ONE POINT FIVE (1.5 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 14

Aknon's POV

We must've stayed in that holding cell for days. We'd been fed twice, and it was far from enough to actually stop the pains and rumbles emitting from my stomach. I was close to banging my head off the wall from boredom. But we were lucky, as they hadn't taken any of our things from us yet. I could've somehow used the sword to kill the person who brought us food. But they never actually came inside. Clay had just been replaced with a small tray, his head retreating and hiding in what I assumed to be a little gap in the wall.

I did have an advantage though. I used my book to keep me entertained. I knew that it was wrong and dangerous, but I scoured that thing for information. It was like having all the information I ever needed right in my hands but encrypted with some kind of strange code. It was either encrypted or it was in horrendously vague riddles and rhymes. I knew deep down that it would begin to poison my mind, but I hoped that Dwi wouldn't let that happen. They'd created this book after all, and somehow made it so that I had it. Surely, they wouldn't let their child go insane and become addicted to the black pages?

The real issue was Mesh. He had busied himself with exercising and punching walls and having verbal combats with Clay. But he was growing increasingly restless. He'd managed to destroy the ball which had been in here, much to everyone's surprise. Apparently that ball had been here for around twenty years, and it had faced many monsters which hadn't been able to destroy it. I thought that was rubbish, but I kept that to myself, since Mesh had seemed a little proud.

"Stand," a guard commanded, breaking me out of my thoughts. I'd been sitting on the floor with my legs crossed and back straight, reading about how the beginning of the universe occurred. I thought it was all fascinating, but I didn't like reading about the gods and their family. The gods were not related in the slightest, unlike what most tales would say. They were each created individually by 'The Creator', which even this book did not have access to. I asked about The Creator several times after hearing the title, but nothing but blank pages were presented to me.

I slowly stood; Mesh having done so immediately like a puppy who'd just seen their owner come home. The guard wasn't alone, they had around four other guards with him, and they all seemed equally as emotionless. I was grateful to see that the original guard wasn't part of the ones who were here.

"They're going to take you away!" Clay cheered happily and joyfully as he moved side to side. I figured that it was his version of a dance, which looked extremely awkward and uncomfortable. Since he was just a bust, his body ended at his collarbone, causing him to look like he was going to fall to the side any moment and shatter. "I'd say that it was a pleasure knowing you, but it wasn't. It was a pleasure torturing you over these four days."

I had a feeling it hadn't been four days, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat sympathetic towards him. All he does is stay here day after day, probably going weeks without any kind of contact. Of course, he was going to be grumpy and miserable.

"Pleasure's all mine, Clay." I didn't have to comment, but I did. I heard him sputter behind me, but I focused my attention on the guards. I put my hands in front of me and stood to attention. I kept my belongings behind me, hoping not to draw too much attention to what I had.

"You two are going on trial," the guard stated simply. "You will have an audience with a judge, who will pronounce you guilty or not guilty."

"Of what?" I couldn't help but ask. I wondered if there was such a crime as existing, but that thought quickly left my mind as I realised that there probably was. I didn't want to know what that was punishable by.

"You have posed a threat to the peace of Kourjit," the guard stated with a firm nod. "That is a heavy crime here and we do not tolerate any threats." I had a strange feeling of Deja vu. I felt like this was us talking to Prin's father once again. He had jailed us for simply making noise, which was in turn disturbing the peace. But I knew that was a code for disturbing the hold of power which he had over the city.

"We didn't make it to the city," Mesh argued with a gruff huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We could've passed Kourjit." That was a very silly thing to say, given the size of Kourjit. Nobody in their right mind would simply walk around the outskirts, not actually entering the city, in order to get to the other side. There would be too many interactions with guards and security, and it was highly suspicious. So, that had probably made our chances of getting out of this even slimmer.

"Is that right?" the guard asked with an unamused laugh, which was drowned out by Clay's crazed laughter. "If that's the case then you can walk free, I'll even pay ya for bein' in here."

Mesh's eyes lit up hopefully, which made my heart sink into the bottom of my stomach. "Really?" At least he sounded somewhat suspicious.

"No!" the guard yelled in Mesh's face. The half-orc didn't shrink back or even flinch at the loudness. "Now, shut your mouth and get marchin'. You're to see the judge now."

And so, we walked out of the room, Mesh hitting his head on the doorway once more. Clay's cackles stayed with me as we walked through the jail. I didn't see any more prisoners, which I thought was a little peculiar. I didn't quite know what that suggested. We passed by plenty of rooms, all with shut doors. I didn't know how our footsteps were echoing dramatically around us, but each step rang in my ears.

I was surprised that they didn't cuff our shackle any of our limbs, which was pretty standard in most prisons I'd encountered or heard about. That would've been pure torture, to listen to the jingling of the chains alongside our footsteps. The ceiling lowered and lowered, so that even one of the guards had to bow his head slightly. I would've had to as well, if I wasn't slouching anyway.

"Halt," the guard commanded once more and turned. "You will be summoned through these doors to stand your trial, do not cause any disturbances while you are here." He gestured to another guard, who came forward and began taking our belongings, setting them on top of a table. "You may retrieve these belongings once you are done being judged, if you are declared not guilty. If you are declared guilty, these items will be kept in the vault until you have served your sentence." I knew not to argue. I knew not to hold anything for too long, and I knew that I should take everything he said with a grain of salt. I would have to thoroughly search my belongings after I got them back, in order to ensure that nothing was taken or compromised.

"We are ready for you now," a woman said as she entered the hallway, coming through the door which led to where we would be judged. I didn't have enough time to see behind her, but I felt a warm gust of air.

"We will enter." The guard nodded his head, and they created a formation around Mesh and I, swords drawn. "Face your fate, disturbances." Well, that wasn't the worst thing I'd ever been called.

The woman nodded her head and left the room, opening the doors wide and causing them to slam and shake against the wall as they made contact. I was a little shocked with what I saw. We were in a wide and open space, with the sky clear above our heads, and rows of seats. There were so many people here it felt almost suffocating, despite being outside.

There were murmurs all around us as we were marched forward. We came to stand in front of an old man behind a high table. He looked like he knew his own importance. He knew the power he held over the lives of those he judged, and I immediately disliked him. His cold eyes looked us over, and a grimace came to his lips.

"Ah, I see now why you were contained." His voice was surprisingly high-pitched. "You are clearly outsiders, the likes of which are rare in these parts." His eyes stayed on me for an extended moment. "One of you more uncommon than the other."

"I'm aware," I commented. I didn't know if it was rude or not, but it wasn't really meant to be. There were a few gasps, and I realised that I didn't know if I was actually supposed to talk.

"Oh, how fun." The judge leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table and resting his head on his fist. "This is going to be...amusing."