The Fireball Gazette

The Wizard at the Door
Selah scouted ahead and found a lone figure hooded in wizard robes, banging on the door of the fort with quite an unnecessary amount of vigour. Approaching with extreme caution - as one does when things look suspicious - she climbed atop the fort and whispered to him from above.
The man looked up, revealing a towering, muscular frame. “I’m Merlin,” he said, sounding rather breathless. Despite the robes, Tiyana felt his magic was a bit patchy, like a poorly steeped tea.
Teaming up, they searched for another way inside and found a tower door. Merlin set down the ballista he was carrying around, took a step back, and headbutted the door with all the politeness of a falling brick. It cracked. Tiyana finished the job with a bit of fire.
From inside, hurried footsteps.
Selah darted onto the roof, while Tiyana and Merlin hid behind an illusion, waiting for the bother to pass. A dark-skinned man in fine clothes appeared, checking the mechanical clock on his wrist with an air of extreme punctuality. He called out: “I know you’re there! Do stand up, please!”

The Inventor and Flux
The illusion dropped, and the three stepped forward, attempting to remain civil. The man introduced himself as Clarence, an inventor, scientist, and former engineer for the Kenver army. He had abandoned the unpleasantness of war for a quiet life, but trouble had found him anyway.
Barrels of Flux had washed ashore - unstable, volatile, and quite frankly, a massive health and safety hazard. Then came the attacks. Mysterious figures from the sea, hunting for something.
Tiyana offered a theory. Maybe the barrels belonged to them? Clarence hadn't considered it; he was far too busy with his gadgets. He grinned. “You’ll go far, kid.”
He had been experimenting with Flux, hoping to turn it into fuel or even crystallize it for more efficient use. The crew struck a deal: help defend the island from this nuisance, and Clarence would build them a properly splendid Flux Stirling Engine for their ship.
While Clarence and Tiyana marveled at his inventions, Selah and Merlin dragged cannons from the ship to the fort, much like queuing up for a bus. That’s when Mad Matt woke up.
Stumbling onto the deck, he found a strange, hulking wizard carrying their cannons away without so much as a "pardon me." He considered stopping him. He considered going back to bed for another lie-in. He shrugged.

The First Attack
Hours passed in a rather dull fashion. Then – bubbles in the water.
Matt, ever the brave soul, walked into the sea to investigate.
He found a man walking along the seafloor, looking shockingly well-composed and not at all bothered by the lack of oxygen. The man stopped, stunned. Then, he blew a bit of a whistle.
Before Matt could react, the man lunged with a sword. Wounded, Matt bolted back to shore, quite distressed.
Selah and Tiyana fired the cannons, but missed the attacker’s slender frame entirely. An absolute embarrassment, really.

Merlin, hearing Matt’s alarm, picked up his own cannon and ran over, leaving his post - which was rather rude. The enemy tried to attack the cannon itself, but his blade was useless against iron.
Matt, bleeding slightly, turned. Dark tentacles erupted from his hands, crushing the intruder. To Matt’s surprise, the man popped in a very human way – not demonic or anything fancy.
Merlin, disappointed he didn’t get to fire his cannon, sprinted back to his post, because more were coming, and one must always be prepared for an unexpected crowd.

The Battle for the Island
Selah’s next shot landed, instantly killing another intruder in the water. Quite decisive.
Tiyana launched Magic Missiles and a cheeky Fireball, while Matt slipped in and out of danger, fighting the intruders head-on. Merlin defended the southern gate alone, looking quite heroic yet slightly inconvenienced.
As he fought in his rage, something changed. His chest hair began glowing and a bolt of rather bright light shot from it, blinding an attacker. Roaring, he jumped from the䣵walls and crushed another with his greatclub. A bit much, perhaps, but effective.
Selah struggled with the cannons but had other skills. When an enemy slipped past her defenses, she rushed in and struck his pressure points with precision. He collapsed, and she chained him up - very tidy.
Matt, still wounded, got on the ground and his skin and clothes began shimmering in the hue of the ground below. Now almost invisible, he hid inside a barrel, which was a bit of a tight squeeze.
Merlin bravely held the gate and crushed an attacker against a rock. Tiyana helped out with Magic Missiles and she hit a pink glowing gem embedded into the necklace of one of the attackers – and something truly dreadful happened: The enemy’s clothes rotted. His skin sagged. His eyes fell out. His sword rusted to dust. It seems like in mere seconds, centuries passed, and he had become quite a zombie.
From inside his barrel, Matt lined up a shot and the zombie’s head exploded. Not the most pleasant way to go.
Merlin crushed the last enemy with a single swing.

The Prisoner and the Truth
The crew regrouped. One enemy still lived – bound, unconscious, and rather poorly behaved.
Now, it was time for answers. Perhaps over a nice cup of tea.