The Faerie village was surrounded by a strong-looking wooden palisade. It was made of thick logs and connected by rope strung of green plant fibers. Roofs of thatch poked out from the top of the walls guarding the village, and I could see floating orbs of light strewn throughout the air above, illuminating the area in a soft blue-and-purple glow.
At one side of the wall was a huge gate made of the same wide logs, with a simple turnwheel to raise and lower it. It must’ve taken an immense amount of strength for a single person to turn it hard enough to lift so much weight. Next to the gate was the person I assumed did that manual labor – a muscular man in tight-fitting green clothes and simple sandals. And, of course, most notably were the four distinct eyes on his face.
I hadn’t done much research on Faeries in my time – I was much more interested in the monsters I’d more likely have to fight – but I at least knew enough to recognize their most notable trait. The man’s four almost diamond-shaped eyes blinked all at different times as he looked around, guarding the gate. Faeries themselves had many different shapes and sizes between their subspecies, some of them coming smaller and with wings on their back, while others were more Human-shaped like this one. But what all of them shared were the four eyes.
I set myself and approached alongside Erani and the Nymph, unwilling to waste any of my limited time. The Nymph, oblivious to our plans of diplomacy with the Faeries, had a hand on its whip, which I had to grab and remove, trying to get the point across that we were not, in fact, slaughtering these ones.
The Faerie man quickly noticed us walking forward, and immediately grabbed a dagger from his belt, holding it out at us and calling out, “Hold. You are approaching Nugyuk Village, a guarded Faerie settlement that is closed to outsiders. Turn and leave.”
He spoke with a clear accent – Faeries didn’t usually speak any Human languages, so it was clear that he had learned it at some point. Erani had mentioned that this village used to trade with the nearby city, so maybe he had learned it to speak with them.
I took a breath, choosing my words carefully. “We come with a humble request. We would not bother you if it were not urgent.”
Erani nodded. “We are willing to do what we can to help you in return for any help you can offer us.”
The Faerie stood and looked at us for a moment, particularly at the Nymph’s spiked whip that was on display. Maybe we should have hidden that somewhere before approaching. Weapons didn’t seem too diplomatic. I stood, trying to be patient, but silently wishing he would just hurry up and say something – we were acting on borrowed time.
“What do you request?” He finally asked. “And what would you be able to offer in return? Why must you bother us in the first place? Could you not ask your fellow Humans for help? And how did you find our village?”Venom is coursing through your veins. 1 damage.
Your Health is 18.
I fought back the urge to sigh in frustration. I didn’t want to have to explain our circumstances to a guard, just so I could go and talk with the Queene and explain it all over again.
“Would it be possible for us to discuss specifics with the Queene, or someone else of influence?” I asked in as polite a manner as I could manage. “We are unfortunately pressed for time, and–”
“I am the right hand of the Queene,” the man who was apparently not a guard scowled. “I can assure you I am someone of influence.”
“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered. “I just assumed, since you were standing out here guarding the gate–”
“Guarding the gate is one of the most prestigious jobs afforded to an individual. I assure you I take the duty of protecting the lives of each and every one of our citizens incredibly seriously. Now, if you are finished with your insults, you may leave.”
“I apologize for his rudeness,” Erani put a hand on my shoulder, “my companion is just ignorant of your culture. I assure you he meant nothing by his presumptuous statements. We are honored to speak with someone of your stature. We can offer to do anything you request of us, provided it is within our ability, and we ask that your Queene give this Nymph,” she gestured, “a single Tribute. What is your name?”
“A Tribute?” the man asked. “That is not what Humans normally ask for. My name is Aankin the Stalwart. As for whether we can give you what you ask for, we have skilled Enchanters and powerful Spell-casters, that much I can offer. But a Tribute from the Queene… fine. I understand why you would request to speak to her directly. How can you prove you are worthy to receive such a blessing?”
Worthy? What did he mean by that? I wasn’t sure if it would be polite to ask him to clarify – we were already not off to a great start of a conversation – so I just guessed. “I assure you we are virtuous individuals, and mean no harm to your village in any way. We simply have… medical complications that could be solved by the healing powers granted to the Nymph by a Tribute.”
The buff man – Aankin the Stalwart, apparently – looked at me with all four of his eyes skeptically, before saying “...Hm. Fine. If you're having medical problems, that would be the way we could help. I will take you to see her majesty. Simply open the gate, and I will guide you in.”
I looked down at the simple hand-crank used to pull open the massive door.
“We just use this?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“...Is there any trick to it?”
“Just turn the wheel, and the gate will open.”
Taking a breath, I stepped up and grabbed the crank, which was currently set upward, and started pushing down to try and lift the gate. It didn’t budge against my venom-weakened body. Erani stepped forward and helped, pushing down on the wooden handle. Combined, we could just barely begin to move it. The Nymph put its hands down, crowding the crank further, and pushed, and with that, it began to slowly turn, each of us pushing our entire combined weight down on the handle.
Once it was in a downward position, the gate had been pulled up enough that I might be able to fit an arm inside, if I squeezed. We started to pull back up, which was a bit harder, and then push it back down, trying our best to synchronize our movements.
Venom is coursing through your veins. 1 damage.
Your Health is 17.
Venom is coursing through your veins. 1 damage.
Your Health is 16.
After a few minutes of effort, we managed to get the damned gate open. While we held it, Aankin stuck a metal pole through the turning mechanism to lock it, so that it wouldn’t fall back down when we let go. “Passable effort. I guess I didn’t technically say you couldn’t use outside help, and the three of you are requesting our assistance as a group, so I will allow it. You have proven your strength, and may enter Nugyuk Village.”
“That was a test?” I panted, hands on my knees. “Why do you need us to prove our strength?”
“How could we trust you to use the Queene’s power responsibly if you were not strong? If you are weak, people can take advantage of you and use the power we give away. Before we can begin negotiations, we must know you can’t be exploited by our enemies. It is only logical to do so.”
“Ah, right, of course,” I said and followed him into the village. What the fuck was he talking about?
Since it was nighttime, there weren’t many people out, but those I did see had incredibly diverse appearances. There were the Humanoids and the winged ones, but there were also short, bearded creatures that I recognized as Gnomes, golems made of stone lumbering throughout the village, and even a literal tree – rooted in the ground and everything – all living together and socializing. And all had the signature four eyes, of course.
They watched us as we walked through the dirt roads and past the clay-and-thatch huts, but didn’t say anything. Or, if they did, they said it in their own language, not ours. In the center of the village, even as far away as we were, I could see a huge building pierce the sky. It was the only multi-story structure in sight, and at least as wide as ten of the huts side-by-side. We headed toward it, led by Aankin.
As we moved through the few crowds of varied Faerie forms, the Nymph, trailing behind, yelped and stumbled back from one of the Faeries upon seeing it. I looked around, trying to see if anything was attacking us, but there was no movement, and the Nymph didn’t actually seem to be damaged as it ran back and behind Erani, hiding from the Faeries in the crowd. They were all clumped together, so I wasn’t actually sure which one it was that the Nymph was scared of, though.
Our guide just continued walking, though I thought I heard him scoff at the Nymph’s actions, which irritated me. Poor thing had no idea what was going on, exploring some place full of unfamiliar monsters. Of course it’d be on-guard; the last time it saw a monster it didn’t recognize was probably when it’d been attacked by the Demons. And that didn’t exactly go well for it.
As I thought that, I also reminded myself of the people the Nymph massacred back in the forest. How could something act so vicious in one moment, and then act so afraid in another? Maybe Aankin was onto something, laughing at that disparity. Not that he knew what this particular Nymph had done, of course.
Other than the light scoff, Aankin was silent as he led us along. I wasn't sure if his silence worried me or put me at ease – I wouldn’t have as many chances to mess things up in conversation, sure, but I also had no idea what he was thinking. What worried me for sure was that he never put away the dagger he drew when he first saw us. The curved weapon was still in his hand as he walked.
By the time we got to the main building, my Health had dropped another point, down to 15. I’d gotten good enough at masking my winces whenever the poison hit my heart, but it was still hard to move around with such low Stamina and Health. I didn’t want the Faeries to know that I was in such a desperate state, though; if they knew that, they’d know just how much we needed their help. My life was on the line – theoretically, they could charge me the price of being their eternal slave, and it’d still be a better deal than dying, so I’d effectively be forced to take it. So I couldn’t let them know just how much power they had over me.
Not to mention, this Aankin the Stalwart seemed to hold power in high regard. And, if he knew just how weak I currently was, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hold his respect.
The door to the main palace was the exact same as the one that led into the village itself – a huge gate made of thick logs that was attached to a simple hand-crank. Thankfully, Aankin didn’t force us to raise it this time, instead gripping his meaty fist around the handle and cranking it himself single-handedly. We entered.
The building was a single room that was emptier than I’d have assumed it would be. There were pillars scattered throughout the structure that seemed to be there purely out of necessity – the roof would surely collapse without them – and not much else.
Well, other than the Faerie Queene, of course.
She was by far the largest Faerie I’d seen in this place, her body taking up at least a fourth of the massive floor space of the palace. She was so large, in fact, that she had to lie down on her side so that she didn’t hit her head against the ceiling that towered far above my normal-sized head. Proportionately, she was similar to a Human, just twenty times bigger. And, of course, with the classic four eyes of the Faeries. She wore a dazzling dress of gold, sewn together with too many threads to count, and leaned her head against her hand as she lay, looking ahead at us as we entered.
Her massive eyes locked onto us and she opened her mouth, speaking, “Why do you bring Humans here, Aankin the Stalwart?”
Aankin held out a hand to stop us from approaching any further, the dagger pointed directly at me. He responded, “They wished for an audience with you, your majesty. They do not seem to be aligned with the other Humans.”
I looked sideways at Erani. What other Humans?
“They passed the trial of strength,” Aankin continued, “and so I allowed them passage. They will now speak their request.”
He stepped aside.
I assumed that was my cue to speak. I stepped forward. “Uh, we humbly request a Tribute from you to our Nymph, your majesty,” I bowed, trying my best to act regally when I had no idea how to do so. “We can offer–”
“Why do you ask humbly?” She boomed out.
“I-I beg your pardon?”
“And why do you beg?”
I blinked. “I was trying to be polite?”
“I do not care for Human niceties. Humility is for those too weak to flaunt their power, and begging is for those too weak to take what they want. Those traits are unbecoming of a trade partner, Human. You want Tribute, yes? And yet you refuse to prove yourself as one worthy of respect, much less Tribute.”
“I–”
“If you wish to be below me, that is fine. In the case that you wish to be below me, my price is that you give up your life, and I give Tribute.”
“Well–”
“I suspect that is not what you wish, though,” her voice was so loud that it consistently drowned mine out. I could only be heard once she decided to stop speaking. “I suspect that you in no way believe yourself to be truly below me. I suspect that you coated your words in courtesy in order to get what you want without ever having to fight for it. I suspect that you come here wanting more, but unwilling to act as though you do. I suspect you come here with the assumption that I would sink myself to act your equal without you ever earning that privilege. In the case that you wish for my respect without working to earn it, then leave and do not come back.”
“That’s not–”
“But while I suspect those things to be true, I do not want them to be. I want you to come to my domain and offer me the respect of proving that you are my equal. I want you to ask for what you want without politics or kindness or charm. I want you to show me that I am not wasting my time by saying these words to you right now. In the case that you wish to truly speak to me on a level that we both deserve, then prove yourself to me.”
She finally stopped speaking, allowing me to do so.
“The third case is true. I want to prove myself.” I didn’t have much of a choice, truthfully. Hopefully whatever test of power she cooked up wasn’t going to be too difficult for someone in my state.
“Good. The test begins now.”
“Okay. What do you want me to–”
You have been stabbed. 29 damage.
Your Health is 0.
A dagger poked through the front of my chest. Aankin’s dagger. I fell to the ground.
I could barely hear him say “So he was a weakling, after all,” before my vision faded to black.
You have died.