The Court of Mages

A few days had passed since he returned the mage to Namarast for trial. So far nothing had come of it. At least nobody had brought any news to him so far. But he still thought about Yasim and the incident they had. Vereks shift was already completed and he was on his way home. The Evening sun still was warm on his skin and the Sky was dyed in shades of purple, red and pink.
While on his way back, he decided to stop by the eastern Gate to see if Yasim was still posted up on the tower. It didn’t take him long to walk over there and indeed he was still there, looking out towards the Fields outside the walls. Below him, two more guards were posted. They perked up when they noticed him. One was an older friend of his named Favian. He had served in the military alongside himself and a younger one, named Yanan. Barely 18 years old. He used to come by to get some food on market days every now and again. It made him happy to see a familiar face around. 

“How are you fellas doing today? Everything nice and quiet?”

He greeted them with a warm smile.

“Yup! Just a regular old Evening shift”

The Favian replied, mirroring his smile. Yanan on the other hand straightened all the way out, just as he was taught in training. Verek chuckled softly and gently slapped his shoulder.

“No need to be formal with me, boy. Im just visiting!”

He looked a bit uncomfortable and looked at Favian for conformation, to which he nodded. Yanan relaxed a little bit but still seemed a bit on edge. He did not blame him. The instructors could be quite harsh when it came to discipline around the higher ranks, which was of course necessary. But when off duty he was very relaxed about being correctly addressed. He was nothing more than a civilian then, Afterall.

“Do you mind if I keep our friend up there some company for a bit?”

Verek pointed upwards in Yasims direction. Favian just shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

“If you have nothing better to do in your off time.”

“Thanks buddy”

He replied shaking his head laughing and climbing up the wooden ladder to Yasim, which had turned around when he heard his steps coming closer. 

“Enjoy your view?”

He asked and leaned on the railing. Yasim just grunted in agreement. The view of the fields was amazing. They were shrouded in mist, colored golden from the sunlight. Some Farmers still were preparing the soil for this year’s crops but most of them had already gone home.

“Listen, I wanted to talk about our meeting out on the road.”

He paused to look at him.

“I heard Rumors about this new organization… Is it true what they say about this Mage Court? That they wont back down, even using some of the more … illegal methods?”

Yasim did not look back at him. His expression was cold, angry almost.

“Yeah, I guess... someone has to deal with the Witchfinders.”

Verek sighed. 

“But don’t you think there are better ways? Better ways to-”

“These ways don’t get Results. We’ve freed more captured mages like this, than ever before.”

Yasim cut him off with in a harsh tone. Yet he wasn’t raising his voice. He was clearly still frustrated about that mage he brought in.

“I know it isn’t always easy… Especially with what they did to you and your family. But we can’t leave behind our kindness in these matters. After all… what makes us different from them, if we resort to the same questionable methods? You just create more suffering on both sides.”

Yasim stayed silent; his face still had that same hard expression.

“Im not saying that we should just ignore the issue at hand. Not at all. But I just feel like, that all these People… especially the ones with influence, could achieve so much more, with honest methods. By Fortune, even you can do so much more, I truly believe that. “

Verek paused once again.

“Im really just trying to look out for you and your brothers, but if you decide to pursue this path… Just know that you can always count on my help if you should ever need it. No matter what the reasons are.”

For a brief moment, Yasim looked at him and the sorrow in his eyes was almost overwhelming. But he quickly directed his gaze back to the fields, which were now colored in blueish hues, with the sun slowly vanishing behind the horizon line.

“ I know.”

Yasim answered him after a brief pause and sighed. Verek knew that he needed some time to think about this.

“If you want to talk things over some more, just come to me. I can make us a nice hot meal. Talks go by easier with a full belly after all.”