Shadow Slave AU: Fluid Fate

[45]Wayward Pathfinder(2)

Gunlaug broke the eery quiet of the hall.

"Is this true?"

The Hunters were shivering under his gaze, especially Andel. Still, he glared darkly towards the group that had traveled from the outer settlement and put on his bravest front.

"There must be a kind of misunderstanding, my lord. The boy in question was a highly valued member of my party. We had high hopes for his future. It pained me greatly that we had to abandon him in the middle of the battle, but we were overwhelmed by nightmare creatures and were unable to do anything except flee."

Sunny's smile widened. He knew where this would go, and wouldn't let it happen the way Andel planned. After all, if Gunlaug let any and every crime slide, he'd be a ruler of nothing before long. Even as Gunlaug was turning to the crowd to announce that he would side with Andel, Sunny stepped up to stand beside Nephis. Gunlaug looked down at him expectantly, so Sunny spoke up.

"Before this conversation proceeds any further, I think that there's an audio recording that I think you should listen to, Bright Lord. I can even hand over the Memory itself so that its contents can be verified. No settlement sleepers would dare come here to accuse one of your valuable Pathfinders without due cause."

Gunlaug turned to look at Sunny. Sunny almost flinched upon meeting the golden mask's reflection, but did his best to hold his eyes about to the place on the echo that corresponded to Gunlaug's eye level.

"Let's hear it then boy. Just know that I'll have you take responsibility if you're wasting my time."

Sunny nodded and summoned the Ordinary Rock. Naturally, he let it play out its latest recording.

"When we were sending the kid to his death, I'm pretty sure that Jubei from the outer settlement saw us push the kid down and bolt Andel. What do we do if that guy tells the castle about what we did?"

"Oh, don't worry about all of that. Those fucking retards will just go and get their heads cut off if they try anything funny. What the fuck can they even do without evidence, huh? I'll kill off whoever the Spell I have to in order to get my debts paid off. It's not my fault that that kid fell for such an obvious ploy. Why would I ever let a filthy fucking rat like that into the Bright Castle? I mean, what a joke, right?"

Silence. Everyone turned either toward Gunlaug, Sunny's incredibly harmless and innocent rock, or Andel. Seeing that even Gunlaug had been stunned into silence for a moment, Sunny pressed the attack.

"My lord... We haven't come here to accuse Andel of anything outrageous. We just happened to think that Caleb here was unjustly treated and refused his fair pay from the help he provided in luring the excess nightmare creatures away from Andel's main party."

Gunlaug seemed to finally regain his bearings.

"How am I to believe that this Memory of yours isn't fabricating what was heard by all of us?"

Sunny smiled brightly at the fearsome and faceless man.

"You can ask someone who can examine memories to look or interrogate me and Andel to see if we're lying. I believe that there should be people who can determine that in the castle."

Gunlaug slowly turned back to the hunters responsible for Caleb's near death experience, who were now ghostly pale, and spoke evenly.

"Did you lie to my face?"

Andel, who wasn't expecting his claim to be challenged, finally felt some tiny grasp of what he'd done, and what came out of his mouth next could only be considered the dumbest blunder he ever committed in his life.

"I- I'm sorry lord Gunlaug! I didn't mean to offend you!"

If Sunny had even the slightest bit of remorse or compassion for the guy, his facepalm would have been the loudest sound in the castle. Unfortunately for Andel, Sunny would've happily jammed a blade into his eyeball if he could.

Gunlaug's expression obviously couldn't be seen, but it felt like the whole castle could've swallowed up and ate Andel whole. It was obviously a mistake to drop the ball like that. How was Gunlaug supposed to defend Andel if Andel himself was so incompetent that he admitted his mistake from the slightest push?

"Gemma."

Gemma had seen the exchange from start to finish, and he had nothing but venom and hate for both Sunny and Andel for dragging the image of his subordinates through the mud. Still, Gemma was loyal to Gunlaug.

"Yes, my lord."

"Take responsibility for Andel's mistake. Pay the settlement boy what Andel promised him and retrain both Andel and his replacement."

Gemma's scowl deepened.

"Yes, my liege."

Gunlaug turned to the group of sleepers who were gathered out in front of him.

"It was a very brave thing of you to call upon me this day. Am I not just? Thank you for bringing my subordinate's wrongs to my vision. It's my understanding that you all gave Soul Shards to the guards just to come and announce your claim yes? Would any of you like to come into my service? I could use more people like you lot."

This time, it was actually Effie who stepped forward.

"I think that I have already said this once, but I'll repeat myself more formally this time. I am quite happy just to hunt in the city, and I need none of the benefits of your care either. I speak for those of us here, but we plan to improve the stability of life to the outer residents before relying on your lot."

Effie wore a large and borderline sinister smile on her face as she spoke to Gunlaug. Sunny spoke next.

"What Athena means is that Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan has taken upon herself to improve the lives of the dying settlement sleepers, and we have also heard their plight. Perhaps someday soon, we might be able to guide them so that all of the city's inhabitants are able to properly pay the tax to live in the castle. Until then, we do not know if we will feel comfortable returning to the castle's comfort by leaving our friends behind."

Gunlaug silently stared down upon the ten sleepers who knelt before him. His gaze was meaningful but not pleasant. Still, even if those who sat in the comfort of the castle's walls tended to turn a blind eye to it, Sunny and Effie's words were a stark reminder that people were starving, freezing, and being attacked just outside the walls of the city. Gunlaug would have to find another excuse to attack this group of people if he wanted to continue playing king.

"Very well. If any of you wish to stay behind in the castle for the week you paid for, you may. Everyone is dismissed."

The whole castle's tension had been raised, but somehow Sunny had gotten away with tarnishing Andel and his team unscathed. By the end of the day, Sunny and Jubei's cohorts were walking out of the castle with enough meat to set up a reasonable group of peoples' breakfast in the morning, and everyone who went to the castle, including Nephis and Caster, were looking at Sunny in a new light.