The Fireball Gazette

The Heavy-Hitter at the Door
Selah scouted ahead and found a lone figure in heavy robes pounding on the fort’s gate like he was demanding his rights. Approaching with caution, she scaled the ramparts to whisper down to him from above.
The man looked up, revealing a massive, muscle-bound frame built for hard work. “I’m Merlin,” he grunted. Despite the robes, Tiyana could tell his magic was erratic and lacked any sense of stability.
Teaming up, they searched for a way to breach the perimeter and found a tower door. Merlin set down the heavy ballista he was hauling around, took a step back, and headbutted the door with the force of a cannon blast. It cracked. Tiyana finished the job with a burst of pure heat.
From inside, the sound of hurried footsteps.
Selah darted onto the roof, while Tiyana and Merlin hunkered down behind an illusion. A well-dressed man appeared, checking a mechanical clock on his wrist like he was on a strict schedule. He called out: “I know you’re trespassing!”

The Engineer and the High-Octane Flux
The illusion dropped, and the three stepped forward to face the man. He introduced himself as Clarence, a self-made inventor, scientist, and former heavy-duty engineer for the Kenver army. He had traded the battlefield for a quiet life of tinkering, but trouble had decided to infringe upon his privacy anyway.
Barrels of Flux had washed ashore - unstable, volatile, and practically explosive. Then came the raids. Mysterious figures from the sea, looking to seize what wasn't theirs.
Tiyana offered a theory. Maybe those barrels belonged to them? Clarence hadn't considered such a claim. He grinned. “You’ve got grit, kid.”
He had been experimenting with Flux, hoping to turn it into high-grade fuel or even crystallizing it for easy transport. The crew struck a deal: help defend the homestead, and Clarence would build them a custom Flux Stirling Engine for their ship.
While Clarence and Tiyana marveled at his workshop of wonders, Selah and Merlin dragged heavy cannons from the ship to the fort. That’s when Mad Matt woke up.
Stumbling onto the deck, he found a hulking wizard lugging their artillery away. He considered stopping him. He considered going back to bed. He shrugged; it wasn't his property anyway.

The First Breach
Hours passed. Then – bubbles in the water.
Matt fearlessly marched into the sea to investigate, refusing to be intimidated.
He found a man walking along the seafloor, looking shockingly well-composed. The man stopped, stunned. Then, he blew a heavy whistle.
Before Matt could react, the man lunged with a blade. Wounded, Matt bolted back to the shoreline.
Selah and Tiyana opened fire with the cannons, but missed the attacker’s slender frame.

Merlin, hearing Matt’s alarm, grabbed his own cannon and ran over, abandoning his post to defend his comrades. The enemy tried to attack the cannon itself, but his blade was useless against heavy iron.
Matt, bleeding, turned around. Dark tentacles erupted from his hands, crushing the intruder with sheer brute force. To Matt’s surprise, the man popped in a very human way – no demon, just an intruder.
Merlin, disappointed he didn't get to unleash more firepower, sprinted back to his post, because more were coming.

The Battle for the Outpost
Selah’s next shot landed with precision, instantly taking down another intruder in the water.
Tiyana launched Magic Missiles and a heavy-duty Fireball, while Matt slipped in and out of danger, fighting the intruders head-on. Merlin defended the southern gate alone, standing his ground.
As he fought in a fury, something changed. His chest hair began glowing, and a bolt of light shot from it, blinding an attacker. Roaring, he jumped from the walls and crushed another with his greatclub.
Selah struggled with the heavy cannons but had other skills. When an enemy slipped past her defenses, she rushed in and struck his pressure points. He collapsed, and she chained him up - justice served.
Matt, still wounded, hit the ground and his skin and clothes began shimmering like the earth itself. Now almost invisible, he hid inside a barrel.
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 horrifying happened: The enemy’s clothes rotted. His skin sagged. His eyes fell out. His sword rusted to dust. It seemed like in mere seconds, centuries passed, and he was nothing but a zombie.
From inside his barrel, Matt lined up a shot and the zombie’s head exploded.
Merlin crushed the last enemy with a single swing of pure power.

The Prisoner and the Truth
The crew regrouped. One enemy still lived – bound and unconscious.
Now, it was time for answers.