They started walking along the halls on their way out of the Villa, limping heavily in Trad’s case.

Stopping Trad said, “Could you straighten my leg out? I’ll be able to walk better I think.”

Kneeling Obbst said, “Hrrm, how careful do I have to be?”

“Not particularly, this chassis is done for. Just don’t break it worse or you’ll end up carrying me I guess.”

Nodding Obbst reached out and tried to straighten some of the damaged sections, the tough metal Trad’s body was made out of resisting his attempts.

He growled and flames bloomed over his skin, groaning and creaking the metal bent until it was approximately where it needed to be.

Once he was done Trad said, “Thank you. That’s much better.”

Obbst nodded and said, “Welcome. We best get moving. My disruption was only the closest barracks and the outer ones will be mobilising now. I don’t particularly want to face an army.”

“Good point. Let’s be gone.”

They headed out, through the silent battle damaged halls.

Insects droned around the guards Trad had put down on the way in, the bright afternoon sun slanting across them and the tacky drying pools of blood they lay in.

“So Trad, where to now?”

“Now we need to wait and see how Kireless and her breedmate do in ousting Folscach. We’ve given them the chance but they have to organise their supporters to take advantage of it, they should be able to unless Folscach has more support we don’t know about or is willing to use a lot more Chanar blood than we think he even has in cowing theirs.”

“Well, I now have no home I always lived in the barracks or at Halas’ Villa and I don’t want to hang around Chelavis City. I’d prefer to not be in the Confederacy at all because I’d much prefer to be somewhere out of Folscach’s reach.”

Stopping Trad turned and looked behind them, in the air above the Villa and said, “That has just become an exceptionally good idea…”

Noticing, Obbst looked as well. Hovering over the Villa on clouds of blood was Folscach, two other Centaurs and a dozen Minotaurs.

He said, “Hrrm, run.”

“I have a better idea. Safer. Walk quickly and do not pull away from me.” The Noble reached out and placed his hand on Obbst’s arm, purple energy flowed out around them. Then he muttered quietly, “We are now invisible and somewhat muffled, if we don’t move too fast we won’t be seen… I hope.”

It was a nervous walk across the wide open lawns around the Villa expecting at any second to hear a shout or get attacked, glancing back constantly and watching as Folscach’s group landed in the courtyard of the Villa and going inside. They reached the tree-line without being noticed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Trad still quietly said, “We don’t have to wait to find out now at least, those Centaur with Folscach were the Matron and her breedmate and the Matron was the one in chains. Somehow I feel that tells us exactly how their coup has gone.”

“Hrrm, well that’s a fail. Guess their relationship wasn’t that strong. Where to now then?”

“We need to get to the warrens on the other side of the city. But from there we’ll end up going to the main warren under the Iaernide Peninsula because this is now a matter for the full Royal council and way beyond me. Also, Folscach is burning a huge amount of power in ferrying even prisoners around, that is not the action of someone with a limited amount of an extremely powerful resource. We have miscalculated how much he had and how powerful Chanar blood really is.”

Obbst said, “Should we hurry or continue taking it slowly?”

“I really don’t want to risk the chance Folscach may try to find us, so slowly it is.”

As they set off Obbst said, “Why not just teleport us? I know you have the ability.”

Trad’s voice was quiet as he said, “Keep your voice down the stealth field is good but the less we disturb it the better. This estate is entirely blocked by some sort of ward because the Centaurs themselves rarely use teleportation. Worse we can’t even teleport into Chelavis City because there’s a Ward over the whole thing as well, we’ll have to run it.”

They walked in silence for a bit longer when they were almost off the estate Obbst stiffened because he’d heard a soft footfall behind him.

Spinning he saw a sleek shape of blood saturated with pure magic, it looked vaguely like some sort of big cat and it was looking at them with one foot frozen in midair where it was about to take another step.

They stood there for several heartbeats just looking at each other before it pounced, on Trad.

It knocked him to the ground and grabbed the arm he was using to fend it off between it’s jaws, with a wrenching motion of it’s head it tried to tear that arm off. It was seemingly surprised when the tough metal resisted it easily.

Obbst dashed over and kicked it in the flank as hard as he could. He cursed when the blood gave like a glove filled with jelly and snapped back into place without any effect other than the thing spitting out Trad’s arm and turning it’s attention to him.

It lashed out with a paw almost the size of his head, Obbst ducked under the blackened claws of hardened blood and slapped the second lashing blow aside. He jumped back away as it tried to bite him.

Following closely it kept up the attack, slashing at Obbst with it’s claws and trying to bite him in between.

He punched it and again nothing.

Growling his fists ignited in flames.

Now when he hit it, it’s surface sizzled and blackened clumps of solidified blood fell to the ground.

Growling his annoyance he wiffed yet another blow, the thing was faster than him. Not by much but by enough that he just couldn’t hit it.

Veldt said from inside, “Just cook the thing! Stop playing around, you’ve seen that fire damages it use enough so it can’t dodge.”

“Hrrrmph.”

As he stopped and built the spell form she said, “I have no idea how you’ve managed to get your grumpiness to shine through so well in just a simple grunt.”

Shaking his head and ignoring her he threw a hissing ball of flames that exploded when it hit covering it in small flames.

The blood blackened all over it’s body, sloughing away in chunks as it ran around frantically rubbing on trees.

Obbst watched it burn, then shook himself and hurried over to Trad’s side.

Kneeling he said, “Are you ok?”

“Not at all, something’s bent in my torso and I can’t move it any more. My legs just twitch and my arm is worse than it was.”

“Guess I’m carrying you then.”

Trad’s voice was annoyed as he said, “If you don’t mind.”

“Hrrmph why are you annoyed at me?”

“Oh, er, sorry I’m not. I’m annoyed at myself I’m better than this.”

Obbst shook his head and said, “You said it yourself earlier your magic is all illusion, social manipulation, and force spells. These blood things don’t have minds for illusions or social manipulation and force just goes through them. This is a bad match for your skillset but you’ve been successful in your goal and learned where some of your weaknesses are. I’m willing to bet your Royals will be quite ok with this outcome.”

“I can only hope you’re right.”

Obbst said, “I am certain I am, now lets get you up and get out of here… can you still cover us in that illusion?”

As Obbst swung his ungainly body up and over his shoulder Trad said, “Yes spellcasting has nothing to do with my body all of that works from my core.”

“Hrrm, good. Do it.”

Obbst saw the tracery of purple energy cover them as he set off, it was going to be a long slow walk.

********

Eighteen weeks later.

Obbst walked slowly along the street in Transient Town, the city the Iaernide had built and kept on the peninsula for their guests. Nearly every race of the Fae Realm was represented in the city, Fae, Trolls, Oruc, Raelians, Beastmen of all sorts, puny looking but incredibly arrogant Entrakian humans, even some colourful Toreeto from the far frozen north and not a single one was a slave.

He was on his way to have lunch and would be meeting Trad after about some request that had been made of the Iaernide, one that would lead back to Folscach.

The crowd in his favoured BBQ place was thick and raucous as always, mostly stubby Raelians, Trolls with their horns scraping on the smoke blackened beams, and gray-green skinned muscular Oruc. He took an open table and waited.

When his waitress appeared he said, “Full platter please Maribeth, I have a powerful hunger.”

The Raelian woman winked and said, “That’s not all that’s powerful, coming right up hon.”

Hips rolling she hurried off to give his order to a smoke stained Iaernide servant who was working over the huge BBQ pit. He chuckled. Her attempts at flirtation were totally wasted on him because she was two legs shy of ever being interesting in that way, but she was also a very good waitress who made sure he was well looked after whenever he came here to eat.

Which was often because the BBQ was very good.

It was a good thing Maribeth was a sturdy Raelian woman because the full platter was wide enough she needed both hands to carry it, heaped with steaming meaty goodness slathered in BBQ sauce.

She put it down in front of him with a relieved sigh and said, “There you go hon. Enjoy.”

He tucked in with gusto and only a short while later he was sucking the meat from the last rib and chasing the last drops of saucy goodness around the platter with a hunk of bread.

Sitting back he released a contented sigh. Sitting there happily stuffed he sipped at his beer and waited for the food to settle, once the beer was empty he stood and made his way tot the cashiers station.

Maribeth waved and blew him a kiss as he left, pocketing the excellent tip he’d given her.

Still chuckling and in a good mood he headed toward the warren entrance, as always the oppressive quiet, sterile, and dead air of the warrens set him on edge. This was not a place for the living but he also knew now that was deliberate on the part of he Iaernide, they liked having the people who visited them in their warrens on edge.

Walking into the cavernous meeting chamber Obbst saw Trad, two hulking melee protected, a servant, and two rifle toting protected as well as a golden cat-like creature with wings and the face of a Fae.

The servant scuttled forward and said, “Friend Obbst, Noble Trftdrwxyt and Royal Janeine wish to speak with you of matters relating to the destruction of Folscach. The Royal will deign themselves to speak in Fae if you would do the same.”

Obbst bowed to the Royal and said, “I am thankful for the Royal’s consideration, though Noble Trad can go hang himself, if he expects formality now he is going to be sorely disappointed. Also you are not Hd, I would know that nut-shotting little turd anywhere.”

A hollow laughing sound came from one of the melee protected.

Trad said, “Hd is now Hz and on the soldier path having achieved all it needed to as a servant. This is Pg the newest protected under my care.”

Obbst nodded to Pg then said, “Oh this is a great! Hz will need training won’t it?”

Trad laughed and said, “It will indeed. Are you offering? I could see training by a warrior of your stature to be incredibly valuable.”

Turning a vicious grin on the melee protected Obbst was gratified to see it shrink back and said, “I would be happy to aid you in your protected’s training and thank you for the honour.”

The Royal shook their head and said, “Just don’t break them badly enough to need to recall, that would be viewed poorly.”

Bowing his head Obbst said, “I would never do such a thing, breaking a trainee is pointless and I have considerable experience in just how far you can push them.”

The Royal said, “Well that sounds like an exceptional opportunity for Noble Trftdrwxyt’s protected. Noble I expect a full report on the effectiveness of Minotaur training techniques on protected.”

Bowing his head Trad said, “Certainly, knowledge is never wasted.”

The Royal said, “Now I will move on to why I actually asked to meet with you, there has been a request made of us that you are uniquely suited to fill. A Raelian Stramvhit training the heir to the Summer Fae Throne has requested through our channels a Warrior trainer who has Realm access, even better the heir shares your two Realms with you. Furthermore we know the Summer Court plans to move on the Cadogan Confederacy as soon as the heir is trained well enough to not die and they will be sending an army along with her. If you accept we will have Noble Trftdrwxyt and his protected accompany you. What do you say?”

Obbst thought and said, “It sounds too good to be true?”

The Royal chuckled, a deep purring sound, and said, “Yes, yes it does. But we’ve checked quite thoroughly and it is all above board, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.”

“In that case I accept. Training the heir to the Fae Throne and a chance to kick Folscach in the teeth with the help of an army? How could I turn that down?”

“We are glad you see it that way, travel has been arranged and you start the training two weeks from today.”

Obbst bowed form the waist and said, “I thank you for this chance Royal and will not cause any embarrassment for the Iaernide by my actions or words.”

“The reassurance is not necessary, we are certain you won’t because that is not in your nature. Very well. Trftdrwxyt has all the details I would wish you luck but I am very certain you do not need it.”

The Royal stood and stretching like the cat they appeared to be walked out through the large door in the far wall of the room.

As they walked out of the room Trad said, “Well this is going to be fun I’m sure.”

Obbst grinned and said, “Very.”