I'm eating breakfast in the Guild Hall with Deatrix, August, and their tanned friend with the pompadour. … Hmmm, I don't know his name.
"Hey Lucius, pass the bacon." Deatrix asks calmly.
"I gotcha, Jacob." Tanned Friend says warmly.
The man who I now know is Lucius hands Deatrix the plate of bacon. Good. I managed to conveniently avoid an awkward situation.
As I'm biting into a sausage, August points a fork with eggs on it at me with a mischievous grin.
"We've got work to do." she says warmly.
I groan with emotional pain.
"Like what? I thought I was supposed to be hiding till the trial." I whine.
They all laugh at me.
"Buddy, we always find a way to keep working here." Jacob says amusedly.
Ugh, this place is as bad as any company in my world. Working us to the bone. Even when our lives are in danger. … Wait a minute.
"Do I have to represent the Guild for the crimes committed last night? People got murdered." I ask nervously.
August snorts amusedly, while Deatrix looks nervously at August.
"Our Guild and the Seekers of Knowledge are bribing the Judges to ignore it as we speak. As for the Bloody Fists, them and the Guards are now at extreme odds. In small numbers, it seems the thugs are just running away. But there's already been an incident of a large brawl between guards and the Bloody Fists this morning." she explains.
Deatrix and I sigh with relief while Lucius laughs.
"Ha! Henry, wouldn't you be glad to get more work? August would pay you way more than Jacob too." Lucius says amusedly.
"Pfft. No I wouldn't." August states amusedly.
I roll my eyes. August claps her hands together, and looks at us with a confident grin.
"Anyway, we have one final battle. The battle for public opinion. Learning of the Heroes' crimes from the public will help a lot. It gives us our best chance of affecting the Judge that presides over the case too." August says.
"Oh, I see. So we could start with revealing they tried to kill me and other people through their allies for the sake of avoiding punishment." I say calmly.
August smiles, and makes taking a bite of her food look like a victory.
"Good idea, already thought of it. Any other ideas?" August says warmly.
Hmmm…
"Hear me out guys. Let's convince them that the Adventurers burnt down an orphanage." Lucius jokes.
Deatrix and I chuckle while August actually seems to be considering.
"You know, there was a rumor they were involved with an orphanage burning down as well too. I bet it wouldn't be too hard at all to do that." she says seriously.
Everyone but August laughs at that. She looks at us like we're strange for laughing.
"I'm serious, it really happened. Apparently it had something to do with a rogue named Talon Warsaw." she says seriously.
"Alright, so connecting that to them sounds like a priority." I say warmly.
"Indeed." August agrees. "Also, it's worth noting that one of your witnesses, Bellencia Femmatale, was arrested last night. She murdered people, though it was in self-defense. With some work, it should be easily defended." she says calmly.
My head droops with pure annoyance. Ugh, more work.
"Can she still be a witness?" I ask grumpily.
"Probably." August says calmly.
I pull my head up with a dead eyed face.
"Good." I say calmly.
"Alright, I've got more ideas." August says happily.
She smiles wickedly, and the same grin grows on all our faces as we continue planning things out.
Ya know, one thing I do like about this world. The whole thing of being a lawyer is a lot more fun here. … Also a lot more dangerous. … Kinda worth it, though.
The official first step. I sent out several men with bribes and stories to the most renowned libraries of the city. The people who helped spread knowledge to the world. Even the daily news by feeding it to their town criers.
Town Criers are people who sit in small, protected studios known as a News Station. It typically has at least one mage sitting outside them. They're just small, seven foot tall, five foot wide boxes. They're enchanted with sound magic to amplify the Town Crier's voice outside, while inside the booth they are just talking normally.
My Guild has a nice relationship with the Town Criers. It began because they needed entertaining news, and Adventurers are filled to the brim with entertaining stories. As things progressed, naturally we took advantage of this. We started placing subtle hints in our stories. Things to make us look better, and others worse.
Just like we're doing today. But today it's much simpler. We've reached a point where we're all friends here. Friends who do favors for the right amount of gold. I've sent a messenger with several stories and a gold pouch carrying 200 coins inside. It should be enough to get our stories told.
I'm following the messenger with my Astral Eye, because I suspect similar ideas from the Seekers of Knowledge. I want to be able to immediately react to any strange developments with this.
When the messenger gets close, I start hearing the problems.
"Ladies and Gentleman of Fair City! Terrible news! The Crimson Wolves have brutally murdered many pets of a Guild that they had no quarrel with. The Seekers of Knowledge are dismayed that their many puppies, kittens, and adopted children were murdered by the horrible Crimson Wolves. Like literal wolves, they snuck into their Guild Tower, and stole all their pets. Then they murdered them in the streets! And as their owners tried to defend them, they were brutally murdered too! Oh, the horror!" Town Crier declares with fake sadness and terror.
I roll my eyes. This is ridiculous. Just wait till we tell the whole city how you eat babies. We'll get your tower burned to the ground.
The messenger arrives at the Town Crier's News Station. I mind link with him, and inform him of my counter to their ridiculous claim. The messenger talks with the Mage outside the News Station for a few moments. He slips him the gold pouch during the conversation. And he leaves. A moment later, the Town Crier's newscast is interrupted by the Mage. The lights of the News Station go dark as they talk. Then they turn back on, and the Mage steps out.
"Ladies and Gentleman, we have groundbreaking news! First of all, the Crimson Wolves claim they were actually rescuing those animal and children from the Seekers of Knowledge Guild! Apparently the rumors about them eating puppies and children are true! And it was a brave effort they attempted. However, they were interrupted, and ultimately failed in their mission due to the interruption of the so-called Heroes of Fair City. It is even said Balgor the Fighter took a bite of a baby's skull during the fight. What absolute monsters." Town Crier declares with righteous anger.
I leave my Astral Eye behind to wait for their counter. They will quickly learn of this claim and the others we have to make.
"But wait, there's more! The Crimson Wolves claim that the allies of these Heroes, the Seekers of Knowledge and the Bloody Fists, attempted to murder several witnesses to a crime that Balgor committed just a few days ago. They managed to defend, but not without cost. Many brave adventurers died heroically, fighting off the Bloody Fists and the Seekers of Knowledge." Town Crier declares righteously. "Now a moment of silence for these Adventurers."
Many people nearby stop in place, and stand silently in honor of the deceased. I appreciate the thought. I don't even recall asking for them to do that. I should give this Town Crier a tip next time I bribe him.
Suddenly a black and purple portal opens on the street. A Seeker of Knowledge steps out. He's holding a sack that I presume is filled with gold. There's an issue here. The sack is bigger than the one I gave.
The Seeker and the Mage chat for a few minutes. Then the Mage heads inside the News Station, and it goes dark once more. Libra, please tell me I'm not playing this game today. I only like Misinformation Wars when I'm the one having fun.
The Mage comes out, and the Town Crier starts spewing the enemy's bullshit.
"Ladies, Gentleman! Terrible news! The Crimson Wolves are filthy liars! The Seekers of Knowledge claim that the Crimson Wolves are secretly the Bloody Fists! And that they attempted to kill their own witnesses to slander the Heroes of Fair City! I always knew you couldn't trust a Crimson Wolf, I mean ladies and gentleman. Wolf is in their name! And that weighs heavily on the Scales of Justice." Town Crier declares angrily.
This Town Crier is about to learn a lesson. I get up and leave my office. I walk out to the railing, and look down on the Guild Hall from the second floor. I look around a bit, and spot who I need. The Slapmeister.
He stands seven feet tall. He wears blessed white plate mail. It glows softly white. Except his left arm isn't covered in armor, because it's so massive. It's two feet thick, and reaches down to his feet. It's pure muscle. His hand is the size of a watermelon. The skin of his hand is thick, heavily wrinkled, and there are bloodstains covering his fingers.
The Slapmeister is a man who has devoted all of his potential into the art of the Slap. He is perfect as an Enforcer of the Guild because of this.
I Mind Link with him, and give him his assignment. I also tell him he will be rewarded 500 gold for this. He leaves immediately.
It doesn't take him long to get back to the Town Crier. I still have my Astral Eye there so I can watch what happens.
The Slapmeister approaches the News Station. As he does, the Mage becomes nervous. Apparently he's heard of the Slapmeister's reputation. The Mage pulls out a wooden wand, and points it at the Slapmeister. The Slapmeister swings his left hand up, and a powerful gust of wind is created by him just slapping the air. So powerful the Mage is sent flying high and far away. From what I see, he ends up crashing through the window of an inn.
The Slapmeister easily forces the door of the News Station open despite the cries of its defenses. I briefly see the magic struggle against it, blue strings forming between the door and the door frame as it's forced open. But they're snapped with ease.
The Slapmeister steps inside as the Town Crier tries to hide under a desk built into the wall. The Slapmeister hooks a huge finger around the Town Crier's torso, and pulls him out.
"This will be a warning. Don't ever share any news that comes from the Seekers of Knowledge again, or else." the Slapmeister says with cold firmness.
The Slapmeister pins the Town Crier against the wall with his regular sized right hand. Then he pulls back his left hand. It easily pushes through the wall of the News Station, leaving a large hole in its wake. Then he swings it forward slowly. The Town Crier pisses his pants as it makes a loud clap against his body. He feels multiple bones shatter. His shoulder, elbow, and two of his ribs.
The Slapmeister searches the News Station a bit at my request. After a moment, he finds what the Town Crier will be reading now. The stories we requested of him.
I also request that the Slapmeister take his pay from the gold sacks the Town Crier has. I notice the Slapmeister takes more than he's supposed to, but I don't really care. This Town Crier shouldn't be such a snake.
The Slapmeister begins to leave the area. However, a black and purple portal appears on the street once more. And this time three Seekers step out. Shit, the Slapmeister may start some trouble.
The Slapmeister grins cockily at them, but tries to leave still. Good. … Shit, one of them fired a bolt of lightning at him. The Slapmeister spins around and smacks the bolt out of the air. Then he smacks the air, sending out a powerful gust of wind. However, the Seekers all create a magical wall to block it. The Slapmeister growls, and begins approaching them. With each step, he swings his massive hand. The gusts of wind beat down on the mages.
However, in a world like ours, this was doomed to end. Imagination is key to survival. The central Seeker is innovative. He fires a powerful laser through a temporary hole in his wall. The Slapmeister swings his massive arm in front of it. Somehow it seems to fend off the laser. But the laser is keeping him pinned down.
Now the other Seekers can begin unleashing a barrage of bolts upon the Slapmeister. Within seconds, the bolts overwhelm him. He falls to his knees. Then the center Seeker approaches him with a smug grin. He casts a spell that fills the Slapmeister and I with dread.
"Determine Place of Origin." Center Seeker says intimidatingly.
A green circle appears beneath the Slapmeister. Inside the circle is a map of the planet. This map raises off the ground, analyzing the Slapmeister. Within seconds, it finishes and flips into a vertical position. There is now a bright white dot on the map. A dot that is in Zelzabog. And not Pordrig. Fuck. I've made a grave error. I was too confident in the Slapmeister's abilities, and didn't think they'd do something like this in broad daylight. It's quite distasteful.
The Seeker's hand glows with dark purple energy. He presses it against the Slapmeister's forehead. And a battle of wills begins. It doesn't take long for a decision to be made. The Slapmeister's eyes shake wildly with strain. They grow bloodshot. Then they stiffen, and the light fades from them. He has been Enslaved. I watch the Seeker snap his fingers, and the Slapmeister obediently follows him through the portal they created. The other Seekers follow in as well.
This requires a retaliation. We can't let this go lightly. The Slapmeister was a valuable soldier. There are a few options I can take here. One, an open retaliation. As long as Jacob doesn't kill anyone, he could assault their tower with some others and take the Slapmeister back. Two, a subtle approach. I send in Shadow to take him back. Useful, very likely, but arguably more dangerous since Shadow is a foreigner and he is my most valuable assassin. Or I could let go of the Slapmeister for now, and use it as propaganda against the Seekers of Knowledge. The story of losing a comrade like this is a sympathetic one. To an extent. Two thirds of the public, those of the Gold Apple Party, and those of the Libra Party. They'd probably argue it was legal this happened, so we can't do anything.
Ugh. I hate to say it, but it may be best to abandon the Slapmeister for now. Wait until the trial is over. Then begin the assault. For now, I will use it to shame them. And I will teach some of them a lesson.
I exit my office, and head down the hallway. I walk past portraits of my proud ancestors. They all look honorable, proud, and stoic. My parents each have a portrait. Underneath all the portraits are a list of their proudest achievements. I stop at my father's portrait. His list is admittedly one of the weaker lists.
Slain 12 Dragons.
Slayer of 21 S Grade Monsters.
Achiever of the Greater Good
That last achievement is a veiled way of saying my dad is an expert on doing "what's necessary." The evil parts of this job. He taught me and many others how to kill. He is an expert and an incredible teacher in that regard. He is also what people call a Shadow Puppeteer. He often steers many events of this continent into his favor. Though even my mother and I are sometimes left wondering why he does the things he does.
I move past the portraits, and head down some stairs. After this, I soon arrive at the training yard. I see Jacob has Henry in a headlock, and Henry is struggling to point his wand at Jacob. But Jacob keeps using his wind magic to make gusts of wind push away the wand. I can't help but stop and chuckle at the sight.
Jacob hears me with his sharp ears. He smiles, and briefly lets an arm loose to wave. Henry takes this opportunity to finally jab his wand forward, and hit Jacob in the face with a cube of ice. However, the ice shatters against his cheek like it was nothing. Jacob looks at Henry with disappointment. Henry smiles sheepishly.
"This is what you get for sneaking a blow while I was waving." Jacob deadpans.
Jacob suddenly grabs Henry around the sides, and just throws him ten feet into the air. Henry swings his arms and legs wildly, and starts yelling fearfully.
"Oh fuck! Shit, Deatrix, I'm sorry! Please catch me!"
Jacob laughs and shakes his head no. Henry's jaw drops.
"Pleassseeeeee!" he yells as he falls to the ground.
He unintentionally belly flops into the ground. He lands with a dull thud, bouncing back a foot into the air before landing once more. Henry groans with pain. I snicker, then I decide to blow off a small bit of steam.
"Henry, think fast!" I say seriously.
I point at him, and attempt to control his mind. Henry glares at me, and somehow it seems like how annoyed he is with me helps him keep me out. For half a minute. Then I break through, which makes Henry yelp with pain. I immediately step back out of his mind, and start clapping.
"Well done Henry. I think the emotion you focused on, being annoyed or perhaps angry, really helped you block me out there. You should focus on that more when people attempt to control your mind." I compliment proudly.
Henry rolls his eyes and gives me a sarcastic thumbs up.
"Sure, I'll do that." he says bitterly.
He stands back up, sighing in the process. As he does, I turn to Jacob.
"Jacob, I hate to cut this training short but I have a mission that requires you. At the least, it should be quick. You'll probably be back within an hour with luck." I say calmly.
Jacob shrugs carelessly.
"It's fine, this combat training is over anyway." he says calmly.
Jacob turns to Henry. He points at him with a serious face.
"We are definitely doing more training like this. You are a terrible melee fighter. I can easily tell you were never in a fight in your life. If magic didn't exist, you'd be dead by now." he states.
Henry sighs and hunches over a bit.
"Yeah, that's the truth unfortunately." he says with tired disappointment.
I snort amusedly at Henry's self-loathing.
"Keep your head up Henry. Jacob will turn you into a beast eventually." I say warmly.
Henry tries to smile, but it comes out shaky. I don't have time to be nice, so Henry is on his own with this. I turn to leave.
"Come with me, Jacob. I'll explain it to you in my office." I say calmly.
My office is a large room. 50 by 50 feet. It's organized completely, and completely clean. It may seem sparse to a normal person. It only has shelves lining the walls. On the shelves are books, artifacts, and small, well made art pieces. Like an abstract figure of a human being. It's made of wires, and each limb ends in sharp points. I have a dozen of these figures in my office actually. It disturbs some people. I can't blame them, cause admittedly they aren't truly meant to be art.
I have my desk a few feet away from the back wall wall. It's a weak spot for the room. My paperwork is scattered all over it. It has ash stains on the top left corner. From all the times I missed the black obsidian ashtray I have sitting there. The ashtray is filled with cigarettes. Most of the drawers are filled with paperwork. Key word being most. There is one large drawer with a magical seal on it. It should only open when I touch it. Inside are all my potions, and an emergency wand. There are leather chairs sitting in front of the desk. I sit on a very comfy leather chair that has a floating spell on it so I can move around the room while seated. It's nice.
The rest of the room seems bare. And to the observant ones, dangerous. I try to make it subtle, but my office is secretly defended with many traps. My marble floor secretly has a long, winding, and chaotic path of mana lines criss crossing all over. On the surface, it seems just like a creative floor. But in reality, each mana line helps fuel a specific trap. For example, five lines form a circle in a corner of a room. Here, I'd focus my mana in order to create a small ballista. Then I'd fire it at my target.
But Jacob is a friend, so there's no need for any of that. The reason we speak in my office is to avoid being overheard thanks to the Sound Isolation spell I have on my office.
"Jacob, I need you to go to the Town Crier's News Station. There, give him this small bribe and remind him he needs to be telling our stories. Seekers of Knowledge will try to stop you. Kick their asses, but don't kill them." I explain calmly.
Jacob smiles brightly and gives me two thumbs up.
"I'm on it! See ya later!" he says happily.
He runs out of my office immediately. I sigh and shake my head with annoyed amusement. I didn't have much else to say, but I wish he'd be more polite about listening to orders. Wait to be dismissed, at least.
Ah well. I look through my Astral Eye. Jacob isn't there quite yet, but from here I can see the storm of dust he's kicking up as he sprints across the city. I can hear the Town Crier stutter in his current story when he notices as well.
"There is uh-uh-uh a chance of rain today. But that just means you don't-don't-don't have to go outside. It's dangerous cause-cause-cause of all these-" Town Crier declares nervously.
Jacob finally reaches the News Station. He runs right up to it, and kicks down the door.
"Cause of who bitch? Better not be the Crimson Wolves you fuck!" he snaps intimidatingly.
The Town Crier screams fearfully, and hides under the desk.
"I swear I'll start telling whatever stories you want! Just don't hit me!" he begs desperately.
"Yeah, that's right! Better do as you're told, you fuck! If you tell any stories that hurt the Crimson Wolves' reputation again, I'll circumcise you! And I'll get a witch to curse you using your foreskin, making you and all your sons' dicks stop working!" Jacob yells intimidatingly.
"Oh Libra please! Anything but that!" Town Crier cries fearfully.
"Then do as you're told! And get back to the news already!" Jacob demands angrily.
He slams the door shut, and turns away from it with a big, mischievous grin. Jacob for some reason loves intimidating people. He finds it very hilarious for some reason. He's already laughing as he starts to walk away. I'm about to Mind Link with him to remind him not to leave yet, but the Seekers of Knowledge create another portal in the street. This time, five Seekers step out.
I am slightly concerned. I do not need Jacob getting more crimes on his plate. I mind link with Jacob out of necessary concern.
"Jacob, please remember not to kill anyone. No matter what." August orders firmly.
I laugh, and nod. Then I ready my fists in a basic boxing guard. I grin confidently.
"Alright, I'm gonna say this once you fucks. Accept you're done influencing the Town Crier, or I'm gonna flip shit." I threaten.
The Seekers look at each other nervously. They know my reputation. Probably. It's safe to assume with these fucks anyway. But they still draw their wands, and start charging spells.
Tsk tsk. I wag a finger mockingly. Then they fire at me with strange spells. The one thing they had in common is they all emanate power. Based on the rumors, I'd even dare say it's spells powered by their strange, unknown Gods.
The central mage sends a thick group of green tentacles at me. The right mage fires a black laser beam with white edges. The far right mage fires an extremely bright fireball. I dare say it might even be a small star. The left mage begins dragging a knife across his wrist. I check under my feet, and see some image in blood beginning to form. And the far left mage has created a watermelon sized portal in front of him. And there is a strange, yellow eye with green veins staring angrily at me. It's charging something based on the black aura around it and the portal.
First, I use wind to backpedal rapidly. Then I spin on my heel and Wind Dash at high speeds diagonally towards a building. I manage to dodge the fireball and tentacles with this. But the star and laser are close behind me. I run up the side of a building, and step over the edge onto its roof. Then I spin around.
I focus a specialized mana developed by King Gilgamesh into my right hand and forearm. It is called Battle Mana. It is the essence and energy of combat focused into mana. It is something that can only be created after studying the art of combat for a long time. This mana can be used for a variety of destructive techniques.
This technique is simple. Its official name is Lethal Melee. But I fondly think of it as Arm Blade Mode. Because it surrounds my arms in a concentrated mana aura that is sharp on every level. My arms are basically surrounded by a thousand blades now.
I chop my hand through the star, and it explodes in a brilliant storm of sparks around me. It blinds me. And unfortunately, that means I can't dodge the laser. It stings like hell, but my body is tough. I can resist it for now. Regardless, I run to the left to get it off of me as soon as possible.
I'm running half-blind, spots in my eyes. But I manage to get away from the laser. However, the other Seekers are beginning to fire bolts of magic at me. It's annoying. They outpower me at the moment. And I can't use my full power without killing them. Heh, this is almost a fun problem.
I can't look weak though. So I just have to focus, and weave through their shit. My vision is clear now.
I jump off the roof, and start dashing in an arc. I'm taking a scenic route to my enemies to avoid their blasts. It helps to an extent. As I draw in close, they refocus and a burst of spells comes directly at me. First, more tentacles. Flanked on one side by a thick beam of purple mana. On the left, a spray of steaming hot blood. And behind all that is a storm of black fireballs and crimson stars. I grin at the sight. This challenge seems delightful.
As the tentacles get close, I move with rapid precision. First, I pull my body to the side to dodge. Then I bring my right hand down in a chop, cutting the tentacle off. I hear a roar and feel pain in my brain from doing it, but I don't hesitate to keep going. I chop a few more times, and then the tentacles start to recoil.
This gives me space. Which I desperately need considering the beam and hot blood. I drop into a slide, feet first. I use Wind to propel myself across the ground, narrowly avoiding them. Then I use more wind to push against my back, bringing me to my feet. There's only ten yards between me and the Seekers. And a very thick storm of fire and stars. There's only one thing to do. One major flex before this ass whooping starts.
I stop feet in front of the Seekers, the storm descending upon me. I perform a hundred hand slashes within seconds. Each slash unleash a small Flying Slash. My own storm clashes against theirs. They clash, exploding with force and mana! It sends all the mages flying backwards, while I stand firm. I'm used to the consequences of my actions.
I dispel the Battle mana around my arms. Then I rush forward, and jump on the nearest Seeker. He gasps with pain, then he starts yelling cause of it as I unleash a beatdown on his face with destructive, lightning fast fists. I am a juggernaut of destruction, and within seconds this man has a broken nose, and is unconscious.
I quickly run at a Seeker struggling to his feet. I tackle him, lift him up into the air. Then I lean forward and slam him into the ground hard. He bounces a few feet up. I quickly spin on my heel, and deliver a devastating side kick into his jaw. It sends him flying across the ground. He bounces several times before crashing into a wall.
I see the other three Seekers are back on their feet. But they're within my range. I grin maliciously, like a shark with prey in its territory. I decide to charge at the Seeker standing alone. He holds his bloody wrist in front of his chest. A large torrent of blood pours out of it, and solidifies into a large fist in front of him. The fist flies at me, and I can feel the heat coming off of it.
I grit my teeth, focus Battle mana into my right foot, and spin on my heel. The fist holds its hand up to block my foot. My foot is blocked a foot away from the Seeker's face, and it burns. But I stand firm. I add on a torrent of wind to push through. The fist begins to give, but my foot is pushing through the fist. And this just hurts even more. But Libra knows me. I don't quit easily.
I finally deliver a devastating roundhouse kick into the Seeker's face. He spins on his feet several times, before falling to the ground unconscious cause of how hard the kick was.
Finally, I turn to the remaining Seekers which are FUCKING TRYING TO GET AWAY! They're running to their portal!
"You fucking cowards! Get back here and finish what you started!" I yell furiously.
I charge at them, pouring as much mana as I can into my Wind Dash to close the distance. But it's fucking useless as they get away just in time, closing the portal behind them. I slide to a stop, my legs in a wide stance. I grit my teeth, growling angry. Then I tilt my head back, and roar furiously.
It honestly doesn't with how frustrated I am now. Ya know what, I'm going to their fucking stupid tower. I'm gonna kick all of their asses. I might even kill the fucks who ran cause of this.
Suddenly I feel August forcibly mind-link to me.
"Jacob, please do not do anything else. We need you to stay out of jail. Just come back to the guild, and drink a mug of ale or something. Walk it off." August says in a soothing manner.
I growl angrily, but do as she says. It's not a big deal if this ends like this. We're about to win the trial soon.