Kael looked out from the balcony of the steel skull, the sounds of the ongoing battle filtering through the massive structure. His eyes narrowed as he observed Lira in battle, his thoughts racing. Lira and the green cloak, the fae and the golems, he needed to do something, and Kael could feel the weight pressing down on him.

  He clenched his fist and then opened his palm, summoning two wisps into his hand, their light pulsing faintly in the dimming sky. Blinky, the smaller of the two, blinked with a playful energy, while Twinkle’s light was steadier, almost focused.

  “Blinky, go,” Kael commanded, his voice urgent. “Go to Highhaven. See where the magic is coming from. Go through the forest, not the straight path. We can’t risk the fae seeing you coming. Go quickly.”

  Blinky zipped from his hand, darting into the air with a speed that would make even the fae jealous. It was gone before Kael could blink, vanishing into the trees that lined the path. Kael’s attention turned to Twinkle, who was floating with a steadiness in his hand.

  “Twinkle,” Kael continued, “Go and help Lira… Please.”

  Twinkle darted from his hand without a moment’s hesitation, its light flashing like a comet as it sped toward the battlefield. He could see Lira, her arm wounded, struggling to keep up with the quick movements of Lyanna.

  Lyanna’s sword was already raised as she dodged another blow from Lira’s massive mace. The fae warrior was fast, her blades slicing through the air with deadly precision, her agility a blur against Lira’s brute strength. Lira swung again, her mechanical wings flapping hard against the wind, but Lyanna moved as though she part of the air.

  A fire bolt shot from Lyanna’s hand, but Lira didn’t flinch, instead twisting her body to counter, her mace coming down with the weight of a boulder. Yet, Lyanna was too quick, dancing away before the blow could land.

  "Is that all you've got, monster?" she taunted, her words sharp as she danced around Lira's strikes. She raised two fingers, launching a fire bolt that hit Lira square in the chest. The bolt of fire sent Lira stumbling backward. Her mechanical wings beat harder and Lira struggled to recover.

  Lyanna had closed in.

  Her twin swords were raised for the final strike when a shock pricked her neck. She flinched and turned, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the source, a wisp, buzzing around her like a playful insect.

  Lyanna swung her swords at it in frustration, but the little wisp danced just out of reach, weaving in and out of her strikes. It was unnerving, the way it seemed to dodge with ease.

  With a swift motion, she drew her bow from her back, notched an arrow, and aimed. The tension in her body coiled, every muscle screaming for the steadiness that her bow demanded.

  She could take it out with a single shot.

  But before Lyanna could release the arrow, Lira made her move. With a speed born of desperation, she flew straight at Lyanna, her mace thrusting forward. The attack came faster than Lyanna thought possible. Lyanna barely had time to react.

  She raised her bow to block the incoming strike, but the force of Lira’s swing pushed her back, sending her stumbling several paces. The blow left Lyanna’s bow cracked, the wood splintering under the immense weight of the strike. Lyanna grimaced as she drew her twin swords, her face set in determination.

  The battlefield above Highhaven was a blur of motion—flying golems, the crackle of magic, the deadly clash of blades. Among them, Lyanna floated through the air, her fae agility barely hampered by Lira's last attack. Her bow was broken but Lyanna's twin short swords were extensions of herself, flashing in the light as they clashed against Lira’s mace.

  But Lyanna’s eyes weren’t only focused on Lira. A tiny, glowing wisp circled round the Master like a guardian angel, weaving and dodging between the chaos of the battle.

  The wisp was a distraction, and she knew it. She swung one of her short swords at the annoying wisp, but Twinkle was too quick, darting out of reach, its blue light flashing as though the will-o’-the-wisp was taunting her.

  Her attention elsewhere, Lyanna’s senses tingled as she felt Lira dive straight toward her. The massive mace swung downward, aiming to crush her in a single blow. Without thinking, Lyanna used Glade Step, vanishing from sight for the briefest of moments, only to reappear to the side, narrowly avoiding Lira’s attack. The swing of the mace hit nothing but its power so great, Lira had to flip herself backwards to counter its momentum.

  Twinkle shot toward her again, buzzing with that same distracting energy. Lyanna gritted her teeth, but her focus never wavered. She spun, her movements fluid, as Lira came in again with another wild swing. This time, Lyanna blocked with one of her swords, the strike pushing her back in the air.

  Lira’s eyes blazed with fury as she tried to bring the mace down again, but Lyanna was faster. She ducked under the swing, rolling out of range, and launched a burst of fire from her palm, sending a wave of flame at the mechanical Master. But Lira dodged with ease, her wings flapping with such force that the fire barely touched her.

  Lyanna didn’t pause. She fired another burst, this time ice, aiming for Lira’s wings, hoping to slow her down. The ice caught part of her wing, but Lira quickly broke free with a violent flap. The attack had done little to slow her.

  Then, as if sensing her growing frustration, another shock on her leg from the pesty wisp. Lyanna turned her attention back to Twinkle. She could see the wisp darting in and out of her range, its erratic flight preventing her from landing a clean hit.

  She didn’t have time for this.

  With a fierce yell, Lyanna hurled one of her twin short swords at Lira, sending it spinning through the air with a deadly arc. Lira’s eyes widened as she twisted her body in the air, her mechanical wings flaring out to evade the attack. But as the sword flew by, Lyanna’s body flickered for an instant, vanishing in a burst of speed. A perfect execution of Dreamveil Slash. She reappeared at the point where her sword was heading, holding on to the hilt, and her two swords slashing at Lira’s back.

  Lira, still quick, managed to roll mid air just out of reach. The sword missed, but Kael’s eyes caught the glint of silver as Lyanna’s blade caught Lira’s mechanical wing instead. The impact sent a jolt through the air, and for a moment, Lyanna saw the wing falter, the metal bending slightly under the force.

  Lira’s movements were slowed, her wings beating harder but her form was dropping from the air. Lyanna didn’t waste a second, her eyes darting to Twinkle, the little wisp who followed Lira’s descent with furious speed, zipping through the air like a lightning bolt. The wisp was relentless, buzzing around Lira’s body as she fell.

  A fall from this height meant certain death and Lyanna turned her attention to the nearby winged golems, her blades raised and ready.

  ******

  Blinky darted through the trees, its tiny blue light flickering like a distant star in the vast expanse of the forest.

  Avoid the straight path, its Master said.

  It zipped between the trunks, weaving in and out of the dense foliage with remarkable speed. Kael watched intently through Blinky, his eyes closed as the wisp danced through the air, its erratic movements both mesmerizing and strategic. The wisps had become a reliable tool for him, always useful in its mission to scout ahead.

  But then, as Blinky zipped through a patch of dense underbrush, a sudden flash of motion caught its attention. A faint rustle in the trees, then a shimmering movement between the branches. Blinky darted to the side, its light dimming momentarily as it avoided the narrow passage between two trees.

  Before it could react, a sharp whistling sound split the air.

  An arrow flew with deadly speed, its tip aimed straight for the wisp’s light core. The shaft pierced through the air, striking Blinky with deadly accuracy. In a flash of blue light, the arrow hit, and Blinky’s light was extinguished.

  A cold silence fell, and Kael’s heart dropped into his stomach as his connection with his wisp was severed in an instant. His eyes darted across the trees, his breath quickening.

  "Ambush! Fae are in the trees!" Kael shouted, his voice carrying through the steel skull, the metal walls of the Factory reverberating with his warning. His hands instinctively reached for his sickle, feeling the icy edge of the sickle as he prepared for what was to come.

  At that very moment, a contingent of fae rushed into the command room, swiftly and deadly, their wings beating in sync as they burst through the entrance. They flew with purpose, their movements fluid and precise, the force of their charge propelling them forward like arrows in flight. A fae cloaked in green brandished a blade, its point aimed directly at Avaris, who remained seated calmly on his throne.

  “Avaris," the fae spoke, her voice cold and unwavering, "surrender."

  Avaris’s eyes narrowed, his single, gleaming eye meeting the fae’s with an air of quiet disdain. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, a signal to his creations. “Sentinel golems, arise.”

  At his command, the gears in the command room began to stir, their motion fluid and mechanical. The walls themselves seemed to shift as metal and steel plates clicked together, forming monstrous humanoid shapes. Large golems, made entirely of interconnected gears and blades, began to assemble before the fae, their glowing red eyes flickering to life. Each of their arms was a large blade, and their spiked bodies seemed built for nothing but destruction.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The fae and the golems collided with the force of a storm. The first clash was a deafening sound of metal on metal, the fae with their blades meeting the golems’ razor-sharp appendages in a battle of strength and skill.

  The fae, though small in comparison to the golems, moved with a speed and precision that made them a deadly threat. The fae in the green cloak moved with terrifying speed, a blur of motion as she darted toward Avaris. Her dual short swords gleamed in the light, their edges as sharp as her resolve. The gold-level warrior was a deadly sight, her eyes blazing with intent, her mind focused solely on the task at hand; taking down the Gearsmith who had brought war to Highhaven.

  But Avaris, ever the calm strategist, sat on his throne without so much as flinching. "Borota," he said simply, his voice filled with the same cold authority that had commanded the Factory’s forces from the beginning.

  From behind Avaris’s throne, Borota stepped forward. A towering Master—half flesh, half mechanical—his massive frame seemed to dwarf the entire room. He was a Master of flesh, augmented with steel and cogs and machines, his limbs powerful and unyielding, his cleavers sharp enough to slice through steel.

  Borota raised both cleavers in a single, fluid motion, blocking the fae’s initial strike with ease. The force of the impact sent a jolt through his massive frame, but Borota didn’t budge. He was a wall of metal and muscle, a hulking barrier between the fae and Avaris.

  The fae, undeterred, moved swiftly, her blades a blur as she dodged and weaved around Borota’s cleavers. She launched a series of strikes, but the massive golem was unyielding, his cleavers clashing against her short swords with a thunderous crack. Steel rang against steel as the two fought in a flurry of strikes, neither side yielding.

  Borota moved with mechanical precision, but the fae was undeterred, dancing around him, her short swords flashing as she maneuvered in a blur of speed. She leaped backward, twisting midair to avoid the massive Borota’s next attack.

  In the next instant, the fae leapt forward, her swords crossing in an X-shaped slash. "Dewdrop Cascade," she called, the strike aimed directly for Borota’s fleshy head. The blow landed, cutting deep into his exposed flesh, but Borota didn’t flinch. The metal aspect of his body, though damaged, remained unyielding.

  The fae pressed on, her short swords flashing in a deadly dance. She spun, dodging Borota’s attempts to land a blow, and with a roar, she thrust both blades toward his exposed abdomen in a move known as Dualfang Rend. The blades pierced his body—one blade embedding deep into the flesh, the other lodging into the gears of his mechanical torso.

  For a moment, she tried to pull the blades free, but the mechanisms of Borota’s body locked into place, keeping the weapons stuck within. Her eyes flashed with frustration, but she left one blade embedded and twisted the other free.

  Borota, however, was not done. He twisted his torso, and with an animalistic roar, he unleashed Frenzied Strikes. His arms, powered by the strength of both flesh and metal, swung his cleavers in wild arcs. The blows were like crashing waves, each strike sending shockwaves through the ground beneath them. The fae, armed with only one blade, barely managed to block a few of the blows, but the force of Borota’s swings sent her reeling, forcing her to kneel, struggling to keep her footing.

  Borota did not give her the time to recover. With a chillingly swift motion, he used his Flurry of Strikes, his arms moving in rapid succession, hacking and slashing with such ferocity that the fae’s guard crumbled under the force. Her blade dropped from her hands as Borota’s cleavers landed once more. This time with a final, lethal chop that cleaved her in two.

  The fae’s body hit the ground in a heap, her blood mixing with the dust and steel. The mechanical parts of Borota’s body whined, and the last remnants of the fae’s life force faded away. Borota stood over her, his breath a low mechanical hum.

  Behind him, the Sentinel Golems continued their relentless assault on the fae that had dared to ambush them. The command room, a place of strategy, had become a battlefield of destruction.

  ******

  The loading room, a cavernous space filled with metal pipes and the faint echo of grinding gears, was suddenly filled with chaos. Fae burst into the room, their weapons drawn and their faces set with grim determination. They were no longer mere soldiers; they had become desperate, fighting to defend Highhaven.

  A few of the Sentinels began to self-assemble in the corners of the room, their bodies clicking and whirring as they fused together from parts and pieces that Kael knew were not meant for peace. The battle in the Factory was growing tighter, the machines coming ever closer to their final push.

  Gerry, Big Guy, and Three Arms, ever the loyal creations, stood ready beside Kael. Their mechanical limbs clicked, and their glowing eyes flickered with purpose. They were eager for the fight, but Kael didn’t move right away. His mind raced through the options, thinking of what he had at his disposal. His weapons, the Ice Sickle, still cold in his hands and the Blacksmithing Hammer in his other, were his tools for this new war.

  The words of the fae leader broke his concentration. The green-cloaked fae, whose golden aura was unmistakable, shouted over the noise of the grinding gears and the mechanical whirring of the Factory.

  "Oluru, we found their weapon! Fire the sunbeam!"

  Kael’s pulse quickened at the mention of the sunbeam. His eyes flickered around the room where a small stream of light was beginning to coalesce, building into something vast, something with unimaginable destructive power. It gathered slowly, building at the far end of the room, before Kael’s instincts kicked in. No. His mind screamed in a moment of panic.

  In that split second, time seemed to stretch, each fraction of a moment counted. The sunbeam would tear through the Factory. It would obliterate everything in its path.

  Blip.

  Blip was his wisp that was in the tube.

  The sky above Highhaven darkened as the rod shot through the air, its speed unrelenting and its trajectory set for the city. Oluru watched in silence as the threat approached. His eyes narrowed, his hands instinctively moving toward the Mother Crystal, the ancient source of fae magic that had protected Highhaven for centuries.

  He had just received word from the ambush party, they had confirmed the location of the weapon room. He was in the midst of casting Sunbeam when the rod, the weapon that had struck down Highhaven before, was already too close.

  It was too late for a shield. But Oluru tried.

  Oluru’s fingers brushed against the smooth surface of the crystal, calling on its power but the shield he had summoned flickered, barely taking shape before the rod pierced it with brutal ease, crashing into Highhaven. The world seemed to stop for a heartbeat, the impact sending a shockwave through Highhaven’s towers. The ground shook beneath his feet, and sound of wood splintered filled the air.

  Kael's desperate attempt had worked but the battle raged on in the Factory around Kael, chaos swirling in every corner of the tube room. The air was thick with the scent of smoke, fire and the metallic tang of blood, the sound of blades clashing, and the groan of machinery under the strain of battle. Kael stood, his Blacksmithing Hammer in hand, the enchanted weapon glowing faintly as he used it to repair the sentinels that had taken damage. With every strike of the hammer, the gears, once broken and bent, slowly started to reform, but the fight was not yet over.

  The sentinels, massive and formidable with blades for arms, clashed with the fae in the heart of the room. They were powerful, but the fae were relentless—quick, agile, and with an edge the creations of Avaris seemed unable to counter.

  “Use lightning,” the green-cloaked fae leader called out, his voice sharp and commanding.

  The air crackled, and Kael could see the arcs of lightning surging from the fae’s hands, their energy coursing through the metal bodies of the sentinels. The lightning worked with terrifying efficiency. The sentinels’ movements became jerky, their limbs shaking as the electricity ravaged their internal mechanisms. The massive golems faltered under the barrage, their gears grinding and snapping under the strain of the magic.

  Big Guy, the largest of the weapon loaders, larger than even the sentinels, let out a mechanical roar as he charged toward the fae. His massive form tore through the room, his crystal heart glowing with raw power. But before he could strike, the green-cloaked fae moved with unnatural speed, his twin swords crackling with lightning. With a single, precise strike, the fae dashed forward, plunging his blades into Big Guy’s exposed heart, the crystal at the center of his chest. The impact was deafening.

  “No, Big Guy!” Gerry, the golem closest to Kael, shouted in despair as he watched the massive sentinel fall apart. Big Guy’s body cracked, the gears inside separated, disassembled and the golem collapsed into a pile of scrap metal, useless and broken. Gerry’s eyes flashed with anger, but there was little time for grief. The fae, emboldened by their victory, pressed on, their numbers outmatching the sentinels two to one.

  Kael’s thoughts flashed back to Shem, the muscular wizard who had wielded lightning in his square, sending the electricity surging through the battlefield with little effect on the slimes.

  Lightning had no lasting effect on the slimes, Kael thought to himself.

  He glanced back at his Slime Cape, the slimes that had clung to his back now moving restlessly, as though sensing the need for action. Avaris’s forces had made it so far. He had made it so far.

  “Move out,” Kael commanded, his voice steady.

  His cape, his Slime Cape, began to disassemble. The slimes slipped out from under him like a growing tide, their gelatinous bodies quivering with purpose. Jello, the largest and most powerful of them all, slipped out with a heavy squelch, its green mass shimmering as it formed into his usual wobbly self.

  Three Arms stood atop some crates in the corer of the room, his three arms swinging wildly, each wielding metal scraps as makeshift weapons. The fae pressed their attack, attempting to break through the golem’s defenses. But just as Three Arms blocked one of their strikes, a lightning bolt came crashing.

  Kael’s heart stopped as he saw the bolt arc toward his new companion, but before the energy could strike, Jello, massive and green, slammed itself between the bolt and Three Arms. The lightning crackled violently through Jello’s body, but the slime remained unaffected, aside from a slight wobble.

  "Slimes, block the lightning attacks!" Kael yelled, his voice cutting through the madness of the battle.

  The slimes, as if responding to his command, surged forward, their gelatinous forms jumping and leaping around the golems, absorbing the shocks from the bolts with ease. The sentinels, reinforced by Kael’s loyal companions, swung their blades, attacking the fae with reskless abandon, their metal bodies clashing against the agile fae warriors.

  But the green-cloaked fae, unyielding and relentless, was far from done. Kael saw him raise his two fingers, his focus unwavering. A spark of fire crackled in the air, swirling around his fingertips before it built into a massive fireball that shot toward Jello.

  “No!” Kael cried out.

  Kael ran forward with a speed he had never known, his legs carrying him faster than he thought possible. As the firebolt neared Jello, Kael threw himself between the projectile and his creation, deflecting it with the Ice Sickle. The cold blade met the flame, the magic of ice and fire colliding in a hiss of steam. The fire was extinguished.

  “Sentinels, block the fire attacks!” Kael yelled again, his voice hoarse with the intensity of the battle. The sentinels, listening to their new orders, moved swiftly to protect the slimes from any flames, their metal forms impervious to fire.

  The green-cloaked fae’s eyes locked onto Kael’s, his expression cold and calculating. Kael could see the spark of recognition in the fae’s gaze as he took in the sight of the Factory, the golems, and the slimes. And then, the fae, his voice carrying over the battlefield, spoke the words that made Kael’s heart tighten in his chest.

  “I found a Master.”

  ******