Chapter 5.8 - Witch Hunt

Serin arrived to find Ansar, still wearing the bloodied uniform standing over a whimpering man, bound, gagged, and nailed to a board.

Serin also saw the 16 sheets laid on the bare floor. Families were crying over their dead. Serin had expected much, but this, this made him feel wrath.

Although death did not hold the permanence many once feared, Serin was aware there was always a cost. The few that had died from the dungeon, and Ansar, still suffered. In their dreams they relived their dying moments. It was so bad that those that had suffered death had requested from the apothecary a potion of dreamless sleep and used it almost every night.

Serin yelled to the crowd that was gathered. "I am sorry for my delay. To ensure successful capture of our perpetrator, I was required to overextend my mana. Now though our public trial shall commence in 15 minutes. "

Serin walked over to the adventurer's guild. The attendant's smiled but their eyes betrayed sadness. "Good Morning Lord Serin. I am glad to see you back. How may we assist you?"

Serin looked at them, "I need two spells. The first is one to ensure only truth is spoken."

"Detect Lie is an intermediate Divination spell that should work."

Serin then looked, "I need another that will delay death no matter how much someone is injured."

Fire sparked in the attendant's eyes. Although they took no sides, Serin was fully aware the divines silently rooted for their favorite mortals. "Delay death is an advanced Dark magic. But since it does not injure it does not cause corruption in the caster, only in the target."

Serin smiled. This will have to do, he mused.

***

It seemed the town had stopped. Other than the autonomous work of the homunculi, people gathered for the trial.

Serin sat, with a representative of each race present, as well as Ansar. The defendant had received healing magics, but was still bound, and nailed to a board. He was conscious, as it seemed another spell was given to dull the pain.

"We will commence the trial of the saboteur. Is there any that shall speak on his behalf?"

There were no words.

Serin looked. "Scion, remove his gag."

Ansar removed the gag to have the man spit in his face. Ansar smiled at this reaction and slugged him in the mouth.

Serin looked at him, "So you are aware, by spilling innocent changing blood, you were immediately marked for the Scion before you. Your guilt has already been proven beyond a doubt."

The man scoffed, "if this trial is already decided, why am I not dead."

Serin snarled, "Fool! This is not to determine guilt or innocence. It is to complete your sentencing."

Serin then looked at him. "We want to know who sent you. Who hired you. We will cast a spell to determine if you are telling the truth. But that won't force you to answer."

Serin looked at his representatives. "We have already decided you will die. However we have not decided how."

The Jackal, smiling as always, "I accepted this as an inevitability one day. But I am not a snitch. There is nothing that you can say that would change my mind."

Serin smiled, "So you would be ok with torture?"

Jackal smiled, "Torture or not it ends the same, with me dead on the floor."

Serin's smile never broke, "For the next ten years?"

Jackal's smile faded, "My life is forfeit, do what you must."

Serin then looked at Ansar. " Ansar, why is it that you are the Scion of retribution, Why not of 'Scion of Justice'?"

Ansar then took a blade and pricked Jackal's cheek, licking the blood from the tip. "Justice is for the courts. Mine is to ensure that the killing of my family is met tenfold. I care not for Justice, only Retribution."

Ansar began to murmur, "Ah, you have a sister in a small burb in the Forest kingdom. Six nieces and nephews to her line. You have an estranged son and his wife that run a smithy in Ston. Ah, your mother still lives…"

Jackal went pale, "How? How do you know where they live?"

Ansar smiled and Jackal could feel his cold stare through the black cloth he wore over his eyes, "I can see your blood, see where they live clear as day. I can hear their heartbeats in my ears."

Serin then looked at Jackal. "Should you answer our questions, your death is where this trial will end. But Ansar will do what he must to find answers. He knows in your heart what you hold dear and wish to protect. He will have them dragged in front of you to answer for your crimes."

Serin then smirked, "Or you can tell him who ordered the attack, and give the hound a new scent to follow. The choice is yours."

***

Serin sat with his council members. It had been a week since the trial. Serin had spent the majority of the last week asleep as each time he resurrected someone it put him to sleep for roughly 2 days. This meeting commenced shortly after his fourth casting of bring to life. The mood was still dour.

At the moment, Shurik had the floor, " Perimeter defense had been completed for the central region as well as the two expansion sites. We have also tagged every citizen of the nation and sent tagging kits through the transfer chests to the three hunter seeker teams in foreign lands."

Serin looked, "What of those that have returned to us? Any lingering effects?"

Some eyes shifted away. Some people looked angered. "Nightmares as always, Lord Serin. We are paying the cost of having dreamless sleep potions provided to the afflicted, but for Ansar the symptom never left."

Serin was still angered. "How much time is left for the King under the Mountain?"

Allister answered, " two more weeks until completion. We have already test fired while you slept and other than calibration of the 6 cannons, there are no issues."

"How is Josef doing?" Serin asked

"He is grateful that his granddaughter was brought back to life after the attack, as well as her partner. He is filled with anger, as this unprovoked attack seemed to target civilian areas, which goes against his ideals of war."

Serin ignored most of it. He was drained. "And the Albatross project?"

Shurik answered, "Completed. The Cutter and sloop models had been perfected per Hassan's design implements."

Serin understood. "There are two things I wish to prepare for. The first is Announcement Rites. It seems that even if we try to live in peace here in our village, violence comes to us."

There were murmurs of agreement. "And the second?"

Serin smiled, "We hit them where it hurts. We will send our ships to rain down propaganda."

This had Master Restin smile, "I like this thought. What did you have in mind?"

Serin then showed a crude drawing. "Something like this."

The table smiled, Master Resting nodded, "The Dhamphir appreciate this approach. I will send for our best artist."

That was when Sute stood up. "And what of the Leaders of the three kingdoms? The Northern Kingdoms with their eradication force, and the Grand wood alliance's slavers? What about the parlay with our only ally? And what about the worst crime of all? The Saboteur who was sent from the Sarween Technocracy? We have had no interaction with them yet there is this unprovoked attack? How will we answer them?"

Serin smiled, "We will answer as a nation talking to a nation and give them a chance to solve their wrongdoing."

Dana smirked, "And if they don't do as we ask?"

Serin replied, "we aren't asking. Has every high priority target been marked?"

Dana was resolute as she answered, "Yes."

Serin understood. "We will not hit civilian targets. We will not become the monsters they make us out to be."

Dana commented, "and everything else?"

Serin smirked, "We will rain fire from the sky."

***