Hello everyone, and welcome to my third original PR series! Before we get started, I wanted to give a salute to all my regular readers as well as those who had submitted characters for this series. Special thanks also go to the people whose OC's were chosen for the main cast: Stormasius, TheDayDreamer25, AceKH, and Moonlit Mortal! Now... let's see what happens when we mix Power Rangers, Mystic Knights of Tir na Nog, and maybe a little bit of Dungeons and Dragons into a bubbling cauldron of Fantasy goodness.

Note: Sadly, I do not own Power Rangers. But I still hope you enjoy this story!

Episode 1: Part 1

Sinister laughter echoed through the dark caverns as Deirdre Finn struggled to break free of her captors. The young fair haired geologist gave a growl and attempted to shove aside one of the spriggan warriors holding her arm. The monstrous dark faerie with sharp features and pointed elf-like ears turned its eyes on her with fury. The soldier gave a menacing snarl and tightened his grip causing the woman to yelp in pain.

Paying her no mind, the small party of ugly spriggan foot soldiers continued to lead their prisoner deeper into the gloom of the caves. As they trudged on, Deirdre eyed the spriggans and cursed herself silently for letting her curiosity get the better of her. She never should have tried going alone to explore the odd rock formations just outside of Somerset Valley, especially when these tunnels had never shown up on her topographic charts before.

After delving deeper into the seemingly endless tunnels, the spriggans finally made their way into a cave mouth that opened up into a wide cavern. In a strange way, the cavern almost resembled a sort of barbaric throne room or a Great Hall straight out of the Middle Ages.

Flickering lights from rows of torches cast a dim light as Deirdre was led past rows of sinister looking monsters of varying shapes and sizes. They each gave her predatory grins and the geologist immediately recognized the monsters as Fomorians, corrupted fey that were dark twisted creatures of the Faerie Realm.

After passing the rows of evil creatures, the spriggans stopped abruptly and Dierdre was brought before a large barbaric looking warrior sitting upon an iron throne. The leader of the Fomorian Host was a monstrous looking king wearing dark robes, assorted animal furs, and crude pieces of dirty armor. Upon his head was a jagged iron crown and a horned helmet which covered one of his eyes despite a sinister red glow which emanated from behind the covering. The large figure looked down at the young woman and snorted in amusement, "Well… it seems we have an unexpected visitor. Perhaps I should introduce myself?"

"I know who you are," Deirdre replied with an edge of chilly defiance in her voice, "You are Balor, Warlord of the Fomorian Host."

The spriggan guards who stood behind her tensed slightly but Balor continued to sit, looking calm and unperturbed. Finally, a thin sneer crossed his lips, "I'm impressed, but I'm also curious to know just who you are and how you know me."

Deirdre smirked, "Who I am isn't important, but what is important is that I make sure that the Four Courts of Faerie know you've returned."

The warlord snorted, "Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"

Deirdre took a deep breath and spoke a quick incantation, summoning a small pixie messenger that glowed with vibrant green light. The Formorians froze in surprise as the pixie darted in the air and zipped around Deirdre.

"Go now!" she called to the pixie, "Warn Kristen and the others first!"

"You're a Druid!" Balor roared in fury before gesturing to his own bodyguards, "Stop her!"

The spriggans seized Deirdre but the young woman wore a smug smile as the pixie darted through the startled Fomorians and escaped the clamor of Balor's throne room.

"Do whatever you want with me Balor. I know the Tuathan Knights will find you and strike you down again... for good this time."

Balor furiously rose from his throne and slowly began to remove the covering of his fiery glowing eye. A menacing growl escaped the throat of the barbarous warlord as he focused his ire on Deirdre and the light from his baleful eye grew more intense, "We'll just see about that Druid... won't we?"

A cool autumn breeze gently blew as Connor Walsh strolled through campus town of Somerset Valley University. The small quaint New England college located in the state of Massachusetts was already bustling with activity as new students made themselves busy moving in, catching up with friends, or buying school supplies.

As he walked down the colorful tree lined streets of campus town, Connor rolled up the sleeves of his dark red zip up hoodie and gave a sigh, eyeing the few stray dollar bills left in his wallet. It had only been the first week of his sophomore year and he was already cleaned out from having to buy textbooks for the semester. Classwork had just begun to gear up and if he was going to be able to enjoy any extra meals out or weekend entertainment, then he needed to line up a new job, and fast.

He curiously looked about the storefronts until he caught sight of a small out of the way antique shop around the corner. In the window was a "Help Wanted" sign. As Connor approached, he noticed some old Celtic designs on the storefront and a stylized green sign above the door proclaiming it as Tara's.

When he entered, Connor stopped to look about the curious little shop. The interior had a very rustic old Irish look, accented further by the various odds and ends littering the place. Despite the unusual atmosphere, the antique shop still had a warm homey feel while proudly displaying many other arts and crafts reflecting the subtle Irish themes, such as a handcrafted tapestry on the wall, a few wooden walking sticks, a spinning wheel in the corner, and what looked to be an old spear hanging from the mantle of a fireplace.

While he browsed a nearby shelf, Connor took a moment to admire some jewelry and finely crafted pewter chalices when he heard someone walk out from the back storage room to greet him. She was a tall slim young woman in her early thirties, with long straight brown hair. The woman was also pretty, but in a very plain and simple way. She wore a dark dressy blazer over a green blouse and walked in behind the front counter with a friendly but professional air, "Hello, can I help you, sir?"

The student turned and held up the Help Wanted sign he had plucked from the window, "I hope so. I was actually interested in finding some work. My name is Connor, Connor Walsh, and I'm a local student here at Somerset Valley."

The woman extended a hand and shook his, "Nice to meet you. I'm Kristen Bloom, the owner of this store."

After a pause, she gave a thoughtful look, "About the work… it's part time, but the pay won't be anything too special. I need someone to move boxes, take inventory, and mind the shop… that sort of thing."

"Sure. I guess I can do that," Connor shrugged. "Is there anything else?"

Kristen scratched her chin thoughtfully and pointed to the doorway with an amused smile, "Humor me. With a last name like Walsh, do you have any ideas why this shop might be named Tara's?"

Connor frowned pensively for a moment then ventured a guess, "The place has a Celtic theme, so… unless you've got a relative with the same name... maybe it has something to do with the Hill of Tara in Ireland? The seat of power for their High Kings?"

Kristen laughed gently and nodded, "I'm impressed. You seem to know a thing or two about your heritage."

Connor smiled, "Oh, I don't know about that… you can just chalk it up to the ramblings of my old-school grandparents."

"They weren't superstitious, were they?" Kristen asked.

Connor chuckled, "Oh sure, growing up I've heard all sorts of stories about the leprechauns, banshees, and faerie people."

"And what about you? Do you believe in them?" Kristen asked, suddenly becoming very serious.

Connor paused in confusion before giving a noncommittal shrug, "I dunno. I mean… it's kinda hard to believe in that stuff nowadays... but I guess anything is possible… right?"

Kristen gave him a mysterious smile before pulling out an employee application form and gesturing toward a nearby desk, "Yes… I suppose it is."

Later that week, the sounds of chirping birds greeted Connor as he left his dormitory and headed toward the heart of campus town on his way to work. While he walked, he zipped up his sporty red hoodie to ward off the cool autumn air which had already begun to set in a little early this year. The leaves had begun to change color and the gentle golden rays of the early September sun had grown much weaker than the intense heat of the past summer.

The tall handsome young man with short light brown hair made his way toward the quad where many other students were already out and about enjoying the first free weekend of the semester. Things had died down a little from the activities of freshmen orientation week and many of the older students had come to reclaim the quad for their favorite spots to study, play frisbee, or have picnic lunches. Connor passed by a few classmates on the sidewalk and exchanged a wave before he came across his own roommate sitting out on a bench with his sketchbook in hand.

Quinton Wallace was a very average looking young man, slightly on the shorter side with light brown features. He liked to wear simple earthy color clothes and today, they were casual khaki cargo pants with a green polo shirt. At the moment, Quinton was so engrossed in his work, he didn't even notice Connor approach.

"Hey Quin! What's going on?" Connor smiled taking a seat beside his friend.

Quinton looked up in surprise before giving a sheepish smile, "Oh! Hey Connor. Sorry I didn't see you there. I was kinda in the zone just now."

"I can see," Connor replied while taking a glance at the sketchbook, "You working on your next masterpiece?"

Quinton snorted in amusement and handed over the drawing. It was an excellent pencil sketch of a beautiful girl and as Connor glanced up, he saw that the subject was in fact a girl sitting at the other end of the quad having a picnic lunch with her other female friends. She was laughing and smiling, seemingly unaware of her admirer's work.

Connor sighed and handed the sketchbook back to his friend, "It looks great man, but I'm not sure if what you're doing is romantic... or kinda weird. I mean come on, you said Kayla there has been your next door neighbor since you were ten. Why don't you just ask her out already?"

"Oh geez Connor, I don't know... I can't just be so direct," Quinton said biting his lip and returning to his work. "What if I humiliate myself?"

Connor rolled his eyes gently. He knew his roommate was a very shy person and it had taken Connor the better part of his freshmen year to get Quinton to open up and become his friend. "Come on Quin. Talking to girls is easy. Stop putting them on a pedestal and psyching yourself out. They're just regular people like you and me."

"Care to demonstrate your theory?" Quinton answered as he tilted his head sideways.

Connor turned in surprise to see one of his female classmates approach the bench and stop in front of him. She was a cute girl with slightly tanned skin and dark brown hair worn in a side braid. Atop her head was a casual orange beret tilted slightly to the side. She wore an orange flannel shirt and dark leggings along with light brown boots. As she stopped, she gave a small wave while glancing away shyly.

"Uh, hi Connor. I'm glad I spotted you today."

Connor glanced to Quinton before fixing her with a welcoming smile and rising from the bench, "Noelle? What's up?"

The girl gave a timid shrug and glanced at him quickly, "I'm really sorry to ask you, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to loan me your textbook so I can finish our first homework assignment. I'm still waiting for my book to come in the mail and I totally forgot to email you earlier in the week about it."

Quinton raised an eyebrow curiously before Connor explained, "Quinton, this is Noelle Moreau, a fellow sophomore. She and I are in the same Biology class and we were assigned to be lab partners."

Quinton and Noelle exchanged a polite nod and greeting before Connor turned back to the girl, "Sure thing. I was actually on my way to work right now so feel free to take the book. My roommate here can let you into our room, right Quin?"

Quinton shrugged and folded his sketchbook up, "Sure. Why not?'

"Thanks Connor! I really appreciate it," Noelle sighed in relief as she quickly glanced down again.

Connor frowned in mild confusion as he tilted his head to try and make eye contact with her again, "Uh, Noelle? My eyes are up here."

She continued to hesitate until he gave a patient sigh and gently put both his hands on her shoulders, "Listen, if we're gonna be lab partners, you don't have to be scared of me, okay?"

Noelle immediately looked up in surprise and met his gaze directly. In that moment, he saw her eyes had an unusual quality about them. They were brown near the center of the pupil and turned into a bluish gray around the iris. It was a little unusual and surprising, but only if one looked very closely.

Noelle jumped back a few inches and turned away, "Sorry... I uh... hope you're not too freaked out by what you just saw."

"What? By your eyes?" Connor shrugged, "Why should I be?"

Noelle blinked in confusion, "Then... you don't think they're weird or scary?"

Connor laughed good naturedly and gave a reassuring wink, "Nah. I actually think they're kinda pretty... and unique."

"Really?" Noelle asked in astonishment as she felt her cheeks grow a little warm.

Connor glanced down to check his watch, "Shoot... I really gotta get going or I'll be late for work. Quinton, could you finish helping Noelle for me?"

"Will do," his roommate nodded, "You're gonna be at that antique shop in town, right? Tara's?"

Connor waved in gratitude as he started to hurry off, "Provided I don't get fired for being late!"

Later that day, long rays of late afternoon sunlight streamed in through the glass windows of the antique shop as Connor Walsh continued to work. He had been moving several stacks of heavy supply crates into storage and was now just sweeping up the main floor when he heard the little bell on the door jingle open. He glanced up and saw an beautiful young woman enter the store and give the place a cursory glance. She was likely a fellow student at the college and if he had to guess, probably one of the East Coast's "old money" types based on her stylish and preppy appearance.

She was dressed in a navy blue shoulder blouse over a pleated white skirt and expensive looking shoes. As she entered, she swept back some of her wavy blonde hair almost giving off a casual air of nobility. Connor quickly dusted off his dark green apron and tried to make himself look presentable while stepping forward to greet his attractive female customer.

"Hi there! Welcome to Tara's Antiques," he said extending a friendly hand, "I'm Connor."

The girl stood and regarded him with an unimpressed look while glancing toward his hand. It seemed she didn't want to shake his dirty hand and she breezed by him instead, "Yes... charming."

She had a distinctly clipped English accent, or "posh" as some would refer to it. Perhaps she was a transfer student from the UK? He frowned slightly but maintained a patient smile, "May I help you?"

The English girl gave a disparaging look around the shop and sighed in boredom, "If you must."

"All right then, Miss..."

"Gremory. Laura Gremory," she supplied while pacing around the store. "I'm starting my first year here at the university and I'm in need of some things to furnish my dormitory room."

"Hey, that's great! A fellow Somerset student too," Connor said happily, "I think you've come to the right place. There's a lot of unusual knick-knacks around this store so I'm sure we can find something for you."

Laura raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I do hope you're right. Everything I've seen up to now just looks either dreadfully gauche or how should I put it... pedestrian."

No sooner had she said that was when Kristen walked out of a back room where she was looking over some account ledgers. The tall woman gave a bright smile, "Hello! Welcome to Tara's. Can I help you?"

Connor sighed in relief and handed the customer off to his boss, "Laura, this is Kristen Bloom, the owner of the store. Kristen, our customer is looking for some things for her dorm room."

Kristen nodded with an easy smile and directed Laura toward some antique furniture, "Of course, right this way Miss. As you can see we have a wide variety of..."

The bell over the door jingled again as two more people entered the shop. This time, it was both Quinton and Noelle. Connor put aside his broom and gave a surprised look as they greeted him. "Quinton? Noelle? What are you two doing here?"

"Well, your shift is almost over and it's Saturday night, right?" Quinton said to his roommate, "I came to see if you wanted to go grab some dinner at O'Doyle's Pub on the way back."

It was a tempting offer. O'Doyle's was a popular restaurant-pub in campus town and students of all grades liked to go there: whether it was burgers and snacks for the underclassmen or pints of beer for the upperclassmen. Conner shrugged and gave a nod, "Sure. I guess that's fine. But... what about you Noelle?"

The girl in orange gave a kind smile and shrugged, "Oh, well... I finished my homework and I wanted to come along to pay you back for helping me out today."

"Ah... well, that's really sweet of you, but don't sweat it," Connor admitted in slight embarrassment, "It's no big deal... really."

"I'm still chipping in for a dessert then and that's final," she insisted.

Quinton looked to his fiend as Connor pulled off his apron and laughed while hanging it up, "Well Miss Moreau, you make a compelling argument. If you insist, then I guess I have no choice."

Before Connor could get ready to end his workday, he and his two friends stopped as they noticed a small bright green orb of light flit in through a crack in the doorway and start buzzing around the room in a panic. As it zipped about, the three could almost make out the image of little iridescent wings flapping from its back and a faint trail of light behind it.

"What the heck is that thing?" Quinton gasped as he recoiled in slight fear.

As it buzzed near him, he raised a hand to swat it away but Noelle grabbed his wrist, "No! Don't hurt it! It looks like it's scared."

Connor stared in wonder at the little fairy creature as it stopped to rest on his outstretched hand. The tiny glowing creature squeaked in a little voice, "Hey! Listen! I have a message... for Kristen!"

"No way..." Quinton muttered while Noelle began to coo over the sprite.

"Aww, look. It's so cute!"

Moments later Kristen Bloom hurried over and froze with a surprised look on her face, "A messenger pixie!"

Connor, Quinton, and Noelle blinked in utter confusion while Laura ambled over and gave a surprised gasp as well, "I... what the devil is that thing?"

Before anyone could answer her, the pixie darted up from Connor's hand and zipped around Kristen. "Sister Bloom! I have an urgent message! Sister Finn is in danger!"

Kristen raised her hands and kept her voice level, "Slow down little one. Tell me clearly."

The pixie bobbed in midair, "Balor and his Fomorian Host have returned! They've captured Dierdre and she sent me to warn you! She said you have to warn the other Druids... and the Four Courts of Faerie!"

"Wait a second! Druids? Faerie Courts?" Connor gasped in shock, "What the hell is going on here?"

Kristen ignored him and kept her eyes fixed on the pixie. "Thank you. Go now and tell the Elders that it's time. I'll worry about finding the right guardians. Hurry!"

The glowing green pixie bobbed in reply and darted out of the room to spread the new message. The store owner immediately turned on her heel and headed for a locked chest behind the counter. She pulled out a small dark wooden rod from the inside pocket of her blazer and instantly transfigured it into an impressive staff adorned with ancient runes and a small emerald at the tip.

"Whoah! Did your boss just pull some Harry Potter trick right there?" Quinton said with wide eyes.

Laura blinked in shock before shaking her head and snapping at him, "Don't be stupid. There has to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this."

Kristen tapped the padlock on the chest with her staff and opened it to reveal a smaller wooden container almost resembling a cigar box. Connor watched as she put her hand over the top and began speaking in what sounded like an old Celtic language. As she continued the incantation, a green glowing ward appeared over the box before fading away, allowing her access to it.

"Uh Kristen... do you mind telling us what's going on here?"

The store owner glanced up at him with a deadly serious expression and replied, "This region is about to be in serious danger. I don't know how many monsters might be running loose but I need all of you to go back to your dorms right now and stay inside where it's safe."

"Wait! What about you?" Connor protested, "Don't tell me you're actually going to go out and do something crazy."

Kristen sighed in slight frustration as she quickly opened the box to reveal four beautifully crafted rings sitting atop a velvet lining. Each ring had intricate engravings on them in an unknown flowing script along with different colored gems. Two were silver with a blue gem and an orange gem. The two gold rings bore a red gem and a green gem.

"I need to give these to the right four people in order to protect us. If I don't, there's no telling how much damage the monsters will cause or how many people might die as a result."

The four students all exchanged an uneasy glance with each other before Kristen snapped the box closed, "All of you, leave the shop and go home now. I don't want to hear another word."

Before the four students could turn and follow through with Kristen's orders they heard the sounds of loud banging coming from the other side of the front door. Moments later, several fearsome figures appeared on the other side of the storefront window. They looked to be dark shadowy humanoid fey creatures. The foot soldiers wore blackened armor and scratched at the thick glass with their predatory teeth and claw-like hands.

Quinton and Laura stumbled back in shock as Noelle gave a fearful gasp and grabbed Connor's forearm.

"What... are those things?" the girl in orange murmured in dread.

"Spriggans," Kristen answered with a grim tone as she clenched her staff with one hand and took the box of rings in the other.

Connor balked a moment and stared at the monstrous warriors outside, "Spriggans? As in monstrous faeries from the old legends?"

"Something like that," the Druid muttered gravely.

Quinton gulped and spoke in a trembling voice, "What are we going to do?"

Kristen tensed as the front door banged loudly and the spriggans began their assault. "We pray for luck."

*So I was just too excited to wait and I wanted to start posting the first part of this story. Just as a heads up, I'll be updating this a little less frequently than Oceania, as it'll give me some time to work on a personal original fiction project too. Until then everyone!