Tanthalas stared down the crossbow aimed at his chest, sizing up the crew around him. He expected that he could probably take one down quickly enough, a second was going to be a question mark, but with Al’s help they might get three before anybody got hurt. But four of them? Even with the advantage of close quarters in this alley, these bowmen might still be more than they could easily handle.

“There has to be a compromise here, right?” called out the elf, raising his hands. “No more blood needs to spill.”

The elf could see the eyes of the crossbowmen in front of him darting towards the end of the alley, looking for a signal of what to do. They didn’t seem to want to get into a fight to the death but they seemed willing to follow their orders, whatever those might be.

“Look, we’re on the same side here. You’ve seen what we can do, how we can help” continued Tanthalas. “Let’s meet with your boss. We’ll bring these prisoners in. “

The gnome considered his options, staring down Flynver in front of him. The little halfling wizard was tougher than he looked, resolute, and wasn’t giving any ground to the assassin. Tanthalas had to admit that he admired the old halfling for standing up, even if the elf disagreed with the reason.

“We’ll meet at the great Tower tomorrow. One of mine goes with you tonight” stated the hooded gnome, with a voice more assured than he probably should have been. He lowered his hand and his men lowered their weapons. “You, stay closer to them than their own mothers would have when they were children. And I want you to report back on all the goings-on and irregularities. On the usual schedule.”

The elven woman nodded her hooded head and acknowledged the instructions, but Al didn’t like what he was hearing. There was more to those words than it seemed. The members of Al’s guild used a similar convention of complex sentence structures to hide meanings or additional information that could only be understood by trained ears. He couldn’t quite make out what they were trying to say, perhaps it was a different code system, but the elf had been given some sort of orders that weren’t meant to be heard.

Al whispered to Tanthalas, telling the ranger to keep a close on their new chaperone. While they outnumbered the elf five to one, they knew little about these assassins or what they were up to. It didn’t pay to be too trusting in Al’s line of work. The dragonborn side-eyed the elven woman and went to help pick up the fairy and her orc associate. Their first concern would need to be getting to some shelter.

The buildings immediately around them all showed signs of occupants, likely family homes, and the structures seemed to back onto a common yard that was heavily used. Setting up here overnight would not be an option as there would be too many questions about their prisoners if someone were to come out. They would need to make their way back to the Immaculate Arrow and their room without being noticed. Not a small task.

At least in this way it proved helpful to have their observer with them. The elven sniper, who did not introduce herself, led them through back alleys and quiet yards as they crossed from one part of Lowertown to another. The elf’s vocation had apparently made it necessary to know multiple ways to get around without being seen. Audak and Al carried their prisoners – bound, gagged, and unconscious – over fences and through tight passageways, trying to move as quickly as they could. The night was already late and the full moon in the sky was positioned such that Al guessed they would be past midnight by the time they arrived. His shoulder ached from carrying the dead weight and lifting it up and over walls again and again. The fairy was light, but she was not exactly pack-shaped and therefore made the carry awkward. It would have been useful to have had a cart!

The notebook

Audak almost walked right into Tanthalas’ back when the elf in front of him suddenly stopped. The barbarian had been carrying the heavy orc for quite a distance and was mostly looking down at his feet as he plodded along from street to street. Audak growled at the ranger in protest as he nearly dropped the orc on impact, before noticing that Tanthalas had come to the end of an alley facing onto a large street.

There, across the way from them, was the Immaculate Arrow. The lights were still on in the first floor of the small tavern and a few folks were still going in and out for a drink at this time of night, but it wasn’t terribly busy. It was late enough that the streets themselves were mostly empty, though an occasional group of drunkards would stumble down the street on their way home. Unlike some of the quieter bedroom communities in Midtown, Lowertown had a higher population of folks who were out and about, enjoying carousing late into the evening. Some of the bars never seemed to close!

Audak saw Flynver approaching Al who still carried the fairy across his back. Al’s strong arms held tightly to the lithe figure as the little halfling wizard whispered something while gesturing towards the fairy. With a wave of his tiny hand, the fairy disappeared, replaced by a sack of potatoes slung over Al’s shoulder. It looked so real, surely no one would notice!

After Flynver had examined his work, he gave the dragonborn the go-ahead to enter the tavern and Audak watched as Al, with Flynver in tow, carried the ‘potatoes’ across the street and into the Immaculate Arrow. Given the weight of the slumped figure in his arms, the goliath knew that carrying the orc in was going to be a much bigger challenge. Flynver had promised he had a plan. Brylla and Tanthalas began unwinding coils of rope to prepare for the next step that the little wizard had outlined.

It was only moments later when the little illusionist popped open the second story window of their room and looked out over the street. The halfling was looking back and forth, trying to judge if anyone would be watching. Audak couldn’t see the wizard’s face clearly from the alley across the street, but he had the impression that Flynver was smiling. The halfling was once again mumbling and gesturing with his hands, in the middle of another arcane incantation that the barbarian didn’t understand. Nothing seemed to happen, but Flynver began gesturing towards them, beckoning them forward.

Tanthalas and Brylla led the way, their ropes now attached to the orc body on Audak’s shoulder. That elven woman followed behind, sticking close to the shadows and only moving into the open when absolutely necessary. When they crossed the street, Audak glanced down the road, noticing a couple of youths about his age laughing and strolling down the cobblestone road. The barbarian prepared to run, but even though the passersby looked straight down the street at them, there was no reaction or even a second glance. Flynver’s magics, no doubt!

The end of a rope fell to the ground from above, hanging taut from the window sill. Looking up, the barbarian could see Al and Flynver bracing to help raise up the heavy orc from Audak’s shoulders. They worked quickly in the dim lighting of the street lanterns, being as quiet as possible so as not to attract attention. Flynver’s illusions were good, but they weren’t soundproof. When the hard work was done, they all assembled in a single room together, the elven spy following them into the tavern and settling in against a wall.

“I’ll take first watch, I’m not tired yet!” offered Flynver, happily settling into a lotus position on the floor, one wary eye on the elven sniper in the corner. Her eyes were closed, head tilted down in a restful position, but the halfling couldn’t be sure she was actually sleeping. Or whatever it was that elves did when they weren’t running around being elf-like.

“I’ll take the long shift in the morning” suggested Tanthalas, his eyes also shifting suspiciously to the other elf. “I don’t need much rest.”

It was very late and most of them were exhausted from their efforts that night. Not to mention they had gotten up extremely early that morning to make it here from Balderston on the transport! The day had been longer than it had needed to be and Al and Audak gladly took a nice long rest in some cots in the corner while Brylla grabbed one of the beds and Tanthalas positioned himself near the door. Soon, Audak’s loud goliath snores were reverberating through the room in a peaceful cadence.

In the middle of the night, late in Flynver’s watch, the fairy’s eyes suddenly opened and she pushed herself up to a seated position, nervously scanning her surroundings. The wizard quickly approached, using a calm whisper to try to soothe her.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe” the halfling comforted. “They want to kill you but we’ll make sure you aren’t hurt. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

The fairy eyed the cloaked elven figure sleeping against the wall, her eyes filling with a mix of rage, fear, and calculating guile. She stopped squirming against her restraints and nodded her head, a calmness settling over her. She raised a single eyebrow, trying to get the halfling’s attention, and then nodded her head down towards her chest, trying to indicate a pocket in her leather coat. Reaching gently inside, Flynver pulled out a small leather-bound notebook filled with notations, diagrams, and lists. The writing style looked incredibly familiar, like elvish script, but Flynver couldn’t make sense of the words. It seemed even older and more ancient, using structures and phrases that didn’t mean much to him. Some of the lists seemed to be names, he could figure that much out.

Tanthalas awoke before the elven spy, breaking his meditation to take over the watch duty. Flynver filled him in on what he had discovered, showing him the writings in the book. Unlike the halfling, Tanthalas had learned Sylvan at a young age and recognized the phrase structures immediately. Unsurprising, the elf thought, given it was one of the faerie’s who had been keeping these notes. Although, come to think of it, Sylvan wasn’t often written down like this. For one of the fey to keep notes in this way wasn’t very common at all, but perhaps it was tied in with the harp-shaped necklace she had been wearing? From what Tanthalas could decipher from the notes, the fey seemed to be have been tracking individuals who had gone missing, along with a list of people they believed might be involved. A pretty elaborate hierarchy seemed to have been traced, though Tanthalas didn’t recognize the names: Kade Shadowstep, Brigitte Featherwalker, Myndraxis, Jeren Ghostblade, Sera Moonshadow… the list seemed lengthy.

Some pages even contained timelines of events, rough sketches of tunnels, and a diagram of some sort of machine. This fairy had been doing a lot of homework and was clearly very focused. Possibly obsessed. Tanthalas wondered how much of her sanity the fairy had been able to hold onto?

To the Tower

Tanthalas quickly stowed away the notebook when he noticed the elven spy begin to stir. She seemed to take in the room very casually and then simply stood up and walked out the door. Tanthalas could hear her in the hall, whispering to somebody, but the ranger’s ears didn’t hear any other people moving in the halls. Who was she talking to? Perhaps she was using one of those communication gems they had found?

When she returned, she said nothing and simply positioned herself against a wall and stared at the prisoners. Whatever hidden orders she had been given, they had not included trying to take the prisoners away. Yet. By this time, both the orc and the fairy were conscious again and had calmed down enough to go to sleep. The fairy was curled up on the floor, her head resting on the drummer’s chest. Tanthalas thought about what he had been reading in the notebook and the upcoming meeting with the gnome’s boss. They would need a neutral ground, but they had promised to meet the gnome at the Tower in the morning.

The fairy and orc eyed the others warily, unsure of how much they could trust Tanthalas and his companions, but they kept quiet and didn’t try to make a break for it. The walk out of the room and down the stairs to leave the inn was awkwardly quiet for them, but Flynver broke the silence as he rushed to grab some breakfast to eat along the way. A little bread for the road always made the halfling feel better about the adventure!

Outside, the group paused as they considered the long route from Lowertown to the great Tower in Uppertown. They had walked it yesterday and it had taken several hours to pass through all the winding main streets.

“During daylight, it’s best to travel by the upper road” offered the elven spy, gesturing towards the rooftops several stories above them. “None of these citizens tend to look up as they make their way and the buildings are packed closely enough together to make it passable. It will cut down the travel time as well. If you can avoid falling!”

The others seemed to agree readily, but Brylla hesitated. It was not that she lacked bravery, but asking an armoured dwarf to leap from rooftop to rooftop was asking for a disaster. There was a reason that most dwarves stayed on the ground! As she climbed up the ladder and reached the first roof, she now understood what the elf was speaking about. Nearly all the buildings were about the same height, with roughly evenly distributed rooftops with mild inclines. Brylla watched as the others leaped to the next building over and began the hopping run across the city. Shrugging and gesturing a quick prayer to Sif for protection, the cleric charged forward, clearing the small gap with ease as her armoured boots slammed into the terracotta tiling. It was a little exhilarating, she had to admit. With a smile, the dwarf leaped forward, bounding from one height to the next, enjoying the experience of the warm Haust sun bouncing off the rooftops below them.

It took over an hour, but eventually they arrived in Uppertown, a great courtyard opening up before them in front of the Tower of Lighting. The large throngs of people milled about below, going about their Magnisdag errands, visiting shops and restaurants and hanging out on street corners as they greeted their neighbours. In contrast, the Tower seemed still and foreboding, standing separate from the crowds, with few eyes upon it.

“Maybe we could meet outside?” offered Al, a question in his words. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

The elven sniper who had accompanied them all this way pulled out a gem and began speaking into it, conversing with someone about the group’s desire to meet outside the tower.

“It is agreed” stated the spy, plainly. She seemed to be an elf of few words and little patience, as she gestured for them all to return back to street level. The orc and fairy were put out front, marched across the square and up to the footsteps of the tower. The quiet elf stayed towards the front of the group, approaching the tower with a calm ease.

The arched main entrance to the tower featured large wooden double-doors which opened silently as a figure emerged. She was slender, wearing a long and dark cloak that pooled around the cobblestones at her feet. Underneath long white hair was the face of an elf, older than any Tanthalas had ever seen, even amongst the elders of Eldravire. There was no frailty in her presence, though, quite the opposite. Was this the Dru that had been mentioned to them before?

“Welcome, I have heard so much about you” the elder elf began, sweeping an arm gracefully before her. “My associates tell me you have been a great help in the fight against the Dark.”

The words sounded pleasant, but there was no feeling behind them. No edge, no malice, no kindness… just… nothing.

“So, yes, about that…” Flynver began, trying to stall. “We’ve been happy to help, but we’re fighting a fight we don’t understand. Can you tell us more about this Dark that we keep hearing about?”

“The Dark is a force of utmost evil, one that almost destroyed us” began the elf, her hands tracing shapes in the air before her as if she was painting a picture. “It came wave upon wave, armies rose to fight against it, and we turned it back time and again. But it never stopped. We could never find its source, though we are certain it is not from this plane of existence. The Dark simply kept coming. Creatures of utmost evil, killing and destroying. The harder we fought, the more they came. It seemed to feed on our fear, our hate…”

The elf paused, her eyes focused on some spot in the distance, before continuing.

“That is until we learned to protect ourselves and this realm. For millennia we have known peace. But now that safety is threatened. The Dark comes for us again, trying to break into this plane, trying to take advantage of our weakness. So we must fight back.”

“And you, are you also from here?” asked Flynver, trying to keep her talking while he moved to the fairy’s side. There was something about how open this ancient elf was being that he didn’t like. He could tell from the way his companions were shifting their weight that they felt it too. Something was off.

“I’ve walked these lands for longer than any can remember. I’ve seen the before times and witnessed your people at their worst and best. I saw the first men walk these lands. I am from here in a way that defies your understanding and I help protect this world. Now, we have shared enough. I can make use of you and so I have indulged this conversation, but there is business to attend to. Please hand over the prisoners, they are needed.”

“What are you going to do to them?” piped up Brylla, who had been remaining silent throughout. Her study of history and the gods had never uncovered anything like what this elf was talking about and, like Flynver, the dwarf was getting a bad feeling about this situation.

“They will help protect this world. The protection of this world falters, and it requires energy to be strengthened. Nikki here will help keep this world safe.”

“You’re draining them of their life?”

“Those, like you, who are different, who are immune, have the capacity for greatness. This also brings about such great potential and power, a power that helps keep our world safe. They will be saving the lives of millions.”

With a gesture towards the elven sniper who had accompanied them, Dru made it clear that the discussion part of their meeting was over. Her minion moved forward to come and take the fairy and her orc companion.

“Oh, I wish you hadn’t said you were draining the life from their bodies…” muttered Flynver, his hand moving quickly to a dagger he had held concealed in the palm of his hand. All of his companions changed their stance into a defensive one, reading the situation the same way as the halfling had. The ancient elf raised a porcelain-toned arm, sighing in exasperation, and then turned on her heel to head back inside.

“Take them” she called over her shoulder.

On the steps of the tower there was a sudden flash of light and more than a half-dozen figures suddenly appeared before them. Soldiers, archers and two very large creatures in full plate armour stared them down. The creatures seemed to rival Audak in height and had long red tails that swung behind them. Their heads were lizard-like, possibly draconic, and their eyes stared at them with reptilian disdain. One of them roared into the air, exposing its many razor-sharp teeth.

“SCATTER!” shouted Flynver, slashing open the gag that had been placed on the fairy. The wizard ran for cover as the others began to spread out.

Nikki smiled as her mouth felt freedom once again. Cracking her neck back and forth, she stretched out her jaw. It was time for a closing number!

Credits

• Cover image: “Ancient Elven Wizard”, by Cindy Nakashima, sourced from Artstation