The Innkeeper

Chapter 1703: Compensation or punishment

Jack, too, had noticed Goldilocks wearing the trenchcoat – not because he looked like a cartoon version of a detective from a black and white movie, but because the trenchcoat had not turned to gold. If the little duck had gained the ability to control what he turned to gold, then that would be fantastic.

“We had not gotten far, barely through the front doors of the bakery, when Mr. Fancy-tail showed up,” the alligator said, glaring at Grimshaw as he spoke.

Jack could not help but feel amused. He’d never heard the alligator speak so politely before. Normally, whenever he would steal Tiny-Sparkles treasure chests, he was a lot more aggressive.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to call him mister,” Jack whispered.

Jack’s apparent nonchalance in such an intense moment was mildly amusing to Oroo, especially since she could still sense the immense anger he was still carrying within. Such a complicated fairy.

A certain gleam passed through her eyes as she had an idea, and looked between Jack and the furious Artica. The Humanoid Alliance was attempting to create alliances, and the proverbial new kid on the block, the Artica race, was their latest target. So far, they were having limited success considering they were late to the party, but this might be a great opportunity for them.

“Well, Fancy-tail wanted me to be his slave, and then he… I don’t know, he did something to try and make me think that was a good idea. So I just crystalised the interference and politely cursed his face and rejected him. I think the curse must have made him angry, because the next thing I knew, he told me to die or become his slave and I… I still didn’t want to be his slave so I… I suppose I chose to fight to the death, although I don’t remember why that felt like a good idea at the time…”

“Wait,” Oroo interrupted, mild disbelief evident in her expressions. “Are you saying you crystalised his influence on you?”

“Don’t answer that,” responded Jack immediately, glaring at Oroo.

“This is absolutely absurd,” the Artica said. “Are we just going to sit here and exchange stories forever?”

The Primal, who was up until this point maintaining the perfect display of composure, could not help but sigh. He was a dignified Sage, influencing the very future of the universe with his every action and decision. So why did he feel like a new parent breaking up a fight between some kids?

The Primal took over the meeting, directing very specific questions towards everyone one at a time, ultimately getting the whole story. It was more or less as it sounded.

Grimshaw was basically guilty of every single thing he had been accused of, not that he seemed to care too much. If anything, he kept acting as if everything he had done was completely harmless.

The fact that someone so powerful was so clueless, if the way he acted was genuine, was far more frightening than imagining that he was genuinely someone with ill intentions.

The stallion’s guilt was called into question because it could be argued that he was simply being influenced by Grimshaw. The question, then, was to determine his punishment.

“Come on guys, at the end of the day, there was no real harm done,” Grimshaw said, trying to appeal to the group. “All wounds were healed, there was no permanent damage, and the young child learned an important lesson about not wandering off on his own. I feel like we’ve had a productive-“

“Oh, shut up,” Oroo scoffed. “Guilt has been established, Primal. How will you judge?”

“Traditionally, there can be punishment, or compensation. Crimes have been committed against the leader of the fairy race, as well as laws broken within the Artica realm. However, just as Grimshaw stated, there was no permanent damage. Ergo, I believe that compensation can-“

“Incorrect,” interrupted Jack as soon as he saw what the Primal was going for. “Mere compensation cannot make up for the harm that the little alligator faced. I need punishment.”

“Please, reevaluate your assessment,” the Primal said. “At least hear out what I was going to propose. The compensation he can give will be extremely useful to not only you, but the alligator as well. These are not the kind of resources that you can get access to ever again.”

“Irrelevant,” Jack said dismissively. “He tried to kidnap my crew member, then tried to kill him, and caused the alligator to nearly lose an arm. That’s not the kind of thing that I can just overlook. The way I see it, he should suffer the same kind of harm the alligator faced – at the very least. So a near crippled arm is a good start for his punishment.”

Grimshaw, who was up until now smiling and relaxed, finally had a change of expression. It was slow, and deliberate, but his gaze locked onto Jack and his smile slowly turned into a stern frown.

“Impossible, I’m afraid,” the Primal said. “Like I said, the judgment will be made according to the crime. While it is true that the alligator may have suffered mentally and physically, it is not enough to punish Grimshaw with a crippled arm. If you insist on physical punishment, a temporary cut is the most you can get.”

“Are you telling me that attempted kidnapping, attempted murder and orchestrating bodily harm to the alligator can only be equated to a temporary cut on his arm?” Jack questioned slowly, his anger once again bubbling.

“If you think I am being biased, you may consult with Oroo. Unfortunately, regardless of how you feel, the life of a mundane race is fundamentally unequal to that of a Sage. Even the cut you are only getting because of the influence of the Humanoid Alliance. If you opt for the compensation, you stand to benefit much more than satiating your ego will get you.”

Jack grit his teeth, and looked at Oroo, ignoring the smug look on Grimshaw’s face. She didn’t look helpless, but she didn’t seem like she could get what Jack wanted either. This was… far from the outcome Jack wanted. As the weaker party, relying on someone else’s help to get justice to begin with, there was very little he could do. Still, that didn’t mean he was helpless.

Jack calmed down, and tried a different approach.