World of Karik: A Game of Villains 64 The Trial

A man who could knock another person out with one powerful blow was now crying like a child who had lost its favorite toy. It was Innokenty, and his face was expressing impending doom.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Nikolai addressed no one in particular.

"Who? Why?" Innokenty was completely lost and looking around at everybody.

People were whispering; someone swore. No one understood what was happening and even Petrovich seemed to be discouraged.

"You!" Dasha's furious voice made me shudder. "You did it!"

"Why?" I replied grimly, as if I lacked unfounded accusations and hysterics.

"Shut up!" Petrovich shouted. "We will figure this out. Who was on duty tonight? You?" he pointed at Nikolai, who nodded obediently. "Who else? Sergey, I remember that you were there, too."

The crossbowman's eyes widened in horror as he evidently concluded that the leader would now begin to punish those who had failed.

"Yes," the guy quietly said.

"And you didn't notice anything?" Petrovich said with biting irony in his voice. "You really didn't see, or at least hear, someone breaking the grid's lock?"

"It was quiet." Nikolai withheld the leader's wrath. "Neither of us slept, I can swear on my life if necessary."

"To hell with your vows!" Petrovich frowned. "Cat, what do you say?"

Thinking about what had happened, I didn't immediately hear the leader addressing me. Petrovich even had to repeat his question.

"I have no idea," I shrugged. "I was sleeping, anyone can..." then I stopped, almost saying "confirm". I've been left alone in my cave as of recently.

"Petrovich, it was him!" The athlete exclaimed again. What was she doing? Was she trying to shift the blame or was she so mad at me that she wanted me to be responsible for everything? I never had any issues with her, as far as I recall. Why would she do that?

I hated that in people! I was unable to stand her behavior.

"Why the hell would I do that?!" I turned out to be a little too loud as the archer even stepped back.
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Innokenty was looking at me, his lip trembling.

"We may not be friends, but I had no reason to break your tombstone," I said to him as calmly as I could. He didn't answer.

"Dasha, that is a serious accusation," Petrovich admitted. "Indeed, why would Cat 'kill' Innokenty?"

Personally, I was much more interested in why Dasha was so passionately trying to protect the guy that she was blaming me for his death. For his death, right, everyone was painfully aware that he was doomed without the tombstone.

"Didn't you take his attribute points?" Dasha was nearly pinning me down with her eyes.

"By agreement," I said. "It was fair."

"You came back!" the archer shouted back. "The arrangement is canceled!"

"Listen, why is that your problem?" I asked, my tone cold.

"Dasha, stop this," Innokenty said, his voice barely audible. "Sure, I hate Cat but he wouldn't kill me over two points."

"Oh, boy," said Dmitri. "I've heard stories..."

You jerk, I thought irritably. The victim didn't believe that I was guilty, but now you've made him start doubting it!

"Look, do you really believe that I would kill someone because of their stats?" I asked everyone present.

"All of us, Cat, have killed someone," Semyon said. "In previous life. Or are you trying to say that you just appeared here out of nowhere?"

He was 100% right. All of us, who had survived the deadly trial and arrived to this world, had blood on our hands. I had the whole entire supermarket on mine.

"You understand, Vasily," Petrovich said with a firm voice, "that the arguments are not in your favor."

Wow, it hasn't even been a minute and the allegations are already turning into arguments.

"Kill him!" a girl shouted. Ravshana?

"No, we won't do that," the lancer said. "Cat is a suspect, not a defendant yet."

"Will you put me in a cage?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, why would I do that?" Petrovich was not offended by my remark. "I still need you. However, the expedition to the other camp is temporarily postponed until I decide who will replace you and Innokenty. I'm so sorry," he turned to the doomed guy. "You understand that you are at the death's door..."

"Let me live," Innokenty gulped, "at least for a while... I will do anything, even chop wood or cook food, whatever you say." He then drooped.

"No one was going to kick you out," the lancer frowned. "Although you are useless now as you can't join any campaign or go hunting. Even a deer could accidentally kill you now."

"I'll level up my skills," Innokenty said again. "It will be harder to kill me..."

"Go and clean up the caves," Petrovich sent him off, his voice harsh. The guy obeyed.

"That's all for now, you can go," the leader declared. "Except Cat, Sergey, and Nikolai."

When we were left alone, Petrovich offered us to sit on the grass. I gladly accepted and settled on a small, soft mound. Nikolai squatted down next to me. As for Sergey, he took something similar to a lotus position.

"Did anyone see Cat last night?" the lancer asked the hapless guards.

They looked at each other and answered in unison, "No."

"Until we find out who did it," Petrovich said thoughtfully, "you, Cat, will have to take these two in."

"What?" Nikolai said, dumbfounded.

"And you are not allowed to go anywhere alone," the leader continued, not paying attention to him. "You can only leave accompanied by someone."

"I don't want to sleep with him in the cave," Sergey glanced at me and tried to argue.

"What do you have against Vasily?" the leader asked. "It's not proven that he's a murderer. However, your guilt is obvious."

"I get it," Nikolai nodded. "Our task is to guard Cat and make sure that he doesn't do something."

"Good guess," I grinned wryly. Damn it! Maybe I should let them do what they want and just leave? What am I really doing here? No... Someone broke Innokenty's tombstone, and I want to know who's behind it.

Chapter end