<h4>Chapter 14: Interrogation</h4>
Ss ckwood found himself escorted by the guards, their firm grip on his arms indicating they thought he might try to escape. The corridors of Arcanium University seemed to stretch on forever. The echoes of their footsteps reverberated loudly off the stone walls. Rathgar walked beside him in a gesture of solidarity.
With his brightness still up, the torches lining the hallways were blinding. He turned it back down so as not to burn his retinas.
As they neared the interrogation room, Ss mentally prepared himself for what was toe. The guards ushered him inside. The heavy wooden door closed behind them with a resounding thud. The room was sparse. It only had a in wooden table and a few chairs upying the center. The walls were bare, except for a couple hanging torches.
Ss looked at Rathgar, who gave him a reassuring nod. He wouldn''t be alone in this. He had a friend, albeit a fairly new one.
The guards left the room and took up positions outside the door. Ss activated his sound istion skill, focusing his hearing on the guards talking just outside the room.
He quickly went into the system setting menu, hoping it had volume control. He figured if it had a brightness setting, it had to have volume control.
Unsurprising to Ss, it did. The guards'' voices were low, but after turning up the volume and isting the sound, he could make out their words quite easily.
"This kid is screwed. The inspector always finds people guilty. Always." One of the guards muttered.
"Yeah. I''ve seen it happen too many times. Once he decides a person is guilty, he finds a way to pin something on them," the other guard agreed.
Ss wasn''t looking forward to this ''interview''. He nced at Rathgar to gauge how he should feel.
Rathgar''s body remained still, his arms folded, but he had a faint look of concern in his eyes. He leaned in close, almost whispering, "Remember,d, the truth is on your side. No matter what they say, hold fast to that."
Ss replied, also speaking quietly, "What if the truth reveals things about me they don''t like?"
Rathgar thought about that for a moment. "Telling the truth doesn''t mean telling them all your secrets. Only reveal the ones you think they''ll find out anyway."
"Ok. Thanks," Ss replied. He knew Rathgar''s words held wisdom. He just had to bnce what he said with what he could get away with not saying.
Ss ckwood watched as the door opened, and four university officials walked in. Two stern-faced council members entered, followed by Professor Morgath, the lead interrogator, and a scribe.
Morgath was a middle-aged man with a prating gaze and suspicious eyebrows. He looked like a permanent scoff was built into his face.
As the officials took their seats, Ss''s mother''s voice echoed in his mind.
"Ss. Use your ''essence revtion'' on the investigator. We need to know what we''re up against," she urged.
Ss activated his ''essence revtion'' skill and looked at Professor Morgath. Lines of text filled his vision, revealing his various stats. The important part, his affinity, was psychological magic.
"What is psychological magic?" Ss thought.
"It allows the user to understand a person''s psyche, their emotions, thoughts, and whether they are telling the truth," she replied.
"So can he hear us talking right now?" Ss asked.
"No. It''s not that specific. He can determine more general thoughts, like if someone is trying to hide the truth from him or their nose is itchy," she said.
"Oh, ok," Ss thought.
Ss would have to maintain strict control over his emotions and thoughts if he wanted to make it through this unscathed.
The room fell silent as Professor Morgath leaned forward, his piercing eyes locked on Ss. "Mr. ckwood. I trust you understand the seriousness of the situation you are in."
[New Quest: Escape punishment]
Ss met the professor''s gaze. He knew he was in danger, but he refused to be intimidated. "Yes. I do."
Professor Morgath began, his voice dripping with a false sense of civility, "Very well, Mr. ckwood. I''d like you to tell us, in your own words, what transpired between you and Mr. Devereux."
"Damien and his friends attacked me. They chased me and knocked me out. Then Damien bound me in a blood rope and his friends threw me off the edge of Arcanium to be devoured by the carnivorous fish below," Ss said, clear and steady.
Morgath''s eyes flickered with a hint of surprise, as if he had not expected Ss to be so forthright. But the professor quickly regained hisposure, his expression hardening once more.
"And what, pray tell, led to this alleged attack?" Morgath pressed, his toneced with skepticism. "Surely there must have been some provocation on your part, some reason for Mr. Devereux to take such drastic action."
Ss could see the trap beingid, but he couldn''t lie, so he had to step right into it. "Damien was seeking revenge against me for beating his brother in a duel."
"A duel, you say?" Morgath opened a folder. "What sort of duel involves three people fighting against one? I have signed statements from stair Devereux, Cyrus Lockhart, and Vivian Thorne. They attest that you assaulted them. Unprovoked."
"Unprovoked? Cyrus put me in a choke hold!" Ss eximed.
"Mr. Lockhart said he put his hand on your shoulder in a persuasive gesture. Nothing more. And then you ruthlessly attacked them," Professor Morgath steeped his hands.
"Now who is more credible? A scion of the beloved Lockhart family and exemry student, or the son of the infamous criminal Evelyn Winterbourne?" Morgath smiled malevolently.
"Shouldn''t the truth matter more than credibility, Professor? Can''t you tell I''m speaking the truth?" Ss said, his voice slightly raised.
"I don''t know where you got that information Mr. ckwood, but I cannot tell if what you say is true. I can only determine if you believe what you''re telling me. That doesn''t mean you can''t be wrong." Morgath replied, a vein popping out on his forehead. "And I know you don''t believe your altercation with those three students was a duel."
"Ok. Well it wasn''t my fault. They threatened me first," Ss said.
"By asking to see your sses? Seems rather harmless to me," Morgath said, unconvinced. "I also know you''re hiding something from me. What is it?"
"I didn''t want them to see my eyes," Ss admitted.
"So you attacked them? That doesn''t seem like a reasonable response to me."
"Well, my life depended on it," Ss said. He was relying on the idea that the truth was his greatest weapon.
"Hmm. And you really believe that. Why?" Morgath rubbed his chin, curious.
"My life also depends on whether I answer that question. Can you guarantee my safety? Because if you can''t, you might as well lock me up now." Ss replied, scorn in his eyes.
"Hmm. I certainly am capable of guaranteeing your safety, but why should I do that?" Morgath asked, his hand still on his chin.
"Because otherwise, you''ll never know why. And people like you always have to know why," Ss said, angrily.
"While I don''t like the idea that you have leverage on me, you do have a point. I am quite curious as to the reasons for your actions and it''s fairly simple for me to allocate the resources to keep you safe. Ok, I''ll do it. Now tell me why," Morgath said, smiling creepily.
"Wait Ss! Tell him to give it to you in writing," Ss''s mother said in his head.
"I want it in writing," Ss said, with a vindictive grin.
"Ok. I will make it so. Scribe, write up a document to that effect." Morgath said to the scribe.
The scribe flipped to a fresh page and quickly wrote up a rudimentary contract. She handed it to the inspector. Morgath briefly looked at it, then signed it at the bottom. He extended the paper to Ss to sign.
Ss took a moment to look it over first before signing.
"What does it say?" Ss thought.
"It basically says you will be protected so long as you answer truthfully to any questions asked of you from now on. If you lie, you will be held in confinement and offered no protection," Evelyn said.
Ss took the pen offered and reluctantly signed the document.
"Now that that is settled, provide me with the answers I seek. Why did you feel your life was in danger?" Morgath questioned.
"Because of this," Ss answered. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed at them with his shirt. His shirt came away with viscous white goo.
Ss opened his eyes, and everyone in the room gasped. His pink irises and ck sclera were fully on disy. Ss also opened his mouth, showing off his long sharp canines.
"My word," Morgath said, amazed. "You are by far the most intriguing person I''ve ever interviewed. This is more than I could have asked for."
"Any other questions?" Ss asked, feeling like a freak show attraction.
"Yes. You are using this shocking reveal to obfuscate something. What is it?" Morgath asked.
Ss sighed. "I have a condition where I have to drain mana from other sources to survive."
"I suppose you drained mana from stair Devereux, Mr. Lockhart, and Miss Thorne?" Morgath guessed.
"Yes," Ss said, resigned.
"Have you considered draining mana from magical beasts?" Morgath suggested.
"We''re not allowed to leave campus," Ss said.
"What if I gave you special permission?" Morgath said.
"You would do that?" Ss said.
"If it means not having you draining mana from the other students or dying on campus, yes. We can''t afford another scandal," Morgath said. "If you agree to only drain mana from magical beasts, I will not punish you for the previous incident."
"What about Damien?" Ss asked.
"He shall face no punishment. He has enough problems being in emergency care. Besides, his parents provide arge portion of our funding. We can''t afford to lose their support," Morgath said. "Do you know anything about his current condition?"
"Yes. I can link minds with people. Our minds were linked when I hit the water. He felt all the pain I felt. He must be in shock," Ss said.
"I suppose he deserves that. Very well. You shall face no punishment either. I''ll have to bring the matter of your condition to the council. As agreed, I will guarantee no harm wille to you as a result of their decision," Morgath said, resolutely. "As far as schoolyard altercations, you are not to participate in any scuffles with other students, with the exception of duels supervised by university officials."
"Ok. Thank you, sir," Ss replied. He despised the way politics and money and influence dictated the flow of justice in this system, but he would have to function under it until he was strong enough to oppose it.
Professor Morgath called the guards into the room. "Escort Mr. ckwood to his dormitory."
[Quest Completed: Punishment escaped: +10 Exp]