Chapter 22: The City that Tempted Fate Part 10: The Trial of Master Pugnacious
They returned with more noodles as well as refilled canteens, and they all tucked in. Then Zhi Yu himself appeared to assess Evan, Roland and Lofty's conditions a few hours after they'd all eaten. Most of Roland's throbbing or stinging pain had subsided to a dull ache, even when walking or moving around, and both Evan and Lofty's injuries were healing nicely, so Doctor Yu gave them his seal of approval, some more soreaways to munch on and then discharged them. As the appointed time of Pugnacious' trial drew near, they made their way up to Fortune Square. As it was now approaching evening, the sun was low on the horizon and lights all across the city were slowly coming on one by one. News about the upcoming trial had already spread through Goldpaw and a small crowd was already gathering by the time they arrived. State employees were still in the process of erecting the wooden platform and stairs, and they could see no sign of Ya Ya, Ya Pi or Pugnacious. "It doesn't seem like the trial is ready to go ahead just yet," said Aranella. "But then there are still a few minutes to six o'clock."
"We'd better secure ourselves a place at the front while we still can," said Roland.
"Hold on," said Tani. "If the trial is taking place here at Lady Luck, does this mean they're going to be using the dice in the trial?"
"Oh gods I hope not," Aranella replied.
"Well they'll need to use the dice in order to prove it's been tampered with," Roland reasoned. "Otherwise I'm sure even they wouldn't be so irresponsible as to determine the outcome of a trial on a dice roll." He hesitated. "… Right?"
"You would hope but… I suppose we'll see."
As they waited, Roland idly checked Leafbook to see if word had already spread to there. He wasn't exactly sure when the trial had been officially announced, but if it had been around the time that they'd been informed, then a few hours would've passed since then. Sure enough, news of the upcoming trial was already flooding the network and about an hour ago, the platform's moderator had made a post commenting on the subject.
The news coming out of the nation of Goldpaw is that the Grand High Roller Pugnacious, who serves as the nation's ruler and has long been held in high esteem by its people, is being put on trial for crimes against the nation. The trial is scheduled for six o'clock local time and presiding over this trial will be his personal aide, Second Roller Ya Ya. What a fascinating and unexpected turn of events!
"Hey!" Unsure if this was being directed at them, the party turned to investigate.
"Bradley!" They exclaimed in unison.
"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" He asked once he'd joined them.
"We were involved in an altercation," Roland supplied. "But that's all we can tell you right now."
"Oh. Well. If I'm right, then I think I know what happened. And I'm pretty sure it has to do with what's about to happen now."
"It might."
"Well anyway. Ya Ya came to my house about an hour ago. And she looked about as beaten up as you three so I'm guessing you were all involved in the same altercation."
"It's possible."
"What did she be wantin'?" Batu asked.
"She asked me if I'd be willing to testify regarding my involvement in Pugnacious' schemes. Apparently he's being put on trial, for crimes against the nation no less." He grinned. "You guys wouldn't have anything to do with this by any chance would you?"
"We sure do, mun," Lofty confirmed proudly.
"I thought so. But boy, you have been busy. How long did it take you? Like two days?"
"Well, being an Envoy of Niall certainly took us a long way," Roland reasoned. "I don't think we would've gotten anywhere with Ya Ya or Ya Pi if we hadn't had that."
"Oh yeah," Bradley agreed. "I'm sure. But still. You guys pretty much showed up here and then boom. Next thing you know, Pugnacious has been arrested."
"Well we said we'd do what we could to fix things, didn't we?" Said Lofty. "And we did."
"Yeah. I never doubted you."
"Bradley," said Batu. "Why not be tellin' us more about this'ere trial while we be waitin'?"
"Oh sure. I haven't been here for very long so, I'm not one hundred percent on how it works, but-"
"Perhaps I could explain?" Another voice cut in, and they turned their heads to face the speaker. A dogfolk man of no discernible breed was gazing placidly back. Roland first went wide-eyed and then frowned deeply. For some reason he was getting the same sense of familiarity from the man that he'd got from Vermine, though he was once again certain that they'd never met. The dogfolk man inclined his head apologetically. "Forgive me but I could not help but overhear."
"And you are?" Roland asked, a touch more rudely than he'd intended.
"My name is Ali Bi."
"Nice to meet you, Ali Bi," Evan replied. "I'm King Evan of a brand new Kingdom to Come. And we don't mind at all."
"You would know more about this than I do," Bradley added.
"Very well, then I shall explain. Two parties are invited to take the stand. One is the accused and the other is the accuser. Once the trial is under way, both parties must then present their case to the Grand High Roller, who is overseeing the trial. Once the Grand High Roller has listened to both sides, they will then decide if the accused is guilty or not. But as Master Pugnacious is the one taking the stand as the accused party this time, it will fall to Second Roller Ya Ya to discharge his duties."
Roland folded his arms and frowned. "But Lady Ya Ya's the one who's been doing the investigating. And that's not to mention something else that happened just recently. That hardly leaves her in a position to be an unbiased third party."
"I see… I am afraid I cannot say if such a precedent for how to handle a scenario where the Second Roller is both substituting for the Grand High Roller, while also being in a position to accuse them of some wrong doing even exists. But the Grand High Roller being on the stand as the accused is most unprecedented to begin with."
"I see… Well… I guess it's not really our problem."
"What about the dice?" Tani asked. "Are they going to use the dice in the trial?"
"That would depend on what you mean. If you are asking if the dice will be used to decide the outcome of the trial, then is the answer is no." There was a collective sigh of relief. "Or at least not usually."
Aranella straightened up sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
"The Grand High Roller may call upon Lady Luck if they find the decision too difficult to make." There was a collective intake of breath.
"That's pretty yikes," said Roland. "But at least it's better than letting the dice decide all the time."
"No kidding," Bradley commented. "Well thanks for explaining that, that makes things a lot clearer."
Ali Bi inclined his head. "Of course."
He then gestured for the party to huddle close before he continued in a hushed voice. "But since the dice roll of Lady Luck is also on trial this time, Second Roller Ya Ya is going to do just that. And she was hoping you'd be willing to assist her once more."
They exchanged looks. "What do you mean?" Evan asked.
He produced the confiscated control device. "She wants you to use this. I've adjusted it so that it will now work with the ceremonial dice that's already in play. She said you'll know when."
They exchanged looks again. "Perhaps, Roland… We should leave that to you," said Aranella.
"Sure," Roland replied. "I think I know what she's planning." He took the device and tucked it away inside his armpit.
"But…" Evan objected. "Should we really be helping them do this? You know what Niall said."
"Aye. An'that be sayin' nothing o'the fact that we be suspectin' this mystery man be wantin' this all te'appen," Batu added.
"What do you mean?" Bradley asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a little too early to say right now," Roland replied. "You'll just have to wait and see."
"Ah, all right. So it's speculation at the moment."
"Right. But what do you want me to do, Evan? Ya Ya gave us this," he held up the device, "which means she's counting on us to help her out. If we don't things may not go well for her, and you remember what Pugnacious tried to do to her earlier?"
Evan swallowed. "I do."
"On the other hand, if what we think is happening is happening, then the trial going ahead will mean the mystery man gets what he wants, whatever that may be. But." He gestured helplessly. "We're not even sure if we're right about that."
"No…" He agreed.
"So I'll ask you again. You're the King. What are your orders?"
Evan hung his head and his ears drooped. Eventually he decided. "All right… Please help Lady Ya Ya, Roland."
"As you command." He shot a glance at Ali Bi but the dogfolk man's attention appeared to be elsewhere. A hush descended on the sizeable crowd now gathered in Fortune Square.
"Ah, I believe it is now time," Ali Bi observed. Sure enough, Pugnacious, Ya Ya – with Pugnacious' staff in hand – and Ya Pi all took the stand. Ya Ya had changed into fresh clothing, but despite Zhi Yu's administrations, still bore signs of having been in a fight, which naturally drew murmurs from the crowd. As they were all taking the stand, a contingent of soldiers took up their positions, parting the crowd so that a path was cleared from the platform to the entrance to Fortune Square.
"Well that's my cue," said Bradley. "Later guys." They bid him farewell and he threaded his way through the crowd to take his place at the foot of the accuser's stand.
"Wouldn't one of the workers at the factory be a more ideal witness?" Aranella asked half rhetorically.
"They would," Roland agreed. "But testifying would also mean incriminating themselves at the same time, unless they had a good excuse."
"That's true."
Ya Ya struck the wood beneath her feet with the staff three times before speaking. "I hereby convene the Trial of Master Pugnacious, Grand High Roller of Goldpaw. As Master Pugnacious is the defendant in this trial, he will be unable to preside over this hearing. It therefore falls to me, Second Roller Ya Ya, to discharge his duties. Master Pugnacious stands accused of dereliction of duty, specifically the knowing deception of his people, the people of Goldpaw. Standing as the prosecution in this hearing is our venerable Captain of the Guard, Ya Pi. Captain. If you would like to begin by making your case?"
"Thank you, Second Roller Ya Ya. It has recently come to my attention that over the past couple of months, Master Pugnacious has both knowingly and willingly, with the aid of a network of his most trusted retainers, been defrauding the very people with whose care he has been entrusted. This scheme was achieved with the distribution of devices disguised as ordinary dice, that his accomplices were able to use to manipulate and alter otherwise unfavourable dice rolls to their benefit."
"In the interest of fairness, Captain, do you have anything with which to substantiate your claim? That it was Master Pugnacious who was the architect of this grand scheme and not another individual?"
"I do." He produced some documents from his armsband. "These documents were recovered from a factory located beneath the Lucky Stars Casino. These documents among others are funding and supply requests, all bearing Master Pugnacious' own signature. We also procured examples of recent correspondence between Master Pugnacious and the factory foreman, correspondence that were either written in Master Pugnacious' own handwriting or specifically addressed to him."
A murmur rippled through the crowd at this. "Does the accused have anything to say in his defence?"
"Both of you have access to documents displaying examples of my handwriting." Pugnacious countered readily. "You could have easily taken these documents and used them to create forgeries detailing whatever you wished. What proof do you have that neither of you committed such an act? Or that you planted the correspondence yourselves?"
"What?!" Ya Ya objected while Ya Pi simply frowned.
Roland glanced around as the crowd murmured amongst themselves and he heard Batu grumble under his breath. "Bah. That be a weasel tactic."
"How dare you-?!" Ya Ya took a deep breath and expelled it to regain her composure. "Captain Ya Pi, if you would?"
"Of course, Lady Ya Ya. We have a witness who will testify that you blackmailed him into inventing a way to manipulate the dice that are used in the casinos." He turned to Bradley. "Mr Summers, if you would care to take the stand?"
"Sure thing." He and Ya Pi changed places. "My name is Bradley Summers. About three months ago, Master Pugnacious showed up at my door because he wanted my help with inventing a way to control the dice used by all of the casinos in the nation in order to maximise his cash intake. Such a dice needed to be indistinguishable from regular dice, so that the patrons would not immediately notice the difference when handled. He tried to win me over by first explaining that if he had more money, he would have more money to spend on the nation. When I refused, he resorted to blackmailing me. He threatened to revoke my citizenship and throw me out of Goldpaw on some made up charges. In light of these threats, I felt I had no other choice but to do as he demanded, so I invented and supplied the prototypes, as well as the necessary materials he would need to mass-produce them."
"He didn't mention Lady Luck," Tani observed as Ya Ya thanked him.
"I noticed that as well, but judging by how this trial is playing out that was actually a smart move," said Roland. "And one they'd planned for."
"What do you mean?" Evan asked as Ya Pi retook the stand.
"He's pitting his reputation against both of theirs, so by withholding the detail about Lady Luck, they intend to use the dice to force his hand. That's why they gave us this," he said holding up the control device.
"That's very well played," Aranella complemented as Ya Ya continued. "And what do you have to say to that, Master Pugnacious?"
"Citizens of Goldpaw, I ask you this. Will you believe the words of an outsider, over me, your Grand High Roller?"
"Mr Summers is an outsider that you personally welcomed into Goldpaw only a week after his arrival, Master Pugnacious," Ya Pi countered. "Are you saying that you were wrong to do so or that you never did? Are you now revoking his citizenship and if so for what reason? Or are you suggesting that the only true citizen of Goldpaw is one who is born here? I am certain there are those in the crowd who would find that suggestion to be most troubling."
"Not at all. But the citizens of Goldpaw deserve more than just his word on the matter. Does he have any proof of this claim?"
"Mr Summers testified that he supplied everything to you so of course he has nothing to show. A fact of which you are well aware. Fortunately some documents supporting Mr Summers' statement were also recovered from the factory." He produced the documents from his armsband. "Here are instructions and blueprints for the construction of devices capable of manipulating the dice that are used in the casinos. I draw attention to the fact that the technology depicted in these blueprints is quite sophisticated despite its apparent simplicity and therefore somewhat beyond the current level of technological advancement in Goldpaw. Furthermore, these blueprints have been signed by Master Pugnacious." Another murmur rippled through the crowd at this.
"He could have easily invented the devices at your instruction and then been ordered to name me as the one responsible."
"If we were indeed the ones responsible for this scheme, Master Pugnacious, then what reason would we have to expose it to the people of Goldpaw at this time?" Ya Pi retorted. "Why not simply continue the pretence?"
"Those reasons would not be mine to know." The counterargument was weak, or at least weaker than the others, and the murmuring from the assembled crowd reflected this.
"It seems the seeds of doubt are beginning to take root," Ali Bi stated absently and Roland frowned at him.
"Indeed," said Ya Pi. "Because those reasons do not exist."
"I believe we have heard all we need to hear," said Ya Ya. "And since it is clear that no conclusion can be drawn from the evidence, I, Second Roller Ya Ya, decree it to be necessary to call upon the judgement of our Mistress of Fortune. Do you agree, Captain Ya Pi?"
"I do."
"And do you accept, Master Pugnacious?" He hesitated, so she pressed the issue. "Or is there some reason that you would not?" Pugnacious glared daggers at her.
"Nice," Roland complemented.
"If you believe it best, Ya Ya," he eventually conceded. "Confidence was never a strength of yours after all."
She swallowed before continuing. "Then may the dice roll stand as the undisputed word of truth." She raised her hands – and staff – aloft. "Lady Luck, grant us an even number if this evidence is false. If it be otherwise, let the number be odd." She gripped the staff with both hands and with a light thunk, it struck the wood beneath her feet.
With a mechanical whirring, Lady Luck began to move. The automaton raised the left hand that held the dice and then dropped it. The dice hit the dais with a heavy thud and all eyes watched with baited breath as the dice rolled.
"Roland," said Evan.
"Not yet," he replied. He looked to Pugnacious. Pugnacious' gaze was flicking between the dice, Ya Ya and Ya Pi. He looked like he was trying to figure out what their game was, but they both gazed back placidly having little interest in the outcome of the dice roll and gave no indication of interfering. The dice wavered and looked like it was going to settle on a three. Seeing this, Pugnacious' hand disappeared behind his sleeve and the dice flipped over landing on a two. He looked to them with a smirk. "Even! Lady Luck has judged the evidence to be false."
"Roland?" Evan asked.
"Wait for it."
Ya Ya and Ya Pi were both the picture of calm. "Are you so sure about that?" She asked. That was his cue. Roland moved the control stick and the dice flipped over, landing on a one. The crowd gasped.
"No!" Pugnacious cried.
The dice moved again, landing on a four and then again landing on a five. "What is happening?" The crowd demanded. "The dice! Something is wrong with the dice!"
"How? How are you doing this?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Ya Ya asked.
"You… You are manipulating the dice!" He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her.
"I beg your pardon," she replied raising her free hand to show it was empty. "Exactly how would I be doing this pray tell?"
"Then you!" He pointed to Ya Pi, but Ya Pi countered the accusation by simply holding up his empty hands.
"Then… you?" He pointed to Bradley.
Bradley held up his hands which were also empty. "Sorry, man, it ain't me."
Roland's attention snapped to Ali Bi who had chuckled. "Well played," he complemented and Roland glared at him. What was with this guy?
Pugnacious' gaze turned to Roland and Evan, but Roland returned it with a glare that dared him to try accusing them, so he looked away and stared at his remote control in confusion instead. Was the thing malfunctioning? But when he moved the control stick, the dice rolled obediently in the direction he'd commanded. And then it moved again!
"There's something in his hand!" Someone in the crowd shouted. "Look!"
While Pugnacious was preoccupied with the rolling dice, Ya Pi descended the stand and came up behind him. "Master Pugnacious. Perhaps you would care to show the citizens of Goldpaw exactly what it is you hold in your hand?" He was so surprised by the appearance of Ya Pi in his personal space that the control device slipped from his grasp and landed on the dais below. Ya Pi vaulted over the barrier to retrieve it and held it aloft as he used the control stick to roll the dice around. "As you can see, Master Pugnacious has been using this device to control the dice rolls of Lady Luck for the past two months, with the intention of maximising the tax rate." He stopped and turned to look Pugnacious dead in the eyes. "Would the Grand High Roller care to accuse us of planting this?"
"You… you-you…" Pugnacious sputtered.
The crowd was now in an uproar, and the soldiers struggled to hold them back. "Cheat! Deceiver! Shame on you! You are the Grand High Roller!"
"I, Second Roller Ya Ya, will now conclude this trial," she said over the commotion. "I find Grand High Roller Pugnacious to be guilty as charged." She glared at him. "Master Pugnacious. It is time for you to pay for your crimes."
Ya Pi vaulted back over the barrier. "I would prepare yourself for a visit from Longfang if I were you," he said. Then added, "Now come," before seizing Pugnacious by the elbow and hauling him down the steps as Ya Ya descended hers. Once they were clear, state employees immediately got to work dismantling the platform in anticipation of the arrival of Longfang.
"Master Pugnacious? After everything that's happened… have you nothing to say?" Ya Ya half demanded, half asked.
"You do not… understand…" He insisted. "All that I did," he snarled, an all too familiar dark aura flaring to life around him, wreathing him in purple flames. "I did for Goldpaw!" Ya Pi and Ya Ya stepped back in alarm as a shocked hush descended on the crowd.
"Oh gods, they were right," Ya Ya uttered in horrified realisation.
"Oh man, they were," Bradley added while Ya Pi simply frowned.
"I had to make the nation rich," he continued. "Richer than any other!" As he ranted the dark aura intensified so that he was almost completely engulfed by it. "I had to eliminate poverty… so that no one would grow up in destitution as I did! That many others did! Controlling the dice, controlling the taxes. It was the only way to achieve these goals.The only way!"
Roland's attention snapped to Ali Bi once again as the dogfolk man murmured to himself in the stunned silence that followed. "Ah. The bond with his people is weakening." His people? Roland thought. Ali Bi glanced up towards the mountains in the distance. "Soon it will be time…"
Wha…? Roland followed his gaze. Something detached itself from the side of the mountain, or flew out from behind it, it was hard to tell at this distance, and in the now rapidly darkening sky. "Look!" He shouted.
"Longfang!" Several people exclaimed and the crowd cheered for the appearance of their Kingmaker. Ya Ya looked to the party with the expression of one who had realised their error but could do nothing about it.
"Longfang?" Pugnacious repeated in disbelief. "Here, in the city? But… but why? I did everything he asked of me… didn't I…?"
"The darkness, mun," Lofty murmured. "It's wavering."
"You mean after all this, he's finally beginning to realise?" Tani asked.
"Almost, but not quite."
Ali Bi stepped forward. "Master Pugnacious," he spoke cooly. Pugnacious, Ya Ya, Ya Pi and Bradley turned to face him, and the party's attention snapped to him. "Your right to rule has been tested… and found wanting."
"Who-?" Pugnacious began, but Ali Bi was suddenly consumed by dark flames, and in his place stood a strange man dressed in off-white and navy robes and light purple cloak, all with a gold trim, and an elaborate golden headdress that was fashioned to look like a cobra and obscured most of his face. "You!" He, Ya Ya and Ya Pi all exclaimed in recognition while Bradley uttered, "Whoa what?"
"My plan is complete!" "Ali Bi" sneered. "Your kingsbond is mine!" Before anyone could process what was happening, the man leapt forward, his hand wreathed in dark flames. He plunged the hand into Pugnacious' chest to screams of horror from the onlooking crowd and drew out a red and gold strand, just like the one that had formed when Evan and Lofty had made their bond. With a firm tug, the kingsbond was severed.
"Impossible!" Aranella protested as Evan cried, "No!" And Batu shouted, "Snakes alive!"
Pugnacious' eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. Longfang threw back his head and roared up a storm, his eyes turning a solid red. And everyone who was a citizen of Goldpaw – including Bradley – cried out in pain and clutched their chests. "Ah!" He yelped. "What was that?"
"Ali Bi" turned to the party with a sinister chuckle. "I must thank you for your… assistance with acquiring this kingsbond." They glared daggers at him as he continued. "As a consequence of your interference, you accelerated its degeneration, thereby allowing me to harvest it ahead of schedule." He smirked. "For that, you have my gratitude." With the severed strand of kingsbond in hand and a sweep of his cloak, he disappeared in a purple flash.
"What just happened?" Roland asked, giving voice to everyone's disbelief. "And who was that?" And why do I feel as though I know him? He added silently.
"That man, he was… he was the man who appeared to us some months before," Ya Ya replied.
"And did he just… steal Pugnacious' kingsbond?" Tani asked. "I didn't know that was even possible."
"Oh gods, this is so much worse than we'd thought," said Aranella.
Roland looked up. "And it's about to get much worse," he commented darkly, moments before they were all suddenly buffeted by gusts of wind as Longfang descended into the square, crushing Lady Luck beneath his feet. His deafening roar had them pinning their ears and sent the crowd fleeing and screaming in terror. The sudden movement spurred the enraged Kingmaker into attacking and he leapt after them. Without needing to be commanded, the soldiers stepped in to protect the crowd, drawing Longfang's attention away.
A/N: Canon: Nation's ruler is exposed and then prosecuted by a foreign power.
Me: Ha ha ha, how about we don't do that?
The way Goldpaw plays out in canon is very much at Goldpaw's expense. Doloran is able to take on the role of Pugnacious' personal advisor/assistant because the person who should be filling that role is missing from the narrative. Roland is allowed to fill in as prosecutor for Pugnacious' trial because the person who should be filling that role is missing from the narrative.
Plugging these holes was a simple and easy fix; The former with the creation of Second Roller Ya Ya, and the second by allowing an already existing character to actually do his job. That's right, Ya Pi, who spends the Goldpaw arc as little more than background decoration gets to be involved in the story this time around.