Callum's stamina deprivation and shock kept him silent as he tried to process the situation he'd found himself in. The only reason he remained standing at all was due to the two guards who had grabbed his arms.
As if he'd suddenly try to run away. After running for several miles at the pace the guardsmen set, he was in no condition to do anything but lay down. And he was starving!
Shocked out of his fugue state, he could finally start to take in his surroundings. He was on a small platform usually reserved for troupes of entertainers and the occasional auction. The platform was off to the side of the main town plaza.
The normal thousand or so residents were augmented to almost twice its size from the surrounding area, drawn in by market day. And it seemed like all of them were in that square staring at him with hate in their eyes.
Off to the side of the platform stood the Mayor of Hillshire, Baronet Jean Blanchett. His brother stood nearby as well as several guardsmen. Callum realized his brother was still talking and tried to focus on that once again.
". . . and furthermore, he was supposed to go with them on that trip to the city. Except he mysteriously decided not to at the last second." The crowd seemed to be hanging on his every word.
"No one saw him at all from shortly after they left until midmorning the next day! He was always impatient to take over and he finally decided he was tired of waiting. I say again, he's guilty of murder!"
Callum couldn't follow the whole story as he kept getting distracted. His wagon of thought would go off trail. But he knew he needed to correct his brother. Callum tried to refute his brother.
But no sound came out. Instead a blue box appeared in his vision. Note you have been silenced. Unable to speak or use any verbal spells for the next 20:31. . . 20:30. . . 20:29 . . .
'Wen . . . dat happen?' He pulled up his status page and looked at the active effects. Long habit succeeding where his active thinking failed him.
Active Effects:
- Bleeding: (-2 HP/min for the next 10:12)
- Silenced: (May not speak for the next 20:10)
- Mana Drain: (-35% cognitive function, -100% mana regeneration, -50% awareness for the next XX:XX:XX)
- Stamina Deprivation: -25% stamina regeneration, -25% max stamina, +25% stamina cost for all skills and abilities for the next 10:04:29
'Dose some . . . bad bad . . . uhh . . . uh debuuuuffssh . . . waaaiiiittttt . . . waay . . . waytit manaaahh dwain . . . last fowever? Noooo! I wike . . . mana. Uh . . . dere . . . be som . . . bad ting,'
Callum tried to piece everything together. His thoughts seemed very sluggish for some reason that he couldn't keep track of long enough to piece it together.
Eventually his brain slowly settled on checking his body for something unusual. It took longer than he expected to realize his legs and arms were held in iron chains that had a light blue glow to them.
'Uuhhh, wen . . . dey put . . . dose on? Dat . . . ish . . . bad. Go way . . . bad tings! Oooh . . . dey shiny!'
As Callum struggled to piece complete sentences together, his 'trial' continued without him. Many came forward and presented their evidence against him. Mostly it resolved around circumstantial evidence.
Some boot prints near the ambush site that kind of matched Callum's boots. Hoof prints that may have matched those of his favorite horse. Rumors and speculation by former employees and various townsfolk.
Nothing concrete, but to the bloodthirsty mob each new piece of 'evidence' was another nail in Callum's coffin. They had hated him for six months and they had to see him show up three or four times a month to their peaceful town.
The people thought it was as if he was gloating to them when he ignored him. And anytime he reacted to their taunts, it just proved his propensity for violence. A dozen people had testified and another dozen seemed to be waiting for their turn.
"Enough of this farce! What kind of courts do you hold in Hillshire? You're a sorry excuse of a mayor if this is how you conduct your business!"
A well dressed individual in noble riding gear stepped out of the crowd. He was flanked by two tough looking guards.
The townsfolk immediately gave way for the same reason the mayor paled slightly. And that reason wasn't the two guards. The former Paladin Thorn 'Strongshield' Khadi was here. The famous paladin was in their tiny little Hillshire!
The reason he was only a former Paladin was due to his god mysteriously vanishing. But even without his divine gifts, he was not someone to mess with. And he proved it once again as he strode confidently onto the platform.
"You townsguard, yes you! Damn it, no that guy! Yes you! Turn off the enchantment. The accused can hardly defend themselves properly if he can't even think clearly." Strongshield kept a running tirade going. Daring anyone to interrupt.
"I doubt a level 19 farmhand really poses enough of a threat to warrant all this. Now then mayor, where is the truthteller? Bring him out already!"
Truthtellers weren't a specific class. Rather they encompassed everyone who had an ability, skill, or spell that could reveal the truth. This could take the form of knowing when someone was lying, peering into their psyche, or forcing someone to speak truth.
These and other methods weren't always a sure thing if the target tried to defend themselves. But in a court setting, such actions were proof of guilt.
The mayor tried to control his reaction in front of the ex-paladin. He hadn't planned on Strongshield showing up! Despite his efforts, his rotund face grew pallid and he started sweating.
Even though Thorne was now churchless and godless, the man still had a decent influence in the kingdom. After all, he had saved the king's family and also led the successful defense of the Northern fortress against thousands of goblinkin.
"Your excellency, how lovely to see you in our humble . . . . "
"Yes, yes consider pleasantries and customs honored. Now answer my question. Oy, is this man silenced as well? I stand corrected, this is a circus and not a damn court! You 12 over there. Yes, you!"
The paladin started up his tireless mouth once more. Despite his name, Strongshield was as strong on the attack as he was on the defense. Even if his weapons of choice in this battlefield were words, hand waving, and glares.
He didn't seem to be screaming, but everyone in the plaza clearly heard his deep guttural commands. A skill that had been honed on many battlefields. And he never seemed to pause to draw in a breath either.
His attention honed in on one of the pending witnesses. Clearly that man had decided he no longer had anything to say and tried to sneak away. His efforts were in vain though as he Thorne had great situational awareness.
"No I see you sneaking away! Get back with the rest! Do any of you have anything beyond rumors to add to this farce? No? Okay, be off! Why is this farmer still silenced? And get a mana potion into him so he can actually think!"
His rapid fire questions, commands, and statements bewildered the guards and left the mayor unable to answer the original question. One guard even ran into a second one and caused both to fall off the platform.
Strongshield's guards tried to hide their smiles as they glanced at each other. Half the reason they escorted Strongshield was for the pure entertainment value he provided to them in their travels.
Eventually things calmed down as Strongshield took command of the 'court' proceedings. Callum was still thinking a little slower than normal, but at least he could string complete sentences together. Strongshield was beyond pissed to learn that there was not a truthteller present.
But he eventually ran out of things to harangue the mayor over. At least for the moment the mayor was safe. And the court case proceeded from there, this time with Callum paying better attention.
"So as far as I can tell, in the matter of his parents' deaths, there is no proof Callum had a hand in their murders. It takes more than rumor and a couple tracks that could match most any horse or boot." Strongshield stated.
"Next, we have the matter of this other death. Who was the accuser? You, get up here. MOVE!"
Alister walked to the center of the platform with confidence. Callum thought he detected a hint of malice and gloating in his brother's eye when Alister glanced his way.
A knot formed in Callum's stomach as a horrible thought crossed his mind. He didn't know what his brother was going to say. He just knew he wasn't going to like it.