🌊 The Journey Begins Anew
Days turned to weeks as Selene and her party journeyed eastward, leaving the broken Stormspire behind. The lands grew stranger, the air thick with salt and the scent of decay.
They reached the coast where black cliffs dropped into an endless sea. There, at low tide, the ruins of a vast city appeared — its towers broken, half-swallowed by the water.
> [System Notice: You have discovered — The Sunken Citadel of Zareth. Quest Objective: Locate the third Shard of Fate. Danger: SSS++. Recommended Party Level: 150+.]
Their current average level? 93.
Rin whistled.
> "We're dead men walking."
Gareth cracked his knuckles.
> "Then let's make it worth the risk."
---
🕯 Descent into the Deep
At dawn, they ventured into the city, the water lapping at their knees. Strange shapes moved beneath the surface — shadows of the beasts that now called the citadel home.
Mira kept glancing behind them.
> "I don't like this. Something's following us."
Selene drew her blade, the Stormspire shard in her other hand glowing faintly — guiding them forward.
Suddenly, the water rippled violently, and from its depths rose creatures of nightmares — Drowned Wraiths, skeletal and seaweed-wrapped, their hollow eyes glowing blue.
> [Combat Engaged: Drowned Wraith Swarm (x20)]
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⚔ Battle Amid the Ruins
Selene moved like lightning, slicing through the nearest wraith. Gareth's axe sang as it cleaved two apart in a single swing. Rin's arrows whistled, pinning wraiths to crumbling walls.
But for each one they felled, two more seemed to rise.
> "We can't hold this pace!" Mira cried, summoning walls of flame to block the advancing horde.
Selene scanned the area — and spotted a broken spire with a faint light at its peak.
> "That's the shard's beacon! We run — now!"
They fought their way toward the spire, every step a battle, every breath a gamble between life and death.
🌪 The Spire's Gauntlet
The ruined spire loomed before them, jagged like a broken tooth rising from the flooded city.
> [System Notice: Entering Beacon Spire — Zareth's Inner Sanctum. All exit paths sealed. Eliminate guardians to proceed.]
As they crossed the threshold, the doors of water-scarred stone slammed shut behind them.
Gareth swore under his breath.
> "No way back now."
Mira's eyes flickered with determination.
> "Then we fight through."
---
🛡 The Guardians Awaken
With a grinding of ancient gears, statues lining the walls of the spire began to move. They were massive — ten feet tall, shaped like sea serpents coiled around tridents, their bodies carved of black stone and barnacles.
> [Boss Encounter: Zareth Spire Wardens (x2)]
Selene activated the Stormspire shard, lightning crackling along her blade.
> "We take them together! Focus fire on one at a time!"
---
⚔ Battle in the Spire
The first warden struck, its trident crashing down. Selene parried, the impact driving her to her knees. Gareth tackled it, his axe biting into the stone — sparks flying.
Rin's arrows shattered one of its eyes, and Mira's magic engulfed it in fire.
The warden roared — a sound like grinding stone — and collapsed, its pieces crashing into the rising water below.
But the second warden was faster, slamming its tail into Rin and sending him flying against a pillar.
> "Rin!" Mira shouted.
Selene leapt atop the warden's back, plunging her blade into the cracks Rin's arrows had made. The creature bucked, trying to throw her off, but Gareth joined the fray — and together, they shattered it into rubble.
---
💎 The Shard Revealed
At the top of the spire, the beacon flared — and floating in its heart was the next Shard of Fate, glowing with deep ocean blue light.
> [System Notice: Shard of Fate (Zareth) Acquired!]
Effect: Grants water element control, +50 attributes while in aquatic environments, unlocks ability: Tidal Surge.
Selene took it, breathless.
The water in the citadel began to churn violently. Outside, they saw massive shadows approaching — leviathans stirred by the disturbance, and dark ships bearing enemy banners sailed toward Zareth.
> "We need to leave — now!" Mira warned.
Selene clenched the shards in her fists.
> "Then let's cut a path through them."
🌊 The Leviathans Rise
The sea boiled as the leviathans emerged — monstrous creatures with maws large enough to swallow ships, their eyes glowing with ancient malice.
From the horizon, black-sailed warships approached fast, the banners of the Shadow Throne fluttering in the storm winds.
> [System Notice: Combined Threat Level — Apocalypse (SSS+)]
Rin wiped blood from his brow, groaning as Mira helped him stand.
> "Great. First statues, now sea demons and pirates. We're cursed."
Selene's grip tightened on the shards.
> "No. We're chosen."
---
⚡ Tidal Surge Unleashed
The water shard pulsed in her palm, and Selene felt the ocean answer her. She raised both shards to the sky — lightning crackled, and waves rose like walls.
> [Skill Activated: Tidal Surge]
The ocean roared as a colossal wave slammed into the advancing warships, splintering them like toys. The leviathans reared back, howling, swept aside by the force.
> "By the gods..." Gareth whispered.
---
🚨 Escape from Zareth
The citadel began to collapse, centuries-old walls finally succumbing to the sea's fury.
> "We've got seconds before this place becomes a tomb!" Mira shouted.
They sprinted toward the edge of the ruin where their ship waited. The Stormspire's shard flickered, stabilizing the waters around them just long enough for their escape.
As they leapt aboard, the last of the citadel sank beneath the waves, leaving only wreckage and foam behind.
> [Quest Complete: Shard of Zareth Recovered. New Objective: Seek the Ember Crown of the North.]
---
🌌 A New Horizon
That night, as their ship sailed north beneath unfamiliar stars, Selene stood at the bow, the two shards glowing softly at her side.
The system chimed softly in her mind.
> [Hero Title Unlocked: Tidebreaker]
Effect: +30% damage vs aquatic and naval enemies. Reputation increased among coastal nations.
Rin limped over, smirking.
> "So, where to next, captain?"
Selene smiled.
> "Wherever destiny takes us. But we'll be ready."