The group arrived at the house of the former adventurers in the morning after having gotten a lot of sleep. Mayana and Kiresula were anxious but Kju looked glad in anticipation. The rest of the group was anxious but Kju as a [Cleric] could not stand the idea of glitchlings being not allowed to gain a class in the new system. The fact that he stood to gain experience by providing classes to others was also quite helpful. Kiresula looked suspicious at the door, above which the text “House of the 5 Miracles” was written. Then, she used the door knocker.
A few moments later, a glitchling opened the door. The glitchling didn’t look like they were human before. Instead, the gaunt, tall shape reminded of an elf. However, contrary to most elves, they smiled and reacted warmly: “Hello! You must be the strange glowing person who Shtiljit and Akjiri told me about? And the rest of her party?” the glitchling spoke with a rising intonation, as if the person was doubting themselves.
Kiresula smiled: “The glowing was just a spell but yeah. We were invited and wanted to look at the meadows. If it is actually broken magic that breaks the enchantments. I am Kiresula, this is Mayana, my lovely wife and Kju is this nice fellow here.”
“I am Hsie, please come in!” they stepped to the side to make this easier.
They did and an easily winded Hsie led them to the dining hall where the group had food and light conversation. Kiresula felt anxious the entire time. The group could easily crush all of the group. Kiresula ate only little and instead observed the group. The glitchlings seemed to mostly keep to themselves. The fact that Kiresula was a glitchling was confusing to the group but none of them mentioned it, Kiresula could feel how the group avoided the topic. Eventually, Hsie asked: “May I ask: How did you get that light spell cast onto you? It seems very difficult to cast a spell on a glitchling due to the resistance to magic. Did you use a kind of cover that the spell can hold on to? Or a kind of balm?”
Kiresula wanted to speak but was kicked into the shin, so she just said: “It’s a long story. Too long for this meeting! Maybe we can look into your pastures and find out where the glitch came from. If we take the glitchlings, they can notice the broken magic without glitching, because, well, we have glitched already.”
Shtiljit looked shocked: “Isn’t it a bit of a walk there? I know glitchlings have really bad endurance.”
Kiresula smiled: “It is challenging, but possible. Let me tell you that! I am a glitchling who is going on a journey. Originally, I am from Memleket, so yeah, glitchlings can do things that require Fortitude.”
Shtiljit raised his eyebrows. “This is possible‽ I would love to go on trips again. The Mainland can be quite stifling.” Then, he realised what he said: “I mean, it is a safe place to live and especially to retire, especially when you lived there for your entire life. But people who lived abroad are sometimes spoiled by the ways of the world beyond the borders.”
Kiresula nodded: “I have never been outside of the Mainland, so I can only believe you. I would assume that with the duarchy, there are two sets of rules. So things will be more strict than they are in a system where only one source of government exists. On the other hand, a monarchy doesn’t have two sides holding each other accountable. The secular government can hold a corrupt religious leader accountable and vice versa.” She was always trained to talk well about the duarchy, because while ideological purity was less important in magic schools, being considered hostile to it can still ruin the career of teachers.
Mayana nodded: “That happened in Jetahkalesa, didn’t it?”
Kiresula nodded.
Shtiljit looked confused: “What and where is Jetahkalesa?”
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Hsien added: “And what happened there?”
Mayana explained the encounter they had in the tiny village and told about the glitchling settlement. The glitchlings sounded excited about the concept of a settlement full of glitchlings, learning to gain new skills. Makajj looked at her in shock: “Would it be possible to go there?”
Kiresula responded: “Probably not, but we are trying to establish a new settlement for the glitchlings in Ilkshehir.“
Kju smiled: “But if there is actually a huge incursion of broken magic on your land, maybe we should instead ask if you would be interested in hosting these people.”
There was a stunned silence. “Is that why you happened by? To ask us for our land?”
Kiresula shook her head: “We planned to investigate the area around the Black Waters for a refuge for them. We were just en route.”
Arikan looked shocked: “Oh, you dare to travel there? The broken magic is terrible there! You’d glitch in no time!”
Kiresula smiled: “That’s the good thing! We have already glitched. Do you think we can glitch again?”
Arikan looked concerned: “The Holy Order tries to keep people off the area. They do not want folks to glitch. They don’t want them to run into the groundsnarlers and worse things.”
Kiresula looked shocked: “There’s groundsnarlers in the area?”
Arikan nodded: “They are a major pain to farmers. I would love to get in there and eradicate their entire group, but the broken magic keeps me out!”
Kiresula looked as if she was doing something extremely dangerous: “We have ways of handling synthic magic so that it doesn’t accumulate in a person. Would you, under that circumstance go eradicate the groundsnarlers with us?”
Arikan looked almost angry: “If you can give any proof of your claims, sure! But this sounds like a scam to me.”
A few minutes later, the entire group was out on the pastures. Arikan and Shtiljit in the middle carrying a detecting stick for broken magic. The glitchlings outside also held sticks that detected broken magic. Theirs glowed, but due to Kiresula’s, Mayana’s and to a lesser amount Kju’s reclamation efforts the ones inside of the ring didn’t. Kiresula saw the decayed enchantments immediately and Mayana explained to the group how these were decayed, broken and shattered under the strain of broken magic. Mayana re-did the enchantments as a combination of synthic and conventional magic that was intended to keep threats of both sides away. She ran out of magic occasionally and had to restore it. It took the better part of the day for the enchantments to be set up. Mayana didn’t like being watched so Kiresula tried to talk to the others and the sheep. She had no perk to talk to animals, but she did so with her voice and without any hope to understand their bleating. Yes, she made herself into a bit of a spectacle, but it kept their attention on her, not Mayana who was busy working or the three glitchlings who Kju apparently introduced into their new classes.
It was late in the afternoon when Mayana indicated that she was done. Kiresula saw that Mayana was practically beaming, very proud of her work. Arikan however looked quite confused as he looked at the fence. “I have never seen someone use something like that. Have you, Hsie?”
The glitchling looked at him, then the fence, then back at the man: “I have not been able to sense magic since I glitched. The symbols and the weird humming is not something that I ever saw though. Mayana is a clever woman, except of course for her choice in partners.”
Mayana stared at the Level 1 glitchling in shock: “What’s wrong with my wife Kiresula?”
Hsie shrugged: “She seemed like a clown. I felt like I had to keep an eye on her or she'd get herself eaten by the sheep.”
Mayana giggled: “She was being a bit of a fool to allow me to work in peace. Nothing against you all, but I cannot work well when observed, so she clowned around to allow me to work.”
Hsie’s eyes widened: “What‽ Was this the reason for this‽ I have to change my view: you chose well!”
Kiresula hugged her wife and gave her a kiss.
The group had no problem with the group around Kiresula staying the night. They wanted to see if Mayana’s enchantments survived the night.
To the surprise of the non-glitchling retired adventurers, the enchantments held. Arikan looked surprised: “You guys talk a great game, but you didn’t lie. I trust you to keep us safe on the journey through the broken magic. Let’s hunt some groundsnarlers!”