[NR] Jackal Of All Trades - Chapter 781 (Patreon)

The lionfolk man in the sharp white suit putters around with a set of teacups as a magic goose-neck kettle warms up. Sitting in a decently cushioned chair, Rosha watches while being pretty sure her dad has an exact replica of the kettle, except electric. Though she isn’t sure if her father’s kettle has a genuine horn handle.

Whatever the case, the three of them sit in silence as tea is prepared and the room’s magic fully activates. Though it seems like the lionfolk man has this routine down to the ‘T’, as he manages to finish the first brew right as an audible burst of static can be heard, followed by a low, ignorable hum.

The man pours Rosha a cup, “And there we go. Don’t mind the hum, that is a side effect of the magic that secures our privacy. Some have called it a flaw, but I see it as a feature. The magic can’t work without the hum and if anything changes to the magic or is taken offline, the hum will change or stop completely.”

Rosha takes a sip as the man pours himself a cup. “Hmm, this is quite decent. Was it smoked? There’s the usual fragrance, but with an extra depth. Though not quite to the degree that I have experienced in the past.”

The man smiles as he pours out the small amount of remaining tea in the teapot. “Not technically. This particular brand of tea made their name by drying the leaves in a fire-aligned area. While there is no actual smoke used, the tea leaves pick up hints of smoke.

“Anyway, now that the room is secure, how about we get down to business? My name is Alexander Josephson Eastpride, Cleric of Truth and recognized lawyer. Might I have your names?”

Robby shrugs, “Just Robby will do, members of the Jackal of All Trades merchant group.”

Rosha, “And I’m Rosha, member of the Odd Ones Out adventuring party.”

Alexander nods, “Well, that’s a good starting point. The receptionist sent me a transcript of what Rosha told her, so let’s go from there.”

Robby, “I figure we should just tell the entire story as we experienced it and go from there?”

Alexander smiles, “That would work as well. Though before we go too far, remember, I am a Cleric to Truth and as such, if you tell me anything you did that was illegal, I won’t be able to lie about it.

“If you need legal representation in an actual case, I will hand you off to a regular lawyer and you may have to pay them yourselves depending on the circumstances. While the Church of Truth is willing to provide many free services, we aren’t fools.”

Robby nods, “Well, good thing there isn’t, as far as I’m aware of, anything illegal about what my group has done in this situation.”

Alexander smiles, “Which is the truth. Though I do notice how you worded that.”

Robby shrugs, “We didn’t do much besides witness what happened, anyway.

“So yeah, it started for us in the city. We were trying to leave and the guards had a bug up their. Well. You know.”

Alexander laughs, “Don’t mind me. I’m not a prude or against a bit of foul language.”

Robby shakes his head, “Mama would skin me if I cursed in front of a Cleric of Truth. Anyway, they were antsy about people smuggling stuff out of the city to avoid taxes. This slowed the line down so much I was afraid we wouldn’t make it out that night. Especially when the group in front of us ended up taking so long.

“In fact, we ended up being the last ones out for the night. From there we tried to find a place to stay, but all the wall inns were full, so we had to stay at one of the camp clearings. Which is when we met back up with the four merchants who had taken so long smoozing the guards.

“They had already set up a campfire, but hadn’t gotten their campsite fully set up, which allowed us to claim a spot across the fire from them. Time passed a bit and we kept to ourselves, when her group came along and asked if they could join us. We didn’t say anything, but the other merchants said yes.

“After that, dinner was had and we went to bed. From there night passed quickly until right before dawn. I was on guard duty and so noticed when a silence effect went off. I went to wake the rest of my group, but by the time they were up, the silence had dropped.

“We then went out and found the other merchant group dead, half in her group’s campsite, the rest still in their own. They told us what happened, which I’ll leave to her to say and both sides agreed to leave everything alone and send the two of us here to get things sorted.”

Alexander nodded, “A simple enough story and we should be more than able to defend your group should anything come up. Now Rosha, how did it go down from your side?”

Rosha sips what is left in her teacup and Alexander pours more water into the teapot to ready a second serving. “Okay, so to set the scene, our group is transporting a monster corpse in a large box. We killed it as part of a Guild request, not quest, in one of the outlying farming communities. Bringing it to have it judged by the guild.

“But this involved using a box of preservation.” And from there she describes what happened to them.

Once she is finished, she takes a sip from the fresh cup of tea Alexander had poured for her. “Oh! The smoky undertone has faded some and now there’s an almost cinnamon-like spiciness developing. Quite enjoyable.”

Alexander smiles, “I am glad you like it. Some people are put off by the cinnamon-adjacent flavor profile that develops. Now, as for your story? That is troubling.

“Given they did make it through the city gate, whoever they are should at least have the paperwork to claim themselves as actual merchants. Though of course it isn’t like the city guard pays to have Clerics of Truth stationed at every gate to confirm things.

“I believe your request to send one of our people out to the site of the crime is a reasonable request. I’ll get an official out there right away to secure the scene, even if they can’t confirm any truths, it will at least put the scene under our jurisdiction. And speaking of jurisdiction, I think we might not want to bring this to the guards directly. How would you feel if we elevated this to the local Inspector?”