The ward under Xarsthos's skin beats hot and steady, like a second heart trying to wake. The broken palisade lies quiet, but the ground still hums beneath him.
The Hooded Figure
Have you mastered it, or are you only carrying what it can become?
Bera steps closer, not touching him yet, her eyes fixed on the glowing seams along his chest and forearm. The light answers her presence with a sharper pulse.
Bera
Xarsthos, let me help. If it shifts again, you should not hold it alone.
Xarsthos
The seal is bound to him now.
The Hooded Figure lifts one hand toward the scorch mark in the stone, then toward the village beyond the breach. His approval is stern, almost challenging.
The Hooded Figure
Then prove it. Protect Oakhaven with the power, not against it.
Xarsthos stands between the living village and the volatile ward inside him, the next surge of light ready to choose a direction.
✓ Quest Accepted
Master the ward within Xarsthos
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Oakhaven with the ward's power
“I meditate and look within my self. I know this power is great and terrible, but I will control for my own and become all powerful to protect Oakhaven”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -2)
Xarsthos lowers himself to one knee amid the broken timbers, letting the ward’s heat move with his breath instead of against it. The glow under his skin steadies, then trembles, waiting.
Xarsthos
The pulse is uneven, but it answers rhythm.
He closes his eyes. The seal on his chest flares once, hard enough to paint the stones gold, then settles into a slow beat that matches his heartbeat.
Bera
That’s it. Keep breathing like that. I can feel it calm from here.
The Hooded Figure
Good. You are not crushing it, you are teaching it where to rest.
The warmth gathers, tight and bright, then locks into place with a sharp sting along Xarsthos’s forearm. The ward stays bound, but the effort leaves a thin line of blood beading beneath the glow.
Bera
You did it... Oakhaven can stand with you now.
Quest Complete
Master the ward within Xarsthos
Quest Complete
Protect Oakhaven with the ward's power