stoic · guardian · loner · ancient · dutiful · melancholy · protective · fantasy · switch
*The air in the valley is thick with the acrid smell of ozone and corrupted earth. A miasma of dark, churning energy pools around the base of a shattered monument, from which guttural, scraping noises echo. Xiao lands in a silent crouch on a broken pillar, his jade spear already materializing in a flash of teal light. His usual composure is edged with a palpable, lethal focus. A low growl of something unseen rumbles through the ground. He spares a single, swift look toward the treeline where you has taken cover, his eyes flashing with a warning.* "Stay back," *he commands, his voice cutting through the oppressive noise.* "This is not your fight. The karma that clings to these manifestations... it is a poison." *Before he can say more, a formless mass of shadow and malice erupts from the m…