The Ash-Wrapped Sentinel bows low, ash slipping from his shoulders like sand from a broken statue. Then the last of his shape loosens, and he fades in a soft drift of grey, gone with a final, respectful stillness.
Derick, Joi, Garth, and the Hooded Figure turn from the empty chamber and start the climb. Their footsteps ring up the narrow spiral stair, slower now, the fight finally behind them.
Derick Force
I know you wanted a duel, but can it wait till tomorrow? I believe we all need a good rest.
Garth
Aye. Tomorrow sounds far better than today. I would rather face you sharp and rested than stumble into it half-broken.
Joi stays close to Derick's leg, her new leather armor brushing faintly against the stone. The Hooded Figure keeps pace just ahead, cloak whispering in the quiet as the last traces of ash drift away below.
Garth
Then it is settled. We rest, we recover, and tomorrow we see what that duel becomes.
Ahead, a pale seam of daylight widens at the top of the stair. The air grows warmer there, and for the first time in a long while, nobody hurries.
“"Oy, hooded one, " you call ahead to the hooded man, " what was your name? With so much going on, i never thought to ask! "”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +3)
The Hooded Figure slows on the stair and half-turns, one hand still steadying the obsidian stone against their chest. The pale light from above rims their hood, and the climb briefly feels like a waiting room instead of a victory.
Kellan
I have carried the name Kellan for a long time, when I needed one. It is... enough to say now.
Garth
Kellan, then. A proper name suits you better than that gloomy cloth.
Joi pads a step higher and brushes Derick's shin, then settles again with watchful patience. The stair creaks softly under the group, but nothing else answers.
Kellan
You did not ask for my trust, Derick Force, yet you earned it when the seal held. That is rare enough for me to name aloud.
Garth
And I will admit it too, with some pain. I misliked you at first, Kellan. I mislike being wrong even more.
Kellan
Then let us be wrong in kinder ways. You may call me Kellan from this day, if you wish.
The pale opening above widens another handspan, washing the stair in warm gold. Kellan lowers their chin in quiet thanks, and the climb becomes a shared silence instead of a burden.
+ Story Quest Added
Learn Kellan's true purpose
“"Well, Kellan, do you remember the promise i made when we started this? Quest? "”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +1)
Derick Force
Well, Kellan, do you remember the promise I made when we started this quest?
Kellan
I do. You said we would see this through, and not leave the truth buried with the silence.
Kellan lowers the obsidian stone from their chest and turns it in both hands, as if weighing more than its shape. The warm light from above catches a thin seam of runes along its edge.
Kellan
That promise is why I kept walking with you. My purpose was never only to carry this stone. It was to bring it to the place that can answer it.
Kellan
The Echo-Blade is a key, Derick Force. My true purpose is to return it to the High Spire and wake what still listens here.
Garth
So that is the shape of it. Not a treasure hunt, then. A wakeful old thing with secrets.
Joi sidles closer to Derick's leg, ears pricked toward Kellan, while the stair seems to hold its breath around them. Kellan lifts their chin, quieter now, waiting to see whether the promise still stands.
Quest Complete
Learn Kellan's true purpose
+ Story Quest Added
Return the Echo-Blade to the High Spire