Sometime later…

Sat in a detention room, Logan was surrounded by four thick walls with only a set of chairs and a table to keep himself company. Quayvan, who had been his employer and would-be ally, had attacked Logan within the final base of the AV Club arm that was making Sunsilt Bolts to hunt down the progenitor vampires with.

In different circumstances, he would have accepted his level-up bonuses from reaching 19, alongside the reward for “completing” his most recent quest assigned by whoever gave him his system. However, any abrupt change in him could get detected by the courts, so he would save those presents for later.

Instead, he sat and waited. A day had passed in captivity as Logan awaited his defence and the information surrounding his court hearing.

“I request a challenge of court!” a weakened and bloody Logan called out to the mages who were protecting Quayvan in the cave.

A challenge of court. A quick assortment of words that stayed Logan’s execution, and binded the hands of the magi that appeared to save the traitor. It was an allowance to most upstanding members of the community, and even stronger in the hands of protective individuals, especially hunters.

It was a request that whatever accusations were being dealt with was to be handled by the courts of the governing city. In this case, it was Gauntlet. Logan was timid at the decision though, as his two major backers had seemingly been missing.

The Spellthief had been diligently researching local laws and avenues to save his hide if anything were to come up about Oracles and traitors. He had hoped this was one he didn’t need to rely on, but capturing the offender was critical too.

Quayvan. He was hiding a lot behind the facade of a worried member of vampire society. It was hard to tell what part of what he had said was a lie. If all of it was true, and Quayvan aimed to gain something other than Logan’s death or apprehension, Logan wanted to delay that if at all possible.

Logan looked down at his normal clothing. A white shirt and brown trousers with plain brown ankle boots. He was still allowed his cache arm as it was a privacy item more than anything. Without being certain he was guilty, Logan was allowed some form of comfort.

Before long a finely-dressed vampire entered the room. Strands of medium-length black hair peeked out from a cap, but the rest of his attire was pressed and clean.

Setting down a thick booklet, the vampire looked at Logan for a few seconds before opening it. “Logan Hall. Hunter and adventurer of Gauntlet. Correct?”

Logan nodded, “Yes, sir.”

The vampire picked a quill from a satchel at their side and sat an ink well next to his booklet. “I am Defence Master Laurent Asl, I will be protecting your honour this coming week.”

“Thank you for taking my side”, Logan bowed his head.

“Before we begin, do you accept my defence of you? Or would you ask someone else to do it?”

Logan paused for a second before asking, “Quayvan mentioned that the Half-Hand, Jirango, alongside Investigator Xican, were missing? Is this true?”

Laurent looked at Logan for a moment, “You ask this, because you want them to represent you?”

“If possible.”

“It is not. Those two are indeed missing.”

Logan sighed, “May I ask if you have any intentions protecting me?”

“I believe in you”, Laurent replied quickly, “Your actions speak not of a traitor.”

“Have you investigated me too?”

“Not as intensely as the MT, apparently. Though I have heard of your previous exploits. You have even rescued my great-great-grandaughter from danger in the past, for no mention of a reward.”

Logan quickly ran through names in his head for anyone with a similar surname. “Sorry, I don’t get the family names of everyone I help…”

“Marta”, Laurent replied plainly.

“He’s over a hundred years old if so”, Logan laughed in his head. “Glad my help is coming back to me”, Logan mentioned with a smile.

Laurent waited a second to wait for Logan’s face to return to normal, “I am not close with her. But she is blood, and I hate that word did not reach my ear about her situation.”

“Sorry to hear both of those accounts.”

Laurent looked back down into his book, “I take it you are accepting me then?”

Logan nodded.

“Good. I will go over the current status of your hearing.”

Laurent spent the next hour explaining all of the evidence currently in the court’s possession.

Several silvered Bowen daggers were found in Logan’s wake, showing he was anti-vampire with his armaments. Then, the device he handed over to the guardhouse had tracked magical teleportations there, similar to Logan’s.

Jirango’s abduction was the cause for the disarray on the final day of the attack, which led to Logan being alone with Quayvan, the only vampire included in the mission.

Xican’s disappearance also removed the leader of the diviners put on the mission, with blocks placed on anything relating to Logan or Quayvan.

There were no mentions about the Sunsilt Bolts at all, in Laurent’s retelling. It seemed the whole operation had been masqueraded as just an AV massacre. Since Logan had disposed of those he found, and the ones in the final base used against him meant none were to be found. Or, Quayvan had taken them.

A raid had been undertaken into the Meek Moat Inn as well. Planted evidence showed Logan had been planning this for a while. Logan eagerly wrote a page of text to confirm it was not his handwriting.

There was a lot more. But it seemed Quayvan and his possible allies had gone through a lot of trouble to make Logan look to be the villain here.

Was this the whole point? To not kill him at all, but to oust him as a traitor? There was so much evidence planted that it seemed as if the whole plan was to put Logan into a position where he was taken to court. If so, was the idea to have Logan reveal himself as an Oracle to get an innocent outcome?

“As you can see, the evidence is quite stacked against you”, Laurent finished.

Logan sighed again at the situation.

“I will say. The number of separate leads to you being the perpetrator is so high, that it will look aberrant.”

“Too heavy-handed?”

“Exactly. You are a hunter of some repute. Invisibility magic, combined with teleportation. You would not have left so much behind.”

It was good that his reputation was going to stay that way too. This sort of court hearing was quite under wraps. Even his bringing-in was hidden under hoods, coats, and carriages. No one saw him come in.

“Do I have a good chance of winning?”

“No.”

Logan went wide-eyed at the blunt response.

“Many of the people who would speak on your behalf, cannot. As such, it will be your testimony against Quayvan’s, as well as those he is able to bring forth.”

“What exactly is the charge?”

“That you were embedding yourself into Gauntlet to tear down its influentials, and to take down the vampires.”

“Isn’t that shaky? I killed so many of the AV members.”

“Deep cover. Hunter Wriske was already hired to kill them, but failed, which granted you an easy ‘in’ to take her place and get close to Quayvan. If not her, another hunter would have taken the contract and completed it.”

“I guess fifty for one is an acceptable loss?”

“There’s also the notion that you could have defected to work for Helm. Tensions have risen with the northern kingdom, and your own history with Gauntlet and the Ice King aren’t doing you favours.”

“For fuck sake.”

“Since you know the Demonturle Shell is to be utilized, now is the time to strike.”

Logan looked at Laurent for a second.

“This is all the other side’s theories. I am for you.”

“Thanks.”

“As you were recently reassessed, both you and Quayvan would be immune to most truth magic. So it will come down to testimony and evidence.”

“Can I talk with my friends? Maybe they can find Jirango and Xican?”

Laurent nodded, “That was going to be my suggestion. Do know that they will be in danger. Quayvan most likely has allies outside of here making sure he comes back. You also only have a week.”

“I trust them to get it done.”

“Very well. One final thing. What was the true intent of your mission? It wasn’t just to hunt AV Club members, right?”

Logan opened his mouth but closed it, “If any of it was true, it is meant to be a secret”, he thought to himself. “Are you high up within vampire society? Are you part of a coven at all?”

“Not especially. I became a vampire to extend my life and continue to protect people. Once I served a set amount of time under my sire, I left. I am still friends with others, but have no real affiliation to speak of.”

“Then, I cannot tell you. Is there a senior vampire amongst the judges?”

Laurent blinked and took on an expression of surprise, “Ah. Of course”, he spoke as he straightened his face, “There are two senior vampire judges. You can inform them of anything needed to be kept between fangs.”

“Are the judges all unbiased?”

“Most. There is another vampire who probably accepts anything Quayvan spouts and another younger judge who is a bit more ‘energetic’ when it comes to getting in good with our kin. You only have to worry about two of seven.”

Logan nodded, “When can I speak with the two seniors?”

“I can’t check the time in here”, Laurent waved, “but in an hour or so.”

Logan did notice something was off. This containment room made him feel weaker than normal. It probably dampened spellforce and cut people off from their powers and trinkets.

“That’s great.”

“We have a few more things to talk about before then”, Laurent trailed off as the two continued to speak.

After Logan and Laurent’s discussion, the Spellthief was allowed an audience with the two judges who would know something about his mission. Though to be permitted to do so, he had to wear the accused’s gloves, a large slab of concrete with sections to place your hands inside of that could then be locked in place.

Adequately “disarmed”, Logan saw a middle-aged male gashriek and a female human enter his chamber, both their sclera as dark as the night.

The gashriek talked first, somewhat longer fangs than usual showing in his maw, “I am Sanwrence, one of the judges over this case.”

“And I am Jone, another such overseer”, the human added.

“We have been informed that you wish to relinquish vital information for the case? Particulars that would upset the masses, or knowledge that should not be for their ears?” Sanwrence continued.

Logan nodded, “Yes. I believe I was lucky enough to have two elder vampire judges. You see, I believe that Quayvan has set things in motion to frame and have me marked as guilty. One of my counters would be the finer details of the mission.”

“Careful forethought, to have asked to speak with us. Continue.”

Logan gulped before continuing, “Do either of you know of the progenitors?”

The two vampires eyed each other with veiled emotions, the only thing that could be gathered was a hint of agreeance and intrigue.

“Yes, though it is odd you’d know”, Sanwrence replied.

“A wanted prescience, you’re informed enough to know not to bring this up to many”, Jone admitted.

“Quayvan informed me of Dracon and the progenitors there, and…”

Logan continued describing what he had been told, to the fine details and the number of Sunsilt Bolts he had found.

“If this is a ruse, it is an elaborate one”, Sanwrence formulated at the end.

Jone bit her thumbnail but didn’t snap it, “Irritating that this intelligence was given to a covenless. However, I shall admonish Quayvan if his side turns out truthful. Regardless of the outcome, I pray your mindfulness continues beyond these walls?”

Logan nodded, “I haven’t told anyone about this, Jirango may have been told a bit, and possibly Wriske, but I am unsure anyone knows of the progenitor assassination.”

Sanwrence visibly shivered, “To think such a creation had this multitude of craftings.”

“If the words are to be believed. Logan Hall might just be a spy using information he has learnt in his own assassinations to blur the lines”, Jone played devil’s advocate.

“It is conceivable. Deity willing, this man speaks his truth.”

“The evidence will be displayed on the trial days, but know that some of what you’ve said might be made null”, Jone informed.

Logan wouldn’t get told too far ahead of time all that there was, he could barely leave his chamber. That’d be for his defence to handle and bring to him before the first hearing date.

A few more words were shared with the two judges before they also departed and left Logan alone in the chamber. It wasn’t terrible in there, he was at least freed of restraints and allowed to read. On being taken back to Gauntlet he had snuck some reading material into his bag via his inventory so the time wouldn’t be totally wasted.

It wouldn’t be long till he had the company of Marcus and Amalia.

--- *** ---

When I need friends.