The forest spirit remains beside the fallen branch, its cool touch easing Klause’s stinging wrist. Beneath the clearing, disturbed mana pulses toward the mansion’s outer ward.
Several branching currents become visible to his senses without any spell. One threads beneath the scorched practice ground, while others disappear beneath roots and stones.
the forest spirit
These paths can be examined without casting. Do not force them open. Mana remembers pressure, and frightened channels may answer badly.
The forest spirit lifts its barklike hand toward a narrow route between silver ferns. That current is quieter than the others, its pulse faint but steady beneath the earth.
the forest spirit
Follow this way if you seek the source. It may reveal what awakened beneath your practice ground, but the answer may not be sleeping.
Behind Klause, the mansion’s outer ward glimmers through the trees. Rebecca, Jacob, Elianora, and Liora remain inside, unaware of the hidden currents gathering beyond the garden.
the forest spirit
He carries power enough to disturb old roots, yet still stands at the threshold. What will he choose to hear?
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine what awakened beneath the practice ground
“Ok then, i say following the path”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
Klause follows the narrow path between silver ferns, placing each step carefully while the quiet current guides his senses beneath the soil.
The route descends into a shallow hollow where roots arch like weathered ribs. Beneath them, the hidden mana channel gathers around a circular stone marked with an ancient spiral.
Klause larent
The current is strongest beneath this stone.
the forest spirit
You have found the source. This seal rests beneath the practice ground, and your fire disturbed its sleeping flow.
The forest spirit’s pale light settles over the spiral. The mark does not open, but its channels become legible, revealing mana contained rather than leaking outward.
the forest spirit
It is old, but not broken. Your family’s ward touches it through the roots. Observe the pattern, and the danger will become clear.
Behind Klause, the mansion’s distant ward continues to glow steadily. Here, at the source, the underground current quiets beneath his attentive presence.
“Ok then what do I do destroy it”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
Klause larent
Then what do I do? Destroy it.
The ancient spiral answers before the spirit can object. Mana surges through the stone, and the contained pattern fractures into pale lines beneath Klause’s attention.
the forest spirit
Do not strike it with fire. Unmake the pattern gently, or the stored force will rush toward the mansion.
Klause follows the seal’s circulation and loosens each binding channel in sequence. The spiral breaks apart without a blast, its gathered mana sinking safely into the roots.
The cost lands immediately. His vision blurs, his wrist goes numb, and a sharp ache spreads up his arm as the final thread passes through his body.
the forest spirit
It is destroyed. You prevented the release from reaching your family’s ward, but you spent too much of yourself carrying the burden.
The circular stone splits into dull fragments. Beneath the roots, the channel settles into an ordinary underground current, while the mansion’s distant ward remains steady in the darkness.
Quest Complete
Determine what awakened beneath the practice ground
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great