"No, no, no, you need to concentrate, not on the grains in the stone, but on the mass itself."

"Like this?" Den asks the female mage assistant Lola.

"Here." She says clasping her hand shut and crushing the stone into a small shiny pebble. "You need to imagine the entire stone getting smaller. Try it again."

Den is a little lower level than the mage it turns out, but it worked now I have time to discuss what the witch had told me earlier.

"So she told you nothing that you didn't already know?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"That's unfortunate. Well I will admit I wasn't aware there even was a barrier. I was born in Colgate, I've never seen this bubble you talk of. But it interests me, if I had to guess I would say it's a 'compressed aura' barrier."

"Compressed aura?"

"Mm, It's something like the aura field every creature creates. Its possible to thicken the walls and create a mana tight wall."

"Interesting."

"Mm, but if it's truly one of those there would have to be a person maintaining it through strict concentration."

We talk for a few more moments about the barrier.

I'm all but positive it's a barrier at this point.

The professor also claims that the seasonal lock was something possibly linked via intent.

But how, and who, could maintain something like that, and why?

An extremely old and powerful mage I'm sure.

Why are they doing it though?

Is it an experiment?

If so, it's been a failure, so why has the barrier been here for this long?

The mana inside the bubble was nearing levels of toxicity. Though the residents didn't seem to notice, it was something a weaker person like Den suffered from as we walked deeper.

It started with vomiting.

At first I had thought it was just a stomach bug. But when he continued to suffer at the witch's camp she asked the faeries to intervene.

They, like with Claire, softly kissed the boy's skin. Within moments his internal mana level had increased and his color had started to return. When the witch explained the condition I felt bad. Den would have likely died if the fairies hadn't intervened.

Toxic mana. Inconsistent seasons. Talking trees. Ferocious wolves. This barrier was doing no good as far as I could tell.

Well, okay. The talking trees were fine.

The professor luckily agrees with my assumption that the Ent's would survive. Since I hadn't had the time to tell the mage about the creatures, he was amazed when I talked about them.

We made plans to go there tomorrow.

We wouldn't be able to teleport which was a shame but the Ents forest wasn't too far away.

I was excited to see them. It's only been a little over a week, but I needed to know they were still in good health.

I'm sure the elder has warned not to harvest trees in the forest by now.

When the Ents explained the situation to the Elder he had fell to his knees in tears. He was amazed by the Ents selflessness, honestly I had been too.

I had arranged a trader from Colgate to make the trip to Winter Village with lumber so they should be in good shape now.

The Demi-human population living here in Colgate understood well the art of forestry. They still had a dense forest surrounding their village. It was impossible to see the village from the river. They still harvested vast quantities of lumber though. They have 'Adventurer Lumberjacks' who venture life and limb for the best trees to collect.

They were careful not to harm the natural mana balance of the forest. With mana vision you could find areas with over-concentrations of mana and remove the trees. This would allowing the forest to breath again.

They would become my lumber suppliers.

With Go(l)drick, Col(Wood)gate, and the Winter (Fabric) Village, my Duchy was already coming together nicely.

Well thinking about it, Winter Village may need to change their name. I liked the name, but it won't be winter there for long. I'm not sure the name will fit once all that snow melts.

The Elder's will think of something good I'm sure.

"By the way, have you heard of 'Spider Village'?" I ask the professor remembering my planned vacation day.

"Hmm, Oh! You mean 'that' village."

"Well, yeah. The webbed one, or what ever."

"Ah, yes I know of it. What about it?"

"Do you know how far away it is from here? I heard the people of Winter village go over there to buy silk, but their directions to the place seemed vague."

"If you go north the Spider river joins the Coil. It's a few miles before the abandoned village, from there it's a two days journey to reach the city. But I should warn you, it's a strange and dangerous place."

"Dangerous?"

"Ah" He glances at my human ears after a moment. "Right, I had forgotten you were mere human. There is a large church following in the city. It should be no problem for you though. I would avoid antagonizing the people of the church though."

Actually Professor, the church likely hates me much more than you. But since the man wasn't aware of my position I stayed quiet.

"The church is different from that of the Capital's and Havas' though." He explains reading half my thoughts.

It turns out it was a wholly different church.

In the early days after the tribal conglomeration each empire had its own church. They either combined for strength, or ate each other and now all that stood was the 'Holy Hook Church', and aparently the 'Holy Spider'.

I wonder, how the 'Holy hook' will feel if they heard about this place?

By the way, I wasn't happy about our naming scheme being taken.

But I couldn't exactly lodge a complaint.

I decide I will leave for the 'dangerous city' once the mages have become acquainted with the Ent's tomorrow.

It would be the perfect opportunity. I will need to pass winter village to deal with the barrier anyways. So this would really be my last chance to visit the amazing city before my induction.

As I was having these thoughts, and the professor was reading, we notice it has become quiet in the small tower.

The girl Lola, and Den who should be practicing, were silent.

Too silent.

'Oh, wow.' I thought after opening the door.

What we saw in the room was an eye opening sight.

Me, for different reasons than the girl's stand-in father.

'Good work Den.', I silently praised as I look down at the boy and girl sloppily kissing. They both had clothes removed and skin bared.

"What is happening?!" The mage professor shouts while gripping at his hair.

This boy would surely become a man during this flight.

I have left Den in good hands.

That's what I thought to myself while I creep down the Spider river in the direction of the city.

It was called a river but it was more of a creek. The fact the city could survive on such a dribble surprised me.

Perhaps they have a well.

It would be the first I'd seen in the Bay. Most of the Chiefs and Elders claimed the Dirt was far to firm to dig a well.

I would have to develop a well digging machine. It shouldn't be an issue, I have a few designs that should work. In fact I'm excited to develop the tool, I made a few sketches in my notebook quickly.

I had figured wells would be dug using earth magic. Since it would still requires removing the heavy dirt though, it was seen as too difficult.

They would instead just build on the rivers which flowed consistently.

But here, this creek was just a trickle of water, yet the people survived.

Or thrived even.

As I near the village I hear the sounds of singing.

The professor had said it was a religious city. Upon hearing the majestic voices reverberating from city, I couldn't help but feel a little god in me too.

The fact the sound could travel so far from the cotton ball looking city in the distance, amazes me.

It was maybe somehow being amplified?

But how?

Magic intent? I't doesn't smell like it.

No, this sounds acoustic.

I near closer to the web crusted village. There is a divot pressed into the bubble encompassing the city. The webs looked to be formed in a way to port the sound coming from the church in all directions, like a speaker box. It must have taken a vast amount of ingenuity and time to devise.

I have to learn more about this amazing city.

How were they able to form the web so easily?

I pay a small coin to the guard standing at the gate.

"We don't get many outsiders here." The man says with a large grin.

It was haunting. He was excited, but he just looked like a puppet due to his pale skin tone.

Everyone in the city had the same pale pigment.

It was no wonder, the inside of the city was dark.

The web obscured the sun almost entirely. It was only after my eyes became accustomed to the darkness did I start to marvel at my surroundings.

The ground wasn't dirt, or rock, or even payvment, it was a thick mesh of web. The same firm web that wrapped between and around houses and over the dead trees.

The entire village was really covered, and constructed in these thick spider webs.

I grasped at one carefully, worried my hand might stick.

But it doesn't. The web had long turned to stone. It even had a creamy color to it, not the white it appeared from a distance.

"Surprise ya?" A man says, surprising me.

"Yeah." I say feeling the rough web, and curiously looking at the pale fellow. "How can a spider produce this?"

"They don't exactly." The man explains with a satisfied look. "Follow me, you must be new."

He took me down the main street towards an area where many people were crowding. I was worried it was a church gathering.

Should I flee?

No, they were surrounding a small crumpled body.

Beside the spider's corpse sat a man, lightly kneading its abdomen.

In front of the abdomen sat a woman carefully pulling the thread and winding it round her arm.

She carefully counts the wraps and then nicks the silk with a knife. She places the pile of silk into the arms of a woman and then turns to another customer.

They exchange words and then the man, who sat kneading, slows down his pattern. The woman again began extracting.

This time the silk was instead thick and gooey. It looked like a liquid form of the stone webbing I saw earlier.

So by kneading the abdomen you are able to change the material the dead creature produces, nifty.

The paste that the woman slowly pulled into a barrel, was unhandleable, she shook her hands of the material with each pull.

"That is?"

"Construction paste. It's used for the work on buildings. It's great for connecting stuff together like stones or bricks. And, give it a week and it'll be hard as concrete"

"I hear they don't come out often though so where… " I began.

"People have been harvesting from 'that' spider for the last twenty years. If the harvesters stop for even a day the thread inside will become hard and impossible to use. We choose the largest and use its thread until the next 'great building'."

"Great building?" I ask.

"The time when the 'great spiders' come up and 'expand' the village."

"Expand huh?, but don't people usually get attacked by the spiders? What's so great about them?"

"It's rare for people to be injured. We have learned the signs and evacuate a short time before the 'great hatching'. And they make our town prosperous, it's hard to not have reverence."

The man explains that he doesn't see the creatures in the same way as the rest of the town.

He did admit to their usefulness though.

He explains to me the way they were able to survive on such a small river, something I was very interested in.

It's due to the structure of the spider nest. It collects water from the morning fog.

The dew then drains down the web towards the central post of the nest.

The post is located in the city square, they had even excavated the area in order to create a lake.

The web constantly drips freshwater into the large lake. They even have a school of fish living in the waters.

Genius.

After the 'great building', the web would be workable for several days. After that time all the webs would become locked in place. The man complained about the fact that a large road was now inaccessible due to the last expansion.

I took my leave after he showed me around the city a bit. He left me, with a wave, in front of an Inn. I begin thinking about my next move, and the various things he had told me.

He explained the church here, I was forced to admit, they were really doing good. I feel bad for the earlier thoughts I had, if only they could make peace with Demi-Humans I could get behind them.

They were the ones who kept track of the spiders hatching.

They were responsible for the villages safety each time the event occurred. And, for the past four hatchings, nothing had happened. They also feed the poor and treat the sick and elderly. Fairly noble causes altogether. Why can't the 'Holy Hook' Church be like the 'Holy Spider' Church?

I also learned the this city was much older than the other villages. This may be the only one built prior to the formation of the barrier.

It was also the least affected by it. Other than the limited river water, due to the lack of mountain snow melt.

They also of course were forced to import food, due to the lack of growing season. But paying for that was no issue for the city.

All in all this was likely the most prosperous village in the Bay.

They have a large trade network. I heard they even export silk to other countries. I wasn't sure how they were getting the silk out though.

As far as I knew the only way out of the Bay is the road to Havas. And I hadn't seen the silk or food in transit before.

This Duchy of mine is rote with mysteries.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

I shut my eyes when I reach the bed in the vacant Inn, I began to plan my movements for tomorrow. As much as I wanted to explore the bustling web crusted town. I had to continue moving. I wasn't sure how much time I would need to deal with the barrier. It has already been nearly half a month.

I had less than forty days to make it back to the mage tower.

I doubt the king would mind me being late, but I don't want to risk it.

I plan to arrive early.

Ugh, where the hell did they all go?

When we got back to the camp it was in ruins, other than a large pile of disturbed dirt, our camp was empty. All our comrades were gone.

"Where in the hell have they gone?"

"I dunno, we checked in town and didn't see no sign of a fight, so we must not any have a new jobs, wierd."

"They couldn't have been killed… Do ya think?"

"The boss? Psh, no way. He's strong. Even I couldn't lay a scratch on that guy." The first man said slashing a sword as they walked down the path.

These mercenaries knew the area well, they were scouts, they had to know the area.

That's why it was strange when they heard.

"Do you men possibly know the route to Winter Village?" A young boy peeking from behind a bush asked them.

"Oy, you see him?" I whispered to my brother.

"Yeah, asking about Winter Village, must be a trader from Spider. Should we?"

"Of course! Who knows what he could be carrying!"

"Alright let's do it."

The two men readied themselves with a smile, both grabbing for their blades.

"So are you ready to go then?" The boy asked with a big grin. Two red lights embering on his belt

"Are you?" I shouted as I leapt for the young merchant.

He wasn't a merchant was he?

Those were the thoughts that ran through my head as I fell.

"Damnit I should have told them who I was first." The boy relented as he looked around the clearing. "I also should have waited until they told me where the village is. Man, I'm totally lost. I knew I should have followed the river."

The trip to the capital was hellish.

I didn't rest once.

In total it was sixteen horses, four weeks of riding.

I wonder if I beat a record. Maybe nearly. I'll have Drew ask the king.

If the eighth horse wasn't a dud I would have cut a few days off easily.

Maybe I'll try it again once I feel better.

The ocean air was refreshing. I wonder, has Drew ever seen the ocean.

He would likely say "I haven't, but 'he' has. So may as well've"

I think he will still be amazed by its size though.

He often claimed that things didn't surprise him. I didn't believe that for an instant though.

Yeah he has changed, but not to such an extent.

He was still the boy I grew up with.

The boy I crushed on.

The boy I was forced to leave.

But, 'The boy I was destined to marry.' that just didn't sound real.

I shake my head of the thoughts, and look around the small shack I have bought. I need to remember every crack in the floor, every streak of the light, every fleck of the dust.

I need to be able to memorize every detail of this place.

It was my duty, to my lord.

I giggle when I think that and return my focus to the task.

I was 'too easily distracted'. My dad told me so often during sword training.

It wasn't just Charles, Drew's father, who taught me the blade.

Yes you could say he was the one who helped me master the blade, but it was my own father who taught me its firm grip.

My father Cal becoming a demon was tragic, it can't be seen otherwise. It frightened me. Mother had said it was due to his bloodline.

'So it was my bloodline as well.'

'Would I have become a demon if I died that night with Drew?'

Those thoughts kept me up at night.

I realize, I'm a mess without Drew.

Has it always been the case? I diligently worked while in knight training. But I couldn't consider that time living. Yes, it was fun at times, but it was just work, something I had to do.

Even at that time the thing that kept me going was the knowledge of what I would have to do when we turned sixteen. Another sense of duty, a sense of someone needing me.

I again analyze the room. I want to get every single speck ingrain in my mind. I failed on teleporting to both the Inn and barracks, forcing us to walk back from Godrick.

I never wanted to be a hinderance again, I want to be able to help his great mind.

I know I could get 'to' the mage tower. It was something I was very cautious of.

I tested it daily. I never stepped through, only opening it and waiting for a rock or envelope to appear.

Thus far I had only gotten the one letter. It was from the professor mage.

Someone named Den was getting along too well with his daughter. The name sounded familiar but it couldn't be the same Den, surely not.

He complained about the boy, fondly, at length in the letter. He left very little space on the paper to mention the intent message that Drew had sent him.

It had originally been the main point of his sending the letter.

I had received the 'intent' message also. But since Drew wasn't positive of his own range, he told the Professor to send word to me just in case.

"I reached Winter village, I can't decide does the blue silk suit you more? Or the lavender? Both bolts are stunning, maybe I should just buy both. I will be heading to the center of the barrier now, if you don't hear from me… Well, I'm sure you'll hear from me. See ya."

It was a very typical Drew message. I wanted to gripe to him about its empty contents. He told me nothing. But since he was relaxed about it how could I not be also.

There is no limit to what he can accomplish. In just a short month he had changed so much. Figuring out some snow should be easy to him.

As I finish the thousandth memorization of the room. I again feel queasy, Drew's words about 'raw and cook meat' resound in my head.

I want those 'health inspectors' he had talked about to come to the Royal Capital.

I vomit into the nearby bucket for a few moments.

I couldn't contain my disgust when my stomach growled afterwards.

"Stop it you, don't you see what eating this stuff does to you?" I say prodding my now empty stomach with a finger.

I will have to stick to vegetables and charred meats from now on.

I can't be sick when we meet with the king in three weeks.

The sun was still low in the sky so I ignore the disgust and decide to head to what I figured was a safer restaurant.

If this doesn't work I will cook meals myself. Drew had taught me most of the basics while camping in the Bay. Including the art of spices, and salt.

I remember he grabbed what looked like a weed from the side of the road and stuffed it into our fish. It gave them a rustic, pine flavor. That fish became a mouthwatering feast.

If only the dishes in the capital were half as good.

Would Drew mind if I gave cinnamon to the bakery I frequented here? I'm sure he wouldn't.

I think I have become spoiled by Drew's innovations.

I wonder, what new spices will he find after the induction ceremony? He talked about a fruit to the Count as well.

I wonder what new foods I will be able to eat. What is this 'Pineapple' he and the Count talked about?

The cinnamon rolls were one thing, but he claimed there were 'tons more delicious things' in his head. 'Thing he must bring to the world.' He had said it with great passion.

It reminded me of his father's advice.

"Love a man who can speak with passion"

Ah, why couldn't time pass faster.

The days I have stayed in the capital have been nice.

And the smell of the ocean and call of the birds were refreshing. But I want to go back to the Inn.

My room there felt more 'mine' than anywhere else I'd lived.

The tales of void time-travel my mother told float in my head. I shake them away by looking at another quaint shop on the main road.

Ah, that smell.

I must be near the craftsmen guild.

Eh, they are building those 'plows' aren't they?

I wonder how Drew would feel about this? Was this good? He found the strangest things good. When Susan had tears in her eyes and revealed that a prototype was stolen. Drew said it was 'assumed and according to plan'.

And even before that. He, while in godrick, grinned on seeing some reddish rock formations. Then he pulled gold from the ground like nothing.

I knew how it worked but it was astonishing.

Was it really Drew i was talking to though?

Or the other one?

Would there even be a way to tell?

Who was I falling in love with?