Passing judgement

Many years ago...

I proudly waddled my way into the guild in Bisochos.

"Lookie here, we got a bigshot. Here, take my glass," a man in a striped shirt and white pants snickered as he held out a glass with a little bit of something left in it.

"Thanks!" I smiled as I grabbed the glass and began drinking from it. 

"OI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" my mother roared as she snatched the glass out of my hand.

"Wha- Momma-"

"Not you, Aya. Ignatz! She's barely 4 years old! She doesn't know better!"

"What!? No, I was just playin' waitress-"

Lightning crackled from my mother's hand as she slapped the man hard across the face.

My eyes widened with awe as the now-fried man tumbled out of his seat and twitched on the floor. "I wanna do that too."

My mother smiled as she hoisted me up. "Wanna be a strong woman like, momma, huh? When you get bigger, I'll start teaching you some stuff."

Growing up, my first hero was my mother. Like me, she had perfectly tanned skin, a nice body, and short pink hair, albeit, much shorter than how I had my own. She worked here at the guild as the main server, but used to be a b-rank adventurer before deciding to start a family.

An older man with glasses sighed as he knelt over Mr. Ignatz. "Deborah, you're gonna kill one of these poor boys one day if you keep electrocuting them like this."

"Then tell em' to stop messing with Aya!" my mother retorted as the man began healing Mr. Ignatz with magic.

"Take a look at where you work and tell me if you think people here would listen to a doctor when they tell them not to do something."

"I don't follow."

The doctor pointed to the glass. "Alcohol. Even if I warn people beforehand, one glass of that, and they're trying to grope every woman that walks by."

"Then we slug em."

The doctor let out another sigh. "I hope your daughter develops a sharper mind than yours."

The sound of marching footsteps caused us all to turn towards the doors as a group of men walked in. I quickly began cheering and reaching out my hands as I recognized my father amongst the group.

"Oh, Aya. You're here helping your mother," my father smiled as he accepted me into his arms.

"You smell like ocean!" I cheered as I sunk my face into his long thick beard.

"As we all should. We live n' breath by the cool sea air from the pristine waters on our shores."

"But the smell of the sea smells even better with a homegrown citron," my mother smiled as she spun a citron around on her finger.

"Yay! I want some! Make it extra squishy!" I smiled.

"Then sit still and wait for your mother to make it," my father smiled as he set me down on a chair and headed over to the stage.

"Why can't you carry me!?"

"Because I need both hands to play," my father chuckled as he pulled out his concertina and began playing music with some of the other men.

These used to be how my days would be growing up, but then, months later, everything changed...

...

"You're getting fat!" I cried as I pointed at my mother's stomach.

"Haha! I have been eating a lot more, but I ain't getting all the nutrients from it!" my mother laughed as she patted her stomach.

"So it another girl? A boy?" one of the receptionists giggled.

"Think that old codger could tell? Only way to find out is when they come out."

"What's coming out?" I asked.

"A baby."

"What's a baby?"

"Oh? Don't remember what-"

Suddenly, everyone went quiet as some people in black cloaks entered the guild.

My mother quickly ushered me behind her as she stared down the men. "New faces. Where ya from?"

The figures turned their heads all around before grinning and throwing off their cloaks to reveal white robes and gold crosses beneath. "We're here to pass judgement upon the heresy plaguing the view from Vecilia!" one sneered as he charged forward.

My mother quickly scooped me up and surrounded herself with lightening before blasting out the door. She quickly came to a stop as we came face-to-face with more men in white robes along with a sea of fire.

"Momma, what's happening?" I trembled as I began clutching my stomach.

My mother didn't reply.

"Momma?"

Suddenly, a scream rang out from behind us. My mother attempted to hold my head so as to prevent me from seeing, but I saw it; the ladies from the guild being tossed out by the men in robes with wine oozing out of their heads and backs.

"Are they fighting?" I trembled.

My mother's hand began shaking as she clutched me tightly. "Aya, hold on tight," she smiled before surrounding us with lightning and attempting to fly into the sky.

However, one of the men leaped up in front of us and swung his hand out at us, causing wine to burst out of my mother's neck. 

"Aya," my mother mumbled as her grip on me loosened. "I... love you..."

The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by wind and flying off through the air towards the sea. I screamed for my mother, but simply because I didn't know where she was and didn't like the sensation of blasting through the air. Eventually, a ship came into view, and slowly, I decreased speed.

"AYA!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" my father shouted as he ran up and caught me.

The last thing I remember from that day was crying before throwing up in my father's arms. What came after was a blur for me, with my next major memory being standing before a giant rock with my father.

"Wh- What's this?" I mumbled as I looked up at my father.

My father shook his head. "It's where your mother, and whoever was inside her are resting. Aya... I'm sorry."

I was too young to understand at the time, but as I grew older, I slowly realized the weight of things. The men in white robes? Inquisitors. The "wine" I saw bursting out of my mother and others? Blood. The reason everyone was so sad and silent instead of loud and happy? Grief. This was the day Inquisitors from the Church of Sirupus raided Bisochos and slaughtered most of its women and children while its men were out at sea.

"Aya... From this day forward, I'm going to train you," my father trembled as he rested his hand on my head.

"Like momma said she was going to?" I asked.

"No, this... will make you much stronger." 

A few minutes later, my father brought me before a tied up man in white robes with a bandage wrapped around his mouth. 

"H- He was one of the ones fighting!" I cried.

"Relax, he won't be attacking anyone ever again," my father scowled as he grabbed a clump of grass and tossed it at the man.

To my surprise, it appeared to bounce off the man and splat onto my father's coat.

"This is what they call "impenetrable magic" if you hit someone when this is active, the damage from your attack comes right back to you. However, it prevents the castor from moving their feet when active, and is unable to prevent its castor from being grabbed or bound with ropes or shackles. However, they can still move their arms, and with them and the weapons in their hands coated in the barrier. Your only hope then is for them to expend their magic or have a mage on hand who can cast an aromatic spell that puts them to sleep. However, there is another way, a way only I can do," my father growled as he walked behind the man with me.

He then pulled back his fist and unleashed a punch at the man's back. A loud smashing and crunching sound rang out as the man let out a loud groan and fell to his face.

"All you need to do is hit the magic with a force too powerful for it to deflect, and it shatters. And if they're not moving their feet, and confident in their barrier, landing a spine crushing blow on their backside is easy. And once their spine is broken, they can't use magic or even move," my father scoffed as he tossed another clump of dirt at the man.

This time, the dirt didn't bounce off and splatted onto the man's white robe.

"Aya, for your first day of training, hit this," my father glared as he held up the man.

"Isn't fighting bad?" I frowned.

"He's long since broken the rules. Aya, please... hit him."

I shrugged and unleashed a punch at the man's chest. "Ow! It's hard!"

"You haven't begun training yet so your technique isn't refined, nor do you posses great physical strength yet. But that was a good start," my father sighed as he wiped his eye.

"What are you doing?" I asked as my father began dragging the man over to a tree.

"Passing judgement," my father replied as he began tying a rope around the man's neck.