The shard-fueled flames swallowed Obelisk whole, creating a scorching pillar of flame that lit up even the dark void around them, if only for a moment. The Cerulean Tyrant was transformed into a grand pyre, a candle that lit the way into the Underdark. He dropped Lisa and stood tall, proud, if just for a moment longer before collapsing to the ground. The single strip of traversable land was before the four girls, now open.<br/><br/>They could finally see what lay before them: a grand archway, beyond which only darkness awaited. A dense fog seemed to snake out from the void, crawling towards them like tendrils of wicked smoke. Beneath Obelisk's body was a dark and dense mass; shaped like his heart, it had become dislodged when he had fallen. A crystal blue bow, which had gone unnoticed during the fight, lay by the ground a little further up the path behind Obelisk.<br/><br/>As if by cue, the path back to the cave was illuminated, and the four girls marched back to Shifting Sands town. The man who had requested the strange shard was nowhere to be found. The party searched high and low, in and out, and talked to anybody they could encounter, but the hooded man was never to be seen again. Not many people even remembered such a man ever coming to Shifting Sands town. The glowing green shard remained heavy in Lisa's possession, not able to be offloaded. Along with the heavy orb from Obelisk, the party soon found themselves burdened by new possessions.<br/><br/><strong>[Mission Complete].</strong><br/>Take the [Strange Shard] to the man in town. Receive 100 gold.<br/><br/><strong>Items Acquired:<br/>[Titan's End]</strong><br/>A black, dense matter. It feels warm to the touch, but its true use is uncertain. The holder gains +5 STR and -3 AGI.<br/><br/><strong>[Obelisk’s End] - Bow - Rare</strong><br/>+3 STR.<br/>2 AP / Tyrant’s Volley - 2H - Deal 1d10 + STR damage in a 3x3 radius. Enemies hit are affected by<em>Subjugation</em>, reducing their damage by 10% (rounded up).<br/><br/><strong>Chapter 02: New Beginnings</strong><br/><br/>With no reward for their efforts other than a heavy, black orb and a couple of discarded weapons, the girls were back to square one. It didn't seem like Shifting Sands had much for them unless they wanted to gamble and drink until their bodies rotted and their minds melted. Without the promised 100 gold for the shard, their finances were found very lacking. The initial deposit they had received for the request had already been spent, and they didn't have much of a way to make money. Hiring adventurers was an expensive ordeal, and the fine upstanding denizens of Shifting Sands were already strapped for cash from gambling and hiring whores. Unless the four girls wanted to use their bodies, they were out of options.<br/><br/>The pitiful remains of their coin pouch was enough for basic food and water, up to a three-days journey. Beyond that, and they would be at the mercy of Lord Luck; hoping to find some income or supplies along the way.<br/><br/><strong>Outrider Post</strong>, a small garrison for human military was a three-day journey North, just south of Oerba. There wouldn't be much to do there, but Outrider Post was never lacking in men to fight and places to hone one's skill.<br/><br/><strong>Oerba</strong>, the human capital was a six-day journey North. It is the biggest city in the human empire, and the center of commerce; there would be many ways to make a quick buck in its bustling markets, thriving streets and deep back-alleys.<br/><br/><strong>Dalara,</strong>the magical city, was a full seven-day journey East. Dalara is the magical capital of the human empire, and is home to the most skilled wizards and witches in all of humankind. Academies for the gifted, magical appraisal shops, arcane libraries - anything to do with the unnatural could be found in Dalara. It is also the hometown of Jisoo.<br/><br/><strong>Steelscrap Ridge</strong>was also a seven-day journey West. Located at the border of the human empire and the land of the Ascended, the ridge was home to all sorts of rogue tribes, hostile weather, and scraps of advanced technology stolen from the Ascended cities. The ridge was the place to go if one wanted to learn more about the world beyond sticks and spears.<br/><br/>The girls had to plan their next course of action; Dalara would be the natural choice to find out about these strange items they had acquired. Jisoo might be able to learn some new spells, or find somebody to buy their magic items. Outrider Post would be Lisa's playground, letting her hone her skills with the sword and find new ways to use her weapons. Oerba would benefit the party's finances, which were desperately in need of some support. Choa might fair well in the back-alleys of the human Capitol, a den for smugglers, thieves, gamblers, and all their kind. Steelscrap Ridge was the most ambiguous of all their choices - the Ascended cities were much of a mystery to most of the world; all that was known about them was that they had access to very powerful magic, strange devices that whirred and were made of metal. Perhaps the four could find access to some new equipment, powerful items that could not be found elsewhere in all the lands.