CHAPTER 135: WHEN SETBACK IS NOT A LIMIT 2

Kelvin’s fire lances pierced its scales, Xerion’s vortexes kept burning its wounds, the cavern was shaking with every clash and cracks were spreading across the walls, with debris raining down, the instability was a mirror of the collapse that haunted Kelvin’s past.

The wyrm’s Veil-tainted eyes glowed brighter and its roars laced with psychic energy that stung Kelvin’s mind, a chilling echo of the Sovereign’s assaults in the Rift, but he pushed through, his parents’ memory was a flame that burned brighter than his fear.

He snapped a water trap, its runes were binding the wyrm’s tail, slowing its thrashing power and thereby allowing Xerion to strike a weak point, his tail cracked a scale, molten ichor seeping out, its violet glow confirmed the wyrm’s unnatural origins, a creation of Veil hubris.

The beast broke free, its roar was deafening, and unleashed a fiery torrent that forced Kelvin to dive behind a rune-etched platform, its surface was scarred by molten burns, his gauntlet flaring to shield him, Xerion’s vortex countered the flames with a blaze of crimson and gold.

The battle was relentless, the cavern’s instability was growing, cracks were widening as crystals were shattered above, their light casted jagged shadows across the molten pool, the wyrm’s power was a testament to its Veil-tainted strength.

Just as Kelvin landed a precise fire lance that pierced the wyrm’s shoulder, drawing a roar of pain, it retreated, its wounds were minor but its power was undeniable, collapsing a tunnel as it fled deeper into the mines.

The crash of stone echoed in the cavern, leaving Kelvin too be shaken but resolute, Xerion’s hiss was fierce with pride, while their bond was unyielding.

He salvaged a Veil-tainted scale from the pool, its violet glow was pulsing in his hand, a tangible link to the wyrm’s origins, tying it to the Veil’s remnants, a clue to the larger threat Vark’s Crew sought to exploit, its energy was unstable but potent, a double-edged asset for the battle ahead.

Driven by the wyrm’s retreat, Kelvin pressed deeper into the mines, guided by Mealin’s tome, its maps were detailing the labyrinthine paths, their pages were etched with warnings of Veil-tainted chambers and unstable fire essence veins.

The tunnels grew darker, their walls pulsed with ancient rune tablets, their Veil symbols was glowing with psychic energy, their jagged patterns a chilling echo of the Rift’s altars, their light casting eerie shadows that danced across the scorched stone.

Kelvin’s scars burned as he deciphered the tablets with the tome’s lore, his gauntlet activated their runes, while their glow was stinging his mind with psychic pulses, a reminder of the Sovereign’s assaults, but he pressed on, his parents’ memory was a flame that burned through his fear.

A hidden chamber lay behind a collapsed wall, its entrance were guarded by psychic traps that pulsed with malevolent intent with their energy triggering faint tremors in the tunnel.

Xerion’s senses detected the Veil’s traces and his hiss were sharp as he smashed through the debris with his tail clearing a path, their bond was navigating the traps’ psychic pulses, which stung Kelvin’s mind like needles, his gauntlet flared to shield him, their sync ratio a lifeline in the darkness.

The chamber was a shrine to the Veil’s hubris and its walls were encrusted with psychic crystals that glowed violet lights, their light was illuminating riftborn scales that scattered across the floor, with their surfaces shimmering with unstable energy, and a shattered altar at the center, its runes were pulsing with fire essence that were tainted by Veil power.

Kelvin’s heart pounded as he approached, the tome revealing the wyrm’s creation and a Veil experiment has gone rogue, its fire essence was been amplified by riftborn power, destabilizing the mines and triggering collapses like the one that killed his parents, their screams were echoing in the chamber’s silence, their loss a void that threatened to swallow him.

He clutched his amulet, its warmth was easing the pain, Xerion’s hiss was a steady anchor, with their bond a flame that burned through his trauma, his resolve was hardened to stop the wyrm and protect Valebreach.

Signs of Vark’s Crew littered the chamber and scavenged tools, dune rune fragments and broken crates were marked with their sigils, which was indicating that they had been looting the mines, seeking the wyrm’s essence.

Their greed was risking further collapses, their tracks was a stark warning of their interference, their presence a shadow that deepened the mission’s stakes.

Kelvin pocketed a psychic crystal, its violet glow was a potential tool for his gauntlet, its energy was unstable but powerful, a risky asset for the battle that was ahead, his mind was racing with the thought of Vark’s Crew profiting from the wyrm’s chaos, endangering Valebreach as they had in the Red Wastes ambush with their greed a threat he could not ignore.

The chamber’s altar revealed logs that etched in Veil runes, their words were detailing a failed taming ritual that birthed the wyrm, its creators were rogue Veil tamers that was overwhelmed by its power, their hubris destabilizing the mines, their legacy was a curse that echoed his parents’ deaths.

Kelvin’s scars kept burning as he read the tome’s lore that was guiding his gauntlet to activate the runes, their glow were illuminating the chamber, revealing more artifacts and riftborn scales, psychic shards, a broken tamer’s gauntlet with its runes faded but heavy with Veil energy.

He salvaged a riftborn scale, its shimmering surface was a dangerous but valuable addition to his pack, its energy was a potential key to countering the wyrm’s power.

The chamber’s traps pulsed and their psychic energy triggered tremors, forcing Kelvin to weave ice runes to stabilize the walls, Xerion’s tail smashed loose debris, with their bond a seamless flow as they navigated the chamber’s dangers, the wyrm’s roars echoed in the distance, a call to pursue, a challenge to reclaim Valebreach for his parents’ memory.

Kelvin retreated to a stable tunnel to regroup the mines’ heat that was pressing against his scars, the wyrm’s roars was a distant rumble that shook the stone, their vibrations was a reminder of the battle to come.

He spread Mealin’s tome across a flat rock and its pages guided his strategy, detailing the wyrm’s lair deeper still, a crucible of molten flame and Veil energy, its paths were marked with warnings of psychic traps and unstable shafts.

He etched new ice runes into his gauntlet, their glow was sharpening his fire lances, their precision were vital for the lair’s challenges, and fed Xerion wyrm essence.

The serpent’s amber eyes were blazing as he devoured it, his scales flared crimson and gold, his honor rune pulsed with vitality, his twenty-foot form kept coiling tighter, while his strength a testament to their shared trials.

Kelvin tested a fire lance, its flames scorched a nearby wall, its accuracy were honed by the psychic crystal’s energy, synchronizing with Xerion in a practice strike, their bond were steady despite the mines’ ghosts, as the serpent’s tail kept coiling protectively, his hiss were fierce with determination and their 82% sync ratio was a flame that burned through Kelvin’s doubt, a beacon of their shared resolve.

Letters from Lyra and Darius arrived, carried by rune-etched birds, their parchment glowed faintly with Sanctum magic, their words were a lifeline across the distance that separated the Tide’s Crest.

Lyra wrote of Duskfall’s with shadowed groves, her shadow traps were pinning rogue tamers’ beasts, with their screeches echoing in the darkness, her sister’s memory was heavy but Salaris’s screeches guided her through the traps, although her gauntlet was flaring with determination, her resolve was unyielding despite the emotional weight.

Darius described the Ironholt’s ruins, with his rift-sealing gems binding spectral energies, their glow were stabilizing his soulstone, the remnant’s presence kept haunting, Rhoam’s growls were anchoring his courage, his grin were sharp in his words, his determination was a mirror of Kelvin’s own.

The letters that Kelvin got strengthened his resolve, their words was a reminder of their unity, their missions parallel struggles to reclaim their pasts, their bonds was a flame that burned across the land.

He penned replies, detailing the wyrm’s power and Vark’s threat, his hand was steady as he wrote, Xerion’s warmth was beside him, the tunnel was quiet a stark contrast to the lair’s looming danger, the memory of his parents’ portrait was in the container watching over him, their smiles was a quiet encouragement towards his journey in ValeBreach

The monitoring device hummed, as its runes flickered with a message: "The wyrm’s Veil fire burns deep in the land. End it to save Valebreach."

The words underscored the mission’s stakes, the wyrm’s ferocity was a trial of Kelvin’s courage, its Veil was origins of a shadow that deepened the challenge, Vark’s Crew’s kept looting a looming threat that could destabilize the mines further.

Kelvin clutched his amulet with its drake essence warm, his parents’ memory was a flame that burned brighter than his fear, their absence was a void he vowed to fill by defeating the wyrm, their legacy was a call to action he could not ignore.

Kelvin and Xerion advanced toward the wyrm’s lair, the mines’ glow became intensifying, with their tunnels a labyrinth of danger and memory.

The psychic crystal and Veil scale in his pack pulsed faintly, Vark’s threat was a shadow on the horizon, their bond was a flame against the darkness.

His Veilbane Medal gleamed, its violet and gold surface was a symbol of his triumph and burden, his resolve kept burning like the fire essence he had face, in his mind he was ready to confront the wyrm and reclaim Valebreach for those ones that were lost, his heart was steady as Xerion’s hiss echoed in the tunnels, a promise of victory in the face of fire and shadow.