Drake, stood before the massive northern gate of Silverhaven City. The sheer scale of the white-walled metropolis and the bustling activity around its entrance were awe-inspiring. He had his primary quest – find Elder Jian – and the mysterious Alvari artifacts that seemed key to his unique path.
"Okay, Silverhaven. Before I dive into that urban maze and start asking about a reclusive Alvari expert, maybe a quick scout of the immediate outskirts? The Cartographer's maps showed several minor Alvari ruin sites in the foothills ringing the city. Might find something useful, or at least get a feel for the local mob levels before committing to the city itself."
He decided against entering the main gate immediately. Instead, he skirted the city walls westward, heading towards an area marked on his [Cartographer's Route Maps] as the "Silverwood Foothills," a zone noted for containing remnants of ancient Alvari border defenses. As he left the immediate vicinity of the heavily patrolled trade roads, the environment shifted. Cultivated fields gave way to older, denser forests, and the mobs became more challenging.
He encountered a pack of Silverwood Stalkers (Level 19), large, agile forest cats with dappled coats that blended into the shadows. Drake engaged them, his [Rare Bandit Chieftain's Blade] and [Rare Guardian's Buckler] ready. [Defend] << Perfect Defend! Damage Taken: 0! Off-Balance Applied! >> [Basic Slash] << Perfect Execution! +Flawless Strike! Relentless Assault: +21 Stacks! Damage Dealt: 320! >>
The Level 19 Stalkers were tougher than the plains creatures, with more HP (~2500-3000) and faster attacks. Drake found himself relying more on his perfect [Defend] to negate their lunges, using the Off-Balance windows to unleash flurries with [Relentless Assault] quickly stacking. When three closed in, he experimented with [Ground Stomp]. << Skill Success! [Ground Stomp] SCR: 76%! Minor AoE Damage! Stalkers Staggered (1 sec)! >> "That 76% SCR on Ground Stomp is still pretty mediocre. Damage is negligible, and the stagger is too short against these faster mobs. Definitely needs dedicated practice or a better way to improve its execution." He finished the pack off with focused sword work.
Continuing deeper into the foothills, he toggled [Relic Hunter] on, its sensitivity enhanced by his [Cartographer's Compass]. The skill highlighted the usual resource nodes – veins of [Silver Ore], clusters of [Sunpetal Herbs] – but Drake was looking for more significant Alvari energy signatures. His map showed a cluster of minor ruin symbols near a ridge overlooking the main pass into Silverhaven valley.
As he approached the area, [Relic Hunter] began to pulse more intensely, indicating a concentrated Alvari energy source. [Perfect Recall] simultaneously retrieved an annotation from the Cartographer's map associated with this specific ruin cluster: "Ancient Sentry Post. Heavily Warded. Potent, stable energy readings noted. Caution advised." It also recalled a snippet of NPC chatter he'd overheard from a nervous merchant near the Silverhaven gate earlier that day: "...old tales say glowing guardians still patrol some of the Alvari towers in the foothills, protectin' who knows what..."
Following the energy signature, Drake pushed through an overgrown section of forest and found it: a dilapidated but still structurally sound Alvari watchtower, three stories tall, built from the familiar grey-blue stone. It stood on a small rise, commanding a clear view of the pass below. Faint blue energy lines shimmered around its base, evidence of the ancient, still partially active wards. And patrolling the ground level were the "glowing guardians" the merchant had mentioned.
Two sleek, metallic constructs floated silently around the tower's perimeter. They were Arcane Sentinels (Level 22, Elite), humanoid in shape but crafted from polished Alvari alloys, with glowing blue crystal cores embedded in their chests. Instead of hands, their arms terminated in complex energy projectors.
"Level 22 Elites. And Alvari constructs... these won't be like the bandits or forest beasts. That 'Warded' note and 'Arcane' descriptor likely means magical defenses or attacks."
Drake decided to test one. He moved into range, drawing the attention of the nearest Sentinel. It turned smoothly, its crystal core flaring, and launched a bolt of crackling blue energy. Drake met it with his shield: [Defend] << Perfect Defend! Damage Taken: 0! Off-Balance Applied! >> The energy dissipated harmlessly against his buckler. He charged in, [Relentless Assault] activating. [Basic Slash] << Perfect Execution! +Flawless Strike! Damage Dealt: 165! >>
The damage number was far lower than he expected against a target, even an Elite, especially with his stacks building. The Sentinel barely reacted, its energy projectors already charging another blast. << SYSTEM ALERT: Target possesses innate arcane shielding, reducing physical damage taken! >>
Internal Monologue: "Moderate Physical Damage Resistance then. Not immune like the Spectral Librarian, but enough to make this a serious slog if I just try to burn it down. My 450-500 damage per hit with max stacks will be cut by more than half."
He continued the engagement briefly. His Perfect Defends negated the Sentinel's targeted energy blasts, and his Perfect Slashes dealt consistent, albeit reduced, damage. [Relentless Assault] did build, but the lower damage per hit meant the Sentinel's higher Elite health pool would take a long time to deplete. Furthermore, the Sentinel occasionally pulsed with an AoE energy field that forced Drake to back off, causing his stacks to drop.
After a minute, Drake disengaged, pulling back out of the Sentinel's aggro range. He'd barely dented its health.
"Okay, direct assault is inefficient and resource-draining. Their physical resistance is too high for a straight fight to be optimal, and that AoE pulse breaks my momentum. Need a different approach. Are there weak points Relic Hunter can reveal? An environmental advantage? Or maybe I can bypass them and explore the tower through a different entrance if one exists?"
He retreated to a concealed position, carefully observing the two Arcane Sentinels' patrol patterns, the layout of the watchtower's base, and the surrounding terrain. He activated [Relic Hunter] again, this time scanning the tower itself for structural weaknesses, alternative entry points like damaged walls or unsealed upper windows, or any external mechanisms that might affect the wards or the Sentinels. His quest for Elder Jian was momentarily paused; this ancient, guarded watchtower, with its physically resistant guardians, presented an immediate, intriguing challenge that his new skills were begging to solve.