Angora, then stifled his laughter. Just how whipped was Maverick?
"I did not notice anything noteworthy," Laszur said, "so I captured the human. I had no significant issues along the way."
"Thank you, Laszur," the judge said.