A blinding flash of radiant light exploded outward upon impact, engulfing the Umbral Sentinel in searing energy. The force of the strike seemed to ripple through the ground, sending shockwaves, leaving faint golden streaks etched into the earth.
As the brilliance dimmed, the Sentinel’s twisted form was revealed, its dark exoskeleton marred by patches of blinding light, each glowing with an intense, scorching heat. The creature let out a guttural howl, a mix of agony and unhinged fury, as its spider-like legs writhed violently, struggling to bear the weight of its pain.
Aiden who had managed to get onto his feet looked at the monster’s health bar and saw that Winterhell’s fiery assault and the strange radiant light had dropped its health down to less than 10%. Behind the stunned Sentinel he could see that Winterhell had stopped running, her eyes fixed on where the monster had been struck by the radiant light, tears still running down her cheek.
Out of all the possible scenarios running though Aiden’s mind at the moment, what he saw next was not one of them.
He saw a tall broad-shouldered figure walking past Winterhell, towards where he and the stunned Sentinel were standing. White fur glowed faintly in the lingering light, its texture like freshly fallen snow, and a thick, majestic mane framed the figure’s leonine face. Golden eyes burned with unwavering resolve, and in one clawed hand, it held an impressive broad-bladed sword, its edge shimmering faintly as if imbued with the same energy that had struck the Sentinel. A long cloak, the color of deep crimson, billowed gently behind him, as though moved by an unseen wind.
Aiden’s breath caught in his throat as the figure stopped a few paces away from the Sentinel. It raised the glimmering blade towards the badly injured monsters that gave its terrible guttural howl in defiance towards the newcomer.
Umbral Sentinel has afflicted you with Nightmare Howl.
Nightmare Howl has taken effect.
A familiar sense of dread wrapped around Aiden like icy chains. His limbs felt heavy, his breaths shallow, as the fear debuff slowed his every move. Even standing seemed a monumental task.
The Sentinel, still reeling from its injuries, writhed as though emboldened by its howl. It raised its serrated claw high, its void-like face locking onto the newcomer.
But the stranger didn’t flinch.
Instead, he planted his feet, gripping his broad-bladed sword with both clawed hands, his golden eyes burning brighter, like twin suns piercing through the oppressive darkness. Then, with a force that seemed to shake the very fabric of the air, the stranger let out a thunderous roar.
What came wasn’t just a sound. It was a command. More than a bold act of defiance, it was imbued with radiant power. The roar rippled outward in a golden wave, crashing into the Sentinel like a wall of light. The creature screeched, its spindly legs clawing at the ground as if to hold its footing, but the roar only seemed to intensify, pressing against it with relentless force.
For Aiden, the effect was immediate. The suffocating grip of fear loosened, and the icy weight constricting his body vanished as a new notification appeared in his field of vision:
Player (Unknown) has affected you with Valor’s Call.
Valor’s Call has taken effect.
All debuffs have been removed.
Two small icons replaced the one representing the poisoned condition. One was a red cross on a white background, the other was a silver chalice on a golden background. These represented the healing over time and stamina recovery over time effects respectively.
He gasped, taking his first full breath in what felt like ages and even found himself standing straighter, his strength returning. For the first time since the fight began, the oppressive presence of the Sentinel didn’t feel so insurmountable.
The Umbral Sentinel, however, seemed to feed on the roar differently. Its howls turned into a wild, rage-filled cacophony as it thrashed in place, the glowing cracks along its body burning brighter. The roar had not cowed it. It had pushed it to the brink of madness, amplifying its fury.
The stranger pointed his blade towards the livid monstrosity with one extended arm, his eyes focused on the Sentinel as it writhed in its rage, steam rising from its glowing wounds.
Then…. The stranger spoke. His words, slow and deliberate.
“Come and get me, you filth.”
The Umbral Sentinel darted at him in a reckless and furious charge, its spidery legs scrapping on the stones of the courtyard, tossing up dust and debris. It dashed towards the stranger, closing the remaining distance in a heartbeat and lunged forward, its serrated claw ready to strike.
The stranger parried the Sentinel’s attack with his long radiating blade that sang with a bright ring as it struck the serrated claw. The creature continued its assault, but each attack was dodged or parried, deepening its fury, causing each swing to be more violent, less precise, and to Aiden who still could barely believe what was happening, they seemed almost desperate.
The newcomer dodged the Sentinel’s last attack, and moved away from the now seemingly exhausted creature. He raised his sword pointing towards the sky and shouted, “By light’s decree, darkness shall fall!”
He pointed his sword at the creature, and another blinding flash of radiant light exploded outward upon impact, engulfing the Umbral Sentinel. It ended with a final pitiful howl, before being reduced to a pile of ash and bones.
Then, there was silence.
***
Quest complete!
You have completed the quest: Guildhall guardian!
Reward: Guildhall Raid key
You have defeated Umbral Sentinel
Loot has been automatically distributed to all party members.
Loot acquired!
You have received:
* Recovery potion (medium)
* Shard of Ascension
All looted items have been added to your inventory.
Aiden ignored the system prompts filling his field of vision, dismissing them with a thought. He took a few slow and careful steps towards the source of his salvation, then after two failed attempts to find the right words, he spoke.
“Gavril?” Aiden said, his voice a blend of awe and relief.
The Leonin turned his head towards Aiden and said, “what's a Gavril?”
Aiden blinked at the newcomer, then stammered a reply “huh? What's a….? No, it's who's Gavril. Gavril's a name and I just thought…” He paused, still needing to process what just happened.
“Well it's not a very good name. I'm Skal, your friendly neighbourhood paladin, sandwich enthusiast and saviour of scrubs,” the lion man said with a small bow and a large toothy grin, his name and level appearing above his head.
Skal - Level 3
Aiden, who was still processing everything that had happened within the last couple of minutes, opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, failing to find the right thing to say. Finally, after what he felt was an uncomfortable silence, he said, “I have so many questions….. I don’t even know where to…”
“How about you just start with your name? That’s what a normal person would do,” Skal interrupted him with a wink.
“Aiden!” came a shout, not from Aiden, but coming from behind Skal.
Winterhell was running toward him, her feet skidding on the stone as she stopped just short of colliding with him. Her eyes were still glistening with tears, her cheeks streaked with soot and emotion.
“What the hell were you thinking?” she demanded, her voice cracking somewhere between anger and relief, completely ignoring Skal. “You… you could’ve died! That stupid headbutt! You… you complete buffoon!”
Aiden blinked, momentarily stunned. “Uh, nice to see you too?”
Winterhell let out a half-laugh, half-sob and suddenly threw her arms around him. Aiden stiffened, not sure what to do with his hands, but before he could decide, she pulled back, her face a mix of frustration and concern.
“You’re impossible,” she muttered, wiping at her eyes. “You scared me half to death, you know that?”
“Yeah, well,” Aiden said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, “to be fair, I kind of scared me too.”
She punched him hard on the shoulder, her lip quivering. “You don’t get to make jokes right now Aiden.” After composing herself, she continued, her mischievous grin returning, “Also, that makes it three times by the way.”
“Begging your pardon?” Aiden said, doing his best to avoid Winterhells gaze, his ears turning bright red.
“Three times you pancaked the ground today,” she said matter-of-factly, “it’s kind of his thing you know,” she continued, addressing Skal.
“It’s not my thing,” Aiden said in mock-outrage, "it's merely a…series of unfortunate events all pointing towards something that may appear to be true, but that most definitely is not.”
“That’s very cute and all,” Skal’s deep voice interrupted, breaking the moment. “But if you’re done with the reunion, we’ve got bigger things to worry about.” He turned towards Winterhell “You’re welcome, by the way,” he added with a toothy grin.
Winterhell gave Skal a sincere bow followed by her signature bright smile.
“Thank you so much for coming to our aid. I'm Winterhell,” she said. “And that one’s Aiden;” she continued pointing casually at Aiden.
“I’m feeling the love here,” Aiden said with mock offence. “Not this here is Aiden, or this is Aiden or the dashingly handsome Feykin you see here is Aiden.”
“Oh hush you,” Winterhell said, then while giving Skal an assessing glance, she continued, “Skal,” she said, her voice wavering slightly as she pointed toward the ashes of the Sentinel, “you didn’t just stumble onto this fight, did you?”
Skal shrugged, a casual motion that felt oddly out of place given his imposing frame. “Stumble? Well, no….and yes” His golden eyes flicked between them. “I just happened to be passing by when you two clowns started fighting the three spider-nightmare things.”
“Nyxborn Lurkers,” Aiden budging in.
“Right,” Skal said, then continued, “Honestly, considering that you were outnumbered, ill-equipped and probably underleveled,”
“Oh we were,” Aiden said, interrupting again.
“Is he always like this?” Skal asked Winterhell, nodding towards Aiden.
“He is,” she said, “I don’t think it’s something you’ll ever get used to, but he’s alright otherwise.”
“He’s standing right here you know,” Aiden said with an undignified expression on his face.
“And he’ll be fine,” Winterhell said with a grin. “Anyway, Skal, you were saying?”
“Right, well considering that by all accounts you probably should have lost the first fight, but somehow managed to pull a win, I wasn’t liking your odds when that portal opened and the Umbral Sentinel came out of it. Lucky for you, I’m a sucker for saving people from their own bad decisions.”
“Bad decisions?” Aiden shot back, his tone sharper than intended. “We didn’t exactly have a choice. There’s no way we both could have gotten away from that thing.”
Skal smirked, baring just enough teeth to make Aiden question his own tone. “Fair enough. But you were outmatched from the start. Charging in half-dead? Brave, sure. Stupid, definitely.”
Winterhell folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. “And what would you have us do? Try to get away only to get runned down by that thing?” she said pointing towards the remains of the Umbral Sentinel.
Skal raised an eyebrow. “Hey I’m not judging…. much. But I get it. Heroes don’t run, do they?” He dismissed his glowing sword that faded into golden dust. “Pretty cool huh?” he said proudly, “It’s one of my class abilities,” he added. “So, tell me. What are a couple of low-level scrubs doing poking their noses in a place like this?”
“Well,” Winterhell started, “all we really wanted to do was to find shelter from the storm. We just happened to be by the plaza next to the villa when the downpour first started. That tower looked like an ideal place for a proper view of what was going on.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Skal gave Winterhell and Aiden a skeptical look, “you both went inside there, for safety?”
“Yes,” Aiden said.
“That building right there,” Skal said pointing at the ruined front doors of the villa.
“The very same,” Aiden continued, who started to feel embarrassed.
“The totally ruined villa that was definitely put there by the High Council as a death trap for the lost and naive?”
“Will you let it go already?” Aiden said, his face taking on a shade of dark pink. “Mistakes have been made ok? Plust it wasn’t all bad, Winterhell found a Genesis Orb in there that granted her the Celestial race. So if anything, it was a trial for the strong to prove themselves, not a trap.”
“Aiden,” Winterhell said, “it doesn’t really matter how you put it. Trap or trial, we didn’t exactly do all that great.”
“I’ll admit, that things didn’t entirely go according to plan. And yes, we did need some help once things started to fall apart, but we did get the loot at the end of it all. Plus we found a new friend, so I don’t know what to tell you, but I’m calling it a win.”
“Speaking of loot,” Skal said, “what did you get for defeating the Umbral Sentinel? I only got a recovery potion.”
“I got a potion as well,” Aiden said, “and a Shard of Ascension, whatever that is.”
“Same here,” Winterhell added.
Skal’s eyes went wide upon hearing what Aiden and Winterhell had looted from their fight against the Umbral Sentinel. “You’re going to want to use those as quickly as possible,” he said. “That’s how you’ll unlock your class and class abilities.”
“Oh?” Aiden said, opening his inventory and selecting the Shard in order to inspect it. The shard fit snugly in the palm of Aiden’s hand, its jagged edges rough and uneven, as though it had been broken free from a much larger stone. Its surface shimmered with a mesmerizing, shifting hue, with dozens of colors swirling and blending like liquid light trapped beneath the surface. As Aiden turned it slightly, the colors rippled and shifted, revealing new patterns with each movement, some subtle and soft, others vibrant and dazzling.
Despite its fractured appearance, the shard felt oddly warm to the touch, as if it pulsed with a quiet, inner energy. Fine cracks webbed across its surface, catching the light in a way that gave the impression of faintly glowing veins. It was as though the shard was alive, humming faintly with a power that seemed just out of reach, both beautiful and unsettling in its allure.
Item: Shard of Ascension
Rank: Rare
Effect: Choose one:
* Unlock one new class and class ability (you can only choose this if you don’t already have a class),
* unlock one new class ability or
* level up one existing class ability.
(Uses remaining 1/1)
*Warning! Unlocking a new class will permanently bind you to the unlocked class. This action cannot be undone and can only be taken once.*
“The gods will dictate your fate, unless you forge your own destiny.”
Aiden read the item description two more times, carefully making sure he didn’t miss anything.
“I suppose it makes sense for our class to be generated at random,” Aiden said.
“Oh I don’t know if I would jump to that conclusion,” Skal said. “We really don’t have enough information to draw any at all. There may be factors in play that we are currently simply unaware of. What rank are the shards that you each got? The one that I used to gain the Paladin class was uncommon.”
“Mine’s rare,” Aiden said, daring to feel hopeful, even a little bit optimistic about his current odds.
“Same here,” Winterhell said. “What do you say Aiden? Should we go ahead and use them?”
“Absolutely,” Aiden replied with an energetic burst. “If Skal got the Paladin class, which is objectively one of the most popular and powerful ones in all of ROTA from an uncommon shard, who knows what we’ll get from rare ones.”
“What happened to the brooding skeptic who was too afraid to use his Genesis Orb in the villa?” Winterhell said teasingly.
“He just had multiple near death experiences, and doesn’t fancy being woefully unprepared for the next one.” Aiden said, a grin on his face.
“Before you jump ahead and use the shards, would you mind adding me to the party? I’d love to see what you end up with.”
Aiden gave Winterhell a questioning look, who nodded brightly in return. He selected Skal and gave the mental prompt to send him a party invitation, and a moment later, he received a system notification.
Player Skal - Level 3 has joined your party.
“So, who’s going first?” Skal said with excitement.
“Just try and stop me,” Winterhell said, taking a step forward, gripping her Shard of Ascension firmly with both hands.
For a brief moment, the cracks in the shard shined with a bright rainbow light, forming a swirling, prismatic aura around her. The air hummed with a melodic otherworldly chorus, as lights danced around her body.
Then, in a climactic burst, the prismatic aura collapsed inward, sinking into Winterhell's form. Her eyes glowed momentarily with an intense, iridescent light. Around her, the aura shifted, the rainbow colors fading and coalescing into distinct streams of elemental energy, crimson flames and icy blues, each encircling her in turn.
The energy began to flow into her hands, her chest, and her eyes, as small embers and frost particles swirled around her fingertips.
As the energy settled, a final wave of multicolored light erupted from her, sweeping through the courtyard and leaving behind a faint shimmer in the air. Winterhell’s form was radiating with an almost imperceptible heat, her breath visible in the sudden chill around her. Her eyes sparkled with an ethereal light as two new notifications appeared before her.
New Class obtained!
Class: Sorceress
Subclass: Elemental Adept
Description: As heirs of primal forces of magic, Elemental Adepts form deep bonds with the elements, forging a symbiotic relationship with fire, water, earth, and air. While we may never truly know the origin of their gifts, it is undeniable that they hold more raw potential in their hands than all other schools of magic.
"Don’t fear the elements. Fear me."
New Class Ability obtained!
Ability: Avatar of Duality
* Passive Ability (elemental)
* Base cost: None
* Level: 1, Rare
* Cooldown: None
* Effect: Channel the primal forces of fire and ice, transforming all your spells and abilities, giving each Dual Modes. In this state, each spell can be cast as either Fire Mode or Ice Mode, gaining unique elemental effects.
"When fire and ice entwine, the world bows to their harmony and fury."
Aiden watched as the shimmering light surrounding Winterhell slowly faded, the air around her shifting between icy chills and waves of heat. He tilted his head, a smirk gradually growing wider and wider.
“What is it?” Winterhell said, her tone filled with accusation and suspicion.
“Oh forget about it, it’s not important,” Aiden said, his eyes sparkling with unspoken mischief.
“Aiden,” Winterhell siad, ponting a threatening finger at him, “if you somehow find a way to ruin my amazing new class and epic ability, then the gods above won’t be able to find a hole deep enough to hide you.”
“It’s probably best to let him get whatever it is he’s holding back out of his system,” Skal said as Aiden’s face grew wider and wider.
Winterhell sighed deeply and after accepting her fate she nodded. “Let’s hear it then…” she said.
“It’s really nothing,” Aiden said, practically shaking with excitement.
“Aiden! You overglorified goat-person! You better spill it or so help me I’ll…” Winterhell started, only to be interrupted by Aiden who raised his hands in surrender.
“Fine, fine,” he said. “All I wanted to point out is that I hope that Winterhell never has to cook for us at any point during this journey… quest…. thing.”
“Oh? And why is that?” Skal asked, his tone filled with the sort of patience kept for those who’ve taken one or two too many blows to the head.
Aiden cleared his throat and gave a brief pause for what he thought was dramatic effect. “Because Winterhell might force us to eat something both frozen and burnt.”
Winterhell gave a painful grown, burying her face in her hands, while Skal just looked at the two of them in utter confusion.
Winterhell let out a muffled groan from behind her hands. “I knew it. I just knew you were going to find a way to bring that up. I regretted that half-baked metaphor the moment I said it.”
Skal’s ears twitched as his shoulders sagged, and for a brief moment, he thought that now would be a great time to simply turn around and walk away. Aiden burst into wild fits of laughter, followed by Winterhell giggling from behind her hands still concealing her face.
Skal chuckled, clapping his clawed hands together with a resonating thud. “Alright, comedians, let’s keep the show rolling. Winterhell’s got her fancy new class—fire and ice and all that jazz. Now,” he turned to Aiden with a wide grin, “the question is: what’s your shard going to do?”
Aiden’s smirk faltered slightly, his expression shifting to something between anticipation and apprehension. “Right… my turn.”
Winterhell dropped her hands and looked at him, her mischievous grin replaced by genuine encouragement. “Hey, no pressure. Whatever you get, it’ll be amazing. Just… try not to headbutt anyone this time.”
He reached into his inventory and retrieved the Shard of Ascension, its jagged edges glinting faintly with swirling hues of light. He stared at it for a moment, turning it over in his hands as if trying to unlock its secrets through sheer willpower.
“You’re not going to figure it out just by looking at it,” Skal said, his voice laced with amusement. “Time to find out what destiny has in store, for you goat-boy.”
Aiden rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop a small grin from forming. “Alright then. Here goes nothing.” Taking a deep breath, he gripped the shard tightly in both hands. The moment he did, the swirling lights within the shard flared to life, and a soft hum filled the air. It was soft at first, but steadily building in intensity, as though the shard itself were coming alive.
The hum transformed into a series of bright tones, resonating in perfect harmony with each other. The sounds swirled around Aiden, forming a melody that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight. There was song drifting through the courtyard like a breeze, wrapping around him in waves of sparkling energy. Each tone carried a different emotion: joy, sorrow, triumph, and something unnameable yet profound.
As the melody swelled, faint golden threads of light began to ripple outward from the shard, dancing in the air like trails of starlight. They wove themselves around Aiden, creating a luminous cocoon of shifting patterns that pulsed in rhythm with the music. The hum grew louder, layered with faint whispers of words in an unknown language.
Then, with a final crescendo, the light exploded outward in a radiant burst, and the sound reached a pitch so pure and resonant that it seemed to vibrate through the very fabric of the world. Aiden felt the shard’s energy flow into him, filling him with a warmth that wasn’t physical, but rather a deep, stirring power that settled in his chest, like a song waiting to be sung.
When the light faded and the music quieted, Aiden lowered the now dull shard and found himself standing a little straighter, his mind buzzing with newfound clarity, as the faintest shimmer lingered in the air around him.
A notification appeared in his vision.
Aiden stared at it, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He tilted his head, his brow furrowing as he reread the words.
Then, with an exasperated laugh, he threw his hands in the air and shouted, “You have got to be kidding me!”