Grandpa Thinker looked through the evidence one more time. Everything pointed at Darion the gremlin. And he had sent the cretin to little Theanore. What if he sabotages her? Makes her dungeon into a death trap? Oh, what has he done?

He clicked his boots three times and he was in front of the grotto. It was early in the morning here when it had been noon at Alerion. Grandpa Thinker didn’t even know if the family of three was awake yet.

He knocked on the door and Crassus answered. He was let inside and soon there was a cup of hot chocolate in his hands as everyone gathered around him.

“Darion the gremlin is responsible for the bad things that happened in my home.” Said grandpa Thinker grimly. Theanore gasped.

“But he made such a nice petting zoo. With harmless animals too.” She said and grandpa looked down at his untouched hot chocolate.

“Maybe he tries to be good here, but all the evidence gathered points at him. It was his cup from which tea was spilled on the control board. He was on glitter mixing duty as the fairies attacked the packaging factory. He was the last seen near the alarm. No one died because of his misdeeds but it could have happened. I ask you to hand him over to be judged.” Said, grandpa Thinker.

“Can’t he prove his innocence?” Asked Theanore.

“That is why I am allowing the trial. It could have also been the new overseer trying to cement his position at the continent.” The new overseer has also been taken into custody. Now, only Darion was left.

“Then we have to come and defend him. I will be his lawyer!” Said Theanore. Both Crassus and Marinus looked at her as if she has grown a second head.

“Thea, you know nothing about laws.” Said Crassus. They could hire the gremlin a lawyer, although with how the evidence pointed at him there was little point in doing that.

“I can learn. It is not like the trial is tomorrow or today, right?” Asked Theanore and Grandpa Thinker nodded.

“It is a week from now. But I need to take Darion the gremlin in custody. He will be given all comforts a prisoner could wish for, don’t you worry.”

“And candy canes? He likes them.” Said Theanore and grandpa Thinker petted her strawberry blonde curls.

“One per day. If he did what I suspect, he did, then he doesn’t deserve more.” Said, grandpa Thinker. Then, with a heavy sigh, Theanore called an ant to herself.

“Call Dari here. Tell him he is going home.” Said Theanore. The ants couldn’t really talk, but Tania translated what they wanted to the inhabitants of the grotto.

A few minutes later and Darion came with the same sack as before, looking a little melancholic.

“Darion the gremlin, you are hereby under arrest for the destruction of three factories. The damages are over 100 million gold coins in total. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Supreme overlord, I…” Guilt was written all over Darion’s face. Theanore took it for fear, however, and choose this moment to speak to the gremlin to ease his mind.

“Don’t worry, Dari. I will be your lawyer and you will have a fair trial. It was probably the new overseer who did all those things. You are good.” Said Theanore, giving the gremlin a thumbs up.

“Yes, probably.” Said Darion. He could still get away with it. He even had supporters. If only the little voice in his head that begged him to give himself over would shut up he could even feel better.

Grandpa Thinker got handcuffs out of his bag and got them around Darion’s wrists. Then he took one of Darion’s hands and clicked his boots three times. They were gone in a flash of light.

Back at Alerion many worker elves and gremlins were looking at Darion with contempt. Even though grandpa Thinker had told Darion he would receive comforts he and the new overseer were placed in iron, spiked, cages in the middle of the crater of the last factory that suffered from Darion’s revenge.

“Confess and you will receive food. Keep quiet and you will be left to freeze here.” Said grandpa Thinker and grandma Thinker nodded.

“Traitors are a blight on this continent. I refuse to suffer them.” Said the system of the dungeon. The elderly couple were good people, but they were still a dungeon core and a system. They were no saints.

“Theanore will hear about this! On the day of the trial…” Began Darion but then grandpa Thinker chuckled darkly.

“There will be no trial. I will throw you both in the fairy enclosure and tell Theanore you are both responsible. If you confess I will just let you pay for the damages and send you away in shame.” Said grandpa Thinker, turning to leave.

“Grandpa Thinker! I am innocent!” Said the new overseer. He didn’t want to get torn to shreds by angry fairies for something he hadn’t even done.

“You let it happen. Confess and be sent away in shame.” Said grandma Thinker without a shred of mercy in her voice.

“Eternal shame. No dungeon core will take you in.” Added grandpa Thinker. “But it is better than the alternative. Which is death.”

The couple left and Nick, the new overseer, looked at Darion accusingly.

“You did this! I’d confess, but I don’t have the money to pay. But you, you have been working here for 400 years. Just confess already!” Said Nick, but Darion thought that grandpa Thinker was bluffing. No one has ever been executed via fairy before. Far worse crimes have been committed on Alerion.

“Don’t shift the blame to me! Once you confess, I will go back to Theanore the nymph! Sure, she is not a proper dungeon core, but she appreciates me and I have a nice place to sleep. And I am an overseer of intelligent ants and…”

A stone flew between the cages and the two gremlins saw a lot of gremlins looking at them.

“Confess and pay, or the fairies won’t have anything to get to. We will stone you both to death!” Screamed a gremlin. Unknown to the two overseers if neither of them confessed, all of the gremlins and worker elves would have to pay for the damages.

The worker elves were good; they couldn’t even think about stoning someone to death. But the gremlins were mobs. They could and will.