Soul of the Warrior

Reivyn read through the tome, a frown on his face. He flipped through the pages, but what stared back at him didn’t seem to satisfy him.

I feel like there’s something missing, he thought. It’s just out of my reach, though. There’s a glaring hole in the laws, but it’s eluding me.

After becoming a “guest” at the jail, Reivyn had quickly been connected with Jekle. The man had proven invaluable in acquiring the various documents, books, and scrolls he needed to make sure his case was what he thought it was.

Reivyn was seated on one of the cots in a single jail cell. The gate to his cell was left open, though. He could come and go as he pleased, and the jailers didn’t interfere in his activities.

They still had a job to do, though, so all of the interactions with Jekle were held through the main gate at the processing room. If they needed to have some privacy or meet more directly, the jailers would simply open the gate and let Reivyn exit to use one of the side rooms.

Jekle was his number two officer with the mercenary company, so while he did everything through the man, he wasn’t the one who did all the running around. There was an entire squad made up of NCO’s seeing to the tasks Jekle sent them through Reivyn.

The chain of command was important to keep intact. If Reivyn let it slip up while in garrison or even for these unusual circumstances, the order he had cultivated with his mercenary company over time would slowly erode. It didn’t seem like such a big deal on the surface, but it could lead to disciplinary problems in the future.

Reivyn flipped through the tome again, cross-referencing the pages he read with a separate book that was composed entirely of an appendix on various laws and other legal matters.

I’ve been through the Imperial Military Code backwards and forwards. It definitely says I can bring the charges I plan on Oryin, but it isn’t the coup de grace I initially thought it was. It should be, though. That’s what’s missing.

I know it should be here, but I can’t find it. Continuing to stare at the same pages for hours on end isn’t going to get me anywhere, either. Let’s think about this in a different way. I’ll start with listing out the facts of the case.

Reivyn put aside his own personal opinions on the matter and began writing down all of the relevant facts surrounding the incidents. He listed such things as being in a military company attached to the Imperial Army through his connection with Kefira. They were in a combat situation, and Reivyn was the commander.

He listed all of the surrounding facts to the case before focusing his attention on Oryin.

So far, I’ve only been focused on his actual actions. There are other facts to consider, though.

One of the documents Reivyn had requisitioned was a manifest of the landed and unlanded nobles in the Imperial Capital. He had quickly found the Fowleu family way down the list as an unlanded baron family.

The main thing they had going for them was that it was a hereditary title. Many of the nobles who outranked their family were temporary positions of power. As such, they enjoyed a certain level of influence above their apparent grade.

Reivyn had followed the trails of the family and discovered what they had their hands in. The only thing significant to his case was Oryin being a disciple of the Court Magus and his uncle being a Lord Magistrate.

Reivyn listed down the relevant information.

Oryin: Second son of a Hereditary Unlanded Baron. Disciple of Court Magus Farril. On assignment to the Vairo frontlines under Princess Kefira. Confirmed a member of the military outfit under my command.

Ok, this all checks out. I already knew he was under my command. Kefira told me herself. What am I looking for…

Reivyn tapped his chin in thought. He glanced back and forth between the IMC and his notes.

Hmm… The only thing listed that isn’t taken into account is his status as a member of a noble family. The IMC is pretty distinct in that it doesn’t address anything other than one’s status as a member of the Imperial Army. There has to be something tying to the nobility. Most of the officers are nobles in one way or another.

Reivyn didn’t find anything in the chapters relevant to his case about dealing with nobility. He flipped back to the front of the tome to inspect the table of contents to see if there was anything he had missed.

He opened the front of the book and scanned the various titles and chapters listed. He flipped the pages, not finding what he was looking for, until the table of contents came to an end.

Reivyn scratched his head. Thinking there might be something else he was missing, he turned one more page. He began reading the contents of the page and his frown turned into a smile.

“...Must be cross-referenced with the Code of Nobility,” he read out loud with a triumphant grin.

He leaped up from his position on his cot, placed the tome and notes aside, and made his way to the front of the jail.

Most of the cells in the front were left empty. Reivyn’s position wasn’t right at the front of the jail as he didn’t want to have to constantly hear the jailers in the processing area, but it wasn’t so deep that he had to deal with the noises caused by the prisoners located further in.

There were multiple layers to the jail that Reivyn could easily perceive with his Divine Sense, and he had finally gotten enough control and Skill Level over his Skill that he could relegate what he didn’t want to intrude in his thoughts to his subconscious.

It was akin to hearing someone speak without listening to them. One could think about their own things and not really hear the information being conveyed to them, but certain keywords would still bypass into one’s conscious thought and bring the sounds to the forefront.

To go with the multiple floors of the jail descending into the ground, there were also multiple guard stations. The most coveted position was the processing station on the first floor. It had the least amount of headaches dealing with problematic prisoners, and it was close to the surface. It was a mix of experienced jailers. The other floors were typically manned based on the jailer’s Level, competency, and experience, with the older, more seasoned jailers guarding the lower floors.

Reivyn quickly walked to the front of the jail. The jailers immediately spotted him walking through the hall, but Reivyn shook his head to indicate he didn’t need anything from them. Jekle was seated at a table nearby that had been set up for him, and he also spotted Reivyn right away.

Jekle got up and walked to the bars.

“Yes, sir?” Jekle asked.

“I need you to get me a copy of the Code of Nobility,” Reivyn said.

“Umm,” one of the jailers lifted his hand in the background. Reivyn and Jekle both noticed and turned to the man. He shrank a little at the looks directed at him, but he quickly squared his shoulders.

“There’s actually a copy of it in the Captain’s office upstairs,” the man said. “We don’t usually deal with military personnel, but we all have to be familiar with the various minor nobility and how to treat them.”

Reivyn looked back at Jekle. Jekle simply nodded his head and motioned for one of the NCO’s to take care of it. There was a group of them sitting off on their own, and they had perked up as soon as Reivyn had arrived, though they knew better than to intrude on the conversation.

“Also, have the items I requested from the Supply Officer arrived at the barracks?” Reivyn continued.

“Yes, sir,” Jekle answered. “We’ve already outfitted the First Platoon with the gear and they’re ready to move at any time.”

“We still have some time before they need to make their move,” Reivyn replied. “My arraignment isn’t for another couple of days at nine in the morning. Order the men to make their move at seven.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That will be all for now. I’ll come back up in fifteen or twenty minutes to get that copy of the Code of Nobility.”

Reivyn nodded his head and walked back to his open cell. He still had a couple days before everything played out. If the Code of Nobility held what he thought it did, then he was as ready as he could be to end Oryin’s whole life and career.

Reivyn had a small smile on his face as he sat down to do some Meditation.

—

The sun was still fairly low in the sky, having only risen a little under an hour ago, as Jekle led First Platoon through the streets of the inner city. The mercenary soldiers usually wore their own gear that was mostly similar to each other, but today they wore completely matching sets of armor. Each of the soldiers also had an armband tied to their biceps.

They didn’t wield their typical armaments as they walked through the streets. They were only armed with their sidearms, but they still gave off an imposing figure as they Marched with military discipline.

Jekle marched the platoon through the streets. They ignored the stares of the civilians walking along and gawking at them. In addition to wearing matching armor sets, Jekle carried a familiar baton and scroll in his arms.

They had scouted out the routes to take to and from their destination, so they quickly arrived at the House Fowleu. A pair of guards stood in front of the gates leading into the manor compound. They perked up as they saw the military procession approach them.

Jekle marched right up to the two guards.

“Halt! What business do you have here?” One of the guards exclaimed. He attempted to sound confident, but Jekle could see the sweat beading his brow.

Jekle flashed a token which caused the faces of the two guards to pale before partially unfurling the scroll in his arms.

“Official Imperial Army business,” Jekle intoned. “Under the authority of Imperial Army Captain Reivyn, his subordinate, Mage Oryin, is to be escorted to the Military Tribunal to stand trial for his crimes.” Jekle let the scroll roll back up and looked at the guard who had spoken in the eye. “Open the gates, now, or the entire Fowleu compound will be surrounded and held accountable.”

The seneschal came hurrying out of the main door to the gate. He ignored Jekle and the soldiers lined up behind him.

“What’s the meaning of this,” the seneschal addressed the guard at the gate.

“Sir, they have orders to bring Young Lord Oryin to a military tribunal,” the guard answered. His back straightened with the apparent source of authority there to support him.

The seneschal sneered as he looked up at Jekle. Before he could speak, though, the guard cleared his throat.

“He has the token of the Imperial Family in his possession, sir.”

The seneschal stopped with his mouth open. His eyes widened in surprise.

“I told you to open the gate,” Jekle growled. He made a gesture with his baton and all of the soldiers of First Platoon drew their arming swords in unison. They held them against their shoulders, but there was no mistake that they were ready to do violence at a moment’s notice.

“If this gate isn’t opened by the time I count to three,” Jekle looked each of them in the eye, “you will die, and I’ll still get through the gate. One.”

“Open the gate!” The seneschal shouted.

“Two.”

The first guard scrambled to open the gate as quickly as he could.

“Go inform the Lord Magistrate,” the seneschal turned to the other guard as he turned around to run back to the manor.

“Three,” Jekle said. He looked the open gates up and down before glancing at the guard. He pointed to the side. “Stand over there.”

Without looking back, Jekle led the armed soldiers through the gate and marched right up to the manor door. As he ascended the steps, the door once more opened and a distinguished looking man stepped out. The seneschal was right behind him.

“What is the meaning of this?” The man asked. He held his head high and attempted to give off an imperious air.

Jekle had spent months in the presence of Reivyn and his Heroic Aura. He wasn’t fazed in the least. He simply unfurled the scroll once more.

“Under the authority of Imperial Army Captain Reivyn, his subordinate, Mage Oryin, is to be escorted to the Military Tribunal to stand trial for his crimes,” Jekle repeated. “This baton represents the authority of Imperial Army General Kayzor, the Third Imperial Prince. Disobeying the orders of this summons is disobeying the orders of the Imperial Family.”

Jekle read a little more from the scroll before letting it roll back up again. He looked up at the man standing at the top of the steps. He had deflated from his imperious attitude earlier.

“Summon Oryin,” he turned his head to the seneschal. He spoke quietly in a defeated voice. He turned back to Jekle. “Since when has this Adventurer Reivyn been an Imperial Army Captain?”

Jekle smiled tightly at the older gentleman.

“He’s been commissioned as an Imperial Army Officer for well over a year, at this point,” he answered. “The mercenary company he leads is legally designated as an Imperial Auxiliary Unit. We’re officially part of the Imperial Army.”

The older man grit his teeth. Jekle could see that the news was completely unexpected, and he guessed he had been told a different tale by his son.

Oryin was quickly brought to the front of the manor.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” He screamed in a shrill voice. “I have rights! As a citizen and as a noble!”

Jekle flashed forward and placed his baton on Oryin’s shoulder. He gave the young man a hard look.

“Silence, prisoner!” He ordered. “Your rights are limited in this situation. It will be explained to you at the Tribunal. For now, keep your mouth shut, and follow me. Any resistance will be dealt with quickly and harshly.”

Two of the NCO’s stepped forward and placed Oryin in similar shackles that had been worn by Reivyn and the others a couple of days previously. Oryin stared open-mouthed down at his wrists before he was jolted forward by a hand grasping his arm.

Jekle turned to Oryin’s father, the Lord Fowleu.

“The results of the Military Tribunal will be made public immediately after,” he said. “It is not open to the public. Someone will inform you when it’s over.”

With that, Jekle turned and led the First Platoon toward the jail.

—

Reivyn stood in his cell. He wore his military uniform that had been picked up by one of the NCO’s acting as errand runners. There was a small, individual desk to his side with the relevant documents laid before him. Everything had already been prepared beforehand, and only the actual trial needed to take place.

He wasn’t alone in his jail cell, either.

Kefira sat upon his cot. Serilla stood to the side, though she wasn’t armed. One of the jailers was seated at the end of the cell with a recording magical device.

Even the Imperial Family’s bodyguards had to leave their weapons in the processing room on this side of the bars. The authority was derived directly from the emperor to curtail anyone trying to claim exception to the rules.

They had already had a pleasant breakfast with each other and gone over the documents, so they were just waiting patiently for the guest of honor to arrive.

A commotion from the processing room reached their ears, and Reivyn saw Oryin being escorted in hand-irons through his Divine Sense.

“Here he comes,” Reivyn said to Kefira with a smile.

“Finally,” Kefira said, rolling her eyes. “You’re in for a world of hurt from your mother once this is all over. She has not been pleased that her son has been ‘locked up in jail’ for several days.

“A word of advice: Tell her straight away that you weren’t actually locked up in here. It will make her angry in the short-term, but if she finds out later and you didn’t tell her, things will be much worse.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to tell my parents everything.”

“Good.”

Jekle walked into the room at the end of their conversation with Oryin in tow. There was a seat on the other side of Reivyn’s desk, and Jekle plopped Oryin down in the seat.

Oryin tried to leap back up to his feet, but Jekle’s hand held him in place. He briefly looked up at Jekle with a murderous expression before facing Reivyn.

“Tell your goon to unhand me!” He shouted. “You better be ready to face the consequences of this little scheme. You’re head’s already on the chopping block, and once my uncle learns of this, the blade will surely come down.”

Reivyn didn’t say anything. He just glanced at Jekle. Jekle smacked Oryin in the back of the head.

“Silence, prisoner!” Jekle calmly said.

Oryin looked around at everyone in the cell in disbelief. He started to open his mouth again, but Jekle simply smacked him a second time. He grit his teeth and faced Kefira.

Kefira looked back at him with a deadpan look. She turned to Reivyn.

“Captain Reivyn, you may proceed,” she said.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Reivyn nodded his head. He turned to Oryin. “First, this is a Military Tribunal held for an incident that happened during a combat situation during war time. As such, your rights are limited.

“You do not have the right to legal counsel. You do not have the right to discovery. You do not have the right to prepare a case at all. The law is clear: A Military Tribunal covering a combat situation during war time is held at the commander’s leisure, and it will be conducted forthwith.

“The same limitations are applied to the prosecuting commander. The commander is not allowed to assign the case to a legal representative. The commander is not allowed to compile additional evidence other than what he himself has witnessed or what was originally provided by whomever is leveling the charges.

“The case will consist simply of the facts. The defendant is allowed to dispute any facts. Immediately after, the commander’s immediate superior will render judgment based entirely on their own interpretation of the facts and will issue a sentence based on the IMC and CoN.

“Do you understand?”

Oryin frowned.

“That’s it?” He asked.

Reivyn turned to Kefira. Kefira nodded her head and turned to face the jailer recording the Tribunal.

“Let the record show that the defendant's question indicates understanding,” she said.

“Wait, what?” Oryin asked, looking around at everyone present.

“Captain Reivyn, you may proceed,” Kefira said, ignoring Oryin.

Reivyn simply laid out the events that took place in Vairo. Everyone in the room except for the jailer had been present, so there was no surprise on anyone’s face other than the jailer. The jailer’s eyes opened wide in disbelief as he stared at Oryin. He was only there to make sure the recording magical device was working, so he was free to observe everything at will.

None of the jailers had known exactly what was going on with all of the back and forth, but none of them had expected to hear such lunacy perpetrated by an esteemed disciple of the Court Magus.

After Reiyn laid out the facts of the case, Kefira held up her hand, forestalling Oryin from speaking.

“I was present for all of the incidents,” Kefira said. “As such, none of the facts are in dispute. I will render a verdict.”

She looked at Oryin who was reeling with confusion and dismay.

“Mage Oryin, on the count of Insubordination, I find you guilty. On the count of Disrespect to a Superior Officer, I find you guilty. On the count of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, I find you guilty.

“Your sentencing will be based solely on the rules outlined in the IMC and CoN. For the count of Insubordination, you will be docked one month’s pay. The pay will be set as the rank of a Second Lieutenant.

“For the count of Disrespect to a Superior Officer, you will be jailed for one month.

“For the count of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, you will be publicly flogged thirty times.”

“What?!” Oryin screamed. “Jailed?! FLOGGED?!”

Jekl cuffed him in the back of the head once more.

“Are there any questions?” Kefira asked after Oryin had been silenced. “Other than an emotional outburst?”

“Actually, there’s a discrepancy in the sentencing,” Reivyn stepped forward.

Kefira frowned. Reivyn had not told her anything about there being a discrepancy beforehand.

“Are you sure?” She asked. She flipped to the relevant page in the IMC. “It states right here, plain as day, the offense of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy will result in a public flogging of no more than fifty times.” She looked up at Reivyn. “Do you think I’m being too lenient?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Reivyn nodded. Oryin glared daggers at Reivyn, but Reivyn just ignored him. “It’s not because I believe the defendant deserves more strikes in the flogging, though. It’s because there’s an addendum regarding this matter in the Code of Nobility.

“I have the relevant passage marked for your perusal.”

Reivyn handed over the book containing the rules nobility were bound to uphold. Kefira accepted the book and looked down at the marked passage. She read it outloud.

“‘In the case of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, there are extenuating circumstances for the nobility,’” she read. “‘ If the infraction occurs in the presence of their liege lord, the guilty noble shall receive double the punishment. If the infraction occurs in the presence of a member of the Imperial Family, the guilty noble shall be sentenced to death.’”

Silence took over the jail cell. Oryin’s eyes nearly bugged out of his face. He spluttered, and it took him several seconds before he found his voice.

“I’m to be sentenced to DEATH?!” He screamed. “No! No, Noooooo!!”

He began to thrash, but he was bound by the magical shackles and his Stats and Skills were sealed. Jekle had no trouble holding him in place.

Reivyn cleared his throat.

“There is one last stipulation,” Reivyn said. Everyone looked at him. “The Imperial Family can vacate a death sentence of a noble; however, the noble in question and three generations of his family shall be stripped of all official rank, title, and position. As Oryin is a member of the last generation, only his and his father’s generation shall be affected.”

Kefira looked back to Oryin.

“Do you wish to vacate your death sentence…” Kefira began.

“YES!” Oryin screamed, straining against Jekle’s grip. “Yes, vacate the death sentence.”

“Very well,” Kefira nodded. She turned to Serilla. “Go inform the jailers to locate Lord Magistrate Fowleu and have him attend to me. Send a military unit to the Fowleu manor and confiscate it, too.”

Serilla nodded her head and stepped out of the cell to send the messages. Kefira turned to the jailer keeping the record.

“The Tribunal has concluded. Process the prisoner for his sentence.”

“Wait, what?” Oryin was thoroughly confused. He had been on the backfoot for quite some time and wasn’t able to keep up with how quickly everything was proceeding.

Kefira shook her head.

“Only your death sentence was vacated. You still have to serve a month in jail as well as pay back a month’s salary based on a Second Lieutenant’s pay.”

Jekle hauled Oryin to his feet. The jailer packed up the magical recording device and stepped out into the hall. Jekle dragged a screaming Oryin behind the jailer.

Serilla quickly returned to the cell. Reivyn, Kefira, and Serilla didn’t have to wait long before Lord Magistrate Fowleu was brought to them. He wasn’t brought alone. Another one of the local magistrates followed him into the cell.

The unfamiliar magistrate glanced at the three people waiting for them curiously. Kefira didn’t wait for Lord Magistrate Fowleu to speak before she opened her mouth.

“Lord Magistrate. Your nephew was found guilty of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy in the presence of a member of the Imperial Family. He was sentenced to death.”

Both magistrates’ eyes opened wide in shock. Before they either could say anything, though, Kefira held up her hand and continued.

“The prisoner chose to plead for his sentence to be vacated. As such, in accordance with the Code of Nobility, he shall be spared at the expense of his three generations losing all official rank, title, and position. You are hereby stripped of your position as a Lord Magistrate. All of your cases shall be vacated to your colleagues.”

Before either of them could respond, Reivyn stepped forward and handed the other magistrate a piece of paper.

“I submit a motion to vacate the jurisdiction of my case to the military,” Reivyn said. “As the alleged infraction occurred during a military operation, you are only allowed to grant the motion per the IMC. My immediate superior shall take over the case.”

Reivyn glanced at Kefira with a smile. She nodded.

“The case against Captain Reivyn is dismissed due to lack of evidence,” she said.

Reivyn glanced at the former Lord Magistrate who was standing completely still, bewildered by what had just happened. Reivyn clapped him on the shoulder and smiled at him.

“Have a pleasant morning, Mr. Fowleu.”