Chapter 21: Chapter 20: A Verdict, a investigation and a burned down village.

The large room was filled with onlookers of all kinds of social standing, nobles and farmers alike where gathered for this pectical of a court case. The hall was filled with murmurs and gossip, everyone knew that soon it would start, the anticipation was killing them and then the large wooden doors opened, first came First Lady Kathrin, then came Lord Feralt and then, followed by three knights in pure white armor came the king in all his glory, Grater II. wore his traditional gold and white armor with the golden crown of the kingdom on his head.

His presence alone was enough to silence all those who attended this event, for many it was a one in a life time moment to actually see the king that governed them and even those who had seen the king times already were still awestruck by his sheer aura of determination and might. He was know as a fair and just king, however he was also know as a king who valued law and order above most things, his laws were fair, but those who broke them got harsh punishments, harsher then some of Demon Kingdoms punishments even.

A second pair of wooden doors opened, opossit to those the king had emerged from anf through came 4 knights, dressed in sky blue armors and feathers atop their helmets, those were the elits of the Cloud order and behind them came the unasuming young girl, her cloths were in taters andhair unkept, the typical look of a prisoner. She glared at the king and anyone she came into eye-contact with, but the glares were only returned to her.

It wasn't as uncomon as one might hope, but young girls from the slums often find their ways to the courts, as they were often forced to steal to even survive, but that didn't stop it from being a crime. Most of the time people were understanding and sympathatic and often was the king, who often sentenced them to manual labour which was often a reward for the girls since they would be provided shelter and food during that time.

But this girl was no ordinary slums girls, at first many thought this trial to be the run of the mill slums girls caught stealking trial, but as the chrages were presented another picture formed, the girl was Adeline Strand, the daughter of an adventurere couple living in the outskirts of the city, apparently she had gone insane, after her parents were murderd by a monster, in her insanity she declared she had loved the monster and followed it around.

She was convicted of assisted murder in over 40 cases and 12 cases of murder she apparently commited herself, she had admitted to all of them and demanded with every breath that she be released so she could be with her 'lover' and she basically insulted everyone she talked to.

Sympathy disapeared during the first five mnuites of the trial, but many were unsure of what the king would give out as a punishment, since the girl was obviously insane and lost all touch with reality, some argued even she couldn't be held responsible to her crimes because of it. But in the end it was the kings decision and not theirs.

The king waved his hand three times through the air, a symbolic gesture that’s supposed to mirror Freider, the god justice and fairness, before he spoke, his voice echoing in the large hall.

"Under much deliberation and analysis of the situation I came to the verdict, that Adeline Strand will be found guilty on all charges and that she will be executed by hanging in 20 days time, however due to the apparent state of insanity the execution shall not be public and no one is allowed to converse with Adeline Strand under any circumstances during those 20 days!" He clapped his hands three times.

The crowd erupted in cheers, no one would miss her victims, as they mostly consisted of criminals themselves but they wouldn’t miss an insane murder walking among them. The king retreated together with Feralt and Lady Kathrin, while Adeline was silently brought to the Tower of Justice, where she would await her death, when she reached her cell at the top of the tower and the door closed behind her, she fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"H-Hanna, please… I‘m scared…"

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Hardgut was whistling as he collected the arrows he shot from the wolfs carcass, he thought this was quite the great day, judging from the look his partner gave him, he was the only one thinking so.

"I really don’t get how you can be this happy when we have to do such a dumb quest. We’re Gold level adventures, why down have to do these kind of things? Let the newbies do the fetch quests!" Her name was Emily, they had known each other for over 10 years at this and Hardgut might have developed a small crush on her after they started adventuring together, that was 4 years ago.

"Oh come on now, it’s not that bad, I think it‘s nice to have am easier quest for once, it’s easy money and you can relax at the same time. Besides I know for a fact you love the beer they serve in that one tavern in Querum, you can’t tell me you aren’t at least somewhat excited for this."

Emily looked to the side, but couldn’t hide her blush in time for Hardgut not to see, and he laughed a gut deep laugh into the afternoon sun.

"It’s really strange tho right? What is an wolf doing on the main road? Shouldn‘t They only live in the forest nearby Querum?" Emily asked, trying to change the topic and to prevent the endless teasing that would follow if she led Hardgut undisturbed.

“Don’t you remember? Lady Kathrin torched part of the forest in an attempt to kill that Dark Margeko monster everyone was freaking out about. From the stories I heard these things are pure nightmares to deal with, thank all the gods that it’s dead now." Hardgut answered, he had collected all of his arrows at that point and they were both walking towards the east and towards Querum, they would arrive in a few hours if they kept up their current pace.

"But even of they got roused up from the fire, there should be no way for the to get past Querum and onto the main road this far west, without the local hunters of Querum killing them. It doesn’t make sense."

"That‘s why we were send there to find out Emily, did you sleep through the mission briefing again?" Emily turned even more crimson at the accusation and sped up her pace, Hardgut laughed behind her.

Maybe he had been to optimistic, she had a point, not in her way of this being to unimportant for them, but rather how this was truly quite concerning, the hunters of Querum were good hunters he learned that himself, when on a trip heencountered them mid hunt, he had observed them and looked over their shoulders, they weren't perfect, but for a group of simple village people they were skilled, skilled enough to impress him, a silver adventurer at the time. Something must have happened at the village and he was determined to find out.

They continued their journey, encountering several wolfs along the way, this was clearly a bigger problem then they first thought it was, suddenly Emily stopped and looked to the right where two figures were running through the field along the river, they looked like they were fleeing from something, the two adventures looked at each other and sped up their past, clearly something truly terrifying must have happened.

Unbeknownst to them, the cause of the problem had just rushed past them along the river, fleeing the location of their crime.

When They finally reached the last hill before they would reach Querum they were both out of breath, since they both decided to run the last couple of miles there, now panting they climbed up the hillside, at the top of which they would be able to see Querum, but once they reached the top they didn’t see the small but lively village with large houses and cheerful inhabitants, instead they saw dust, ashes and rubble everywhere. Amongst the ruins of the once proud village unmoving bodies laid still on the blackened soil.

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Their exhaustion was replaced with horror and adrenaline as they rushed down the hill, it felt like a dream to them, a nightmare, but in the end it was no dream as they traversed the blackened soil and the scorched ruins of the once proud little village, all the bodies showed signs of burning, hair missing and blackened skin, some few also showed signs of being stabbed, while some others had signs of being slashed by claws.

The more they investigate, the less sense it all made, what could have caused a fire on such a grand scale, while also having the ability to stab, no matter what they thought of one thing didn’t connect.

Wild beasts? How could wild beats set an entire village a blaze?
Bandits? Why were some people clearly killed by claws?                                                                                                                                        Dragons? Haven’t been sighted in the world for over 200 years.

They searched the village for the entire rest of sunlight they had available and wherever they went they found the same picture, until they reached what was once the eastern gate to the village, the sunlight was on its last rays and they were ready to make camp and return back to capital to report back as soon as possible, when they suddenly heard a sound amongst the rubble, it was small and weak, but in the silence of the ruins it was audible, if barley. It sounded like crying.

They rushed towards the sound, where they found the ruins of a house, unlike most other houses this one was mostly intact, which was saying a lot considering it roof and walls were almost completely missing and because of the missing walls the adventurers could see, something truly horrible. Death and destruction was everywhere around them and they weren’t strangers to death, but this was on an different level.

The crying they had heard was a young boy, sitting in the lab of what appeared to be a young woman, bound by her hands to a nearby piece of rubble, the boy himself had slightly singed hair and his cloths were torn in places, the most noticeably part was that one of his arms was clearly bend far beyond what was humanly possible, the woman well… They had to hold back some vomit that wanted to escape their throats.

The woman had one of her eyes removed and replaced with a small rock, her nose had been cut off together with one of her ears, both her arms were bend backwards and so were her legs, all over the skin were deep cuts and gashes the puddle of blood they had been sitting in had already dried up at that point. The toes and fingers were all cut off and multiple perfectly round holes were found across her thighs, further investigation revealed that most of her teeth had been pulled out as well and her tongue had been sliced but never removed. I’m her back was a massive torn hole, where they found all the cut off body parts stored, along with a note that read:

'I never forget crimes against me, I‘ll be coming to get back what is rightfully mine and get my revenge you noble swine.

Yours truly,

The Rippers.'

They took both the note and the crying child, who had remained unresponsive the entire time, only silently crying his eyes out, which had already been red and puffy by the time they had arrived at the scene, next they decided to burn the woman’s remains and pray so she might have a favourable place in heavens court. They boys crying slightly intensified as the body burned, but beyond that the boy remained unresponsive.

At that point the sun was already behind the horizon and they decided to make a small camp near the western gate of the village, Emily prepared food and shelter as well as a small campfire for both light and warmth, while Hardgut tended to the boy who had stopped crying and even while having his dislocated arm relocated no tear was shed from the boy. Once they were all done and the boy was slathered with herbal medicines and bandages, and holding a small bowl of steaming stew did. the boy speak, his voice was hoarse and weak, but his emotions were loud in his words.

"Thank you, for setting Klara free." Not knowing how to respond the adventurers gave a simple answer of 'no problem‘ and the rest of the meal was carried out in silence. When it was time to sleep, the boy didn’t dare to close his eyes, it was irrational and dumb, he knew two skilled adventurers were out there to protect him and keep watch and yet he dared not to sleep, if he ever closed his eyes they might come back and they would force his eyes open again and they would…

He jumped up, not able to handle the pressure, he was shacking, the words of the monster still taunt him, he said he would protect them but he failed, he failed it was all his fault all his fault…

"all your fault little Justin, it’s your fault their all dead, it because of you their lives have come to an abrupt end, all your fault." The voice was inside his head, he knew it but he couldn’t ignore it, the voice was taunting and seductive flowing through his being like honey, he wanted to scream but he couldn’t, wish the voice away yet it stayed.

"Your weak and pathetic, if you were stronger you could have saved them all, but that’s not what you are, you nothing but a weak pathetic boy, it’s all your fault, all you faulllltttttttt." The Voice dragged out the last word taunting the boy further, he twisted and turned and tears began to form in his eyes. The voice laughed in his face.

"Look at you, is crying all your good for? So pathetically weak and insignificant, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

The boy‘s eyes flung open and he realised he was being held in strong arms, Hardgut had suddenly heard the boy start to cry again and he rushed in to find the boy squirming and tossing in his sleep, clearly having a nightmare of hellish proportions. He threw this hands around the boy and started to try and get him to wake up and once he did he started to whisper calming words to the shacking boy.

"Everything’s fine, everything’s fine, there is no need to be scared now, it was all a dream." He whispered in the boys ear, his crying intensified at those words.

"I- I wish it was." The boy sobbed. Hardgut didn’t understand what he meant, but that was irrelevant, now only mattered to mae the boy feel save, so he could sleep in peace.

Yet despite his efforts, the boy wouldn’t fall asleep again for the rest of the night.

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