Chapter 97: 096 A Little Bit of Fun

"THAT BITCH!" Lord Kelly slammed his hand down on the table next to his chair. "Does she really think I will just sit down and take this!?"

"Um, Lord Kelly, I don't think its a good idea to yell in here." One of his henchmen drew attention to the fact that this room might not be as secure as he thought. 

"Shut up! I do as I please!" Lord Kelly grumbled at the dull throb in the hand he slammed down. "That slut doesn't have the authority to come in here."

"I wouldn't be so confident about that sir."

"What?"

"I mean, if she has already broken the rules, what's stopping her from going further?" At this point the man was whispering to Lord Kelly.

He laughed in response to his caution. "What tripe! Hard headed though she may be, she would never go that far! I don't know her rank, but there would be no chance the Prime Justice would ever allow such a thing to happen! Speaking of, has word of this disgrace reached him yet?" 

"I believe he should be on his way." Another of his henchmen answered.

"How long until he arrives to settle this mess properly?"

"I don't know, but I can't imagine it will be long after that slave is brought before the court."

Lord Kelly was fairly apprehensive about his predicted tardiness. He truly believed there not to be an issue, even if a verdict was reached in the intervening time, his associate would no doubt fix the obvious faults in the decision. He was a Prime Justice, after all, and that one of the powers of his station. However he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease about the speed at which this newcomer worked.

"Hrmph. That moron better not slip up and say something he shouldn't."

- - - - -

"Is there anyone who remains absent?" The Arboreal Maiden knew the answer, but asked the question anyways as procedure dictated.

"Our Sanctum representative has left to take care of business elsewhere. Was his presence required?" Diana spoke from her side of the room.

"Do they have some form of relevant experience or were they present during the incident?"

"Neither applies."

"Then his attendance was only required during the child's remarks. Should he have further evidence to bring forth, do you have someone familiar with the court's proceedings and etiquette?"

"I believe myself sufficiently versed in similar fields to act as his orator."

"Hmm. I shall take your word for it." The Arboreal Maiden shifted her attention to the other side of the room. "What of your absent member?"

"Similar to their representative, one of my associates had to leave to tend to his business. He was only acting in an advisor role." Despite the politeness on the surface, he was very clearly acting contemptuous. This was doing no favors for his reputation in the eyes of the jury, not that he had any idea how bad it really was.

"I see. Well, I have no authority to inhibit the private operations of independent merchant parties unless related to the remuneration or exoneration of a relevant party in this sort of trial, so we shall proceed without him." The Arboreal Maiden ignored his malice, he had lost already and there was nothing he could do about.

Besides, having someone so confrontational to deal with was refreshing. From her position of nigh universally recognized authority, it truly took an idiot to not respect her. Idiots were fun to mess with, should they give you the chance.

Don't go overboard.

A small vine had wrapped around one of her toes under the cover of her dress. Evidently the Great Csillacra had noticed something odd.

I only planned to destroy his reputation.

It was true. Her methods here served to completely discredit him both inside the Sanctum and out. Once he was exiled from the Sanctum, you would have to be insane to interact with him amiably if you had a choice. Whatever territory he controlled was going to be in for a rough future once the merchants found out, they would no doubt charge a fortune in premiums to do business there.

That isn't the sort of feeling I got. For the first time in millennia, I could vaguely make out your form.

That wasn't a good thing, at least not in the current environment.

My apologies. It would seem I became excited.

The Great Csillacra conveyed an emotion which might have been related to exasperation.

Do not apologize for this. I cannot see a downside to expressing emotion, only that you must be careful. It has been quite some time since you last experienced these feelings, so vigilance is a must.

She took a breath to calm herself, only finding now that her heart was beating ever so slightly than before.

I will keep an eye out, though I beg you to restrain me should I lose control.

The Great Csillacra signaled its equivalent to a relaxed pause, something she had grown to understand as a winding down in their conversations.

These Terrans have been a positive influence on you, I feel. Perhaps it is time for you to cut your hair once more.

As swiftly as the vine had wrapped around her toe, it returned to and disappeared between the space between stones.

To those in the room, it was nothing more than a long pause with the Arboreal Maiden taking a deep breath. That conversation had taken place in moments, and she was back to officiating the trial without anybody being any the wiser.

"Has our final witness arrived?"

"Indeed."

"Bring him in."

Following her order, the doors popped open and a man chained and cuffed made his way to the podium. Diana wondered what the point of burdening him with so much metal was, but Diana just shook her head.

"What is your name?"

"Bije, your honor."

"What is your status?"

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"A debt slave, your honor."

"Debt slave?" The Arboreal Maiden seemed mildly disturbed by this answer. "To what degree of pain are you willing to sustain."

"As much as necessary to pay off my debts, your honor." Bije did not resemble a warrior any longer, not that the chains burdening his body helped that image. 

"I see. I apologize for what I have to do to you, Bije, but a slave cannot be trusted to give an accurate testimony under most circumstances. Would you please turn around so that I may work with your hands?" For the first time this trial, the Arboreal Maiden turned around.

"As you wish, your honor." It took him a few seconds to get turned around completely.

"To which hand are your most attached? I take it that would be your sword arm?"

"That would be correct. My right hand is my livelihood, your honor."

"I see." The Arboreal Maiden took a hold of that hand, curling her fingers so that they rested nails down on his palm. "Please take a deep breath."

Shakily, Bije inhaled, preparing for the pain that would no doubt follow. For the most part, the general state of the room was that of confusion. Not many had seen this technique before, and the few that had shivered.

A blood curdling scream ripped through the ears of everyone present, followed closely by the sound of blood splattering on the floor. Because Bije's body was obstructing their view, most couldn't see what she had done. Diana, from her position to the side, could see it very clearly, and it made her want to puke.

The Maiden's fingers had passed through Bije's palm, clean out the back of his hand. Their path avoided the bones, which only seemed to make it worse because of the way they naturally wanted to spread out. As if to oblige the desire of his bones, the Arboreal Maiden spread her fingers apart, ripping the flesh clean through to the webbing of his fingers.

As second scream of pain escaped from his mouth as he fell to his knees, his freshly rent hand spasming violently in pain and shock, throwing blood from his fingertips. It patterns it painted on the ground were the proof of the cruelty of his pain. Surprisingly, he didn't fall over.

As if he was possessed, he wobbled to his feet, breathing heavily and drooling uncontrollably.

"What were your ordered to do in relation to that child?"

"Take the boy." Whatever was keeping him going was most certainly not his own consciousness, but his brain still seemed to be functional.

"I see." The Arboreal Maiden nodded in a knowing manner, the crowd averting their gaze. Even Lord Kelly, a cruel man at heart, felt queasy at what she had just done. "What were you ordered to do in relation to that woman."

"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill that woman. Kill them."

"Them? Were there others you were ordered to act upon around the same time?"

"Two others."

"Are they present in this room?"

"Both are within my line of sight."

"I see. What were you ordered to do to the woman with the brown and black hair?"

"K-k-kill that girl too. Kill them. Finish her off already."

"Very well. What did he order you to do to that blond haired woman?"

"Kill them."

"Were there any other orders given to you during this time?"

"Help mehihihihihi. What are you waiting for Bije? What are you waiting for Bije?"

"Was that all?"

"Affirmative."

"Thank you Bije. I will have you taken care of by the Sanctum's medical staff as is dictated by protocol. Enforcers, please take him." A group of enforcers came to take him off of her hands, his body turning limp as soon as her hand left his.

- - - - -

Prime Justice Hillen power walked through the halls of the Sanctum's branch of order, the most esteemed of the Sanctum's departments. More than just falling under the direct control of the Marshal, the most influential of the Grand Elders, it also boasted an unassailable reputation as the bastion of neutrality.

Not that he gave a damn about that.

Grand Elder Larson left matters related to the carrying out of law to him. He was devoted to the cause of course, if he didn't have a stake in something he wasn't liable to arbitrate with bias, but he was not above stepping in to mediate for some higher profile individuals. That was, of course, assuming they paid a price.

Who could say it was biased to expedite the trial of a person with a job to do? Sometimes people just needed to calm down and talk out their differences, not everything required punishments after all.

Lies of course, Hillen just wanted more riches and influence. The stupid and poor wouldn't put up a fight against the Prime Justice, while the rich and smart would be willing to grant him favors to get out of trouble.

He was on his way to deal with one such case, a somewhat more irritating man with a great deal of wealth to his name.

Putting on airs of calmness to provide the illusion of neutrality, a skill he had cultivated over the course of many years, Hillen opened the double doors to the courtroom. Taking a moment to examine the state of the room, he started down the stairs to the podium. Maintaining that position would not only give him a position of control over the room, a powerful move for a powerful person.

Unfortunately there was a woman standing there at the moment, probably a lower magistrate charged with resolving these cases.

"My apologies for my tardiness, folks, I can handle this from here." He confidently strode up to her. "Em, excuse me?" It was important to show kindness to his underlings, that was the best way to keep his position.

"May I help you? Court is in session right now and it is rather rude to interrupt, would you not agree?" Slowly, this woman turned to face him, leading to the discovery of the blindfold around her face.

"Oh, my apologies ma'am. I am Prime Justice Hillen, I am responsible for the supervision and neutrality of all trials that take place across the Sanctum."

"I know well what the Prime Justice's duties are, my question was why you are here. This case is neither high profile nor being carried out improperly. Please return to your post and take care of the work that is required of you."

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