"Not bad..." Beartooth clapped loudly as Ragnarok reached the safety of Valheim. "I'm sure this will make a lot of people happy."
Exile studied the smug grin on Beartooth's face as he wondered what he was after. "More like pissed off. What do you want?"
Beartooth let out a sigh as he rubbed his beard absentmindedly. "I want to see if you're interested in discussing an alliance?"
Exile frowned as the others looked on curiously. "With you? What benefits would that bring?"
Beartooth chuckled as a sly smile crept across his face. "Not just me. While you've been creating problems, I've been tracking down all of the leaders who voted to join the rebel faction. If that didn't make it clear, then let me spell it out for you. Everyone else has already agreed to work together. Your Pantheon is the only one still left out in the cold."
Gasps of surprise and murmuring filled Ragnarok's ranks as all eyes turned on Exile. Naturally, they would be happy to have confirmed allies with shared benefits. It meant that they would no longer have to rely on only themselves. However, Exile had other thoughts on the matter.
"Who's going to lead this alliance? You?" Exile's pointed question caused a lot of doubts to appear in everyone's minds. Although Exile seemed to know this player, none of them knew the first thing about him. How could they put their trust in someone like that?
"Haha, no, you think too highly of me. However, the rest of us have already agreed on a leader. If you're happy to discuss terms of cooperation, it's her you'll be talking to." Beartooth flashed a knowing look towards Exile and the others. "Trust me. It's in your best interests. We're going to use Jarxos' shop as a meeting place in a few hours. You can bring two players with you to join the discussion."
Beartooth turned to leave as Exile wondered who could get so many leaders to work together. However, after a few steps, he paused and glanced back. "You're not the strongest in Valheim. Even Aeri doesn't have that honour..."
Beartooth's last parting words left Exile in a daze. Even though Aeri was higher in stats than he was right now, his Cleansing Flame spell technically raised his potential beyond hers. A dark look spread across Exile's face that was mimicked by Clay and the original members. They knew that joining an alliance would help them greatly, but it also meant that it would be difficult to seize anything for themselves if somebody else was in charge.
"Exile..." Clay whispered grimly. "I think you had better use all the orbs. The stronger you are the harder it will be for this 'leader' to suppress us if we join."
Exile glanced around. Those who had heard Clay were nodding their heads in solemn agreement. The landscape of power in Valheim had shifted without them noticing. They had been so focused on their enemies that made public displays that they never considered someone was gathering strength in secret.
"Let's get to the Temple first... We'll discuss this alliance once I've levelled up." Truth be told, there was something that Beartooth had said that troubled Exile. 'Why would they use Jarxos' store?'
Naturally, he was curious as to who this player was. But there was no way that he would allow them to dictate what his Pantheon had to do to gain the Alliance's benefits. He went over possible scenarios of what they may discuss as they headed to the Temple and then back to The Raider's Horn. Everyone's expression was stern. Beartooth's offer and words had darkened the celebratory mood of their victory.
A total of seven orbs were placed in front of Exile. He shook his head slowly as he glanced at them. There was more than enough for him to break through to the next level, but it depended on the players' stats that they had come from on how many he would have to use. He picked up the first orb and confirmed that he wanted to absorb the Divine Power it stored. The tension in the air rose as everyone waited to see the outcome.
[You have received +1 Strength, +3 Speed]
Exile sighed as he shook his head. Letting everyone know that it was not enough. 'One point short. It must have belonged to a level 3 player or someone we weakened a lot...' As he picked up another orb, tensions began to rise again. Everyone had reached the same conclusion, that Exile would become Tier 1 after absorbing this one. How could they not be excited to see a Tier 1 player for themselves? The orb vanished, and they waited with bated breath.
[You have received +2 Endurance, +4 Strength]
[Congratulations! More than 90 points of Divinity have been detected!]
[You have reached... Level 10!]
Exile's expression froze as he waited for any further announcements. But nothing came! He slammed a fist on the table as everyone shot concerned looks towards him.
"What's wrong?" Clay asked hurriedly, fearing that there was some Quest that Exile had to complete.
"It's not enough... Level 10 isn't the threshold for Tier 1." Exile let out a frustrated sigh as everyone in the room let that news sink in.
Soon everyone understood the issue. If level 10 was not it then what level did they have to be? Was there enough power in the orbs for Exile to reach it? Or would they be better used to allow those who died to reclaim some lost stats.
"Keep going!" Midas yelled, dispelling the players' doubts. "We all voted for this. If we stop now, then the vote will have meant nothing. Just keep going!"
The room burst out in low laughter as other voices began to join him. Exile chuckled as he shook his head slowly. 'Fools... All of them...' With a gentle smile, he reached for the third orb. He took a deep breath as he confirmed that he wanted to absorb its power...