Chapter 36: Legal Problems
"Halt villain, in the name of Tethyrian law!"
"Ugh…" I groaned, "…Great…"
It wasn't long before the stretch of sand opened up before us, signaling the start of our desert tromping. I've traipsed across worse deserts but it hadn't been any picnic. Hot days of burning stinging winds and nights of abnormally chilly temperatures. I swear, there is not a single redeeming quality to these barren tracks of sand.
So, the oasis was a welcome sight as it appeared before us, just as the sun was setting; a cluster of large rocks, dotted with trees and the friendly glimmer of pools of water. The desert had been filled with that gritty harsh sand, the really big chunky kind and I felt that my boots were filled with a generous amount of it, making walking a throbbing chore. I could have dumped it out, sure, but it would have been right back again five minutes later. But the oasis was different, with white thin sand, the sort that ran through your fingers like sparkling liquid.
It was a relaxing and peaceful place…If not for the entire battalion of armed guards waiting there.
As we crossed the first line of trees, we saw the desert sanctuary was not unoccupied. Nearly forty or fifty men and women were milling about, most armed heavily, covered in armor plates and chain. I recognized them swiftly, for they wore the symbol of the kingdom of Tythyr, the same as many of the defenders in Saradush had worn. I reasoned that they might have been the relief force, finally dispatched to assist Saradush in their hour of need. I quickly scratched that idea when I saw that there weren't nearly enough of them to properly take on such a daunting task.
Also, when we came trudging in from the twilight, they all turned to face us, rising up and drawing steel. They rapidly formed a study line in front of us, barring advancement, and then yelled out the whole "Halt villain" thing. I knew this wasn't going to end well.
"Can I…help you gentlemen?" I asked lightly, hoping this was a simple misunderstanding.
From out of their ranks stepped a man with the presence and aura of authority, the leader no doubt. He was an older man, though not quite as grizzled or aged as Keldorn, but had graying hair, a hard-lined face that had no doubt experienced much, firm dark eyes that were unwavering, and a walk of man who had no fear. He approached but didn't leave the ranks of his men too far behind, staring directly at me. Looks like I was going to be the star of the show again…
"Dietrich Vegaz I presume?" he demanded in a level crisp tone. I bowed, despite knowing that he calling my name was likely not to be a good thing.
"At your service," I answered politely.
"As I surmised. Very well, throw down your weapons and come peacefully. I hereby place you under arrest in the name of the King and Queen of Tythyr. You have this one opportunity to come quietly or else I will have no recourse but to follow through with the order of your execution."
"I see…and…who are you again?"
"I am General Jamis Tombelthen, representative of his majesties of Tythyr, dispatched to see justice is dealt to enemies of the crown. You have certainly caused enough damage to our kingdom and I am to see your offenses are accounted for."
"And what exactly are my offenses?"
"You are well-known and well-feared Child of Bhaal who has brought nothing but ruin and strife to our kingdom and by order of the King and Queen you are to be brought to answer for your crimes. Either through a trial or by your execution now."
"What foolishness," Jaheira snapped, "You give no reasons except that he is a Bhaalspawn. What exactly are these crimes you are babbling about? We have been in this kingdom for a few weeks only."
"Yet long enough to sow chaos and destroy the city of Saradush. We had heard the town had been besieged by a Bhaalspawn and received word only a day ago that the town was leveled. And…" he glared at me coldly, "The dreaded Terror of the Sword Coast had been seen near the city limits. It was deemed that you are the vile culprit."
"One moment my good sir," Yoshimo interjected him with a sly grin, "You believe that my esteemed friend here is the one that turned Saradush into a pile of rubble? I think there may have been some misunderstanding…"
"These are the facts that we have and my lord and lady had us act upon them, to intercept this murderer before another slaughter ensued."
"If slaughter is what you hope to avoid," Sarevok warned them with his dark voice, though there was a hint of anticipation mixed in, "then you had best leave now. If he did indeed destroy a city as you delude yourselves into believing, then did you hope to subdue him with this ragtag militia you have assembled? You truly underestimate the power and fury that is the blood of Bhaal, fool." This made the general's face scrunch up and I all but felt a shiver of cold dread ripple throughout the troops gather behind him. I stepped forward, in front of my behemoth brother.
"Sarevok," I shushed, "You're not exactly helping my defense case here with that. Can I handle this please?" He glanced between the mass of soldiers, who now were looking more frightened at his words, before waving a hand.
"As you wish brother. But do not say I did not warn them." I turned back to Jamis Tombelthen.
"I'm sorry you and your platoon had to march all the way out here, but I'm afraid you have the wrong Bhaalspawn. Saradush wasn't destroyed by my hand." The general stared at me hard, before sighing.
"Does this mean that you will not surrender?" This surprised me, as I had thought telling him of his error would get me out of this.
"What…wait, didn't you hear what I just said? You have the wrong person. The real killer…" Jamis cut me off with his own gruff tone.
"Then I have no choice. Dietrich Vegaz, I hereby sentence you to death for your foul transgressions. May the gods have mercy upon your tainted soul!"
So saying, the good general drew his sword and dashed forward, his blade held high and came crashing down at my unprotected head. Though he was quick and he was somewhat dishonorably trying to take me out swiftly, I didn't die. Speed was my forte and the moment he made his move, I was already prepared.
Suddenly the Equalizer was there, holding his mighty swing at bay only inches above my skull. A flash later, up came the Celestial Fury, though the blade itself was turned down and I jolted his hand with a sharp blow from its hilt, the grip of his own blade lost. Finishing things, I darted in, my foot sweeping the ground and his feet fell out from under him as he clatter to the ground on his back, knocking his wind out. Before he could recover, my katana was down, resting oh so lightly on the exposed part of his neck.
"My," I mused looking down at him, "You're just itching to execute me aren't you?"
"Kill me," Jamis looked up coldly, knowing his own defeat had been swift and…well, easy, "But know my men will not surrender if I die. They will oppose you to the very last."
"They may try if they wish," Sarevok invited, scanning their ranks with a sneer, "But they had best not expect to walk away with their lives. Our task far transcends your petty legal affairs. If you insist in getting in our way, then you will be…" he lifted his hand, resting it on the crimson hilt of his sword, "Removed…"
"SAREVOK!" I thundered, my shout making the uneasy soldiers jump in surprise, "Will you knock it off? I'm trying to avoid bloodshed here, so kindly quit trying to pick a fight with the whole damn world, will you?" He stood still, and finally removed his hand from his blade and was silent. I looked back down at the somewhat wrathful general.
"Alright Jamis, let's get a few things cleared up here. First, as I said just before you tried to cleave my head in half, I didn't destroy Saradush. Do you see an army behind me? Are you claiming that me and five other people annihilated an entire city? That can't make sense to you. Also, you needn't search for the real killer; I already dealt with him myself. And lastly, I'm not going to kill you. Despite you trying to cut my head off, I have no real reason and certainly no desire to do so." And with that, my sword was removed and I gracefully slid both my blades back into their respective sheathes. The general sat up, rubbing his neck, before hoisting himself to his feet once again.
"And by what cause do I have to believe this? Your word? Such assurances do not amount to much, especially from a Bhaalspawn…"
"There are no lies here and a great mistake you have made, hasty general," Minsc told him sternly, "Dorrac is not the vile villain of great evil that you seek! Ask Boo and he will tell you all about the great and smell fire giant called Yaga-Shura. He and his foul hearts are the ones who killed all the nice people! And we have seen his butt kicked severely for being so evil! Boo even jumped up and down on him just to be extra sure; and he is most certainly dead! Minsc's friend Dessial is a most valiant of hero, who only does good and righteous bad guy stomping!"
"I have no reason to believe anything you claim either," Jamis grunted, "You are his most trusted lackeys and are naturally going to support whatever your leader claims."
"And what of me then?" Keldorn asked him, stepping forward to the front now, scanning all the men assembled with his steadfast gaze. "I am Keldorn Firecam, faithful servant of Torm and a loyal member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. Am I a simple lackey as well, following evil in murdering innocents and demolishing cities?" It was quite a marvel to watch, the general's face. His suspicion and contempt melted as he stared at Keldorn in perhaps awe, who always seemed to be shining with a inner radiance. It would have been impossible to say that he had been lying as well.
"I…I am…I must apologize Sir Keldorn…But…But…I am at a loss as to what I should think. I do not doubt you, your reputation as a legendary champion of good is undeniable, yet you travel with…well…a Bhaalspawn and a dangerous one at that. Things are growing more steadily more complicated than I had imagined."
"Indeed. Perhaps if I explain the situation in full, you and your lord and lady will understand the circumstances around us better…"
"Speak on then, I wish to know what truly befell our city…"
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"Yaga-Shura," General Jamis mulled over the story, "And you are certain he is…"
"Half of his head was blasted off by lightning," I assured him, "his fire giant elite are slain and his mercenary thugs have scattered to the four points of the compass. He is a threat to no one anymore." He nodded, his eyes distant, his mind surely reeling at all he had heard.
A temporary cease fire occurred, the two older men sitting down and letting the tale be told. The general's men stood by, nervous but listening just as intently as their leader. The story that we had gone through only a day ago told by Keldorn did much to put Jamis at ease, though I have to say I was a bit miffed about it. I had said the same thing earlier, yet he hadn't listened. I guess a Bhaalspawn's credibility wasn't worth much these days. Especially when regarded next to a paladin's. Regardless, the general rose, before facing me again, bowing his head.
"I then must apologize to you Dietrich for our rashness. I personally had no idea what befell our city or who was to blame yet when one receives an order from their king and queen, one does not refuse."
"There order was nothing but their fear controlling them," Jaheira informed him, "They wish to execute him not because of what he had supposedly done, but merely because of what he is. A Bhaalspawn, and in this time of crisis they feel that if all of them were dead, then it might end their suffering."
"Mayhaps, but in truth, is that not so? If the situation is allowed to escalate, there can only be more disasters like Saradush. That is why, unfortunately, Dietrich, I must once again ask you to surrender to me and come with us."
"What?!" Jaheira barked out, "You heard the account yourself, yet you still cling to your duties like some mindless…"
"I am sorry," Jamis interrupted her, "But despite all the good he has done, it still sounds like Dietrich was a cause of Saradush's destruction nonetheless. Being a Bhaalspawn and being inside caused Yaga-Shura's army to descend in the first place. And who's to say it doesn't happen again, some other Bhaalspawn and their army following you, leaving whatever lies in their path in ruins?"
"And that's my fault?" I was beginning to see red at this nonsense, "I'm the only one around here who has the backbone to stand and fight these Bhaalspawn, plus I did my best to save your city, whilst your king and queen abandoned it."
"The King and Queen are preoccupied by riots in Myratma, as well as cunning opportunists who seek to invade our eastern border, plotting to cause discord in our land. Our forces are engaged in a stand-off, and moving them now could cause our front to crumble."
"I see, so since they didn't lift a finger in saving their own city, they instead decide to come after me, just because I have an indirect tie to its eradication. Even after I killed the real offender?"
"Such is the way of weak men," Sarevok told me, "If there is no one to blame for all the troubles that befall them, condemning an innocent party is just as good. The mob demands a sacrifice; one they can believe is responsible for their suffering, one whose death will make them more secure and feel better. And no doubt the people of Tythyr call for blood."
"It is true," the general agreed, "Someone must be made to pay for this crime, else the king and queen lose the faith of the people. The anarchy that could follow would be disastrous."
"Such justice," Jaheira snorted, "Grabbing the only person left to be your scapegoat, merely to keep the people happy. That is a mockery of all things that are good and just."
"His cause is a noble one," Keldorn insisted, "Else I would not have been apart of his group. We seek to put an end to this whole matter once and for all. Surely that is enough to convince you of our intentions?"
The arguing went on between Jamis and my group, whilst I myself stood quietly, easing my own rising temper. I wasn't angry with Jamis though, nor with his rash lord and lady…no, I was angry with myself and with all the other Bhaalspawn that had turned the world into such a panicked and fearful place. And of course, Bhaal himself. Damn him for causing all of this in the first place. And though I wasn't the evil monster that many portrayed me to be, I certainly was not a submissive pushover either.
"Well then…" said I, very simply, "My answer is no."
"What?"
"You heard me general. I'm not going with you. I have work to be doing; there are three other members of the Five out there and I need to find them and stop them."
"I cannot allow that. I have you here and I must contain you and bring you back to the capital to face judgment. To merely let you escape now would be a grave violation of my orders." I stepped forward, looking him dead in the face.
"You know, I don't really like resorting to threats general, but don't forget that not but a day ago I single-handedly tore apart an entire army consisting of fire giants and thugs whose numbers were easily one hundred times what you have here. I suspect you don't wish to see how I was able to do that…"
He stared back and deep in those dark brown eyes I saw a spark of fear. If things had been different and I was the murderer that I had been portrayed as, he'd have been dead the moment he challenged me. But I wasn't and never would be, but I wasn't interested in going to jail for some half-cocked reason. If I was incarcerated, then the three remaining Bhaalspawn would be free to strengthen their armies and bring more death across the land. And of course, the worse the damage, my trial, so called, would become more and more of a farce.
With a shrug I walked past him, waving at my comrades to follow. They did and we started forward. As I thought, Jamis didn't try and stop us. He knew I had a point, and…hopefully, he knew that we were right and capturing me wouldn't end things. As I approached all of his men, they began to back down, opening a path for us. We had almost cleared their ranks when I paused, looking back at the slumped shoulders of General Jamis Tombelthan; undoubtedly feeling dejected knowing he had failed his mission.
"If you are wondering what to tell your king and queen about this encounter," I called back, "tell them that I am truly sorry that this whole mess is unfolding in their kingdom. It wasn't my idea, I'll tell you that. And…" I glanced among all the men in Jamis's unit, "If they really want all this madness to stop, then they should let me go about my business, instead of sending troops they could have used at Saradush after me. My death or trial isn't going to solve this problem, so let me end this as it needs to be ended. Between us Bhaalspawn…"