Forgiveness by the Fire’s Light

JP with Omni, Jaxx, Lorem and Winteroak

Voah paced in front of the crowd with wide eyes, though she was anxious that this riotous group would turn against her next. She raised her voice over them to keep it from wavering and betraying her authority.

“Fear the wrath, the justice of Vastad, for it is upon you now!” she called.

“By the will of the Pillars, I have been led here to this farmstead, where we stand in the presence of heretics…” she moved over toward the cultist they had followed.

The man begin to standup and as she approached he tried to swing at her to push her away but she deftly tilted at the hip and retorted by grabbing his head and giving him a knee to the temple. It was just enough to rattle the man but not do much harm, but then she followed it up with a boot to the side and she pinned him to the cold earth underfoot.

“Who among you knows this man? Step forward and speak!”

She waited as the awestruck crowd looked around nervously at one another. No one responded.

“He who hides his brothers unabsolved sins, bears the guilt of the sins himself… and in turn shares in his judgement and punishment.”

Again she waited for a reply from the crowd.

“Zin’s breath is in our midst, I want names! The Creed of Sliviki! Who among you.. knows this man?! Who knows of this creed?”

Gonyaul had frozen like a rabbit in the field when the commotion escalated. It was dark and went unnoticed. He was disappointed that people behaved like this. He only continued forward after things came to a halt with the Arbiters imposing presence.

He inches closer until he was just visible on the threshold of where the fading fire’s glow gave way to night. He was mindful to not stand near anyone else.

He wished he could stop this from proceeding but hadn’t figured out how or regrettably found his voice yet to speak up against the malevolence and suffering.

At the mention of the Creed most people looked around. Some clearly in confusion others in fear. The man under the Arbiter's boot skirmished grabbing at her leg and trying to get from under her.

"We all know him." Came a voice from the dark. "He lives here.." came another.
"Why are you attacking us?" came the voice of an older woman from the crowd.

Gonyaul’s eyes had started watering as he spectated. He saw fear, pain, confusion, and more in the faces of the crowd. The debts for people’s poor choices were coming into collection. Earned consequences were having a domino effect that was rippling outward from this moment. And evil was being repaid with evil; magnifying itself. And here he was, too scared at present to make a difference.

It was a fair question, Voah hadn't actually seen what had occurred between Hunter and those men. Damn. She put her blade next to his face in a move to intimidate the prostrate man.

"Strings of death have led to this very place! This man is suspected of murder and heresy under investigation by the Keep! I come for answers." she ended it with an edge in her tone.

Hunter chuckled as he rubbed his head from the rock that knocked him down. He was not upset since it was a lucky strike from a coward with no fighting talent. He got up then looked around to see the crowd that Voah was taunting. He had accomplished his tasks by riling up emotions and tricking the crowd to opening up to Voah publicly. He kept track of who was admitting their connection to the cult.

Gonyaul noticed the smug look from what he assumed was Voah’s bodyguard. He did not appreciate that the man was enjoying this calamity.

Squinting past the growing flames, Voah tried to scan the line of people to see if Gonyaul had followed. It was just as well if he hadn't, she would have to proceed in a different way but she called out.

"Rabbit! Come forward! Confirm this man is the SAME as your would be assassin!" she called him by the moniker because she didn't want to shed too much light on his identity, he was already being trailed by assassins.

Rabbit? It clicked that it was him she was calling too. Gonyaul moved forward and it probably resembled a rabbit entering an open field and pausing a few steps to monitor the surrounding for its safety. He felt uncomfortable, emotionally exposed and was about to meet an uncertain outcome he had potentially no control over. A small voice in his memory, from one of his elder teachers, whispered vulnerability is the birthplace of many good things too.

He was close enough to stop and view the man clearly. It was obvious he was upset. But not out of anger. But out of concern for the man on the ground. He knelt down so that the man and his tearful eyes met.

“It is same man.” He answered truthfully.

Yet then he looked up to Voah and pleaded, “I forgive him.”

“I no require him to pay debt he owes me”. He didn’t think that would get the man off from the consequences but he hoped it would potentially spare his life and keep more evil from spreading. Forgiveness isn’t just about the other person. It is about also relinquishing yourself from the pain in your own heart from the hurt they caused, allowing you to move forward.

Voah met Gonyaul's weepy eyes with concern and confusion before continuing with her display of interrogation. Was the rabbit afraid of what would happen to him if he outed this man with his confession? Or was it out of concern for the man? And how could that be?