As at, sorry I'm late.

Friggin autocorrect. *Aaay

Hello!

Gotta love stupid autocorrect.

Wa'sup? How do you want to do this?

Hmm... Well, from what I remember, our characters weren't really doing much last time, and some of the conversations involved Mortikai. So I think we should do a time skip to when Sargon's trial begins.

I think I already mentioned what I'm going to make happen during the trial, but to summarise: Sargon's going to escape using his teleportation, but fails to use it properly, allowing the others to chase him down again.)

Alrighty. And what of his bird form everyone was concerned about last time?

He'll probably shapeshift once he realises that he can't escape by teleporting. Then everyone else who has the ability to fly will have to chase him. XD
I don't think it'll be too hard.

I might be kinda slow, by the way. I have to use my DS, and the browser comments aren't loading properly for some reason.

Alrighty then. Sounds like a plan.

Oof. Ok, no worries. I could switch to my 3ds in a bit if it will make it easier.

It'd be easier if we were both on DS, but you don't have to if you prefer to type on something else. I can do it this way, I'll just be a bit slower.

Who should start?

I think you should, in order to set the scene. Are we starting from escorting Sargon from the prison, or is he already at the courthouse? I'll switch to my 3ds soon. I just need to get breakfast first.

I think it might be better if we start with escorting him from the prison. Give me a minute, and I'll write something.

About an hour after everyone had gotten up, the news came that Sargon's trial was about to begin. Armin, along with Ivy, Frederick, and several other members of the group, went to the prison to get Sargon and escort him to the courthouse where it would take place.

'I still don't believe he's not going to try and escape,' muttered Frederick as he stepped through the prison entrance. 'It would be uncharacteristic of him. We all need to keep an eye out for /anything/ he might do.'

'Oh, don't worry,' said Armin darkly. 'I hadn't forgotten. If the old fool does try anything, I'll be the first to know.'

(You can have anyone you want go into the prison with them.)

(Alrighty then, let's get this party started!)

{Dianne walked in with the group, along with Jerry, back on his feet thanks to Pythia, Old Man Garvey, Sarah, a few other members of the Garvey family, and about half a dozen abominations. As Dianne approached the cell door, the draugrs holding Sargon tighten their grip on him a bit. Opening the cell door, Dianne stands in front of Sargon.}
Dianne: "Get him on his feet. It's time."
{The draugrs holding his arms pick Sargon to his feet, with the two grabbing his head and torso releasing him}
Dianne: "Put him in shackles. Hands and feet."

Sargon didn't look worried at all, nor did he try to fight off the draugrs. He just looked at Dianne with a blank expression. 'Time?' he repeated. 'Does that mean you have finally decided to kill me?'

Armin approached Sargon's cell. 'Yep,' he said nonchalantly. 'And if I have anything to do with it, I'm going to be the one to kill you personally.'

Ivy hung back a little, watching curiously.

{Dianne just glared back at Sargon.}
"We're taking you to your trial. Although, personally, I think that's far to big a kindness than what you deserve."
Jerry: "Don't try anything. You've got an army of the dead, two former subordinates who've you greatly wronged, and the angriest sorceress the planet has ever known as your escort. I don't think I need to tell you why an escape attempt is the worst idea you could have."
{Putting on the shackles, the draugrs nudge him to walk.}
(Ok, now I'm switching to 3ds))

(Alrighty!)

Sargon allowed the draugrs to push him along without protest. 'Since I am going to be killed anyway, what difference would it make if I tried to escape? I have nothing to lose.'

'That's true,' said Armin quietly. 'But if you don't try anything, then maybe we'll kill you quickly, at least. If you make me chase you down again... then I won't be held responsible for what I might do to you.'

Frederick walked on ahead, leading the way out of the prison.

Dianne: "The Soverigns consider themselves merciful. It will be painless. But, should you try to escape, we will see to it that you will die in the most painful way we can concieve of."

Jerry: "Sargon, you're here by your own actions. It's not like we just decided out of the blue that you had to die."

'Oh, I know,' Sargon replied. 'I am fully aware of my own actions. As I've said before, my only regret is that my mistakes caused so many of my people to die.'

'And just so you know, I brought this,' said Armin, holding up a short wooden stake that he'd been inconspiciously carrying. 'So if you do try anything funny, expect me to stab you with it.'

Frederick glanced back, eyeing the stake. 'Be careful with that thing. You could kill yourself with it. Or me.'

'Don't worry. I don't plan to stick it in anyone except Sargon.'

As they left the prison, Frederick led them through the city towards the courthouse.

{Once they exited the prison, the group was met by Magnus and Titan. Magnus said nothing, but Titan let out a low growl at the sight of Sargon.}

Dianne: "So you admit it was a mistake? Pity you didn't realize that sooner."

Sargon nodded. 'Yes, it is a pity. I underestimated how much humans can accomplish when they have motivation. I did not expect anyone to be able to stand up against my army.'

Wendigo came flying down from the sky to join them, landing close to Titan. He grinned at the group. 'So, it's time, I heard? I'll be ready. I still can't believe everything's gonna be over soon.' There was a wistful tone to his voice, making it clear that he wasn't just talking about Sargon's death.

Frederick looked up at the hydra with a sad smile, but didn't say anything.

(I can get on the computer now, so feel free to switch back if it's more convenient for you.)

{Titan looked to Wendigo momentarily, saying nothing. Magnus nods in understanding. As they approach the courthouse, the Sovereign guards watch Sargon's approach with apprehension.}

(Alright!)

Frederick raised a hand to the guards. 'It's all right. He's securely chained and surrounded by people - there's nothing he can do.'

Wendigo followed them to the courthouse, but as he obviously couldn't fit inside, he lay down on the street and simply watched the others head towards the building.

{Entering the courthouse, Sargon is approached by a man in a suit.}
"Sargon of Akkad? My name is Mortimer. I've been assigned to be your lawyer. Despite everything you've done, the higher ups decided you should at least get a fair trial."

Armin's expression darkened. 'A fair trial?' he repeated, before Sargon could say anything. 'A /lawyer?/ Who decided that this guy deserves anything? He's brutally killed hundreds of people.'

Sargon, still looking confused by the 'Sargon of Akkad' thing, merely nodded in acknowledgement to Mortimer's announcement.

{Mortimer turns to Armin.}
"It's the law, sir. I don't have a choice. I need to meet with him alone to discuss his defe-"
{At that Dianne cuts him off.}
Dianne: "If you think we're leaving him alone for even a second, you're delusional. If you need to speak with him, we're /all/ going."
Mortimer: "I'm sorry, but it's the law. I can't-"
Dianne: "Yeah? Try to stop me."

'Hey!' said Ivy loudly. 'Cut it out, you two!'

'Listen,' said Armin to Mortimer, 'he's lucky that he's getting a trial at all. We could have easily killed him when we captured him in the mountains. And you can't talk to him alone - he can't be trusted.' He glanced at Dianne. 'Though, we don't /all/ need to go. Just one or two of us should.'

{Dianne glared at Ivy.}
Dianne: "Fine. Me and Armin will accompany him."
Mortimer: "But-"
{At that moment, the general walked up.}
General: "Just let them come, Mortimer, the sooner we get this over with, the better."
Mortimer: "...Yes sir. This way."
{Mortimer led them to a room.}

Armin followed him. //I just hope two of us is enough,// he mused. //Who knows, Sargon might've been waiting for us to divide our group so he has a better chance of getting away... well, I suppose it can't be helped.//

Ivy and Frederick stayed behind. 'Not fair,' Ivy complained. 'I'm going to miss all the action.'

{Dianne pushes Sargon into the room, closing the door once Everyone's inside.}
Mortimer: "Ok, Sargon. We only have this brief time to prepare your defense. So, why did you do it?"

{Jerry just crosses his arms.} "Ivy, all they're going to do in there is try to build Sargon a case to plead. A boring and clearly hopeless task. You're not missing anything exciting, trust me."

'Why did I do it?' Sargon repeated. 'Why did I raze Shacklestone City and kill its inhabitants? Because I hoped to protect my people, the vampires and werewolves, from the danger humans posed to them. I wished to wipe out the human population and replace them with non-humans.'

Armin curled his lip in disgust, but didn't interrupt.

Outside the room, Ivy rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, I know. It's probably nothing interesting at all. But what if he tries to escape? What if there's a fight? /Then/ things might get interesting.'

(My wifi is getting turned off, so I have to leave now. I'll reply again as soon as I can. X)
Bye!)

{Dianne rolls her eyes while Mortimer blinks a few times.}
"Save them? From humans? By committing genocide? From what I understand, you started a revolt because of the corrupt government in Shacklestone. Hmmm, that's difficult to justify. I can already tell, the jury is not going to buy that. Maybe you should just plea insanity..."

(K, Bye!)

'Well, he /is/ insane,' Armin muttered. 'Everyone knows that.'

'I see no point in doing this,' said Sargon. 'I fully admitted to the crimes I've committed. I have no intention of trying to plead a hopeless case.'

{Mortimer nods.} "I see. So, you're resigned to your fate...You're intending to plead guilty, is that correct?"

'I am,' said Sargon. 'Considering what I did, there is no chance that my actions could be justified.'

{Mortimer nods and adjust his glasses.}
"Very well. There's no point in delaying it any further then. We will go to the court proceedings, the judge will list the charges and ask how you plead, you will plead guilty, and the judge will deliver your sentence."
{Mortimer then leads the group out the door. Dianne walked behind Sargon, looking at him suspiciously. She didn't believe that he would be so accepting of his fate, and was sure he was going to try something soon}

As they all left the room, Sargon threw a glance towards Dianne. 'Surprised?' he said softly. 'I'm sure you were expecting me to try to lessen my sentence. But I know it would be a waste of time.'

Armin hurried out of the room to rejoin the rest of the group. As he approached, Ivy spoke up. 'So, what happened? That was really quick, you were only in there for like two minutes.'

'He decided he's not going to plead a case, apparently,' said Armin, shrugging. 'Which just makes him seem even more suspicious.'

{Dianne narrows her eyes at Sargon.}
“I was expecting you to. After all, a life in servitude sentence would basically guarantee that you have an infinite amount of opportunities to escape. You’ve never been the type to just accept fate, why start now?”

{Jerry glanced over at Sargon as he went ahead.}
“I don’t buy it. He’ s up to something. “

'There's no guarantee that I would have gotten to live, regardless of what I said,' Sargon replied. 'The way I see it, I would have been executed no matter what nonsense story I came up with. If I am going to die, I would rather just get on with it.'

Ivy nodded. 'Yeeeeah, I have a bad feeling about this.'

Armin said nothing, but just watched Sargon, a grim expression on his face.

{At this, everyone gave Sargon suspicious looks.}
Magnus: “...Ok...”
Mortimer: “If you say so. The court room is this way.”

Everyone began to follow Mortimer to the courtroom. Ivy, Armin, and Frederick didn't say anything, as they were all too busy keeping an eye on Sargon.

{As the group entered the court room, all eyes were on them. The people in the jury were scowling at Sargon, while the people in the pews were whispering and muttering as they glanced at the war criminal. The group was instructed to sit until the judge entered. The Abominations, however, could not fit in the seats, so they just stood in the corner of the room, staring at Sargon.}

(So, who wants to be the Judge?)

As instructed, Armin, Ivy, and the rest of the group sat down. Ivy was gazing around curiously, having never been inside a courtroom before. 'Wonder when the judge will be here?' Armin muttered. He was still watching Sargon like a hawk, determined not to let the older vampire out of his sight. He was also still clutching the short stake he'd picked up before entering the building.

(Hmm, you can be the judge.)

(Alrighty!)

{After a minute, a guard enters and gives an announcement.}
Guard: "All rise for the Honorable Joseph Halbarad."
{At that moment, everyone stands as a tall, well built, older gentleman walks in from the side door. He was dressed in a military uniform, adorned in medals. Sitting down in his high chair, he puts on a pair of glasses.}
Hon. Halbarad: "Alright, let's get this over with. The accused, step forth."

Sargon did as he was told. Meanwhile, Ivy was watching the judge, curious about what he would say.

{Judge Halbarad looked down at Sargon, narrowing his eyes at him, then looked down at a paper, which was a criminal file compiled from eyewitness accounts.}
Hon. Halbarad: "Sargon, the Silver Count...It says here that you also go by the title of, "Lover of Zombie Hookers", but I'm not going to ask..."
{At that, Magnus snickers and Dianne glares daggers at him, before looking back at Sargon and the judge.}
"Anyway, you stand accused of Mass Genocide of the Innocents, Looting, Treason, and Blackmail, among many others. How do you plead?"

Across the room, Ivy had also laughed, but stopped herself quickly when she noticed Dianne glaring at Magnus.

'Guilty,' said Sargon firmly.

{Judge Halbarad raised a brow at Sargon and everyone in the pews and jury began to murmur and whisper.}
Hon. Halbarad: “Hmm, well, that makes this much quicker. {The Judge slams down his gavel.}
“Guilty! Sargon, you have committed grave atrocities against the citizens of Shacklestone and the Sovereign. For this, I sentence you to death, by guillotine.”

'I accept my sentence,' Sargon replied. He didn't sound concerned - in fact, he almost sounded bored.

Across the room, Ivy and Armin were both watching him suspiciously. 'Guillotines can kill vampires, right?' whispered Ivy.

'Of course they can,' Armin whispered back. 'It's one of the only ways to kill vampires beside using a stake... but I still think he's up to something.'

{The Judge nods.} “Mhmm. Zombie guards and Sovereign guards, take him away.”
{With a motion of her hand, the abominations walk up to Sargon and begin to lead him away, following the Sovereign guards. Afterward, Dianne, Jerry, and Magnus stand and follow Sargon as he’s led away.}

Armin, Ivy and Frederick stood up as well, following the rest of the group. Armin moved to walk beside Jerry. Ivy, meanwhile, sidled up next to Dianne.

'What about that creepy witch dragon thing?' she whispered. 'Anastasia? What's going to happen to her?'

{Dianne glanced at Sargon before answering.}
“Well, I’ll probably just end up sending her soul to Oblivion or some other less-than-pleasant dimension. After all, she can’t be formally punished if she’s already dead.”

'That's a shame,' Armin muttered. 'It would've been nice to watch her go the same way as her boyfriend.' At this, Sargon gave him a dour glance before looking away.

'I wonder where they keep the guillotine,' Ivy mused out loud.

{Dianne chuckles at Armin's remark} "Wouldn't it though? That bloody harlot is just as guilty as he is. Well, an eternity in Oblivion should work just as well."
{Jerry just kind of glances at the pair uncomfortably.}
"You two are talking about condemning her to eternal suffering. You do realize the implications of what you're talking about, right?"

{As the group moved along, they were led to an outdoor plaza, where the guillotine came into view. Apparently, they started its construction a few hours before, as the building crew and executioner were just finishing removing the excess building materials and testing it on some melons.}

'What implications?' said Armin. 'I don't see anything wrong with it.'

//Oh, there it is,// Ivy thought, looking up at the guillotine. //Scary.//

{Jerry just glanced down.}
“I don’t know, Armin, you’re talking about sending Ana off to endure /eternal/ suffering. That means forever. It’s not something to be taken lightly.”

Dianne: “Believe me, Jerry, she deserves it, after pulling a stunt like this. Don’t tell me you feel sorry for her?”

{After a successful test of the guillotine, the executioner approaches the group.}
Executioner: “Alrighty, let’s get this over with.”

'I kinda see your point,' said Ivy, sounding a little uneasy. 'I mean, eternal suffering is worse than /death,/ and she hasn't done anything worse than what Sargon's done!'

'I agree, too,' said Frederick, who had been very quiet until then. 'All she did was blindly follow his orders. She's an idiot, but she doesn't deserve a fate worse than him.'

Armin looked up. 'It's time,' he said, looking from the executioner to Sargon, who was standing by quietly.

{Dianne raised a brow at them all.}
"We can discuss this later. But, keep in mind that while my decision has quite a bit of weight to it, it isn't the final say. If I send her to Oblivion, it is more than possible for a higher being to veto my decision and put her somewhere else. The afterlife is not as chaotic and lawless as some might have you believe."
{As she finished, she turned her attention to Sargon. A few abominations push Sargon ahead, as the Executioner readies the contraption.}
Executioner: "Alrighty then. Jus' put yer head in the hole and the blade will do the rest. Do ya have anythin' to declare?"

(Will continue at tomorrow's RP, since my next part might be kinda long. That is, if you'll be available tomorrow?)

(I will be, no worries. :D)

???