Trial by fire

A gasp echoed through the square, followed by overlapping murmurs as the villagers stared at the coin in awe.

A scoff cut through the air, shaking his head in disappointment, Gareth said, "Really, Chief Ethan? A single Solis? That's your grand proof?"

Hearing Gareth's words, uncertainty crept into the murmur resounding through the square.

One of the villagers a bald man scratched his head. "It's not that strange… Maybe whoever it was got lucky?"

Gareth latched onto that. "Exactly! What if our new chief who mind you, just survived an attempt on his life simply wants a scapegoat?"

Ethan turned to one of the wealthiest villagers, a merchant who ran the grain trade. "Tell me, Henry, when was the last time you saw a villager in possession of Solis?"

Henry frowned, stroking his beard. "Solis? In a village?"

Chuckling as if he'd been told the sun rises from the south, Henry continued, "They'd be lucky to have a handful of Couls. Only town and city merchants use them."

Ethan turned back to the crowd. "And yet... one of us has one hidden right under his bed. Isn't that strange?"

Gareth cut in, as he spoke, his voice hardened in disbelief. "You want to burn a man for having savings? That's madness—If we burn an innocent man tonight, his blood will be on your hands, Ethan Cross."

"You're right Elder Gareth we can't burn a man for saving money."

Seeing a trace of smile on Gareth's face Ethan continued, "But you see... I uncovered another piece of evidence at the traitor's house. One that would –"

Gareth interrupted him with a snort. "For all we know you could have planted it or claimed to have found it there, seeing as no one was there when you discovered your so called evidence."

Several villagers nodded, though others still looked unsure. A handful of older villagers flashed Ethan a look of disappointment.

Titling his head, Ethan studied Gareth's face, letting the a brief interlude of silence settle before he said, "Strange. You're awfully defensive for someone who has nothing to hide. Do you perhaps have some skeletons in your closet Gareth?"

Gareth retorted, sharply raising his voice. "Nonsense! I am an elder of this village and you will speak to me with respect! I'm only making sure that due process is followed before we cast our judgement."

The villagers nodded in agreement as more of them looked at Ethan in disappointment.

Gareth smirked. 'You're still too green to debate with me little boy.'

Ethan raised his brows, staring at him impassively. Then, he smiled. "You're right. Due process must be followed."

A sudden hush settled over the crowd as they stared in anticipation.

Then Ethan raised a hand, gesturing at the dirt path zig-zagging through the village. "So let's follow it, straight.. to your house."

Gareth's eyelids twitched. A single drop of sweat rolling down his temple. 'Follow the goddamn script boy.'

The villagers gasped, as if the pieces had just clicked into place. One of them muttered, "Wait… is he really—?"

The stout female elder stepped forward, voice hard. "Gareth, if you have nothing to hide, you won't mind us taking a look right?"

Gareth's eyes flicked to the crowd, then to Ethan, before resting on the path leading away from the village square.

A woman in the crowd, crossed her arms frowning. "I've known Elder Gareth since I was a girl. You're saying he'd betray us?"

Hearing the word, Gareth's turned back facing the crowd his eyes sorrowful. "After all I've done for this village, you now want to drag me to my own house! Like a criminal!"

Ethan shook his head. "No one's dragging you anywhere Gareth, all we want is for you to lead the way, that way no one plants incriminating evidence on you."

Raising his brow inquisitively, Ethan's voice turned cold. "Or should we skip the walk and go straight to the Trial by fire?"

Letting out a sharp mocking laugh, Gareth shook his head. "A single silver coin and a few words, and suddenly I'm the traitor? This is madness!"

He turned to the crowd, voice dripping with disbelief. "Think, all of you! Who benefits the most from this? Our new chief, who just survived a brush with death, now claims to know who our enemies are? Convenient, isn't it?"

Letting the silence build momentum, he concluded, "For all we know, this could be the side effect of the poisoning."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd. "Enough of this!" A burly man stepped forward. "You survived death, and now you accuse an elder?

Ignoring the man Ethan took a step toward Gareth, his voice dropping dangerously. "I'm done asking Gareth."

Gesturing at the dirt patch, he continued, "Move."

The villages let out a collective gasp while Anna shouted excitedly, "Come on get it going! I want to see flames!"

Gareth scoffed. "Fine! Search my home! And when you find nothing, I want every single one of you to remember this humiliation!"

The villagers hesitated, a few of them nodded at Gareth's words while the rest just observed.

Anna shouted from the back again. "You talk too much! Lead the damn way!"

Ethan shot her a glare. "Anna!"

She huffed with a pout. "Fine, fine, I'll behave. But I calls dibs on lighting the fire though."

Gareth glanced at the villagers, seeing no one coming to his rescue, he slowly started walking.

Leading the way as they proceeded through the dirt patch, his eyes darted wildly searching for an escape route.

A notification popped up in Ethan's view prompting a smile from him.

[Mission complete..]

[Rewards have been delivered to your inbox.]

Staring at Gareth, the systems blue screen turned golden as he thought of appraisal.

[Target Identified]

Name: Gareth

Class: Politician (Elder)

Alignment: Harleigh town, Cross village

Threat Level: Moderate

Emotional State: Defensive

Elemental affinity: None

The moment they arrived close to Gareth's house around the edge of the village overlooking a dense jungle.

Gareth's eyes darted from villager to villager, seeking an ally—but all he found were cold, expectant stares.

Letting out a bitter laugh, he snarled, "You're all fools! The real traitor is—" He turned, pointing a finger at Morris. "Morris! He's the one working with outsiders. Ask him where he was last night."

Morris frowned. "I was home Gareth. With my wife and – "

But Gareth wasn't waiting for an answer. The moment eyes shifted to Morris, he turned and ran.

Shocked expressions appeared on the faces of all the villagers, even the elders weren't spared as they stared at Gareth's aged body weaving through the dense jungle with agility.

It took them a few minutes before they recovered from the shock.

"He… he really was the traitor." someone whispered, voice trembling.

The burly man from before, took a shaky step back, his face pale. "I vouched for him... I trusted him…"

The moment Ethan stared at him, the system screen turned golden again.

[Target Identified]

Name: Romelu

Class: Builder

Alignment: Cross Village

Threat Level: Nill

Emotional State: Weary

Elemental affinity: Nill

Approaching him, Ethan placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "It's alright Romelu. Sometimes people aren't what they seem."

Turning to the rest of the villagers, he said, "Let this be a lesson to all of us—power doesn't make a man good."

Letting the weight of his words settle, he continued, "Trust must be earned, not given blindly. Because the ones who smile at you today… may be the ones poisoning you tomorrow."

After a few minutes passed by, Ethan spoke again. "Alright people, we can't dwell on the past and refuse to embrace the future."

Henry crossed his arms. "You're right Chief. So what now?"

Smiling, Ethan replied, "It's time we start rebuilding."

Morris nodded. "Aye! You couldn't have said it any better Chief we need do to start focusing one the future. To ensure the mistakes of the past do not happen again."

Romelu took a deep breath his gaze steady as he stood up. "You're right Chief"

As he walked back to the main village, the rest following him as the crowd dispersed.

Watching the crowd disperse, another notification interrupted Ethan's train of thought.

[Side mission: Hunt down the rat]

[Objective: Catch the escapee before he relates news of your survival to Lord Bolton.]

[Reward: Unlocking the hosts Mana circuits.]

[Bonus Reward: Host attribute screen.]

[Punishment: Lord Bolton learns of your survival ahead of schedule and sends an assassin.]

His gazed slowly ran down the message, his lips twitched as he read the punishment.

'WTF. I thought I already solved that and what's with this Lord Bolton and assassins?'

The message on the screen simply stared back at him, monotonous and unyielding. A reminder that his work was just beginning.

"Okay that's just too much for one day." Ethan muttered, his eyes twitching as he rubbed his temples.

Anna walked over. "What's wrong?"

Ethan sighed. "Nothing, just an AI with an attitude."

Anna's head tilted to the side, curiosity gleaming in her eyes, "What's an AI?"

Ethan chucked, "You talk too much." Thumping her forehead with his finger. He walked back to the village square.

Anna clutched her forehead. "Ouch."

Shouting, "Wait up!" She chased after him.