Beneath the towering canopy of Eldergrove, elemental beings, their forms wavering with chaotic light and energy, swarmed through the woods like a disturbed hornets' nest, attacking anything that moved. An eerie mist blanketed the forest, coiling around tree trunks like great pythons. Wind and lightning tore across the skies overhead—their force buffeting trees and shaking their branches with terrible force.
The villagers and beastkin warriors fought back with the resolve of desperation, but even with their numbers and their experience in combat, the tide was beginning to turn against them. Elements clashed against one another as they bombarded the defensive line, and their casualties mounted with each passing moment.
"Hold on!" Engin roared, his eyes fixed on the battle beyond the barricades. "We need to hold the line for just a little longer!"
Bjorn grunted and swung his claymore through the air, cleaving through another elemental with a mighty swipe. "How much longer do we have?" he asked, his tone as gruff as ever as he fought against the tide. "Elementals just keep coming!"
Th'maine conjured a fireball in his hand and hurled it at a charging earth elemental, sending it flying back with a thunderous explosion. He peered up towards the direction of the breach. "The elemental energies are starting to recede," he said, his voice raspy and dry. "Whatever that girl is doing over there must be working."
A look of relief swept across Bjorn's features, but he kept fighting. "Good!" he shouted, his voice carrying over the tempest. "Just a little more and she'll be done!"
Engin nodded, but didn't turn away from the battle—he kept his eyes fixed on the line, searching for any sign of weakness among the defenders' ranks.
Another boom rang through the village, this one closer than the last, and Engin grimaced. What now?
As if on cue, a surge of fire elementals burst from the treeline, their bodies shimmering with flames and glowing with heat as they rushed towards the defenders.
"Blast," Bjorn muttered under his breath as he braced himself to fight off another wave.
Th'maine raised his hand and clenched his fist, muttering under his breath. As his fingers uncurled, a wall of stone materialized before them—a great bulwark that towered over the villagers and beastkin, blocking their enemies from view.
As the elemental beings collided against the wall, explosions and bursts of flame erupted all over its surface like fireworks, but Th'maine's stone wall stood firm, defying the power of the attackers as they struggled to break through.
"Hmph," Th'maine grunted, his raspy voice betraying no hint of exertion as he glanced at Engin, "That should hold them back for a while."
A sly grin tugged at Engin's lips as he gave Th'maine a small nod. "Thanks," he said with a wry smirk, "I just hope that reward you're seeking to claim won't be too costly."
Th'maine shrugged, "We'll see," he said before turning his eyes back to the battle before them.
Bjorn nodded in approval and swung his claymore again, cutting through another elemental with a mighty sweep before returning to his defensive stance.
Engin peered back over the horizon—he could only hope that Ebonheim was nearly done with her ritual. "Come on, Ebonheim," he muttered to himself, a slight frown marring his features as he clenched his jaw, "end this storm."
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In the heart of the tempest, Ebonheim's eyes blazed with an otherworldly light. Her voice swelled, rising above the chaos, her words intertwining with the howl of the wind and the crackle of fire. The Elemental Keystone, held aloft in her slender fingers, absorbed her voice, drinking in the celestial notes of her chant.
As Ebonheim continued to pour the chaotic energies into the crystal, she felt its energies stabilizing. It was a tiny movement at first—a subtle shift in the power swirling around them—but as she continued to lead the elemental energies into the crystal, the shift became more noticeable. Its silvery glow seemed to blaze brighter than before, casting its light on the raging tempest all around them.
Her focus honed onto the ancient symbols etched into the Keystone, a myriad of looping glyphs and interlocking lines that formed the ritualistic circle of the Conflux.
Thorsten, his hair slick with sweat and water, wiped the rain from his eyes with a grumble and shouted at Ebonheim. "Are you almost done?!" he asked, his voice resounding with an urgency she could hear even over the tempest raging all around them.
Ebonheim gave Thorsten a curt nod. "Almost!" she shouted back in response as she led more power into the Keystone. "Just one more!"
Suddenly, the gargantuan elemental charged at them again, its massive fists glowing red-hot as it swung them at the others, knocking them aside with a thunderous roar. Its foot slammed on the ground, shaking the earth and sending chunks of dirt and grass flying through the air as its massive form loomed over them.
Thorsten rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being hit, but Serrandyl was too slow—the giant fist closed around her, sending her flying into the air as she let out a blood-curdling scream.
Ebonheim's eyes widened as Serrandyl's body soared through the air like a red cannonball, hurtling towards a large, thick tree trunk that stood close to the edge of the clearing, but she kept her focus on the Keystone, leading the chaotic energies into its silvery surface.
Lira scrambled to her feet and rushed towards Serrandyl as she fell towards the ground, catching her body with a burst of green magic before she could hit the ground too hard.
Ebonheim could only watch as Serrandyl lay helpless in Lira's arms—her eyes half-closed, her breathing ragged, and her face as pale as paper.
The gargantuan elemental raised its other fist and brought it down hard on Thorsten, knocking him down with a mighty swing and sending him rolling across the ground with a painful groan.
As Thorsten came to a stop, a surge of red light began to emanate from his body. Ebonheim's eyes widened at the sight—the red glow grew brighter, surrounding him in a vermillion hue until he seemed to be engulfed in flames. Then, he rose to his feet, his body moving with a speed and agility that he didn't have before.
Without hesitation, he rushed towards the elemental and leapt into the air before landing on its arm with a burst of red energy. With a guttural roar, he slammed his axe into the elemental's forearm again and again in an effort to hold on as the giant elemental struggled to shake him off.
Their plight was evident, their struggle desperate. Ebonheim, her voice ringing out amidst the havoc, continued to utter the ancient chant under her breath. Each syllable of the ancient language dripped from her tongue with greater intensity, her voice growing stronger and louder with each word as she guided the chaotic energies into the crystal's silvery surface. The keystone pulsed in tandem with her desperation, its glow intensifying, echoing the stakes of the elemental storm around them.
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Lira cradled Serrandyl's body in her arms, whispering words of healing under her breath as she worked to save her.
The gargantuan elemental's eyes blazed, its massive form seeming to shake with anger as it watched Ebonheim's effort to seal the rift. A pulse of energy rippled through its body, converging into its maw before releasing a searing beam of multicolored light towards Ebonheim.
"Shield wall! Protect our goddess!" Several guards stepped in front of Ebonheim, forming a protective barrier with their Ebonwood shields.
The multicolored light slammed against their shields, bathing them in a blaze of color as they struggled to hold up against the sheer force of the attack. Several guards fell to one knee under the barrage, their shields creaking as they fought to keep the elemental's attack from reaching her.
Another burst of light from the elemental followed through, slamming against their shields with a blast that sent them stumbling backwards and dispersing them like leaves on a gust of wind. Ebonheim gritted her teeth as the blast struck her Divine Aura, sending her sliding across the muddy ground, but she held firm—her eyes never leaving the crystal hovering in front of her.
[Your Divine Aura has taken 140 Fire damage and 140 Electrical damage; 16 Health remaining]
Her aura flickered and waned, but she kept going, ignoring the notifications that flashed through her mind as she continued to lead more elemental energy into the crystal.
As the last word of the ritual left Ebonheim’s lips, she felt a rush of power surge from the keystone. Then, with a sound akin to a great bell, the keystone resonated louder, a golden light exploded from the crystal, expanding in a spherical wave that swept across the clearing and into the stormy skies. The elemental beings recoiled, their forms shimmering as the Keystone's energy touched them.
Ebonheim felt the shift, the ripple in the fabric of reality as the Keystone began to exert its power. It emitted a blinding light that pierced the stormy darkness, striking at the rift that towered above them—like a star awakening from an ancient slumber—and causing the rift to shudder and convulse in response.
Elementals surrounding the Keystone burst into pieces as they disintegrated, leaving wisps of light in their wake that flowed into the rift like water being drawn to dry land. Those further away from the crystal felt a similar effect, their forms shrinking and dissolving as they flew into the rift's tear.
The gargantuan elemental let out another roar, its form beginning to flicker like a flame on a windy night. Its body seemed to struggle against the transformation, its form shifting and writhing against its will. As it raised its hands towards Ebonheim, Thorsten leapt off its arm and buried his axe in its neck, sending a shockwave through its body that knocked it down to its knees.
In a flash of crimson light, Serrandyl burst from Lira's arms and sprang into action—dashing forward with her right leg extended as she spun in the air and brought her leg down hard onto the gargantuan elemental's face, sending its head crashing down with a resounding crack.
Bit by bit, its massive form flickered and wavered before disintegrating, like a mirage disappearing into thin air, flowing into the rift above.
Thorsten, upon seeing the gradual cessation of the elemental onslaught, let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. His grip on his axe slackened, and he watched, awe-struck, as the elemental forms before him shimmered, flickered, and disappeared.
More and more motes of elemental particles streamed towards the rift from all across the Eldergrove. The rift was now a torrent of color and light, pulsing in time with the Keystone's brilliance.
The tempest, once an unrelenting storm, seemed to falter—the wind gradually ceased, and the rain began to fall gently again, its light patters against Ebonheim's skin a soothing balm after the chaos she had just weathered.
Then, with a final thundering crack, the rift collapsed into itself and vanished, leaving only an ethereal mist hanging in the air like a cloud on a sunny day. All around them, the winds died down, and the rain ceased to fall. Silence blanketed the air, broken only by the gentle patter of raindrops on leaves and grass.
The Elemental Keystone, its silvery glow dimming with each passing moment, floated in front of Ebonheim—its power waning as its crystalline surface returned to its original shine.
[World Quest: Elemental Conflux — Completed!]
Completion Reward: 3000 Quintessence
[Quintessence] 1322/16000 -> 4322/16000
Ebonheim slumped onto her knees and let out a shuddering breath as she gazed up at where the rift had been. "We did it..." she said, her voice a mere whisper amidst the silence that surrounded them, "We did it!" A smile lit up her face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the Keystone in a tender embrace.
Thorsten and the others approached Ebonheim, their footsteps soft on the damp earth as they neared her, each one sharing her triumphant smile with their own relieved grins.
Thorsten leaned back against a nearby tree and let out a sigh of relief as he ran his hand through his hair. "About time..." he said, his voice still raspy with exertion as he gazed up at the blue sky above them.
Lira, her features creased with concern, approached Serrandyl and kneeled by her side. "Serrandyl..." she said, her voice gentle yet strained, "Are you all right?"
Serrandyl, her body still unsteady and her skin still pale, gave Lira a weak smile and nodded. "I'll be fine." she replied with a weak laugh. "Thanks for catching me."
Lira smiled back and helped her to her feet. "Come on," she said as she slung Serrandyl's arm over her shoulder and wrapped hers around Serrandyl's waist for support. "Let's get you back to the village."
Thorsten pushed himself off the tree and made his way towards Ebonheim, his steps slow as he walked across the grass-covered earth. "That was a close one," he said with a small grin as he approached.
Ebonheim nodded and got to her feet. "It was," she replied with a chuckle, "But we managed to pull through."
Thorsten placed his hand atop her head and ruffled her hair playfully, "Not bad," he said with a grin, "not bad at all."
Ebonheim huffed and batted Thorsten's hand away with a frown. "Ugh, cut it out," she said as she tried to fix her hair.
Thorsten chuckled and patted her on the back. "Come on," he said with a nod towards the direction of the village, "We should head back." He looked around at the others, his expression turning somber as he spotted the few guards and beastkin still lying on the ground in the distance. "We'd better check on our losses."
"Eh?..." Ebonheim's smile faltered. Her gaze followed Thorsten's, landing on several scattered bodies on the ground.
Her heart clenched in her chest, a sharp pain, like the edge of a blade, digging into her ribcage as she watched their limp forms lie on the ground—their eyes staring blankly at the sky above them—unseeing and unmoving.
She moved forward, her steps heavy, her breath hitching in her throat. "No..." she whispered under her breath as she neared them. "No..."
"They did their best," Thorsten said as he walked beside Ebonheim, his voice gentle but his words solemn, "They'll be honored."
She kneeled beside one of the fallen, a young man she recognized as a guard from the village—Caleb, eldest son of Harris the tanner. His bloody face had a look of peace, a stark contrast to the chaos that had reigned moments before. Why? What happened? How did he?... She had just spoken with Caleb not too long ago.
When was it?...
He...
They all...
One of the guards, Caleb, had stepped forward and replied, "As well as we did in our old armor, sir. This armor may seem cumbersome at first, but we've been practicing with it for the last two days...
...As she stepped forward, the guards snapped into a more formal position, their eyes forward, hands clenched at their sides.
...Ebonheim nodded in return, satisfied with the response. "Good," she said. "Looks like it'll do just fine."
..., Caleb spoke up, breaking her concentration. "Oh," he said as he lowered his head and placed his fist over his chest, "It's an honor to have you examine our armor, goddess."
Ebonheim grinned at him as she replied, "Don't be so formal with me." As she spoke, she straightened his armor for him; the young guard went rigid at her touch, his eyes wide as he stared at her in awe. "You're among friends," she added with a wink and a light pat on his armored shoulder before moving on to the next guard...
"With those new shields and armor, you will be the guardians of Ebonheim, the protectors of our home. Wear it with pride, wield it with honor!"