Ashbreaker Trial I: The Splitfang Hunt
The world grew quieter the closer they got to the cliffs.
Whisperpine Cliffs loomed ahead, a place where winds howled like distant voices and the trees leaned like they were watching. Cracked stone paths snaked through the forest edge, leading into narrow canyons and shadowed hollows.
Riven crouched low, her eyes scanning the mossy earth. "Tracks. Heavy. Deep. Recent."
Kael unsheathed both swords with a hiss. "It knows we're here."
The mission was simple: hunt down the mutated predator known as the Splitfang Ravager, a creature twisted by Rift corruption, known for ambushing caravans and tearing stone with its claws. Few saw it and lived.
[MISSION OBJECTIVE – ACTIVE]
Hunt the Splitfang Ravager
Location: Northern cliffs
Threat Level: Yellow – Tier II Elite Beast
Current Level: 17
Quest Party: Kael (Lv 16), Riven (Lv 16)
They followed claw marks scraped deep into the rock—unnatural wide slashes, as if a beast with two jaws dragged itself across the cliffs. The deeper they went, the more distorted the air became. The wind carried whispers. Riven knocked an arrow. Kael's blade shimmered faintly.
Suddenly, silence.
Then—a blur of movement.
The beast came from above, lunging from the shadows. It had two lower jaws that split open with a scream, bone plates across its limbs, and fur rotted by Rift energy.
SPLITFANG RAVAGER – Lv 17
Status: Aggressive
[HP: 8,450 / 8,450]
Color Tag: Yellow
Kael leapt forward, blades flashing, striking along the side. Sparks flew as his sword scraped bone-armor. Riven rolled left, loosing an arrow that struck the beast's eye. It roared and backhanded a tree in half.
It was fast—too fast.
Kael dashed under it, slicing the tendon behind its leg. The Ravager screamed again and reared back. Riven activated Quickstep, blinking between rocks as she fired explosive-tipped arrows.
Kael uses Dual Strike – 720 Damage!
Riven uses Explosive Arrow – 1,200 Damage! (Critical Hit!)
The Ravager twisted unnaturally, snapping at them with all four of its jaws.
Then Kael saw it—a weak point under its throat, where the Rift energy pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Now!" he yelled.
Riven jumped from a cliffside rock, aimed, and fired an arrow glowing with blue light—an ability she hadn't used before. A new one.
Ability Unlocked: Riftpiercer Shot
Riven – Arrow Pierces Through Armor!
6,500 Damage – Fatal Hit!
The Ravager gave one last screech before it collapsed in a heap of ash, bone, and corrupted fur. The cliffs grew quiet again.
[MISSION COMPLETE – TRIAL I]
Splitfang Ravager Defeated
Reward: 500C, 1,100 EXP
Loot: Ravager Core x1, Bone Plating x2, Rifthide Pelt x1
Ashbreaker Guild Favor +1
Level Up: Kael Lv 17 | Riven Lv 17
They stood in silence a moment, both catching their breath.
Kael wiped his blade clean. "One down."
Riven smirked. "You were right. This was the warm-up."
Their next destination awaited: the Emberpoint Ridge Route, where a group of miners needed escort through dangerous paths.
And the trials were far from over.