Kaleb awoke to the faint glow of dawn slipping through the shutters of his inn room. The events of the night lingered in his mind, a storm of questions swirling alongside his determination.
Stretching, his body was sore but steady, Kaleb felt the Raiden mark pulsing faintly on his chest. The system shimmered to life as if sensing his readiness:
[Objective Updated: Track Voidscale Movement.]
Activating the interspatial ring on his finger, Kaleb checked its contents. The spirit shard glimmered faintly in the void within, a small but significant trophy. "Voidscale Brotherhood," he muttered. "What are they planning?"
As he gathered his gear, Kaleb's thoughts drifted back to the man he interrogated days earlier. The smuggler's words about his Uncle Vorrick's involvement with dark crystals, smuggling routes, and a plot against the Tidecallers weighed heavily. "The Brotherhood, Vorrick, the Tidecallers… what's the connection?"
After a quick meal, Kaleb stepped into the bustling village streets, where merchants called out to buyers. The ordinary scene felt jarring after the chaotic battles in the forest the day before.
The Raiden System displayed a faint pulse, guiding Kaleb toward the outskirts. He could hear the villagers whispering of shadowy figures in the woods, their fear palpable.
Kaleb's pace quickened, his destination clear. The system shimmered again:
[Energy Surge Detected. Source: Mid-Tier Voidscale Outpost.]
The trees thickened as Kaleb moved deeper into the forest. The air grew colder, the faint hum of energy brushing against his senses. Denkoujin pulsed faintly at his side, responding to the charged atmosphere.
Ahead, a faint glow broke through the dense foliage. Kaleb crouched low, his sharp eyes scanning the area. A small encampment came into view, Voidscale operatives moving with precision around a larger teleporter.
The system displayed a detailed analysis:
[Objective: Disrupt Voidscale Outpost.]
[Threat Level: Moderate.]
Kaleb gripped Denkoujin, his mind racing. "Is this tied to Vorrick's crystals? Or the Tidecallers?" he muttered. "Answers might be in there."
With that, he activated Surge Step, sparks crackling around his feet as he closed the distance.
The first operative turned, void energy rippling along its weapon as it lunged. Kaleb's katana clashed with the weapon, the sheer force of the impact numbing his arm. The agent's movements were unnaturally fluid, its attacks erratic yet deliberate.
"These moves…" Kaleb thought, dodging another strike. "They're so different. What style is this?"
Before he could ponder further, the Raiden System shimmered into view:
[Analysis: Voidscale Blade Technique. Description: Combines shadow manipulation with enhanced reflexes for unpredictable strikes. Counter: Disrupt energy flow with lightning-based attacks.]
Kaleb parried a flurry of attacks, activating Thunder Edge. Lightning surged along Denkoujin's blade, crackling as it cut through the void energy surrounding the operative.
The Voidscale agent retreated, its red eyes narrowing. "You're no ordinary Stormborn," it hissed, its tone venomous.
"Figured that out on your own, did you?" Kaleb shot back, his smirk sharp.
Another operative lunged, its claws glowing with void energy. Kaleb ducked, flames igniting beneath his feet as he activated Infernal Step. The fiery trail caught the agent's leg, forcing it to retreat with a snarl.
Kaleb was struck again by the strangeness of their movements. "What are these techniques? They fight like shadows."
The system responded:
[Voidscale Energy Claws Detected. Description: Compressed void energy formed into deadly extensions. Vulnerable to kinetic disruption.]
Taking note, Kaleb dodged the next attack and delivered a precise strike to the agent's shoulder. The katana hummed as it cleaved through void energy, the figure dissolving into shadowy wisps.
The remaining operatives circled Kaleb, their movements unnervingly coordinated. One raised its hands, summoning a sphere of crackling void energy.
Kaleb's eyes widened. "A ranged attack?" he thought. "This is nothing like I've faced before!"
The system flashed a new alert:
[Ability Detected: Voidburst Sphere. Description: High-impact area-of-effect attack. Evade or disrupt before detonation.]
Kaleb's chest tightened as the sphere grew, its energy warping the air around it. With no time to lose, he activated Surge Step, darting forward in a burst of speed.
Lightning surged through Denkoujin as he struck the sphere, dispersing it in a flash of light. The operative stumbled, its form flickering as Kaleb followed up with a swift slash.
The system pulsed again:
[Energy Boost Activated: Attack Speed +4 for 20 seconds.]
Kaleb moved faster, his strikes relentless. Denkoujin cleaved through another agent, reducing it to shadow. The remaining operatives hesitated, their red eyes darting toward the teleporter.
Two agents retreated, activating the device with hurried gestures. The teleporter flared to life, its hum filling the clearing.
Kaleb lunged toward them, but one agent stepped forward, raising a barrier of void energy to block him.
"What now?" Kaleb thought, frustration mounting.
The Raiden System shimmered:
[Barrier Technique Detected. Description: Defensive void shield capable of absorbing energy-based attacks. Vulnerable to sustained kinetic impact.]
Kaleb struck the barrier repeatedly, his katana glowing brighter with each hit. Sparks flew as the barrier cracked, shattering with a final, decisive strike.
The operatives disappeared through the teleporter just as Kaleb reached it. The system displayed a prompt:
[Destroy Teleporter to Prevent Further Infiltration.]
Kaleb raised Denkoujin high, lightning crackling along its blade. "Not this time," he muttered, bringing the katana down in a powerful arc.
The teleporter sparked violently before exploding in a burst of light. The clearing fell silent, the void energy dissipating into the air.
Amid the debris, Kaleb noticed a faint glimmer. He crouched, retrieving another spirit shard and a second interspatial ring.
The system displayed a message:
[Additional Interspatial Ring Detected. Capacity: 75x75 Meters.]
Kaleb turned the ring over in his hand, its intricate runes glowing faintly. Curiosity piqued, he slipped it onto his finger and willed the contents to reveal themselves. His eyes widened as a small collection of dark, crystalline fragments materialized in his palm.
There were twenty of them in total, each shard as black as night, with faint streaks of red coursing through their cores. Recognition sparked in Kaleb's mind. "These… these are the same crystals I saw in the warehouse," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
His grip tightened on the crystals as he recalled the smuggler's words—Vorrick's involvement in transporting these sinister objects and their rumored use in weapon upgrades. "So the Voidscale Brotherhood uses these too?" Kaleb murmured, his thoughts racing.
The Raiden System shimmered into view, displaying new information:
[Dark Crystals Detected. Function: Enhances weapon durability and augments elemental effects. Highly unstable—improper use can corrupt the wielder's core.]
Kaleb's brow furrowed at the warning. "Corrupt the wielder's core?" he repeated, slipping the crystals back into the interspatial ring. "What is Vorrick playing at, dealing with something this dangerous?"
The implications churned in his mind as he stood, the weight of the discovery pressing against his thoughts. Vorrick's name echoed louder than ever, entwined with the Voidscale Brotherhood and their increasingly sinister activities.
"The Voidscale Brotherhood… Vorrick… and the Tidecallers," Kaleb muttered, his grip tightening on Denkoujin. "What's the endgame here?"
The Raiden System displayed one final prompt:
[Return to Village for Debrief and Recovery.]
With the ring secured on his finger and the shard safely stored, Kaleb adjusted his gear. The weight of unanswered questions pressed heavily on his mind as he began his trek back to the village, his resolve hardening with each step.
Back in the village, Kaleb exchanged a few shards for a meal and a room at the inn. Upstairs, he sat on the bed, pulling out the newly acquired shard and turning it over in his hand. Its glow pulsed faintly, a deep violet color that seemed to hum with energy.
Kaleb furrowed his brow, pulling out the other shard he had retrieved the day before. Holding them side by side, he noticed the similarity—the same violet hue, slightly larger size, and an almost alive quality in the way they shimmered.
"These aren't like the spirit shards used for money," Kaleb muttered, comparing them to a standard azure Low Tier shard from his ring. The differences were clear: the monetary shards were a uniform blue, while these new shards carried an unnatural, almost otherworldly glow.
"What the heck are these?" he asked aloud, his voice tinged with curiosity.
The Raiden System shimmered into view, providing the answer:
[Soul Shards Detected. Function: Replenishes spirit energy and accelerates physical healing. Effective for cuts, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones. Limited to Tier 3 potency.]
Kaleb's eyes widened as he processed the information. "So, they heal wounds and restore spirit energy?" he said, the implications dawning on him.
[Affirmative. These shards are not commonly found and are considered highly valuable among combatants and cultivators.]
Kaleb stared at the shards, his grip tightening slightly. "Why would the Voidscale agents have these? Are they tied to their techniques, or something else?"
The system offered no further insight, and Kaleb sighed, placing both Soul Shards back into his interspatial ring. The discovery only deepened the mystery surrounding the Voidscale Brotherhood and their plans.
The system shimmered softly:
[Rest Recommended. Strategic Planning to Follow.]
Kaleb lay back, his body aching but his mind sharp. Vorrick's betrayal, the Brotherhood's movements, and the danger to the Tidecaller family painted a grim picture. The storm within him stirred, the path ahead shadowed with uncertainty. For now, he let the weight of sleep take him, knowing that the Voidscale Brotherhood's secrets would not remain hidden for long.