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This one is for [iconname]ChainedInnocence[/iconname] They wanted their pichu and buneary girls to suffer a terrible fate at the hands of a high inquisitor. So yeah, that happens!\n\nAll named characters belong to [iconname]ChainedInnocence[/iconname]\nStory by me!", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Got another commission for y'all. This one is for \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChainedInnocence\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChainedInnocence\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
They wanted their pichu and buneary girls to suffer a terrible fate at the hands of a high inquisitor. So yeah, that happens!

All named characters belong to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChainedInnocence\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChainedInnocence\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Story by me!", "writing": "[center][b]Inquisition Accusation[/b][/center]\n[center]By XP Author[/center]\n\nThe city was as loud and as busy as ever. People walking down the streets on their way to whatever their business was, street peddlers crying out their wears and services, and the general noise of constant conversation. Mercy was used to this noise by now, just as she was used to most everyone either ignoring her, or giving her a distasteful glare, or the occasional look of pity. The 13 year old pichu never expected much kindness from the common citizens. Pokemon like her were treated worse than most animals in the wild. They were second class citizens at the best of times. Yet still, she held out her light blue rag bonnet whenever someone passed by, hoping for even a single copper from someone who might be kind.\n\n\"Anything today?\" Mercy looked to her side at the source of the familiar voice. Diana walked up beside her. The buneary was the same age as her, and had been her only real friend since Mercy had been forced to live on the streets. Diana never made fun of her, or accused her of being anything just because she once came from money. Diana had actually been the one to help Mercy, show her where she could find shelter, how to beg, and even provided food from time to time, whenever she could manage to steal something, as the young buneary was quite an adept pickpocket and thief.\n\nMercy put her hat back on, shaking her head. \"No. Nothing today.\"\n\nDiana nodded slowly. \"Yeah. Everyone seems more on edge today. Dunno why.\"\n\nMercy was about to respond when the sound of someone's disgust interrupted her. \"Ugh! You filthy 'mons are still here?\" The two turned to see a feline they recognized. Marissa was the daughter of a local merchant, one of the wealthier in the city. The gray tabby was accompanied by her usual entourage of friends, also felines of some kind. They were all around the same age as Mercy and Diana, maybe a year older. They also constantly mocked the pair whenever they found them near Marissa's family's store. \"Eat any good rats today? Or is that a little too close to you, 'chu?\" The girls giggled at the taunt.\n\nMercy clenched her first, but didn't say anything in response. Diana just reached out to touch her friend's shoulder gently. \"Is the little monster scared? Gonna use your freaky magic on me?\"\n\n\"It's not magic!\" The pichu could not help but retort. She took a step forward, despite Diana clinging to her dirty clothing. \"I'm not a witch!\" Several heads turned in the direction of the suddenly loud words, though most only heard the words 'magic' and 'witch.' Two words never said in any good context. Magic and witchcraft were serious crimes, and it was very common for pokemon to be accused of it due to their natural abilities. It did not help their situation.\n\nMarissa seemed to get a sudden idea. A wicked smile spread across her lips. Suddenly she started to convulse and drop to the street. \"W-what are you doing to me!?\" She cried out in mock fear. She gave a quick look to her friends who also started to do the same. \"Stop using magic, y-you... you witch! You're trying to possess me!\" Mercy's eyes went wide and she took a step back away from the trio writhing on the street.\n\n\"I'm... I'm not...\" She looked around, seeing a crowd forming around the girls playing at spasms on the ground. \"I-I didn't...\" She felt Diana clinging to her shoulder, the two of them backing away from the angry and hateful stares of the gathering mass of people. She could hear the whispers and murmurs, the words 'witch' and 'magic' and 'curse' being thrown around.\n\nSuddenly the crowd parted for two men wearing red robes. The two pokemon's eyes went even wider. The robes bore the symbol of a flame upon the chest and sleeves. Inquisitors. \"What's this about magic and witchcraft?\" They looked at the trio of girls on the ground, who stopped their fake convulsing when they saw the men. They then looked at the two scared pokemon, getting very unfriendly smiles. \"Alright, you two. You're under arrest for practicing witchcraft within the city.\"\n\nMercy and Diana just backed up as the men stepped closer. One grabbed the buneary's arm and yanked her close to slap a pair of irons on her wrists. Mercy tried to run, but the other man grabbed the collar of her dress. With a heavy tug, the thin cloth tore open, but also dragged her back so he could grab her arm. Heavy irons were slapped onto her wrists as well. \"Nice try, little 'mon, but you're not getting away that easy. Now come on!\" The two were shoved forward. Mercy's torn dress fell open to expose her flat chest to all that looked, the guards not caring to cover her up. The two were paraded through the streets towards the jail. \"I'm sure Inquisitor Tobias will be wanting a word with you two.\"\n\nBoth girls' hearts sank. Inquisitor Tobias was well known around the land. He was ruthless in his quest to root out all witchcraft in the land, and brutal in his methods. \"Of course, we may question you a little ourselves first...\" The guards chuckled darkly. It was also rumored that many of the inquisition did terrible things to the girls they dragged in.\n\nBack at the dispersing crowd, Marissa and her friends were picking themselves up slowly. Marissa just stared as the guards left with their prisoners. She had only meant for a bit of fun in accusing the girls. She had not heard that the inquisitors were in town. She never intended for the two to be arrested like that. She swallowed her moment of guilt and brushed her clothes off. \"Serves them right.\" She turned and walked away, her friends following with her hastily.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nTobias stepped into the dungeon's interrogation room. It was more of a torture chamber than anything else. Devices of all manner were set about, from chains hanging from the ceiling to tables with sharp blades, hot pokers, and other wicked looking tools. To one side of the room was a large cage, only one occupant currently sitting inside, her hands and feet shackled by heavy chains. The buneary, Diana, had been stripped of her clothing. The fur on her face was marked from where she had been crying, though for now the tears had stopped.\n\nThe other occupant was the pichu, Mercy. Likewise stripped of her clothing, the young girl had been strapped to a kind of table. Her ankles were bound by heavy locking clamps at the base of the table. Her hands were above her head, manacles around her wrists attached to chains that were wound about a wooden cylinder, a crank at the center able to control the cylinder's movement. The girl in question was panting heavily in fear, doing nothing to control herself.\n\nTobias sighed heavily to himself as he saw the state both girls were in. It was clear some of the guards had had some kind of 'fun' with the pair of them. They were roughed up more than just dragging a pair of young would-be witches in would cause. He suspected some of the guards may have even gone farther than that. It disgusted the weasel that some would find these 'mons attractive. Especially ones accused preforming of dark magic.\n\nThe middle-aged inquisitor stood out as he walked into the darkened stone room. His uniform was bright white, with the pattern of flames embroidered along the edges of his sleeves and pants. A large cross of bronze hung around his neck. His blond hair was trimmed short and official, his brown fur brushed neat and tidy. He carried with him a heavy warhammer, the head made of silver, with patterns set into the metal depicting holy symbols of divine protection. The hammer was more for intimidation than use, but if someone tried to attack, it would work just fine at caving in a skull if need be.\n\nHe walked further into the room, both girls spotting him and stiffening up at his slow approach. \"You both stand accused of preforming witchcraft within this city.\" He walked with a slow pace, each step with purpose. \"I will give you this one chance now to confess your crimes. If you do, I promise that your end will be swift and as painless as possible. If not...\" He set his hammer down, letting it thud onto the table with the other tools, making them bound and clatter noisily. \"...then the consequences are yours.\"\n\nMercy shook her head. \"W-we didn't do witchcraft or magic! We didn't do anything! Marissa lied about it!\" Her voice was pleading and desperate and terrified. Diana just stayed quiet, but looked at the man with a fearful gaze. One look was all it took to know that the buneary was innocent in all this. However, she was still accused, and she may know more about the pichu, or possibly be an unwitting accomplice. Most of the witnesses had pegged Mercy as the one casting the spell.\n\nTobias shook his head. \"They always say that.\" He stepped over to the table Mercy was strapped to and took hold of the crank. With only a half-turn, the chains became taught and pulled at the girl's arms painfully. \"I will get my answers. Now confess, or I continue.\"\n\nMercy whined in pain, but shook her head. \"I-I haven't done anything!\" Another half turn of the crank, and the pichu let out a loud cry of pain. Her arms were being pulled to their limit, her shoulders already straining. Her body was slightly lifted off of the table. Her bare belly and chest rose and fell rapidly with her pained panting. \"S-stop! Please!\" Another partial turn and she screamed again.\n\n\"Stop! She didn't do anything!\" Diana finally spoke up, unable to hold her tongue anymore as she watched her friend being tortured.\n\nHe turned to look at the other girl. \"Do you know something?\" He walked away from the rack and moved instead to stand in front of the cage. \"If you do, you'd best say it now.\" Diana flinched away from him, but shook her head no. He frowned, reaching out to open the cage and stepping inside. He grabbed the girl by her long ears, dragging her out by them. She let out a pained cry as it felt like he nearly ripped her ears off of her head. She may be innocent in all this, but she was still just a 'mon. He had little time or patience to be gentle with their kind.\n\nTobias practically threw Diana to the ground in the center of the room. \"You 'mons always stick together.\" He grabbed a small device off of the table and walked back over to the girl on the floor. \"I advise you do not do that today.\" He slipped the device onto Diana's thumbs. It was just two small planks of iron with a large screw in the middle attaching them, a wingnut at the top. He turned the nut until the metal pressed down on her thumbs, right at the edge of painful. \"Or you will suffer as well. Now I ask again. Did you or the pichu use witchcraft upon the cat in the market?\"\n\nDiana shook her head. \"N-no!\" Tears were again in her eyes. She cried out in pain as the nut was turned again, the plates pressing harder against her thumbs. \"I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!\" She cried out as the back of a hand slapped her across her cheek.\n\nTobias bared his teeth at the young girl. \"I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU!\" He stood up, leaving the girl with the thumbscrews on. \"Witnesses state that one of you tried to possess the girl in the market. MANY witnesses! So if one of you does not confess, then BOTH of you will continue to suffer!\"\n\nHe was about to reach down to tighten the screw even more when Mercy cried out. \"STOP! She didn't do anything! Marissa was lying! We didn't try to possess anyone! She was just faking it!\"\n\nThe weasel turned around to give her a hard stares, one that would have made the girl flinch if she could move. \"Why would she do that?\"\n\nMercy shook her head. \"I don't know! Because she hates us? Because she thought it would be funny? Because she's a bitch?\" \n\nTobias, gritting his teeth, quickly snatched a long, thin wooden rod from the table at his side. He brought it down quickly, slapping the switch against the pichu's bare belly. The sound of a loud SNAP echoed around the stone walls, followed by the pained yelp of the girl. \"You try to possess her, and then you accuse her of lying about it?\" He brought the switch down again, slapping it this time across the girl's chest. \n\nMercy let out another cry of pain, her body jerking as she flinched in the tight restraints. \"I'm telling the truth!\" Tears ran from her eyes from the pain.\n\nTobias raised the switch again, the girl flinching even before he swung. Instead he lowered his hand back down. \"You do not seem to understand your situation, girl.\" He tossed the switch back at the table, the thing clattering upon the surface. \"I am not some simple guard you can feed the same lie to.\" He grabbed the winch again, and started turning it once more. Immediately, Mercy started to scream in pain as her arms were pulled harder. She writhed about as her shoulders strained from the pressure. She could hear the muscles and connective tissue creaking almost as much as the device itself.\n\nThe room was filled with another sound, a sickening, wet, crunching pop as her left arm was ripped from the socket, the right following a second later. Her arms seemed to grow several inches as they were dislocated, her body thumping back down against the wooden surface, squirming and writhing in agony as she shrieked in pain. Tobias stopped turning the winch and just left her like this. \"More lies will only get you more pain. Now tell me the truth!\"\n\n\"She's not lying!\" He turned to look at Diana as she cried out. \"She didn't use magic!\" The buneary had tears flowing from her eyes as she watched her friend in such torment.\n\nTobias frowned, walking back to the other girl. \"Oh? Then who did? You?\" Diana shook her head. \"Then WHO!?\" He turned the nut on the girl's thumbscrews again, tightening them even more. It was Diana's turn to scream in pain as it felt like the bones in her thumbs were about to shatter under such pressure.\n\nHe sighed as the girl slumped to the side and just started whining, cradling her aching hands against her chest. \"This will only keep going as long as you keep lying. Once you tell the truth, then we can end this torture.\" He stepped back to the table of instruments again. \"I do not care which one of you tells me.\" He grabbed the branding iron, the end still red hot. \"But one of you will break and tell me what I want to know!\" He took a moment to let the threat sink in while he chose which girl to use the heated iron on. As he expected, neither girl said anything, both too busy whimpering or moaning in pain.\n\nMercy was panting heavily, her head dizzy from how much she had screamed already. Her throat felt raw, the pain in her arms was somehow both numb and throbbing, aching and sharp all at the same time. Then a new pain struck her, along with the smell of burning fur and cooking meat. She let out the loudest shriek so far as the iron was pressed against her left thigh, searing into her flesh. Her writhing was so extreme, it was like she went into a series of convulsions. When the iron was lifted, a blackened line was left on her leg, the yellow fur burned away, the skin under charred and raw. Then it pressed to her hip, starting her screaming all over again. All while the tormentor stood beside her with a dispassionate gaze.\n\nThe sound of Mercy's anguish was too much for Diana to take anymore. As the brand was about to be pressed against her friend's belly next, she shouted. \"I DID IT!\"\n\nTobias turned, still holding the heated metal. \"You?\" He sounded unconvinced.\n\nDiana forced herself up to her knees, nodding to him, but unable to look him in his eyes. \"Y-yes... I... I was the one using magic. I w-was trying t-to... to bewitch... Marissa...\"\n\n\"[b]STOP![/b]\" Both Tobias and Diana flinched as Mercy shouted the single word. \"She's... she does not know what she says!\"\n\nThe inquisitor turned again to the young girl on the table. \"Explain.\" Despite the word being said in a calm and even voice, it was dripping with threat and malice.\n\nMercy swallowed a moment, though it did nothing to sooth her raw throat. \"She... is under my... spell. She... speaks only t-to d-defend me.\"\n\nDiana's eyes went wide. \"No! I'm not!\"\n\n\"[b]QUIET![/b]\" The pichu surprised herself with the forcefulness she was able to shout the word. It did silence her friend, though probably just due to the shock of it. Mercy used her quick mind to fabricate a story on the spot. She only hoped it was good enough to save her friend from the torture she already endured. \"I-it was... Marissa and me. W-we betwitched her and set... set up the show... to try and make her look like the w-witch. To make the guards ignore us... w-we did not know that... that you were in the city...\"\n\nTobias lifted the iron again, holding it before him. \"And why should I believe you now? About this Marissa being in league with you?\"\n\nMercy thought quickly. \"She... set me up, too. So she would... be the only witch.\" She hated to think it, but she was thankful for the state she was in right now. Her panting and strained voice only helped to give her a little more time to think and masked most tells to a lie.\n\nThe man scoffed, but lowered the iron, setting it down a moment later. \"So the betrayer gets betrayed.\" He smirked. \"This is what a life of dishonesty and devilry will get you.\" He stepped to Diana then, unscrewing the device on her hands and setting it aside. He then unlocked the shackles on her wrists and ankles, the heavy metal clattering to the ground at her feet. \"Go. Get out of here. The guards will give you your clothes back.\" His words were no more kind than any time before. He still had a great dislike for the 'mons, but he had no reason to torture her any further.\n\nDiana looked at him, then at Mercy. The pichu gave her friend a pleading stare, silently begging her not to say anything. The buneary squeezed her eyes shut, more tears running from them down her cheeks. She stood and turned away. Her legs were shaky under her as she walked to the door, her thumbs aching still. Tobias stood and watched as the girl walked away. When the door was opened, he simply nodded to the guards on the other side. One motioned to escort Diana away, the door slamming shut once again behind her.\n\nHe turned back to Mercy, though he did not approach her. \"As for you. You can lay there like that for a time.\" He picked up his hammer and turned to walk out as well. \"A guard will be by later to put you back in your cage.\" Mercy let out a heavy sigh as he left, wincing when the door slammed shut behind him. She closed her eyes, resting her head back against the hard wood under her. She knew she just signed her own death warrant, but at least her best and only friend would not suffer it, too. She only hoped that whatever end they planned for her would be a quick one...\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nAfter waiting over a day in her cell, she had been marched outside of the dungeons, only to be placed in a stockade. Her head stuck through the center of the plank of wood. Due to the nature of the pillory, her arms had to be reset back into their sockets before they were locked into the two other holes on either side of her head. She was small enough that they needed to keep the heavy shackles on her wrists so her hands did not simply slide out of the holes. She had been left like this since the better part of a day, since the previous aftneroon. Now it was just after morning.\n\nShe was tired, dirty, and cold. She had been left completely naked for all the town to see while waiting for her final sentence. Guardsman had come by and slapped at her rear or groped her exposed body. None had gone farther than that, though it was the fear of the inquisitors wrath that kept them from using her further more than any sense of moral decency. At least no one had thrown any rotten fruit or vegetables at her. One young boy seemed about to the last day, but his mother told him it was simply a waste of something that was better suited for pigs. She almost would have preferred the rotten food to the insults and the groping.\n\nFinally, it came time for her execution. A pair of guards came out and started to unlock the pillory. She started to slump to the ground, only to be caught and hefted to her feet. The guards shoved her forward, forcing her to start walking. They said no words to her, no threats or comforting, not even a muttered insult. They simply pushed her forward to her final destintation. She kept her eyes cast at the ground as she was marched through the town. It seemed like the whole city was out here, shouting obscenities and mocking verbal jabs at her as the guards led her towards the center of the city. She still had not been told what her final execution would entail. She really hoped it was just beheading. It was fast and, while probably not painless, the pain would be instant.\n\nHer heart sank when she saw the destination ahead. A small wooden platform on a pile of logs, a single pole standing in the center of them. The pole was too large for an impaling spike, and as she got closer, the scent of oil struck her nose. Her jagged tail twitched low in fear, her heart suddenly racing in her chest. One of the guards hefted her bodily up onto the little platform, barely large enough for her small feet to stand upon. The other guard yanked her hands back, slamming her back against the pole while binding her hands to it with irons.\n\nTobias stepped forward from the crowd, still clad in his ornate inquisitorial uniform, though lacking the silver hammer this time. He stood out in the crowd easily. With a raising of his hands, the shouting of the citizens died down. When he spoke, his voice was loud and clear, heard for several blocks away. \"The witch Mercy has confessed her crimes against god and this city. For the crime of witchcraft and the bewitching of a young girl, the sentence is death by fire, as befitting one serving devils!\" He motioned with one hand. One of the guards brought out a torch and held it low against the oil-soaked wood. The pile caught near instantly, flames bursting to life at her feet. \"May your soul burn forevermore in hell!\"\n\nThe crowd started their mocking laughter and shouting again. Mercy was too busy watching the flames rising, the smoke starting to rise as well. Unfortunately for her, the oil used made the smoke far less than it would be otherwise, the wind blowing through the streets taking much of it away. Her chances of simply choking on the fumes were next to none. This was clearly by design. The heat became intense around her. Soon, the flames touched her feet, causing her to cry out. The cries because screams and then shrieks of agony as the flames lit her fur, quickly traveling up her body until all of her was ablaze.\n\nIt was like feeling that branding iron again, only on every inch of her body. The irons at her wrists were literally hot enough to brand her soon enough. Her shrieks echoed around the buildings, louder than the crowd's hateful cheering. She writhed upon the burning wooden pole, feeling her flesh cooking and burning as her once bright yellow fur charred black and burnt away. Her existence was nothing but pain, her muscles tightening as they burned. Her searing torment lasted for minutes, her screams so loud they stripped her throat raw.\n\nDiana stood at the back of the crowd, her eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. The young buneary had found her friend's rag hat on the ground where they had been taken. She now clutched it tight in her hands, wish she would be struck deaf so she did not have to hear her best friend die in so much pain. The screaming continued and only grew louder as the flesh was burnt away, the flames licking at the nerves under it. The horrible smell of burning fur and meat was filling the air.\n\nEventually, the screams grew to a fever pitch, then stopped altogether. When Diana dared to try and look, all she could see of her friend was a pillar of flames around a blackened silhouette vaguely resembling a person. She hoped her friend had finally died up there, to stop the torment. She closed her eyes again, shedding final tears and silently saying goodbye to her best and only friend. When she opened her eyes again, they were red, but the sorrow was replaced by a hardness. Nearby her was the inquisitor, Tobias, though not so near that he could see her. He was speaking to the guards. She slipped closer to hear, staying hidden from sight.\n\n\"Did you search the home?\" Tobias asked the guard.\n\nThe tall feline nodded to his commanding officer. \"Aye, sir. We found these.\" He held out his hands, showing a trio of crudely made dolls. One bore the vague resemblance of Mercy, though it had been burnt. Another looked somewhat like Diana, a pentagram drawn on the forehead. The last resembled the inquisitor himself, Tobias. \"We found these along with some other suspicious objects in the girl's room. This one...\" he indicated the one that looked like Tobias, \"...we found this one inside what looked like a spell circle...\"\n\nThe weasel grit his teeth. \"The arrogance of these witches! To think they could bewitch a servant of god!?\" There was anger burning in his eyes. Though he was not so blinded by anger that he did not see the look the guard was giving him. \"Worry yourself not, guardsman. As an inquisitor, I am protected by god's grace. It would not do if one hunting witches were so easily undone by foul magic such as this.\" The guard seemed relieved to hear that. \"Where is this girl now?\"\n\nThe feline nodded down the street. \"Just a little over there, watching the execution. I posted a guard to discretely stand watch nearby.\"\n\nTobias smiled, nodding. \"Good job. Let us go, and pray that this is the last witch plaguing this city.\" Diana followed behind as the guards and inquisitor marched off with purpose.\n\nMarissa, still flanked as always by her friends, watched as the crowd started to go back to their business now that the execution was effectively over. What was left of the body of the pichu was still burning away in the distance, but the screaming and squirming had stopped. Marissa had never intended for the girl to be executed, and a part of her, deep down, felt pretty bad about that. However, the girl was just a 'mon, and so she really did not feel THAT bad. \"Marissa Richtor?\"\n\nThe young feline turned as she heard her name called out. \"Yes?\" She blinked in surprise when she found herself staring at a small group of guards and a man in the uniform of an inquisitor. \"Um... yes...?\" The next thing she knew, hands were grabbing at her arms, pulling them behind her back. \"Get your hands off of me!\" Her friends also protested as they were grabbed as well.\n\nTobias spoke with an even, but hard tone that barely masked his anger. \"You are under arrest for the crime of witchcraft, bewitching the citizens, and attempted bewitching of an inquisitor!\"\n\nShe just looked at him in disbelief. \"WHAT!? I have done no su-\" She was silenced as her face was backhanded by the man.\n\n\"Do not even attempt to lie to me.\" He motioned to the guard beside him, who held out the dolls. \"We have already found evidence of your devilry in your home, within your room.\" Marissa just stared at the dolls, then back at the man, too stunned to respond. \"Take her away to the dungeons. Take these two, as well.\" The trio of young girls was shoved forward. Now Marissa found her voice, shouting protests which went ignored by the inquisitor. \"I will get a confession out of them later.\"\n\nDiana watched as the men dragged the merchant's daughter and her friends off to the dungeons. She allowed herself a slight smile. She had snuck into the girl's room, planting the evidence just this morning. She looked back at Mercy's body, the flames smoldering now, leaving just a blackened husk that had been her friend upon the charred stake. She had not lived to see it, but at least the two of them got some revenge on the bitch that caused all this. She knew it was only a matter of days before it was Marissa up there, possibly with her horrible friends along side her.\n\nShe gave a sad, yet vindictive smile to her friend, speaking softly. \"I hope he tortures them ten times worse than what he did you.\" Her own thumbs still ached from the screws, even though it had been days since. \"They'll get what they deserve.\" She turned and walked away. She did not want to see what would become of her friend's remains. She knew there would be no proper burial. Instead, she set Mercy's hat atop her head, nesting between her large ears. The last keepsake of her friend.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Inquisition Accusation

By XP Author


The city was as loud and as busy as ever. People walking down the streets on their way to whatever their business was, street peddlers crying out their wears and services, and the general noise of constant conversation. Mercy was used to this noise by now, just as she was used to most everyone either ignoring her, or giving her a distasteful glare, or the occasional look of pity. The 13 year old pichu never expected much kindness from the common citizens. Pokemon like her were treated worse than most animals in the wild. They were second class citizens at the best of times. Yet still, she held out her light blue rag bonnet whenever someone passed by, hoping for even a single copper from someone who might be kind.

"Anything today?" Mercy looked to her side at the source of the familiar voice. Diana walked up beside her. The buneary was the same age as her, and had been her only real friend since Mercy had been forced to live on the streets. Diana never made fun of her, or accused her of being anything just because she once came from money. Diana had actually been the one to help Mercy, show her where she could find shelter, how to beg, and even provided food from time to time, whenever she could manage to steal something, as the young buneary was quite an adept pickpocket and thief.

Mercy put her hat back on, shaking her head. "No. Nothing today."

Diana nodded slowly. "Yeah. Everyone seems more on edge today. Dunno why."

Mercy was about to respond when the sound of someone's disgust interrupted her. "Ugh! You filthy 'mons are still here?" The two turned to see a feline they recognized. Marissa was the daughter of a local merchant, one of the wealthier in the city. The gray tabby was accompanied by her usual entourage of friends, also felines of some kind. They were all around the same age as Mercy and Diana, maybe a year older. They also constantly mocked the pair whenever they found them near Marissa's family's store. "Eat any good rats today? Or is that a little too close to you, 'chu?" The girls giggled at the taunt.

Mercy clenched her first, but didn't say anything in response. Diana just reached out to touch her friend's shoulder gently. "Is the little monster scared? Gonna use your freaky magic on me?"

"It's not magic!" The pichu could not help but retort. She took a step forward, despite Diana clinging to her dirty clothing. "I'm not a witch!" Several heads turned in the direction of the suddenly loud words, though most only heard the words 'magic' and 'witch.' Two words never said in any good context. Magic and witchcraft were serious crimes, and it was very common for pokemon to be accused of it due to their natural abilities. It did not help their situation.

Marissa seemed to get a sudden idea. A wicked smile spread across her lips. Suddenly she started to convulse and drop to the street. "W-what are you doing to me!?" She cried out in mock fear. She gave a quick look to her friends who also started to do the same. "Stop using magic, y-you... you witch! You're trying to possess me!" Mercy's eyes went wide and she took a step back away from the trio writhing on the street.

"I'm... I'm not..." She looked around, seeing a crowd forming around the girls playing at spasms on the ground. "I-I didn't..." She felt Diana clinging to her shoulder, the two of them backing away from the angry and hateful stares of the gathering mass of people. She could hear the whispers and murmurs, the words 'witch' and 'magic' and 'curse' being thrown around.

Suddenly the crowd parted for two men wearing red robes. The two pokemon's eyes went even wider. The robes bore the symbol of a flame upon the chest and sleeves. Inquisitors. "What's this about magic and witchcraft?" They looked at the trio of girls on the ground, who stopped their fake convulsing when they saw the men. They then looked at the two scared pokemon, getting very unfriendly smiles. "Alright, you two. You're under arrest for practicing witchcraft within the city."

Mercy and Diana just backed up as the men stepped closer. One grabbed the buneary's arm and yanked her close to slap a pair of irons on her wrists. Mercy tried to run, but the other man grabbed the collar of her dress. With a heavy tug, the thin cloth tore open, but also dragged her back so he could grab her arm. Heavy irons were slapped onto her wrists as well. "Nice try, little 'mon, but you're not getting away that easy. Now come on!" The two were shoved forward. Mercy's torn dress fell open to expose her flat chest to all that looked, the guards not caring to cover her up. The two were paraded through the streets towards the jail. "I'm sure Inquisitor Tobias will be wanting a word with you two."

Both girls' hearts sank. Inquisitor Tobias was well known around the land. He was ruthless in his quest to root out all witchcraft in the land, and brutal in his methods. "Of course, we may question you a little ourselves first..." The guards chuckled darkly. It was also rumored that many of the inquisition did terrible things to the girls they dragged in.

Back at the dispersing crowd, Marissa and her friends were picking themselves up slowly. Marissa just stared as the guards left with their prisoners. She had only meant for a bit of fun in accusing the girls. She had not heard that the inquisitors were in town. She never intended for the two to be arrested like that. She swallowed her moment of guilt and brushed her clothes off. "Serves them right." She turned and walked away, her friends following with her hastily.

*     *     *


Tobias stepped into the dungeon's interrogation room. It was more of a torture chamber than anything else. Devices of all manner were set about, from chains hanging from the ceiling to tables with sharp blades, hot pokers, and other wicked looking tools. To one side of the room was a large cage, only one occupant currently sitting inside, her hands and feet shackled by heavy chains. The buneary, Diana, had been stripped of her clothing. The fur on her face was marked from where she had been crying, though for now the tears had stopped.

The other occupant was the pichu, Mercy. Likewise stripped of her clothing, the young girl had been strapped to a kind of table. Her ankles were bound by heavy locking clamps at the base of the table. Her hands were above her head, manacles around her wrists attached to chains that were wound about a wooden cylinder, a crank at the center able to control the cylinder's movement. The girl in question was panting heavily in fear, doing nothing to control herself.

Tobias sighed heavily to himself as he saw the state both girls were in. It was clear some of the guards had had some kind of 'fun' with the pair of them. They were roughed up more than just dragging a pair of young would-be witches in would cause. He suspected some of the guards may have even gone farther than that. It disgusted the weasel that some would find these 'mons attractive. Especially ones accused preforming of dark magic.

The middle-aged inquisitor stood out as he walked into the darkened stone room. His uniform was bright white, with the pattern of flames embroidered along the edges of his sleeves and pants. A large cross of bronze hung around his neck. His blond hair was trimmed short and official, his brown fur brushed neat and tidy. He carried with him a heavy warhammer, the head made of silver, with patterns set into the metal depicting holy symbols of divine protection. The hammer was more for intimidation than use, but if someone tried to attack, it would work just fine at caving in a skull if need be.

He walked further into the room, both girls spotting him and stiffening up at his slow approach. "You both stand accused of preforming witchcraft within this city." He walked with a slow pace, each step with purpose. "I will give you this one chance now to confess your crimes. If you do, I promise that your end will be swift and as painless as possible. If not..." He set his hammer down, letting it thud onto the table with the other tools, making them bound and clatter noisily. "...then the consequences are yours."

Mercy shook her head. "W-we didn't do witchcraft or magic! We didn't do anything! Marissa lied about it!" Her voice was pleading and desperate and terrified. Diana just stayed quiet, but looked at the man with a fearful gaze. One look was all it took to know that the buneary was innocent in all this. However, she was still accused, and she may know more about the pichu, or possibly be an unwitting accomplice. Most of the witnesses had pegged Mercy as the one casting the spell.

Tobias shook his head. "They always say that." He stepped over to the table Mercy was strapped to and took hold of the crank. With only a half-turn, the chains became taught and pulled at the girl's arms painfully. "I will get my answers. Now confess, or I continue."

Mercy whined in pain, but shook her head. "I-I haven't done anything!" Another half turn of the crank, and the pichu let out a loud cry of pain. Her arms were being pulled to their limit, her shoulders already straining. Her body was slightly lifted off of the table. Her bare belly and chest rose and fell rapidly with her pained panting. "S-stop! Please!" Another partial turn and she screamed again.

"Stop! She didn't do anything!" Diana finally spoke up, unable to hold her tongue anymore as she watched her friend being tortured.

He turned to look at the other girl. "Do you know something?" He walked away from the rack and moved instead to stand in front of the cage. "If you do, you'd best say it now." Diana flinched away from him, but shook her head no. He frowned, reaching out to open the cage and stepping inside. He grabbed the girl by her long ears, dragging her out by them. She let out a pained cry as it felt like he nearly ripped her ears off of her head. She may be innocent in all this, but she was still just a 'mon. He had little time or patience to be gentle with their kind.

Tobias practically threw Diana to the ground in the center of the room. "You 'mons always stick together." He grabbed a small device off of the table and walked back over to the girl on the floor. "I advise you do not do that today." He slipped the device onto Diana's thumbs. It was just two small planks of iron with a large screw in the middle attaching them, a wingnut at the top. He turned the nut until the metal pressed down on her thumbs, right at the edge of painful. "Or you will suffer as well. Now I ask again. Did you or the pichu use witchcraft upon the cat in the market?"

Diana shook her head. "N-no!" Tears were again in her eyes. She cried out in pain as the nut was turned again, the plates pressing harder against her thumbs. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!" She cried out as the back of a hand slapped her across her cheek.

Tobias bared his teeth at the young girl. "I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU!" He stood up, leaving the girl with the thumbscrews on. "Witnesses state that one of you tried to possess the girl in the market. MANY witnesses! So if one of you does not confess, then BOTH of you will continue to suffer!"

He was about to reach down to tighten the screw even more when Mercy cried out. "STOP! She didn't do anything! Marissa was lying! We didn't try to possess anyone! She was just faking it!"

The weasel turned around to give her a hard stares, one that would have made the girl flinch if she could move. "Why would she do that?"

Mercy shook her head. "I don't know! Because she hates us? Because she thought it would be funny? Because she's a bitch?"

Tobias, gritting his teeth, quickly snatched a long, thin wooden rod from the table at his side. He brought it down quickly, slapping the switch against the pichu's bare belly. The sound of a loud SNAP echoed around the stone walls, followed by the pained yelp of the girl. "You try to possess her, and then you accuse her of lying about it?" He brought the switch down again, slapping it this time across the girl's chest.

Mercy let out another cry of pain, her body jerking as she flinched in the tight restraints. "I'm telling the truth!" Tears ran from her eyes from the pain.

Tobias raised the switch again, the girl flinching even before he swung. Instead he lowered his hand back down. "You do not seem to understand your situation, girl." He tossed the switch back at the table, the thing clattering upon the surface. "I am not some simple guard you can feed the same lie to." He grabbed the winch again, and started turning it once more. Immediately, Mercy started to scream in pain as her arms were pulled harder. She writhed about as her shoulders strained from the pressure. She could hear the muscles and connective tissue creaking almost as much as the device itself.

The room was filled with another sound, a sickening, wet, crunching pop as her left arm was ripped from the socket, the right following a second later. Her arms seemed to grow several inches as they were dislocated, her body thumping back down against the wooden surface, squirming and writhing in agony as she shrieked in pain. Tobias stopped turning the winch and just left her like this. "More lies will only get you more pain. Now tell me the truth!"

"She's not lying!" He turned to look at Diana as she cried out. "She didn't use magic!" The buneary had tears flowing from her eyes as she watched her friend in such torment.

Tobias frowned, walking back to the other girl. "Oh? Then who did? You?" Diana shook her head. "Then WHO!?" He turned the nut on the girl's thumbscrews again, tightening them even more. It was Diana's turn to scream in pain as it felt like the bones in her thumbs were about to shatter under such pressure.

He sighed as the girl slumped to the side and just started whining, cradling her aching hands against her chest. "This will only keep going as long as you keep lying. Once you tell the truth, then we can end this torture." He stepped back to the table of instruments again. "I do not care which one of you tells me." He grabbed the branding iron, the end still red hot. "But one of you will break and tell me what I want to know!" He took a moment to let the threat sink in while he chose which girl to use the heated iron on. As he expected, neither girl said anything, both too busy whimpering or moaning in pain.

Mercy was panting heavily, her head dizzy from how much she had screamed already. Her throat felt raw, the pain in her arms was somehow both numb and throbbing, aching and sharp all at the same time. Then a new pain struck her, along with the smell of burning fur and cooking meat. She let out the loudest shriek so far as the iron was pressed against her left thigh, searing into her flesh. Her writhing was so extreme, it was like she went into a series of convulsions. When the iron was lifted, a blackened line was left on her leg, the yellow fur burned away, the skin under charred and raw. Then it pressed to her hip, starting her screaming all over again. All while the tormentor stood beside her with a dispassionate gaze.

The sound of Mercy's anguish was too much for Diana to take anymore. As the brand was about to be pressed against her friend's belly next, she shouted. "I DID IT!"

Tobias turned, still holding the heated metal. "You?" He sounded unconvinced.

Diana forced herself up to her knees, nodding to him, but unable to look him in his eyes. "Y-yes... I... I was the one using magic. I w-was trying t-to... to bewitch... Marissa..."

"STOP!" Both Tobias and Diana flinched as Mercy shouted the single word. "She's... she does not know what she says!"

The inquisitor turned again to the young girl on the table. "Explain." Despite the word being said in a calm and even voice, it was dripping with threat and malice.

Mercy swallowed a moment, though it did nothing to sooth her raw throat. "She... is under my... spell. She... speaks only t-to d-defend me."

Diana's eyes went wide. "No! I'm not!"

"QUIET!" The pichu surprised herself with the forcefulness she was able to shout the word. It did silence her friend, though probably just due to the shock of it. Mercy used her quick mind to fabricate a story on the spot. She only hoped it was good enough to save her friend from the torture she already endured. "I-it was... Marissa and me. W-we betwitched her and set... set up the show... to try and make her look like the w-witch. To make the guards ignore us... w-we did not know that... that you were in the city..."

Tobias lifted the iron again, holding it before him. "And why should I believe you now? About this Marissa being in league with you?"

Mercy thought quickly. "She... set me up, too. So she would... be the only witch." She hated to think it, but she was thankful for the state she was in right now. Her panting and strained voice only helped to give her a little more time to think and masked most tells to a lie.

The man scoffed, but lowered the iron, setting it down a moment later. "So the betrayer gets betrayed." He smirked. "This is what a life of dishonesty and devilry will get you." He stepped to Diana then, unscrewing the device on her hands and setting it aside. He then unlocked the shackles on her wrists and ankles, the heavy metal clattering to the ground at her feet. "Go. Get out of here. The guards will give you your clothes back." His words were no more kind than any time before. He still had a great dislike for the 'mons, but he had no reason to torture her any further.

Diana looked at him, then at Mercy. The pichu gave her friend a pleading stare, silently begging her not to say anything. The buneary squeezed her eyes shut, more tears running from them down her cheeks. She stood and turned away. Her legs were shaky under her as she walked to the door, her thumbs aching still. Tobias stood and watched as the girl walked away. When the door was opened, he simply nodded to the guards on the other side. One motioned to escort Diana away, the door slamming shut once again behind her.

He turned back to Mercy, though he did not approach her. "As for you. You can lay there like that for a time." He picked up his hammer and turned to walk out as well. "A guard will be by later to put you back in your cage." Mercy let out a heavy sigh as he left, wincing when the door slammed shut behind him. She closed her eyes, resting her head back against the hard wood under her. She knew she just signed her own death warrant, but at least her best and only friend would not suffer it, too. She only hoped that whatever end they planned for her would be a quick one...

*     *     *


After waiting over a day in her cell, she had been marched outside of the dungeons, only to be placed in a stockade. Her head stuck through the center of the plank of wood. Due to the nature of the pillory, her arms had to be reset back into their sockets before they were locked into the two other holes on either side of her head. She was small enough that they needed to keep the heavy shackles on her wrists so her hands did not simply slide out of the holes. She had been left like this since the better part of a day, since the previous aftneroon. Now it was just after morning.

She was tired, dirty, and cold. She had been left completely naked for all the town to see while waiting for her final sentence. Guardsman had come by and slapped at her rear or groped her exposed body. None had gone farther than that, though it was the fear of the inquisitors wrath that kept them from using her further more than any sense of moral decency. At least no one had thrown any rotten fruit or vegetables at her. One young boy seemed about to the last day, but his mother told him it was simply a waste of something that was better suited for pigs. She almost would have preferred the rotten food to the insults and the groping.

Finally, it came time for her execution. A pair of guards came out and started to unlock the pillory. She started to slump to the ground, only to be caught and hefted to her feet. The guards shoved her forward, forcing her to start walking. They said no words to her, no threats or comforting, not even a muttered insult. They simply pushed her forward to her final destintation. She kept her eyes cast at the ground as she was marched through the town. It seemed like the whole city was out here, shouting obscenities and mocking verbal jabs at her as the guards led her towards the center of the city. She still had not been told what her final execution would entail. She really hoped it was just beheading. It was fast and, while probably not painless, the pain would be instant.

Her heart sank when she saw the destination ahead. A small wooden platform on a pile of logs, a single pole standing in the center of them. The pole was too large for an impaling spike, and as she got closer, the scent of oil struck her nose. Her jagged tail twitched low in fear, her heart suddenly racing in her chest. One of the guards hefted her bodily up onto the little platform, barely large enough for her small feet to stand upon. The other guard yanked her hands back, slamming her back against the pole while binding her hands to it with irons.

Tobias stepped forward from the crowd, still clad in his ornate inquisitorial uniform, though lacking the silver hammer this time. He stood out in the crowd easily. With a raising of his hands, the shouting of the citizens died down. When he spoke, his voice was loud and clear, heard for several blocks away. "The witch Mercy has confessed her crimes against god and this city. For the crime of witchcraft and the bewitching of a young girl, the sentence is death by fire, as befitting one serving devils!" He motioned with one hand. One of the guards brought out a torch and held it low against the oil-soaked wood. The pile caught near instantly, flames bursting to life at her feet. "May your soul burn forevermore in hell!"

The crowd started their mocking laughter and shouting again. Mercy was too busy watching the flames rising, the smoke starting to rise as well. Unfortunately for her, the oil used made the smoke far less than it would be otherwise, the wind blowing through the streets taking much of it away. Her chances of simply choking on the fumes were next to none. This was clearly by design. The heat became intense around her. Soon, the flames touched her feet, causing her to cry out. The cries because screams and then shrieks of agony as the flames lit her fur, quickly traveling up her body until all of her was ablaze.

It was like feeling that branding iron again, only on every inch of her body. The irons at her wrists were literally hot enough to brand her soon enough. Her shrieks echoed around the buildings, louder than the crowd's hateful cheering. She writhed upon the burning wooden pole, feeling her flesh cooking and burning as her once bright yellow fur charred black and burnt away. Her existence was nothing but pain, her muscles tightening as they burned. Her searing torment lasted for minutes, her screams so loud they stripped her throat raw.

Diana stood at the back of the crowd, her eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. The young buneary had found her friend's rag hat on the ground where they had been taken. She now clutched it tight in her hands, wish she would be struck deaf so she did not have to hear her best friend die in so much pain. The screaming continued and only grew louder as the flesh was burnt away, the flames licking at the nerves under it. The horrible smell of burning fur and meat was filling the air.

Eventually, the screams grew to a fever pitch, then stopped altogether. When Diana dared to try and look, all she could see of her friend was a pillar of flames around a blackened silhouette vaguely resembling a person. She hoped her friend had finally died up there, to stop the torment. She closed her eyes again, shedding final tears and silently saying goodbye to her best and only friend. When she opened her eyes again, they were red, but the sorrow was replaced by a hardness. Nearby her was the inquisitor, Tobias, though not so near that he could see her. He was speaking to the guards. She slipped closer to hear, staying hidden from sight.

"Did you search the home?" Tobias asked the guard.

The tall feline nodded to his commanding officer. "Aye, sir. We found these." He held out his hands, showing a trio of crudely made dolls. One bore the vague resemblance of Mercy, though it had been burnt. Another looked somewhat like Diana, a pentagram drawn on the forehead. The last resembled the inquisitor himself, Tobias. "We found these along with some other suspicious objects in the girl's room. This one..." he indicated the one that looked like Tobias, "...we found this one inside what looked like a spell circle..."

The weasel grit his teeth. "The arrogance of these witches! To think they could bewitch a servant of god!?" There was anger burning in his eyes. Though he was not so blinded by anger that he did not see the look the guard was giving him. "Worry yourself not, guardsman. As an inquisitor, I am protected by god's grace. It would not do if one hunting witches were so easily undone by foul magic such as this." The guard seemed relieved to hear that. "Where is this girl now?"

The feline nodded down the street. "Just a little over there, watching the execution. I posted a guard to discretely stand watch nearby."

Tobias smiled, nodding. "Good job. Let us go, and pray that this is the last witch plaguing this city." Diana followed behind as the guards and inquisitor marched off with purpose.

Marissa, still flanked as always by her friends, watched as the crowd started to go back to their business now that the execution was effectively over. What was left of the body of the pichu was still burning away in the distance, but the screaming and squirming had stopped. Marissa had never intended for the girl to be executed, and a part of her, deep down, felt pretty bad about that. However, the girl was just a 'mon, and so she really did not feel THAT bad. "Marissa Richtor?"

The young feline turned as she heard her name called out. "Yes?" She blinked in surprise when she found herself staring at a small group of guards and a man in the uniform of an inquisitor. "Um... yes...?" The next thing she knew, hands were grabbing at her arms, pulling them behind her back. "Get your hands off of me!" Her friends also protested as they were grabbed as well.

Tobias spoke with an even, but hard tone that barely masked his anger. "You are under arrest for the crime of witchcraft, bewitching the citizens, and attempted bewitching of an inquisitor!"

She just looked at him in disbelief. "WHAT!? I have done no su-" She was silenced as her face was backhanded by the man.

"Do not even attempt to lie to me." He motioned to the guard beside him, who held out the dolls. "We have already found evidence of your devilry in your home, within your room." Marissa just stared at the dolls, then back at the man, too stunned to respond. "Take her away to the dungeons. Take these two, as well." The trio of young girls was shoved forward. Now Marissa found her voice, shouting protests which went ignored by the inquisitor. "I will get a confession out of them later."

Diana watched as the men dragged the merchant's daughter and her friends off to the dungeons. She allowed herself a slight smile. She had snuck into the girl's room, planting the evidence just this morning. She looked back at Mercy's body, the flames smoldering now, leaving just a blackened husk that had been her friend upon the charred stake. She had not lived to see it, but at least the two of them got some revenge on the bitch that caused all this. She knew it was only a matter of days before it was Marissa up there, possibly with her horrible friends along side her.

She gave a sad, yet vindictive smile to her friend, speaking softly. "I hope he tortures them ten times worse than what he did you." Her own thumbs still ached from the screws, even though it had been days since. "They'll get what they deserve." She turned and walked away. She did not want to see what would become of her friend's remains. She knew there would be no proper burial. Instead, she set Mercy's hat atop her head, nesting between her large ears. The last keepsake of her friend.

*     *     *
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