The Eternal Tavern stood defiant against the night, its rune-lit walls a bastion of warmth in the misty void. The air was thick with the scent of cedar, ale, and the faint metallic tang of recent magic. Patrons laughed and argued, their voices a comforting din, but Elias Varn's mind was a battlefield. The revelation that his curse was tied to the Forgotten Pantheon had shaken him, and Drenvar's cryptic admission—I left the tavern to hunt them—raised more questions than answers. Sylva, the unwitting summoner, sat in the back room, her marked wrist bound with a rune-sealed cloth to suppress its power. Elias leaned against the counter, his emerald eyes scanning the crowd, his smile a polished mask hiding the ache in his chest.
Ping!
The Vitality System's chime rang, and a translucent screen flickered into view, its golden letters pulsing with a mix of promise and threat.
Vitality System: Bonus Objective Update. Objective: Identify the true summoner within 15 hours.
Reward: +20 Vitality Points.
Penalty for Failure: -100 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 350/500.
New Hint: The summoner's influence lingers in the tavern's nexus.
Interrogate Sylva for further clues.
Elias's grip on the counter tightened. Sylva was a victim, not the mastermind, but her mark connected her to the true summoner. He needed answers, and fast. The [Enforcer's Core] and [Scout Essence] in his inventory pulsed faintly, their void-tainted energy a constant reminder of the growing threat. Drenvar, seated in his corner, watched him with those fiery eyes, his scarred face unreadable. Was he an ally, a rival, or something worse? Elias couldn't shake the feeling that the former keeper held the key to unraveling this mess.
"Mira!" Elias called, waving over the halfling barmaid. "Hold the fort. I've got a meeting to attend."
Mira winked, juggling a tray of glowing ales. "Don't start another brawl without me, boss."
Elias chuckled, but his heart wasn't in it. He slipped into the back room, where Sylva sat on a wooden chair, her auburn hair disheveled, her eyes haunted. Drenvar followed, his presence a quiet storm. Kaelith was already there, her wings folded tightly, her dagger resting on her lap as she watched Sylva like a hawk.
"Alright, Sylva," Elias said, his voice calm but firm, his charisma softening the edge. "You said a voice in your dreams marked you. Tell me everything—every word, every feeling. The tavern's safety depends on it."
Sylva's hands trembled, the rune on her wrist faintly glowing through the cloth. "It started a month ago," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was a scribe in the Crystal Spires, copying ancient texts. One night, I dreamed of a figure cloaked in shadow, with eyes like dying stars. It spoke in a language I didn't understand, but I felt... compelled. It promised knowledge, power. When I woke, this mark was on my wrist, and I started hearing whispers. They led me here."
Elias exchanged a glance with Drenvar, whose expression darkened. "The Forgotten Pantheon," Drenvar said, his voice low. "They mark mortals to anchor their rituals. The tavern's nexus amplifies their power, making it the perfect conduit for the Unbinding."
"The Unbinding," Elias repeated, his mind racing. The Vault's records had mentioned it—a ritual to free the exiled gods. "What do they want with it?"
Drenvar leaned forward, his scars glowing faintly. "To tear open the realms. The tavern's nexus is a lock, and the Pantheon wants to break it. Your curse, Elias, is their failsafe. It binds you to the nexus, draining your life to keep it stable. If you die, the nexus weakens, and they can strike."
Elias's chest tightened, the curse's ache flaring. His curse wasn't just a death sentence—it was a weapon. "And you knew this?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm. "You were a keeper. Why didn't you stop them?"
Drenvar's eyes flickered with regret. "I tried. I hunted their agents, sealed rifts, destroyed their anchors. But the Pantheon is endless, and I... burned out. I passed the tavern to you, hoping you'd be stronger."
Kaelith's wings twitched, her voice sharp. "You abandoned him to this? That's low, even for a has-been."
Drenvar's jaw tightened, but he didn't retort. Elias waved a hand, silencing the tension. "Save the drama. Sylva, what else? Did the voice give you a name, a place, anything?"
She shook her head, tears welling. "Just... a symbol. A circle with three jagged lines, like claws. It burned in my mind."
Elias froze. That symbol—he'd seen it in the Vault, etched into the black leather book. It was the sigil of Voryn, a Forgotten God known as the Weaver of Voids. If Voryn was the summoner's master, the tavern was in deeper trouble than he'd thought.
Ping!
Vitality System: Bonus Objective Progress.
Clue Found: Summoner linked to Voryn, the Weaver of Voids.
Next Step: Locate Voryn's anchor within the tavern.
Reward Progress: +5 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 355/500.
Optional Mission Available: "The Weaver's Thread."
Objective: Use the [Enforcer's Core] to trace Voryn's anchor.
Cost: -20 Vitality Points. Reward: +25 Vitality Points, [Weaver's Sigil].
Accept? [Y/N]
Elias mentally selected Y, wincing as the system deducted the points. Current Vitality: 335/500. The [Enforcer's Core] materialized in his hand, its shadowy pulse stronger now, resonating with the tavern's runes. He needed to find Voryn's anchor—a physical or magical object tying the god's power to the nexus—before the summoner struck again.
"Drenvar, you're with me," Elias said, standing. "Kaelith, keep Sylva safe. If that mark flares, knock her out."
Kaelith nodded, her dagger gleaming. "Don't do anything stupid, Elias."
He grinned, his charisma a shield against the growing dread. "Stupid's my specialty."
He led Drenvar to the nexus core chamber, the crystalline sphere pulsing brighter than before. The runes around it flickered erratically, a sign of the nexus's strain. Elias held up the [Enforcer's Core], channeling his power into it. The orb flared, and a thread of dark energy shot out, weaving through the air like a spider's web. It pointed upward, toward the tavern's main hall.
"Upstairs," Elias said, his voice grim. "The anchor's with the patrons."
They raced back, emerging into a scene of controlled chaos. The mercenaries were singing a bawdy tune, Lirien was arguing with Taz over a spell component, and Mira was juggling orders. But the core's thread pointed to a small, unassuming object on a table near the fireplace: a silver amulet, its surface etched with Voryn's sigil.
Elias's eyes narrowed. The amulet belonged to a patron he'd barely noticed—a wiry man with a nervous demeanor, now slipping toward the door. "Stop him!" Elias shouted, leaping over a table.
The man bolted, but Drenvar was faster, his fiery aura flaring as he tackled the man to the ground. The amulet fell, its sigil glowing. The tavern's runes screamed red, and a portal tore open, spitting out a massive voidborn—a Weaver's Herald, its body a mass of writhing shadows and claw-like limbs.
Ping!
Vitality System: Emergency Alert! Threat Detected: Weaver's Herald.
Abilities: Shadow Weaving, Nexus Disruption.
Reward: +50 Vitality Points, [Herald's Essence].
Penalty: -300 Vitality Points if the nexus is damaged.
Current Vitality: 335/500.
Elias didn't hesitate. His scars blazed, and he unleashed a torrent of starlight, pinning the herald against the wall. The tavern shook, patrons diving for cover. Lirien's barrier flared, shielding the crowd, while Kaelith dragged Sylva to safety. Drenvar hurled a fireball, weakening the herald, but its claws slashed Elias's arm, draining 15 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 320/500.
Elias gritted his teeth, grabbing the amulet and crushing it in his fist. The sigil shattered, and the herald screamed, its form collapsing into smoke. The portal snapped shut, and the runes stabilized.
Ping!
Vitality System: Mission Complete! Weaver's Herald Neutralized.
Rewards: +50 Vitality Points, [Herald's Essence].
Optional Mission Complete: Voryn's anchor destroyed.
Rewards: +25 Vitality Points, [Weaver's Sigil].
Current Vitality: 395/500.
Elias collapsed onto a bench, his chest heaving. The wiry man was unconscious, Drenvar's handiwork. The tavern was safe, but Voryn's influence lingered. Elias looked at Drenvar, his voice low. "You and I have a lot to discuss."
Drenvar nodded, his scars glowing faintly. "The Pantheon's just getting started, Elias. You're in deeper than I ever was."
As Mira rallied the patrons, Elias clutched the [Weaver's Sigil], its power a promise—and a threat. The Eternal Tavern was his, and he'd fight to keep it, curse or no curse.
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