The Eternal Tavern thrummed with life, its rune-lit walls casting a golden glow that softened the scars of the recent battle. The air was heavy with the scent of fresh-baked bread, mulled wine, and the faint ozone of spent magic. Patrons laughed and swapped tales, their voices a defiant chorus against the lingering threat of the Forgotten Pantheon. Elias Varn stood behind the counter, polishing a goblet with a practiced hand, his emerald eyes scanning the crowd. His smile was as charismatic as ever, but beneath it, his mind churned with the weight of Drenvar's revelation: his curse was no accident—it was a leash, forged by the Pantheon to bind him to the tavern's nexus.
Sylva, the marked scribe, was under Kaelith's watchful eye in the back room, her rune suppressed but still a danger. Drenvar, the former keeper, sat in his corner, his fiery eyes tracking Elias with an intensity that felt like a challenge. The [Weaver's Sigil] in Elias's inventory pulsed faintly, its void-tainted energy a constant reminder of Voryn's reach. The Vitality System had bought him time—395/500 points—but the clock on the summoner's identity was ticking, with less than 15 hours to avoid a crippling penalty.
Ping!
The system's chime cut through the tavern's din, and a translucent screen flickered before Elias's eyes, its golden letters sharp with urgency.
Vitality System: Bonus Objective Update.
Objective: Identify the true summoner within 14 hours.
Reward: +20 Vitality Points.
Penalty for Failure: -100 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 395/500.
New Hint: The summoner's presence disrupts the nexus's balance.
Use the [Weaver's Sigil] to stabilize the nexus and reveal their location.
Elias's jaw clenched. The [Weaver's Sigil] was a double-edged sword—its power could pinpoint the summoner, but tampering with the nexus risked destabilizing the tavern entirely. He'd seen what happened when the nexus faltered: rifts opened, voidborn poured through, and his Vitality Points burned faster than a candle in a storm. Still, the penalty for failure was too steep to ignore. He needed to act.
"Mira," he called, waving over the halfling barmaid. "You're in charge. Don't let Gorran start a drinking contest again."
Mira grinned, balancing a tray of glowing ales. "No promises, boss. You off to save the world again?"
"Something like that," Elias said, his grin masking the ache in his chest. He slipped into the back room, where Kaelith stood guard over Sylva. Drenvar followed uninvited, his scarred face unreadable.
"Sylva," Elias said, his voice calm but commanding attention. "You mentioned a symbol—a circle with three claws. Did the voice say anything about the tavern? Why it led you here?"
Sylva's eyes were haunted, her hands fidgeting with the rune-sealed cloth. "It said... the tavern is a door. A door that must be opened. It called you the key, Elias. It knew your name."
Elias's blood ran cold. The key. His curse, the nexus, the Pantheon—it was all connected, and he was at the center. He turned to Drenvar, his smile sharp. "You've been holding out on me, old man. What's the key? And don't give me half-answers."
Drenvar's fiery eyes flickered with something like respect. "The keeper's curse isn't just a death sentence," he said. "It's a seal. The nexus draws power from you, keeping the realms stable. If you die—or if the curse is broken—the nexus collapses, and the Pantheon's prison opens. They marked you to ensure it."
Kaelith's wings flared, her voice sharp. "So they're killing him to free their gods? That's twisted, even for exiles."
Elias's grin didn't falter, but his mind raced. The curse wasn't just draining his life—it was the linchpin of the tavern's power. And the summoner was here, pushing the nexus toward collapse. He summoned the [Weaver's Sigil], its dark energy prickling his skin. "Then let's find this bastard before they finish the job."
He led Drenvar to the nexus core chamber, the crystalline sphere pulsing with chaotic colors. The runes around it flickered, their rhythm uneven—a sign of the summoner's interference. Elias held up the [Weaver's Sigil], channeling his power into it. The sigil flared, and a wave of dark energy rippled through the chamber, syncing with the nexus's runes. The sphere stabilized, but a thin thread of light shot upward, pointing to the tavern's main hall.
Ping!
Vitality System: [Weaver's Sigil] activated. Nexus stabilized.
Summoner's location confirmed: Main hall, near the eastern wall.
Cost: -20 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 375/500.
Warning: Nexus stability at 80%.
Further disruption risks rift formation.
Elias cursed. The eastern wall—near Lirien's table. The elf had been a fixture in the tavern, her arcane studies a constant hum in the background. Could she be the summoner? Her aura was clean, but the Pantheon was cunning. He raced upstairs, Drenvar at his heels, and emerged into the bustling main hall.
Lirien sat at her usual spot, her silver hair glinting as she pored over her tome. The thread from the sigil pointed directly to her, but something felt off. Her mana was pure, untouched by void. Elias approached, his smile casual. "Lirien, got a minute? I need your expertise."
She looked up, her eyes sharp but curious. "For you, Elias? Always. What's the trouble?"
He leaned closer, the sigil hidden in his palm. "Ever seen a symbol like this?" He traced Voryn's sigil in the air, watching her reaction.
Lirien's brow furrowed, but her expression was genuine confusion. "That's... old magic. Forbidden. Where did you see it?"
Before Elias could answer, the thread shifted, snapping to a figure behind Lirien—a young man in a patched cloak, his face half-hidden by a hood. He'd been serving drinks, posing as one of Mira's assistants. Elias's instincts screamed. The man's aura was muted, but the sigil burned in his presence.
"Stop!" Elias shouted, lunging forward. The man bolted, knocking over a table. The runes flared red, and a rift tore open near the eastern wall, spewing a swarm of voidlings—small, insect-like creatures with razor-sharp claws. The crowd screamed, diving for cover.
Ping!
Vitality System: Emergency Alert! Threat Detected: Voidling Swarm (x10).
Abilities: Swarm Tactics, Mana Drain.
Reward: +30 Vitality Points, [Voidling Husk].
Penalty: -150 Vitality Points if the nexus is damaged. Current Vitality: 375/500.
Elias's scars blazed, and he unleashed a wave of starlight, vaporizing three voidlings. Kaelith soared overhead, her wings slicing through two more. Drenvar's fire roared, incinerating another, while Lirien's barrier shielded the patrons. The fake assistant reached the rift, chanting in a guttural tongue. Elias tackled him, pinning him to the floor. The man's hood fell, revealing a face covered in void runes—Voryn's mark.
"You're done," Elias growled, his grip tightening. "Who sent you?"
The man laughed, his eyes glowing black. "You're too late, Varn. The key is breaking."
The rift pulsed, and a figure emerged—a woman cloaked in starlight, her eyes twin voids. She was no voidborn; she was something worse. "Elias Varn," she said, her voice echoing with divine power. "The Weaver sends his regards."
Elias's heart stopped. A Herald of Voryn, a direct servant of the Forgotten God. His curse flared, draining 20 Vitality Points in an instant.
Current Vitality: 355/500.
The woman raised a hand, and the nexus runes screamed, their light dimming. Elias stood, his scars blazing, but her words froze him: "Surrender the tavern, or your curse will claim you tonight."
Ping!
Vitality System: Critical Alert! Threat Detected: Herald of Voryn. Abilities: Nexus Manipulation, Curse Amplification.
Reward: +100 Vitality Points, [Voryn's Shard].
Penalty: -500 Vitality Points if the nexus falls.
Current Vitality: 355/500.
Elias grinned, his charisma a defiance of fate. "Lady, you just walked into the wrong tavern."
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