The coastal city of Portridge sprawled before Angelus and his crew as they descended the cliffside path, its harbor alive with the creak of ships and the shouts of dockworkers. The air carried the sharp bite of salt and the faint, eerie hum of rift energy. A historic lighthouse towered over the docks, its beacon silent—until it flared purple, and the sky above split open with a deafening crack.
“Rift surge!” Tara yelled, gripping her bat as the ground quaked.
A massive rift portal disgorged a swarm of enemies: [Rift Spawn: 40/40 HP x15], their shadowy claws slashing at fleeing citizens, and [Rift Marauders: 70/70 HP x5], hulking brutes wielding jagged blades. Screams filled the air as Portridge descended into chaos.
“Legion Command: Attack!” Angelus roared, swinging his pipe—now upgraded with [Rift Fang Edges: +10 Attack Power]—into a spawn, reducing it to ash—[Rift Spawn: 0/40 HP]. Sticky, his goblin summon, darted through the fray, slashing with glee; Mr. Smashypants, the troll, pulverized a marauder—[Rift Marauder: 40/70 HP]; and Sparky, the rift hound, leapt, tearing into another—[Rift Spawn: 0/40 HP].
Marcus activated his Rift Warrior Aura, a crimson glow boosting his spear’s reach, and skewered two spawn in one thrust—[Rift Spawn: 0/40 HP x2]. Tara’s bat, edged with [Rift Bat Fangs], smashed a marauder’s skull—[Rift Marauder: 0/70 HP]—but a spawn’s claw raked her arm—[Tara: 80/90 HP].
From the docks, a [Riftweaver Captain: 100/100 HP] emerged, barking orders as he hurled [Dark Bolts]. One struck Angelus—[Angelus: 85/100 HP]—but he retaliated with Summoner’s Fury, empowering his summons. Sticky leapt onto the captain, claws flashing—[Riftweaver Captain: 80/100 HP]—and Marcus finished him with a spear thrust—[Riftweaver Captain: 0/100 HP].
Loot littered the streets: [Rift Shards x10], [Shadow Essence x5], [Minor Mana Potion x2], and from the captain, a [Riftweaver’s Compass], its needle twitching toward the lighthouse. “They’re channeling something big,” Angelus said, pocketing the haul. “The lighthouse is the key.”
The group fought their way to the harbor, waves crashing against the piers as rift energy pulsed. [Rift Harriers: 60/60 HP x8], bird-like creatures with razor-sharp beaks, swooped from the sky, while [Rift Dockhands: 80/80 HP x4], corrupted workers wielding hooks, charged from the warehouses.
Angelus dodged a harrier’s dive—[Miss]—and smashed it with his pipe—[Rift Harrier: 20/60 HP]—while Sparky finished it off—[Rift Harrier: 0/60 HP]. Tara’s bat sent a dockhand reeling—[Rift Dockhand: 50/80 HP]—and Marcus’s spear impaled another—[Rift Dockhand: 0/80 HP]. Mr. Smashypants roared, slamming two harriers into the ground—[Rift Harrier: 0/60 HP x2].
A [Riftweaver Overseer: 120/120 HP] appeared atop a crate pile, summoning a [Rift Wave] that knocked the group back—[Angelus: 70/100 HP], [Tara: 65/90 HP], [Marcus: 65/80 HP]. Sticky stole a [Rift Crystal] from the overseer’s belt, tossing it to Angelus, who used it to craft a [Rift Grenade: 50 AoE Damage] on the fly. He hurled it, and the explosion rocked the docks—[Riftweaver Overseer: 70/120 HP], [Rift Harrier: 0/60 HP x3].
Tara and Marcus closed in, shattering the overseer’s defenses—[Riftweaver Overseer: 0/120 HP]—and the remaining enemies fell quickly. Loot poured in: [Rift Shards x15], [Dark Feathers x8], [Hook Blades x2: +12 Attack Power], and a [Riftweaver’s Manifest], detailing shipments of [Rift Artifacts] through Portridge’s waters.
“The lighthouse is their hub,” Marcus said, hefting a hook blade. “Let’s end this.”
The lighthouse’s stone walls pulsed with rift energy, its entrance guarded by [Rift Sentinels: 90/90 HP x3]. Sticky distracted them with a feint, and the group struck—Angelus’s pipe crushed one—[Rift Sentinel: 60/90 HP]—Tara’s bat downed another—[Rift Sentinel: 0/90 HP]—and Marcus’s spear finished the last—[Rift Sentinel: 0/90 HP]. They dropped [Rift Shards x6] and a [Sentinel Key].
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Inside, the spiral staircase was a gauntlet of [Rift Spawn: 40/40 HP x5] and [Rift Enforcers: 100/100 HP x2], their armor gleaming with dark runes. Angelus’s summons tore through the spawn—[Rift Spawn: 0/40 HP x5]—while Tara and Marcus battled the enforcers. An enforcer’s [Rift Smash] grazed Angelus—[Angelus: 60/100 HP]—but he countered with Legion’s Wrath, boosting his summons. Mr. Smashypants crushed an enforcer—[Rift Enforcer: 0/100 HP]—and loot spilled forth: [Rift Shards x10], [Rune Plates x3], [Greater Health Potion].
At the top, the beacon room awaited, its lens replaced by a massive rift portal. The [Riftweaver Beastmaster: 250/250 HP] stood before it, a menacing figure in spiked robes, commanding a [Rift Drake: 180/180 HP], a dragon-like beast with shimmering scales and rift-fueled breath.
“You dare challenge the Riftweavers?” the Beastmaster snarled, unleashing a [Rift Pulse] that staggered the group—[Angelus: 50/100 HP], [Tara: 55/90 HP], [Marcus: 55/80 HP].
“Legion Command: Full Assault!” Angelus shouted. Sticky leapt at the Beastmaster, claws slashing—[Riftweaver Beastmaster: 230/250 HP]—while Mr. Smashypants swung at the drake—[Rift Drake: 150/180 HP]—and Sparky bit its flank—[Rift Drake: 130/180 HP].
The drake retaliated with [Rift Flame Breath], singeing the summons—[Mr. Smashypants: 170/200 HP], [Sparky: 80/100 HP]—and lashed its tail, catching Tara—[Tara: 40/90 HP]. Angelus tossed her a [Greater Health Potion]—[Tara: 70/90 HP]—and struck the drake—[Rift Drake: 110/180 HP].
The Beastmaster summoned [Rift Shadows: 50/50 HP x4], but Marcus’s Aura Sweep cut through them—[Rift Shadows: 0/50 HP x4]—dropping [Shadow Dust x4]. Tara’s bat shattered the Beastmaster’s [Shadow Shield: 60/60 HP]—[Shield: 0/60 HP]—and Angelus’s Power Strike landed—[Riftweaver Beastmaster: 180/250 HP].
The drake roared, unleashing a [Rift Barrage], pelting the group with energy bolts—[Angelus: 40/100 HP], [Tara: 60/90 HP], [Marcus: 45/80 HP]. Angelus used a [Minor Mana Potion], then crafted a [Rift Spike Trap] from [Shadow Essence] and [Rune Plates], planting it under the drake. It triggered—[Rift Drake: 70/180 HP]—and Mr. Smashypants finished it with a massive blow—[Rift Drake: 0/180 HP].
Enraged, the Beastmaster unleashed [Dark Tempest], a storm of rift energy—[Angelus: 25/100 HP], [Tara: 45/90 HP], [Marcus: 30/80 HP]. But Angelus rallied, activating Summoner’s Fury and striking with his pipe—[Riftweaver Beastmaster: 130/250 HP]. Tara and Marcus joined in, and with a final Legion’s Wrath-empowered strike from Mr. Smashypants, the Beastmaster fell—[Riftweaver Beastmaster: 0/250 HP].
The rift portal collapsed, and notifications flashed:
[You have defeated the Riftweaver Beastmaster. Experience gained: 1200.]
[You have reached Level 15.]
[New Pet Unlocked: Rift Drake – A swift summon with flight and rift breath attacks.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Summon Storage Tattoo – Store and summon pets from tattoos on your arm.]
A searing heat traced Angelus’s arm as a tattoo of the Rift Drake etched itself into his skin, its presence a comforting weight he could summon at will.
The Beastmaster’s corpse yielded a treasure trove: [Riftweaver’s Spiked Mantle: +25 Defense, +15 Mana], [Drake Fang Dagger: +20 Attack Power], [Rift Core: +30 Mana Capacity], and a [Riftweaver’s Codex], its pages revealing the Riftweavers’ plan to flood the continent with rifts from the capital.
Angelus equipped the mantle, Marcus took the dagger, and Tara claimed the core. Behind the portal, an ancient mural depicted the Riftweavers’ origins: once guardians sealing rifts with sacred rites, they were corrupted by a shadowy entity promising dominion over dimensions. “They betrayed their purpose,” Angelus said, voice low.
A figure stepped from the shadows—[Name: Lyra, Level 12, Class: Rift Scholar]—her robes torn, holding a scratched [Riftweaver Insignia]. “I was one of them,” she said. “They’re planning a ritual in the capital to tear the world apart. I can guide you there.”
“Why help us?” Tara asked, bat still raised.
Lyra’s eyes hardened. “I’ve seen the rifts consume too much. I won’t let it happen again.”
With Lyra’s intel, the Rift Drake’s tattoo pulsing, and a haul of loot bolstering their strength, the group left the lighthouse. The sea roared behind them, Portridge’s survivors emerging from hiding. The capital loomed on the horizon, a ticking clock to a cataclysm. Angelus clenched his fist, feeling the power of his summons within his tattoo. The Riftweavers had awakened a storm—and the Legion would be its reckoning.