Faith: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Season 1 Chapter 5: The Fae of Gorhart, Part 3, a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer + Kingdoms of Amalur Crossover fanfic

Chapter Five: The Fae of Gorhart, Part 3

Getting out, as the three of them had anticipated, would prove to be far more challenging than getting in.

The door had quite a few more bodies milling about than from before, meaning that getting out that way was out of the question. And they couldn't simply hide, as there weren't enough areas in the building to hide effectively. Not only that, while they weren't a force of professionally trained soldiers, they would still have enough sense to check every nook and cranny. And unlike the Tuatha, they had most of their brains about them.

Gwyn sighed. "Do either of you have any good ideas on how we're going to get out of here?" she asked quietly.

Faith shook her head. "No idea. Agarth?"

Agarth frowned as he thought about it. "We would have to create a distraction of some sort," he finally suggested. "I just don't know how we're going to do that. Did anyone happen to see any traps of any kind while we were searching the fortress?"

"Unfortunately no. I don't think they brought any."

Gwyn asked. "What about the crates?"

Faith thought about it for a second. "There would have to be some sort of volatile items in them, and if there is, we would have to be careful with moving them." She snapped her fingers as something came to her. "I think I remember seeing a crate full of acid solution near the blocked-off exit. Would that be enough to dissolve the debris... just enough for us to use it to escape?"

"...Maybe. It depends on what kind of materials the Erathi used in the construction of this place. So, we'll have hope that it's not acid-proof."

Luckily, it appeared as though that was not the case, as they tested some on a small piece of rock. Unfortunately, this brought up another issue; there weren't that many acid vials in the crate. They would have to figure out how to use it most effectively.

Agarth looked at some of the smaller debris surrounding the massive pillar. "We can use some of the acid to dissolve part of this here," he noted, pointing at one piece of what might have been part of an archway. "It may cause the big pillar to fall."

"Which will alert them that someone is here that shouldn't be here," Faith pointed out. "Also, there's the fact that I doubt any of us are strong enough to try and guide that pillar to a far quieter landing."

"True, but I don't think we have any better options. Unless something happens that distracts them from us."

Gwyn looked behind them, keeping an eye open for anyone coming their way. "Let's just do it. If we can open that exit, it won't matter if they come to investigate. We'll be out by then."

And with that simple statement, the conversation came to an end. They decided on a course of action. Now they just had to commit to it… and hope to Mitharu that it was the right call.

Steeling herself, Faith picked the vial, and began splashing the vial at the pillar's support…

Aery flew out of the village, panic building with each passing moment. She didn't know what she could do to prevent the Red Legion from stopping the Telling, only that she had to do something.

It didn't take her long to reach Agnur Farhal. She saw plenty of Dustling objects strewn about, and a few of those bandits as well, one who caught sight of her reaching them. She didn't even give it a second thought.

The moment that bandit raised the alarm, the young Fae called upon her magic and struck.

Faith was fidgeting a little as she watched the acid bubble and fizz, eating at the debris. It had taken several minutes for a sizable impact to be shown, but it was showing. It was just happening so slowly, and the longer they stayed there, the bigger chance of them being caught.

"How much longer?" she finally asked.

"Shouldn't be much longer," Gwyn replied. "Assuming we got the acid in far enough." A small creaking sound began to occur. "Okay, it's working. We better get ready to run. Unless something happens in the next few seconds…"

As if to give credence to such a throwaway line (because she really said that line in jest,) the sound of shouting suddenly caught their attention. A lot of it was pretty garbled, but they were able to make one sentence out of all of that.

A fae was attacking the fortress, trying to get in. They even had a pretty good idea who it was, just not why.

Secrecy was no longer an issue. The only thing that was a factor now was time. And it looks like they wouldn't have to worry about a whole lot, as the acid finally fizzled out. The pillar fell as a result. Faith hastily got out of the way, so as to avoid having her feet crushed. Yeah, they would heal quickly, but she would still be aware of the pain. And she really didn't want to feel that pain right now, especially since they would be heading into battle.

Agarth looked at her. "I thought you knew what you were doing," he stated teasingly.

"I'm apparently smart, but not a structural engineer or mathematician. I don't know where things are going to fall," Faith retorted, as they moved the rest of the debris out of the way. "Besides, why are you complaining? Your feet weren't the ones at risk."

Gwyn tossed the last piece of the archway away, pulling at the door. "Yes!" she let out in triumph as she managed to open it. "Come on, let's go save Aery before they run her through!"

The three promptly did so and discovered that the exit was just above the entrance. Faith reached the edge and looked down.

Sure enough, there was Aery, hurtling both fireballs and gusts of wind at the Red Legion, throwing bodies and crates left and right. She was pretty agile, avoiding any arrows that were shot at her and dodging anyone who managed to get close to her. But she wouldn't be able to do that forever.

Faith quickly leaped down, coming to her feet instantly in front of a bandit. He was so surprised by her sudden appearance, that he was too slow to react to her attack. Her fist buried itself into his gut, folding him up as he was robbed of breath. She clubbed him in the back of his head, taking him out of the fight. She unsheathed her sword and charged forward, just as Gwyn and Agarth landed. Agarth's greatsword was off his back in an instant, and moving in a great arc, either slicing through bandits or forcing them back.

Gwyn quickly grabbed the unconscious Red Legion's daggers up, cursing the fact that she had left her spear back in Gorhart. True, it wasn't something she could have hidden when trying to sneak into Agnur Farhal, but now she was in the middle of a fight without her weapon. Thankfully, she did have training with other weapons, so she didn't have that much of a handicap. She proved that by avoiding a bandit's strike and putting her daggers into her chest. The woman dropped to the ground, dead before hitting the ground. She paid her no mind, only making a mad dash to Aery.

Faith made it Aery, cutting down another bandit in the process. "We're going to be talking about this later!" she informed her, grabbing her arm. "Now let's go!" With that, she started running, dragging the fae with her. Both Gwyn and Agarth followed suit.

The Red Legion was ready to follow them, only for the foreman to hold up a hand. "Don't bother," he told them. "I know where they're going. And we've already got people in there. They'll deal with them." He turned. "Let our leader know about this. We'll need to move out sooner than anticipated."

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Faith finally shouted once they had made it back to the relative safety of Gorhart. "If we hadn't already been on our way out, you could have been killed!"

The young fae at least had the decency to look sheepish at this rather blunt statement. "Illuvia woke up, and told me that they were planning on attacking one of our most important ballads." She scratched her head. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Clearly not." Faith pulled a cleaning rag out and wiped her blade clean. Satisfied that she had gotten all of the blood off, she sheathed her sword. "If you had died, then Illuvia would have lost a fellow fae, and she would be alone in this village. A village that has shown a great deal of apathy to her situation." She sighed. "Well, we were able to get out, and none of us were hurt."

"How IS she?" Gwyn asked. "I'm going to assume that Tilera is still with her."

Aery nodded. "She was still there when I left, as was Nanne."

"Then let's head back to the inn. We'll need to find out where this story is going to take place, and I doubt the Red Legion is going to leave Illuvia alone."

Aery's eyes widened at that, before running back to the inn.

Faith, Gwyn, and Agarth all rolled their eyes at this. No wonder she had stayed in the forest over Gohart, and not at the House of Ballads. She didn't seem to be able to operate around her fellow fae.

"Can I assume that Agnur Farhal was inhabited by more than ghosts?" Herc asked somewhat nonchalantly, as Faith and her group entered Illuvia's room.

"You assume correctly," Agarth replied, plopping down in a chair. "They were definitely getting ready for an attack." He rubbed his face. "Just not on Gorhart."

Faith nodded at that. "Illuvia, Aery told us that the Red Legion was planning on attacking one of your ballad's locations. Judging from what we saw in the fortress, they could probably hold their own against a fae strike force. They've already got a few dozen gems, and enough liquid poison to kill the people of Gorhart three times over. So now, we need to find out the location where this ballad is going to take place.

"And we need to destroy the poison if possible," Nanne added from her position. "If they manage to get it out of the fortress, we'll never be able to contain it. And I shudder to think of what will happen if it manages to reach Adessa."

"I'm guessing your people would try and contain this?"

"Or they would isolate themselves in the city, which would deal a serious blow to our relations with the other young races."

Gwyn nodded. "Relations are already strained due to Adessa's stance of neutrality in the Crystal War," she replied. "A lot of people believe that the Templars should send their army to Mel Senshir. If they suddenly cut off all contact with the rest of the continent, it could very well spark a second war… which we really don't need right now."

"Well, let's focus on what we can deal with easily enough." Herc looked at Illuvia. "And that is preventing a war from occurring between the House of Ballads and Gorhart."

Illuvia nodded, eyes worried. "The Song of Sir Sagrell isn't just a single ballad. It is actually the first part of a series of connecting tales. In it, Sagrell goes to battle against the Grave Thresh in the Cavern of Gorugath. It is a thrilling tale, and a necessary one, for it leads up to the Song of the Hero and the Maid."

Faith nodded. It would make sense if that one tale was destroyed. Its importance could not be overstated. "Does anyone know where Gorugath is?"

Agarth nodded. "It's actually located pretty close to the House of Ballads itself," he replied. "We would have to make our way out of Odorath and head eastward into Yolvan. We would reach Gorugath first, then the House an hour later."

"They would not be too happy to see you," Tilera finally stated, having remained quiet throughout the conversation to that point. "The Seelie Fae are even more reclusive than the gnomes, wanting very little to do with us as a whole. And I doubt the Red Legion would let you get to them without a fight. In fact, I'm surprised that they haven't sent anyone to try and finish Illuvia off."

Faith blinked at that statement before realization dawned on her. "You know… you're right. Do all dokkalfar think like that?"

"Actually, I'm Ljosalfar, though I understand how you could easily mistake me for my distant kin."

"Huh?"

Gwyn decided to take pity on the young Almainian before she inadvertently caused a diplomatic incident. "Ljosalfar are lighter in skin and hair color," she explained, "due to their status as 'Light Elf.' Dokkalfar, my people, are known as 'Dark Elf' due to our black hair and obviously darker complexions." She smiled. "There's a lot more besides that, like cultural and religious viewpoints, but that's the bare bones of it."

"Ah."

Tilera felt a small smile tugging on her lips as well, before getting back to the topic at hand. "So someone will need to go to the House of Ballads to warn them at least," she noted. "And Illuvia here will need protectors for the foreseeable future."

"I will help," Herc stated immediately. It was obvious that he felt somewhat responsible for what happened to Illuvia, even though there was no logical reason for him to. Nevertheless, Faith was definitely thankful that he wanted to help.

Tilera, it seemed, was also willing to help as well, as she stood up. "Well, if I am to continue helping, I will need to get my sword from my house," she informed them. "I shall be back momentarily." With that, she made her way out of the building.

Herc followed her out, most likely to dispense orders for the village militia to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons entering the village, leaving Faith, Agarth, and Gwyn alone with the fae and Nanne.

Faith pushed herself off of the wall she was leaning against. "Well, I'm going to go get some food," she stated. "I don't know about either of you, but I'm starving."

Gwyn nodded, getting up as well. "I'll come with you."

"Bring me something, will you?" Agarth called out. "And a pint of ale."

Faith nodded as the two women made their way toward the main dining area.

Nanne sighed as she watched the Fateweaver start fiddling with his tarot cards, clearly thinking about something. What it was, she couldn't say… but she was willing to bet that it had to do with the current situation they were in. To be fair, she was having many of the same thoughts, and her inadvertent part in it. Of course, she could be entirely wrong about that, and it wouldn't be the first time that happened.

"So, what do you think?" Agarth asked. "Do you think that Karth would sell the formula to anyone else?"

She was right, of course. After a second of thought, she replied with, "I think that he wouldn't sell the formula itself, only the finished product." She sighed. "At least, I hope that's what he does. Apparently, I'm not a very good judge of character."

"...Yes, I know that feeling." He leaned back. "But you're only responsible for your own actions, not anyone else's." He smiled. "And even if we can't stop him from shipping out the formula he's created, we know it exists, and we can find a way to counter it."

"Counter it…?" She thought about it for a second. "It might take some time… but I think I can do just that."

The two fae looked at each other, before shrugging as one. If there was a way to save their people, they didn't really care how it happened.

Tilera entered her house and made for her bedroom. If she was correct, they didn't have a whole lot of time before the Red Legion decided to retaliate against the fae. In fact, they were most likely on the move now. She would get her sword, and head back to the inn.

She quickly went over to her wardrobe, and opened it, moving some of her clothes away to reveal the weapon in question… and simply stared at it. For one brief moment, she contemplated simply shutting the door, and staying in the house. It wasn't as if she really owed those people anything. She didn't have to help them any further than she had already. They looked to be quite competent, and Agarth was already a pretty powerful and experienced warrior. They didn't need her… not really.

Besides, it had been nearly a decade since she had even looked at her blade. She simply put it into the wardrobe, and never took it out. She had actually considered destroying it, but couldn't bear to do that. The blade had been a gift from her son before her deployment to Klurikon, and it was literally the only thing left of her past.

Shaking herself out of her funk, the Ljosalfar removed the weapon from its hiding place and unsheathed it, looking at the blade for a second. It looked no different from when she had looked at it last. The edge didn't look dull, and it still shone as if it had just been polished. A testament to its construction, and the durability of its sylvanite metal.

Resheathing it, Tilera exited her house, quickly making her way back to the inn. The sun was beginning to set, and if the Red Legion operated like any other bandit group out there, they would begin their attack at night.

Herc was the first to see them… and he did so only by complete accident.

He had just finished talking to the last guard on his patrol route when he caught a movement in his peripheral vision. When he turned to look, he saw four more shadowy figures hiding in whatever corners they could find. "Sound the alarm," he quietly ordered the guard. "Then grab whoever you can and meet me at the inn. I'm going to warn them that the attack has started." Without waiting for a reply, he started running toward the inn. He had to make sure they didn't simply try to burn the building down. If one building caught fire, the rest of the village might follow!

Faith had to admit that simply waiting for the morning to arrive had a degree of tension.

Even though they had to get to Gorugath to warn the Fae about the Red Legion, she also knew that heading out after dark carried its own set of risks. Not only was the Red Legion itself most likely out in force, but there were also the nocturnal creatures roaming about. And she had no real desire to put herself in mortal danger again for a good long while.

There was also Illuvia and her information to take into consideration. Aery's assault on Agnur Farhal would most likely clue them in that Illuvia was still alive, and send their people in to finish the job. But how would they do that? Would they simply launch an all-out attack? Would they have someone try to sneak in and finish her off quietly with a knife? Poison? Perhaps they would simply attempt to burn the inn to the ground. There were simply too many ways to defend against. Sighing, she laid her head against the wall, absently finding herself wondering if she had ever had to worry about things like this in her past life.

The sound of the door slamming open caught her attention, and a bad feeling growing in her gut made her grab her sword. "I'll be right back," she told Agarth and Gwyn. "Hopefully, it's nothing serious."

Agarth gripped his sword, not believing that for one second. Gwyn was of the same thought, her hand grabbing her spear. Aery was rising, her brow furrowing.

Herc reached her as she exited the room, his gaze slightly panicked. "They're here!" he gasped out. "They're in Gorhart, and converging on the Inn!"

Faith turned around. "I was wrong! The Red Legion's on the attack!" She looked at Herc. "Is the guard going to be able to help us?"

"By Mitharu, I hope so."

"Well then… let's get going, then."

Agarth nodded. "I'll wait here, just on the off chance some of them make it inside."

Faith and Gwyn quickly headed out.

As they would find out much later, the guard wouldn't be able to help them. They had their own hands full. The Red Legion wasn't taking any chances, so they had sent a group of fifty to take Illuvia and her protectors out. Civilians were running everywhere, trying to escape the village while they could, while the guards, outnumbered as they were, moved to engage. None of them really had a clue as to why, but that didn't really matter. All that mattered was trying to protect the village.

This was the situation that Tilera soon came across, having heard the sound of battle beginning almost as soon as she stepped out of her house. "Of course," she muttered, starting forward. "Of course, they would attack while we were getting ready. They could have waited until Faith and her group left Gorhart, but they clearly couldn't wait." It certainly proved that despite their numbers, they were still a bunch of idiots.

Sighing once more, she unsheathed her blade, making for the fight. It had been a while since she had been in a battle. She could only hope she wasn't too rusty.

She would soon get her answer when she intercepted one bandit as he was prepared to run a guard through from behind. Her blade slashed across his back, causing him to let out a scream of pain. A scream that ended once she slammed her hilt into the back of his head. At that moment, she didn't care if he lived or died, so long as he was no longer a threat.

The guard nodded to her in thanks, before heading over to help a villager to his feet. She immediately started running to the inn, stopping only to help when necessary.

She quickly ran into Faith, Gwyn, and Herc, all who were busy contending with numeral opponents. Herc was actually acquitting himself very well, disabling two of his attackers after what seemed like a hard-fought battle. Faith wasn't faring too badly herself, if the five lying motionless, though still breathing on the ground, were of any indication.

Gwyn however, was having slightly more trouble. Her two remaining opponents were smart enough to stay out of range of her spear, dodging and weaving around. They were clearly waiting for an opening in which to strike against her.

Tilera decided to give her a hand, especially when she saw a third bandit trying to attack the Warsworn from behind. She immediately focused on what she almost was certain was a female, and leaped forward.

The bandit, to her credit, quickly noticed her attack, but couldn't really do anything to stop Tilera's forward momentum. She simply brought her sword up, bracing herself for the strike.

The two blades clashed, but the bandit's quick actions allowed her to stay on her feet, though it was clear that she had felt it. She took a step back, of course, but that was it. And then she pushed back.

Tilera disengaged before she could be pushed off her feet, a little surprised by the quickness of this one. And, in the split second before the next attack on either side, she took a moment to study her opponent. Sure enough, it was a female. She was fully covered in leather armor, complete with helmet, allowing for greater ease of movement, but also hiding her identity and even race from sight. This was someone who clearly didn't want to be known, which would allow her to enter Gorhart without suspicion, should she ever take it off. She quickly re-engaged, testing the warrior's defenses. To her ever-growing surprise, she found them to be very sound. In fact, it was almost as if she had had training as a soldier.

Now she was really hoping that she wasn't rusty.

Gwyn seemed to have had enough, since she suddenly let out a battle cry, and leaped forward, spear coming down. The two bandits quickly moved out of the way, getting ready to strike her from both sides the moment the tip of the spear hit the ground.

Unfortunately for them, she had been expecting that for the moment her spear tip buried itself into the ground, she had leaped up again, using the spear as leverage to whirl in midair, giving them both a solid thumping. Pulling the spear out, she smacked them with the blunt end, knocking them both out.

Faith, by this point, had dispatched her last opponents and was looking around. "Herc!" she called out.

Herc waved his hand, taking very deep breaths. "I'm fine!" he got out. "Just tired! I never expected a full-scale battle like this to happen, or I would have exercised more! Just get to the inn! Some of them managed to slip by while we were occupied!"

Gwyn took one look over at Tilera's battle and brought her spear up. "Go! I'll help Tilera!" She promptly moved forward, stabbing forward. The bandit effortlessly deflected it, though it meant that her attack on the Ljonsalfar was broken off. Tilera immediately stepped back to catch her breath.

Faith immediately ran for the inn, hoping to catch them before they could get to Illuvia.

The second that the Dustlings had left the building, Aery had begun figuring out what she could do. Admittedly, it wasn't much, as most of her spells would invariably bring the inn down on all of them, even if she were to step outside. Not only that, she wasn't really the best fighter in the world. If they managed to get inside, she wouldn't be able to protect Illuvia.

Agarth, it seemed, had figured that out as well, as he was currently standing at the door, waiting quite patiently. His blade was out, and on his shoulder, ready to be swung at a moment's notice. For someone who was most likely going to die, he was remarkably calm. Almost cheerful in fact, as opposed to everyone else who was within its walls. "How are you so calm?" she finally asked.

The Fateweaver grinned. "Oh, this isn't the worst situation I've ever found myself in," he replied. "Besides, things could a whole lot worse."

Illuvia looked around, not having moved from the bed yet. "Is there another way out of here?" she asked.

The Innkeeper shook her head. "This place doesn't have a back door. It was kind of built-in a hurry." She snapped her fingers. "However, the basement does have a tunnel leading directly into Mitharu's Mission!"

Agarth turned around, his gaze widening. He had known about the basement, of course. Most village businesses had such a room. It usually served as storage space for whatever they were selling. But very few of them had what could be construed as an escape tunnel. And if it led in Mitharu's Shrine… "Aery," he called out, "let's see if we can get her to the Shrine through that tunnel! Once she's in the Shrine, they won't dare attack… I hope."

"You hope?!"

"Holy Shrines and missions are considered neutral territory," Nanne explained as the innkeeper went to the door in question. "No one would dare attack them for any reason, for fear of divine retribution. Even most bandits dare not try."

"It will depend on how much the Red Legion really wants her dead, of course," Agarth added. "Hatred can sometimes prove stronger than fear of the Gods."

Aery and Illuvia looked at each other before the former helped the latter to her feet. It wasn't like they had many options open to them. If there was a chance that the mission could protect them, they would have to take that chance.

Besides, what other choice did they really have?

Faith made it to the Inn just in time to tackle a man before he could break the door down. She punched him hard, knocking him out, before standing in front of the door, blocking the way.

Four more stood ready for battle, their daggers already out. They were watching her carefully, waiting for the moment when they could strike. It would be tricky, as they already knew that her sword gave her a far better reach. Their agility would have to be their greatest asset in this fight.

Faith, for her part, was observing them as well. She was noting their movements, the tenseness of muscles, the shifting of eyes. She was waiting to see who would move first… and mentally calculating how to make them do that first move.

One of them decided to do just that and quickly leaped forward, daggers flashing. Her sword was up and blocking the attack, only for the second to follow suit. She was forced to duck, taking the time to sweep the first one off his feet. She quickly jumped away as the third one entered the fray as well. It was a pretty impressive strategy, and it probably would have worked… if they had been up against anyone else.

Luckily, Faith wasn't just anyone else.

Her blade moved every which way, blocking every single attack from the two bandits. She remained in one place, moving only when she needed to. And it was clear that her attackers were getting frustrated, and possibly a little desperate. Just a moment more…

Finally, one of them went in, overextending their thrust. Faith simply let her blade slide between the two daggers while leaning her head back, catching him in the chest. He looked down, then at her, before dropping to the ground, the life slowly leaving his eyes as he bled out. The other one, stunned by how quickly she had dispatched his partner, that he reacted too slowly. In a few short seconds, she had disarmed him, her blade not at his throat. And there, she saw the fear in his eyes, the realization that his life was at its end. He thought she was going to kill her.

The terrifying thing is… she really wanted to do just that. This man was trying to kill an innocent, obviously… but that wasn't the only reason. It was the fact that, in some corner of her mind, she was enjoying his fear. Knowing that she held his life in her hands, that with just a little push, she could finish him off once and for all. In that part of her mind, she was reveling in that fear.

This was a different feeling from the Tuatha. Hell, it was different from the one she had just killed. There, they had been systematic, unfeeling. Her simply doing a task she neither liked nor disliked, as a soldier should feel when they had to take a life. This wasn't that. This was enjoyment on a sadistic level that she wasn't expecting.

All of this went through her mind in about a second. A second she hesitated. One second too long.

The first bandit got back to his feet by this point and tackled her. She lost her grip on her sword as they both fell, and only her instinctively going into a side roll to land on top of him saved her from being stabbed. This time, she just punched him, making sure that he was unconscious this time before getting back up.

The bandit she had just held at swordpoint was already scampering off, his eyes never leaving hers as he ran away. She wondered what he had seen in them that terrified him so. But it didn't matter, as three more had arrived, and they weren't slowing down. She spotted her sword but guessed that she wouldn't get to it in time, as one of them had already notched an arrow, and was aiming right at her. So, she did the only thing she could think of… and probably the most foolish thing you could do.

Without a weapon, without even thinking about it, she charged right at them, rolling only once to avoid the surprisingly competent shot that whistled overhead. She ignored the two that, realizing that she wasn't going for them, continued for the inn, and leaped forward, kicking the archer right through the bow.

The archer hit the ground hard, gasping for air like it was going out of style. It would be a safe assumption that she had never been hit like that before.

And, as for the two that she had ignored? They quickly found out that there was a reason for this, as Agarth finally stepped outside, blade slamming into the ground just before them. The look on his face was that of a man ready to enjoy a good scrape. The two bandits brought their daggers to bear, ready to attack him…

...when they suddenly exploded into flames. The pain didn't last too long for them, as they fell to the ground, dead.

Faith and Agarth looked at each other, then at the corpses. "Did Aery…?" Faith asked, bewildered.

Agarth shook his head, putting the pieces together as he looked around. "No… I had them go to Mitharu's Shrine through a hidden tunnel in the Inn. That attack came from the opposite direction… from the general direction off Agnur Farhal."

Faith nodded, still confused by this, before hearing the sounds of battle still going on. This helped her regain her focus on the here and now. "Well, we can find out who just saved our bacon later. Right now, we need to see if Gwyn and Tilera are still alive."

Tilera was starting to wonder why this one woman was working for the Red Legion, and not running them.

She was strong, fast, and skilled. She also had plenty of experience and possessed a soldier's understanding of the battleground. She had proved that point when she dodged Gwyn's initial attack, also eviscerating the Warsworn in the process. And since that point, she had done an admirable job fighting them both. They hadn't been able to land a single blow on her, but she didn't seem to be suffering the same problem.

Currently, Tilera had a bruised cheek from a hard right hook, while Gwyn had a shallow cut on her arm from a glancing blow. Thankfully, that's all they had, but that could change.

And Tilera was getting tired. She wasn't a young woman anyone, even though she was by no means old. And while she was still fighting fit, she hadn't been in a real fight in over a decade. And it didn't help that other bandits were constantly getting in the middle of the fight, trying to catch her or Gwyn off-guard. It didn't work, but they did extend the fight out for far longer than desired.

And then the moment happened. Their opponent managed to bypass Tilera's defenses, almost stabbing her through and through. Only a last-second twist of her waist saved her from death. She had committed, perhaps out of eagerness or impatience, but it had damn near paid off.

It was enough of a mistake for Tilera to finally go on the offensive, smashing her elbow into the warrior's back, sending her forward and to the ground, her sword almost knocked out of her hand. Gwyn finished the job with a powerful double kick that sent her crashing to the ground. Her spear nearly managed to get the warrior, missing only because she just managed to get out of the way. She definitely knew what she was doing.

The bandit looked at them both, breathing heavily as she got to her feet again. She didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the near-miss, showing that she most likely faced similar near misses before. And it was clear that she was ready to continue the fight.

At least, until one of the other bandits seemed to spontaneously combust into flames. The bandit let out a brief scream of pain, flailing about in a futile effort to pat the flames out, before dropping to the ground, already a burned corpse.

The suddenness of the death seemed to bring all combat to a halt, as everyone tried to puzzle out what exactly happened. And then… the surviving bandits decided that discretion was the better part of virtue, and promptly ran for their lives. For all they knew, the fae had decided to try and get revenge for the near-death of one of their own. They weren't sticking around to find out.

The female looked at Gwyn and Tilera for a second more, before following her fellows out, though she was definitely far more reluctant with leaving a fight unfinished. The Guard, predictably, gave chase immediately, showing once and for all that, despite the reputation the village of Gorhart had procured, they were not cowards.

Gwyn leaned on her spear, clearly tuckered out from the fight. "Damn, that girl was good!" she panted. "What was she, army?"

"Probably," Tilera replied, taking a look around, taking an assessment of how much damage had been done to Gorhart. To her relief, it seemed that it was minimal. They had seemed to be only interested in killing Illuvia, not destroying one of the few settlements they could raid. "She was definitely trained in hand-to-hand combat and is experienced to boot. If… whatever just happened hadn't happened, I think she would have eventually won."

Gwyn didn't doubt that. Despite being a Warsworn and being a pretty decent fighter herself, she had been chosen for reasons other than combat. As such, her experience on the battlefield was notably less than most. In fact, next to the battle with the Tuatha, this was her second full-scale battle to date. And before that, the most she dealt with were in sparring sessions where, surprise surprise, she was usually on the losing side. Never battle-hardened warriors. And definitely not people spontaneously combusting into flame. Speaking of… "Any idea what that was all about?" she asked, gesturing toward the now charred body. "I've never heard of something like this happening before."

Tilera shook her head. "I can guarantee that this was not spontaneous," she replied, finally catching her own breath. Walking over to the body, she used her toe to push it over. "I saw this happen during my time in Klurikon, in the early days of the war. The Tuatha loved doing this to break the morale of the troops, and it was one of the reasons how they were able to push us back to Mel Senshir."

"I'm going to assume that the Tuatha weren't the ones to do this," Faith's voice called out as she and Agarth came up to them. "And Agarth's pretty sure that Aery didn't either. They're now at Mitharu's Shrine."

That was good news. There had been a good chance that they would be safe there.

Gwyn finally got her breathing back under control, no longer leaning. "Well, should we go back to Agnur Farhal?" she asked. "That attack force was pretty large, after all."

Tilera thought about it for a second, before nodding. "Let's talk to Herc about putting a group together," she replied. "I would rather have more than a group of four for storming an enemy camp."

Oddly enough, a smile emerged on Faith's face when she said that.

In the end, it didn't take much convincing.

The second the morning sun had risen, Herc had done what any Captain of the Guard would have done in his place. He had set up a small attack force to go after the retreating Red Legion and had done just that. Just to make sure that they didn't try to return. But by the time they managed to get to Agnur Farhal, the trail had gone cold.

"The fortress was evacuated," Herc informed them as they walked the grounds of Mitharu's Shrine. "We were able to enter without any resistance, which I found suspicious. But we didn't have to worry. The entire place was already abandoned. They took everything with them, including their weapons."

"They were able to pack everything up in the space of a day?" Gwyn asked in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe."

"So did we, but that seems to be the case. I've left some of the guards there, just in case they come back. I'm going to get some volunteers to search Agnur from top to bottom, just to make sure they're gone."

Nanne sighed. "I'm going to assume that they also took all of the poison they had created so far," she noted. A rather reluctant nod from Herc caused her to close her eyes in despair. "So now we have no idea where it's gone."

Faith rubbed her forehead in exasperation as she realized something. "They must have started evacuating when Aery attacked and we became involved. They saw us and realized that the fortress could still be breached. Though how they were able to get everything out in that short of a time, I don't even want to venture a guess."

"We can put it down under the same category as the strange fire strikes that occurred." Agarth thought about it for a second. "Do you have a clue as to how that happened?" Aery had confirmed that neither she nor Illuvia were responsible for that, but she did say that it was something a Tuatha would do. Considering the fact that it was only the bandits that were targeted and not the entire village, that ruled them out.

Focusing on the here and now, she stated, "Well, they can't have gotten too far with it."

"Probably not," Nanne agreed. "But you would have to go after them right now. If they manage to get into Odarath, they'll be difficult if not impossible to track."

"...Then we'll head out immediately." Faith turned to Tilera, shaking her hand. "Thank you for everything, Tilera. You have been a huge help."

Tilera smiled. "Actually… I was wondering if I could accompany you," she revealed.

"Huh?"

"I have been pretty bored here. The Red Legion have proven themselves a danger to us all as well as the fae." Her face hardened. "I may not command armies any longer, but I can still fight. So, would you like the help?"

Faith grinned. "I think… that we would." She turned to Agarth and Gwyn, both of who were nodding in agreement. "Well, let's get some supplies, and get going."

Karth smiled at the end of the line of carts as they rolled down the well-ridden dirt roads. It was impressive just how much could be down when you had a backup plan for a quick escape. It certainly helped that they had loaded all that they had already made and sent it out beforehand. It certainly made him happy.

What made him less than happy was the absolute failure of their attempted extermination of the fae and Tilera. Apparently, ten years without active combat had not dulled her skill any. And those newcomers had been a fly in the ointment, proving to be quite capable.

That incompetent fool Oswold on the other hand… that proved to be quite the surprise. Apparently, he wasn't so incompetent after all. He was able to marshall the village guard and fight back. Who would have thought? Perhaps sending so many at the same time had been a bad idea.

Of course, it didn't matter if they couldn't kill that lot. They just had to get rid of the fae enclave. That bloody Story of theirs was the perfect first strike. It would put them in a right tizzy, just enough for the Red Legion to attack. It would be good to hear about that.

Just a shame that he wouldn't be there to enjoy it.

The fae watched from Aery's old spot over Gorhart, nodded to herself, and disappeared. The two Seelie were safe. She felt like she had accomplished something good. Probably the only good thing she would ever do… unless what her brother had told her was true. She hoped it was.

She prayed it was.

Herc, Nanne, Illuvia, and Aery met Faith and the others at the exit to Gorhart, both smiling widely. Illuvia was sitting in a wheelchair due to her still recovering, she had wanted to thank them for helping her.

"So, you're both going to stay here," Agarth stated knowingly, "despite how the village treated you."

Aery nodded. "The people here should be shown that not every fae out there is Tuatha," she explained. "And Illuvia wants to learn everything she can about the young races, just so our people can better interact with them. I can also protect her better here than on my hill."

"I remember everything about my formula, so I'm going to start researching for a remedy," Nanne added, shrugging. "I created the problem, I might as well try and rectify it, too."

"And I'll start training new recruits for the Guard." Herc smiled. "We've rested on our laurels for far too long. The Red Legion walking right into our village without any fanfare has managed to shake people out of their complacency."

Tilera smiled at this. "At least some good has come out of this. Now all we have to do is stop the Legion from destroying the Ballad of Sir Sagrell, and we should be set." She focused on Gwyn for a second. "I do have a question, though. What about you, Gwyn? You do have responsibilities with the Warsworn. And I doubt we have enough gold to pay you for your services."

Gwyn grinned. "We can just say that I'm doing this pro bono," she replied. "And our journey will take us close to Shieldring Keep. I can stop in and speak with the Castellan there, and see if I am to report back to Helmgard."

Faith nodded, not really having anything to say to all of that. It was just now dawning on her that she was on the verge of what may very well be an epic adventure. She was about to see the world; a world she had to have walked before her death. Now though, she could see it with new eyes, experience it as if she was seeing it for the first time… which she was, technically. Not only that, she might be able to help others, as well as possibly learn more about her fate.

So instead, she shook Herc's hand. "The people of Gorhart are not cowards," she said with certainty. "Last night proved that succinctly. And I think Illuvia and Aery are in very good hands." She turned to the two fae in question, bowing. "I wish you two the best of luck here. Hopefully, the village will accept you both before long."

Illuvia nodded in agreement, smiling slightly. "Even if they don't, I am forever grateful for everything you have done for me, Faith," she said. "If not for you, I would already have returned to Esharra."

Faith had no idea what Esharra was, but they didn't really have time to ask questions. She simply accepted the thanks, before she turned to the open road. "Let's get going, guys. We definitely have a lot to do." They would have to bring Tilera up to speed about the Well of Souls, but that could wait until they were far enough from Gorhart. The fewer people aware, the better.

And, not knowing where the road would lead them, or what Fate had in store for them, they began the journey toward the House of Ballads.

And here is the third part of the Fae of Gorhart. I'm going to be following the House of Ballads side quest story, but I will also be trying to make the Red Legion a far bigger threat. I'm hoping that I can do it justice.