A Declaration of War

As I make my way to the podium, stepping up onto the stage, the applause stops and a chilling silence fills the air. Even in this other world, the spotlights trained on poor, hapless souls making speeches are still as hot and bright as ever. A bead of sweat drips down my face as I take my position. I clear my throat. It echoes throughout the hall; despite there being no microphone, my voice is amplified nonetheless. At least I won’t have to yell.

Thanks to Fredericus, I’ve got the introduction down pat. It’s show time. Here goes nothing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Ducal Houses, I have been brought to your wonderful city with only one objective: Bring back law and order. Thanks to the Royal College of Magic, I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I fully intend to carry it out to the best of my ability.”

A few audience members cough.

“Since I arrived, I’ve witnessed things I would have scarcely believed were it not for my own eyes. Where I come from, there is no magic. There are only humans. My short time here has been a shocking introduction to a completely new way of life, and I have you all to thank for your hospitality and trust in giving me the resources necessary to start again.”

A partial round of applause spontaneously erupts, giving me a moment to breathe. The lights on me are glaring; I can only make out a faint outline of the crowd, and the balcony above it. The king’s magic sceptre, with its blue-green glowing ring, stands out despite the glare.

“I’ve been welcomed with open arms to your city. The support that has been shown to me is incredible, and the only way I can pay it back is by doing the job I’ve been brought here for.”

“In the last month, I’ve worked my fingers to the bone to rebuild the Laios Order of Police. Fresh recruits, right off the street, were put into intensive training, educated in the law, and transformed into real police officers I can be proud of. Our once dilapidated headquarters building is now a freshly renovated, proud reminder of the image I intend our office to project to our citizens.”

“Despite our progress, I’ve been made aware of serious issues that plague this city. Issues that can only be solved through a vigorous, impartial application of law and order. As many of you well know, crime has run rampant throughout the city since my predecessor’s departure. There are political reasons for this, but the law does not bend itself to the whims of politics.”

The crowd is silent again. Those in the audience I can see in the front row are growing increasingly uncomfortable. The heat is on.

“When I first arrived to this great city, I, personally, was witness to a murder. It’s been my longstanding goal to prosecute this to the fullest extent allowed to me, no matter the perpetrator or their status. The victim was an elderly man, minding his own business, crushed to death in a barbaric act of cruelty.”

Murmurs can be heard throughout the hall.

“This brazen act of violence was committed by none other than Slime Lord Uragas.”

I’m interrupted by numerous, audible gasps.

“Uragas’s carriage drove through one of the poorest neighborhoods in his quarter, senselessly wielding gravity magic for his own comfort, and this elderly demihuman man was unable to escape in time before it crushed him. He was a civilian on the sidewalk, in an area where gravity magic is expressly forbidden, who fell victim to Uragas’s intentional, gaudy, violent show of power.”

A few members of the audience shout out in disapproval. “Nonsense!” “You dare question him?” are two heckles that reach me.

“I personally witnessed the community’s terrible grief as they discovered this old man’s body, twisted and rended into a bloody nightmare upon the sidewalk. It’s not just that Uragas killed this poor old man, it’s even worse than that. The magic that he uses to cushion his carriage with ice cleans the streets before his carriage touches it. When his carriage passes, a special layer of magic returns it exactly as it was, dirt, refuse and all. This Slime thinks so little of the streets of this city, he intentionally utilizes magic to prevent the streets from being cleaned by his mere passing, so that the residents continue to live in filth.”

“It’s my steadfast belief that no one is above the law. Anyone who, intentionally or unintentionally, takes the life of an innocent man deserves a trial by jury and a just punishment, and that includes Slime Lord Uragas.”

At this moment, I spy a dim, blue light in the audience. It’s a spell. An extremely thin, bright, piercing light erupts from the audience, aimed directly for my chest. It smashes against an invisible barrier in front of me, roiling and spitting in front of me. Half the audience gasps, the other half shouts out in rage.

I take this moment to pause, as I see this thin, deadly beam tearing away at the magical barrier that saved my life. From the hall, there’s a loud POP. The beam vanishes. The caster’s head has exploded into a fine mist, coating his nearby audience members. They scream out in terror.

I see the blue-green sceptre move, in my peripheral vision. The king has stood up.

He shouts, “I have had ENOUGH of this! That you would dare to attempt to take his life for this is unacceptable! Silence!”

The audience murmurs, then quiets down.

I decide to continue on.

“Today, I am not only bringing charges against Slime Lord Uragas. I am also bringing a homicide charge upon his cult of followers, one of which committed a brazen murder this week on an innocent woman who bumped into him on the street. This coward sliced her in half and flew away to escape the consequences. My office will be conducting a unilateral, in-depth investigation into their activities, and believe me, we have a laundry list of crimes that have already been uncovered.”

The room once again has that characteristic, eerie silence.

“No one is above the law. However, those who believe they’re above the law have resources that not even the most powerful law enforcement agencies can match. It’s for that reason that I’ve gathered some additional help.”

Simultaneously, on both sides of the hall, great chamber doors are booted open with a loud crash. The soldiers of the Royal Army file in, orderly and resolute, dressed in pitch-black uniforms studded with medals. They march into positions flanking the audience on both sides, coming to rest at perfect attention, stomping their feet rhythmically.

This greatly upsets some members of the audience. From my podium, I see two more spots of light appear, on opposite sides of the crowd. Multiple beams arc out into the air, some smashing into the barrier in front of me, and others aimed at the officers in charge of the Army regiment that had just arrived.

All are defeated by barriers. Once again, a terrible sound fills the hall. POP. POP. More screams, as their bystanders are coated in a fine mist of blood.

“It’s clear to me that this issue is more deeply embedded than I ever thought possible”, I continue.

“Rest assured, whether I live or die, law and order will be restored to this city, even if I pursue it from beyond the grave. Those of you who support this thieving, murderous organization will pay for your deeds, I will make sure of it. Your days are numbered.”

A round of applause fills the hall, starting first with my men, and spreading to our supporters.

I glance up at the king. He’s still standing, a rueful, angry expression on his face. He is clearly disappointed in the scum that he had to dispatch tonight.

“With that, I thank you all for an exceptionally exciting evening and an excellent dinner. I have work to do. I hope to meet all of you in due time.”

I give a bow. The applause becomes thunderous. Even those who had shouted out in protest before have changed their minds, at least for the moment. Very good.

I take my leave from the stage. A crowd of nobles rushes me, trying to claim the first impression of support, a form of cheap, psychological bribe. I shooed them away, and returned to the comfortable embrace of Leia and Beatrix, in both arms, steeling me against the post-facto shock of the speech I’d just delivered. An energetic, adrenaline-filled feeling pervades the hall.

The soldiers dragged out the bodies of the would-be assassins, and the rest of the evening was spent in a strange, eerie atmosphere. The weight of what I had just announced hung over my shoulders. I’d just declared war.

My girls congratulate me on a job well done. Fredericus especially seems more relieved than he has any right to be.