It was a single tune, sung by them together, chimes resonating with one another. There were differences in pitch, but those seemed to be deliberately staggered from the main tune. Hell if I knew what kind of technique that was called. It was a bright tune, but at times, especially the echoing points, it struck me as distinctly eerie. I revisited it often, haunting as it was.

Now that I thought to Delve though, I could see small ripples in the magic from their song. It washed across Baen’s soul, affecting it somehow. The annoying blurry feeling persisted regardless, though I learned to shift out of that. Was that why he can tell what kind of ‘meaning’ they’re trying to get across? I thought. If so, I could easily see it become a kind of common language.

[It seems very limited though, not as precise as other manners of communication, like a refined form of body language.] Page noted. [I could learn to read it…] It said, thoughtful.

I shrugged inwardly. Why not? It would be a useful skill to have, and at least then I wouldn’t need an interpreter. I looked to Baen out the corner of my eye, still recording the rest. He looked… content? Almost enraptured. As the song came to an end his smile faded a little, and he turned to me.

“You… couldn’t feel that at all could you?” He said. “It was beautiful, mostly thanks for us, but still so… complex.” He said, wistful. I cocked my head, watching his reaction. Hopefully it’s not an addictive effect. I thought, a little concerned.

[I didn’t record much, and without a clear translation it won’t exactly be easy to figure this out, we’d need to listen to more of them and get people’s interpretations.] I nodded inwardly, I was a little leery of putting anyone else through such an experience though. I didn’t know enough to determine how safe such a course of action would be.

I shrugged. Either way, done was done. While I’m not sure how I’d explain this to people, at least the lights would be gone. A few more chimes sounded, and Baen turned to me. “They don’t want us to tell the others about them.” He said, a smile still remaining on his face. His eyes seemed a little unfocused, I grabbed him by his collar, shaking him a bit. Little reaction. My eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying, but you have one chance to reverse this, or I start cutting.” I said, drawing my sword. They backed away, singing another chorus, similar to before, but they wavered a bit. I pointed to Baen once, stepping forward and falling into stance.

Another song this time, clear, urgent. I readied my blade, but Baen stood from behind. Focusing my Sense had been a good idea, though in combat I’d have to focus on one sense or the other. “I’m fine now, just wait a moment.” I stepped away from him, placing myself so that they were both ahead of me, disengaging Sense. I looked into his eyes, not glassy or vacant anymore. Good.

“Tell them to explain, or I get busy with the blade.” I replied, still in stance. None of this had ever been written of in the handbook, only of their prowess with magic. Then again, if everyone is as susceptible I can see why. I thought. It doesn’t explain why they are recorded at all though.

Baen scowled at the fairies. “They talk into people’s minds, they wanted to stay hidden so that they wouldn’t have to use it too often, as it can rewrite a person’s mind.” He muttered something else under his breath, but I wasn’t close enough to hear it. “So now they’re asking us not to say anything about them, instead of trying to make me agree.”

I watched them carefully, recording the pulses that they emanated as they had spoken. Future reference. I wasn’t entirely sure how to react. My knee jerk response would have been to refuse, but if I had a foolproof way of making it so that I wouldn’t be threatened, and it cost everyone so little, would I choose not to use it?

Baen looked to me for a moment, then turned back to them. “We agree.” He said, then turned stiffly and walked away. I said nothing, instead following him as he left the forest. Halfway out, the sunlight filtered in from overhead, and he slowed down to walk besides me. “Now that I can think clearly again, what they did just pisses me off.” He growled. “That’s how they deal with people who offer a helping hand? Argh.” He scowled as he continued. “I can understand using it against threats, but what they did…” He sunk into silence.

“So you intend to keep your promise?” I asked, he turned to me for a moment, somewhat surprised, but nodded, as though the idea was foreign. I shrug. “Just making sure. Breaking our promises would be swiftly found out anyway.” I said. As we exited the forest, we both stopped dead in our tracks. It was noon.

“We went in there late night right?” Baen asked me uneasily. I responded in the affirmative. We’d not been in the forests for more than several hours, at the latest it should only be morning… We looked to one another, ultimately deciding that it was best we not question the occurrence. We reported that the lights were fairies, that we’d killed, which somewhat explained the sightings I’d read, stick to what you know.

Cain nodded, passing us a few more missives, and I flipped through them quickly. Nothing much, seems a goblin troupe may be inbound, and one slime, away from the common settlements. Looked to be quite a bit north of Hrothan. I passed them to Baen, and we left Hrothan.

The next few weeks were uneventful, or at least as uneventful as can be when you’re constantly dealing with goblins and slimes while handling occasional ogres, spectres and trolls. I slashed my blade horizontally, focusing on the blade, and it Shifted, sliding into the magic plane and scattering the spectre’s form. Useful trick.

“Today’s the last day then?” Baen asked me, once the spectres were taken care of. He’d invested in a little spell knowledge, picking up the ability to disrupt magic, a simple cantrip that was only really effective against spectres and other inherently magical creatures. Soren lost another man, some kind of strange slime variant, it carried these… spores inside of it, that were apparently highly toxic. Thankfully it was small relative to all the other common slimes.

I nodded, packing and rechecking the last of my things. “It’s been three weeks after all.” I said. “That was the time limit they conceded me.” I continued. “Even if they were delayed, they’re likely to arrive in less than another week I’d think.” I said. Lapi was in the room, and I turned to her. “You’re staying here.” I said, firm. “No following me this time alright?”

Lapi circled me, leaning against me and whining. That she did so meant that I would likely be obeyed, otherwise she just tends to go off and then disobey me. Then again, I guess she could be learning… I thought. I knelt and rubbed her neck. “You’re more needed here, you two need to watch out for each other and Soren as well. Okay?” She sniffed, slinking off to sulk.

“I don’t really need her here that much.” Baen said, looking a little miffed. “She could follow you out there you know? I’d say your need is greater, who knows what you’ll meet out there.” He continued a little more serious.

“Maybe, but that’s why I don’t think she should come. More than likely they’ll be beyond her ability, I won’t have her die for no reason.” I said, unwavering. Beyond that, Soren would need the help, I didn’t like how many creatures kept making appearances, and their loss of only a single man? Luck. The average farm lost more, their birth rate was the only thing allowing them to sustain against the wilderness. As the wilderness became more agitated…

Baen nodded, though he remained noncommittal. For now, I’d just help out with the farm as I waited, Baen would take care of whatever threats there were currently. I had decided on a little experimenting as well, the fairy groves were placed in some kind of ‘slope’, time moved faster due to the properties of the plane they ended in. It was kind of interesting really, how this world naturally had locations where space warped in such a way.

I’d tried to find my way onto that plane again, trying to shift to it, but it seemed to elude me, over and over. It seemed like a pocket plane with specific places that linked to it. I wondered if all fairy groves were made in such places, or were such places formed by fairy groves? In the end all I could do was shrug, it wasn’t exactly something I could find out so easily anyway.

Standing in the forest, I kept my eyes open as I engaged Sense, practice made it easier to hold my concentration, though fighting with both senses just wasn’t possible. I’d just have to decide whether I wanted distance or to be able to see all around me. Oroc had said that repeated Lurches would strengthen my Sense, though then again, he’d never explained how that worked. It was still very fuzzy, I had to make my own interpretations of things sometimes.

Sense also revealed points I could shift through to reach other points. I reached out, pushing at a space just a few centimetres from such a point. It resisted me, like cardboard instead of the plastic wrap at the point, but still, I managed to push through. I exited a few centimetres away from the point it connected to, and I placed a coin on a branch of a tree, slowly and deliberately. The nice thing about Sense here was that it also extended through these rifts I formed. I practiced it often, shifting the entry and exit points differently each time. Too bad I couldn’t shift through one completely. Having an ability like that would’ve opened many possibilities.

It had already been thirteen days, I looked to the road as I stepped out from the building. Hmm, I wonder if they decided they didn’t need me after all? I thought to myself, shrugging as I went to help out on the field.

[Perhaps they found another Sensitive?] Page postulated. [Though wouldn’t they at least send a message over?]

Well if they don’t arrive soon, I’m going to stop waiting and help Baen. Even with Lapi, he’s barely staying ahead. I thought, worried. Baen stumbled out of the communal house himself, shaking his head and stretching himself out. He gave me a wave and a nod. He held me in very high regard, often asking for my views. ’Twas a strange feeling indeed.

“You think they’re going to show?” Caio asked, while we both worked in the farm itself, weeding. I’d opened a few points in my armour, ventilation for the day. I shrugged.

“Don’t know, probably?” I said, straightening myself before my back snapped. “If they don’t, it’d be nice if they sent a messenger ahead.”

“Would be a damn shame if they didn’t, the rumours out there… You’d do a whole lot more good out there.” Caio said, a worried look on his face. “Being here is great protection, but it sure won’t be worth much if the rest of the world goes to crap though.”

I nodded, the word out there was disturbing, things were stirring out there. I shook my head. I always come at the best times don’t I? A shout came from the buildings. Finally. I thought. Bad ethics to leave halfway though. I thought, bending to continue.