Chapter 80: Back at the Smithy
The TCA forge wing smelled of metal and ozone, same as always. Nathan walked the familiar corridor, the Pyre Wyrm’s Heart Core warm in his Inventory. He could hear the rhythmic clang of Vex’s hammer before he reached the door.
She was hunched over her workbench, Ember the Molten Sprite dancing around her shoulders. A half-finished blade cooled on the anvil. Sparks flew with every strike. She didn’t look up.
"You again." Clang. "What is it this time?" Clang. "Another bow? Armor?" Clang. "A ring for your other finger? Matching earrings? A tiara?"
Nathan placed the Pyre Wyrm’s Heart Core on her workbench.
The orange-gold glow filled the forge, washing out the blue-white of the mana-forges. Ember chirped and dove toward the core, circling it with obvious fascination. The rhythmic clang of Vex’s hammer stopped.
She pushed up her goggles. Her red eyes fixed on the Heart Core. For a long moment, she just stared.
"Is that what I think it is." She whistled.
"Pyre Wyrm’s Heart Core. Legendary-grade. From the Tower of Ash."
"I heard you cleared it." Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "Didn’t believe it until now. Three years without a full clear, and you S-Rank it six weeks after nearly dying on Floor 9." She picked up the core, turning it over in her scarred fingers. The molten light pulsed beneath her touch. "What do you want me to do with it?"
"A mace. For my party’s tank. Garrett Voss. He’s been using the same basic steel weapon since he started climbing. No enchantments. No special properties. He held the line on Floor 9 with nothing but that mace and sheer determination. He tanked the Pyre Wyrm’s breath attack. He’s earned something better."
Vex was quiet for a moment. She turned the Heart Core over in her hands, watching the light ripple through its crystalline structure. Ember hovered near her shoulder.
"A mace forged from a Pyre Wyrm’s heart," she murmured. "Volcanic properties. Heat retention. Maybe a burst effect on impact—the core’s still beating, which means it’s still generating energy. If I forge it right, the mace could release a pulse of volcanic force with every strike. Like the Wyrm’s own breath, compressed into a single point of impact."
She was already muttering to herself, calculations running behind her eyes. Nathan recognized the look—the same one she’d worn when she’d first seen the Tyrant’s Eye.
"Give me a week. Maybe two. This is Legendary material. I’m not rushing it. I’ve never worked with a Pyre Wyrm’s heart before, most smiths go their whole careers without touching anything this rare." She set the core down with reverent care. "It’ll cost plenty. Legendary-grade commission rates are not cheap. And I’m not giving you the frequent customer discount on this one."
Nathan nodded. "Do it right. Whatever it costs."
"Get out. I have work to do." She was already reaching for her tools. "And send the sheep guy by when it’s done. I’ll need his measurements. Grip size. Balance preference. I’m not forging a Legendary mace for someone whose hand I’ve never seen."
---
The guild common room was quiet that evening. Garrett, Dillon, and Elise were scattered across the couches. Mirko was in bunny form on the arm of Nathan’s chair. Kuro was a black shape on the windowsill.
Nathan stood at the center of the room. "I have updates."
Dillon sat up. "Good updates? Bad updates? Updates that involve more lava?"
"The Pyre Wyrm’s Heart Core can’t be used for the third summon." Nathan said it plainly. "The system confirmed it. Wyrms are a lesser draconic species. The catalyst has to come from a true dragon, a trust sentient apex predator."
Elise nodded slowly. "We expected this. The research we did before Ashwick mentioned the distinction. Wyrms and drakes are dragon-kin, but they’re not true dragons."
"So the Dragon’s Heart Core is still out there," Dillon said. "And we’re still going after it."
"Yes. But that’s not the only update." Nathan turned to Garrett. "I commissioned Vex to forge the Pyre Wyrm’s Heart Core into a mace. For you."
The room went quiet.
Garrett stared at him. His mouth opened, then closed. His hand moved unconsciously to his summon mark. "You’re... you’re giving me a Legendary-grade weapon?"
"You’ve earned it. You tanked the Pyre Wyrm’s breath attack with nothing but a basic steel mace and sheer determination." Nathan met his eyes. "You’re the party’s shield, Garrett. Shields deserve better than basic steel."
Garrett didn’t speak for a long moment. When he did, his voice was rough. "I don’t know what to say."
"’Thank you’ usually works," Dillon offered. "Maybe ’you’re a generous and handsome party leader.’"
"Thanks."
Garrett didn’t even spare Dillon a glance. His attention stayed on Nathan, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words.
"When I joined this party..." He let out a slow breath. "I was just another average Climber with a C-Rank summon and nowhere to go. I almost died on the third floor of the Tower of Beginnings."
His hand drifted to the mountain-and-star pin fastened to his collar.
"You gave me a second chance. And now..." He looked at the Heart Core before meeting Nathan’s eyes again. "Now you’re giving me a Legendary weapon forged from a boss we defeated together."
A faint smile spread across his face.
"I won’t waste it."
Nathan shook his head.
"You already haven’t."
The quiet moment lasted all of three seconds.
Then Dillon sighed dramatically.
"Well, this has all been incredibly emotional." He placed a hand over his heart. "I’m genuinely happy for you."
He paused.
"But I’d also like to point out that Garrett’s about to get a Legendary mace while I’m still swinging the same katana I graduated with."
He looked expectantly at Nathan.
"So... when’s my turn?"
"Your katana is B-Rank," Elise said flatly. "You just haven’t bothered to check its designation because you’ve been too busy obsessed with your skills names."
"Thunder Edge is an awesome attack name."
"It sounds like a energy drink."
"Energy drinks wish they sounded this cool."
Nathan let the banter wash over him. Mirko’s warmth pressed against his shoulder. Kuro’s presence was steady at the edge of his awareness. The party was whole. The party was strong.
Here’s a smoother, more natural version with a stronger sense of progression:
Nathan raised a hand, and the room gradually fell silent.
"The Dragon’s Heart Core is still out there," he said. "That hasn’t changed."
With a flick of his hand, his interface sprang to life, projecting a map of the outer regions onto the wall. The Tower of Ash sat near the center, circled in red and crossed out with a single stroke. Farther east, deeper into unexplored territory, another marker glowed gold.
The Fallen Piece of Drak’thar.
Nathan let the name hang in the air before continuing.
"This is where we’ve been heading all along."
His gaze swept across the room, meeting each of theirs in turn.
"Everything we’ve done—the Mid-Class Tower clears, the recovery training, going back into the Tower of Ash—it wasn’t the goal. It was preparation."
He turned back to the map.
"This is what we’ve been preparing for."
Elise studied the map. "It’s further east than anything we’ve climbed. Deeper into the outer regions. The Nemesis Court could be more active in that territory."
"I know. That’s why we’re not rushing in blind. We made that mistake once. We’re not making it again." Nathan closed the map. "We prepare. We research. We find out everything we can about Drak’thar before we attempt it. The Tower’s history. The true dragon’s capabilities. The floor layout. Everything."
"How long until we’re ready?" Dillon asked.
Nathan looked at his party. At Garrett, steady and reliable, soon to wield a Legendary mace forged from the heart of a creature they’d conquered together. At Dillon, irreverent but loyal, his Thunder Edge still crackling at his fingertips. At Elise, calm and fierce, her bridges burned and her path chosen. At Mirko and Kuro, his partners, his family.
"As long as it takes," he said. "We do this right. We do this together. And when we’re ready—we climb."
---
The apartment was dark when Nathan got home. Lucy was already asleep on the bed, her star-shaped nightlight casting soft shadows. One hand was resting on the pillow where Mirko usually curled up. The other was tucked under her chin.
Nathan set Moonlight against the wall. Mirko hopped onto the pillow in her small green form. Kuro settled near the foot of the bed.
He stood at the window, looking out at the city. The Towers gleamed against the night sky. Somewhere out there, the Fallen Piece of Drak’thar was waiting. Somewhere out there, the Nemesis Court was watching.
But tonight, Garrett was getting ready to receive a Legendary mace. Tonight, the party was whole and strong. Tonight, the road ahead was clear.
His status panel glowed in the darkness, Proud of where he was now and he glanced over the details. He closed the interface. Tomorrow, the research would begin. Tomorrow, the preparations would continue. Tomorrow, the long road toward Drak’thar would start in earnest.
But tonight, he had a victory to savor and a party to be proud of.
He lay down on the bed beside his strange, small family. Mirko shifted in her sleep. Kuro’s breathing was slow and steady. Lucy’s nightlight cast its familiar, comforting shadows.
Outside, the city hummed. The Towers gleamed. And Nathan Cross closed his eyes and let the present be enough.
