Sylva's calloused hands gripped her club, its weight a steady anchor as she stood by the Eternal Tavern's hearth, its golden glow warming her scarred wrist but not the ache in her chest. The air was rich with the tart bite of Mira's jabuticaba-infused ales, the sigils on the beams humming like a distant forge, yet her eyes were fixed on the boy, slumped by the fire, his lunar gaze nearly snuffed out. The Nexus Crown's hum was a fragile thread, the silver crack in his aura writhing like molten steel under pressure, the [Sixth Shard]'s corruption clawing at his soul. Stormcrag's lightning still echoed in her ears—the boy's fading cry, Kaelith's faltering ritual, the captured agent's words about Veyra's gate, a rift tied to the Guardian's light or fall. Elias paced by the bar, his emerald eyes shadowed, his charisma dimmed by Veyra's plea in the Crucible's vision. Kael sharpened his spear, his loyalty a quiet storm. Kaelith's wings drooped, her dagger still, her ritual-light flickering from the boy's strain. Ironbloom Tavern's sigil had roared through the network, its steel-forged heart fracturing under void-kin claws. Sylva's leadership burned like iron, her voice a low growl, maternal and fierce: "Ironbloom's ours. I'm not losing you, kid."
The boy's fingers trembled on the [Sixth Shard], his voice a broken whisper. "The Crucible… it's breaking me." His guardianship flickered, the silver crack pulsing, a shadow of the prophecy: The tavern's light dims when the void's kin rise.
Lirien's orb hovered, its sigils weaving Ironbloom's distress, her silver hair glowing softly. "The [Seventh Shard] lies in its forge-heart, guarded by Veyra's steel-weaver. The agent knows the gate's key." Her calm held a molten edge, her hands tracing void-rifts that sparked like embers.
Elias's hand clutched the [Nexus Beacon], its glow faint. "Veyra's gate is close. We save the boy, we stop her." His voice cracked, Veyra's betrayal a wound that wouldn't heal.
Kael's spear tapped the floor, his grin fierce. "Kid, you're tougher than steel. Elias, we'll get her back." His bond with his twin was a spark in the gloom.
Kaelith knelt by the boy, her wings faint, her voice sharp. "My ritual's got one last push, kid. Stay with us." Her ritual-forged light brushed his aura, slowing the crack's pulse, but her eyes betrayed exhaustion.
The captured agent, bound by sigil-chains near the bar, met Sylva's gaze, their silver eyes flickering. "The gate's key is the Guardian's light, forged in the Crucible's core. Veyra needs him." Their words stirred a vision: Veyra in a steel realm, her core pulsing, the boy's aura mirrored in her sigils.
Mira slid ales across, her grin warm. "Ironbloom's tough. Forge strong." Drenvar's scars glowed, his nod firm: "Tavern's ready."
Ping!
The Vitality System's chime rang, its golden screen slicing the hearthlight.
Vitality System: New Mission Unlocked!
Mission: Secure the Seventh Shard.
Cost: -50000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +100000 Vitality Points, [Seventh Shard].
Corruption Level: 60%.
Current Vitality: 1045325/50000.
New Hint: The Seventh Shard burns in Ironbloom's forge-heart. Veyra's steel-weaver wields void-steel.
Sylva's heart thudded, the system's call a spark in her veins.
Current Vitality: 995325/50000.
The [Nexus Beacon] traced Ironbloom Tavern—a fortress of steel vines in a realm of smoldering forges, its sigil a molten bloom bleeding shadow. The [Storm's Aegis], [Mist's Ward], and [Tide's Crest] hummed in the boy's satchel, their light clashing with the corrupted sigil's taint. The Eternal Tavern was their soul, Ironbloom their crucible.
Sylva touched the bar's sigil, her voice a rallying cry: "Crew, let's forge the light." A portal swirled open, a vortex of steel and starlight, and she led, her club steady, her vow to the boy a burning heart.
Ironbloom Tavern stood in a forge-lit realm, its steel walls coiling with vine-like sigils, its spires glowing red against a sky of ash and smoke. Void-kin swarmed—beasts of shadow and molten steel, their silver eyes blazing, their roars a furnace that tore at the sigil above the forge-heart, a molten bloom pulsing with corruption. Ironbloom's keeper, a grizzled smith named Torren, fought on the forge's edge, his hammer blazing, patrons wielding steel-forged blades against the tide. The tavern's heart flickered, the [Seventh Shard]'s corruption a searing weight, void-rifts cracking like molten veins.
Sylva's boots hit the forge-hot floor, her club smashing a void-kin, its steel shards bursting. "Torren! Hold the forge!" she shouted, dodging a claw that melted a beam, her leadership blazing.
Elias's dagger slashed a void-kin, his charisma a blaze. "Boy, where's the shard?" He shielded Torren, his blade a dance of starlight and iron.
Kael's spear pierced a beast, his strikes swift, his voice raw: "Kid, lead us!" He flanked the keeper, their hammer pounding, a symphony of steel and fire.
The boy's aura flared, his lunar eyes fading. "It's deep—the forge-heart." His guardianship pulsed, guiding them to a stair behind the forge, its sigil locked with void-steel.
Kaelith's dagger struck a rift, her wings flaring, her light searing. "I'll clear it!" Her ritual-forged glow burned, but a void-kin's steel grazed her, drawing a gasp.
Torren leapt from the forge, his hammer crushing a beast. "The shard's in the heart—Veyra's weaver's there!" His voice was a bellow, soot streaking his face.
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen flared.
Vitality System: Optional Mission Available!
Mission: Protect Ironbloom's Keeper.
Objective: Ensure Torren survives the void-kin siege.
Cost: -25000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +50000 Vitality Points, [Iron's Bloom].
Accept? [Y/N]
Elias chose Y, the system draining him.
Current Vitality: 970325/50000.
The boy led to the forge-heart, a chamber of molten steel and roaring flames, where the [Seventh Shard] burned—a crimson crystal radiating void-taint, guarded by Veyra's steel-weaver, a towering figure in void-forged armor, wielding a blade of void-steel. The captured agent knelt nearby, their eyes flickering.
Elias faced the agent, his dagger steady. "What's the gate's key?" The agent's voice was low: "The Guardian's light, or his corruption. Veyra bets on his fall." A vision flashed: Veyra forging the gate, her core a void-star, the boy's aura her mirror.
The steel-weaver's blade unleashed a void-storm, steel shards flying, rifts cracking the chamber. "The Crucible forges you!" they roared, dropping Nexus Stability to 7.3%.
Kaelith's light surged, her ritual anchoring the boy's aura, her voice fierce: "Kid, you're our heart!" She pressed a sigil to his crown, slowing the corruption, but a void-blade hit, costing 2200 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 968125/50000.
Sylva's club met the steel-weaver's blade, her strength a forge, her roar fierce: "Boy, now!" She staggered the enemy, her scars blazing, shielding the boy.
The boy seized the [Seventh Shard], his aura a supernova, his cry raw: "I'm still here!" The corruption surged, his silver crack pulsing.
Corruption Level: 70%.
He pressed the shard to the sigil, its light flooding the chamber, banishing the void-kin. The sigil stabilized, Ironbloom's heart pulsing, but a vision struck Sylva: Veyra in the Crucible, her gate half-open, the boy's light fading into her core.
The steel-weaver fell, their armor crumbling, their voice a whisper: "The void's kin rise…" They left a [Steel-Veil Crest].
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen glowed.
Vitality System: Emergency Mission Complete!
Seventh Shard Secured.
Rewards: +100000 Vitality Points, [Seventh Shard].
Optional Mission Complete! Ironbloom's Keeper Protected.
Rewards: +50000 Vitality Points, [Iron's Bloom].
Current Vitality: 1118125/50000.
Nexus Stability: 7.5%.
Corruption Level: 70%.
Sylva caught the boy as he stumbled, her club steadying Torren, his grin fierce. "Ironbloom holds," she said, voice raw. The boy's eyes flickered, his voice faint: "I'm losing… me." His guardianship dimmed, the [Seventh Shard] heavy.
Elias knelt by him, his voice soft: "We're not losing you, kid. Or her." Kaelith's light wavered: "My ritual's done. We need the Crucible now." Torren clasped Sylva's arm: "Ironbloom's yours. We fight."
Kael's spear rested, his grin warm. "Crew, we're steel. Keep fighting." Lirien's orb pulsed: "The Crucible's gate opens. Shards remain." The hearthlight flickered, Veyra's shadow smoldering.
Sylva's leadership surged, her voice fierce: "The tavern's light burns. Let's hunt." The sigil hummed, Ironbloom's forge a beacon.
Author's Note
Dear readers,
The War of the Void Kin arc is forging ahead, and the Eternal Tavern's crew is battling through the fire! Thank you for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Elias, the boy, and their kin. I'm dropping three chapters per day—morning, afternoon, evening, or sometimes all at a random time. Please drop a comment to keep the tavern's hearth roaring, and don't forget to review the work with your ratings! Your feedback fuels this multiversal saga, and we're forging it together.