"This place…" Anya murmured, her voice tight, "It reeks of corruption. A festering wound upon the land."
Elara, her nose wrinkling at the acrid stench, nodded. “Yeah, it’s like someone spilled a bad batch of server coolant. Or worse, tried to run Windows Vista on a potato.”
Fang, his hackles raised, growled low in his throat, his eyes scanning the desolate landscape. Sparky, unusually subdued, clung to Elara’s shoulder, his normally vibrant glow dimmed.
In the distance, a dark, jagged spire pierced the sky, its obsidian surface reflecting the sickly, crimson light of the setting sun. A palpable sense of dread emanated from it, a silent promise of malevolence.
"The Obsidian Spire," Anya said, her voice heavy. "The source of the corruption."
As they approached, the ground began to tremble, and a low, guttural chanting echoed through the desolate landscape. From the shadows of the twisted trees, figures emerged, their forms gaunt and twisted, their eyes glowing with malevolent red light.
[Corrupted Sentinels (10)]
[Level: 18]
"Sentinels," Elara muttered, summoning her energy sword. "Looks like they're not throwing a welcome party."
The Sentinels, their movements jerky and unnatural, advanced, their gnarled staffs crackling with dark energy. Anya nocked an arrow, her eyes narrowed, her movements fluid and precise.
“We’ll hold them off here,” Anya said, her voice resolute. “You must reach the spire.”
"Hold them off? Anya, they're level 18," Elara protested. "And there’s ten of them."
"You have abilities we do not understand," Anya countered, her eyes fixed on the advancing Sentinels. "You are our only hope."
Elara hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, but if I get turned into a shadow beast, I'm blaming you."
She turned to Fang. "Fang, stay with Anya. Protect her."
Fang whined, nuzzling her hand, but obeyed, positioning himself protectively beside Anya.
"Sparky, you're with me," Elara said.
The Sprite zipped onto her shoulder, his glow flickering.
Elara focused her energy, summoning a wall of fire, creating a barrier between Anya and the Sentinels. She then activated her "Portal Creation" ability, attempting to create a portal directly to the base of the Obsidian Spire.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The air shimmered, and a swirling vortex of energy opened before her. "Alright, let's hope this works," she muttered, stepping through the portal.
She emerged at the base of the Obsidian Spire, the dark, jagged structure towering above her like a monolithic monument to despair. The air here was thick with dark energy, making it difficult to breathe. The chanting was louder, more intense, resonating through her very bones.
As she looked up, she saw more corrupted figures, their forms twisted and grotesque, their eyes glowing with malevolent red light. They were gathered around the base of the spire, their chanting focused on a dark, pulsating crystal embedded in the obsidian.
[Corrupted High Priest (1)]
[Level: 25]
[Corrupted Guardians (5)]
[Level: 20]
"Level 25 high priest? Level 20 guardians?" Elara groaned. "This is a nightmare."
The High Priest, a gaunt figure with glowing red eyes and a twisted, gnarled staff, turned his gaze towards her. His voice, raspy and guttural, echoed through the desolate landscape.
“The Dimensional Anomaly,” he hissed, his voice laced with malice. “You have come to disrupt our ritual.”
“Ritual? More like a cosmic malware installation,” Elara retorted, summoning her energy sword. "And I'm here to uninstall it."
The High Priest raised his staff, and the ground beneath Elara’s feet began to crack and crumble. The Guardians advanced, their eyes burning with hatred.
Elara, her heart pounding, focused her energy. She summoned a barrage of fireballs, launching them at the Guardians. She then activated her "Alchemy" ability, quickly brewing a potent concoction of cleansing energy, which she threw at the High Priest.
The concoction hit the High Priest, causing him to hiss and writhe in pain. The dark energy surrounding him flickered and sputtered.
The Guardians, however, were relentless, their attacks coordinated and brutal. Elara, despite her growing mastery of elemental magic, was struggling to keep up.
"Sparky, I need a distraction," she yelled.
The Sprite, his glow flickering erratically, zipped towards the Guardians, his movements unpredictable and chaotic. He pulled at their robes, tugged at their hair, and generally caused as much chaos as possible.
Elara, taking advantage of the distraction, focused her energy on the dark crystal embedded in the spire. She knew that it was the source of the corruption, the nexus of the dark energy.
She activated her "Universal Magic Mastery," focusing on a cleansing spell, a pure, white light that would banish the darkness. The air around her shimmered, and a surge of energy flowed through her, a warm, comforting light that pushed back the oppressive darkness.
She unleashed the spell, the white light erupting from her like a supernova, engulfing the dark crystal. The crystal shattered, its dark energy dissipating like smoke in a strong wind.
The High Priest screamed, his form dissolving into a cloud of black smoke. The Guardians collapsed, their bodies turning to dust. The chanting ceased, and the oppressive darkness receded, replaced by a sense of relief and renewal.
The Obsidian Spire, its dark surface now dull and lifeless, began to crumble, its jagged form collapsing into a pile of obsidian rubble.
Elara, exhausted but victorious, stood amidst the ruins, her energy sword still glowing faintly. The desolate landscape around her began to transform, the barren ground sprouting new shoots of green, the twisted trees regaining their vibrant hues.
She had stopped the spread of the corruption. But she knew that this was just one battle in a larger war. The darkness was still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for its chance to strike again.
Current Status:
- Name: Elara Hayes
- Class: Dimensional Anomaly
- Level: 6
- Abilities: Identify, Alchemy (Basic Understanding), Summoning (Forest Sprite), Portal Creation, Monster Taming, Universal Magic Mastery (Basic Understanding of Elemental Magic (Fire) and Cleansing Magic), Pocket Dimension Storage.
- Skills Points: 0
- Inventory: Energy Sword, Ground Burrower Core, Basic Healing Potion, Portable Alchemy Set, Collapsible Tent, Multi-Tool.
- Companions: Fang (Forest Dire Wolf, Alpha), Sparky (Forest Sprite), Anya (Traveler)