Toldrei Eshent had risen through the ranks of the Felwardens to become the youngest Branch Master in the last two generations. To talk openly of becoming a member of the High Council was blasphemy, but dreaming of such a station wasn’t a crime. Besides, anyone that knew Toldrei knew that she wouldn’t be content at her station. She would continue learning, continue training, and continue growing in power.

The old societies had grown weak. Magic organizations that had shaped the course of human history were now relegated to skulking about in the dark and stealing scraps. The Felwardens were no different. Even now, the lone smith in their branch toddled with his books instead of filling the demiplane with smoke from the smithery.

Had the Felwardens fallen so far that another sect of mages would openly steal from them? Had her branch fallen so far?

When the smithery alarm sounded, Toldrei had been more surprised than irritated. She thought that there’d be peace in the wake of the war. She thought that for once she could relax.

She’d been wrong.

There were twenty-one Felwardens in the demiplane—though she supposed the old smith didn’t count. Just the fourteen lower ranked mages should be enough to catch the thieves. Despite that, Toldrei roused the magi and the knights in the cathedral. Even if they weren’t needed, Toldrei wanted to send a message.

Trespassing would not be tolerated, nor would theft. Master Toldrei would dispense punishment herself.

Toldrei, the knights, and the magi filed through the cathedral, ready to arrest the interlopers.

Gunshots echoed through the demiplane. Toldrei smirked and ran faster.

They must be inexperienced mages to use such crude weapons. That was fine. Toldrei hoped they’d put up some resistance.

Toldrei and her allies exited the cathedral, and her smile dissolved into a frown. Fourteen mages lay on the ground in various states of defeat and distress. Most lay motionless or managed a pitiful groan. A few writhed and pawed at their faces. Black tar covered their hands and their heads.

Anti-magic countermeasures…

Toldrei surveyed the aftermath, paying no attention to the pistol aimed at her.

Finally, she turned to regard the intruders. A dark-skinned man and two women, one middle-aged. All three regarded her with fiery stares. They were dressed like mages, but their disguises were passable, at best. For one, their robes didn’t match, and, second, the colors and designations weren’t from an order that Toldrei recognized. No wands… No staves…

It didn’t matter. Toldrei began the introduction to their arrest. “...by the power vested in me by the Felwardens, you three are under arrest. Remain where you—”

The imposter holding the gun fired at her! She’d been shot in the chest. Now, the same black tar that clung to the other mages was now oozing across her body.

Whatever the material was, it wasn’t magic... That fact wasn’t as much of a comfort as it should’ve been.

Toldrei couldn’t feel the strange material, of course. A spell of ethereal armor coated her clothes and skin. Nothing could penetrate it. With a flex of her concentration, the magic armor flared with light. The tar dripped down off of her and pooled on the ground.

Not only did they not have the decency to wait until she’d finished, they didn’t have the decency to know when they were out of their depth!

Master Toldrei hid her growing disappointment and continued. “As I was saying, you are under arrest. You have the right to undamaged imprisonment.”

If you don’t struggle, Toldrei thought. And at this point, she hoped they would.

The flash of ethereal armor had also extended Toldrei’s perception. She now knew exactly where the stolen necklace was.

Toldrei stared down the elder of the group. “The trinket you're after isn’t worth your lives.”

At the same time, the other magi and knights fanned out in formation. Knight Aidan stayed with her.

For a moment, it looked like the three intruders would give up. The dark-skinned man lowered his gun—

Only for the elder of the group to strike!

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The woman screamed. Walls of blue light appeared and flew forward. Each knight and magus responded with barrier stances and words of power. Each piece of magical armor worked in harmony, creating an effect much stronger than the sum of their parts. The effect compounded with the magus’ words of power, increasing their might exponentially.

At their peak, knights of the Felwardens could attain durability and strength equal to a Class 4 hero.

Three walls of blue light tore across the ground, each one targeting a formation. The knights should’ve been able to hold their ground—

Instead, the flanking groups were thrown backward, torn from the ground like flowers in a storm. Metal and man screamed as they tumbled end over end.

Even Master Toldrei and her knight were sent skidding backward toward the cathedral. Toldrei flared her power, bolstering both her and Aidan. A moment later, the wall in front of them wavered and disappeared.

The elder intruder—the telekinetic—stomped forward. With another gesture, she sent the already disoriented flanking groups hurling clear across the demiplane.

Leaving just Toldrei and Knight Aidan. Two against three.

Another time, it might’ve been a fun fight, maybe even a challenge. But disappointment gave way to irritation.

It was time to send a message.

Most Felwardens specialized in elemental magic, but almost all mages at or above the rank of magus had additional specializations. As a young mage, Toldrei specialized in charms and hexes. She was already a master by the time she defected to the Felwardens. She was proficient in elemental magic, but preferred instead to bolster her allies and hinder her enemies. No matter how unbalanced the scales were, Toldrei was more than able to tip them in her favor.

And that wasn’t even the best part.

Most thought Toldrei’s staff was ceremonial, merely marking her position as branch master, but each staff of leadership was a potent magic item on its own. It granted her the power to create and manipulate demiplanes. The current plane was one such example—one of the first that Toldrei had made without the aid of another master.

It was her domain. Hers alone to command. Within it, her spells would be amplified, her control and concentration unshakeable.

Toldrei locked eyes with the foolish woman. “You’re nothing but fools playing a mortal’s game…”

The branch master of the Felwardens began her attack—a barrage of charms and hexes and spells only possible because of her prowess and her staff.

She bolstered Knight Aidan and slowed her opponents. At the same time, she slammed her staff into the ground—softening the ground and calling on the cathedral’s gargoyles. The creatures took to the air with screams like scraping stone.

Her opponents sank shin deep into the mud. The two young intruders struggled, but the gargoyles would pummel them before they could get free. If they tried to run, Aidan would stop them.

Only the telekinetic woman stayed still. Her eyes were locked on Toldrei and seething with hatred.

Toldrei was so focused on the telekinetic that she almost missed the other two opponents breaking free. The mud sloughed off of their boots. Both the young woman and the dark-skinned man strode forward, the ground splashing ineffectively beneath their feet.

It almost looked like they’d copied Toldrei’s ethereal armor… but that was impossible.

Toldrei’s question was answered when the pair finally attacked.

The young woman moved forward in a burst of speed—so fast it looked like she’d teleported. One second, she was thirty feet away—

A second later, she was standing in front of Knight Aidan in her true form. The woman wore a form-fitting suit of scale mail armor that shimmered in the light. Futuristic was the only word Toldrei could think to describe it. A trail of black smoke hung in the air behind her.

The woman paused only a split second before she began her assault—a barrage of punches and kicks that put Monks of the Risen Circle to shame.

Her speed would’ve been impressive enough, but her power was even more so. Each blow of metal on metal echoed across the demiplane. Even with her ethereal armor, Toldrei winced at the strikes. The woman battered the Aidan’s shield with the frenzy of a whirlwind. Each blow sent Aidan skidding.

Master Toldrei took a step back.

Then her eyes locked on the dark-skinned man. He sprinted toward Toldrei, his limbs moving in a blur. Toldrei muttered a hex to slow him, but the man was already leaping through the air.

Gargoyles descended on him, but before they reached him, the sky flashed blue. The telekinetic cut them to pieces. They fell to the ground, becoming inanimate stone again.

The man landed on the ground between Toldrei and the frenzied fight. His disguise melted away as he rose to his feet and looked down on her. He wore a similar futuristic suit, except that his was a mix of black and gray stripes. A bo staff gleamed in his hands—the pistol was gone.

The man swung his staff. Toldrei barely had enough time to brace her ethereal armor.

The blow hit Toldrei in the chest and she was flung back. She slammed against the cathedral wall, and coughed as the wind was knocked out of her.

Her armor was already failing.

Disbelief quickly gave way to fear as the man stalked toward her.

She needed space. She needed to get away.

Toldrei sucked in a breath and muttered an illusion spell. A dozen copies of her sprang into existence. They all retreated, staying close to the cathedral wall and giving the intruders a wide berth.

The copies would buy her time. He would have to fight them all…

Toldrei’s heart sank as she met the man’s gaze. Even beneath his mask, Toldrei knew he was looking directly at her. How could he possibly see through her illusions? No human should’ve been able to.

She thought of the drones and biomechs patrolling Belport… Was this another mech? What about the woman wearing blue armor? Was the telekinetic even human?

Toldrei’s skin felt cold. She’d expected foolish mages, not inhuman machines! She wasn’t prepared for this—none of the Felwardens were.

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