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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/itsdirector on 2025-06-30 10:48:12+00:00.
Chapter 108
Nick Smith
Adventurer Level: 11
Human – American
We walked for a while longer without incident. It felt like more than half an hour. The tree canopy didn't let much light through so it was difficult to tell how long our journey was. Not that I was all that great at telling time with the sun.
Once my feet started to get sore we came across a portion of the path which made a sharp turn. Upon making the turn, we were faced with a fence that stretched far wider than it should have. I paused, took two steps back, and examined the way we came.
The path, which had been lit well enough for us to see, was now shrouded in darkness. The direction that it came from, though, would definitely have taken us directly into the fence. My double take caught Larie's attention, and he laughed.
"A spatial distortion," the lich said, still chuckling. "One of many tricks employed by the fair folk to protect themselves, and the main reason it was so important for us to follow the path."
"I see," was my reply.
We continued toward the fence, and as we got closer to it I noticed that it was far more intricately detailed than I had initially realized. The bronze coloration of the metal paired well with the semi-chaotic designs that had been incorporated. Acorns, leaves, pine-cones, and a variety of flowers were sporadically placed throughout the giant metal mural that was acting as a fence. Between these representations of plant-life were complicated symbols that made my head hurt when I looked at them for too long.
There were no guards at the gate, and when we approached it opened for us. Nash and I paused for a moment, but Yulk and Larie crossed the threshold of the gate without any hesitation. My brother and I shared a glance, then quickly followed.
As we stepped through the gate, the scenery underwent a drastic change. Instead of hostile, feral plants everywhere we were standing in a very well-tended garden. The grass wasn't trimmed, but it was still uniform in length. Trees gently rose above the grass and beautifully manicured bushes, stretching their branches into the sky. There was an odd non-symmetrical order to everything. Needless to say, it was much more relaxing than the area we had come from.
Ahead of us was a circular clearing paved with white stones, and beyond that was another gate. When I tried to look at what the gate was attached to, my eyes watered and my head hurt. A tall fae waited patiently in front of the second gate, and nodded as we approached.
"Yulk and Nash Alta, Nick Smith, and Larie VysImiro," it said. "You are expected. Sit."
I wanted to ask how long we would have to wait. But, the giant fae that stood before us had told us to sit. It was not a suggestion, nor a request. It was a command, and my bones itched to obey.
Without a word, the four of us sat on one of the benches. It was then that I noticed the other people waiting to be seen. There were wylder, orcs, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and even some from races as yet unidentified. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting against the confusion that was assaulting my mind. How had I not seen these people?
"I don't like this place," Nash grumbled. "It's trying to play tricks on us."
"Yes, I'd noticed that as well. Are all of these spatial distortions?" Yulk turned to Larie.
"I'm not entirely certain what it is you're referring to," Larie admitted. "The only oddity I've seen thus far was the fence appearing in an impossible location."
"That's cuz he's dead," a familiar voice next to me pointed out. "The living are way easier to fool with shrouds and perception alterations. It takes a lot more effort to get the non-living to stop seeing the world in a mundane way."
I let go of my nose to look at the source of the voice. It was a very rotund fairy. It took a second to recognize them through the cloud that had begun enveloping my brain.
"Kint?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you," the fairy grinned. "Waiting. Are you feeling alright? I'm pretty sure you weren't this pale yesterday."
"I-I don't know."
Larie, Nash, and Yulk turned their attention to me, and I suddenly felt like I was being studied. Nash put his hand on my shoulder and stared into my eyes, which caused me to try to look at the ground for some reason. He grabbed my chin and tried to make me look at him.
"Nick, what's going on?" my brother asked.
"I feel... Weird," I said. "Like I'm having trouble staying awake, but I'm not tired at all."
'That is the least of your worries,' Ten said. 'I'm barely keeping you conscious.'
"Did you look at the fence a little too closely?" Kint asked.
"It was very pretty."
"Ah, yup, that would be a shroud. You know, most people would look away once it started to hurt. Any of you got any sugar?"
I was dimly aware of my companions giving negative replies. Kint repeated the question to someone else, but I couldn't quite tell who. The seat beneath me began to feel as if it were rocking, but Nash held me steady.
"I got some," a red person walked over to us. "What's it for?"
"This guy looked at the fence a little too long. Got shrouded," Kint replied. "Spare some sugar for a favor?"
"Ah, no, I ain't got any use for fairy favors," the red guy laughed. "I can just give it to him direct. Should I sprinkle some in his mou- What the fuck is that thing?"
The red guy took a step back and studied me for a moment. I wanted to tell him that I was a human. I wanted to ask what he was. Unfortunately, my mouth wouldn't do what I wanted it to because it was too busy feeling my tongue. Kint explained that I was a human and that the sugar needed to be put in my mouth. The red guy reached into his vest and pulled out a small bag.
I was vaguely aware that I was supposed to open my mouth, but when I tried I realized it was already open. When did that happen? I blinked a few times, trying to recall what was going on as a sweet taste hit my tongue.
My mouth closed on its own, and I heard my lips smack together a couple of times. Then, my mind was free from the cloud. I looked at Nash, still holding me by the back of the head.
"Uh... You can let go now, I think," I said. "I feel better."
"Oh damn, that was fast," Kint laughed as Nash released me. "Usually takes a few minutes, or a nap."
"I could go for a nap. What happened to me?"
I gently massaged my head and noted that my temples were pulsing a little. I had no doubt that without Ten, I'd have a splitting headache. Everyone watched me with varying levels of concern.
"Well, the Fence of Warding is designed with several security features," the fairy explained. "First, it's difficult to get through because it's unnaturally strong. It takes a lot to bend the metal, and even more to break it. Second, there are several glyphs that have a variety of effects all over it. Some of these glyphs absorb magic, some add even more strength to the fence, and some cast a shroud over the mind of those who try to study the fence for weaknesses."
"I wasn't studying it for weaknesses, I was just admiring it."
"I guess it doesn't know the difference. The guards in Climeta should have warned you."
"They were probably pretty distracted... So shrouds cause confusion?"
"Shrouds can do a lot of things, and in this case it's actually supposed to put you in a coma for a few days. Plenty of time for the bailiffs to determine your intentions. If they decide you weren't being malicious, they give you some sugar and wake you up. If not, then you get some jail time."
"The court has a jail?"
"Nope. They'd take you right back to Climeta. At least, in theory. I've only ever heard of the shroud being triggered by accident."
"That's because the wylder are pretty hush-hush about it. Studying the fence is considered espionage," the red guy said. "I work as a court recorder, and a few years back a guy got caught by the shroud. He had a notebook which revealed that he had been trying to map the glyphs on the fence. Got convicted of espionage, and sentence to five years of hard labor. Got off easy because he was so cooperative."
"Cooperative?" I asked.
"Yeah, he was very forthcoming with who sent him and why. Turns out it was some mages from one of the southern kingdoms who wanted to know more about glyph magic, but knew it was illegal to pry. So they paid the guy to pry for them. The judge also issued an arrest warrant for them, but the southern kingdoms don't really do extradition."
"I see. Oh, and thanks for the help."
"No problem. My name's Ujin."
He offered a hand and I shook it, introducing myself. Then I answered a few questions about being a human. The other people sitting around us were pretty interested, too, but kept silent as we talked.
"So what brings you to see the court?" I asked.
"Just dropping off some records," Ujin shrugged. "Trails that the fair folk have a vested interest in, changes to city legislation. Then I grab the responses and bring 'em back. Exciting stuff."
"Responses?"
"Yep. The Courts have a right to object to rulings made in trials that they are involved in, no matter how little their involvement is. It isn't a right that I've ever seen or heard of them using, but we still deliver the records just in case. We also ke...
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