Chapter 82: Saga 82: Cells of Obsidian
The holding cells beneath the tribunal chamber were carved from the same dark obsidian as the rest of the settlement’s architecture, suppressive wards woven directly into the stone itself, humming faintly against Kael’s dampened senses as guards ushered each member of the team into individual cells arranged along a narrow corridor.
"This is considerably worse than the anticlimactic bandit escort we were hoping for," Yuki muttered from his own cell, voice carrying just far enough for the rest of the team to hear despite the physical separation.
"Everyone stay calm," Sylvia called back, her voice steady despite the circumstances. "Panicking won’t improve our situation."
"I’m not panicking. I’m expressing appropriate concern through humor. There’s a difference."
Kael settled onto the cold stone bench built into his cell’s wall, testing his restraints once more in the relative privacy the isolated cell provided. The suppressive magic remained frustratingly effective, dampening his access to Black Hole, Indomitable Vitality, and Quitax Barrier alike, leaving him with only a fraction of his usual capability.
’System, status check.’
[Still functional, though communication with you specifically requires more effort given the ambient suppression. I can maintain our connection, but don’t expect much beyond basic conversation until we’re clear of this specific dampening field.]
’Understood. Any thoughts on our actual situation?’
[Magistrate Kaelen’s reaction to the Lust System mention was significant. She clearly knows something considerably beyond casual rumor, which suggests our information, however dangerous to possess, might also prove valuable enough to bargain with.]
’Assuming she’s willing to bargain rather than simply executing us as an example to future trespassers.’
[There’s always that less optimistic possibility, yes. I’d recommend focusing on cooperative diplomacy over escape planning for the time being. Demon tribunals, from what fragmentary information exists in Baldric’s archives, tend to value information and formal process over arbitrary cruelty, whatever their fearsome reputation suggests.]
Hours passed in the isolated quiet of the cells, punctuated occasionally by the distant sound of guard patrols or muffled conversation between cells that the suppressive wards apparently didn’t fully block. Eventually, a single guard approached Kael’s cell specifically, expression carrying none of the earlier patrol’s open hostility, something closer to cautious curiosity instead.
"You’re the one who mentioned the Lust System specifically," the guard said, voice low enough to suggest this conversation wasn’t entirely sanctioned. "To the Magistrate, in the tribunal chamber."
"That’s right," Kael confirmed carefully, uncertain of the guard’s intentions.
"Careful who you say that name around, human. Even here, among our own kind, that particular subject carries considerable weight most would rather avoid entirely." The guard glanced around briefly, confirming no other authority figures were nearby. "My grandmother used to tell stories about Her, before the current administration decided such stories were better left unspoken. Old stories, about a queen who ruled with different priorities than the ones we serve under now."
"A queen?" Kael pressed, careful to keep his voice equally low. "You’re saying the Lust System is connected to actual demon royalty?"
The guard’s expression tightened, clearly recognizing he’d already said more than intended. "I’ve said enough. More than enough, likely, given the current political climate around that particular subject." He turned to leave, then paused, glancing back with something that might have been genuine sympathy. "For what it’s worth, human, I don’t think the Magistrate intends you lasting harm. Whatever judgment she renders, I suspect it’ll depend more on what you know than on simple punishment for trespassing."
"Thank you," Kael said, genuinely grateful for the fragment of information despite its incompleteness.
The guard nodded once and continued his patrol, leaving Kael alone with considerably more questions than answers, turning the implications over carefully in his mind. A queen, connected somehow to the entity that had inspired both terrified rumors among the Wastelands tribes and this strange, cautious secrecy among the demons themselves.
’System, you catch all that?’
[Every word. If the Lust System is genuinely connected to actual demon royalty, current or former, that changes the entire scope of what we’re potentially investigating here. This isn’t simply an ancient corrupted entity operating in isolation—it’s tied directly into the political structure of an entire kingdom.]
’Which means whatever’s actually happening here is considerably bigger than a simple rumor-chasing expedition.’
[Considerably bigger, yes. I’d recommend preparing yourself for whatever the Magistrate’s tribunal reveals next. I suspect we’re about to learn considerably more than we bargained for.]
Kael settled back against the cold stone wall, mind racing through the implications, while down the corridor, he could hear Claire’s muffled voice attempting, with characteristic persistence, to strike up conversation with whatever guard happened to be stationed near her own cell, no doubt fishing for whatever additional information her scholarly curiosity could extract from their captors.
Sometime later, a different guard made rounds, delivering modest rations of water and simple bread to each cell in turn, the routine efficiency suggesting genuine prisoner welfare protocol rather than deliberate neglect. Kael accepted his portion gratefully, using the brief interaction to test the waters once more.
"How long does the Magistrate typically take, deciding cases like ours?" he asked.
The guard, considerably less forthcoming than his predecessor, simply shrugged. "Depends entirely on the case. Simple trespassing, a day at most. Cases involving sensitive subject matter—" he trailed off, clearly choosing his words carefully, "—those can take considerably longer. The Magistrate doesn’t rush judgments that carry weight beyond simple border law."
"And ours falls into which category?"
"That’s not mine to say, human." The guard moved on without further elaboration, leaving Kael once again alone with his thoughts.
Down the corridor, he could hear Sylvia’s voice, calm and measured, apparently engaging in similarly careful conversation with her own assigned guard, gathering whatever fragments of useful information the demon kingdom’s rank and file might be willing to share despite official reticence. Whatever the full truth behind the Lust System’s connection to demon royalty actually was, Kael found himself increasingly certain that their unplanned imprisonment might prove, paradoxically, exactly the opportunity they needed to uncover it properly.
’System, keep monitoring whatever you can manage through the suppression. I have a feeling we’re going to need every scrap of information before this is over.’
[Already on it. For what it’s worth, I’m cautiously optimistic about our situation. Frightening as imprisonment is, it’s also placing us directly in proximity to people who actually know something concrete about what we’re investigating. Sometimes the wrong turn leads exactly where you needed to go.]
’Let’s hope that optimism proves warranted.’
Night fell outside, marked only by the dimming of whatever ambient light filtered down into the cell block, and Kael eventually allowed himself to rest, uncertain what tomorrow’s continued tribunal proceedings would reveal, but cautiously hopeful that whatever answers awaited them would prove worth the considerable risk of their unplanned detour into demon territory.
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End of Chapter—