"Well... I have to say, this is a surprise..." The woman who appeared smiled as she reached out her hand towards Exile. "I'm Noslin, there's no need to introduce yourself..."
Exile studied her closely as she let out a soft laugh. Her avatar's face was delicate, with pale skin and long violet hair styled in ringlets. Her eye colour matched that of her hair and her outfit was light fur amour that hugged her figure tightly while hanging at her waist was a longsword. 'This... is Noslin?' Exile frowned as he recalled the name.
'She's the number 4 ranked player! How'd she stay hidden in Valheim?' Exile did not even recall seeing her at the council. But if she was here, then he should have seen her. Her avatar was especially eye catching, so he struggled to understand how she had remained unnoticed.
Exile immediately felt uneasy. Since Noslin was also Tier 1, he would not be able to trick them into believing he was more powerful after his promotion. As they shook hands, Exile tried to get a read on her through her expressions. But she genuinely seemed pleased to see him.
"Since everyone is here... Let us get down to business. We have a few things to discuss first before we agree on the terms for your Pantheon to officially join our alliance." Noslin immediately said, taking control of the direction of their conversation.
"What things?" Exile asked cautiously.
"First, the benefits..." Noslin smiled as she kept his gaze fixed on her. "What benefit is there in allowing your Pantheon to join, other than gaining another Tier 1 player?"
Exile was taken aback by the question. He had come here to discover what benefits he could gain... Not give away! "Is that not enough? Besides, we all know our side is lacking in numbers. Can you really afford to turn down a full Pantheon?"
"No... It's not enough." Noslin sighed as she maintained an innocent expression. "From what I gather, your Pantheon is pretty strong, average level wise. So yes, that would be helpful. However, with the plan we've already conceived, we should be able to obtain victory, even without your help. So let me ask you this. Can YOU really afford to not be part of this alliance?"
Exile was unsure how to respond. It seemed that Noslin had a counter to everything they had prepared for this meeting. Noslin herself offset his Tier 1 status. This apparent plan of theirs was a counter to the number of the players he could bring to the table. She even made it seem like she was doing him a favour by giving them a chance to join up with them!
"What benefits would be acceptable?" Midas asked as he stepped forward.
Noslin raised an eyebrow at his interruption as her gaze turned on him. "And who are you?"
"Forgive me, but I'm Midas. You can think of me as something akin to a trade or financial officer for the Pantheon. So these matters are better directed to me." Midas performed a bow.
Noslin seemed amused by his introduction. "Can your leader not speak for himself? Is he not in charge of Ragnarok? Or is he merely a puppet? A figurehead?"
"I would argue that Exile is a rather wise leader who can acknowledge his own shortcomings. After all, he had the foresight to acknowledge that I was the best choice within Ragnarok for this role and brought me along to this meeting. The final say will, of course, be his, but we will be the ones to decide the terms and then I will advise him on it." Midas let a savage grin appear on his face, which startled Noslin.
"It seems you have some capable people..." Noslin frowned as she shifted her gaze back to Exile for a moment. "Ok, since you seemed prepared to negotiate, let us talk terms."
The other leaders gathered around to listen closely. They had all made their own separate deals with Noslin. Some had received a better bargain than others, but they were all interested to see how this would go.
"Please, begin." Midas stated as Exile secretly sighed in relief.
"First, you will have to respond to any request for help from any of the member Pantheons. This is non-negotiable and everyone has agreed. It works both ways. If your Pantheon needs help, then those that can aid you will respond as well." Noslin's expression turned stern as she stared at Midas.
"This is not an issue. Ragnarok will agree to this." Midas responded with confidence without even checking with Exile.
"Very well. The next issue is war funds. As you'll be aware, this war will be fought on two fronts. Here and in the mortal realms. Your Pantheon will be required to provide funds, orbs, weapons and materials, just like every member. The leaders will discuss where these resources are needed most to have the greatest impact.
"I notice that you did not state an exact amount to be contributed," Midas smirked as a frown appeared on Noslin's face. "Obviously, we can not just keep the amount completely open like that, so I have a counteroffer. Ragnarok will contribute 40% of its gains from the war to the alliance after recovering the cost of any losses imposed by each battle."
The other leaders frowned when they heard that. They had all agreed to this term, so they were outraged that Ragnarok would try to reduce their own contribution in any way.
"Listen, we've all already agreed to pool our collective resources. We even signed legally binding contracts over this. Don't be stubborn!" Beartooth growled from the side.
"Then you're all fools!" Midas snorted as he barely spared him a glance. "If you put all your wealth in one place, then what will you do if the leaders decide it should go to someone else? What if you're outvoted and can't recover your costs? Your Pantheon's power will dwindle and cease to exist if it's decided you're not valuable enough! I am merely ensuring that Ragnarok survives this alliance! It's a shame that is already too late for you guys though."
Noslin's eyes went wide at Midas' statement. She had been vague on this point deliberately to gather everyone's wealth. That way, as the war pushed on, she could also steer things to reduce the number of Pantheon's that would survive. Including the ones on her side. 'He actually saw through it!' Noslin coughed gently as she narrowed her eyes.
"You're correct. I'm ashamed to say that I never even considered that possibility. Speaking on behalf of the alliance, we agree to your counteroffer. If anyone wishes to renegotiate their current contract, then feel free to state as much now."
Midas expected everyone to back out, but he was caught by surprise. The other leaders hung their heads in shame as they thought deeply about the matter. Midas frowned at that development. 'She must have included something to stop them from backing out so easily. I need to pay attention to every word.'
"No? Ok then. Since we're all happy, let us continue to the next issue. As mentioned before, we have a plan. For this plan to work, we must retrieve certain items and find specific locations. When we raid these places, Ragnarok must contribute all of its players to the effort. All of us have already made this pledge." Noslin continued in a solemn tone.
Midas frowned as he digested those words. 'This is speaking to joint operations. But she's left out key information again...'
"I would like to say that Ragnarok can agree to this..." Noslin visibly perked up as Midas spoke slowly and carefully. "However, how will the spoils be divided in such an undertaking? Is it finders keepers? Or do we bid on every item that we find? Perhaps you plan to distribute the items based on their worth and each Pantheon's contribution?"
Noslin's expression became visibly annoyed by how Midas had picked apart another issue. All of his suggestions visibly pointed to a fair distribution. Giving everyone the chance to see what was obtained and a way to claim it. However, she had hoped to place everything under the alliance's name, and over time funnel the most valuable assets to her own Pantheon. Which would have been easier if she were the only Tier 1 and her team did the most dangerous parts.
However, with Midas raising this issue now, all eyes were on her. The other leaders had made their own assumptions based on their own experiences. None of them had picked holes in her terms before because she always made it sound like they were in everything equally. She cursed Midas under her breath for putting her on the spot like this.
On the other hand, Exile and Clay stared at Midas' back with approving expressions. They could not help but feel grateful that they had picked up someone so capable. Even Exile had to admit that there was a chance he would have been fooled by the nice words without looking too closely at the minor details. 'You've got this!' Exile grinned as he noticed Noslin squirming a little...