Last Lord of the Fey (Progression Fantasy)

Felicity came back to the room, closing the door with a loud bang that roused Tristan from his dozing. He pushed himself up so his back was against the headrest, and watched as Felicity walked over to the bed in her Elfanoid form, stood at the edge, and then flopped forward on her face with a groan. "Math is hard!"

Tristan frowned, "You have to do math?"

She groaned into the sheets, and her muffled voice replied, "I have to do stupid calculations for mass when transmuting objects to bigger or smaller sizes. Something about "mass cancellation" or risking implosion." She looked up at him with a big pouty face, "Why can't it be like my innate shapeshifting? I just get to do it without any thinking!"

Tristan patted the bed next to him, and Felicity crawled up the sheets to sit alongside him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "It'll be fine. You're smart."

She sighed and nodded, "I know I am…what have you been up to?"

"Lots of spells," Tristan replied. "Just memorizing and getting them ready. I need to do a bit of artificing still, but I'm prepared as can be." He sighed as he rubbed her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her skin under his palm. "I'll be in the Fey Realm most of the coming days, I think. Just in my inner world and training with Zeltana."

Felicity snuggled into the crook of his arm, "Come back each night."

"Of course," Tristan replied.

She turned to her side, her storage dimension opening as she snagged a few clearcool elixirs and handed one to Tristan. "Hungry?"

Tristan took the offered liquid and sipped it down, feeling the refreshing, slightly sweet and minty beverage work its way down to his gullet and sate his need for food or drink. Felicity sipped down her own, and then took both vials and put them back before closing the storage space.

"You know," Felicity said as she moved over to straddle Tristan, her hands on his chest as her breath quickened. "We have a lot of nights before we go to the Demon Realm." She scratched her fingers along his chest just enough to leave a tingling that almost made Tristan gasp at the sudden sensation. She smiled a lascivious grin.

Tristan picked up her intent immediately and pulled her down for a passionate kiss as they both surrendered to their urges.

Felicity headed off to her classes the next morning, and Tristan transported back to the Fey Realm. Heading to Dorni, he re-acquired his gear from the Gnome and put it into his now-quite-full storage dimension. Eloise's requested equipment and gear would be done later in the day, and he planned to get the items to her before their departure.

Following that, he spent significant time brewing potions and making elixirs. By the time the end of the Season arrives, and we head out, he thought, I should have ten of each type of supreme in total. I can keep three of each on my bandolier, along with five clearcool elixirs. The rest can be in my Pocket Dimension.

That took almost all day, and his grandfather came by at one point to talk with him. "So, son, I heard about your little venture you have planned."

Tristan looked up from the bubbling pots, "Yes," he said with confidence. "I'm going to avenge mother. And Gertrude. And all of the servants at both the estate and the townhouse. And every Winterbloom they killed."

Hurvun nodded somberly, "I understand. I wish I could go with you on this venture, but," he raised his arm, and Tristan could see how tight the skin was stretched across muscle – ashen and pale. "I think I'm being forced to retire. Being asleep for so long…my body cannot recover from that given my age. Despite my training with those weights in the training field."

Tristan grabbed his grandfather's shoulder, "You're welcome to spend your retirement here."

"I planned on it," Hurvun said with a cackle. "I love this place. I wouldn't mind visiting Gisele and the great grandkids, but that's a long ways off, and I don't expect you to get me back to Bhant given how you are now." He chuckled and then spoke sincerely and with warmth, "Thank you, Tristan. I've still got some years left in me yet. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." He ruffled Tristan's hair then looked down at the bubbling pots, "Potions, eh? My lessons coming in handy?"

Tristan nodded, "Yeah. Supreme quality. It takes a while, but it's necessary."

"Precautions you should be taking," the man replied. "Need help?"

"They're just boiling off," Tristan replied. "More oil, and then I'll infuse them."

"Training? Anything I can help with?"

Tristan smiled, "Thanks, but I'll be in my inner world and practicing where I can't hurt anyone on accident."

"That's fair enough," Hurvun replied with a mischievous smile. "I saw your display last time. I wouldn't want to be on the opposite end of that."

"How are Rory and Bertram holding up?" Tristan asked.

Hurvun crossed his arms and sat on the nearby bench. "Well…they are good together. But they need to stop just sleeping around with nymphs and getting drunk with fairy dragons. They lack a work ethic while they're here."

Tristan chuckled, "So you're saying I should get them out of here?"

"Damn right," Hurvun said as he chuckled. "I instilled work ethic in you and him both. I see you're following through, but he's resting on his laurels."

"Aren't you as well with this whole retirement angle?"

Hurvun scoffed, "Pah, please. I am old, and helped stop the Dragonstorm that afflicted Bhant."

"Just killing a whole bunch of dragons," Tristan replied with a smile and shake of his head. "That's what you did. You didn't seal off the incursions and rifts."

Hurvun frowned, "Hey! I killed dozens of dragons on my own! No fancy essence-weaving except the basic dragonbane spells. Just me, my sword, my armor, and gumption."

"And," Tristan added, "An army helping to harry the beasts when they took flight and pierce their wings so they couldn't fly."

Hurvun grumbled, "I still did the heavy lifting."

"No wonder Felicity gets along with you," Tristan replied. "You're like two peas in a pod."

"I still owe that little witch for scaring the shit out of me. Thank the gods I was on the latrine already." Hurvun's scowl could have cut a line through rock.

Tristan turned back to the stove and kept stirring as he squeezed a few more of the oil-berries into the mixtures to keep them the right consistency. "How many dragons did you kill over your lifetime?"

"Eighty-seven," Hurvun replied. "I think Bertram and Rory are at thirty-eight. How many are you at, now?"

"Let's see…the fire dragon, the demon dragon, then in the Wild Realm the mind dragon and water dragon…so five? I think."

Hurvun smirked, "You'll get there. You've got more potential than Bertram – but don't tell him I said that. Stays between you and me."

Tristan looked back to catch the slight wink from his grandfather, and replied. "Well, I'm also the only one of us who has killed a Demon Lord. Plus, I killed some…thing brought from what I think was the Dead Realm."

"Impressive, I suppose," Hurvun replied as he stood up with a groan. He walked past Tristan, giving him a light clap on the shoulder. "When you're done, you should head over to the Summerbalm Springs. There's some lovely hot pools that are quite soothing – especially on these old bones."

"Sure," Tristan replied. "I can afford a little bit of downtime between training and preparing."

"Bring starberry wine," his grandfather replied with a smile. "Oh, and you can chill it thanks to the whole ice elementalism. Excellent." He let out a chuckle and walked away.

Tristan returned his focus to the potions in front of him, and testing the consistency, ensured they were ready for imbuement. Every five days or so, I can make a batch, and work my way toward my goal amount. Dipping his index finger down into the first of the three mixtures, he swirled the solution in tight circles, spinning his crucible and muttering. "Lisää tämän liuoksen luontaisia ominaisuuksia. Anna tälle aineelle minun voimani. Tuo esiin näiden ainesosien todellinen luonne." (Increase the inherent qualities of this solution. Imbue this substance with my power. Bring out the true nature of these ingredients).

The essence spiraled out from his finger through the liquid, the whole concoction glowing a bright, silver glow before it faded. Repeating the feat on the other two pots, he called over a few fairy dragons. At his command, they grabbed some metal phials with cork stoppers – much more durable than the small, earthenware pots with leaves tied on the top. Courtesy of the Gnomes and their prowess.

After getting the various elixirs into their vessels and putting them into his storage dimension, Tristan went to the starberry wine production area. A full-scale winery operation, with several racks of starberry wine in glass bottles, inscribed with a logo. Tristan grabbed one and saw that the logo was a single, large tree that looked like the Queen's Wood, with a small Winterbloom flower at the center.

Grabbing another two, he put them into his storage dimension and headed to the Summerbalm Springs via Unicorn-ride. Arriving at the edge of the region proper, a few Nymphs conveyed him to the hot springs where his relatives were located.

Bertram, Rory, and Hurvun were already there, talking and laughing. Not a raucous laughter, but that laughter of someone who is happy drunk. Bertram spotted Tristan standing on the mossy lip of the spring, and waved him over. "Come on in! Water's great."

Rory let out a giggle, and Tristan knew she was thoroughly drunk. "I think you might have had too much to drink," Tristan said as he stripped to his skivvies and slipped into the warm water, finding a nice rock to perch on that kept his head above the steaming liquid. It was lukewarm, and he presumed that was due to his consumption of fire dragon blood.

Hurvun grinned, "Of course. It's a time of celebration! Why not drink?"

"What are we celebrating?" Tristan asked as he spun his crucible, opened the storage dimension, and pulled the three bottles of wine out. He handed one to his grandfather, one to Bertram, and kept one for himself.

Bertram grinned as he removed the cork with his teeth and spit it out to bob on the hot water. "I'm going to be a dad!"

Tristan was midway through removing his own cork and stopped in his tracks, his mind shorting out for a moment before his wits returned to him. "Congratulations!" he said with genuine happiness for them. "But…if she's pregnant…should she be drinking this much?"

Bertram shrugged, "No clue. Gramps?"

Hurvun shrugged as well, "No clue. Didn't stop your grandmother from drinking socially when she was carrying your father."

And look how he turned out, Tristan thought and wanted to say. But he kept his tongue in check. Instead, he uncorked his bottle and took a nice, long gulp of the liquid, feeling the warmth flush through him. "Did you tell them what you told me?" Tristan asked his grandfather.

"Oh…not yet," Hurvun replied. "I just heard the news about my being a great, great grandfather. And to another half-breed, to boot! A half-breed Dragonkin dragonslayer. That's a mouthful!" He laughed with delight as his own bit of alliteration.

Tristan frowned but nodded, I'm not going to kick an expecting mother and her husband out of the Fey Realm. They can stay…but I agree with grandfather's earlier remarks. Bertram should be out there, hunting dragons. Doing something and not just…living in paradise. It felt wrong, to Tristan, to just sit back and enjoy life without some motivation for improvement. His whole life, he had been pushing toward improving himself.

First in Bhant, in the eyes of others as a half-breed; trying to overcome that general disgust toward him by becoming a dragonslayer in more than just name. Then with his essence-weaving improvement. And now his going to avenge his mother and all those the assassins had killed that he cared about.

This sitting about and just enjoying life, it was somewhat foreign to him. "Bertram," Tristan said calmly as he looked his brother in the eyes. "I want you to know that you are welcome in the Fey Realm, and I am more than fine with you and Rory being here for the duration of the pregnancy and the child's early days. You can even leave the kid here if you need to…but you have a job to do."

Bertram frowned, "What job is that?" he asked.

"Killing dragons," Tristan replied. "It's what grandfather trained us to do. It's what we were born to do."

Bertram nodded and his face softened, but Rory interrupted and sat up. "My child is going to be of my clan, who are dedicated to the hunt. And will have the potential of the dragonslayer bloodline from Bertram. Make no mistake, Tristan, we are not going to sit here in luxury. Once the child is old enough to be left with Hurvun here to train – we will return to our duty." She smiled warmly and snagged the bottle from Bertram, lifting it up, "And of course, coming back to be parents. My child! Soon to be the best dragonslayer of all time!"

Hurvun frowned at that but raised his bottle in agreement, letting out a "here here!"

Tristan raised his bottle as well, and was somewhat relieved at hearing that Bertram wouldn't just be sitting back and luxuriating in paradise.

A few hours passed before Tristan excused himself and headed back to the Queen's Wood. Once he arrived, he headed to the base of the tree. Okay, time to test these spells out. He spun his crucible and felt the power course through his body. Directing it to his legs, he squatted down and jumped up with all his might, "I will glide on these mighty wings!" The phantasmal wings sprouted from his shoulders, and at the height of his jump, he re-curled his legs under him, tilting the toes so that they were straight down, and made the motion to jump again. "The skies unfold before me!"

He felt something tense and hard under his feet, and as he pushed off, the wind tore at him as he went shooting high, high up into the sky. Past the top boughs and up to where he could touch the clouds – easily another thousand feet above the Queen's Wood proper. He let out a whoop of delight at the sudden ascent, and then felt queasy as the rapid movement caught up with him and he held back his bile to prevent splattering some unfortunate person below.

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This is incredible! He thought as he gently glided back down. I wonder if I can repeat it. Curling his legs under him again, he pointed his toes behind him. Spinning his crucible, he felt it at about half capacity. I can do perhaps two of these Dragon Leaps before I'd need to reserve essence. He shouted, "The skies unfold before me!" and went rocketing forward – blasting out over the Springthaw Meadows as his momentum carried him in a very rapid glide.

Turning his shoulders, he banked to his left to head back toward the Queen's Wood, and landed on the top boughs by expertly controlling his shoulders' rotation. Landing on the top, he let out a laugh of excitement and thrill.

The Matriarch had seemingly been watching him, and she looked both excited and worried. "Did you enjoy your flight?" she asked anxiously.

Tristan nodded and couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "More like a controlled fall. That was incredible!"

"Just make sure you don't fall," The Matriarch replied.

Tristan nodded, "That was just a test. I need more testing, but I'm sure I can reduce how high I go." Reverse spinning his crucible, he refilled it and repeated the pair of spells – an initial hop to activate Wing Glide, and then a second mid-air hop to activate Dragon Leap. But, he did not push up with as much force, and after some testing, found that the more deep the leg bend, the higher or farther the resulting launch would be.

Landing back on the platform, The Matriarch gave him an approving nod. "What is the plan?" she asked.

Tristan ran a hand through his hair, "I'm going to be here, meditating to practice with Zeltana. Weapon and spellweaving training. I'll head back to The Mortal Realm each night to spend it with Felicity."

The Matriarch blinked in surprise, "She's choosing to remain there?"

"Learning more transmutation," Tristan replied. "Apparently it involves math."

The Matriarch's face screwed up in disgust, "I completely understand. Such numbers and…what do you call them? Starts with the letter F?"

"Formulas?" Tristan offered.

"Sounds correct," she replied with a shrug. "Fairy dragons are not well suited to those academic pursuits. She must be making a great sacrifice for you."

"She is," Tristan replied. "But she chose to do it. I did not order her to."

"And in this, I am thankful for your predilection for treating the fairy dragons better than your predecessor." The Matriarch turned back to the Astrologer's Glass.

Tristan grabbed one of the bag-cushions and pulled it to an emptier part of the top boughs. Closing his eyes as he sank into the seat, he both-direction spun his crucible and focused on visualizing his inner world. Appearing there, he waved at Zeltana who was already waiting with a maul in hand.

"Ready to train?" she asked.

Tristan nodded and manifested a rack of weapons next to him; bow, maul, sword, dagger. "What shall we start with?"

The next three weeks passed in a routine that Tristan was more than happy with.

Every morning, he would depart from The Mortal Realm and go to the Fey Realm. He checked in with the Gnomes on their progress, would occasionally attend the Fey Court to just hear the affairs that were ongoing and provide his minor feedback, and then see if there was enough stock of herbs to make more potions. If there were, he did that.

If not, then he would move onto the majority of his day – being in his inner world with Zeltana. She was an amazing teacher, if brutal and harsh with verbal quips and jabs that were intended as playful but came off as hurtful. Tristan brushed them aside, though, and did not let them affect him. The training she provided was top-notch.

Bow, maul, dagger – she was a master of all three, and they drilled extensively with those weapons. Practicing both manual spellweaving, and utilizing the variety of artificed items at his disposal. Hours upon hours, and at the end of each session, the two would set to smoothing out dents in his crucible's exterior.

Then, he returned to The Mortal Realm to spend his evening with Felicity. Talking about their day, and then watching Felicity experiment with transmutation; which was fascinating to watch. Of course, the nights would end with the two locked in their passionate embrace, indulging in the exuberance of youthful lovemaking.

The thirty-sixth of Wither Season arrived, and Tristan and Felicity, both, were standing in front of the arrival area where the rift would be opened.

The whole of the Fey Court were arrayed in front of the Queen's Wood. Spriggan were stationed in the trees along the exterior edges of the allowed area, to prevent visitors from going too deep into the Fey Realm. The guards at the Queen's Wood entrance, likewise, had been replaced with the Spriggan.

The Matriarch walked forward to the large, packed dirt circle that represented where the rift would open. Two wooden trunks had been grown at the sides of the circle – anchor points for the rift. In her enormous, dragon form, she raised a claw and Tristan watched as she tore a hole in space itself; a glimmering, black void that expanded endlessly. Reaching both claws up, she tore at it – widening it as a tear in reality manifested before them. Two Spriggan quickly moved over to stand guard at either side of the aperture.

And then the tear in reality flickered. And in the blink of an eye, a white-grey film stood in its place; tethered to the trees as it expanded to form a doorway with a circular top. The Headmaster of the Citadel of Essence stepped through the grey film, followed quickly by other faculty members. He bowed deeply, and spoke with confidence.

"Lord Tristan, Matriarch…Fey Realm residents and hosts. We thank you for this opportunity."

Tristan dipped his head in respect, "You are more than welcome, Headmaster. Please, come through." He gestured to his left, "The markets and craftsmen are over there," then to his right, "There are training fields over in that direction," he then pointed to several rows of tree-houses that were built into the forest surrounding them, "and temporary residences for those that wish to stay overnight."

Thallia stepped forward and curtsied, "I will be assisting in coordinating if there are questions."

Dorothy, also, stepped forward and curtsied, but hers was slightly awkward given her age. "I will be facilitating interviews for those who seek residence here – whether permanent, or for an extended stay between these Seasonal visits."

The Headmaster nodded and turned around to face some of the faculty, whispering to one of them who headed back into the portal. The various Fey Realm folk went to their tasks, the Fey Court members dispersing, as Tristan stood there with Felicity hanging off his arm. The Headmaster approached him as students filed into the Fey Realm; their gasps of shock and wonder at the new Realm of existence causing Tristan to grin.

"Lord Tristan," the man said with a smile. "I have the dragon blood."

Tristan waved for the man to follow him, and they headed into the Queen's Wood. On the first floor, in the central spire with all the hanging seed pods of future fairy dragons, he had set up a small table and some cushion seats. On that table he had put aside several of the very nice pieces the Gnomes had designed.

Taking his seat, Felicity swapped to her fairy dragon form and flew up to his head as the Headmaster sat down opposite him. "They are all really shiny! "Felicity said as her tail flicked back and forth."

The Headmaster nodded, "I can see that." His eyes drifted to the wonderful sets of cloaks, and he slowly reached for one, looking to Tristan for approval which he gave with a slight nod. Picking it up, he ran his fingers over it. "This feels…incredible. But it's thick."

"Layered," Tristan replied. "Strandvine which is the Fey Realm equivalent of a fibrous plant like cotton, that has been spun together with Aegisium, Wildsteel, and Starmetal – pulled to a thin cord and weaved together. Three layers in one cloak, which means you can have three artificed spells in the single object."

The Headmaster grinned and shook his head in disbelief, "The craftsmanship…this is…" he looked at the various other items on the table. "Do all of these-"

Tristan nodded, "The Gnome craftsmen have been hard at work. The amulets and rings are composed of multiple layers as well; different metals that were diffusion bonded together. Again, multiple different spells can be artificed in the one item."

The Headmaster reached into a satchel and pulled out a smooth, carved, wooden box. He set it on the table, and spoke with reverence. "I am unsure if the dragon blood I was able to acquire would even equate to the value of a single one of these items."

And here's where the coup de grace comes in, Tristan thought as he gestured to the table as a whole. "Consider these as gifts of goodwill. I desire a healthy relationship between myself with the Citadel, and the Fey Realm with the Citadel. Part of that is showing our value."

The Headmaster was speechless, and looked up at Tristan with a literal slack jaw. "I…" he cleared his throat as he regained his composure, "I would normally say there is no way I could accept such an offer, but that would be as bad as spitting in your face. I accept this trade." He opened up the box and Tristan saw several glass vials with stoppers on the top – each labeled with the same, intricate handwriting. The Headmaster slid the box over to him.

Tristan looked at each in turn while the man spoke, "I labeled each myself, and had the best Professors for imbuement and alchemy both examine them. Not just one – but multiple checks. I give you my assurance, they are not poisoned in any way."

"I would ask one thing," Tristan said as he shut the lid to the box. "The items I give to you – they are to remain at the Citadel, with the staff only. Students and other Realm visitors who purchase items? They are welcome to come and go with them…but items of this quality will be reserved for those truly trusted."

"I am in full agreement," the Headmaster replied. "May I?" he gestured to the items on the table.

Felicity reached into her storage dimension and pulled out a sack. Hopping down to the table, she scooped up everything into the sack and handed it to the Headmaster. "Here you go!"

The man accepted the bundled items and bowed his head. "I will return to the Fey Realm here to explore a bit once I have put these somewhere safe."

Tristan stood up and the Headmaster did the same. "We also have other…I guess the best word would be attractions. Unicorns in the Springthaw Meadows behind the Queen's Wood who are willing to give out rides – quite fun, I might add. Nymphs who are hosting…uhm…"

"Brothels," Felicity said. "The watery tarts are sleeping around, as usual."

Tristan nodded, "Right. And we also have fairy dragons who are willing to escort small groups of students – accompanied by a Spriggan – to go on small exploration ventures across the Fey Realm."

The Headmaster went through a series of emotions as he was told about the different features available to explore. From excitement when the unicorns were mentioned, to a deep blush when the Nymphs were spoken of, and then a thoughtful reflection at the idea of a venture elsewhere in the Realm. "This is much more than most other Realms offer. They generally just have guided field trips available to our students, and then markets. But you offer so much more."

Tristan grinned at the compliment, "I am happy that the Fey Realm is proving itself to be one of the most hospitable, welcoming, and fun places to visit out of them all."

The Headmaster nodded, "Then if you will excuse me – I have a unicorn to ride!" he turned on his heel and headed out of the Queen's Wood.

Tristan scooped up the box of dragon blood vials and headed downstairs. Felicity flapped up to his head and after the door was shut, she shifted to her Elfanoid form. Tristan put the box on his desk and opened it up. "This is going to suck," he said softly as he examined each in turn once more.

Felicity came over, "Just going to do them all at once and get it over with?"

Tristan nodded, and stripped down with her help – putting the armor on a rack and getting fully nude as he went over to the small pool and got into it. No knowing what type of effect they'll have on my body – I'd rather not feel like I'm burning alive like with the fire dragon blood.

Felicity squatted on the edge of the pool and handed each vial to Tristan one by one. "First up – we have an adult fire dragon."

Already drank that type, Tristan thought as he grabbed the vial and chugged it down. The coppery, sour taste churned down his throat and he was able to get it down to his gullet. A deep, twisting heat spiraled up through him and made his body turn slightly red – the water around him heating up. But then it faded. "Next?"

"Looks like they are mostly adult with one Wyrm…"

Felicity fed him vial after vial, and Tristan suffered through all manner of different types of pain and unpleasant sensations. Adult wind dragon, adult poison dragon, adult water dragon, adult light dragon – which after drinking, caused his vision to become even more sharpened and refined despite the darkness of his chambers.

Another adult earth dragon, a juvenile sound dragon – which after drinking, made his ears ring horribly and gave him a massive headache, but improved upon his sense of hearing to the point he could hear little taps of feet falling on the ground outside the Queen's Wood. An adult shadow dragon, which he was unsure of the effects of, and lastly a vial of wyrm metal dragon blood.

"This one has a note around it," Felicity said as she unfurled it and read it aloud while Tristan swished the silver blood in the vial. "I hope you saved the best for last. I called on a favor with the Elemental Realm of Metal to acquire this from their Realm Protector. No clue what it will do for you with your unique bloodline, but hopefully something good!"

Tristan, whose stomach was already rumbling and who was just about done with the variety of afflictions he had suffered, choked down the last vial. It sank down his throat and when it hit his stomach, he felt like someone had just punched him – hard. He doubled over in the water and let out a groan of pain. Then the sense of being impacted shifted, and he felt like he was being stabbed through the chest, letting out a scream of pain as Felicity tossed the box aside and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and head, trying to soothe him through the pain.

It finally faded, and Tristan took deep breaths as his body finished with processing the last of the dragon blood. He felt so, incredibly full after the vials upon vials, and just leaned there in Felicity's warm embrace. "So…that was…something."

Felicity nodded, "Your skin has a bit of a darker tone. Not much, but a little bit."

Tristan looked down, and could see in perfect clarity and color despite the pitch black darkness of his chambers. Must be the metal dragon blood, he thought. "I think I'm ready to get out," he said.

Felicity stood back as he got up, dried off, and then helped him dress and don his armor and equipment once more. "Looking good!" she said with a smile and a solid slap on his rump.

Tristan nodded, "Come on. Let's go and see how the rest of the Realm is doing."

The week passed with Tristan mostly sitting up on the top boughs. He was not needed to help manage anything – the Fey Court was handling the visitors fantastically. And so he elected to use that time in his inner world, training with Zeltana.

She was huffing in deep breaths as Tristan stood, ready for her next attack. But she waved him off and spoke. "You will be without my advice and guidance for some time."

"Perhaps," Tristan replied. "I can always go from the Demon Realm back to the Fey Realm with my ring."

"Risky," she replied. "Hostile Realm, perhaps with a Realm-wide change that would notify the Realm Protector of teleportation or realmwalking spells. Don't risk it." She stood up and sighed. "You've been a good student. I'm proud you're my heir."

"Thanks for that," Tristan replied. "I've worked hard to get here."

"And had some nice shortcuts. The trial of the sap, the dragon blood…" she trailed off and looked back at the tree in the center of his inner world, which was a third of the way to Fifth Order. "Still a long ways to go…but you're getting up there in power."

Tristan walked over to the tree and put a hand on it, feeling the life thrumming through it and matching up to his heartbeat. "I know I have a long ways to go." He looked back at her, "What's in the other Vaults?"

Zeltana grinned, "That's for you to find out. I'm not going to give you everything and make it easier on you." She shrugged, "It's a journey. But I'm more than happy to clarify for you."

Tristan nodded, "I suppose that's fair. Thank you…for everything you've done to help me train, and teaching me."

"Of course," she replied. "When this Realm is in a state that I'm happy with, under the Fey Court's control, who knows? I may decide to rebirth myself into one of the various species." She chuckled, "I could really just sleep around as a Nymph if I wanted to."

Tristan nodded, and felt the tapping on his head from someone on the outside wanting his attention. "I think it's time. I'm off."

Zeltana gave him a brief wave, "Go kill a Demon King. Get revenge for the Winterbloom bloodline."

Tristan focused on leaving his crucible and inner world behind, and woke up back in his body. Standing up, he felt the familiar weight of Felicity on his head. "Hey. Is Eloise ready?"

She nodded and made her paw-claw biscuits on his head. "Yup! Eloise is good to go! Waiting for us at the portal down below!" She flapped to be right in front of him, flying there, and her paw-claws shifted to hands. "Now I need to do the spell. Give me a moment…" she began making an intricate series of gestures that Tristan didn't bother to memorize because he knew he would not want to learn the mathematics necessary for transmutation. Not with Felicity already being skilled at it and up to Third Order spells.

He heard her muttering something in a language he didn't understand, but recognized. Beast Speech. But he didn't pay much attention to what she was saying. As she put her hand on his temple, he felt a ripple down his body. Like a wave along the surface of his skin, accompanied by slight tingles. "And done!" she said proudly as she took a seat atop his head.

Tristan chose to walk down the Queen's Wood spire instead of gliding down. Taking a quick detour to his chambers, he looked at his reflection in the mirror; the Alter Form spell having transformed his physical appearance to that of a Demonkin entirely. Deep, cherry red skin, glowing blue eyes, a pair of black horns that curled up like a regal pair of antlers that suited a kingly stag from his crown, and slightly pointed teeth. "Looks good. Great job."

Felicity beamed with satisfaction at the praise, and Tristan headed back upstairs, out the Queen's Wood front entrance and past the Spriggan who had been notified that a Demonkin would be leaving the tree and not to question it, and down to join Eloise at the rift. She was standing there expectantly in the gear Dorni had made for her.

A set of what Tristan could only describe as roguish attire. Black pants and a shirt, covered with studded leathers that would provide some modicum of protection without sacrificing speed or maneuverability, a hood pulled up with an accompanying mask that covered all but her eyes – those deep, red orbs that glowed like hot coals in a dying fire. She was also outfitted with a satchel on her back, and several knives and other weapons were strapped to her body.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Tristan nodded, "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

She led the way through the rift leading to the inter-Realm market – which had a line going from it to the Fey Realm. A few fairy dragon barkers were on this side of the rift, shouting about the various attractions available. Tristan couldn't help but smile at how well things were going.

They went down the avenue to the portal leading to the Demon Realm, and Eloise handed her staff to the rift warden. Tristan unclipped his Citadel Student Pin and did the same. Felicity followed shortly after. The rift warden took the items, put them in a small lockbox to his side, and then handed three copies of the key to the trio.

Eloise glanced back at Tristan, "Here we go. Follow my lead." She stepped through the grey film.

Tristan let out a breath, feeling a sense of anticipation. I'm going to get justice for you, mother. And everyone else these assassins killed. He walked through the grey portal with a confident step.