Zane's voice cut through the Forge Sanctum like a blade, cold and triumphant. "Too late, Eclipse Forger." The Blood Forger stood at the shattered entrance, his red cloak billowing, blood-red gauntlet pulsing with a sickly glow. Behind him, Iron Dominion drones hummed, their red lenses sweeping the chamber, and a squad of armored soldiers—tech-mages in sleek, rune-etched exosuits—flanked him, their rifles glowing with essence. The Core Matrix, a glowing orb of raw chaos energy embedded in the sanctum's hidden chamber, pulsed like a heartbeat, its essence tempting Ethan even as corruption clawed at his mind.Ethan's grip tightened on the Voidshard Bow, its strings thrumming faintly. His essence was at 70/100, his body a map of pain—viper cut, whip gash, spear graze, and burns from drone beams. His artifacts—Voidfang Dagger, Chaos Gauntlet, Starweave Cloak (at 40/100 durability), and the bow—were his only edge, but the corruption's roar was deafening: Take the Matrix. Become the void. His vision flickered, showing him wielding a dark crown, the spire a ruin, his allies ash.He staggered, shaking it off, blood dripping from his side. "System, you're not helping," he growled, but the interface only flashed, its warning dire.[Eclipse Forge System: Status]
Forger: Ethan Cole
Essence: 70/100
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: 8%
[Objective: Secure the Core Matrix. Repel Zane and the Iron Dominion.]
[Warning: Corruption at critical threshold. Contact with Core Matrix may trigger override.]"Override?" Ethan muttered, dread coiling like a snake. The corruption's voice grew sharper, urging him to seize the Matrix and crush Zane. His wounds burned, and the sanctum's essence-heavy air felt like a weight, pressing on his chest.Sylvara, bloodied and swaying, raised her staff, her silver hair matted with sweat. "Forger, claim the Matrix," she rasped. "It's the spire's heart—control it, and you control the rift. Lose it, and the Dominion wins."Lira, slumped against a pillar, forced a smirk despite her bleeding shoulder. "No pressure, newbie. Don't screw this up." Her crossbow was empty, her face pale, but her eyes held fire. Kael, his mechanical arm sparking, reloaded his rifle, while the scavengers—two left, one wounded—gripped spears, their resolve crumbling. The Covenant scouts rallied behind Sylvara, their staves flickering, but the Void Cabal's attack had left them battered.Zane stepped forward, his gauntlet forming a blood-red scythe, its edge dripping crimson. "The Matrix is mine," he said, voice like a grave. "Step aside, Eclipse Forger, or I carve your heart out."Ethan's programmer brain scrambled, fighting the corruption's pull. The Core Matrix was a game-changer—its essence could upgrade his system or craft a weapon to end Zane. But touching it risked corruption override, and Zane's squad was a death machine: drones with plasma beams, tech-mages with essence rifles, and Zane's Blood Forge, which turned life into weapons. The sanctum's debris held essence shards, but reaching them meant surviving Zane's scythe and the Dominion's firepower."Lira, Kael," Ethan whispered, nocking a chaos arrow. "Keep the drones busy. I need the Matrix.""You're suicidal," Kael growled, but he fired, bullets sparking off a drone's hull. Lira grabbed a fallen Covenant staff, its glow weak but enough to swing. "Go, newbie," she said, voice strained. "Don't make me regret this."Ethan loosed a Chaos Volley, three arrows streaking at Zane. The Blood Forger's scythe slashed, deflecting two, but the third hit his gauntlet, chaos energy disrupting its glow. Zane snarled, retreating a step, and Ethan sprinted for the Matrix, Essence Sense pinging shards in the debris. A drone's beam lanced out, grazing his leg, and the cloak absorbed it, durability dropping to 30/100.[Essence gained: +10 (debris shard). Current Essence: 80/100]The Matrix's chamber was a narrow alcove, its walls etched with runes that pulsed in sync with the orb. Ethan's corruption roared—take it now—and his hand twitched, nearly touching it. He pulled back, grabbing another shard instead.[Essence gained: +15. Current Essence: 95/100]Zane's scythe struck, carving a gash in the alcove's wall. Ethan dodged, cloak boosting his speed, but a tech-mage's rifle fired, essence bullets peppering his side. The cloak took the brunt, durability at 20/100, but blood welled, and the system flashed.[Corruption: +9%. Warning: Core Matrix exposure will accelerate override.]The roar became a howl—you are void—and Ethan's vision split: he saw himself seizing the Matrix, eyes black, Zane's corpse at his feet. He clawed back, nocking another arrow, and fired at Zane's gauntlet, disrupting it again. The Blood Forger staggered, scythe flickering, but a drone's beam hit Ethan's shoulder, searing flesh. He stumbled, grabbing a final shard.[Essence gained: +10. Current Essence: 105/100]Ethan crafted a Voidpulse Grenade (40 essence), essence dropping to 65 as the crackling orb formed.[Crafting Success: Voidpulse Grenade (Tier 2). Durability: 100/100. Effect: Area explosion, +50% damage to mechanical targets.]He hurled it at the drones, shouting, "Down!" The explosion rocked the sanctum, violet light shredding two drones and staggering the tech-mages. Zane's scythe reformed, slashing Ethan's arm, and blood sprayed, the wound burning like acid.[Essence gained: +20 (drone destruction). Current Essence: 85/100]Sylvara's staff flared, weaving a barrier to block the tech-mages, but her strength was fading, blood pooling beneath her. Lira swung the stolen staff, knocking a drone offline, while Kael tackled a tech-mage, his knife drawing blood. The scavengers fought, one falling to an essence bullet, his scream cut short.Ethan reached the Matrix, its energy searing his skin. The corruption howled—claim it, rule—and his hand shook, inches from the orb. Zane's scythe struck, but Ethan's Chaos Gauntlet parried, chaos burst cracking the blade. "Not yours," Ethan growled, firing a Chaos Volley point-blank. The arrows hit Zane's chest, chaos energy fraying his cloak, and he staggered, blood dripping."You'll die for that," Zane hissed, gauntlet forming a blood-red net, mimicking Ethan's Crystalweave. It wrapped Ethan's legs, and he fell, the Matrix inches away. The system screamed.[Corruption: +10%. Warning: Override imminent. Contact with Core Matrix will initiate void integration.]The howl became a vision: Ethan, eyes void-black, wielding the Matrix, Zane and the Covenant ash, the spire a throne of darkness. He screamed, tearing free of the net, cloak at 10/100 durability. Zane's scythe slashed, grazing his chest, and blood poured, his vision swimming.Lira's shout pierced the haze. "Ethan, don't touch it!" She limped forward, staff raised, but a tech-mage's bullet hit her leg, and she collapsed, cursing.Ethan's hand hovered over the Matrix, corruption begging—take it, be free. But Lira's voice, Sylvara's trust, Kael's grit anchored him. He pulled back, grabbing a shard instead.[Essence gained: +20. Current Essence: 105/100]The menu flashed—Chaos Bastion (100 essence, "Summons a defensive construct, 30-second duration"). Ethan crafted it, essence dropping to 5 as a violet, rune-etched pillar formed, slamming into the ground.[Crafting Success: Chaos Bastion (Tier 2). Durability: 100/100. Effect: Summons a defensive construct, blocks attacks for 30 seconds.]The bastion flared, a dome of chaos energy shielding the sanctum. Zane's scythe struck it, sparks flying, but it held, durability at 90/100. Sylvara rallied, her barrier syncing with the bastion, pushing the tech-mages back. Kael dragged Lira to safety, his rifle firing.Ethan nocked a Chaos Volley, aiming for Zane's gauntlet. The arrows struck, disrupting it, and the Blood Forger's net dissolved. Zane roared, retreating to the drones, his cloak tattered. "This isn't over," he snarled, signaling the tech-mages. They fired a barrage, the bastion's durability dropping to 70/100.[Essence gained: +15 (hostile retreat). Current Essence: 20/100]The Dominion forces pulled back, drones covering their exit, but Essence Sense flared—Zane's signature lingering, circling the spire. The bastion held, giving the Covenant time to regroup. Sylvara staggered to Ethan, blood staining her robes. "You resisted the Matrix," she said, voice awed. "Few could.""Didn't feel like a win," Ethan rasped, clutching his chest. The corruption's howl faded to a whisper, but it lingered, promising a return. The system pinged.[Objective updated: Secure the Core Matrix. Prepare for Dominion counterattack.]Lira, propped against Kael, smirked weakly. "Not bad, newbie. Still alive.""Barely," Ethan said, pain lancing his wounds. The Matrix pulsed, its essence untapped, but the system's override warning loomed. He needed to control it without touching it—maybe a craft to channel its power.Before he could plan, the spire's runes flared, and Essence Sense screamed—a new signature, not Zane's, but vast, chaotic, and wrong. The sanctum's ceiling cracked, and a massive voidborn claw tore through, its eyes glowing like dying stars.[Voidborn Titan detected. Threat Level: Apocalyptic. Objective: Survive.]Sylvara's staff fell, her face ashen. "The Cabal… they've summoned it."Ethan nocked an arrow, corruption whispering—you can't win. Zane's laugh echoed outside, and the titan's claw descended.