Morcster Chef - BONUS SCENE (Patreon)

Once they’d gotten everything Arek needed, the two of them headed back to the adventurer’s guild. There were several other adventuring groups sitting at the tables and eating breakfast. Several glanced in their direction. As they approached the kitchen, Arek froze.

Vell was sitting alone at one of the tables, an empty mug in his hand. The man was facing away from them, but Arek still recognized him.

“Go on ahead without me,” Arek told Malissa, his gaze hardening. “I have something I need to take care of. It might be a little while.”

“Are you sure?” Malissa asked.

“Yes,” Arek said simply. “Thank you, though.”

The tall woman nodded before continuing on. Arek walked up and sat down at the table beside Vell.

“It’s not looking good,” Vell said without turning away from his mug. “They’ve pushed the blame onto the lower level managers instead of the leaders. A few heads will roll, but the Starpiercers are going to get away.”

“Why are there no truth spells involved?” Arek asked, clenching his fists.

“Their lawyers avoided them on a technicality. None of the high level members were there, so truth spells would have been worthless. Half of those morons don’t even know what the commands will be the next day, much less what happened ten years ago.”

“Then testify yourself.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Vell said angrily. “My position as an enforcer prohibits me from interfering, even in this situation.”

“Yet here you are,” Arek observed.

“The trial isn’t done yet,” Vell observed, completely ignoring Arek’s question. “It’s closed audience, but any parties with a stake in the case against them have a right to show up.”

Arek’s claws bit into his skin, drawing blood. The pit forming in his stomach grew denser and he drew a deep breath.

“Damn it. I don’t have a choice, then.”

“Yes you do,” Vell said, looking up and catching the orc’s gaze. “We’ve all made mistakes, Arek. You’ve got chickens in the game, but you can cut your losses. I’m just making sure you know all the options.”

“Oh, shut up,” Arek said, cracking a grin. “You’ve always been a manipulative bastard. Take me to the court room. And… worst case scenario, please explain what happened to my group.”

Vell nodded once. He put a hand on Arek’s shoulder. They blinked out of existance without a single noise or sound. In fact, not a single person even noticed they’d been there in the first place.

They appeared before a plain wooden door. Vell gave Arek one more glance before he pressed his hand against it. A series of clicks rang out. The door shuddered and swung inwards, revealing a massive courtroom.

A hard faced judge with long grey hair and flowing robes sat in a seat far above them. There were several dozen rows of benches leading up to a stand, where a large woman wearing the Starpiercer colors stood with her back to them.

Several well-dressed men and women were seated below the Judge. They were all middle aged and wore cold expressions.

“Vell, what is the meaning of this?” One of the well-dressed men asked, rising from his seat in anger. “Enforcer or not, bringing a monster into the courtroom is strictly prohibited!”

“This is not just a monster,” Vell said in a flat tone. “I must interject into the proceedings, as I have located someone who is involved with the case. Before it continues further, their information must be heard.”

“Sit down, Foswol,” the judge said, his voice quiet. The man sat without another word. “I am just about to pass judgement, so please make your case quickly. I have no desire to spend more time on this than I have to. However, I am curious as to how an orc could testify to anything.”

“I must object,” the Starpiercer woman started. “This is highly unprofessional. If rabid monsters are set free in the courtroom, think of the president it will set!”

“I am not rabid,” Arek said, walking forwards. The room flinched as he spoke. “And I will testify much the same way other people do. By speaking.”

“Permitted,” the judge said, silencing the woman before she could speak. “I have heard rumors of a talking orc. However, I fail to see how you relate to this case.”

“I shall show you,” Arek said. He steadied his breath and removed the travel bag from his shoulders, vividly aware of the stares boring into his every move. The orc’s hand was practically trembling when he reached into the bag.

However, when it came back out holding the red patch, it was steady. The fear faded away and Arek raised his head. It had been a long time coming, and perhaps this would help atone for some of his past sins.

Arek pressed down on the patch. His body rippled. Green skin turned light gray and he grew in size, scars crisscrossing his body. Red war paint traced lines across his body and his fangs receded.

Several people gasped, but Arek ignored them. He raised a hand, looking down at it in disgust. The last time they’d been like this, they’d been stained a deep red with blood.

“I am Warchief,” Arek thundered, throwing his hands out. “I have spent the last decade of my life in hiding in shame of the actions that I did at the behest of the Starpiercer guild and the old king. I personally killed more innocents than I can count. I did this of my own volition, and reported directly to both my party leader and the guild leader of the Starpiercers, whose name I never learned.”

The court burst into commotion. Some people screamed, while others scrambled for their weapons. The judge rose from his seat and slammed his gavel into the desk. A loud bang echoed through the room, silencing everyone instantly.

“There will be order!” the man said, his voice no louder than ever before. After a pause to ensure everyone had heard his words, he looked down at Arek. “I want to confirm your words so there may be no doubt in the records. You claim that the Starpiercer guild facilitated the killing of innocent people, and you worked together with them to do it?”

“I do,” Arek said, nodding. “The Starpiercers accused towns of treason against the kingdom, then razed them to take the profits from their dungeons. I helped them do this to more than ten towns.”

“Your honor, this creature is full of lies!” the Starpiercer representative yelled. “He has been bribed by our pollical opponents to throw dirt onto our names!”

A single glance from the judge was enough to silence her.

“These are very serious claims. We will need some way to confirm them,” the judge hedged.

“I am willing to undergo a full truth spell without any resistance,” Arek said.

The room erupted in chatters again. The judge let them peter out this time, a small grin crossing the man’s face. His eyes flicked to Vell, but the man’s impassive gaze didn’t waver.

“Very well,” the judge said. “This evidence has sufficient impact on the case. We will bring in a truth mage to verify if this man is truly Warchief, and if he is, if his claims are true.”

The Starpiercer guild representative glanced at her lawyers, but the men just shook their heads helplessly. They started shuffling through papers, but something about the look in the judge’s eyes told Arek that there wasn’t an easy way out anymore.

“It will take time to find an impartial mage that we agree to use,” one of the Starpiercer lawyers called out. “I request we postpone the remainder of the trial.”

“Denied,” the judge said, rising from his chair. “It isn’t a well known fact, but I am, in fact, a mage. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the field, but I’ve had use for a truth spell in the recent years, so I’m still in practice. I trust there are no objections?”

The lawyer’s expression visibly went through the stages of grief. He finally pressed his lips thin and gave the judge a single nod.

“Good. I would hate to add contempt of the King’s chosen authorities to the list of growing crimes your guild is facing,” the judge said.

He stepped off the edge of the balcony where his chair was seated, but the man didn’t fall. Instead, he slowly floated to the ground until he came to a stop before Arek. The judge adjusted his robes and walked towards the orc. He placed his hands on his face. The two of them made eye contact for an instant.

Dull yellow light flowed out of the judge’s hands. A strange fog filled Arek’s mind, muddling his thoughts. A moment later, the judge stepped back.

“It is time for the test questions. What is your real name?”

“Vaugh-Arek,” Arek said.

“What is your title?”

“I have gone by many,” Arek replied. “The most common, and the one that I am most ashamed of, is Warchief.”

The room erupted in murmurs again. This time, the judge didn’t stop them. Instead, he glanced back at the four people on the balcony below where his seat was. They nodded at him. The judge turned back to Arek.

“Who did you report to during your… work as an adventurer?”

“Vell and the guildmaster of the Starpiercers,” Arek said.

“And what were their reasons for having you attack towns?”

“Power and money.”

“I see,” the judge said, his gaze darkening. “Do the representatives of the Starpiercer guild have anything they wish to ask?”

The lawyers glanced at eachother, sweat building up on their foreheads. When they didn’t respond immidately, the judge shook his head in disgust.

“Then I have received enough information to make my judgement.”

He leapt into the air, floating backwards and landing in his seat without even glancing back. He sat down and picked up the gavel and thought for several moments.

“I invoke the Fifth Law. As this case involves treason to the Bludon Empire, all of those present today are prohibited to speak of anything they heard. This will be enforced by a geas spell. All those who attempt to break it will be located and punished by death. Is this understood?”

He gave them a few moments, although he didn’t wait on their responses. He slammed the gavel into the desk, sending a ripple of magical energy tearing through the room. It passed through Arek harmlessly, although his mind felt heavier for an instant as the spell touched him.

“I find the Starpiercer guild guilty of high treason against the kingdom. They are declared disbanded, and a bounty will be placed on the guild leader’s head. Anyone wearing the Starpiercer colors after one week from today will be considered a criminal and persecuted. This decision is final.”

“But… what of Warchief?” the Starpiercer representative asked, glancing at Arek with fury in her eyes.

“This case did not involve Warchief. However, he too will be persecuted by the law until a fitting punishment is given,” the judge said. He gestured to her robes. “I do not recommend keeping those on.”

The woman sent a hateful sneer at the judge. The lawyers flanking her stepped forward and grabbed her arms. All three of them were enveloped in a ball of grey light. When it faded, they were gone.

“Make sure none of them remain in the city,” the judge ordered the people below him.

They nodded, shimmering out of view as well. As the rest of the courtroom broke into excited muttering, Vell put a hand on Arek’s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” Arek said, throwing the red patch into his bag. The visage of Warchief melted away and he returned to his normal appearance. “I did it for myself. I’ve spent too much time running from my past, Vell. It’s time I faced it. Maybe you should do the same.”

Vell just grunted. As people blinked and vanished out of the room, Arek looked up at the judge. The man was watching him with a measured gaze. After what felt like hours, the judge shook his head with a sigh.

“Now, what do I do with you?” He asked aloud. “I’ve heard of your escapades, you know. Quite a few people have. You saved some lives in the Greenridge Den dungeon with your new group, and tales of your cooking have reached even my ears.”

“Thank you,” Arek said.

“I struggle to see how the orc before me was the same creature that slaughtered hundreds of innocent people,” the judge said, his eyes hard.

“I am prepared to atone for my actions. That is why I showed myself today.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter, son,” the judge said. “Justice finds us all, eventually. However, today, you were the justice. The Starpiercer guild would not have gone down today without you. For that, I believe I owe you something.”

The judge drummed his fingers on the stand. Then a small smile crossed his face and he nodded.

“I will not pass judgement today,” the judge decided. “I know who you are, and I know your group. I give you one year, Warchief. Do what you can to improve the world you scarred. When that year is up, I will find you. You will still pay for your actions, but it may be offset by your deeds.”

Arek blinked. His nape prickled as he realized that he was going to live through the day. Then the corner of his mouth curled up.

“Arek,” the orc corrected. “I’m not Warchief anymore. And… thank you.”

“Very well, Arek. Don’t make me regret my actions,” the judge said. “And don’t worry about your identity – the spell I cast will keep everyone in this courtroom from revealing anything about the case, and that includes your identity.”

Arek just nodded, the emotions churning within him overpowering his ability to speak. Vell put his hand on the orc’s shoulder again. The judge gave them a final nod and the two of them vanished before Arek could say anything.

They reappeared beside the table that Vell had been sitting at. It was still empty. Arek and Vell watched eachother for a few moments. The bearded adventurer shook his head and let out a sigh.

“I envy you, Arek,” Vell said.

“Why? My sentence has only been delayed for a year. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to do anywhere near enough good in the world to make up for my wrongdoings.”

“Not all of us have the power to face our past like that,” Vell said quietly. “Especially those of us whose hands are as stained as ours. If you die, at least you’ll do it with dignity.”

“Nothing’s stopping you from joining me,” Arek said, his mouth curling up in a small grin.

“You could never understand,” Vell said, shaking his head. “It’s just not who you are. Goodbye, Arek. For what it’s worth, I hope the judge doesn’t kill you.”

“Me too,” Arek muttered, but Vell was already gone.

Arek massaged his forehead. Despite the judge’s final words, the orc felt lighter than he had in years. He’d have to tell the party the truth of his past as well, but that could come later. For now, he had hungry mouths to feed.