Pandora Unchained - B1C51: Judgement

Good news everyone! After nearly 6 years of writing, I've started using Grammarly, which is doing wonders for catching errors and typos, etc. So far, I've got Chapters 51 onward done, and plan on working my way back and updating the other Patreon tiers while also getting the future RR chapters fixed up.

Many thanks for your patience over the years. Hopefully, this provides you all with a much better reading experience.

Cheers,

RedMirage (Patrick Laplante)

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The Adventurers Guild was unusually silent, given the time of day. The mission counter was closed, as was the materials exchange center. Only the adventurer's pub was doing steady business, but only because of the 35 adventurers that were kept from leaving the premises and had been loitering there since mid-morning.

Sorin and his team were naturally part of this large group, and unlike the other 8 teams that had joined forces in the labyrinth, they were healthy and whole.

"Stephan York!" a voice called from the guild master's office.

"Wish me luck," said Stephan, pushing up his large body.

He got taller and physically stronger since our fight against the minotaur, thought Sorin as he watched the man duck to enter the office. I'll need to get his permission to perform an in-depth investigation of the changes. The past 5 days of arduous traveling had been neither the time nor the place.

Stephan returned after twenty minutes. Sorin had already been called up, and only Orpheus and Barbara's statements remained.

"How did it go?" asked Lawrence. "Did Haley cross-examine you? Or did the guild master tear you a new one like he did me?"

"Maybe he'd have kinder words for you if he didn't catch you peeping on his daughter 3 months ago," said Stephan. "And no, this is a routine interview. I submitted my statement, and they cross-examined me to ascertain the veracity of my report. They'll do the same to Barbara now. Last will be Orpheus, the most heavily accused party in this affair. Now, what's for dinner?"

"Dinner?" groaned Lawrence. "You mean we have to eat dinner here too? What happened to freedom and not eating deep-fried food?"

"I believe you can order a steak if you want," said Sorin. "There's also grilled haddock and stewed beef. Lots of options."

"I've heard this type of investigation will take a couple hours after the last statements are issued," said Gareth. "What?" he asked, noticing the strange looks others were giving him. "I asked one of the guild's employees while you were all busy playing table games and sneaking food into your front pockets to feed your illegal rats. By the way, they know about Lorimer but don't want to encourage the practice of rat taming.

Sorin shrugged and pulled a leftover chicken leg from their afternoon snack off the table and into his front pocket. Lorimer devoured it, bone and all, and issued silent squeaks of approval and compliments to the chef.

"I'll have the stewed beef. Quadruple portion," Sorin called out to the waitress. "Also, two more coffees." A good half of the food would go to Lorimer. The rodent had also developed a taste for coffee over the past day and would get cranky if Sorin didn't share.

"I'll take the roast chicken," said Gareth when the waitress came over with a notepad.

"Spiced lamb skewers," said Daphne, raising her hand. Her head was buried in the notes she'd been taking since returning.

"Why is everything good fried…" muttered Lawrence. "Fine. I'll take the fried haddock."

"You don't have to order fried food every time," said the waitress. "We can probably steam it if you like."

"But then it wouldn't be as tasty," complained Lawrence. "Batter it and fry it. Extra batter. Extra spice. Yes, I know you normally don't add spice."

A half-hour later, they were all tucking into a hearty meal. Unlike the other teams, who'd lost members, they all had a healthy appetite. The team who'd suffered the worst was Barbara's. Her original team was down to three members, while her accompanying team was down to 2.

Nale's team had suffered the second most casualties. Warren was dead, and Lise and Collin had suffered crippling injuries. Collin had lost an arm, while Lise's leg had been crippled due to an untreated snake bite. It had taken her over an hour to thicken her skin and ask Sorin for treatment after Hellen's mana failed to accomplish good results. But by then, Sorin could at most save the limb. She would have a limp for the rest of her life.

"The food here isn't bad, but it's not excellent," said Sorin. "Clarice and Percival are excellent cooks. Maybe I could have you all over for a meal once things settle down?"

"I'll have to shamelessly accept," said Stephan. "I don't have a permanent residence and keep having to eat out."

"That's because you refused the family's arrangements to live with me," came a voice. Stephan flinched as Haley sat beside him and put down her plate.

"Shouldn't you not sit by me in case people think there's favoritism?" asked Stephan stiffly.

"What favoritism?" said Haley, cutting into her steak and sticking a medium rare piece into her mouth. "I'm not actually part of the investigation. All I did was cross-examine people along with the guild master and vice guild master. It's them who's going to decide what happens. Although… I wouldn't expect too much from the guild's end."

"Don't worry," said Stephan. "I already told the team as much."

"Isn't the situation pretty clear cut?" asked Lawrence. "With so many people complaining, shouldn't Orpheus get the boot?"

"Haven't you heard of plot armor," asked Daphne, not raising her head as she picked up a lamb skewer and lazily bit off a piece. "The bad guys never get punished in stories. It's always the good guys who suffer."

"The result is obvious, given who the other parties loitering around," said Gareth. "With Vice Governor Marsh and the Vice Guild Master of the Alchemist guild here, I can't see any extreme actions being taken." The two people in question were also seated at a table at the Adventurers Pub since the raiding party's arrival.

It took roughly an hour after Orpheus's testimony for the vice guild master to emerge. He looked over the assembled adventurers coldly before looking straight at the vice governor. "I don't remember us inviting the Governor's Manor or the Alchemists Guild for a consult about our internal affairs," said Vice Guild Master Victor.

"I wouldn't dare to interfere in the guild's judgment," said Vice Governor Marsh. "Unless, of course, the judgment showed evidence of favoritism. Internal guild matters are one thing, but the governor's manor reserves the right to contest unfair verdicts and submit them for arbitration."

The vice guild master's lips pulled into a thin line. "And what about you, Mr. Primrose?" he asked the representative from the Alchemists Guild. "Unlike the governor's manor, you have no official sway in this matter."

"I'm just here as a spectator," said a pale man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He didn't at all look like an alchemist. His alchemist's emblem had a slightly green tinge, and a serpent coiled around the cauldron. "Don't mind me. All I need to do tonight is write a report, and it will fall to the guild master to decide on things."

It's a good thing Marcus isn't here to mess things up, thought Sorin. He frowned as he thought of Marcus's relatively light hand over the past while. What is he up to exactly? He's only interfered directly in my matters once. Though his second visit to the Adventurers Guild was damaging, he didn't directly attack me.

"I'm sure the Alchemists Guild will be satisfied with how we resolve things," said the vice guild master. "The judgment is as follows: no one will be held culpable for any losses or casualties inflicted during the raid."

"What?" shouted Barbara. She stood up from her seat and glared at the vice guild master. "I'd better get a good explanation for this. Four of my sisters died because of Orpheus's games."

"Please refrain from inappropriate actions," snapped the vice guild master, releasing a small burst of bone-forging pressure. "We've given great thought to this judgment and will not have our members second-guessing our decision."

"I'm concerned about the validity of this judgment, vice-guild master," said Vice Governor Marsh. "I've spoken to a fair number of people, and there are concerns that Mr. York's team, which suffered the least casualties, was an opportunist in the battle. They ambushed Orpheus's team as they landed the final blow on the minotaur and stole its core while taking advantage of their wounded state."

"You son of a –"

"Calm yourself, miss Strider," Victor said, cutting off Barbara before she could directly insult the vice governor. "Vice Governor Marsh, you know full well that this is, at best, a one-sided story. Our guild has taken great pains to collect and collate each person's narrative before coming to a judgment.

"While most of the testimony incriminates Orpheus's team, and only a fraction of the adventurers present positively speak of their actions, there is a lack of overall evidence. Orpheus's team will, therefore, not be issued fines for corporal punishment for what the guild sees as horrendous and underhanded behavior.

"However," said Victor, noting Orpheus's smirk. "A decision has been made to strip Orpheus and his remaining three team members of their guild membership. As for Nale's team, they will be issued a thousand gold fine each for voluntarily disclosing their inappropriate actions."

"I object," said Vice Governor Marsh, whose expression had grown increasingly cold during the announcement. "You say that teams involved will not be punished. But can't stripping them of their guild membership be considered punishment? And why is Nale's team being punished with a fine?"

"Orpheus's team is being stripped of its membership for reasons of character and trust," replied Victor evenly. "It relates to prior offenses and their terrible reputation in the guild. The guild feels uncomfortable associating with these individuals, given the friction they cause. It is well within its rights to do so."

"As for Nale's team, they confessed to sabotaging the retreat of a partner team, a crime normally punishable by expulsion but lessened due to them voluntarily bringing up the matter. I'll note that they also testified against Orpheus's team about an incident involving kill stealing. Still, given the minor nature of the offense and their credibility given the matters they admitted to, these charges will not be pursued."

Vice Governor Marsh snorted loudly. "So much for the reputation of the Adventurers Guild. All they can do is bully with numbers instead of investigating the actual truth."

"You can believe what you will," said Victor with a smile. "Why don't you hire these wonderful individuals since you feel so strongly about it?"

Vice Governor Marsh's smile froze as he realized he'd been trapped by his counterpart. "Perhaps I will. The governor's manor is always looking for premium talents of good character. What say you, Orpheus? Are you willing to accept my offer of employment?"

"Of course," said Orpheus, quickly grasping onto the offered life raft. He looked surprised, but Sorin felt this was his intended result given his behavior. "What are you three doing? Thank the vice governor for supporting the side of justice!" His three minions stood up and thanked the vice governor, though it was clear that the vice governor wasn't too pleased by this development.

"That about covers it, then," said Vice Guild Master Victor. "Does the Alchemists Guild have any problem with how we managed this issue?"

"It's like I said, I'm just a spectator," said the man from the alchemist's guild. "I try not to involve myself too deeply in politics."

"Very good," said Vice Guild Master Victor. "That's the worst of it then. Earnings and costs will be split as normal, including Orpheus's team. Since it's too difficult to split loot given disagreements between parties, everyone will keep what they managed to retrieve from the labyrinth, including the minotaur's core retrieved by Team' We Don't Need a Life Mage'. An exciting choice of team name, by the way. I wonder how long it'll take for you to change it."

"We stand by our name," said Stephan, looking up from his fourth plate of food.

The vice guild master then retreated to the back. Orpheus, who was no longer welcome, followed the vice governor out of the adventurer's guild.

Though the exchange counter was closed, Stephan used his connections to convert gems to their equivalent in gold coins. Each could walk out with 500 gold apiece, more than enough to get by in the short term.

Sorin returned to the Kepler Manor and was warmly received by Percival and Clarice. The manor was dimly lit and cold, but Percival threw a few pieces of coal into the fireplace and fetched Clarice. Together, they quickly prepared tea and snacks and patiently waited for Sorin to retell his adventure.

"That Orpheus is a bad apple," said Percival when Sorin finished. "Though he's transferred over to the governor's manor, you'll want to be cautious of him going forward."

"He seems like the vengeful type," Sorin agreed. "He's also a schemer. It seems he purposefully caused conflict to join the governor's manor."

"Orpheus's Valmer family used to be quite the reputable family," said Percival after some thought. "They were once supporters of the former governor but were purged when Governor Marsh took over. This must be their attempt at reclaiming some political power. Though I wish them luck, given the state of their finances."

"That's good to know," said Sorin. He placed three cards worth a hundred gold each onto the coffee table. "I noticed you've been skimping on coal. As the master of the house, I regret leaving our finances in such a state."

"It's no problem at all," said Clarice, though Sorin noted that she didn't hesitate to pick up the cards. "We'll keep the place lit by candlelight until you've finished training Lorimer, but with this amount of coin, we'll be able to appropriately host others. For example, the friends you mentioned. Have you thought of a date yet?"

"Will three days from now work?" asked Sorin.

"We'll make something work," said Clarice. "Percival, weren't you talking to the grocer this morning? Why don't you take him up on his offer to deliver food periodically?"

"I think I'll do just that," said Percival. "Mister Kepler, pardon me for being frank, but you look utterly exhausted. Might I interest you in a hot bath before a well-earned early rest?"

"That sounds wonderful, Percival," said Sorin. He'd accumulated far too much tension over the past couple of weeks. "Please leave some bath salts on the side and a bucket of boiling water."

"As you wish, Mister Kepler," said Percival.

A half-hour later, Sorin slipped into the tub and allowed himself to relax. Though he was still worried about potential assassins, Lorimer was currently hunting stray cats and crows outside and would warn him if any intruders came wandering by.

"Adventures," muttered Sorin as he dosed off. "They're dangerous but rewarding. Stressful but exciting." The last of his reservations towards his new professional faded with the revelation that despite the dangers involved, he'd had fun. Most importantly, he'd gained something he hadn't had growing up. Friends. The kind he could trust his back to.

"I'll have to inspect their meridians once I get a chance to read up on the subject," muttered Sorin. "I refuse to believe their extraordinary meridians can't be opened." This was his next target, along with finding two more appropriate poisons to reach the peak of blood thickening. Only when he reached bone forging could he think of looking into the death of his parents.