A whole day passed before I had found a single use for the strange new plant that I came to call Sulfweed, named after what it smelled like. The only thing I could find a use for was as a substitute for fire seeds, the small little rock sized objects that would create small fireballs upon colliding with great force.

  The only real problem was the small batch of fire seeds I made with the sulfweed were untested and could have dangerous side effects. As I was thinking about how to do so in a safe environment the door to the room shot open and Calavia came rushing in.

  “Arthur!” She practically shouted in my ear. “There is a public execution scheduled for tonight. They usually announce their names and crimes to everyone watching before they actually are executed, so we might get to find out who the butcher really is.”

  “What? Why would you care about something like that?” I asked. “We should be focusing on getting our lives together here and connecting with the people who live here.”

  “But that is what I am doing. Everyone who is able is going to the execution, that makes it a great way to socialize and connect with everyone. We might even get a chance to speak with Sergeant Gallio, he was the one leading the assault where they were all captured after all. If not him then who else?”

  I was about to try and brush off her claims when I stopped myself and thought about what she said. Despite the fact that watching an execution was rather barbaric in my own eyes the fact that everyone in the city that could go was going did make a good chance to talk with people and socialize.

  “Well… I suppose we can go for a while.” I eventually replied with great hesitation.

  Calavia however didn’t seem to notice and instead smiled and replied with “See, I told you it was a good idea.” Before turning around and walking about out of the room.

  But before I could say anything else I noticed she left a basket full of sulfweed where she had been standing just a few seconds prior.

  With a soft smile I picked up the basket and got to work processing the sulfweed to be used in more alchemical creations and further experimentation.

  ************

  That night Calavia and I made our way to the town center for the executions that were taking place. There we had found a sort of wooden platform that I later learned was called a gallows, and atop it was a wooden archway of sorts with a rope hanging from it. At the end of the rope was a loop of some sorts that looked like a human head might just barely fit inside of it. In truth I was rather confused by it before the captured bandits arrived.

  Like some mockery of a shepherd leading a flock of sheep the captured bandits were led by twice as many guardsmen, and the one overseeing the event was Sergeant Gallio.

  Slowly and with great reluctance each of the bandits were forced atop the gallows and presented to everyone watching like they were on display. Though both I and Calavia quickly noticed a distinct lack of a certain someone who oughta be executed.

  Almost in sync we turned to look at one another with confusion plastered on our faces.

  “Why haven’t they brought out the butcher?” Calavia whispered as she stepped close.

  “I don’t know.” I replied. “Maybe she will be having her own execution.”

  Calavia gave me an uneasy look before turning back to the two bandits on display. During the time we were looking away they had been forced onto their knees and someone with two pieces of paper was walking up the stairs dressed like some sort of scribe or other local official. When he was atop he stood next to the two bandits who were restrained with tightly wound rope and raised his right hand up with the palm facing the crowd, the crowd which had for a while been filled with loud conversations and curses towards the bandits died down. Only then did this scribe speak.

  “Pio of Merton Village. Wanted for numerous counts of banditry, numerous counts of murder, numerous counts of theft, numerous counts of selling stolen property, and for willingly withholding the locations of numerous other wanted criminals.” The scribe announced to everyone, it was the list of crimes this Pio of Merton Village committed.

  The crowd listened in with great interest for the sentence, it was almost like they were all holding their breath for what was to come.

  “The sentence for all these horrible crimes is to be… Death!” The scribe shouted to the crowd and they all cheered. Some even called for a more cruel punishment, but everything that wasn’t already decided was ignored and the scribe turned to the second bandit.

  “Aldo of Lullin Village. Wanted for numerous counts of banditry, numerous counts of murder, numerous counts of theft, numerous counts of selling stolen property, and for willingly withholding the locations of numerous other wanted criminals.” The crimes of this Aldo of Lullin Village were identical to that of Pio, and I had a sneaking suspicion that someone might have just copied the first list and just switched the names around. Like Pio the sentence for Aldo was death as well which was met with another round of cheering.

  Suddenly the scribe gave a nod to the guardsmen who were standing by and they gave a nod back. The scribe stepped off to the side while the guardsmen forced the two bandits up onto their feet and dragged Pio over towards the rope hanging from the arch.

  Pio said something that was drowned out by the crowd cheering and the guardsmen telling him to stay quiet, they forced his head into the loop of the rope and pulled it tight before stepping away leaving him in full view of the cheering crowd.

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  I looked upon the odd sight with confusion, at the time I didn’t understand how this was a part of the death sentence. But I was shown just how moments later.

  One of the guardsmen, a young man to be precise, stepped towards what looked to be an odd piece of wood sticking out of the wooden planks that made up the gallows. The young guardsman reached for the thin shaft of this piece of wood and pulled it into a downwards position. Suddenly the floor beneath poor Pio was gone and he fell with the rope still around his neck and with a sudden snap the rope broke his fall and tightened around his neck.

  But poor Pio wasn’t dead just yet, no the crowd could still see the expression of pain on his face as he attempted to breath to no avail. For around five minutes we stood there watching as life slowly drained out of the bandit, until he was dead. Only then was the rope loosened and was poor Pio allowed to touch the ground.

  With a loud thump Pio hit the ground lifeless and unmoving, within seconds one of the guardsmen was down there and removed the rope from the corpse while another dragged it away from everyone's sight and placed it on a wagon. Just a few minutes passed before the rope was back in its place and poor Aldo was being led towards it like a lamb to the butcher.

  “No, please no!” Aldo called out as two guardsmen dragged him over, each taking an arm.

  In the end his cries were pointless as the guardsmen placed the rope around his neck without hesitation, he looked upon the large crowd that had gathered before the gallows as they shouted and cheered at his impending death. Like before it was all too sudden when the floor beneath him fell and he dropped like a sack of potatoes, only when the rope snapped tight something else also snapped. It was so loud the crowd stopped all together for a few moments confused by the sudden noise.

  Aldo didn’t have the chance to slowly suffocate like his fellow bandit, no his neck had almost instantly broken with the sudden pull he experienced.

  For several long moments nobody knew what to do, they had come to watch the scum who were causing them so many issues suffer like they deserved. Unfortunately that fun was cut rather short as the second bandit had died near instantly when he should have lasted longer.

  Nearly everyone's eyes turned to the guardsman who placed the rope around Aldo’s neck in suspicion. He was the last one to touch it beside the man hanging from it after all.

  While everyone was busy whispering amongst themselves with rumors and conspiracy theories of what might have happened I with Calavia in tow walked forwards towards where Sergeant Gallio was standing with a few of his men and someone else who looked to be of a higher rank. But as we got close we were stopped by one of the guardsmen keeping watch.

  “Hold on right there sir, everyone who is not associated with the guard or the city hall are not allowed to be close to the gallows.”

  “That's alright, I just need to speak with the sergeant.” I quickly replied pointed towards Sergeant Gallio who was well engrossed in his conversation.

  The guardsman looked as if he was about to say something before he shut his mouth and looked back at the sergeant and the other guardsman he was speaking with before looking back at me.

  “Very well sir, I will speak with Sergeant Gallio and inform him of your presence.”

  I watched the guard walk over to Sergeant Gallio and say something I couldn’t hear from such a distance. The sergeant looked over to where I was with a touch of surprise on his face that quickly morphed into a slight smile before waving me over and sending the guard back to his post.

  “Good to see you again sir mage, what might I do for you?” Sergeant Gallio gave a slight bow towards both I and Calavia. It was an odd departure from the more relaxed manner of speech between us before and I had a small feeling bubbling within my gut that it had to do with the more decorated guardsman standing next to the sergeant.

  “Good evening sergeant. I just have a few questions and I thought it would be better to ask someone I knew than any random guardsman.”

  “Of course sir, that makes perfect sense. What did you wish to ask me about?”

  I eyed the sergeant and the guardsman next to him with a touch of suspicion as he continued speaking in such an odd way, but I asked away regardless.

  “What exactly is this style so to speak of execution? I know from witnessing it personally the capital just chops their heads off to have it over and done with.”

  “Oh that, we call it hanging or being hanged. Nothing to worry about sir, it is just a way for the common folk to feel the criminals who have been sentenced to death are getting a just punishment instead of an easy way out.” But before the sergeant could continue the guardsman next to him spoke up.

  “The rope that is used to strangle the criminals is referred to as the noose, when the criminal has the rope around his or her neck a lever is pulled that drops the floor out from under their feet. From there the rope will tighten around the criminals neck by using their own body weight until they die of suffocation. Now is there anything else you wish to ask, because Sergeant Gallio and I are in the middle of something important.”

  “Yes actually, I do.” I quickly answered before the unknown guardsman could turn back to the previous conversation. I could tell he didn’t like that very much, but he held his composure and stood straight as he gave me his full attention. Sergeant Gallio on the other hand looked rather surprised and worried by the behavior of his superior.

  “I couldn’t help but notice that a certain someone wasn’t brought here to join her subordinates, if you wouldn't mind I would like to know why that is.”

  I could see in the eyes of this unknown guardsman that he was surprised by my question, though he gave no other indications that this was the case. Instead he turned to Sergeant Gallio with a very unhappy look on his face and a hand on his sword.

  “Sergeant, why does this man who is unaffiliated with the city guard have this knowledge?”

  The unknown guardsman practically stared daggers through the sergeant as he waited for an answer, the sergeant took a moment as he was both surprised and baffled by the ignorance and general rudeness of his captain.

  “This man was one of the mages who joined my men in the subjugation of the bandits, and the woman standing just behind him was the other mage captain.” Sergeant Gallio answered with full honesty and I could see from the side of his face that the captain wasn’t happy with the sudden surprise, and through his gritted teeth he tried to smile as he turned back to us.

  “Is that so?” He asked as he looked between us. “Then I would like to apologize, both for doubting your credibility and for not having the authority to share with you the information you are asking for. Lord Albinus himself is restricting the information.”

  I turned back to Calavia who was looking back with confusion written on her face just as it was on my own. When I turned back to the captain I studied his face for a moment and eventually came to the realization that he was telling the truth.

  “And I don’t suppose you are allowed to tell me why that is the case.”

  “No I do not, however I could speak with Lord Albinus and see what he has to say about the matter. Perhaps he will be willing to tell someone as important as you his reasons.”

  “Perhaps he will. And have a good evening you two.” I said with a slight bow before turning and leaving the two guardsmen with Calavia in tow.