Once we stepped out into the street, my teachers allowed me to walk ahead and lead them to the dojo. I managed to find the school without getting lost. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any more experience from the journey. When we reached the two stone statues guarding the entrance of the dojo, I stepped aside and waited patiently for one of my companions to open the heavy, reinforced door. I knew that my 15 Strength was still too weak to open the door.

Kalistra did the honors and the two of us quickly followed our Heir inside. Once inside, the cat girl turned back and looked at me. "We need to go inside the dojo. Please follow me," she ordered and began to walk across the courtyard. She nodded in acknowledgment of the deep bows offered by the students already present and practicing in the courtyard.

When we reached the dojo, Kalistra turned around again and looked down at my feet.

I quickly removed my shoes and Maisen did the same.

We tiptoed past groups of students in the practice hall, including Gendun; we adhered to the walls to avoid errant sword swings. The students were fully concentrating on their swordplay and did not seem to notice us as we walked by.

Finally, Kalistra led us to a sliding door at the back of the dojo and waited. "He's here," my guide announced in a loud voice.

"Enter," a male voice replied. I immediately recognized the voice as belonging to the grandmaster, Kalistro.

Kalistra opened the door and entered the room.

When I followed her inside, I saw that the room was rather tiny, perhaps six feet by six feet. There was another drawing of Kallimon on the wall facing me; the founder of the school looked up at the sky, his left hand casually resting on the sword hilt at his left hip. The cat man had a serene, peaceful expression on his face.

Kalistro was seated, cross-legged, in front of the mural. Next to him was a dog man! The man had long, brown fur and his physical appearance resembled Chewbacca from Star Wars.

I stared at this person in shock. What the heck was a dog man doing sitting next to the grandmaster? I looked at the caption above the man's head and it read: "Name: Gurgne Trapper, Level: ?, Disposition: Amused."

Gurgne's dark brown eyes met mine and he winked at me. His large, elongated jaws opened, revealing sharp canines. However, his tongue did not stick out and the dog man did not start panting like I expected.

I immediately dropped my impolite stare and turned my attention to the grandmaster, who was watching me with equal amusement.

On the floor in front of the two unlikely companions was a clay pot with two handles on its sides. The pot was uncovered, and steam rose out of the pot. Under the pot was a large piece of metal, which apparently was the source of the heat since I did not see a fire under the pot. Next to the pot were a ladle and a medium sized flat and elongated bowl that would require both of my hands to hold.

"Please sit across from me," Kalistro said while gesturing at me with his right paw.

I immediately sat down on the ground across from the grandmaster.

Kalistra sat to my right while Maisen sat to my left.

Maisen grabbed the ladle and dipped it into the pot. She started pouring an opaque colored liquid into the bowl. When the bowl was two-thirds full, she put the ladle back into the pot. With both hands, Maisen took the bowl and held it in front of Kalistro.

The grandmaster accepted the bowl. He looked at me and said, "This is a simple ritual. We will all take a sip of the herbal tea from this cup starting with myself and then the cup with be passed to my left. Sitting next to me is our Master of the Hunt, Gurgne Trapper. He will finalize the initiation ritual and then you will be released from this ceremony. After all, if our pupil arrives late at the public trial then the tardiness would bring our school dishonor." Kalistro then took a sip of the tea and passed the bowl to Gurgne.

The dog man took a sip and passed it over to Kalistra, who then drank from the bowl and passed it to me.

When I drank the tea, I had to summon all my willpower to avoid wincing at the tea's awfully bitter taste. It tasted like ten shots of espresso in one gulp! Evidently, the tea was oversaturated with caffeine because I immediately felt my heart start to beat rapidly. When I finally passed the bowl of tea to Maisen, I noticed a twinkle in Kalistra's eyes while Maisen had a frown on her face. Ah! The duo had bet on my reaction to the tea, and it was obvious who lost the bet.

The gloomy Maisen took a small sip and then set the bowl on the ground.

Gurgne stood up and walked over to me. "Please stand," he ordered. His voice was deep, like Vin Diesel's.

I immediately obeyed and got back on my feet. As expected, the dog man towered over me. He was a good two heads taller than me!

Gurgne reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a small butterfly pin, which the dog man then pinned on the upper left side of my chest. His head dipped down until we were nose-to-nose. Then he inhaled deeply.

"Um, Master Gurgne, what are you doing?" I asked.

The dog man chuckled. "I'm memorizing your scent, young pup," he replied. "If you're ever missing, I will use my nose to find you."

"Unfortunately, the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship has some bitter rivals and enemies, for a variety of reasons. By wearing this pin, you become a target for these people," Kalistro admitted. "Gurgne comes from a renowned family of hunters; he has the best nose in Tregome. If you are kidnapped, he will find you and bring you home."

I stared blankly at the grandmaster for a moment. I did not expect my association with the school would send trouble my way. No wonder Maisen was serving as my bodyguard! Also, I had a suspicion that most students lived at the dojo. That would allow them to remain under the watchful eyes of the senior students and masters. This would also explain why the school was already packed with students so early in the morning—they never left! I wondered if my enrollment in the school meant that I had to move and live in the dojo now. "Is it too late to leave the school?" I asked timidly.

Kalistra poked me in the right shoulder with her claw.

Ow! I ignored the pop-up.

"You're now part of the family. We will protect you," Maisen said as she patted my back. Hard.

"You need to leave now, or else you'll be late for the public trial," Gurgne reminded me.

Maisen put both hands on my back and pushed me out of the room.

#

The trip to the Public Square was quick and uneventful. Since the common folks were given notice of the public trial of Ebenthal this morning, a good part of town had gathered there already. The Public Square was located north of the Watch Headquarters, and south of a church.

I started at the church for a moment. It was simply majestic! The building took up an entire block, just like the Watch Headquarters. It was a two-story building with a spire some ten feet high at the front and a red cross on placed top of the spire. There was a marble, spiral column spaced every ten feet on every side of the church building. The walls were adorned with beautiful, tinted windows. I had not seen the church before because the Watch Headquarters, which was a bigger building, had blocked the view.

The square itself was paved with cobblestones. Toward the south end was a wooden platform and on the platform was a steel cage with Ebenthal inside. Two guards in full plate armor stood next to the cage; each guard carried a tower shield and a halberd. On the left and right side of the platform, there was a wooden plank connecting the ground to the platform. The platform itself was about four feet above the ground.

I looked at the man who had tried to rob me and kill me on the street two days earlier. Ebenthal was thin looking and sweaty; he was pacing back and forth inside the cage like a rat.

Kalistra tapped me on the shoulder to draw my attention. "We need to stand in front of the platform. When we are called to give testimony as witnesses, we will do so while standing on the platform," she explained. She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to the platform.

As the three of us weaved our way past the throngs of commoners, Ebenthal became aware of our presence. He stopped moving inside the cage. Instead, the accused man grabbed the steel bars and stared directly into my eyes.

When I returned his stare, I saw that Ebenthal's eyes were full of anger and hatred—for me. Refusing to be intimidated by this scoundrel, I stared right back at him as Kalistra dragged me closer to him. Finally, I stood a mere ten feet away from his cage.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of red! As I blinked my eyes, I saw something non-human inside the cage. It had a humanoid figure which stood upright, but the head resembled a rat's! The eyes were blood red. The non-human creature snarled at me, revealing its sharp row of teeth. I saw another red flash again, and the creature inside the cage looked human again. "What the~~?" I blurted out. A pop-up appeared and I ignored it.

Maisen turned her head to me. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I just saw a red flash. And inside the cage was something that resembled a giant rat," I explained.

"What do you mean?" a harsh voice interrupted.

I looked around and saw a man in full plate armor approaching me. It was Captain Peng Li! Before I could explain, though, I was interrupted again. The church bell tolled eight times.

Right on the dot, a group of the Watch exited a side door from the Watch Headquarters. A tall, arrogant looking man with shortly cropped dark brown hair and equally trimmed mustache shouted, "Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Please kneel before the Honorable Judge Wachtel!"

Members of the public immediately got down on one knee and I quickly joined them.

"You may rise," a gentle voice called out.

When I got back on my feet, I saw a short, bald and chubby looking man seated behind a desk in the middle of the platform. He wore a black robe with a white collar. I looked at the caption above the man and it read: "Name: Dantalion Wachtel, Title: Town Judge, Level: ?, Disposition: Serious."

"My friends. My countrymen. Here stand before you Ebenthal, who had been accused of several grievous crimes. I call forth Panklene, the traveling merchant!" the Judge ordered.

An even shorter, fatter man dressed in fine silk clothes slowly waddled up the right side of the platform. Panklene nervously passed the cage and walked until he stood in front of the seated official; the merchant then bowed deeply to the Judge.

Wachtel held up an obsidian stone chiseled into the shape of a cross. "Do you swear by the Holy Cross, the Law, and the Order to tell the truth and nothing but the truth upon pain of death?" he asked. The truth stone started glowing.

The merchant held up his hand and replied, "I, Panklene, do so swear." A beam of light flew from the truth stone and struck the witness in the heart.

Panklene turned toward the crowd and started to speak. "It was seven days ago while I was traveling on the road between Tregome and Burmington when I encountered Ebenthal and several of his companions. A large log had blocked the road and they demanded that I hand over my horse and wagon. I immediately turned around and the bandits gave chase on the road until I reached Burmington again."

Wachtel waited a moment for an adverse reaction from the truth stone, but none was forthcoming. "I deem your testimony truthful and accurate. You may step down," the Judge ordered. When the merchant rejoined the crowd, Wachtel said, "I call forth Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, a student at the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship!"

With a nudge from Maisen, I quickly stepped forward and walked up the right plank. I continued walking on the platform toward the Judge. As I walked past the prisoner, I felt murderous intent from Ebenthal. I ignored the condemned man and bowed deeply before the Judge.

Wachtel activated the truth stone again. "Do you swear by the Holy Cross, the Law, and the Order to tell the truth and nothing but the truth upon pain of death?" he asked. The truth stone started glowing.

"I, Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, do so swear." I felt the warmth as a ray of light shot from the truth stone straight into my heart. “I met Ebenthal three days ago during lunch hour at The Noble Lady. After I left the tavern, he followed me on the street and tried to steal from my money pouch. When I caught him red-handed, Ebenthal pulled out his dagger and attacked me. During the fight, he tried to stab me in the heart but missed and hit my right shoulder instead. It was apparent to me that he was more skilled as a fighter and I immediately backed away from him.” I turned and nodded to the Judge when I was finished with my testimony. I followed Panklene’s example, descended the platform and rejoined the crowd. I saw another pop-up and ignored it.

Judge Wachtel called out, “I call forth Kalistra, Heir to the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship!”

After the cat girl was truth sworn, Kalistra started her testimony. “I happened to pass by the melee on the street that afternoon. I saw Ebenthal holding a bloody dagger; Lawrence was bleeding from his shoulder and trying to back away. I had just met Lawrence for the first time earlier that morning inside The Noble Lady. When I saw his wound and no one coming to his aid, I felt Honorbound to step in and stop the fight. Using a special technique from my school, I successfully knocked the assailant unconscious and waited for the Watch to arrive to take Ebenthal into custody.”

When the truth stone again remained inactive, Judge Wachtel nodded and allowed the cat girl to rejoin the crowd. The judge then rose from his seat and walked until he stood in front of the cage. “My friends, you have heard the testimonies of three Lawful citizens and their words have been deemed truthful by the Holy Cross. What punishment shall we render to this man, Ebenthal?” he asked the public theatrically.

“Death to Ebenthal!” the public started chanting and pointing their fingers at the man inside the cage.

Judge Wachtel bowed before the crowd. He turned back to face the condemned and held the truth stone in front of the cage. “The People of Tregome have passed their Judgment on your crimes. May God have mercy on your soul!” The cross started glowing. However, before a beam of light could strike Ebenthal, an arrow struck Wachtel in the back and buried itself into his heart!