Chapter 17: Trial and Error
Only hushed whispers sounded through the usually bustling streets. The group of guards placed Torrin in manacles and took his storage bag. Funnily enough, no one removed his glove and ring.
'What kind of joke is this? Am I just being robbed in broad daylight?' Torrin thought to himself, trying to understand what was going on. If it was about his ring, surely they would have taken it.
They moved through the city like some sort of turtle, a tight circle of guards surrounding Torrin as they moved. A large stone-brick building came into view and it reminded him slightly of the Merchant Guild, the main difference being the lack of ostentatious gold everywhere.
The building rose over 50 feet high. Large stone columns rose around the square building, connecting the ground to the overhanging roof, giving it an intimidating feeling as if he was walking into the maw of a beast.
The floors inside the main hall of the building were smooth, polished wood. The ceiling was much lower than the Merchant Guild's, no railed walkway could be seen, but a staircase lined the back wall, leading to a higher floor.
Torrin was led to this staircase, but instead of heading up, they walked around the staircase into a door, following a different set of stairs leading to the basement.
Soon enough, Torrin was sitting in a small, empty cell that contained a wide bench bolted to one wall that was covered in loose straw, and a bucket in the corner.
"Wow, what a nice place, thank you, Guard Captain Dane. An upgrade from the Playful Badger, that's for sure. You truly know how to show guests around!" Torrin called out sarcastically as he plopped onto the wide bench he assumed was a bed.
Nothing was said as Dane walked into the cell and waved away the other guards. He closed the heavy wooden door, and slid the open viewing slat closed as well. He glanced at Torrin, moving to stand in the center of the room, staring down at the boy.
The big man crossed his arms and began tapping his foot, saying nothing. Torrin ignored him and tried absorbing mana from his ring. The mana flowed like molasses, not even close to its usual quickness.
'Must be this circlet,' Torrin mused, moving his ungloved hand along the cold metal, feeling the indents of runes along its make. The guards had removed his manacles from his wrists, so the only thing left was the circlet around his wrist.
"That's a suppression bracelet, it will block any attempts at using mana." Dane explained, still staring at Torrin intensely.
Torrin was surprised by the man's words, as mana was already circulating through his body. Sure, it moved like tree sap, but it definitely moved.
"Okay." Torrin replied succinctly.
"Rin... You've made quite a mess during your short stay in this town." Dane crouched to get eye to eye with Torrin and spoke in a quiet tone, so quiet that even Torrin struggled to hear the words. Though it was a whisper, Torrin could tell the geniality of the prior day was gone.
"Eh? Speak up, please. My ears are ringing from the whiplash of you turning on me so quickly." A smile tugged at Torrin's lips.
"There will be a trial at the end of the week for your case, Rin. It would be best if you started telling the truth. Now." The voice was still quiet, but agitation or maybe anger coated the words as they slithered into Torrin's ears.
"What do you want to know? I'm an open book." Torrin's smile had blossomed, from a small tug of his lips to a full blow grin.
"Cut the shit, boy. I let you into this town because of some sob story you concocted. You came into town with nothing but bloody rags adorning your body and a backpack of unknown items. Truly, it was my foolishness that allowed you to come into town with your bags unchecked, but now... Now the truth needs to be told, kid... Or your death is guaranteed."
The words should have worried Torrin, but he couldn't find a reason to care. His twisted mind had been working through the issue at hand, and everything seemed a bit off. He didn't know if Balder had paid off these guards as well, but the way he was being handled didn't seem normal.
"If there is to be a trial, Dane, then I have no plans to stop it. I haven't stolen anything from that toad, and it'll be a cold day in hell when I start giving away my possessions to appease greedy assholes." Torrin rolled his eyes and lay back on the wooden bench.
"So you know who accused you as well? What are the chances of that." Dane snorted coldly, reaching out to Torrin and removing the glove from his hand.
"And what do we have here? The very ring that was described as 'A family heirloom that we've had for generations, a serpent eating its own tail'. Can you explain to me where you got this ring, Rin?" The air was stifling with accusation, Torrin nearly choked on the lies tinging the air.
A laugh burst from Torrin's lips, "Haha, oh Dane... If Balder sold his entire life fortune, maybe even that of this aforementioned family, they would still not be able to get a ring as priceless as this one..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing at Dane, allowing the man to scrutinize the ring in detail.
"I'll be needing to take it for evidence, Rin. Please hand it over without fuss." Dane said, reaching an open palm to Torrin.
"Sure thing, Guard Captain," The last words were soaked in venom, "However, I want to assure you that if this ring somehow goes missing under your watch, before this farce you call a trial is over..." The words trailed off, not needing to be spoken.
"I assure you, Mr Gram, this ring will be held in a safe place for the upcoming trial. And once it is over, it will be returned to its rightful owner."
And with that, Dane, Guard Captain of Bolin Town, left the room with all haste, ring in hand.
Torrin may have considered making a larger fuss, but all his attention was on continually circulating the mana in his pathways, not letting a drop be absorbed nor leaked. He'd let his attention slip and the mana that stopped circulating was lost to him due to the bracelet blocking him. If the trial went poorly, this would be all the mana he could quickly get his hands on.
By the end of the first night, Torrin's eyes wanted to shut forever, but he soldiered on, the mana circulating and flowing through his pathways. His control hadn't faltered again, and the mana moved quicker and easier, more akin to a trickling stream than a tapped tree.
His will was pressing down inside of himself, forcing the mana to obey him, not allowing it to do as it wished, not allowing it to absorb into his body, nor escape his clutches.
The sound of the door opening nearly broke his concentration, but he held firm. Eyes clenched tight, sweat beading his forehead, his weary body cried for rest.
"Rin Gram... Would you like to admit your guilt so that we may skip all this and get to the punishment? If you confess now, I'll even ask for a lighter sentence than death." Dane's voice rang out into the silence.
"No... I'm... Good... Thanks..." Torrin replied through clenched teeth.
Shuffling footsteps followed by a clank beside Torrin could be heard, before the footsteps retreated and the door was locked once more.
The smell of broth and surprisingly fresh bread rose from the tray that'd been set beside him, but Torrin ignored the food, battering his streaming mana with his will.
Torrin had no sense of time in the windowless cell, but he assumed it was now morning. Keeping his mind on task, he slowly reached out his hand and picked up the bread, tearing and chewing small chunks to some unseen rhythm.
The bread was almost stuck in his dry throat, but he persevered, 'Flow, circulate, do not absorb. Do not escape. Flow, circulate...' The mantra was rang through his mind at all times.
By the second morning, Torrin's exhaustion was getting to be too much. From 40 hours of constant attention, his mana had begun flowing almost normally. He brought it to the end of his right hand before pulling it back to his chest, flowing down to each leg in turn, back up to his chest and down to his left hand, before repeating the flow backwards.
He imprinted his mantra into his very will, pushing that intent into the mana. Slowly, the mana needed less attention, and began moving almost automatically. After another twelve hours of battering his mana into submission, it flowed on its own.
A loud sigh of relief was heard as the boy finally opened his eyes.
"Stupid ass bracelet trying to dampen my control..." He mumbled to himself as he stretched his weary body, reaching for the broth and bread that had just been delivered by a guard.
After eating, he finally had time to rest. He'd slept for two days straight and the guards didn't disturb him, even Dane no longer came to question him.
As he sat in the cell on the fifth day, he marveled at his mana flow. It truly was flowing along the designated path on its own. 'Well, at least I achieved this in my time locked up... Not sure how useful it will be outside of this very specific situation, but you never know!'
Torrin was happy as he sat in the cell, no longer burdened with keeping a leash on his mana. He hummed a song from his old world and kicked his legs back and forth.
The door opened in usual fashion, but unlike the past few days, Guard Captain Dane once more walked into the cell.
"Hello, Dane. To what do I owe the honor?" Torrin asked sarcastically.
"It's time for the trial, boy. Remember, just tell the truth and everything will be fine." The man's voice lacked the previous agitation, there was even a bit of warmth to the words.
'Eh? What's with the change of heart? Is he feeling bad that he locked up a six year old boy for a week?' Torrin pondered inwardly as he was led back up the stairs, his reattached manacles clanking as they rose.
The pair arrived in the main hall of the building, but continued up another flight of stairs into a large hallway. Continuing forward, Torrin gazed at various portraits adorning the walls of "High Judge" this or that.
The hall was lit brightly by lights in the ceiling and the floor was immaculately kept. Their soft footfalls thudded through the empty hallway until they reached a pair of double doors made of some type of white wood.
The doors swung inwards and Torrin was greeted by a cacophony of noise as they entered the room, walking down a red carpet on the center aisle that was lined by long stone benches on either side. The aisle slowly sank from a flight of stairs, ending in a bowl shape that Torrin likened to an arena. Instead of sand, the floor was covered in lacquered wood.
People sat on the benches whispering madly, some seemed fearful, others happy, some seemed not to even care about what was going on. Torrin assumed this was some sort of entertainment for the citizens that cared to show up. It'd be the town's freshest gossip.
They reached the end of the stairs swiftly. The area they entered was separated from the benches by a three foot tall wooden railing. Small wooden posts lined the entire thing, and in the center was a small gate which Torrin was guided through.
Torrin was led to a table on the left side and an identical one stood on the opposite side, with Balder himself seated at the table. Next to him sat a reedy, weasel looking man.
At the end of the room, a high wooden barricade stood, about six feet tall, with a presumed High Judge dressed in black robes seated behind it. It give him a high vantage point to view the goings on of the court room and a definite air of superiority.
The High Judge had a head full of long gray hair and a beard to match. He wore a serious expression on his face as he scrutinized the new arrivals. As Torrin was seated, Dane walked to the judge and whispered something to him.
'Is he letting the judge know how ridiculous it is to have a six year old on trial?'
*THWACK*
Sharp noises drowned out the crowd's murmuring as the High Judge slammed a miniaturized wooden hammer into a miniaturized wooden shield.
"Today, we have the trial of Rin Gram, who is accused of stealing a ring from Borris Balder, the owner of Balder's Boosts, as well as murdering the shop owner's men who tried to retrieve said ring. He has plead innocent to the charges presented against him. So I, High Judge Marcus, will preside over today's trial." The older man spoke in an authoritative tone, the deep baritone of his voice echoing in the now silent room. A gasp echoed from the crowd as murder was mentioned, but was soon hushed.
Torrin scratched at the annoying bracelet as he listened to the man speak, a faint sound of clanking coming from his chains. A rustling sound whispered through the room as Marcus shuffled and straightened papers in front of him.
"Mr Balder claims that Rin Gram entered his store a week ago, trying to sell..." the judge's voice trailed off as his brows furrowed, reading a paper in his hands, "ah... Shit quality herbs... And when Mr Balder refused to purchase them, Rin Gram became enraged, trying to attack Mr Balder, and eventually stealing the very ring from his hand..."
The man trailed off, looking between the accuser and the accused. Torrin was cool as ice as he returned the man's gaze.
"Today, we shall hear testimony and have the evidence presented before us, at which time I will take in all the facts of the case, and come up with a verdict." The man finished, waving his hand towards Borris Balder.
The man next to Borris cleared his throat and stood, his shrill voice assaulting the ears of everyone present as he began, "Your Honor, thank you for presiding over this hearing today. It is as you've stated, this boy came looking to sell Mr Balder damaged herbs of the lowest quality, and became enraged when he refused to buy them. He carried a stick in his hand and tried attacking Mr Balder with it, jumping over the counter and swinging at him viciously." The weasel finished and sat down.
Borris looked over at Torrin, mock fear on his face as he stood and addressed the Judge.
"I-I-I was so scared. This savage little thing came at me like a wild animal, and as I raised my hands to ward off his blows. He took the chance to grab the ring from my finger, then bolted from my store! Obviously wanting my family heirloom back, I sent three men after him and none of them ever returned..." The toad trailed off, lowering and shaking his head as if this were the greatest tragedy he'd ever heard of.
Torrin had to hold back a barreling chortle, and turned it into a cough. The eyes of everyone in the room turned to him at this display.
'None of them returned, my ass... Must have gotten rid of the one I left alive to have no witnesses...'
"Sorry, something stuck in my throat," Torrin said, waving back towards Balder, "Please, continue."
The High Judge slammed his hammer down once more, his eyes narrowing looking towards Torrin.
"Boy, if you speak out of turn again, I will have no choice but to throw you into the dungeons." The Judge's voice was menacing.
Torrin ignored the tone and just nodded his head in acceptance.
"Continue, Mr Balder." The Judge waved towards Borris once more.
"When my men didn't return to the shop after a full night, I began to worry, and advised the guards of what had happened. They investigated the area near the inn the boy was staying in and soon advised me of evidence of a fight, but no bodies. That is all I know, High Judge." Borris ended with a slight bow towards the judge.
The judge turned his steely gaze back to Torrin.
"And now, Mr Gram, would you please present your side of the story to the court." he demanded.
"Yes, sir... Your... High Judge, sir." Torrin immediately stumbled on his words, not exactly sure how to address the man.
"High Judge is fine."
"High Judge, then. I was training in the forest a weeks travel from here, during which time I slew many beasts and even helped a group in fighting bandits. My master is not one for many words, and left me in that forest without direction..." Torrin paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and getting his thoughts in order. He hardly noticed his lack of legal help as he barreled on.
"Once I arrived at Bolin's gates, the town guard quickly surrounded me, pointing weapons and shooting spells at me. At this point, I took the actions in stride, explaining my situation," he said, eyes turning towards Guard Captain Dane, who looked pissed that Torrin was either lying now, or had lied to him before.
"And was soon taken to a wonderful inn, The Playful Badger. Guard Captain Dane himself brought me to his uncle's establishment. Uh, that's the owner. His uncle. Anywhere, that's where I was treated more than fairly. I was given new clothing and food, truly taken care of, and paid the owner and serving girl back in kind, spending multiple silver coins with them before ever laying my eyes on the greasy slug that manages to stand on two feet, named Balder."
Gasps were heard through the crowd and Marcus was soon pounding away with his hammer.
"Mr Gram! Do not use such language in my courtroom. This is your LAST warning. Tell us what happened, and nothing more." Marcus was shouting now, his deep voice rumbling. The crowd shuffled in their seats from the outburst.
"Of course, High Judge, I apologize." Torrin said bowing his head in concession, "I was told of a place where I might sell the goods I'd acquired during my training, that being herbs and Beast Cores. I did indeed take herbs to Mr Balder, and they were indeed slightly damaged. They were also, however, mid and high-tier herbs that Balder purchased for 15 gold!"
Whispered murmurs could be heard, but were soon cut off by a glare from the judge.
"I asked him the prices of his cores, and soon left without much issue. I later made a contracted deal with the Merchant Guild for sale of my cores, where I also received a Dimensional Storage Bag, as I didn't have any storage device--"
"Preposterous! He's lying, Your Honor!" Balder shouted like a crazy loon, standing up and waving hysterically towards Torrin, interrupting his story, "He took my ring!"
A quick pounding of the gavel, "Mr Balder! Hold your tongue! You spoke your story, now it is his turn!", and the room was silent once more.
Balder mumbled under his breath, shooting Torrin a fiery glare.
"Anyway... I hadn't brought the cores with me, so I had to return to my inn to retrieve them. It was getting late so I hurried along. I was admittedly distracted by wonderful food presented to me once I arrived. They really know how to cook at the Playful Badger! Uh, sorry. After dinner, I loaded the items into the bag and began my trip back to the Merchant Guild.
"As I said before, it was getting late and by the time I was outside, the moon had overtaken the sky, so I hurried along, not wishing to keep my contact at the guild waiting. To arrive quicker, I hurried through an alleyway I believed would be a short cut. I admittedly am not familiar with the town, so it was taking a bit of a chance. Little did I know, three men were following me and began threatening me, telling me to give them a ring that I'd stolen..."
Torrin trailed off, looking down to his ringless finger, gaze slowly trailing over to Balder, who looked very smug at this point.
"And what happened next, Mr Gram? Did you murder those men?"
Torrin thought about the fact that he was a six year old accused of murdering three grown men in an alley. Torrin shook his head replying, "High Judge, I did kill two men in self-defense. I am unsure of what happened to the third attacker."
'Well, they don't need to know EVERYTHING...' Torrin thought before continuing.
"But the third man was still alive, his legs didn't work too well, but he was alive. After that I arrived at the Merchant Guild and met my contact. I was treated to a lovely bath and finished my dealings at the guild. No trouble found me on my return trip, though I definitely avoided any alleys. The next day I was shopping and was taken by the guards to that cell you guys keep downstairs."
High Judge Marcus slowly stroked his beard as the tale came to its conclusion, looking at the small boy and wondering how he managed to kill two fully grown men with red mana cores.
"So, Mr Gram, you admit to killing these men?"
"In self defense, I killed two of them, allowing the third to live so he could tell Balder to leave me alone, yes, Your Honor."
"But you claim you did not steal the ring from Mr Balder? Where then did you receive the ring?"
"Your Honor, Mr Balder has nothing I would ever wish to take--"
Balder exploded from his seat once more, face red and pointing a shaking finger at Torrin, "You lie! You're a dirty liar!!!"
The hammer took its usual route to the shield, slamming over and over.
"Mr Balder, this is your last warning! Interrupt my proceedings again and you'll find yourself occupying the cell Mr Gram has gotten to know so well." The judge's will exploded over the court room, giving weight to his words.
A mumbled apology was said and the slug meekly retreated to his seat.
"Please, continue... And without the added drama..." The judge sighed out.
"Yes, sir... The ring is a gift from my master. It was something she claimed would be useful to me, and it has definitely proven its worth. My master is a Master Artificer," The crowd went wild at this since a Master Artificer was extremely rare. They were probably thinking that Balder was in trouble if Torrin were telling the truth.
Borris went pale at these words, as even he didn't want to deal with a Master Artificer. He more likely believed the boy was some rich kid whose parents bought him the ring.
"And she gave me the ring as a gift. I don't know why Mr Balder would claim that I stole it..."
The judge nodded his head slowly, as if pieces of a puzzle were coming together after Balder's reaction.
"Now, Mr Balder... That does beg a good question, why do you claim the ring is yours?" The judge asked simply.
"High Judge! That ring has been in my family for generations! This rat stole it from me, and is making up LIES! HE'S LYING!" The shock about Torrin's master seemed to have dissipated. Balder was shouting and raving once more, waving his hands sporadically.
"Calm down, Mr Balder. This is a room for judgement, not a circus..." The judge reprimanded sternly, turning his gaze back to Torrin, "Is there any proof you can provide, Mr Gram? That this ring is in fact a gift from your Master?"
A smile broke across Torrin's face like the first rays of dawn after a long and weary night. "High Judge, I believe there is a simple test that can be performed. One question should suffice." Torrin finished with a questioning tone and the judge waved him on.
"The ring, if it is truly a Balder heirloom, must be familiar to Mr Balder, no?" Torrin asked, his pitch rising at the end and his eyebrows raised as he turned toward Borris.
"Of course I'm familiar with this ring, you idiot!" Balder shouted menacingly.
Torrin just shook his head slowly before continuing, "Then, Mr Balder... Why don't you tell us what this ring is? What does it do?"
"It's a Dimensional Storage Ring, you brat! It can store items! Probably items you've stolen from me and others!" Balder continued to defend himself, an evil grin forming across his face as he felt victory within his grasp.
Torrin nodded slowly, "Sure, sure, Mr Balder... A Dimensional Storage Ring... But why would I state earlier, that I had no such item in my possession, saying that I had to borrow one from the Merchant Guild? That wouldn't make much sense if I already had YOUR storage ring, right? Your family's precious Dimensional Storage Ring heirloom..."
A look of confusion passed over Borris' face as he heard this, also wondering why the kid had said that. The look was soon replaced by one of greed and victory once more.
"Exactly! You're lying! Haha! You already had MY storage ring! Good job admitting your lies in front of everyone here!" The man turned around to face the crowd, hands raised above his head as if waiting for applause at his grand reveal. The crowd only sat there, confused expressions on their face as well, wondering where this was going.
'Got ya.' Torrin thought smugly.
Torrin sucked his teeth softly, "Tsk, Mr Balder... That ring is not a Dimensional Storage Ring... It has no such function... Please," Torrin said, waving toward the judge and Guard Captain Dane, manacles clinking at the movement, "Please, allow the ring to be tested by Mr Balder, allow him to bind himself to the ring and see."
Borris' face fell hearing what Torrin said. Confusion was once again prevalent, forcing his greed and anger to the back of his mind.
The judge nodded to Dane, who presented the ring and a knife to Borris. The man pricked his finger and rubbed it across the ring. The blood smeared across the ring, but was not absorbed. Everyone there looked to the judge for answers. Borris' face had a green pallor.
"Well, Mr Gram, the ring is not taking his blood for binding, why is that? With the bracelet on, your ring and bag should have both lost their bindings. We have already searched through the bag, so we know this is the case." The judge asked questioningly, setting Torrin up to finish Borris off.
The grin that spread across Torrin's face could be described as monstrous, "The ring is not a storage device. Had this ring actually belonged to Mr Balder, he would know its purpose, which is definitely not storing items, but mana!"
The crowd erupted with shouts and murmurs, gasps and cries. It had to be said that mana storage devices were rare, and this one was made by a Master Artificer no less.
"Order! Order!" The hammer slammed down relentlessly, the crowd uncaring of the noise, they were on the edge of their seats and couldn't stop talking. "The room will be cleared out if you cannot BEHAVE YOURSELVES!" The judge's will clamped down on everyone present, even Guard Captain Dane hunched slightly from the pressure.
Torrin sat with his back straight, impressed by the power the old man had.
"Mr Balder, due to the provided testimony and subsequent lack of decorum and decency from you, I find you guilty of presenting false charges to this court in the case of Mr Gram stealing from you, and charge you with attempted murder, for you yourself admitted to sending people to attack this young boy!" The judge's voice rang out louder than ever before, as Dane manifested chains that he locked around Balder, an accompanying circlet snapped onto his neck.
"Now, Mr Gram... You have been cleared of all charges... However... I cannot allow wanton violence to run free in my town. I give you 24 hours to collect your possessions, at which time, you will be escorted from the town gates and barred entry for the next 10 years. Do you understand, Mr Gram?"
Torrin nodded gratefully, "Yes, High Judge, thank you for your fair judgment in this trial."
Torrin sighed internally, sad that he wouldn't get to show the refined sword to the blacksmith for a long time.
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ColdRamen
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