The second cut of the tower challenge had come and gone. In the gloom, the first spoils of the trials had found it's way back. Three combatants stood forward of the defeated crowd of returnees. In their grasp shimmered the golem hearts they had found. Octagon shaped red crystal rods, with their own inner light swirling. About an forearm in length each. The eyes of everyone told a story of cost. All but one team had been defeated before they reached the fifth floor.

The spirit of Sheath had splintered under the weight of disappointment. The cruel rhythm of every season: hope birthed in optimism only to be shattered against the unyielding surface of the tower. The last chances rested with the remaining, seasoned veterans. One and all beyond the fifth floor now, far from the next cut, trying to stay ahead of the Aeons.

Rez watched as Unlorm, his cobalt feathers dulled by use and with slightly crazed eyes, emerged from a portal into the 6th floor.

Unlorm's cobalt feathers bristled as the Stone Belts stepped into the vast expanse of the sixth tier. The sudden change in environment from the moderate green lands of the first 5 floors to something hostile was expected. Yet it still took his breath away. Stars overhead reflected thousandfold in the shards around them. Crunching underfoot as they took their first steps on the black expanse. The four moons spaced unnaturally evenly in the sky provided an alien light that bathed everything in a gloom that barely let them see the contours of this world.

"Keep close," Unlorm commanded "let's move from the entry point and figure out what we got here". His team, nodded in silent agreement and set off towards a higher mountain on the horizon.

"What's that noise?", Marsh asked—a grinding sound becoming more clear as they walked.

"I think that mountain is falling, boss" Jen injected.

They didn't stop walking while they watched the mountain they had picked as their landmark vanish before their eyes, slowly but steadily.

"Enough gaping, watch for danger or paths.", Unlorm brought them back to their situation.

As they ventured further, pockets of concealed life revealed themselves—yellowish fauna nestled within black foliage that unfolded only upon close inspection. The plants' disguise was near perfect; they were specters hiding in plain sight from the distance.

Within one such pockets of life—a blueish statue stood proudly, hewn what seems to have been a vein of blueish stone in the obsidian. The artist had laid it bare and shaped the image of a faun that emerged from the dark stone. The figure wasn't hale, although the statue was—large geometric parts of the faun had been cut out and from these parts the flora of the glade seemed to be springing forth.

As Unlorm approached, runes in the stone responded. Standing before it, he laid his hand on the uneven surface.

"The Black Tears," something whispered into his mind, "fruits of darkness, born within the giants heart."

Stolen novel; please report.

Unlorms Spellbook interface opened up. Do you accept this Quest? Details

Unlorm willed the Details to unfold.

Find the "Black Tears" fruits which grow in cave systems on this world. One such cave system was sighted East-West of your location. At least one party member needs to eat the fruit for the quest to be fulfilled.

Rewards: Stat increase for each caster that ingest a whole fruit. Potential unlock of floor portal if each member of the party eats a fruit.

With a fluid motion, Unlorm grabbed his floating Spellbook and held it up to the obelisk. To any onlooker, he appeared to be reaching into empty space, but for him, he held his book up to the accept message and willed his agreement. The runes on the stone flared for a moment.

"Quest initiated, all clear?" he said to his teammates. "Clear", both responded.

"Boss, company." Jen pointed back the direction they had come from and dropped low. She added "Two I can see. Might be others out scouting."

"Doesn't look like they saw us or this pocket yet, but that's gonna change any moment. You think we can bury here with your Airkin?"

Marsh turned towards a spot of black gravel between the yellow bushes and grass that was big enough for a person to lay down. From his perspective, his spellbook unfolded, the controls of the spell spreading out before him.

Airkin (Level 2), move objects from a distance with the power of air. Up to 1 kg per object, 20kg total. 1 Aether / kg / second

Marsh activated the controls of his Airkin page and started to lift gravels one by one to float a meter above the ground. "I can get the stones out, but you hold the walls, so they don't slide back from the sides. Pick your spots and hurry."

"I will take this one, just move it back a bit towards that larger rock.", Jen said.

"We attack them once they are out of the copse", Unlorm told the group while watching Jen support the walls of the deepening impression. 30 seconds later, she was buried under a layer of black gravel.

"Here is good", Unlorm said, having picked a spot behind a low lying boulder that would allow his head to see around the corner of it towards the obelisk. "Probably five minutes left. They are coming here now." he said, with a last look at the approaching group.

Marsh quickly hurried a bit further from the obelisks resting place, not planning to observe the clearing and did his best to dig in.

The Stone Belts, hunkered in their black holes, too close to graves to mention it. The yellow plants in the moonlight dipping the copse in a sickly hue. They watched, concealed in the gravel, as two figures approached the statue that stood watch with them.

Their quarry moved with caution. The taller figure, a woman with a silvery mane that caught the glow of their surroundings, produced a golem heart from her pack. Unlorm's cobalt feathers had been vibrating for a while now, indicating one in the vicinity. The usual silent motion now a risk for him in his hiding position. He cursed but couldn't do much beyond hoping that the grating sounds of this world would cover him.

The silver-haired woman held the golem heart aloft, speaking words lost to Unlorm, before bringing it down against the statue. It shattered into a cascade of shards, scattering across the desert floor where they joined the obsidian. Unlorm almost lost his stealth as he barely stopped himself from audible gasping at the sight.

They had picked up all the shards from the ground before they left, but from where Unlorm lay, he could still see one glittering between the grasses. The remnants of a broken golem heart.

After some moments, Unlorm emerged from his hiding place and basically ran to gather up the last shard of the golem heart.

Its pulsed with an ancient magic that made his feathers twitch in response. He placed the shard of the golem heart against the faun, watching as the his interface came to life once again.

His heart pounded in his chest, anticipation prickling his skin the statues runes flickered again. Words appeared before him, shimmering in the air— Insufficient shards for quest modification.