“You want us to what?!” Aliana practically screeched the words despite the group’s attempts to remain hidden behind the pear tavern they’d come across earlier. She pointed an accusing finger at Veldin, “You cannot be serious. You’re told they’re turning people into fey servants and you want us to hand ourselves over to them?!”

Misha raised her hands up and stepped in front of Aliana, trying to get her attention. “Aliana, please, we don’t want to attract attention.”

“No, we don’t, unless you’re Veldin, apparently.”

Veldin simply responded with an exasperated sigh. “Obviously, I do not expect us to simply sit back and allow them to turn us as they have other mortals. However, Remerick and I took the opportunity to scout the area closer to the ‘palace’ after our conversation with that fey.”

“I don’t know what sort of entrance we were even looking for,” Remerick added, his arms crossed over his chest in a tense and guarded posture, “but I definitely didn’t see one. I just saw roots covering the whole base of the thing. I don’t approve of Veldin’s plan, but I also don’t know how to get in there.”

“There has to be something,” Aliana retorted. “Veldin, you found the way in in the first place, didn’t you? Can’t you just… do that again?”

Veldin narrowed his eyes in response to Aliana’s question. “Are you even listening? There is no means for us to approach unassisted. Perhaps it would do to show you what it is we’re dealing with.”

Hesitant as Misha was to go along with this plan that Veldin was suggesting—Grey even paced around the group with whimpering noises to show his displeasure—the idea of seeing the tree up close sounded like a good idea. “Maybe, if we see it, we’ll find a better solution, then.”

Aliana, hands on her hips and holding her judging gaze on Veldin, simply said, “Fine. Let’s go take a look.”

It was decided that, with the size of their group, it would be best to wait until nightfall when they could use the darkness to their advantage. Or hope to, at least, as Veldin gave a cautious reminder that not all fey are nightblind. So, Misha and her companions found a patch of hedges near the outskirts of the village to hide out of sight until the sun set, then departed to the tree that stood tall in the distance.

Walking through village, choosing darker paths that seemed to be less populated, Misha remained vigilant for any signs of movement that were about. Once, she heard a sound several buildings down, and quickly alerted Grey and Veldin by tapping at their legs and gesturing in the direction of the movement.

A figure approached the door of one of the strange buildings here. The figure was familiar, a tall, clawed being that Misha recognized. It resembled the turned people from the inn that had tried to ambush her and Aliana. Veldin gestured for the group to hurry around a corner before they were spotted, but just before Misha did, she saw the clawed fey open the door and heard them begin speaking in their Feyish language.

Misha ducked around the nearest building, catching up to the others, but heard the commotion that suddenly began to escalate. Whatever that fey had entered that building for, it was not peaceful judging by the sounds of shouts that caught the whole group off guard and caused them to stand still in their tracks.

Aliana’s wide eyes flicked back and forth as she listened to the shouting. “What are they doing?” she whispered.

Remerick’s hand drifted to the sword on his belt, his expression growing all the more distressed as the shouting continued. Veldin, however, kept a stronger sense of composure as he listened.

“Can you understand what’s going on?” Misha whispered.

“Some… some of it,” Remerick answered. “Someone said… something about mortals.”

“We should be moving, now,” Veldin said.

Misha hesitated, finding her feet refusing to move. “What if the people in that building need help? What if they’re being atta—”

“I understand, Misha,” Veldin said quickly. “But we are not in a position to jump to everyone who is endangered by these ‘knights.’ If we act quickly, however, we will be in a position to stop all of this at the source.” Without waiting for any further response, he turned and continued walking.

Misha tried to put it out of her mind and followed after the rest of her companions, the shouting fading into the distance behind them all.

The distance to the tree was not truly so far, as the village was only so large even with the “renovations” made by fey presence. Misha and her allies came up over a hill which overlooked a small valley. The tree sat in the center of it, its width dwarfing any of the buildings here and its height being far too difficult to make out this close. And now, Misha understood what Remerick had meant.

Gigantic roots so large Misha almost mistook them for normal-sized, albeit gangly and lifeless trees rose out of the ground around the trunk, tangling over one another in a dense mass that surrounded the whole thing. A field of giant roots that wrapped around the base of the trunk and extended outward from there, so many of them covered in massive thorns as well.

“What is that?” Aliana wondered aloud.

“Our exact problem,” Veldin said. “Remerick and I spotted the roots move and allow several of these ‘knights’ to enter and exit, but I have had no luck in commanding the plant life. And truthfully, there is only so much I dare to tamper with it without knowing what variety of security measures are in place. If you have any suggestions, I welcome them.”

Misha looked on at the field of tangled roots. Even from up here on the hill, she could barely see the ground between or beneath them. Climbing over them may have worked if one was careful for the thorns, but then, where was the entrance exactly? If the knights were going in and out of the roots, there must have been one, but all Misha could see was an, although gigantic, otherwise normal tree.

“There has to be something,” Aliana insisted. “You were able to get close enough to mess with it, right?”

“While exercising awareness of any patrolling knights, yes.”

“Then I’ll go take a look, too.” Aliana began walking down the hill, though Grey whimpered and followed close behind her.

Remerick cast a worried glance to Misha and Veldin. “Shouldn’t we stop her?”

“The wolf does a suitable job of nannying, she’ll be fine so long as she listens to him,” Veldin said. Misha lightly slapped the side of Veldin’s leg and he looked down at her in surprise. “What was that for?”

“You were being rude. Grey isn’t nannying us. If we climb over the roots, could we get close enough to the tree for you to check for an entrance like you did with the barrier?”

“Potentially. But, as I said, I expect some form of security is in place. If the fey queen created this, there is a likelihood that she has some means of telling when creatures approach the tree.”

“Is that a more dangerous risk than getting the knights to take us in?”

Veldin paused and seemed to consider that for a moment while staring at Aliana down the hill. “I suppose either option is a terrible plan. I never claimed that my suggestion is not dangerous.”

“Wait,” Remerick spoke up suddenly. “Do you hear that?”

Misha and Veldin fell silent. At first, Misha did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Down the hill, Aliana walked along the edges of the massive tree roots while Grey kept pace next to her. Then the wolf stopped, glancing to one of the paths that led to this valley before nudging Aliana. Misha heard it at that point. Screaming, the sound of terrified shouts in Feyish.

Across the valley on the other side, movement was just visible in the light from the moon and stars above. One of the knight fey was walking towards the tree roots. In their clawed hand, they carried something which Misha realized was the source of the sounds. A squirming, fluffy creature carried by the taller one, screaming in terror as it tried to escape the clawed grasp. Down the hill, Aliana seemed to notice what was going on and began to make her way back to the group.

Remerick’s attention was fixed on the sight across the valley. “Velvet,” he said quietly, his hand clutching at Veldin’s wrist in a movement spurred on by sudden concern.

Veldin made no objection to the contact, watching the situation unfold. “I know, it’s the same one.”

“You know that fey?” Misha asked hurriedly.

“The small one, yes,” Veldin replied.

Already, Misha was reaching for her bow. Whether any of them knew the victim or not, letting them get dragged off like this was too much for her. Despite what Veldin had said earlier, he didn’t object when Misha swiftly drew an arrow to her bow and took aim at the larger fey. Aliana reached the group just as the arrow was sent flying, not having time to say or ask anything.

The arrow sailed through the air, silent in the night. It disappeared from Misha’s vision quickly in the darkness, but she did not fail to see the clawed fey stagger back and let out a grunt of pain. Their grip must have loosened because the smaller furry fey slipped free, tumbling to the ground and then sprinting across the grass. From this distance, Misha thought the creature must have been a rabbit or a fox, but that was clearly not the case from the fact that they had spoken. It took mere moments for the creature to disappear from sight in some taller patches of grass.

The knight reached one hand up to their shoulder where the arrow must have struck, and Misha heard them shouting something that was unintelligible to her. But judging by the way Veldin cursed quietly, he understood perfectly well.

The tree roots began to move, several of them unfurling and lifting into the air, creating tunnels that led somewhere underground. More of the knight fey emerged, five more of them that immediately spotted the group and began running for them. The tree roots lowered and returned to their resting positions. Grey began snarling, fur on end. Aliana and Remerick each drew their weapons, and Aliana shouted, “What do we do?! Can we take them?!”

Even as Misha grabbed another arrow, Veldin stepped forward and held up a hand. “Wait.”

“Veldin, I am not doing this!” Aliana shouted at him, turning to face the approaching fey.

Misha looked at the roots. They’d moved so quickly to seal off the entrances. Even if their group were to make it past the knights, there was no way the tunnels would simply remain open for them. “We have to do it, Aliana.” She lowered her bow.

“What?! Misha, they’re going to kill us, or… or do to us what happened to them!”

When Misha said nothing, Aliana tried looking to Remerick who shared an apprehensive expression with her, but returned his weapon to its sheath. Grey remained snarling, muscles tense and ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

Veldin shouted in Feyish at the first of the knights to approach. The insect-like person, formerly a drakkin, responded in kind. Misha could make out a biting tone in the way the fey spoke, but understood none of the words. Her heart pounded as the rest of the knights surrounded their group, but none raised their claws.

Veldin said something else, and the drakkin fey responded with a snide chuckle, the kind that indicated he was looking down on the mortals before him. But he lifted a hand, gesturing in a way that seemed to be instructing his “prisoners” to follow, and began walking towards the tree roots down the hill. Veldin and Remerick followed quietly and without complaint. Misha followed suit, but saw Aliana and Grey both hesitate. In response, a fey who had formerly been a harpy shoved Aliana roughly from behind and demanded, “Move, human,” in a gruff voice. Aliana relented, her and Grey walking after the others.

The lead fey stopped at the tree roots and spoke more Feyish, directing this comment to the plants themselves. Once more, the roots rose from the ground, forming a tunnel that looked more like a pathway in a dense, dead forest. Misha stared into the tunnel, barely able to make out much in the darkness that lay beyond.

“Our queen has more than enough servants from the mortals that once lived on this land,” the drakkin fey said. Misha felt dread clench at her chest and throat as she suddenly felt she knew that voice. “She is far more selective with admitting only the most quality warriors into her service. If you survive, you will be considered.”

“What do you mean ‘if’ we survive?! What are you trying to do to us in there?!” Aliana shouted.

“They’ll test us,” Veldin said quietly. “Though I doubt they’ll be so considerate as to tell us in what way.”

The drakkin fey smirked. The fey who had once been the man named Logram, Misha realized, a pit forming in her stomach and her blood rushing through her body. The fey stepped aside from the entrance, gesturing to it. “Now then. In you go.”

Aliana shook her head. “This is insane!”

Her hand reached down to Moonlight at her hip. Before she could even touch it or any of the knights could respond, Misha shouted. “Aliana, stop it!”

Aliana was caught off guard, freezing in place.

“Stay here and fight back if you want. I’m going in,” Misha said, her voice low and firm. She walked into the tunnel. Footsteps followed her, Veldin’s and Remerick’s she guessed, not that she looked back at the moment to confirm. She only walked until she heard a third set of footsteps, signaling Aliana, and the paws of Grey joining them. The roots around them moved, and Misha finally allowed herself to look back. The entrance had been sealed.

“Aliana,” Misha said. “The people of this village are dead.”

Aliana was silent.

“That’s right, isn’t it, Veldin? Those fey aren’t the people they used to be, right?”

Veldin sighed, sounding tired. “You are correct. If you had hopes to save them… Well, it is far too late for that. It likely has been since the start.”

“Then whatever happens going forward, we’re stopping Limalsa. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“I would certainly hope so.” Veldin looked up at the “ceiling” of roots, then around at the ground. “Where is this fog from?”

“Fog?” Misha hadn’t noticed it before, but Veldin was right. There was a fog rolling in along the ground, thick and damp. It was nothing like the clear weather outside. “We should be careful as we move on…”

The tunnel of roots split off every now and then, forming a maze over grass and dirt which had grown soft and damp. Misha and her allies did not spend much time debating which paths to take, as there seemed to be no way to tell where they were and which ones led where.

As the group continued, the fog grew heavier in the air, clinging to Misha’s fur and her whiskers. She realized that the ground before her was becoming hidden by the mist. "Watch your footing here," she said. Grey stopped beside her and leaned his head down, offering his back to her. Misha gripped his fur and nimbly climbed up to sit between his shoulders. "Thank you, Grey."

Grey twitched his ears and gave a singular tail wag before continuing on.

“What is that?” Remerick asked quietly. “That sound?”

Aliana looked around and Misha strained her ears atop her head for any sign of what Remerick had meant. There was movement in the fog like soft, light footsteps. The steps of someone trying to move undetected. Misha held up her bow, grabbing an arrow from her quiver and holding both at the ready. She only hoped that she would be able to aim well enough in these tunnels. Aliana's hand gripped the hilt of Moonlight, and she revealed just enough of the sword from its sheath to reveal the silver light it gave off. The light provided some visibility directly around Aliana, but little more than that. Then, Misha saw a shadow in the fog, appearing from one of the paths up ahead.

"There!" she shouted. She began to aim her bow but felt Grey shift his weight as if indicating his intent to move. Misha ducked down onto his back just as the wolf dodged to the side out of the way of something that had tried to rush them both. Misha could barely make out the thing's shape in the obscured terrain. She turned, trying to track the creature's movement or discern what it was that was attacking. She saw movement, but only then realized it was not the same one that had rushed past her and Grey. It was a second, which must have come from another path. Perhaps even a third? She could not tell.

Misha hadn't realized she had even heard Veldin's voice casting a spell before light illuminated the ground around them. The thick fog fought against the light to keep its attackers obscured, but it did enough to reveal a new form which ran out of the fog towards the group. Misha caught a humanoid shape with the thin wings of an insect. Another of the knights? It must have been. But she could make out no details further than that before the being swiped an arm through the air. Along with the movement came a new bout of fog, denser than what had come before.

Aliana shouted out as something moved by her, but the new wave of fog quickly obscured her from Misha's vision. To the other side, Remerick stepped between Veldin and the fey being before the three of them disappeared into the fog as well. More mist swirled around Misha from where she sat atop Grey's back.

"Aliana!" Misha shouted. "Veldin? Remerick?!"

She heard no response, but realized that Grey hard turned and was running now.

"Grey, where are you going?! We have to help them!"

Grey growled, not slowing down as he leaped over ditches in the dirt and smaller roots on the ground that came into view mere moments before he needed to avoid them. To the sides, Misha saw more shadows in the fog. They were giving chase. She tried to line up an arrow towards one of them, letting it fly, but could not tell if it had struck its target or the walls of roots. The fog continued to close in, limiting vision further and further.

Then, suddenly with one great jump, Grey and Misha found themselves out of the fog. They’d landed in a clearing among the massive tree roots that made their own bizarre forest. Or perhaps “cavern” would have made a more appropriate word as the roots still formed a thick ceiling above. Grey stopped there, skidding to a halt in the soft dirt.

"Aliana!" Misha shouted as she turned back to where they had come from. "Can you hear—" She stopped. Before her, where she and Grey had come from, was a wall of dense white fog. It swirled about the entrance to the tunnel. The forest had its own mist here along the ground, but nothing like the bizarre magic that blocked Misha's view from her companions. There was no sign of the things that had chased her and Grey, either. Slowly, she climbed off of Grey’s back and onto the ground, taking tentative steps towards the wall of fog.

"What... What is this?" she asked. She reached out a hand and pressed it against the wall. Truly against the wall. The fog resisted and she felt as if she were trying to sink her hand into layers and layers of thick cotton.

Misha looked around. She saw only the tree roots that rose up and fell over one another and entangled into one another. She saw Grey. She saw nothing else.