Minus one hundred points

My peaceful sleep was interrupted by someone’s knocking, it was so loud that perhaps I shouldn't have called it knocking but banging instead. This wasn’t a good sign, and a stern male’s voice coming from behind the door had further strengthened this belief.

“By order of Junior Judge Hector Umbric, all candidates for imperial adjudicators from the class number five are to gather in their dormitory entrance hall! Failure to accomplish this task in one very small hourglass of time, or appearing in an inadequate state will result in an appropriate punishment!”

Multiple other voices saying the exact same lines reverberated like an echo in the entire building, I bet that someone was standing in front of each of the candidates’ bedrooms. One very small hourglass meant that I had less than five minutes to comply with this order. Still, that should be more than enough time to get dressed and move to the ground floor, it also left me with a bit of a leeway to lazily stretch.

An unexpected creaking sound, followed by something heavy hitting the wall, instantly dispelled the remnants of my sleepiness. The sound came from the corner of my room, and I reflexively turned in that direction. But what I saw over there was high above my current threshold of comprehension. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched a small white-haired girl emerge from the big metal chest. I could swear that I had checked the chest before and there was no such girl inside. It took me a few good seconds to realize that I knew her, it was the same small girl from yesterday who had been standing on the first floor, but her image had changed dramatically.

She had made a lot of corrections to her uniform, and it no longer resembled an expensive oversized sack for potatoes. The silk sash had been shortened and was now neatly wrapped around her waist, the crimson-black dress seemed to be a bit smaller and had both its sleeves and hem adjusted to fit this petite girl which in turn made the high-quality leather shoes and her dark socks visible, and akin to a finishing touch, two light-orange ribbons were adorning her white hair. Moreover, the hair itself was smoothly flowing down her back up to the waist, no longer a tangled mess, and the girl’s skin had gained a few degrees of brightness after the layer of dirt had been removed. Overall, she would look like a proper young lady from a good house, if not for her disturbing expression and blank eyes. Still, she was quite adorable, but her sudden change in appearance had nothing to do with my gaping mouth and lack of understanding.

“What are you doing...” I didn’t manage to finish this question before she ran out of the room without even sparing me a single glance.

The legionnaire standing on the other side of the door was more than surprised when the escaping little girl nearly bumped into him, then he saw me, sitting half-naked on the bed with a stupefied expression. But he was a professional, no visible contempt appeared on his face. He had probably judged the young girl and me to be of equal status, which meant that either it was consensual or that I was going to be in deep shit after he had made his report. The only problem was that we hadn't done anything in the first place, or at least I had no recollection of it.

Damn, if only she had still been a slave then such minor incident wouldn’t even be worth mentioning, now I had to find her and make sure she wasn’t trying to frame me, which made little sense as the consequences would be devastating for her reputation as well… or maybe she simply didn’t care as she wasn’t of noble birth to begin with.

The situation we were in was way too bizarre. So many people with different backgrounds were suddenly given equal social standing that it made predicting their behavior and the outcome of any incidents nearly impossible. On top of that, there was also this partial memory seal to worry about.

“Three and a half minute remaining.” Announced the legionnaire in an extra harsh voice. I had this feeling that he wished for me to be late, if only he knew how I wanted for someone to explain to me what just happened.

“Take notice that there’s no blood or anything and that she was fully dressed.” I told him while putting on my uniform. There was no more time to think about this, I had to hurry.

Except for the legionnaire who came to get me, there were two more on the corridor of the second floor. The resident of the room XLIX seemed to be still inside as one of the soldiers stood directly in front of it. As for the other soldier, he kept an eye on Fifty who leaned against the wall and was probably waiting for Maya. Both legionnaires held a very small hourglass in one hand and made sure that the sand falling inside was visible for everyone interested. As for Rex and the person number forty-six, they were already gone.

Fifty saw me as soon as I had left the room but didn’t do or say anything, he only watched with arms crossed on his chest, flexing his substantial bicepses. Yesterday’s little quarrel was my fault, and it was me who should do something about it when it still wasn’t hard to mend our relations. A good first step in that direction would be to greet him, and that was precisely what I did with a small nod, but to my surprise, he didn’t respond in kind. His posture remained far from relaxed, and his static smile was entirely superficial... and that was when I realized that it was impossible for him to miss the little girl who ran out from my room a moment ago.

Things just kept getting more and more complicated. The only saving grace was that after a night’s rest my negative emotions were like a surface of a frozen lake, far from allowing some small pebbles to make ripples on it.

Some legionnaires were on the first floor as well, but I didn’t pay them much attention, time was running out.

When I got to the entrance hall, I immediately took place among the five candidates who were already standing in a neat line. This was the most spacious part of the entire dormitory, largely due to the fact that it had to contain the massive entrance doors which now had two servants standing on each side responsible for opening and closing them, and the beautiful staircase made out of a bone-white granite with onyx speckles mixed within which was like a mini version of the ones usually found in castles and palaces. Even after adding to it a few marble busts sitting atop square pedestal bases, two leather sofas placed on the sides, the information board standing in the corner, and some other furniture and decorations, there was still enough space for all candidates from this dormitory to stand in a single line without having to intrude upon anyone’s personal space. Moreover, the dozen or so of legionnaires easily spread around the entrance hall without making me feel as if I was surrounded by them.

The seventh candidate joined us, an exotic ma'gan girl who I hadn't met yesterday and whose movements were strangely... fluid? Her joints seemed to work a little too well compared to what should be possible for a normal human.

Opposite to us, standing at attention, was someone who I quickly identified as the junior judge thanks to the silver brooch in the shape of the burning scale that doubled as the clasp of his elegant dark cloak. It wasn’t the official seal of imperial adjudicators, but I would dare anyone to wear a brooch shaped like that in a room full of legionnaires without the right to do so. It was probably Junior Judge Hector Umbric. He looked to be in his early thirties and was about ten centimeters taller than me, but the first two things that inevitably drew everyone’s attention were his bald head and square jaw.

Literally a second before the time run out, Fifty and Maya joined our line.

The junior judge had an hourglass similar to the ones held by the legionnaires, but his was made out of gold, he intently stared at the grains of sand falling inside it, until the last of them finished its short journey. “Time’s out.” He said and followed our line with his gaze, from left to right. “Nine out of ten? And only eight are in a presentable state. This is not good. Soldiers, remove all clothes from the candidate number Forty-four.” He ordered.

Forty-four was the chair kicking guy from yesterday, and he was no less shocked by this sudden command than the rest of the candidates. It didn’t take long for everyone’s attention to focus on him, mine included, and it turned out that he had put on his crimson doublet inside out. He also realized this silly mistake and tried to correct it, but it was too late.

“Wait plea- ugh!” His mouth was forcibly sealed by a fist, and two soldiers grabbed him by arms while two others unsheathed their knives and waited until Forty-four was dragged out in front of us.

“Resistance, both verbal and physical, will force us to take appropriate measures.” Said one of the only two legionnaires in the entire room whose helmets had silver plume attached.

After another punch to the face and a painful hit with a knee to his stomach, Forty-four stopped trying to explain himself. At least he knew that it would be even worse if he decided to rely on his muscular body, then it wouldn’t be strange for him to end with broken bones and many nasty burns. The legionnaires’ sharp knives easily cut through the unfortunate guy clothes, and in no time he was left kneeling naked in the middle of scraps that used to be his uniform and underwear, even his leather boots had been removed and cut into pieces. However, the victim himself was mostly intact except for the few shallow cuts, swollen face, and the exasperating feeling of disgrace.

“What are you waiting for, Forty-four? You already lost five points, go back to the line if you don’t want to lose more. That tardy candidate who I have to punish should be here any moment now.” Told him the junior judge.

A small chuckle came from one of the candidates when Forty-four stood up, displaying his naked body for public scrutiny, and with a lowered head returned to stand among us. Contrary to my assumption, this chuckle didn’t originate from Rex who was on his best behavior and maintained a neutral expression. Most of the other candidates either followed Rex’s example or were visibly uneasy, only two people acted differently. Although Maya was nervous, she still curiously paid attention to the naked muscular man next to her, but she wasn’t the source of that mocking chuckle. It came from the exotic ma’gan girl. She was taller than me and had shoulder-length orange hair with neatly trimmed bangs. Out of the three girls standing in line, the academy’s uniform fit her the most as her body wasn’t like the undeveloped Forty one’s, nor like the skeletal Maya’s, hers was seductively balanced. Especially her breasts that were well-shaped, perky, tightly bound together by the scarlet top of her dress, and tipped towards the big side. But the core of her exotic beauty lay elsewhere. Her slanted red eyes with their vertical pupils and sharp teeth that appeared each time a smile crossed her face gave her a charming aura of wickedness that no human girl could ever possess. It was her who caused the most damage to Forty-four’s pride.

While we were waiting for the last candidate to join us, I tried to analyze Forty-one’s behavior, wondering what this little girl was planning to do. Was she waiting for the right moment to ruin our reputation in front of everyone? Or would she try to blackmail me later? No, the legionnaire would report this… actually, wasn’t he doing it right now?

I watched in terror as the legionnaire who had woken me up continued to whisper something to his decanus who in turn moved towards the junior judge. The soldier with a silver plume signaled that he wanted to report something to which Judge Umbric nodded. Luckily, the decanus kept his voice low, and we were unable to hear his exact words.

“Forty-one.” Said the judge after listening to the whole report. “Did Forty-eight forced himself on you?”

This luck didn’t last long.

“Not yet.” Replied the white-haired girl without any hesitation.

I was relieved that she denied it, but... couldn’t she have just said ‘no’? Why was she making me the target of all those painful stares? I didn’t do anything to her! I wanted to protest, this was clearly a misunderstanding or a hostile act against me, but the junior judge ignored my raised hand, and tasting someone’s fist by speaking without permission was rather high on the list of things I would prefer to avoid.

“Why do you think so?” He continued to question her.

“Because he ordered me to come to his room, eat, take a bath, comb my hair, adjust my uniform, and sleep.” She stated all those things as if it was evident that those were the prerequisites to raping her. A few of the candidates released quiet sounds of understanding when they found out the reason behind her sudden change in appearance, Fifty’s was the loudest one. After hearing it, I lowered my hand, there was no need to defend myself anymore.

“... I see.” The junior judge shook his head and scrutinized the girl number Forty-one from top to bottom, she had to be at most twelve. “So you’re telling me that he ordered you to do all those terrible things? What a tragedy, I order my daughters to do almost the same each time I’m home.” The irony in his voice was wasted on this little girl, she looked at the Judge Umbric as if he was some kind of a monster. By now I understood where lay the problem in their incapability of communicating with each other, but for sure I wasn’t going to explain it to them. “Forty-eight, I give you one point for looking out for the less ‘capable’ candidates. Forty-one, you lose two points for wasting my time, be glad that I didn’t make it twenty for trying to damage another candidate’s reputation. You better realize soon that one candidate cannot order another to do anything, and report this problem with your uniform to any of the servants as soon as possible.” The junior judge swiftly closed this matter and saved me from infamy. Only Forty-one stood with her cheeks puffed out as if the whole world turned against her. I seriously needed to talk to her later.

But what points was he talking about?

Finally, the last candidate for an imperial adjudicator entered the entrance hall, or more like was dragged inside it. One of the legionnaires pulled him by the leg, down the stairs, and the candidate’s head hit each of the granite steps on the way down, one by one, leaving behind a bloody trail. A very unpleasant smell of blood and burned meat had appeared in the air. Maya turned almost as pale as Rex’s default state when she imagined how close she had been to a similar fate, while Fifty looked more concerned for the unconscious candidate.

“I see that the punishment has been already executed, a bit too hastily, don’t you think?” The junior judge asked the soldier who brought the last candidate.

“Your honor.” The man swallowed his saliva loudly and nervously continued.” Forgive me for my insolence, but the candidate number forty-five not only failed to follow your honor’s order but also tried to steal my gladius.” The legionnaire’s words froze the air around us, even the ma’gan girl composed herself. “According to my instructions, in such situation-”

“Stop.” Interrupted the junior judge. Next, he went to inspect the bloodied, burned, and unconscious candidate number forty-five. It was a sturdy man who looked to be in his early twenties, but more importantly, his tattooed face and brown skin meant that he was most definitely a member of the southern tribes. “I see, a savage failure. He’s more of a test subject than a proper candidate, no big loss.” Junior Judge Umbric put his hand on the legionnaire’s shoulder. “You did well, I heard those savages are hard to bring down in unarmed combat.”

“I only did what is expected of me, your honor.” The soldier thumped proudly on his cuirass.

After this display, no one dared to mention that the smell of burned meat coming from Forty-five meant that no such epic struggle took place. Most likely that nomad had personally experienced why legionnaires equipped with vifer armor were sometimes called ‘untouchable’. And this particular soldier even wore chain gauntlets. Not many could withstand being hit by a fist wrapped in iron heated to a few hundred degrees. And, judging by the amount of blood, there was no guarantee that a sharp weapon hadn't been used.

“But this is a good chance!” The junior judge pointed at the Forty-five whose unconscious body was being dragged to the middle of the room. If nothing was done about his state, then he might not live to see another day. “This candidate not only failed to comply with an unwritten order from the imperial judge, for which I deduce twenty-five points, but also brutally tried to steal a weapon from the soldier loyal to the empire, and that’s a very heavy offense which cost him one hundred points. He thought nothing of the prestige and honor connected with being chosen as one of the candidates and instead picked the most foolish of routes. The route to his own demise as any candidate whose points fall below minus one hundred is to be disposed of as a threat to the empire. You may think it’s unfair, or be unnecessarily stressed by it, but that’s wrong! Why? Because it’s simply impossible for any candidate who’s working hard for the empire and is loyal to the emperor to have his points fall that low, so you have nothing to worry about! Study hard, work hard, be just, be loyal to the empire, and follow the law, and before you realize your starting zero points will change into tens if not hundreds of them! A good example is the candidate number Forty-eight who has gained a point simply for helping others. Yet, if you will deliberately act in a disgraceful way that will force other imperial adjudicators and me to deduce your points, then you have to realize what is waiting at the end of that rebellious route. Such is the will of the emperor.” Junior Judge Umbric finished his piece and received a gladius from one of the decanuses. He checked the blade’s sharpness and its vifer core while giving us the time necessary for his words to sink in.

That was bad, very bad. Minus one hundred points was a death sentence, and Umbric had just removed one hundred and twenty-five of them as if it was nothing. And that naked guy over there had lost five only by putting his doublet wrong!

“Who among you wants to earn ten points? All you have to do is to personally enforce my will which is no different from the imperial law. You must also realize that being an imperial adjudicator means that each of your words can drastically change someone’s life, and not a single life, I’m talking about thousands of people who will die if you order so. And there’s no better way to realize the weight behind such authority than enforcing the law with own hand.” The junior judge took the gladius by its tip and extended its hilt towards us. “I won’t force you, not yet. Anyone who wants to experience it before the rest and earn some points while at it, take a step forward.”

We all knew that there were people in the empire who were always above us and influenced our lives, for some they had been their masters, for others their kings, but in most cases, we were protected by the consequences those people had to bear for their actions. Of course, the lower in standing you were, the less of such consequences existed. But for Imperial Adjudicators, everyone other than the emperor was no different from a criminal slave. The fact that they could really do whatever they wanted with us still didn’t feel real, and I doubt many of the candidates had met one of them before coming to this place. But now, our perception of what it meant to stand in front of an imperial adjudicator was being forcibly changed from fantasy to reality.

All those points and such were a farce, a bloody and dangerous farce that we could do nothing about.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t a surprise that a few among us simply liked to earn points.