“Hm.” Tyrell said. He stroked his beard while studying us. While he looked surprised at first, he did not seem overly concerned.

“Have you met any archfey before?” I wondered.

“Nah. Met a dragon though. They like mountains.” He said. “Ok, I will hear ya out. What do you want from me?”

“We would like to hire you to forge armour for our maid knights. Something similar to what Lily is wearing. If possible, we would like to employ you long term to outfit our servants.” I said.

Lily stepped forward and deployed the plate armour underneath her maid outfit. Tyrell looked intrigued. He circled around Lily, studying the armour.

“Is this demonic? You put demonic armour on your maid?” He asked. Lily was currently in her dragonkin form.

“Yes.” Lucy confirmed. “We took it from Mantus.”

“Oh? You are the ones who slew him? I have heard about that. Anyway, you realise that armour can only be bound to a demon, right? Your maid is a demon.”

“Maid knight, and yes, we are aware. Her natural form attracts a bit too much attention. Although I suppose that might change soon, considering our new alliance.” I said.

“New alliance?” He asked.

“A deal with the demon lord Lilith is considered. It would be an alliance between her, the Dwarven Kingdom and the Dominion, against the threat of the Inquisition.” I explained.

Tyrell shook his head. “I ought to hammer some sense into the king. This sounds crazy.”

“The situation is somewhat dire. Of course we could explain everything, if you were willing to join us.” Lucy said with a smile.

He looked at Adhira. Then he looked at Lucy. “So you tempt me with the challenge of making a shapeshifting armour for a tiny sprite and tease me with dire information.”

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“Yes.” She said,

He stroked his beard again. “I ain’t cheap.”

“Money should not be an issue.” I said.

“I also expect proper provisions.” Tyrell added.

“No worries, Amaya is a glutton. There is always food around. And drink.” Lucy teased.

“Good. Let me grab some things. Then I will follow you to the palace. I will have a word with Ingrid. Then we can discuss details.” Tyrell turned around and disappeared into his home.

“That went well.” Lucy said.

“I am getting armour, I am getting armour!” Adhira cheered.

Tyrell returned after a while with a big backpack. It looked heavy but he did not seem to notice the weight. As an ancient smith he likely had a good amount of strength.

“Does your smithing use magic?” I wondered as we walked back to the palace.

“Obviously.” He said. “You can’t really forge adamantium without it. Mithril is just about doable with a proper furnace but adamantium needs some magic. Also, I like to forge the enchantments into the gear itself. It’s a far superior method to adding them afterwards.”

“So you do have spell slots?” Lucy asked.

“I do have some magic. But I require the help of a powerful mage for certain creations. The best items are always made through collaboration.”

I liked his attitude. Despite being a master of his craft he knew his limitations and did not object to working with others.

“We can provide magic, if you need it for your work.” I said.

“Eh. You would be a pretty sorry archfey if you could not.” He chuckled.

The man did have a point.

“Tyrell, I also have a personal request.” Lucy said. I looked at her, surprised. She had not mentioned anything before.

“Oh? You said you are a kitsune? You need something that transforms with you? Or simply armour that covers a fox?” He stroked his beard. “Could be an interesting challenge…”

“No, my fur and hide are quite durable. This is not about me. It’s about my brother.” She clarified.

“Well, same thing, right?” He asked.

“Um, he is just a normal foxkin. And he is a six year old child. I would like the armour to grow with him though. He… He sometimes gets into dangerous situations with his friend.” Lucy said.

“You are kitsune with a foxkin brother? I guess there are stranger things. What sort of trouble are we talking about? Usually boys don’t need armour at that age.”

“Uh. The trouble might include demonic incursions or magic beasts.” Lucy said.

“What? That is no place for a child. What sort of friend do you have?” He asked.

“Shani, she is our court elemental.” Lucy answered.

“She is an elemental lord. A storm elemental from the plane of wind.” I added.

“Oh. Yeah. They can be a bit crazy. I suppose I could make armour for your brother.” Tyrell said.

“Thank you!” Lucy said.

It was a great idea. While Shani had kept Ben safe so far, additional protection was always useful. I just hoped it would not encourage her to put him in more dangerous situations.

As we returned to the palace the guards seemed to know Tyrell. It was clear that he was not here for the first time.

“Ok, I am gonna find Ingrid. Then I am gonna have a conversation with her husband.” I wondered what exactly his relation was with the royal family. Was he related to Ingrid? We watched him walk away.

“So, what now?” Lucy asked.

“Food. We should eat while we wait.” I suggested.

Lucy laughed.