Talos sheathed his sword and seized the netherese wizard. Clapping special anti-magic irons on him to prevent Sorvor from escaping. "Right. Let's get this piece of trash back down to the yard for judgement!"
"YYYYYYYEEARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!" a less charbroiled War Scribe screamed at the top of her lungs as she regained consciousness.
The wizard with his hands bound was unable to cover his ears from the ear splitting shriek and was stunned in place.
Talos once again grabbed the wizard by the chains and headed back down the tower with the party in tow. He really didn't want to know what just rose up from the stone floor.
Willow, Irzen, Serna and Neven followed Talos' lead realizing that War Scribe would catch up with them the moment she stopped screaming.
Madeous shook his head in disbelief, "....Another drow?!" Sighing he ushered the group to follow Talos back down.
"You've got something against drow, Madeous?" Irzen inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't have a problem with you, Lord Irzen. I have a problem with the insane ones." Madeous stated.
"And what did the insane ones ever do to you?" The Swordsman inquired, "You don't strike me as a man who frequents The Underdark."
The platinum knight sighed, "You simply do not have the experience that I do upon the battle field. Two, didn't spend much time in the Underdark. Was always fighting Venger above ground."
"Battle field experience?" Irzen smirked, "For a hundred years I led a mercenary company of Drow called The Shadow Riders. We served the Dark Lord scouting out lands ripe for conquest by his armies. Once he betrayed me, I swore to serve him no longer and even went so far as to help one kingdom, Yarfell, defend itself against one of his armies. So, I too fought Venger above ground and defended my people in the Underdark for far longer than I served the Dark Lord. Trust me, I have battle field experience aplenty."
It took the party a mere five minutes to traverse the stairs back down and out to the barracks yard where The Bronze Man and Alyson stood. A young boy of about ten years old ran up to Lazheros and whispered something to him. He waited for a response from the Bronze Man and then ran off back out into the streets.
"Well, what now?" Irzen asked no one in particular.
Without warning, War Scribe's screams stopped and suddenly the Drowling stood before them with her tome and quill pen in hand, "Now we get to see some old-fashioned Asylum style justice? Aren't we Bronze Man or Lazerhos or whatever you are calling yourself these days? Mwuaha! Ha! Ha!"
"Careful, Chronicler of Validor that you don't over step your bounds. This place is protected by Bahamut. It would be most unfortunate if you were erased from history," The Bronze Man gave War Scribe a hard stare. He turned to the wizard in chains, "And for you, Sorvor. Judgement awaits you at the Temple of Bahamut."
"Funny you should say that, Lazerhos," The Chronicler smiled with an evil grin as she opened her tome and began to record the events that were about to transpire, "I was going to give you the exact same warning. Validor ill favors those who mistreats his Chroniclers."
"War Scribe its you he has a problem with," Alyson interjected, "just you. Any other Chronicler of Validor would be fine but your area of expertise are wars and battles with lots of carnage. This is not the place where you will find any of that."
"True but I go where I am sent, Alyson," War Scribe added, "Validor wills me to be here, so I am here. To see, to hear and to chronicle all that transpires. Don't worry about me, I'll do my job so long as Lazerhos does his."
Lazheros raised his arms and the entire group disappeared and reappeared within the main hall of the Temple. The Bronze Man walked away from the party and stood upon the dais. To his right and left stood a row of paladins and knights. Talos ushered the wizard up in front of the party and stopped him just twenty feet before the Bronze Man.
Alyson and Madeous stepped away from the others to await the arrival of some familiar faces. Walking up behind was Gabe and the thieves guild entire. Sarafina and Jasper came forward with the Relic. They stopped and faced the group. "Who among you was chosen to claim the Relic?"
"We all were," Irzen stepped forward bravely, "It was a group effort to reclaim it. Our success would not have been possible had we not acted as a team."
Sarafina approached the party and held out the relic. It was exactly as The Bronze Man had described it hours earlier. "Who among you is Pure of Heart? Who was tasked to read the scroll? Who among you has not Taken a life?"
"Count me out!" Irzen took a step back, "I have taken more than my fair share of lives."
Willow took a step back as well, "Though I am not proud of it, I have dealt more Death in my long days than I care to recall."
Caliaphy darted in and out of the party members before once again settling on Serna's shoulder. "Serna, you must answer the question. By staying quiet, you appear guilty in the eyes of the Bronze Man. Don't you want to be free? What are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything," Serna whispered back to Caliaphy, "I haven't killed anyone but I wasn't tasked to read the scroll either. And who can be really Pure of Heart? I don't know, Caliaphy, I really don't know what to say."
The Bronze Man silently watched all their reactions as to how they would answer.
Neven stepped forward, "I have been a Thief all my life. I know not if I am Pure of Heart. But I do know this: I have killed. When we were trapped in Lankhmar, I killed a demon that would have killed me. I have taken a life but I was also tasked to read the scroll. Does that count?"
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