Chapter 13 - Chapter 13 – War Council in a Tavern (And a Ring That Spins for Battle)

The Copper Acorn had never looked more like a war room.Harven commandeered the largest table, maps of Havenford and the south roads spread before him. Lyse sketched glowing runes in the air that lingered like neon afterimages. Sara organized pouches of herbs and salves with surgical precision. Rel sharpened his spear with methodical scrapes that set a rhythm to the room.Lena hovered, bringing trays of bread, stew, and the strong herbal brew that passed for coffee. Aria sat cross-legged on a bench, incense trailing faint protective patterns that shimmered against the lamplight.I stood at the head—less leader, more conductor—watching my accidental army take shape �.[Team cohesion: impressive for 72 hours of acquaintance.] MMA noted. [Multiverse harem flags accelerating.]"Not harem," I thought. "Coalition."[Semantics. The dynamic is identical.]"Focus."Harven tapped the map."Observers want a performance," he said. "Fine. What's the stage?"I exhaled."Two fronts," I said. "Local: reinforce Eldoria's weak points—shrine, Guild perimeter, south fields where the lights were. Make the cracks harder to exploit. Distant: strengthen the Lobby links. Get Rhea's tech talking to Aria's spirits."Aria frowned."Spirits and machines," she said. "Like marrying river and lightning."Lyse's eyes lit up."I love that idea," she said."Practical first," Sara said. "Kai, can you bring your other-world friend here? Physically?"I shook my head."Observers locked casual transit," I said. "Lobby's safe space only. But we can rig communication."Rel paused mid-scrape."Communication," he echoed. "Like... sending messages through your bloodline door?""Exactly," I said. "Think magical walkie-talkie."Harven grunted approval."Good. What's our timeline?"[48 hours until next Observer probe.] MMA supplied silently. [They're patient, but not infinitely.]"Two days," I said aloud. "Then they test me again."Lena set a fresh pot in the center."I'll keep food coming," she said quietly. "You plan. We hold the home front."Her hand brushed mine as she passed—a deliberate anchor.I nodded."Teams," I said. "Aria and Lyse: shrine reinforcement. Blend magic traditions, see if we can weave Rhea's 'relay patterns' into wards. Rel and Sara: Guild and perimeter patrol. Map every anomaly, no matter how small. Harven: coordinate with Guard and mayor. Quietly. No panic."Harven nodded."And you?" he asked."Lobby engineer," I said. "Get the door stable. Open a channel to Astra."He studied me."Don't overextend," he said. "You're the linchpin.""Noted."The teams dispersed with purpose—Havenford's quiet competence in action.I slipped upstairs.The Lobby waited, orb dim but steady, threads to F-01 and S-07 glowing faintly."Rhea," I called.Blue shimmer.She appeared mid-gesture, as if arguing with someone."—told you, it's a resonance cascade, not my fault—" She focused. "Kai. Perfect timing.""War council downstairs," I said. "Observers gave us 48 hours. Need your relay specs."Her grin turned feral."Finally," she said. "Real engineering."She pulled her slate, projecting a holographic wireframe of the ancient relay: coils, conduits, pulsing nodes."Here's the problem," she said, zooming a section. "Pre-Axis tech. Self-modifying. It pings anomalies automatically. Your mirror was a cheap receiver. The Observers just turned up the gain."I studied the design."Spirits hate dissonance," I said. "Can we tune it to... harmony?"She blinked."Your shrine girl," she said. "She feels resonance?""Like a sixth sense," I said."Send her up."I hesitated."She can't see the Lobby."[She can if you extend access.] MMA said. [Bloodline privilege.]"Done."I focused, threading a temporary link through the doorframe.Downstairs, Aria stiffened.Then climbed.She stepped through the shimmer without hesitation, eyes widening at the twilight space, the floating orb."Between," she murmured. "Like the shrine dreamed."Rhea extended a hand."Aria, right? Ring gremlin. Pleased to meet the spirit whisperer."Aria clasped it firmly."Shrine keeper," she said. "You smell like storm and metal."Rhea laughed."I like her."They bent over the hologram immediately, Aria tracing spirit-flow patterns in the air, Rhea overlaying relay harmonics."Here," Aria said, touching a node. "This coil fights itself. Spirits would scream.""Phase mismatch," Rhea agreed. "We dampen it, route through your... spirit buffer?"Aria nodded."Wards as capacitors," she said. "Contain the overflow."I watched, half-stunned.Two worlds, collaborating flawlessly.[Synergy forming.] MMA noted. [Efficiency: 137% projected.]Lyse poked her head through next."Ooh, glowy diagrams!"Soon the Lobby held: Aria sketching runes over circuits, Rhea coding spirit harmonics into her slate, Lyse experimenting with hybrid spell-tech bursts."Try this," Rhea said, handing Aria a tiny emitter. "Shines in spirit-visible spectrum."Aria activated it.The orb brightened.F-01 and S-07 threads pulsed in sync.[Link stability: 67% → 89%.] MMA chimed.Downstairs, Rel and Sara returned from perimeter sweep."Three micro-cracks," Rel reported. "Sealed them. Felt... watched."Harven grunted."They're probing."Lena slipped me a note: Merra says eat. Guard's helping with patrols.Night deepened.The Lobby thrummed with activity—magic and tech weaving into something new.Aria and Rhea high-fived over a successful test pulse.Lyse accidentally set a rune ablaze; Rhea doused it with station-grade foam."Teamwork," Lyse said cheerfully.Dawn broke.The orb glowed steady.[Integration complete.] MMA reported. [Hybrid Relay-Ward active. Observer probes deflected 92% efficiency.]Rhea leaned against the wall, grinning through exhaustion."Your people don't quit," she said."Neither do yours," I said.She glanced at Aria, now meditating to sync shrine and relay."She's intense," Rhea murmured. "Like station command, but with faith instead of bureaucracy.""Comes from holding a town together solo," I said.Rhea nodded."Mine too."The door shimmered behind her."Lockdown lifting," she said. "Gotta bounce before Central notices I'm 'debugging' with fantasy.""Stay safe," I said.She saluted."Spin sharp, Bridge Boy."Gone.Aria opened her eyes."Shrine sings again," she said. "And hears echoes of her ring."Lyse whooped.Downstairs, the team reassembled.Harven raised his mug."To borrowed time," he said."And better defenses," Sara added.We drank.The sky outside still cracked.But now, when the Observers whispered my name, they'd hear back.Not just from me.From all of us �.