"The warriors returning alive!" Gralgra chuckled, drinking with one hand and the other rge forearm remained clutched around Ar, who was sitting propped upon the rge woman's p. "I hope the beast was rge and worth the trouble?"

  Selia smiled "It was quite the fight, you two might have to compare sometime, the Mage is quite comparable to your own achievements"

  "I just might..."

  The aurochkin shifted slightly, causing Ar's owl eyes to widen.

  "Curious, " Gralgra turned to Vicktor. "What are your parents?"

  "Both of them were full beastkin, Auroch's like you, it skipped me entirely, but my brother and sisters are horny just like you" Vicktor grinned at the terrible pun.

  She giggled, then stopped. "Wait, you aren't from Allium then, before the academy of course, everyone who comes out of there almost always loses any regional accent. I know every Auroch family in this city and you don't look like any of them. It would be properly hirious if you were from down south near the Blue Hills. Same name and all."

  Most were too inebriated to notice Vicktor's slight hitch at the mention of the Blue Hills, but Nora and Ar did. He tried to py it off.

  "Aye, it would be funny, given how the two matches went today!"

  "Why would that be hirious?" Nora's eyes darting towards Vicktor.

  He tried to stay calm and get ahead of the situation. He had hoped that the two extra years after the academy would be a bit of a temporal buffer for situations like this.

  Gralgra continued, "It's an Aurochkin thing. 'Vicktor the Bloodless' maybe a decade back fucked up our tradition" she pointed at an imaginary line between herself and Vicktor.

  "It was a whole thing, scaled out of proportion really, but now there's a set of ghost stories about him strangling lost children in the fog."

  Gralgra pointed her thumb, "It's not worth him changing his name despite being a simir age, besides he's a proper earth Mage who almost single-handedly beat us, not a spineless kid who refused to pick up a knife."

  Ar and Nora nodded the whole while, looking anywhere but at him. He knew they knew, but avoided the topic for the time.

  He made an effort to rex, the past had passed and he was better for it...

  The night grew on, Selia continued to press an armored thigh against him the entire night. The contact was welcome, it caused his head to swirl with endless potential of the future, of a partner? The hours grew on, this group of Chosen had quickly become fast friends. They heard stories of sying slimes and other first tier battles.

  They were almost about when he felt a prickle just next to his heart--

  The five chosen and Vicktor stood as one, with supernatural speed and reflexes. Each had a weapon in hand before Nora and Ar realized what was happening, Ar was csped in one massive hand, the owl's head between the rge woman's leather covered breasts.

  All six were looking at the direction of a couple in a corner of the room. Selia's voice supernaturally reverberated throughout.

  "BY THE WILL OF THE DIVINE, YOU WOMAN IN RED, CEASE!"

  The woman in red bolted, heels clicking loudly on the wood floor amongst the quiet onlookers.

  "I got her!" Meryl yelled, jumping on a chair. Vicktor turned on his mage-sight, watching an aura glow from the pale hand. It built for a moment until releasing sending a cascade of energy towards the woman striking–

  The man she had been with. He colpsed instantly as his voluntary muscles failed him.

  The woman tore around a corner, knocking a barmaids tray spilling the ground with beer. The group of chosen ran after the woman. Meryl added as they passed the man "You won't die, stay here."

  A door smmed.

  Vicktor remained where he stood, perplexed by his subconscious. He fundamentally knew the same as Selia. The unknown woman was about to drug and exploit the poor man. There was no doubt in his mind, it was as sure as gravity. He was also able to feel the woman's exact location even as she left the building.

  Closing his eyes, he focused on the fleeing woman. He flexed his will, aided by some unknown hand. Through the wood floor and the wood wall, he stomped. He felt the drain on his mana, the woman's movement stopped.

  He dashed past the fallen man, trying not to feel the beer soak into the soles of his feet.

  He pushed open the door down the hall and walked out.

  The woman was encased in a massive phallus, her face located right at the frenulum. Team Shallot crowded around the stone, everyone looked normal if confused except for Havn who was ughing their lungs out over the accuracy of the wrinkles of the testicles.

  'Was J the one who helped?'

  Vicktor touched his chest where the symbol of J y under his robes. The symbol did not respond.

  Vicktor announced his presence, "What was up with that?"

  Lav walked back towards the door. "It's the Divine Warrant, only a first tier viotion."

  "Huh?"

  "I have to treat that man, have someone else expin it, sorry." She walked off, the simple dress flowing in the wind.

  Havn was nearest and tried to expin. "The gods don't like certain things, and all agree that it's bad. So they send a message to Chosen."

  Selia walked over, greatsword still drawn and eyes still fixed on the woman in the phallic pilr.

  "The gods gain power based on faith, so they work together to ensure that mundane and Chosen continue to believe. There are several actions that can cause people to lose their faith. Viotions of consent are the most common. Withholding healing, torture, and numerous other mundane travesties."

  "Why haven't I heard about it before?"

  "Master Tosk would have eventually told you about it and The Tribunal, the three nameless wordless arbiters of the divine. We don't tell mundanes because the gods are not tyrants. Nor do Chosen want to be."

  "How does their judgment work? Lav said there were tiers?"

  "This dy had decided to drug that man with the intent to do him harm. She pushed passed a voice in her head telling her that 'Your actions will have consequences' and commited to the act. It had neither far reaching consequences nor was a serial offense, so it was rated to be a tier one."

  "What do we do with her?"

  "Oh right, thank you by the way. The warrant enhances our detection of viotors as well as some of our boons, but it's nice not to have to sprint after her."

  "Uhhh, you're welcome."

  His mind went into a different dark pce, Had he almost vioted the divine warrant with when he made this bet with Selia? What about his more inebriated sexual moments? He hadn't been entirely sober during a few of them...

  Selia could read his worry, which was pin on his face. "Everyone has that worry when they find out about it. Divine retribution for ones actions tends to do that. It's why we don't tell everyone, Mages have to know about it because of their potential power and influence, it does breed some resentment though."

  "What?"

  "We have it easier in a lot of ways, less hard work, more braining beasts and asking Mages to make their bits into trinkets."

  "Ahhhh"

  Vicktor felt a prickle on the back of his neck. Magic. Suddenly, the woman was gone, the pilr along with her, it had receded into the stone street.

  "Ahh, that will be my grandmother. Honestly, took longer than I expected, I wonder why..."

  The four remaining chosen walked back inside leaving Vicktor severely confused. The stonework below him was perfect, it was like nothing had every changed.

  He shrugged and walked inside, the man was standing again, nodding and speaking to the Chosen.

  Ar and Nora looked intensely confused and partially shaken.

  Vicktor paid for everything, just as stunned as the barmaid who took coin.

  The group of eight stood outside the bar, enjoying the cold air of night on their red faces.

  Several 'Goodnight's' and waves were exchanged.

  Selia leaned down and into Vicktor's ear.

  "Thanks for dinner and a show"

  And Selia kissed his cheek...

  The groups departed into the cold lonely night.