**Ding! You have challenged a Guardian: Glacial Sovereign!**
**Ding! Good Luck.**
The very mountain seemed to cry out as the spirit before them rose to its full height — more than double Kaius’ own. Squat and powerful, with fur of snow and muscle of ice, the spirit’ss maw opened. Blue fangs bared towards them. It roared, a gust of frost sweeping across the arena and tossing aside mounded snow with its force.
Kaius pulled to the side, sprinting in to approach from the flank. Porkchop took centre stage, draped in plates of heavy jade as he let loose a roar of his own — a Challenge that yanked at the Guardian’s attention, forcing its gaze towards him. The Glacial Sovereign leapt forwards, head lowered, antlers poised.
Porkchop’s jade armour was strong and stout, and stamina roiled as he activated Breaker of Men. The ground rippled beneath his feet, crystal shards erupting around every one of his thundering foot falls.
Keeping the pace of his advance, Kaius felt his general skills go to work. The icy plateau was slippery, but Explorer’s Toolkit shifted the environment subtly — giving him the traction he needed. He saw mana flare within the Guardian, woven artfully into its horns.
They sprouted with a dozen icicles. Uncaring of the danger, Porkchop slammed into the spirit. It was an earth-shattering clash of titans — stone cracking beneath their feet as a wave of jade spikes erupted to rip at the underbelly of the Guardian. Its antlers slammed into Porkchop’s breastplate. Most shattered, but when the spirit reared back, some were stained red.
Kaius moved in, A Father’s Gift raised high overhead in an offensive high guard. A lunging step brought him to the creature’s side, its heaving belly a wall of ice.
He cut.
Reborn in the waters of a living world, his sword was almost alien compared to its previous form. It slammed down, its glassy edge biting deep and shearing through ice that screamed and cracked. There was no blood — not even a facsimile of meltwater — and the wound sealed soon after as the Guardian snapped its head towards him.
Even with its guard wide open, there were no weaknesses he could sense.
He was having none of that.
Lurching to the side, with a burst of speed empowered by Tempered by Dissonance, Kaius pulled on the runes on his temples. Reaching out with Compel Obsession, he wrapped the spirit’s alien mind in bindings of fascination and want.
A focus that he pushed onto Porkchop— right as his brother smashed it in the jaw, his arm wrapped in the jagged shards of his Jade Crash skill.
Blood stained the cracked armour on Porkchop’s front — the faintest dribbles the only evidence of their previous clash. His strong body healed quickly. Kaius refused to be outdone.
He reached for his Runeblade Hymnfocus, channelling a Nail as he did so. Biting teeth appeared on his sword, whirring back and forth with a demon’s squeal.
Slipping around the spirit’s wild snapping kicks, he began to hack — carving away at living ice again and again. ItsIt’s retaliation was unfocused — so driven was it on goring his brother. Porkchop held strong, keeping it at bay with smashing hits of his Shardwall as much as he could.
Far back the way he’d come, Kaius caught sight of Kenva blurring across the ground. Her bow was in hand, but no arrow was drawn. Each bound of her Vinestride sent her hurtling around the edge of the arena to approach their target from behind.
Soon after, he felt a solar warmth settle on him as Sundrenched Strength fuelled his muscles, letting him bite further and further into the body of the beast. The Glacial Sovereign seemed uncaring, unflinching in the face of the wounds.
He wasn’t even sure if it felt pain.
It smashed Porkchop to the side, forcing him to stagger with a heavy blow. White and blue mana pulsed within it. Kaius tensed, ready for anything.
Two spires of ice shot out of the ground, their tips needle-like as they curved inwards to spear for Porkchop’s back.
Energy flared within his brother — The Stone That Weathered Time turning his armour into adamant. Icee shattered. A heartbeat later, Porkchop burst out of his immobility — his jaws wide. The Warden’s Maw flanked his jaw with dagger-like fangs. They punched deep, shattering what should have been its throat.
What chunks of ice fell knitted back into place a moment later, sealing whole once more.
Kaius clenched his teeth, tracking Kenva’s progress.
They needed to know where that core was; until they found it, it would be difficult to bring the Guardian down — not with how legendary spirits were for their mana reserves.
Even this close to the beast, the ice within it was opaque, visible only in the rare moments he cut through its snowy hide. He had no chance of spotting its core, and Explorer’s Toolkit gave him no hint either.
The best he could do was to keep the pressure on and give Kenva the opportunity she needed.
Once again, the mana within the Guardian pulsed, and he readied himself to dodge. It was another skill, a new one this time. Snow rose from the ground in great clouds, crystallising faster than he could blink.
A storm of needles surrounded it a moment later..
Kaius cursed, leaping backward. Violent shards exploded in a wave.
Yet his Maelstrom was there, the wind ripping around his body with the power of his mana, a storm that scattered and shattered the projectiles into a glittering mist.
It still taxed his defence. Even disparate and area-focused, the ability had worn away nearly half of the energy contained in his Maelstrom. Another like that and he’d have to burn one more of his limited charges.
He burst back in with a Shunt. The thundercrack startled the beast, breaking the combined compulsion of his Compel Obsession and his brother’s challenge. It spun, seeing him approach. Lashing out with a paw, its claws lengthened into scimitars of honed blue.
From a low guard, Kaius snapped his blade up, forcing dual streams of stamina into his Bladerite and Mercurial Reversal. Heavy and strong, his sword moved fast enough that the wind whistled around it. The runes on its fuller burned bright in the clear crystal as its edge bit into the spirit's claws. Skill-empowered, he sapped power from the strike, levering against the blow and directing it down.
Razer sharp ice missed his chest by a finger’s width. Pulled offside, the Guardian was left open. Kaius twisted through his hips, sliding into a riposte. The thrust burned with stolen power, punching deep through the ice and into its chest.
Yet for as grievous as the wound looked, it was ultimately as superficial as a razor cut.
The alien form of the Glacial Sovereign was but a shell — its true being out of reach.
Kaius ducked under a snapping bite that left frost spreading across his scales. His brother roared once more, charging forward to slam into the creature’s side — Intercede the Weak
placing him in front of the Guardian's attack.It staggered, only to howl a moment later.
Waves of alpine wind roared over the mountain in a condensed gust, shoving Porkchop back a step.
Kaius found himself unaffected — his own Maelstrom flagging as it tore at the power of the ability.
He had moments — any ice he could break was more of the spirit's mana wasted.
From his limited stores of free energy, Kaius fed Mystic’s Rend. Arcane force screamed as it surrounded his blade in a crackling edge. In the same moment, he unleashed a salvo of Hateful Nails, each metal spike driving deep into the spirit’s body. They unfurled, forcibly cracking its side open.
The Guardian swiveled to him, power gleaming in its fangs as it snapped.
Refreshing his Slip Step, Kaius felt the world warping as he ducked down. Sliding under the bite, he drove his blade straight into the monster’s throat. His Rend collapsed to a point, detonating and throwing out a shower of icy shards. Caustic energy lingered, burning in the wound.
He cut again, quickly, before the beast could rally.
Twice more he struck, the lingering force of his Rend blowing chunks out of its neck.
For all its mana surged to the site of the injury, its recovery was slow. His affliction sapped at its control — an interaction he didn’t quite understand but was all the more glad for.
Still, it wasn’t any weaker. Even with great gouges taken out of its throat, the beast fought on unhindered, not needing mortal muscle to support the great weight of its head.
Kaius burst out of the fray just as a shard wall slammed into the creature’s back, yanking it towards Porkchop. He hammered it with Breaker of Men — jade spikes rupturing its undercarriage as he pincered it between his armour and his Skill. A great crack split the plateau, the spirit caught between a blacksmith’s hammer and anvil.
Kaius saw past the confrontation — Kenva slinking in the shadow of the creature, staring at it intently.
“How long?!” he called.
“Almost got it,” Kenva mouthed, never once taking her eyes off the creature.
Before he could reply, mana surged and a wall of winter mana erupted, the spirit at its epicentre.
Porkchop braced, the power slamming into him. Two spires of ice burst out of the mountain top, punching straight for his throat.
Kaius blasted himself back with a Shunt, watching with gritted teeth as the attacks gouged his brother’s heavy plate and forced him to stumble. Blood dripped from the seams of his armour, yet Porkchop held strong.
The second the Guardian’s aura of ice vanished, Kenva dashed back in closer — only for a moment. A heartbeat later her face lit up, and she sprinted out of the fray. Right toward Ianmus.
“I found it!” she screamed. “A stride below its spine, two-thirds of the way down its back! I’ve marked it with my skill — if I hit it, it’s ruined!”
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Kaius reacted instantly, hammering the beast with a Storm Lash. Thunder cracked, but the spell was ineffective — sparking uselessly on its icy body.
It didn’t matter — it was bright and loud, drawing the beast’s attention.
The Glacial Sovereign ducked low, its claws digging into the mountaintop. It lunged straight for him, ignoring the sparking lightning that rolled across its skin.
Mana rushed out from it, forging into a blade of ice that preceded it like a crescent moon.
Kaius blasted himself sideways, leaning on a Shunt as he ripped himself to safety.
Another Shunt, and he was hurtling forwards. He leaned into the movement, scything out with his blade as he infused it with Bladerite. The edge cut deep into the spirit’s leading shoulder, the cracks of shattering ice filling the air as he tore open a wide wound.
The sudden resistance sent him stumbling, but it only took another thunderous burst of force to hurl himself away.
He staggeried to the ground as Porkchop raced past him, smashing the spirit from side to side. His paws fell like meteors as he started mauling the larger creature in an all-out offensive. Nothing was held back — wounds taken with only a low roar of determination.
Kaius spun, checking his backline.
Kenva was ready with an arrow cocked, her face focused as a wave of stamina flooded her Horizon’s Arrow. Beside her, Ianmus stood rigid, his keyseal resplendent at the tip of his staff. Stream after stream of solar mana was woven into a dense web — nascent destruction building brighter by the moment. They weren’t ready yet — but they would be soon.
He readied himself to call upon VOS. Another Shunt at his back blasted him into the fray. Skill after Skill flooded his blade as he cut into the creature’s flanks; Nails hammered out a staccato rhythm. Each one unspooled, cracking ice like porcelain, chunks of pseudo-flesh falling to the ground like gravel.
And yet, despite his Nails sinking into what would have been joints and muscles on a beast, the Guardian shifted unhindered — solid ice flowing around the obstacles with ease.
One by one, the shards clanked against the mountain top.
The spirit flew into a rage — forcing Kaius and Porkchop on the defensive as wave after wave of cutting winter wind and needle-fine icicles crashed across the battleground.
Yet for all its great strength, the Guardian had done little to truly injure him or Porkchop — but similarly, neither were they able to inflict it with permanent or serious injury.
They were at a standstill.
“Now!” Kenva screamed across the plateau.
Kaius blasted himself back, gaining distance. He settled on the point Kenva had indicated. He would open the way — punching deep into its body to give them a better shot.
Deep within himself, he reached for the image of his great rune. Magic burned on his tongue, fortifying his soul as an alien weight of impossible angles locked itself in his mind.
He focused, and — almost instinctively — flexed this authority as the Aspects within him roared into life. Fortifying his intent, he bore down on the image in his mind, narrowing his view until he took in but the barest corner of the greater whole.
The fury of it was still enough to rock him, even through the armour of his Redoubt. Yet his soul was strong, and it blazed bright regardless.
He reached for his Glyph of Drakthar, power roaring through its circuits.
Hateful Nail
burst free.A spiralling, stride long spike of metal screamed from his hands, punching forward so fast it split the air with a great crack.
The Glacial Sovereign twitched as it caught the surge, sensing the expulsion of energy that ripped through the air.
It’s reaction came too slow. His shard slammed in, two strides below its spine, two-thirds down. The beast screamed, glacial energy billowing from it in waves. His Nail unspooled, forcing open a great crevasse in the ice.
For a moment, Kaius’s heart clenched — this was their moment!
Then sunlight snapped into existence, tearing into the gap as it bored ever deeper.
A streak of blue was close on its heels — Kenva’s Lance, ready to drive the killing blow.
Yet Kaius could only growl in frustration as the burning song in his blood was denied its satisfaction.
The Glacial Sovereign dissolved, and Kaius caught the barest sight of a fist-sized sphere of midnight blue vanishing into a blizzard as the orb dissipated.
Porkchop was still stuck within the reaches of the field — and with the revealing power of his True Sight, Kaius watched it assault him with malicious intent. Knives and spikes of ice substantiated in a constant tide, striking at his brother from all angles. They hammered on plates of sacred jade and slipped through the cracks in his armour, bleeding his brother from a dozen spots.
Kaius yanked on their bond, showing him the way through. “Back!” he yelled. “Back!”
He could see the edges of the Guardian from the way its mana suffused the unnatural cloud — yet at the centre, there was nothing more than darker motes, with no solid object for them to strike.
Another of Ianmus’s beams bored straight through the clouds. They shivered palpably — screamed where the magics touched.
It could still be injured! Though, it was possible it was immune to physical damage in its incorporeal state.
Porkchop burst free, tearing towards him.
“What now?” his brother asked.
Right at that moment, Kenva fired another Lance of Fury. The living blizzard quivered, then shook — but far less than it had from Ianmus’s strike. Her skill had a mana component — the best thing he had to go off.
Icicles condensed in the cloud, each the size of a boar spear. Three flew, tearing across the ground straight for their back line. Kaius growled at the sight, watching his friends scramble out of the way, narrowly avoiding the sudden blows.
“Pull back,” Kaius said, a writhing snake of lightning coilinged around his hand. “Defend Ianmus and Kenva. We need mana Skills only at this point.”
“What about you?”
“I can still see where its core is with Truesight,” he explained, “Only barely though — it’s darker than the rest. Still, If I can see it, I can hurt it: Hymnfocus and Mystic’s Rend will do the job. I’ll bring it down — and hopefully keep its focus — while Ianmus and Kenva do their best to hammer it.”
Porkchop nodded once before he tore back towards their friends, sudden Shardwalls blocking salvos of icicles that shot for his exposed back.
Kaius sprinted in.
The living blizzard seemed infuriated at his approach. Dozens of tendrils of glacial wind whipped from the cloud towards him. They were fast — faster than he expected.
He reacted on instinct, sliding sideways as he snapped his blade out to defend himself from the incorporeal tendrils that overwhelmed his Maelstrom with pure numbers.
Yet rather than pass harmlessly through, his blade cut.
Snow and ice fell harmlessly to the ground as he severed the spirit, incorporeal form or no.
It was all Kaius could do to keep himself from gasping in shock.
By the bloody gods, what?
Almost unbidden, the description of one of his blade’s new enchantments came to him — The Ghost of Severance, cutting even the intangible. He’d thought the description simple metaphor for it’s sharpness — but no, he’d cut through the storm like it was a physical thing.
Kaius grinned. Perhaps this turn of events was not as dire as it seemed.
Yet his accidental blow infuriated the Guardian. Endless spears of ice erupted from the ground, joined by howling bursts of wind-blades and ice-needles. He dipped and dived with Slip Step and expedient Shunt as his movements were guided and empowered by a layering of his general skills. Yet even for all his haste and skill with the blade, he couldn’t dodge every needle; he couldn’t parry every spike.
Cutting shards ripped through his armour like it was paper, leaving trailing red in the snow, his health burning in a torrent to seal his wounds.
Kaius pushed on, lightning filling the blizzard with bursts of light as called on Stormlash at every opportunity.
Torn between the deadly threat of his blade; the ever-present assault of lances of light, and infused arrows the size of ballista bolts, the Glacial Sovereign struggled to keep up.
This close, the very air burned with the spirit’s mana, leeching into him like a kiss of cold death. Rapid adaptation surged through his body — fighting off the ice and tasting the flavour of glacial and winter affinities. The partial resistance was enough for his healing to keep pace.
The moment he was within a stride of the beast, he burst into motion.
Refreshing Bound Maelstrom to give himself as much defence against the icy wind as possible, Kaius detonated a Shunt beneath his feet and lunged upwards, straight into the blizzard.
As soon as he was within, knives of ice struck him from every angle, boring into his flesh as his Maelstrom was immediately overwhelmed. He cast it again — even if it could only deflect half the blows, every bit counted.
A dark wind wafted at the blizzard’s centre, moving through the storm. Kaius adjusted with another Shunt, zigzagging through its zone of control as he reached for his Hymnfocus and flooded his blade with the fury of lightning.
It might have been a suboptimal affinity, but storm still had an intangible quality that the metal of his Hateful Nail lacked — more effective in his current situation.
Teeth bared in a rictus grin, Kaius sailed through the air on the back of a Shunt, his blade high overhead.
He cut.
The power of his Hymnfocus and Bladerite slashed straight through the dark mote as mana split before his blade.
The storm screamed, vibrating audibly. The patch of dark snow shot away— condensing back into an orb of ice as its armoured form started to rematerialise.
Kaius didn’t give it the chance — not when he smelt blood in the air. Not when his heart sung so joyfully that victory was at hand. Neither did his companions.
The moment it was visible, a lance of light, nearly as thick as Kaius’s wrist, burst through the black ice. It was followed quickly by an arrow that sent shards of dark blue scattering across the mountain’s peak.
Half shattered, it limped on — doggedly curving through the air in an evasive pattern.
Kaius refused to let it escape; Shunt after Shunt rocketed him forwards. Intercepting the orb at an angle, he cut off its escape with a salvo of nails. It was hemmed in — forced to turn into his approach
His back burned as he put everything he had into a strike. Lightning tore from his hand, as a triple layer of Bladerite,Rend, and a Nail backed Hymnfocus snapped into being. For so long, he’d struggled to layer so many skills into his blade at once. Now, with its newly empowered form, and the stabilising blanket of his Authority, it was easy.
The Glacial Sovereign’s core shattered like glass.
Kaius hit the ground hard, rolling to bleed off his momentum. Rushing joy surged through his belly as he leapt to his feet and thrust his blade upwards, screaming his victory to the air.
They’d barely taken any wounds, and his health almost untouched — despite slaying a Guardian of the twenty-fourth layer.
Gods, it felt good.
**Ding! You have slain a Guardian: Glacial Sovereign - level 256 Living Blizzard!**
**Ding! You have slain a Guardian: Claim personalised reward by taking a portal!**
**Ding! Class Skill Notifications Consolidated!**
…
**Mystic’s Rend has reached level 183 > 187!**
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**Latent Glyph of Vyrthane has reached level 132 > 139!**
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**Sigil of Vesryn’s Pact has reached level 142 > 146**
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**Latent Glyph of Eirnith has reached level 126 > 129**
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**Mercurial Reversal has reached level 108 > 123!**
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**Runeblade Hymnfocus has reached level 62 > 88**
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**Latent Glyph of Muthryn, Throat of VOS has reached level 49 > 66**
…
His team charged over to him, laughing and whooping.
"Holy hells, we demolished that thing," Kenva said, staring at the scattered remnants of ice in shock.
"I'll say," Ianmus agreed. "I thought we were in for a bit of a struggle when it went incorporeal, but... you cut right through it. How?"
Kaius simply smiled and touched his now sheathed blade on its hilt. "Cuts even the intangible."
"Bit of a shame to hang back during the last moments, but by the Matriarchs, we barely got injured."
"The twenty-fourth layer. Shattered axles. It's hard to believe." Kenva replied, shaking her head.
"I told you we could do it before we jumped off that cliff!" Kaius said "It's addicting, is it not? The rush of growth."
"The peak of the first tier. From level one-hundred. In less than a month. Pretty good if I say so myself," Porkchop said, his eyes glazed as he looked at his status. "Oh, hey. I didn't notice. It's my birthday.”
Kaius could only laugh. He was a little jealous — what could be a better birthday gift than this?
"Well, should we see what you get for loot then? I can make your favourite for lunch at the next layer — hopefully the weather is a little more…temperate."