Six months had passed since the initiation of the barrier-enclosed roadways connecting the surface villages.
What began as a symbol of progress and connection between the villages, was now recently marred by a string of unexplained malfunctions.
Lassim strolled along one of the newly established pathways, his boots crunching softly on the frost-covered stones.
The pathway, shielded by barrier poles pulsing with a soft glow, stretched through the snow like a lifeline between the thriving communities. Yet, this specific road had seen its poles damaged or malfunction repeatedly somehow.
On one such occasion a tide of shardhorns had been able to force their way inside the barrier somehow and went on a rampage towards the nearest village. The cleansed mana made them rabid and this section of barriers were supposed to keep them out, unlike the organized cleansing areas for the wildlife they’d built. It was truly strange.
As he approached a section where the barrier’s light flickered erratically, Lassim’s expression turned grave.
He examined the pole closely, running his fingers along the carvings that swirled around its base. He wasn’t a technician or even one of Master Tolen’s apprentices, but he’d worked and learned enough from him over the last year and half to recognize simple issues with relative ease.
As he touched a few of the controls, the light stabilized momentarily before flickering again, a pattern that seemed too irregular to be a fault of design or damage to its exterior.
"[There’s no obvious damage or wear... It’s as if something—or someone—is tampering with its function,]" Lassim muttered, frustration knitting his brows.
Sanvra joined his inspection, her breath visible in the cold air as she observed the flickering barrier. "[This isn’t an isolated incident,]" she noted, her tone laced with concern. "[Several villages have reported similar issues. It’s too systematic to be accidental—unfortunately, it seems that someone is sabotaging the barriers.]"
The revelation hung between them like a chill deeper than the winter’s embrace. The possibility of a traitor in their midst was a stark betrayal of the community’s hard-fought trust and solidarity so far. Everyone expressed their desire to escape this prison publicly, and to see their hard work be disrespected like this was heartbreaking to an extent.
"[We need to handle this discreetly and quickly. If there’s a traitor, alerting them that we’re aware might only drive them to more drastic actions.
They clearly have some understanding of the workings of the poles and the barriers, so they could cause a lot of damage to all of them if they think we’re onto them,]" Sanvra suggested, her eyes scanning the area as if the perpetrator might be lurking nearby.
Lassim nodded in agreement. "[Let’s gather a small team—people we trust implicitly. We’ll set up surveillance around critical points and monitor any unusual activity. We need to catch whoever is responsible without tipping them off.]"
Over the next few days, Lassim and Sanvra organized covert surveillance teams, placing them strategically around the most affected areas.
They used a combination of physical observation and using the magical esoteric tools Master Tolen had developed to monitor the barrier poles as a systematic network, hoping to catch the saboteur in the act or gather enough clues to unveil their identity.
Meanwhile, community life continued, albeit under an invisible cloud of uncertainty as accidental attacks by rogue rabid beasts continued to enter into the villages on occasion.
Lassim took part in daily patrols, his usual open demeanor unperturbed and not showing any shadow of tension as he kept a close eye out for investigation.
He interacted with the villagers, listening to their concerns about the barrier malfunctions, which were becoming a common topic of anxious discussion.
One evening, as Sanvra shared reports from the surveillance teams with Lassim, a breakthrough came.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
A surveillance team positioned discreetly near the outskirts of the northernmost village kept a vigilant watch.
Their attention was particularly drawn to a young Drow, Faelan, a recent apprentice in barrier maintenance. He seemed oddly preoccupied, lingering around one of the barrier poles that formed the protective perimeter of the village.
The team noted his actions: Faelan was not performing routine inspections but instead appeared to be tampering with the pole’s internal mechanisms, his movements hurried and furtive.
This pole, crucial in the network of magical defenses for the pathways, later malfunctioned, allowing a brief but potentially dangerous lapse in the barrier’s integrity.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Lassim and Sanvra decided to confront Faelan personally. Approaching the matter with tact was essential, as a direct accusation might push him to further desperate actions or cause unnecessary panic within the community.
They found Faelan in one of the forge rooms in Master Tolen’s workshop a few moments later.
The space was cramped and cluttered, a small forge glowing in one corner, casting flickering shadows over walls lined with tools and barrier components. Shelves brimming with scrolls and manuals on barrier enchantments cluttered around.
As Lassim and Sanvra entered, the ring of metal ceased. Faelan, caught off-guard, looked up sharply. His workspace was chaotic, with parts of barrier poles and various magical conduits spread across his workbench, indicating intense recent activity.
"[Faelan, we need to talk,]" Lassim began, his tone gentle yet firm, as they entered the dimly lit room. The young Drow looked up, surprise flickering across his features before settling into a guarded expression.
"[Young drow, we’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time around the poles that have malfunctioned. Can you explain why?]" Sanvra asked, her gaze steady and assessing.
Faelan hesitated, his hands fidgeting with a tool on the bench. "[I... I’ve been doing routine checks. The poles have been acting up; I thought I could help,]" he replied, but his voice lacked conviction.
"[We appreciate your initiative, Faelan, but the timing and pattern of the malfunctions suggest something more than coincidence. Are you sure there’s nothing more you want to tell us?]" Lassim probed, watching the young Drow closely.
The conversation that followed was tense, with Faelan eventually breaking down and admitting to tampering with the poles. His motives were rooted in fear—fear of the changes the Sanctuary Project brought, fear of exposing their community to old threats.
"[If we keep messing with the mana, what will happen to us? You speak about leaving here and expanding, expanding, expanding, but we’re stretched thin! Every new village and roadways means more people are spending more time away from each other and alone,]" Faelan confessed, shame and anger present in his voice as he bowed his head.
Lassim and Sanvra exchanged a glance, the weight of Faelan’s misguided actions settling in. They needed to address not just the sabotage but the underlying fears driving it.
"[If there are others who feel like Faelan, we need to reassure them, address their fears openly,]" Sanvra said, her voice resolute.
Lassim nodded, his resolve strengthening. "[Yes. We need to make it clear that while we seek to expand and strengthen ourselves, we must all move forward together without fear as we’re doing this to escape this land. Faelan, we understand your concerns. Let’s talk more and see if there’s something we can do to make it better.
Right now though, everytime you mess with the barriers, you might kill one of us. What about the new children that are now being born and running around? Do you want them dead?]"
Faelan’s head fell even further as he replied, "[No… I—I know you and the hunting teams are so strong! You’d never let anyone get hurt, but I couldn’t think of any other way to show you all the risks of what we’re doing…]"
Lassim and Sanvra shared a collective sigh as they considered how to address his worries, and misguided behavior.