CHAPTER 388: ARC 6, CHAPTER 4: JESTERS OF THE COURT

With a heavy grunt the chunk of concrete was flipped over. "Sir?" Kazuo checked under the moved rubble and pulled out an unconscious man. "Crushed ankle; probably broken leg," Kazuo muttered and lifted the man into his arms.

"Thank you..." a woman replied as glowing blue water healed over her no longer bruised and bleeding arm. Hotaru gave a gentle smile in return.

Some of the police who knew a bit of first aid helped and patched up some of the more injured victims. They were the only ones going in and out of the still intact door of the courtroom.

By the back of the courthouse were several handcuffed cultists, kneeling and injured either by stabs, gunshots or charred skin. Above them everyone saw the ceiling of the second floor.

The concrete had settled, leaving a giant hole that revealed the inner foundations of steel rods and wood beams of the building. Coats and jackets were taken off, as the injured victims lined some of the seats to catch their breaths.

Slings and bandages were being applied constantly while they awaited the medics to arrive at the scene. "TSSSSS!" "Ow!" Asobi flinched her hand away.

The light of a small white butterfly had manifested on the tip of her wand as she tried to cut through a metal rod sticking out of concrete. Heat sparks from metal crackled off of it, causing the elf to yelp.

"Don’t do that," Fumeko scolded as she walked up next to her.

Asobi pouted and looked beneath the concrete she was trying to break free from the steel.

"They’re dead, stop looking," Fumeko crossed her arms. The blood trickling past the concrete onto the broken tiles said as much. The crushed jury members were hidden from view, for better or for worse.

"Well, we can’t know for sure. If they’re really close to death, maybe Hotaru can heal them," Asobi looked for other ways, for any other crevices to use to her advantage.

Fumeko observed—the flat pieces of crushed concrete, the steel rods poking out, the strong smell of sanguine fluid and the dragon’s claw print that was previously present... "I doubt they’re even close."

The redhead who was helping the injured by the seats, lifted her head and peeked at the doors as her ears spiked. "Jotou!" she rushed to meet.

Jotou, dustless and with an unsmiling face, walked into the room before she was met by the arms of Hotaru who embraced her. Only then did her lips falter and her brows relaxed. "Hey," she patted her crimson hair as concrete powder puffed off of it.

Hotaru moved back, held the blonde by the shoulders and quickly examined her form, "Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?"

"Just a slight cut under my chin," Jotou lifted to show. "Must’ve been chipped by some loose rock or something."

Within seconds Hotaru put her hand to the cut and healed it up. "There," she sighed in relief.

"What happened while I was up there?" Jotou surveyed the room. Kazuo chucked under rubble, as did the police, but the commissioner was nowhere in sight.

"Meko and Sobi dealt with the cultists over at the corner, the police have them for questioning."

"Lotta good that’ll do," Jotou exhaled.

"They’ve already called the hospital and the fire department, I don’t know when they’ll get here though," Hotaru sauntered back to the injured, followed by Jotou.

Just as they did, a woman in a suit walked past them with her arm in a sling. "Madam please sit down, I’ll get to you shortly," Hotaru halted her.

She shook her head, "I can walk myself to the hospital, I can’t afford a healer on this month’s budget."

"Just," Hotaru pulled the woman back with her hands glowing blue. "Please stay still," Hotaru began healing.

"I’m sure it’s just a fracture-"

"Your arm’s broken, it’ll take a year or two to get back to absolutely normal; or you might just not be able to use that arm entirely. Are you okay with that?" Hotaru did not glance up and instead focused on healing the bones of the woman’s arm.

"I..."

"Let her do her work, it’ll take a couple of minutes at most," Jotou advised and walked past. The woman frowned and looked down before wincing in pain.

"I’m an adventurer and a healer, not a trained medic. I’m not gonna charge anything for this, it’s just some mana and a spell," Hotaru replied.

"You’re the Azure Firefly right?"

Hotaru nodded.

"Nice to know not every diplomat’s some stingy folk who got lucky," the woman was escorted to sit down.

"I’m not exactly a diplomat either... And you’re not a diplomat?"

"Never. I’m just a reporter for Hidënloft Newly."

"Can’t say I’ve heard of that paper."

"Not many up here do with Phoenix News about. We’re based in South End, I travelled here for this."

"Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you’ll be sent home and given a leave for all of this," Hotaru smiled and undid the sling.

The woman stayed silent for a moment. "Doubt that..." she whispered to herself, though Hotaru picked it up. "I’m not going to ask for an interview, but personally, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Of what the cult said? Being deceived and promising liberation; sounds like a new world order for Burnetrout. He said it will be new and better."

Hotaru furrowed her brows, "Don’t play the fool. Look behind you; don’t consider their words when they leave this in their wake. It’s not an election."

The woman looked back at the destroyed jury and crumbled judge’s podium as police milled about and surveyed the wreckage of the courtroom. "Right..."

"Woosh." "Where’d they go?" Fumeko blinked next to the approaching blonde.

"Flew off into the sky. It detached its tail and I crashed onto the roof. It was too fast to keep track of, but it was going south; who knows when it’ll shrink and turn though."

"And it had Ambrose," Fumeko muttered.

"A new god. Should’ve guessed really."

"We had little evidence to actually prove it."

"Lucky for us, he said it to the entire room."

"Luck; is that really it?" Fumeko’s eyes glanced to meet the blonde’s.

Jotou met her gaze, "I’m on the same page detective."

"Jotou! A little help here please!" Asobi shouted over. Kazuo and her were attempting to lift a chunk of the rubble on the right side of the room.

"Coming," Jotou hastily walked up and helped toppled the massive piece of floor to the side. Underneath was a man taking shallow breaths and his eyes stared into the void; his leg had been completely crushed.

"Shit; Hotaru, emergency," Fumeko yelled over. Fifteen or so minutes went by as they helped escort and mend anyone still alive, while clearing out the concrete.

By then, Burntish medics and firefighters came rushing into the building to take over their efforts, allowing Kazuo to examine the scene better.

He crouched down at the front row of seats, now broken and shifted. His eyes were trained on a somewhat round bullet that had a purplish shade... Not one of his.

He narrowed his eyes and weighed the dented bullet on one finger, before he looked to his right. His gaze fell on the sheath of Jotou’s blade while she stood next to Fumeko.

Before he could inspect any further, his eyes darted to the side to notice the figure approaching from behind. The Grand Alderman, Lady Pinberry, walked in through the dishevelled courtroom.

It appeared her guards stood a few metres back. Kazuo stood up and turned while dusting off his hands, "Ma’am."

"What have you gleaned detective. How were the ones with firearms able to ambush the courtroom from behind?" she folded her arms.

"I haven’t seen much beyond this room, but if I had to guess," he took a look at the back of the courtroom. "This was premeditated for weeks if not months before; maybe before anyone even caught wind of the cult’s return.

A background check should be done on anyone recently employed in the court—clerks, interns, fresh graduates."

"Are you suggesting that the Supreme Court of Burnetrout was infiltrated?" she said with a hint of irritation.

"I said if I had to take a guess," he crossed his arms. "Magic’s at play; specifically a shapeshifter that can take on the form of anyone of high standing here.

Any and all accounts of everyone employed here would be useful, but if we’re talking weeks and months, that’s gonna be an impossible ask. All it would take is a few people to let some cultists in.

Regardless, I doubt those cultists are of any significance in this case. They were here to cause more of a scene and be fodder for a distraction. As if the scene isn’t messy enough."

"What of the drake?"

"Unsure, but we have a direction. I’m more curious why you’d stay behind. You watched the whole show, didn’t you?"

Lady Pinberry cocked her head to the side, "You say that as if jesters in the court are not meant to be spectated."

"Do a lot of poetry these days do you," Kazuo replied with glazed over eyes.

"And you are as brazen as ever. I hear the commissioner is not pleased that you sent in your daughter and two titled women in lieu of yourself to gain information on that man—Ambrose was it."

"Sorry," he said unapologetically. "Subterfuge was necessary."

"Tis a case to be had another day," as the grand alderman slowly turned her head to her right. "Jotou Howllett; we finally meet. I have heard much about you."

’Who hasn’t at this point.’ "All good things I hope," Jotou walked up; to which the GAS took several steps closer to the grand alderman.

Lady Pinberry merely jerked her brows up and down. "And the young Namora," she peered.

"Fumeko. You were at my graduation," she replied.

"Charmed. Hopefully a bright career lies ahead of you. A detective’s career, seeing that you were pivotal for this case to finally unfold," Lady Pinberry said as she surveyed the damage behind the two.

’Is there a custom we’re supposed to be following? Do we greet her in some way...? Or are all nuances gone with this mess?’

Fumeko looked up at the woman, "Finally? You could’ve taken stronger action and done something before it came to ’finally’."

Lady Pinberry cocked her head to the side, then glanced at Kazuo, "The apple does not fall far from the tree it seems."

"She has a point," Jotou continued. "I get that mass panic isn’t a good thing, but keeping it under wraps in this case restricted a lot of things people could do—even official detectives."

"Do not spout to me about how to govern a country. I still stand by what I decided. There is no quarrel to be had about the past now," Lady Pinberry stated, her voice low.

Jotou tightened her lips, "I’m not trying to change the past, I’m making a point. Because everything was kept hidden, the cult used their exposure to their advantage. They wanted to be found out—we played right into it."

Fumeko let out a light groan, "That’s what’s been bugging me the entire time. Something about the case, how we managed to get the evidence and how it all played out, it didn’t feel right. This was the result," the brunette turned to face the wreckage.

"You mean, they planned for all of this to happen from the beginning?" Asobi’s voiced popped in from behind.

"When the evidence was more concrete and they’d be convicted? When so many important people in the city and reporters from all-over were gathered in one building?

This was a huge show— to make their reemergence known to the world with flair," Fumeko huffed.

"Easy kid, no one could’ve predicted all of this," Kazuo calmed.

"Couldn’t you?" she glanced back.

"... Even with the evidence, this was a pure unavoidable ambush. There was gonna be a day for a trial, be it today or next month; and there was gonna be trouble. I did assume something bad might happen today, but it was just a hunch.

What exactly do you think we could’ve done differently? Prepare for a dragon? I warned you, this is the Deuctus Cult. It wasn’t gonna get any simpler from here," he told.

"The cult bathes in sunlight once more. Passing on the case through to the next generation are you?" Lady Pinberry queried.

"I wished that wasn’t the case," Kazuo admitted with a sigh. Fumeko eyed the floor. "But I’m sure she’ll be fine." Her eyes then went to the side, meekly.

"Whatever the case," Jotou turned and faced the exit. "We need to act fast and give chase. They went southwards and that’s where we can start heading," she took a few steps.

Before she was halted by Lady Pinberry’s voice, "Do not pursue them Ms Howllett. We will deal with this orderly instead of chaotically."

Jotou spun her head, "Excuse me? I’m not saying we’ll for sure get them, but we should at least try. And by we, I mean myself and my friends."

"I am well aware of your vigilantism throughout your travels. However, we have strict regulations against taking the law into your own hands. Your talents can be put to better use under direction. I forbid you and your party to act freely in this situation."

The blonde blinked a few times... She turned, walked up to Lady Pinberry and knitted her brows, "I am the Thundering Blade of Kria and Cravolta. I don’t care for your permission."

Jotou pointed to the rubble. "You’ve already failed to keep this city safe. Continuing to advance under your jurisdiction, is clearly stupid."

The GAS got closer and now stuck to the sides of the grand alderman as she replied, unfazed, "Might I remind you, that you and your party’s actions against my jurisdiction is also a cause of this."

Jotou’s eyes sparked, "It could’ve been a lot worse if we didn’t hasten their hand. And this was clearly a plan before we were ever a factor. But whatever, what’s done is done and you want to give them more time to plot?

Let fear keep you in inaction. I have a problem with the cult, so I’m gonna do something about it. You can sit all comfy somewhere while another half a year passes by."

The orangish-crimson eyes stared down the blonde’s glaring eyes that sparked in yellows. Lady Pinberry stood a little taller, allowing for her to tip her chin up.

...

"Hm. What hubris. You care not for order, just your own passions and instincts. Blind. What do you intend to do if you find their operation? If my sources are to be believed, you have already failed to defeat them by force, correct?"

"Okay, I’m not going after them at this very moment, but you’re not forbidding me to act freely and to fall in line to you. I’ll do whatever I deem necessary in order to bring down the cult, your consent be damned."

"Do you intend to kill them?"

"..." ’...’ "I don’t know," Jotou pondered for but a moment, but replied without backing down all the same. "If there’s some alternative, I’ll look for it first, but if it comes down to it, yes. I’ll figure it out."

Lady Pinberry’s eyes softened for a moment.

"I’m with her. This case needs to be solved and put to rest—completely. If we’re gonna be limited again, having to weasel our way into getting information inconveniently, I’m gonna lose it.

Let us just do what we’ve done before in other places and we’ll cooperate. Restrict us and we’ll do it anyway behind your back; it’s up to you," Fumeko crossed her arms.

"Alright," Kazuo walked in between and pushed Jotou and Fumeko away from the grand alderman. "We’ll discuss later, but for now, enough challenging authority."

"Uh, hi, I’m the Amazing Asobi, nice meeting you, bye!" Asobi followed behind. Lady Pinberry watched them walk out of view and inhaled. It seemed today was going to be on every article by the next morning...