Nick Smith

Adventurer Level: 11

Human – American

During the uneventful eight days of travel, I managed to get Larie to give me more information on Rapid Magic Depletion. As it turns out, it can turn deadly if it happens away from civilization and the body usually prevents it from happening. The latter fact reminded me of a conversation with Ten regarding my muscles, and I pointed out that maybe the reason I didn't have that limiter was because my magic core was artificial. Both Yulk and Larie agreed with my theory.

But when I tried to describe the spell that I was trying to do, I received a few baffled looks. They were similar to the look my mom gave my dad when he suggested that our cousin should have marigolds in her wedding bouquet. Instead of being dismissive, though, Larie was kind enough to explain that magic in its purest form was immaterial and required a medium, namely the caster, to interact with the world around it.

Magic is omnipresent in this world. If one were able to gather a ball of it and launch it at someone, it would have the same effect that it already does. Which happens to be absolutely fucking nothing. Larie did his best to not be condescending, but I couldn't help but feel like an idiot.

I cringed at the memory as the cart pulled up next to the stable. Nash was the first off the cart, and he helped Yulk step down. I cracked my neck and gathered my things.

"Nick, if I have to remind you to grab that fucking sword again I'm gonna shove it up your ass," Nash growled.

"I wasn't going to forget it," I shot back. "And the only reason I left it in the cart in the first place is because YOU said we were safe."

I regretted the tone I used the moment that the words left my mouth. It made me sound like a whiny child, tired of being chastised by an overbearing parent. Nash, probably picking up on my insecurity, smirked and chuckled.

"Well we WERE, weren't we?" He asked, then adopted a more serious expression. "Though that could have changed at any point. I'm not a fucking oracle, kid, and you know better than to be caught without a weapon."

I hopped down from the cart, bag on my back and sword on my waist, and shook my hands at Nash with a grin.

"I'm never without a weapon," I said. "I might even be deadlier with magic than with a sword at this point."

"Oh? And next you're going to tell me that one weapon is better than two? Or did you forget that there are monsters with resistance to magic?"

"Well..."

"Yeah, that's what I fuckin' thou-"

"I would appreciate it if you two would wrap up the squabbling," Yulk interrupted. "Driver, thank you for your service."

"Yeah, no problem," the dwarf said. "Y'all weren't as bad as I feared. I'll be stickin' around here for a while, so if you need a ride back just ask for Haq."

"Will do."

Yulk tossed a coin which the driver caught, then began to walk away. Nash and I silently shot glares at each other as we trailed after him. Larie looked back and forth between the two of us and shook his skull.

"So where are we going, exactly?" I asked.

"Shit," Larie and Nash mumbled in unison.

"Took him over a week to ask, you both owe me a silver," Yulk chuckled.

"You guys are betting on when I ask stuff now?" I asked, a little hurt.

"Yes. For someone who is pretty new to things, and going through things that are new even to people who are used to things, you don't ask that many questions," Yulk explained. "Or you wait until the last minute to ask. Larie bet that you would ask about our destination on the first day. I bet that it would take over a week. Nash bet that you wouldn't ask at all. Two silver each was the bet, if you were wondering."

"Alright, have your fun at my expense," I sighed dramatically and rolled my eyes. "But are you going to answer my question?"

"Sure," Yulk chuckled. "First, we're going to find an inn."

"Not just any inn," Nash interjected. "There's gotta be a Marfix in the city. You two have been pampered all winter. My turn."

"We were forced to stay in a luxury hotel whilst one of us studied and the other worked all day," Yulk smirked. "YOU got to stay home and enjoy mother's cooking whilst flirting with Nima. Plus, I'm not certain that the Marfix Inn will have a location in Climeta. Do you know, Larie?"

"It has been a very long time since I was here last, so I cannot say for certain," Larie said. "But Climeta is an important trade hub between the mortals and the wylder of the Grand Climeta Forest. There's a large amount of wealth passing through the city, so it should have fairly modern amenities."

"Do they trade with the Courts?" I asked.

"If the power dynamic has maintained its course, no. The Courts used to use intermediaries in their dealings, and they only change begrudgingly. They're also disinterested in wealth and care only for their immediate needs, which isn't particularly conducive to trade relations."

"Okay," I nodded, pretending to understand.

The subject of the Court had come up during the trip, but Yulk had limited knowledge of it, and even though Larie was acting as our guide he had been cagey regarding certain details. He hadn't said what type of wylder were on the court, but confirmed that they were called Queens regardless of their physical appearance. He told us that the same wylder that run the Summer Court also run the Winter Court, but claimed ignorance as to how that works.

Something else he told us was that the Court is ran by five individuals. Three 'higher wylder' and two 'lower wylder'. He wouldn't give us any further details than that, but I felt that it was safe to assume that those terms referred to something like the difference between a fae and arch-fae.

As I was ruminating on what we had and hadn't learned thus far, we approached the city gates. They had faded into the background while I was walking and thinking, but once I noticed them I did a double take. My mouth dropped as I gawked up at the massive walls surrounding the city.

Each of the green bricks had a smooth, glassy shine to it and looked a little like the expensive version of the tacky jewels that my Aunt Linda would wear whenever we had a family gathering. As we got closer, I realized that the they were taller than I was and roughly twice as wide. The wall stood eight bricks high, making me feel the smallest I'd ever felt.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

'Jadeite,' Ten said. 'I wonder how they came across so many large deposits.'

"It's gotta be magical fuckery," I inadvertently said aloud.

Larie chuckled, snapping me back to reality. Both Nash and Yulk started, as if they were as dumbfounded by the wall as I was. The three of us shared a glance, then looked at Larie.

"Courtesy of the Court," he gestured to the wall as we took our place in line. "The Winter Court, interestingly enough. It... Well, it was my father that convinced them to build the wall. He performed a favor for each and every brick that they made."

"That's a lot of effort to go through for others. I can see why his betrayal was such a shock," Yulk nodded slowly.

"It was. I grew up listening to other people tell me how much of a hero and visionary he was. Yet, he never talked about any of it. I thought he was being humble, but... Well, I still don't know what to make of it, to be honest."

"Next," a guard said, absentmindedly interrupting our conversation.

We stepped toward the guard, who was distracted with something on the table next to him. He glanced at us and did a double take. It was almost funny until he pointed his spear at us, the extra-sharp tip glistening in the sunlight.

"Fuckin' halt there," he ordered. "Are you a gods-damned lich!?"

"This is Larie VysImiro," Yulk hurriedly explained. "He has been officially welcomed into the Empire of Calkuti and the city of Climeta."

The guard stared at Yulk for a moment, then turned back to Larie. His hesitance made me nervous, but then he gestured to an area to the side of the gate with some benches.

"Sit there," he said. "Be warned, any aggressive actions will be met with lethal force."

"How long will this take?" Nash asked.

"However fuckin' long it takes. Do as you're told or go somewhere else, shithead. Or would you rather grow some arrows?"

The guard gestured toward the top of the wall. It was difficult to see them, but there were several archers with their bows drawn and trained on us. Nash chuckled and held his hands up.

"I was just askin'."

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck off and si'down."

The guard motioned to another guard as we did as we were told and took a seat at the benches. The pair talked with each other for a few moments, glancing at Larie every now and then. The second guard nodded and was about to leave, but then he made eye contact with me.

"Shit," I muttered.

"What is it?" Yulk asked.

"You know how they didn't make a big deal out of me?"

"Yes?"

"I think they were just distracted by Larie."

The guard spoke to the other guard, and they both turned to look at me. The guard who had told us to sit shrugged and nodded at the other guard. The other guard looked worried for a moment, but rushed off.

"Ah," Yulk said. "Well they should have received word about you, too. Unless we arrived before Jak's messenger."

"That would be quite inconvenient," Larie added.

"At least the guard's going to go check rather than just turning us away," Nash said with a shrug. "Show's they're a pretty professional outfit."

"Well, yes, but they're not a normal city guard," Larie replied. "They are a standing army of professional quality. One thousand strong, last I checked. Probably quite a bit more now, though."

"They use an army as a city guard?"

"Yes. Climeta is the only safe path to and from the Grand Climeta Forest. It is, functionally, a fortress city."

"So it guards the forest from invasion?" I asked.

"Yes," Larie nodded. "It also guards the Empire of Calkuti against invasion from the forest, though. Despite the fact that it pays taxes to both the Court and the empire, the city is an independent entity. Again, last I checked. I can't even guess at how many years it's been since I've been here."

"But if it's an independent entity, what kind of weight will a message from Emperor Jak have?"

"Authoritative weight?" Yulk asked with a grin. "Absolutely none. But who is going to buy the stuff that comes out of the forest if Emperor Jak sanctions the city?"

"Those that rule and guard the city are bound by a geas to remain impartial in matters of warfare," Larie explained. "The wylder are not allowed to war with the mortals and the mortals are not allowed to war with the wylder. They have to do everything they can to maintain this status quo, which gives the emperor of Calkuti quite a bit of diplomatic influence over the city."

"A geas? That's an unbreakable promise, right?" I asked.

"No promise is unbreakable. A geas simply adds incentives to keep a promise and ensures extreme consequences for breaking it. The Climeta Geas, if it is still in use, will cause oath-breakers to die a very painful and messy death. The only mercy is that the death comes at a rather rapid pace. Thirty minutes, which is a very short length of time for breaking a geas."

"Why would anyone want to take that kind of oath, though?"

"The incentives. In exchange for your service, you get a longer life, immunity to most mortal diseases, a boost to your strength, a larger magic core, great pay, and the right to... Mingle with the wylder, should they so choose to have you."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes."

"And when you say mingle, you mean..."

Larie sighed, "I mean procreate."

"I see," I chuckled. "So do the wylder not mingle with anyone else?"

"I'll tell you what my father told me. The wylder of the Grand Climeta Forest are very, very old. They have long since lost the tender naivety that allows a being of great power to have gentleness for their partner. They care only for the results of the act itself and whatever pleasures they may glean during the process. A normal mortal would not survive. As such, they only procreate with those who are bound by and benefit from the geas."

"How old were you when he told you that?" Nash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't a child, if that's what you mean," Larie chuckled.

"So, wait, this is a city full of soldiers with a BDSM kink?" I asked.

My three comrades stared at me silently for a moment.

"What is BDSM?" Larie asked.

It was then that I realized my folly. My exposure to the internet had granted me knowledge of the existence of BDSM, but I didn't even actually know what the letters stood for. All I knew was that it involved whips, chains, domination, and submission in a sexual way, and due to a slip of the tongue I suddenly found myself in a position where I would have to explain such concepts to my adoptive brothers and a being that is likely several times older than my grandmother.

Who would then likely ask how I came across such information...

"Uh... N-nevermind," I stammered.

'I could have translated that acronym in a way that they understood it,' Ten said within my head. 'You're welcome, by the way.'

'Y-yeah, thanks.'

"Hey! You lot!" the guard shouted at us. "C'mere!"

I quickly shot out of my seat, glad for the interruption. Nash watched me gather my belongings with narrowed eyes, but Yulk and Larie rose as if nothing had happened. We walked over to the guard, who was tapping his finger on his spear. Whether it was impatience or nerves was anyone's guess.

"We got a message from that emperor guy," he said once we got close enough. "It arrived about twenty minutes before you did, though. So, uh, sorry about the inconvenience and whatnot."

"It's not a problem," Yulk nodded.

"Sure it is, we've gotta let a lich into our city. In case it ain't clear, we're not thrilled about that. So you better be on your best fuckin' behavior, got it?" the guard pointed a finger at Larie.

"Understood," Larie replied.

"Good," the guard turned to me. "As for you, we dunno what a human is. Sorry bud, but cuz of that we'll also be keepin' an eye on you. And people will probably be starin' like you're some sort of show. You're probably used to that, but be good and don't let it get to you."

"Got it," I nodded.

"Alright, go on in."

The guard gestured over his shoulder. The gate he gestured to was nearly as impressive as the wall. Two very thick slabs of wood that were stained green distracted from a particularly mean looking portcullis. It was the only metal that I could see, and came equipped with spikes and blades on either side of it. For a moment I wished that I got to experience the drama of the gate opening slowly to let us enter. Unfortunately, it was already open, so we followed the guard's instruction and passed through it.

The city within the wall was just as impressive as the gargantuan construction guarding it. Multi-story stone buildings lined the main road, which was paved with intricately carved stones. As we passed the buildings I noticed that their walls seemed to be made of solid chunks of stone. There were tool-marks as well, indicating that they had been hand-chiseled. Nash and I simultaneously let out a low whistle of appreciation at the craftsmanship.

All of the people milling about around us gave me the impression that we had entered into some sort of business district. Dwarves, elves, gnomes, orcs, and even a few drow stopped to stare at us as we passed by. Then I noticed that there were fae and fairies among them.

"Oh, that's new," Larie said.

"What is?" Yulk asked.

"The wylder within the city. That might actually save me some time. You three go to the inn and get some rest, I'm going to find an old friend. I'll meet you at the entrance to the forest in the morning."

"You sure?" Nash asked.

"Yes. Even if the inn were willing to grant me their hospitality in exchange for my coin, it would be wasted on me. This form does not require rest nor sustenance. I also have a great many things to attend to, so remaining idle would be counter-productive."

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

Larie gave us a small bow and separated from us, heading down a side street. We walked along the main road for another minute or so before I realized something.

"Wasn't he supposed to be our guide?" I asked.

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