Thaddeus narrows his eyes at the jester - who he'd initially identified as a 'sir', but now that he thinks about it he's not even sure about that. The black-and-white-garbed figure is an androgynous sort of slim, and they're speaking with a sort of falseness to their voice that could easily conceal their true range. "I believe that's quite unnecessary, jester, I know my beliefs quite well. ...Do you have a name, perchance?"

The jester bows in an exaggerated noble style. "Call me Mx. Mixmux! And I'm sure you do believe that you believe what you believe! ...But do you?"

Nalain rubs her face through her helmet. "Are you sure we can't just stab them?"

Mixmux twirls and appears before the orc warrior, waggling a finger in her direction. "I wouldn't recommend it, my dear! Some of those here are not what they seem, even when seeming to be what they are not!"

"...I'm still feeling tempted to try the stabbing thing."

"Tsk tsk!" The jester shakes their head and prances, literally prances, to the side of the throne. Resting one hand on its side, they gesture with the other for Prince Thaddeus to take a seat. "Come, come, play your role! You see yourself as a leader of men, do you not? Then come and experience the greatest burden of leadership - to judge and be judged."

The prince sighs and begins to approach the throne, but comes to a halt as Reed leaps forward in front of him and begins poking the furniture with his blade. Everyone gives him odd looks for the move, jester included, and the man looks a bit sheepish as he turns back to face the party. "Just...testing if it might be a mimic before our lord sits upon it, is all."

"A valid risk, Reed, thank you. But I suppose I'll play along for now and see how this goes. Violence always remains an option should things go sour, after all."

The jester cheers up as the man actually sits down, and claps twice for the audience. "His lord is ready to hold court! Shall our first two petitioners come forward?" The odd courtiers around the chamber all turn to face the throne, and from each side of the room one steps forward. One is a brunette human woman, the other a blonde elvish man, both dressed in fashion suiting mid-level nobility. They bow towards Thaddeus, completely ignoring the on-edge adventurers surrounding them, and the elf speaks first. "My lord, I come to accuse this woman, Countess Doe, of poisoning and murdering my brother!"

Thaddeus gives the jester a bit of side-eye. "An accelerated criminal court, is it? Very well...Countess Doe, what do you have to say to this charge?"

The woman lifts her chin proudly. "I say that I did it! But only because his brother was a foul knave who assaulted and abused my daughter at one of his debauched balls! Such an offense requires punishment!"

The prince sighs again. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that there's some evidence for this scenario? Lord...Elf, do you have anything to say to this?"

"What needs to be said, my lord? She confesses to the crime, and with my brother unable to be here and defend himself it's pointless to try and recount what he may or may not have done!"

"That is the key factor, isn't it? Very well, if that's all the evidence there is to provide and the accused confesses, then this is fairly straightforward. Countess Doe, I judge you guilty of the crime of murder. Murder, especially for that of a nobleman, is a capital offense with a punishment of execution."

Tizzy blinks at that declaration, as do a few other members of the party. "Wait, what? She had good reason, though? I mean, theoretically, for this...play, or whatever."

The raven-haired man shakes his head. "Punishment for crimes of this nature are the sole jurisdiction of the crown. A countess does not have the right to declare guilt and exact punishment for crimes against another noble family, as that inevitably leads to blood feuds. If the brother was still alive he would be punished for his crimes as well, but as he is not, the sword falls solely on the countess today." He turns towards the jester. "Is this what you were hoping to see? I know my responsibilities as a royal well, Jester Mixmux."

"We're not done yet, my lord! The execution must be executed, if commanded! See it through to the end!"

"...Very well. Norlash, if you would?" The orc raises an eyebrow at the question, but the countess stands firm and straight as if expecting the blow. Given that she is just a monster, the man shrugs, raises his heavy axe, and swings...only for it to hit something very different than what he was aiming at. The moment his weapon begins swinging through the air the woman suddenly transforms, her face melting into a single gigantic jaw and her arms whipping out into tentacles. The entire party shouts and leaps back, and even Thaddeus rises from his seat and draws his blade.

The monster uses the moment of surprise well, catching Norlash's ankle with one limb and flipping him onto his back. Reed dives in with a solid thrust to its torso but has to quickly leap backwards to avoid a loud chomp that attempts to take off his arm. Even Tizzy's initial arcane blast goes wide, with the former countess compressing her torso bonelessly and allowing the projectile to fire off into the ceiling beyond.

Ultimately however it is still just one monster surrounded by a full team of adventurers, and once the surprise wears off the fight doesn't last much longer. Thaddeus claims one tentacle himself, and Nalain slams its head with her shield when it attempts to take a bite out of her. It then gets stabbed simultaneously by Hylii and Reed from opposite sides, which doesn't immediately slay the beast but does cause it to howl in pain. That pause gives Thaddeus the time he needs to step closer, and his next swing takes what remains of its head. That seems to do the trick as the monster begins to melt into a puddle of flesh on the floor, clothes and all dissolving away.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Facing the jester again with an expression of anger and confusion, Thaddeus gestures towards the remains. "What was that all about!? Was the issue that I did not carry out the execution myself? That is not the Seven Cities way of doing things! Did my judgment displease our ancestor in some way?"

The jester tilts their head. "This ancestor, were they a noble ruler of your Seven Cities?"

The prince furrows his brow. "...Not himself, no. He did found our line and had great respect as a hero, however."

"And does a hero always follow the law as written, without deviation or mercy?"

That question manages to make Thaddeus pause for a little longer. "...Most of the time...more often than not. Perhaps. Are you saying I should be thinking as a hero, not as a prince?"

The jester shakes their head and laughs. "You want your ancestor to return and rule, but you do not even know what sort of rule you would be returning! Is it fear from an iron gauntlet? Why, if it's just a matter of always following the rules as written, even a simple jester such as myself would be capable of the job!" They sprawl over the arm of the throne, before patting its cushion with one hand. "But the show's not yet done, my lord! Please, take a seat."

Feeling a little uncertain, Thaddeus returns to his seat. Again, the jester claps twice. "May the next petition come forward!"

This time a young man steps forward, perhaps not even an adult. The...wrongness of the individuals here makes it difficult to judge, but his face bears the stubble of a failed attempt to grow a beard, and he seems uncertain in his movements. "Greetings, my lord. I'm here on behalf of of my father, who served as a commander in the Evil Invader Army, and was captured by your forces." He doesn't get much further before Thaddeus interjects.

"The Evil Invader Army? Are you serious?"

He receives a jab in his side from a jester's elbow for his trouble "Stay in your role, now!"

The man grumbles but waves for the boy to continue. "Yes, your...father who I 'captured'. What about him?"

"Well, you said you would not return the prisoners until a truce was struck, but my mother is sick you see, and my sister pregnant, and the cow has been acting up without a father figure around. I'd like to plead for your mercy to have him freed, my lord."

Hylii sighs as he pinches his nose. "Just...show him mercy or whatever or we'll have to kill this one too, or something. Right?"

"This isn't about the combat! ...Probably." The prince shakes his head. "But what now, I'm supposed to free every prisoner who has someone come along to offer up some sob story? You do it once, and then there'd be a whole line of petitioners. And when the time comes for a prisoner exchange, with what will I exchange them for?" He turns to face the jester at his side. "Now I obviously understand that Xenia is attempting to impress some...moral on us here. But I'm not going to act just how I believe she would want me to act. The fact is I'd never fall for such a thing back home, nor will I here. The petition is denied."

"If you will not free my father, then I shall free him with my own hand!" The young man draws a dagger from his clothes, raising it high even as he begins to transform into another monster of teeth and thrashing limbs...only to be blasted apart by a pink beam which tears through his midsection. Blinking, the party turns to look at Tizzy.

"...What? It was obvious he was gonna do that."

"...I suppose this moves us along to our next scene quite quickly, at least. Our third petition!" The jester claps again and another pair of figures step forward. This time the two are identical, a pair of muscular orc men wearing the traditional garbs of a nomadic tribe. Even their hairstyles are identical, long black ponytails going down their backs, and Thaddeus waits to see which will speak first. As it happens, the one on the right chooses to step forward.

"I am Icas, son of Ulac! I come here to have my inheritance confirmed, with leadership of the Red Ravens tribe conferred upon me!"

Thaddeus raises an eyebrow. "An inheritance squabble? I see. And...you are?"

The other orc steps forward and gives an identical nod before speaking. "I am the true Icas, son of Ulac! I come here to have my inheritance confirmed, with leadership of the Red Ravens tribe conferred upon me!"

The room is silent for a moment, until eventually Reed speaks up. "I think one of them is a mimic."

"They're probably both mimics." Nalain growls. "What's the point of all this? Let's just kill them and be done with it, if that's how this is going to end up anyways."

"There...has to be something deeper to this challenge than that." Thaddeus taps his fingers together, thinking out loud. "It's hardly like I know them, so I can't ask them personal questions. I can't ask the crowd because I have no reason to trust anyone in this crowd. Testing them to see if they're mimics will just provoke them. The truth can't be decided on a quick decision like this."

The jester leans in. "If you would like to flip a coin, I have several!"

"Tempting, but no." He gestures at the pair. "An investigation will be conducted to see who is the rightful and true Icas. Until that time, the Red Ravens tribe will be administrated by an official of the crown." He looks back towards the jester. "Some decisions simply require more time and information."

The orcs however don't seem to see the wisdom in this. As one they draw their blades, and shout out. "No one but Icas shall lead the Red Raven orcs! Your cowardice shall - " Neither statement reaches its conclusion, as this time half a dozen adventurers fall on the pair. Just as Nalain suspected, both prove to be mimics, but the fact only serves to keep them alive a few moments longer. Being right doesn't improve her mood however.

"What was the fuckin' point!? They were both fakes! Everything here is fake! Are we just gonna kill everyone in this room one at a time!?"

"No, no, I believe it's time for the finale of this particular performance." The jester giggles as they whirl away from the throne. "Bring in...the guardian!"

The adventurers quickly turn towards the door, at which half a dozen more courtiers are wheeling in a cart. The cart is covered with a white tablecloth as if it were for bringing in food, but instead it's bare save for one item.

A large, reflective sphere.

------------------------ CROSSBREED UNLOCKED:

MORTAL MIMIC - B+ - MIMICS/FALSE MORTAL ------------------------

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.