The first thing he noticed about the elf was the odd feathers emerging from her skin. She reminded him of a raven, dark plumes running down her arms and back. He knew she wasn’t any kind of beastfolk, for the growths seemed unnatural and erratic.The right side of her body possessed more, turning her arm into a pseudo-wing.

Piercing silver eyes stared down at his party. Windcutter hefted a spear and pointed it at them. “Who the hell are you to come into my demesne?”

Baronetess Sarisa flicked her blade in one swift motion, spraying blood over the ground. “Under the righteous hand of Andire, I am to capture you for crimes committed against Her people.” The woman took a few steps forwards. “What do you say in your defense?”

“In my defense?” A maddened laugh filled the air. “There is no defense against thieves and liars. Your ‘nobility’ is a lie, a farce! While the Courts may have thrown away their pride and kneeled to ephemerals, we true Heirs have shown loyalty to the ones that are truly in charge. They have granted us the power to set things straight.”

“Ah, great,” Raelza muttered. “She’s a madwoman. This fight’s gonna suck. Can’t predict people who are insane.”

The noblewoman paused for a moment. “Very well. Try to take her in alive, we’ve got questions to ask.”

Ulgrin could taste ozone filling the air, and his magical senses told him a very powerful attack was about to come down. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forwards and planted his staff into the ground, channeling power. A lightning bolt came down from the skies, but veered off of its intended path to strike his magical focus.

Naturally attuned to such elemental energies, it served as a perfect lightning rod. The blast harmlessly dissipated into the earth below. Ulgrin could see that Windcutter scowled in anger before she raised her arms and sent heavy gusts of wind down.

“Dodge!” Sarisa called, narrowly avoiding a shimmer of air that cut a deep gouge into the dirt. The barrage continued, forcing him and his allies to seek cover behind the ruined stone walls. Dust filled the air as material was carved, concealing their presence for a brief time that allowed him to channel energy.

Ulgrin reached out to his allies, forming an arcane link. “Mold. Form.” Rivers of aetheric energy ran up their arms and legs. “Invoke. Speed.” He slammed his staff into the ground. “Haste!”

Immediately, Saezz, Raelza, Alyss, Wreath, and Sarisa began to speed up. Their movements bordered on superhuman as he and his allies surged forth from the cloud of dust. Ulgrin could feel his heart quicken and ate up the ground as they approached the motte tower.

Windcutter sent a few more lines of air their way, but his perception of time had increased as well with the temporal augment. It was far easier to dash out of the way.

Sarisa reached the gate first, taking a deep breath and focusing. Her blade lashed out; lightning quick. Ulgrin watched in amazement as each rope holding the makeshift barrier was cut in swift succession. It fell over and she moved past, gesturing for them to follow. This time, rather than being met with a flurry of cutting wind or a bolt of lightning, they were forced to retreat back into the barbican to avoid rubble being flung at high speeds.

“She’s keeping us from getting too close.” Ulgrin spoke, covering his face to prevent any stray shards from blinding his one good eye. “Any ideas?”

“Wait until she runs out of mana?” Alyss asked, shrugging.

“She could fly away if she wanted.” Saezz replied. “It’s obvious this ‘Windcutter’ wishes us to approach. She has considerable control over the elements.”

“I appreciate your spell.” Sarisa said. “Allow me to clear the path.”

They watched as the noble dashed out into the clearing. Her already incredible reflexes were enhanced even further, allowing her to sidestep, weave, and bob through the hurricane of rubble. Windcutter’s eyes widened in shock, and she grit her teeth. The storm collapsed as she focused her entire attention upon Sarisa.

“Go!” Ulgrin called, darting out from behind the ruined gatehouse and towards the tower. “Flames! Gather! Launch!” Orbs of fire gathered above his staff before rapidly accelerating. The elf’s attention was broken and she was forced to cease attacking to conjure a barrier of air.

They all arrived at the tower, no worse for wear. Above them, the elf let out a scream of frustration. Then she began to laugh.

“Do you think I would fight you alone!? No. The Fallen Court shall rise and the true fey will reign once again!”

Suddenly the door was kicked open. Stepping forth was an unbelievably slender figure whose mostly featureless body sent shivers down his spine. Tall, narrow, and possessing pinprick red eyes. It opened its mouth and exposed wickedly sharp teeth. Its thin, gangly arms ended in long claws.

“Suffer…” The creature spoke in a hissing tone. He recognized it as a Thin Man, a horrific type of fey straight out of nightmares.

“Die! Die!” Behind it came a wave of tiny men. For a moment he thought them to be gnomes, but they were in fact Redcaps. Each of them wielded a sharpened scythe and wore heavy and plated spiked boots. “Kill the false noble!”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“This just got a lot more complicated!” Alyss called, throwing a bomb, only for it to be caught by the Thin Man. He looked at the vial before tossing it behind him and rushing her.

Sarisa met his charge and a blindingly fast flurry of blows were exchanged. The two seemed equally matched for the moment, but Ulgrin’s spell wouldn’t last forever. “Help her, Saezz!” Ulgrin called, turning his attention to the Recaps. Ten of them in total, and he knew not to underestimate them due to their size.

Unfortunately they were blindsided again by Windcutter leaping down and landing behind them. He was forced to slam his staff into the ground and block another lightning bolt.

Raelza urged Wreath into action, and he bowled over the crowd of Redcaps. Their fey nature meant that didn’t hurt them much, but it allowed Alyss to start wreaking havoc amongst their ranks.

Ulgrin focused on the elf, advancing towards her and relying on his magically enhanced speed to keep him safe. His lack of depth perception was making it difficult to dodge things in time, but he was compensating for now. “What do yeh mean false nobles?” He demanded, batting away a spear thrust.

“Of course a foreigner wouldn’t know. Don’t believe their lies!” Her spear trailed a circle, trying to enter his blindspot. “The true fey Courts would never kneel, but they’ve given up their pride. They are no longer fey.”

Ulgrin allowed the spear to connect, scraping across his armor. An upgrade couldn’t come soon enough, as he was starting to feel the limitations of bronze. “Sounds like a bunch of crazy ramblings to me. Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, honestly somewhat afraid her mind was gone.

“You’d never understand. Perhaps you’ll prove yourself worthy of a blessing!” She laughed. “But you’ll likely die. Do try to stay alive!”

Wind gathered around the tip of the spear, forcing him to dodge. Even a glancing blow felt like he was a leaf in a storm, sending him stumbling away. A direct hit would no doubt crumple his armor and potentially break bone.

Behind him he could see that the others were struggling with their opponents. Raelza’s glaive failed to find much purchase in these fey, their skin hardened against naught but cold iron. Wreath was forced to stay back from their wicked scythes. Alyss had more success, her bombs practically pulping several of them, but she was forced to keep back by a pair chasing her.

Sarisa and Saezz had managed to gain the upperhand on the Thin Man. However, even when the lizard bit down on the fey’s shoulder it barely managed to pierce. Still, it gave the noble an opportunity for her blade to make deep cuts.

Windcutter sent more stabs his way. He was starting to hate polearm users. Then again, he was a wizard and didn’t get to complain about unfairness. He just needed a moment! “Lorekeeper?” He asked, frantically backpedaling. “Got any ideas?”

[Perhaps an elementally attuned attack of the opposing element? Knock her off balance with a seismic pulse.]

“Good idea!” He slammed his staff into the ground with a quick and dirty chant. The ground buckled, and Windcutter’s arms windmilled as she fought for balance. He sent another one out, forcing her back and onto her arse.

Ulgrin channeled energy, but paused when a call rang out. “It vanished!”

Instincts trained with each survival kicked in and Ulgrin dove to the side. Claws scraped along his gorget, digging deep gouges into the metal. He rolled away, turning to see the Thin Man staring down at him. Blackish ichor dripped from numerous cuts along its body, but none were fatal.

“Mistress?” It asked, hissing.

“Damn it. Retreat! Redcaps, throw the smoke bombs!”

The gleefully murderous fey yelled an affirmation and the clearing rapidly was swallowed in a thick cloud of black smoke. Ulgrin coughed, trying to raise a spell to clear the air. Claws slammed into his chest, filling the air with the sound of tortured metal. His breath escaped him and the spell failed as he was bowled over.

Sounds of movement could be heard as he struggled to his feet. “They’re getting away! Gah!” He clutched his chest.

“A bit…” Saezz yelled, struggling against something. “Busy! These tiny men are annoying!”

By the time the smoke cleared and the last of the Redcaps were slain, they found the clearing empty of their true target. Ulgrin sucked in a breath of fresh air. “Everyone good?”

“Yeah. A few scratches. Wreath was cut, but it isn’t unfixable.” Raelza replied. “Those things suck.”

Sarisa had gone to the side of her daughter and was checking the lass over for injuries. Alyss groaned, unable to shove her away. “I’m fine, mother! You don’t need to coddle me…”

“I am just being sure. Adrenaline can hide many wounds.”

Reaching into his bag, Ulgrin quickly chugged a potion. The bruises on his chest rapidly healed, but he could see the metal had become a mess. Entire sections of the coat had torn, claw marks just narrowly missing his skin. “This is gonna be a pain to fix. If that’s even possible. It’s ruined.”

“Saezz is glad you’re alright, friend. That creature was… quite powerful.”

“Likewise. But it brings up an important question. Who the hell is the Fallen Court?” Ulgrin cast his gaze back towards the motte entrance, where their foes had likely escaped. “I don’t think this was just a simple bounty.”

“It wasn’t.” Sarisa replied, lips curling into a frown. “I’m afraid that Andire is facing a rebellion.”

“Ah.” He replied, furrowing his brow. “That complicates things. It would have been nice if you had brought us into this with more knowledge. It’s kind of annoying to be thrust into such things without even a crumb of insight.”

“Apologies for the deception,” Sarisa said with a nod of her head. “The already complicated politics of Andire has become even more of a mess. I had to ensure that you were trustworthy and strong enough to become involved. That required facing one of our enemies. ‘Windcutter’ is one of the newest threats. A humanoid enhanced by a fey pact. An experiment, we guess.”

Raelza looked up from applying a healing salve to her companion. “And you want us to… what, exactly?”

“You’ll be coming into contact with the Murky Court, no doubt about that. I’ll be sending Alyss here as a messenger to ask for aid. Her noble blood will allow her the opportunity to make requests on behalf of Andire. So far, all of our attempts to root out this ‘Fallen Court’ have failed. Only the fey and their knowledge will allow us to find them.”

“Saezz would like a rematch against that creature.” Their friend said, scratching his chin with a thoughtful look. “But being thrown into another national plot feels…”

“Like our luck is terrible?” Raelza asked. “Whatever happened to a simple ruins investigation?”

“We learned the world was going to end,” Ulgrin said darkly. “Fine. We’ll speak with the Murky Court. Alyss, do you want to take up that mantle?”

The alchemist frowned heavily, arms crossed. “I… Okay.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “If I must. I don’t want to see my homeland become embroiled in a civil war. What exactly do I need to do?”

Sarisa looked up towards the sky. “As it stands, the higher nobility have… decided to ignore these rogue elements. They haven’t seen the threat they pose. Nor do they particularly care. But if you can convince the Murky Court to meet with the Three Houses, then they may take this more seriously. We already know that the fey Courts are being affected as well, and have more cause to be alarmed.”

Ulgrin knew that the highest echelon of Andiran society were the ‘Three Houses’. That being the Rosengilds, the Everfree, and the Dhal families. Equal in power, they each presented one of their heirs to inherit the Mantle of Andire. Should one of them succeed in its trials, they would be named Ruler. It was an odd system, and left the country somewhat fractured in the wake of their latest King’s death some fifteen years ago.

“So we need to get them to work together.” Ulgrin sighed. “This is going to be a mess, I know it. Do you really think throwing us into the mix will solve things?”

“At the very least, it will upset the stagnant balance.” Sarisa replied. “At this point, I don’t have any other ideas.”

Alyss smiled. “At the very least, we'll cause a bit of chaos. It may not be an explosion, but let’s see what happens when we light a fire below their figurative asses.”

Apologies for the late chapter, folks. Had a bit of trouble getting this out. The conspiracy grows even further! As it turns out, there's a lot of things working behind the scenes of Andire. Our lovable gang of adventurers will be throwing a wrench into things. Thanks for reading!