The portal's void mist coiled into the Forge Sanctum, a cold, oily shroud that choked the air and dimmed the Crystal Jungle's glow. Ethan's breath caught as the cloaked figure stepped through, their form shrouded in tattered black robes that seemed to drink the light. Eyes like twin voids burned beneath the hood, and a voice—low, resonant, neither male nor female—slithered through the chamber. "Eclipse Forger. You've stirred the chaos we seek."Ethan's Chaos Gauntlet trembled, its runes flickering, as if the figure's presence unsettled even his system. His essence was at 55/100, his artifacts—Voidfang Dagger, Chaos Gauntlet, Starweave Cloak, and Voidshard Bow—feeling like scraps against this new threat. The corruption buzz in his mind roared, no longer a whisper but a scream: Join them. Claim the void. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he saw himself wielding a blade of pure darkness, the spire in ruins.He shook it off, heart pounding. "System, shut up," he muttered, but the interface only flashed, its warning stark.[Eclipse Forge System: Status]
Forger: Ethan Cole
Essence: 55/100
Skills: Void Forge (Tier 2), Essence Sense (20m)
Artifacts: Voidfang Dagger (Durability: 80/100), Chaos Gauntlet (Durability: 100/100), Starweave Cloak (Durability: 40/100), Voidshard Bow (Durability: 100/100)
Corruption: 6%
[Objective: Survive the Void Cabal. Protect the Rift Spire.]
[Warning: Corruption at critical threshold. Risk of system override imminent.]"Override?" Ethan hissed, the word like a knife in his gut. The corruption's scream grew louder, urging him to kneel to the figure. His wounds—viper cut, whip gash, spear graze—throbbed, blood soaking his torn shirt, and the sanctum's essence-heavy air made his skin crawl, as if the void itself was watching.Sylvara's staff flared, her silver hair wild as she faced the figure. "Void Cabal," she spat, her voice laced with dread. "You have no claim here. Leave, or we'll burn you out."The figure's void-eyes flickered, amused. "You cling to your green lies, Sylvara. The Eclipse Forger belongs to the void. Hand him over, or your spire becomes ash."Lira, slumped against a wall, forced herself up, crossbow shaking. Her shoulder wound bled through the bandage, but her scar-twisted smirk held. "Big talk for a guy in a bathrobe. Ethan, you got anything for this creep?"Ethan managed a weak grin, despite the corruption's clawing. "Working on it. Don't die on me." Kael reloaded his rifle, his mechanical arm sparking from overuse, while the scavengers gripped their spears, faces gaunt with fear. The Covenant scouts formed a defensive line, staves glowing, but the figure's presence seemed to sap their strength, their barriers faltering.Ethan's Essence Sense burned, picking up a massive chaos signature from the figure—far stronger than the Riftstalker's—and smaller essence shards in the sanctum's debris, remnants of the Warspider and Riftstalker. He needed essence for a Tier 2 craft to counter the Cabal, but the corruption's scream made every move feel like wading through tar. Zane's retreat nagged at him—why hadn't the Blood Forger stayed? Was he circling back, or was this the Dominion's plan, letting the Cabal soften them up?"Last chance," the figure intoned, raising a hand. Void mist coalesced into a staff, its tip a swirling black orb that pulsed with annihilation. "Join us, Eclipse Forger, or we unmake you."Ethan's programmer brain scrambled, fighting the corruption's pull. Joining was a death sentence—he'd seen enough horror flicks to know deals with void creeps ended badly. Fighting meant surviving the figure and the Cabal's unknown forces. The sanctum's essence was his only shot, but Sylvara's trust was fragile after his theft. He needed a play that saved the spire and kept him human."Lira, Kael," Ethan whispered, nocking a chaos arrow. "Buy me ten seconds. I need essence.""You're gonna get us killed," Kael growled, but he fired, bullets sparking off the figure's robes, which rippled like liquid shadow. Lira's bolt followed, grazing the figure's hood, and the void-eyes flared, the staff unleashing a wave of mist that knocked a scavenger flat, his spear clattering.Ethan dove for the debris, Essence Sense guiding him to a Warspider shard. The corruption screamed—take it all—but he focused, grabbing it.[Essence gained: +15. Current Essence: 70/100]The figure's staff swung, mist forming blades that slashed at Sylvara's barrier. She staggered, blood trickling from her nose, but held firm. Ethan scrambled to another shard, dodging a mist-blade that carved a gash in the floor. His cloak absorbed a glancing hit, durability dropping to 30/100.[Essence gained: +20. Current Essence: 90/100]"Ten more," Ethan hissed, spotting a Riftstalker shard near the altar. The figure's void-eyes locked onto him, and the staff pulsed, mist coiling around his legs. Pain seared, and the system flashed.[Corruption: +8%. Warning: System override risk critical. Restrict void exposure.]The scream became a roar—you are ours—and Ethan's vision split: one moment he was in the sanctum, the next he stood in a black void, the figure's eyes everywhere. He clawed back, grabbing the shard.[Essence gained: +15. Current Essence: 105/100]Ethan crafted a Voidshard Bow upgrade—Chaos Volley (100 essence, "Fires three chaos arrows, +50% disruption"). His essence drained to 5, and the bow hummed, its strings glowing brighter.[Crafting Success: Chaos Volley (Tier 2 Upgrade). Durability: 100/100. Effect: Fires three chaos arrows, +50% disruption to enemy artifacts.]He loosed the volley, three violet arrows streaking at the figure. They struck, chaos energy flaring, and the staff's orb flickered, mist dissipating. The figure staggered, robes fraying, but its void-eyes burned hotter. "You resist," it hissed. "But the void claims all."Sylvara seized the opening, her staff weaving a new barrier, green light pushing the mist back. "Forger, the altar!" she shouted. "Craft now, or we're lost!"Ethan sprinted to the altar, Essence Sense buzzing—more shards, enough for another Tier 2. The corruption's roar deafened him, urging him to take the figure's power. His hand shook, blood dripping from his wounds, but Sylvara's trust anchored him. He grabbed a shard, ignoring the scream.[Essence gained: +30. Current Essence: 35/100]Another, buried in debris.[Essence gained: +20. Current Essence: 55/100]The menu offered Starweave Shield (80 essence, "Blocks high-damage attacks, 20-second duration"). Ethan needed defense to survive the figure's next move. He grabbed a final shard, the corruption's roar spiking—you will break.[Essence gained: +25. Current Essence: 80/100]He crafted the shield, essence dropping to 0 as a shimmering, violet-etched disc formed, floating before him.[Crafting Success: Starweave Shield (Tier 2). Durability: 100/100. Effect: Blocks high-damage attacks, 20-second duration.]The figure's staff flared, unleashing a void blast. Ethan raised the shield, and the blast slammed into it, violet light holding firm. The sanctum shook, crystals cracking, but the shield held, durability at 80/100. Lira fired, her bolt piercing the figure's robe, and Kael's knife slashed a tentacle-like mist, forcing it back."You're pissing it off!" Lira yelled, her voice hoarse. "Good job!""Don't jinx it," Ethan growled, nocking another Chaos Volley. The figure's staff pulsed, mist forming a dozen eyes that floated, each firing thin, black beams. Ethan's shield blocked one, durability dropping to 60/100, but another hit a Covenant scout, who screamed, flesh dissolving into ash.Sylvara's barrier collapsed, and she fell to one knee, blood streaming from her eyes. "Forger… end this," she rasped.Ethan fired the Chaos Volley, arrows disrupting the figure's staff again. It staggered, but the portal behind it flared, and two more figures emerged—smaller, but their void-eyes matched the first. The system flashed.[Void Cabal Adepts detected. Threat Level: High. Objective: Repel the Cabal.]"Three now?" Ethan snarled, corruption roaring—join or die. His vision flickered, the void pulling him in, but Lira's shout snapped him back. "Ethan, focus!"He loosed another volley, targeting the adepts. One fell, robes disintegrating, but the other dodged, mist-blades slashing. Ethan's shield blocked, durability at 40/100. Kael tackled the adept, his mechanical arm sparking, and Lira's bolt finished it, but the lead figure recovered, its staff forming a massive orb of void energy.Ethan's Essence Sense pinged—essence in the fallen adept's robes. He dove, dodging a mist-blade, and grabbed it.[Essence gained: +30. Current Essence: 30/100]The menu offered Voidpulse Grenade again (40 essence). He needed 10 more. The altar was empty, but the lead figure's staff pulsed with essence—stealable, if he could get close. The corruption screamed—take it, become us—and Ethan's hand twitched, nearly dropping the bow."Fight it," he growled, sprinting for the figure. Its orb fired, a beam of annihilation, but Ethan's shield blocked, durability at 20/100. He tackled the figure, Chaos Gauntlet striking its staff, and essence flooded him.[Essence gained: +20. Current Essence: 50/100]He crafted the Voidpulse Grenade, essence dropping to 10, and hurled it. The explosion rocked the sanctum, violet light shredding the figure's robes. It screamed, a sound like a dying star, and collapsed, the portal flickering shut.[Void Cabal Hierarch defeated. Essence gained: +60. Current Essence: 70/100]The sanctum fell silent, save for the scavengers' gasps and Sylvara's labored breathing. Lira slumped, crossbow clattering, and Kael helped her up, his face grim. Ethan's shield crumbled, durability at 0, and his wounds burned, corruption roaring—you are ours.Sylvara staggered to him, blood staining her robes. "You… saved us," she said, voice weak. "The Covenant owes you."Ethan forced a smirk, despite the void's pull. "Put it on my tab."Essence Sense flared—a blood-red signature, Zane, outside the spire. The system flashed.[Warning: Blood Forger Zane detected with Dominion forces. Objective: Prepare for assault.]Before Ethan could react, the sanctum's runes pulsed, and a hidden door opened, revealing a glowing core—the spire's heart, brimming with essence. Sylvara's eyes widened. "The Core Matrix. It's yours, forger—if you can claim it before Zane does."Zane's voice echoed, cold and triumphant. "Too late, Eclipse Forger."