The storm seemed to have reached its precipice, and fortunately, the houses had been secured to withstand the worst of it. Most people had retreated inside for warmth and shelter from the onslaught of rain and wind; the beastkin, whose tents and makeshift huts had been ravaged by the tempest, had bundled themselves up in thick blankets to resist the chill as they sat around the fire pits in the feast hall, the warmth of their bodies offsetting the frigid air.

Serrandyl felt her lips growing numb from the cold as she rubbed her hands together, her tail flicking irritably behind her. "This is ridiculous," she grumbled, glaring at the feast hall as if its roof were personally responsible for this disaster. "It's too cold."

"It's just a bit of rain," Bjorn chuckled at her.

Serrandyl turned to stare at him with an exasperated expression, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It's just a bit of rain?" she exclaimed. "How can you say that? Did you see what it did to Ebonheim's little hut?"

Bjorn didn't respond; he only raised an eyebrow at her as he chewed on his food, his gaze calm and measured.

"Bjorn, did you see?" Serrandyl pressed. "It flattened her whole hut like a tent!"

Bjorn's deep chuckle rumbled through the hall as he shook his head at her.

"You're partly to blame for that too," Ebonheim added as she approached them, her wet hair tied up into a bun with a string of leather. She sat down on the floor next to Serrandyl and snuggled into Serrandyl's blanket, smiling gratefully when Serrandyl let her borrow a corner. "If you hadn't broken my door down so many times, maybe it could have held out."

"Oh, come on," Serrandyl huffed, rolling her eyes at Ebonheim as she threw her arm around her shoulders to keep her warm. "That had nothing to do with me. Blame its lousy construction."

"She's right," Bjorn added with a laugh. "When your hut was hastily built back then, we didn't really spend time on securing the structure. It was only supposed to be a temporary shelter before we built a temple for you in earnest, but you seemed to have grown fond of it and didn't want to move."

Ebonheim sighed, leaning against Serrandyl's side. "I really did like my hut."

After a moment of silence, Engin, Hilda, and Lira approached them with bowls of food and blankets in their hands. "It's not much," Engin said, handing a bowl of stew to Ebonheim and Serrandyl as Lira passed another bowl to Bjorn, "but it should help keep you warm."

The stew was simple—a broth made from root vegetables flavored with herbs—but it warmed Serrandyl from the inside out as she sipped from her bowl.

Hilda peered out into the storm, the thunder rumbled over the village and lightning streaked across the heavens in stark flashes. "This isn't a normal storm," she said, turning to face them. "It seems like something is affecting the weather."

As if in response, there was another blast of thunder that shook the ground beneath them. Lira nodded in agreement as she wrapped herself up in her blanket and settled onto the floor beside Bjorn.

"This is unusual," Lira began as she nibbled on her food. "I've never seen weather this severe in the valley before."

"Do you have any idea of the cause, Hilda?" Engin asked as he took a seat beside Ebonheim, his beard dripping with rainwater. "Any clue as to why this storm suddenly appeared?"

Hilda shook her head, her brow furrowed. "This storm feels unnatural," she replied, her tone measured. "As if something was influencing the weather. I don't possess the spiritual communion to discern the cause."

Argoran joined them and gave Hilda an apologetic nod as he sat down beside her. "Thank you for your assistance in escorting my people to the feast hall earlier, Hilda," he said, his voice a low rumble in the hall. "I am in your debt."

Hilda gave him a gentle smile in return before her expression grew thoughtful as she turned back to face the storm outside. "I would like to investigate further," she said. "But this storm will not let up anytime soon."

The thunder boomed once more, echoing through the feast hall as if in agreement.

Serrandyl drained her bowl and let out a sigh as she rested her head against Ebonheim's shoulder. "This sucks." She poked Ebonheim's cheek to get her attention. "Hey, can't you just use your powers to calm this storm?"

Ebonheim paused for a moment, her spoon hovering in her mouth as she glanced at Serrandyl. "Well," she began, hesitating as she glanced at the others. She had already tried searching through the Akashic System to find any power that could quell the storm, but the only one that yielded any results required the rank of Intermediate God.

"I'm not strong enough to calm this storm," Ebonheim said with a shake of her head. "We might just have to wait until it clears."

Serrandyl's ears drooped with disappointment. "That's too bad," she muttered, glancing outside as rain continued to pour down in heavy sheets.

"Unfortunately, we cannot afford to wait it out," Hilda said, turning to face them again. "The land cannot weather the storm for too long. This is not just a problem for our village, but for the entire valley."

Engin frowned at her words. "Then what do you propose we do?" he asked. "If the storm worsens, our village will be flooded with rainwater."

Hilda pursed her lips into a thin line as she gazed around the hall before turning back to face them. "I and the other druids will do what we can to mitigate the damage to the land," she said as she placed her hands on top of her cane, "we must seek out the ancient spirits who have resided in the valley long before us to ask for their aid."

Ebonheim's eyes widened at this revelation, but before she could interject, Serrandyl pushed herself off the ground, a determined glint in her eyes. "In that case," she said, "I'll come too!"

All eyes turned to Serrandyl as she glanced around at them, her feline ears perked up and her tail swishing behind her as she waited for their response. Ebonheim felt a shiver run down her spine—Serrandyl looked like she was ready to go to war at a moment's notice.

Engin heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead with a hand. "You should probably stay here," he said with a worried frown. "I don't think brawn can solve our predicament."

Serrandyl's shoulders drooped at this and her tail went still. "Ugh," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, fine."

"Hilda," Ebonheim spoke up as she turned to face her. "Did you mean that we should ask Elmsworth?"

Hilda nodded at this suggestion. "Yes," she said with a gentle smile, "that is what we should do. Elmsworth might know more about what is ailing the land." She glanced up at Serrandyl as she continued speaking. "Ebonheim can go and speak with the elder Ent, but there is another task that needs done. We still must find the source of this storm. Do you think you can find it, Serrandyl?"

Serrandyl's ears perked up at this question and she nodded, a fire burning in her eyes. "Yes!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her toes as she gave Hilda a grin. "I'll do my best!"

Ebonheim couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Serrandyl leap to her feet, eager to tackle this new task. "You might want to bring someone with you," she said as she pushed herself up with her hands.

Engin sighed again and stood up as well. "Alright, alright. I suppose this calls for the Special Task Force to be deployed. Lira, Thorsten, and a few of your kin will accompany you in this task. Make haste and come back safely," he said as he turned to face them. "We'll try and hold the fort as you go."

Serrandyl gave Engin a grin before giving him a brisk nod. "Thanks!" she said with a beaming smile before turning on her heels and bounding towards the door. "Come on!" she called out to Lira and Thorsten, who were already preparing to leave. "We have a storm to hunt!"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

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Ebonheim arrived within the elder Ent's domain using her Arboreal Stride. She exited the verdant pathways and emerged through an oak tree just on the outskirts of the last place she had met with him some time ago. As expected, Elmsworth was there, his towering form pelted by a deluge of rain and his gaze fixed on the skies above.

"Elmsworth!" Ebonheim called out as she approached him.

The elder Ent turned to face her as she came closer, his expression grave. "Ebonheim," he said with a nod. "I believe I know why you are here."

Ebonheim nodded as she stood beside him. "Yes," she said with a frown as she glanced up at the sky. "This storm—it isn't normal. Do you know anything about it? Please say you do, because I have no idea what's going on."

Elmsworth continued to stare up at the sky for a moment longer before turning his gaze back to Ebonheim, his expression grave. "An Elemental Conflux has occured. The convergence of great elemental powers has triggered an alteration of the weather."

"An elemental what?" Ebonheim asked, giving him a bewildered look.

Elmsworth heaved a sigh, his gaze growing distant as he turned to face the horizon. "It is a rare alignment of planes, when the fabric separating our realms grows thin and fragile. Not since the age of my seeding have the planes so intruded on our reality. The last Conflux... it shattered the tranquillity of Eldergrove, leaving scars that took many a moon to heal."

Ebonheim sighed and rubbed her temple with a hand. "Wait—what do you mean an alignment?" she asked, feeling as though she were struggling to catch up to Elmsworth's discourse.

"The convergence of elemental energies," Elmsworth began as he turned back to Ebonheim. "It disturbs the flow of power throughout our realm. Great natural disasters have been known to occur when such disturbances are prevalent. Of course, such a phenomenon is not impossible for a god to cause."

"Wait, you think a god caused this?" Ebonheim asked, staring at Elmsworth in surprise. "Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this. Honest!"

Elmsworth huffed and shook his head at her response. "No need to defend yourself, Ebonheim," he said with a wave of his hand. "This elemental confluence is not your doing. No, this one is not caused by a deity. I am certain of it."

Ebonheim sighed with relief and slumped against a nearby tree. "That's a relief."

Elmsworth gave Ebonheim a sidelong glance as he turned away again to gaze out across the horizon. "You should not be so relieved," he said, his voice low. "It means that there is another force at play, one that has not yet revealed itself. And that makes it all the more dangerous."

She pursed her lips as she mulled over his words. "What do we do?" she asked after a moment of silence. "Where does this storm originate from?"

Elmsworth turned to face her again, the raised his hand up to point towards a maelstrom that danced in the distance. "There," he said, his voice grim. "The focal point of the Conflux seems to be coming from southeast of our domains."

She climbed atop Elmsworth and perched on his shoulder as she peered into the distance. A swirl of energy churned in the sky, glowing like a nebula caught in a tornado that stretched across the horizon, its vortex roiling in a deep azure, streaked with tendrils of purple and crimson with lightning sizzling over its surface.

"That's... not good." As she stared at the storm, her Divine Sight activated and she began to pore over its nature.

[World Quest: Elemental Conflux]

A natural disaster triggered by the convergence of elemental powers, resulting in a storm that will decimate the region has appeared. Find the way to dispel the convergence.

Completion Reward: 3000 Quintessence

Penalty for Failure: ???

Ebonheim stared at the words that scrawled themselves across her vision as she studied the storm. "Well," she said with a frown as she closed her Divine Sight, "I think the others were headed in that direction earlier. Hopefully, they'll be able to find out more about it."

Elmsworth glanced at her as she began to descend from atop his shoulder. "Yes," he said with a nod. "That is the center of the storm." He took a moment to watch as a bolt of lightning arced from the storm into the distance before turning back to her again.

"Do you know how to stop it?" she asked, her tone subdued. She had tried asking the Akashic System for help earlier, but it only offered a divine ability that would allow her to control the weather, but it required her to be of Greater God divine rank. "Do you have any ideas? Please say you do."

A lengthy pause preceded the Ent's response. "There is a way," Elmsworth's voice rumbled, causing the smallest of tremors beneath their feet. "It is the only way."

Ebonheim held her breath, her eyes wide as she stared at Elmsworth, her gaze searching as if willing him to divulge more information. "Well?" she said, trying not to sound too excited, "What is it?"

Another pause followed her words. "Deep within Eldergrove lies the Elemental Keystone," the elder Ent said, his voice low and solemn. "It is a powerful artifact designed to control the flow of elemental power within the realms."

Ebonheim blinked at him in surprise and cocked her head to the side. "What's a keystone?" she asked. "And why haven't I heard of it before?"

The elder Ent sighed again and shook his head as he gazed down at her. "It is a repository of elemental energy, a device crafted by the Ancients to channel, focus, and control elemental power. It was once used by them to realign the errant planes and restore balance. However," he paused as he turned back to face the storm, "it has been dormant for countless generations. There is no way to know whether it is still functional."

Ebonheim's eyebrows shot up as she listened to Elmsworth speak, a kernel of hope budding within her at the prospect of salvation. "So, if we get this keystone, this will resolve this storm?"

If this elemental keystone existed, and was functioning correctly—or even remotely—then this storm could be fixed. She just needed to get the keystone to stop this storm before anyone got hurt.

"The Elemental Keystone will indeed restore equilibrium," Elmsworth replied with a solemn nod. "It will not undo the damage the storm wrought, but at the very least, the Conflux will disperse and cease to affect our realm."

"So where is this Elemental Keystone?" Ebonheim asked as she began to pace around him. "Do you know where it is?"

Elmsworth closed his eyes and did not respond, his expression wistful as he stood facing the storm, the rain pelting him as though in defiance. "It has been a long time since I have seen it. Longer still since it has been used to its fullest potential. But, yes, I do know where the Keystone is. It resides within a sanctum behind the largest waterfall following the river that separates our domain."

She froze mid-step, her eyes widening at his words. "Wait," she began, turning to face him with a bewildered expression. "This Elemental Keystone is near here? It's in the valley?"

"Yes," Elmsworth replied. "The Keystone lies deep within the sanctum beyond that waterfall. It is sealed, protected against all who might wish to use it to misuse its power."

Ebonheim heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, her fingers catching on tangles as she brushed them away from her face. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" she asked as she turned to face Elmsworth again. "So you want me to go to a waterfall, grab this artifact, and bring it back?"

"Once you have acquired the Elemental Keystone, you must wield its powers to harness the Conflux and reestablish balance. But the Keystone has not been used since the age of the Ancients, so there may not be much power left in it."

Ebonheim frowned at this, her face scrunching up in thought as she tried to process this new information. "Even if there's not much power left, it's worth a shot to try and fix this. We can't just wait for this to blow over. Is there anything I should watch out for? Anything dangerous?"

Elmsworth was silent for a moment as he appeared to ponder her question before responding. "Be on your guard when traversing the forest," he warned, his voice low. "Elementals have begun to coalesce into greater numbers and are roaming free from their native planes. The Conflux has affected them, making them unstable and hostile to any form of sentient life. Avoid them if you can, and let your village know to do so as well."

Ebonheim paused and glanced at Elmsworth in alarm. "Wait—what?" she said with a shake of her head. She focused her mind and tapped into the Akashic System for any information about Elementals:

Elementals: Creatures with a body formed of elemental matter. They consist of elements of a single elemental plane. Their existence is tied to their plane of origin. They will become corporeal as long as they exist in a place where their respective element exists as well.

They possess physical forms with varying degrees of corporeality based on their plane of origin and elemental type. For instance, an elemental made of fire would have physical forms with physical bodies made out of fire, while an elemental made out of water would have liquid forms of physical matter.

They can be physically harmed by non-elemental forces such as weapons and magic, but their respective elements cannot harm them and heal them in turn. They can also convert a non-elemental object into one of their type.

"Great," she grumbled to herself as she closed the Akashic System. It wasn't just the storm that was dangerous. These Elementals would be dangerous too, so she needed to be careful. Hopefully, the other group wouldn't encounter any Elementals on their way to the Conflux.

"Okay," Ebonheim began after a moment as she straightened her posture and took a deep breath to collect herself. "So I need to find this waterfall and get the Keystone."

Elmsworth nodded slowly. "Indeed," he rumbled in response. "For the sake of our forests."

A great crash of thunder rippled through the heavens above them as if in response to his words.

Ebonheim turned back to face him and gave him a hopeful smile. "Is there anything else you can do to help us out?"

"I will do my part to keep the storm's damage minimal," Elmsworth replied with a solemn nod. "But the burden of stopping the storm still rests on your shoulders."

Ebonheim sighed, running a hand through her hair as she nodded in response. "If that's what I have to do, then so be it."

The elder Ent nodded in acknowledgment before turning away to leave. "May the benevolence of nature always be by your side., Ebonheim."

Ebonheim watched Elmsworth lumber away before turning to face the skies above again—a frown forming on her face as she gazed into the heavens. "Alright," she muttered to herself, "time to bring this storm to a halt."