The winds beyond the Veiled Hollow carried a new stench.
Rotting metal. Soot. Something ancient that clawed at the senses and whispered in the blood.
Caius stood at the edge of a blackened cliff, gazing across the Iron Graves, the next region tied to the Abyss's core—known in old records as the Second Vein.
Below him stretched a dead land of shattered siege engines, twisted war golems, and petrified titans impaled by rusted spears the size of towers. The very earth was charred, as if scorched by gods who no longer cared for the lives that once marched there.
[Region Unlocked: The Iron Graves – Vein Two of Seven]
Hazard Level: Extreme
Dominant Trait: Corrupted Machinery
System Note: Mental clarity may degrade over time due to distortion fields.
Fyrm grunted beside him. "Feels like we're walking into a dead forge that forgot how to die."
Caius glanced at his old companion. "It's not dead. It's waiting."
Selena rubbed her abdomen absently. The magic weaving through her soul told her what Caius had not yet guessed.
Life had begun.
She said nothing, not yet. Too much hung in balance, and her role as his sword could not yet yield to dreams of motherhood. But every time she touched her stomach, she smiled.
She would tell him—once he returned victorious.
Elira, now in charge of recon, returned with two scouts and a report filled with dread.
"There's a stronghold buried deep in the center," she said. "Not of flesh or magic—pure metal. Machines patrol its perimeter, hundreds of them. They're not feral like the Hollow-beasts. They follow a central logic."
Caius activated the Abyssal Map.
A glowing sigil hovered over a jagged region labeled Fort Goremarch.
[Mini-Boss Identified: Warden-Prime Gholmach]
Function: Guardian of the Second Vein Core.
Combat Role: Siege Control, High Regeneration, EMP Storm Field.
"We take it," Caius said. "And we take it fast. The longer we wait, the more the machine mind adapts."
Asha stepped forward, bouncing slightly with excitement. "Can I bring Blitz?"
Caius raised an eyebrow. "The wyrmling?"
"No," she grinned. "The new one."
She whistled, and from the ridge, a colossal construct emerged—a hybrid of steel and summoned flame, stitched together by her magic and an animating spirit.
"Blitz," Asha said with pride. "He eats golems."
Fyrm chuckled. "You're terrifying, girl."
The Iron Graves came alive with screeching metal and thunderous stomps. Caius led the vanguard, his blade coated in Abyssal Severance, cutting down lesser constructs with surgical precision. Elira danced through gaps with her curved blades, tearing through weak points.
Asha, atop Blitz, hurled firestorms and elemental flares into the marching lines of steel. The wyrmling and the golem fought back-to-back, flame and metal in harmony.
[Mini-Boss Engaged: Warden-Prime Gholmach]
It descended like a walking fortress—twelve arms, each wielding an ancient siege weapon. A single eye glowed in its chest, radiating waves of paralyzing pulses.
System Warning: EMP Field Active – Magic Recharge Rate Slowed by 65%.
"Break the eye!" Caius shouted.
Elira flashed across its legs, slicing through support pistons. Blitz collided headfirst with its frame, cracking armor. But it was Selena—who had insisted on accompanying last-minute—who delivered the final blow.
With a roar, she vaulted into the air, her blade humming with resonance, and plunged it deep into the Warden's central eye.
[Boss Defeated: Warden-Prime Gholmach]
Loot Acquired: Core Logic Fragment x1, Vein Conductor Crystal x1, Titan-Alloy Frame (Damaged)
Caius walked to the ruin as the machine's twitching slowed, then halted. He placed his hand on the fractured crystal heart of the Warden.
[Second Vein Claimed – Abyssal Control Expanded]
Territory Buff: Forged Efficiency (All crafting and mechanical constructs gain +20% durability and speed in Abyss-controlled zones).
They established a temporary command shelter within the wreckage. Elira and Asha debated how to salvage the warforge. Fyrm organized the spoils and patrolled for stragglers.
Caius sat alone in the hollow eye socket of the fallen Warden, breathing in the silence.
Selena approached him, her expression unreadable.
"You didn't have to come," he said softly.
"I did," she replied. "There's something I need to tell you."
He turned to her.
She placed his hand gently on her abdomen.
He froze.
"I wanted to be sure first," she whispered. "But now I know."
[Harem Event Triggered: First Pregnancy – Selena]
New Perk Unlocked: Heir of the Abyss (Passive Boost to Leadership, Morale +25% in territories led by the MC's offspring).
Caius said nothing for a long while.
Then he drew her into his arms, resting his forehead against hers.
"Then we fight even harder. For what's coming."
[Quest Update: The Queen's Gambit]
Veins Secured – 2/7
Next Target: The Mire of Thorns – Status: Unknown.
Caius stood before his gathered companions, all of them marked by fire, battle, and triumph.
"We march east," he declared. "The Abyss thinks it can outmaneuver us. We'll show it how wrong it is."
One by one, they nodded—his flame-born mage, his shadow-blade, his grizzled guardian, his pregnant queen.
Together, they would reclaim what had been corrupted.
The Abyss had chosen the wrong man to play against.