Exile sighed as he signed back into the game. Noslin looked bored as she stared at him while tapping the map. 'What's up with her?' Exile raised an eyebrow as he met her gaze.
"Did you enjoy your three weeks off?" Noslin sounded as if she wanted to complain about it.
"Pfft, it's only three days in the real world. You know that. Now, fill me in on what I've missed so you can get out of here." Exile chuckled as he glanced at the little stone markers sitting on top of the map.
Noslin let out a sigh as she pointed to a group of markers. "These people were wiped out by the ruling faction. We lost seven players when their Oracles were killed in the attack."
Exile's eyes went wide as he studied the location of the attack. It was far away from Stormcrown and the territories the alliance had decided to settle in. As he looked at it, he noticed that it was the quickest path for this group to join them. So if someone found out what direction they were headed in, it would have been easy to assume that they would take that route.
"Then there's this." Noslin pointed to another group of markers. "This lot was wiped out by the Sommerdans. Another twelve players were lost because of it."
Exile felt a sinking feeling appear in his stomach. The number of lost players had almost reached a full Pantheon's worth already. All because they had to relocate. He shook his head slowly as he waited for more bad news.
"Kaleidoscope has been gathering armies near some of the routes our people have to pass through. I think they've caught wind of what we're up to." Noslin sighed as she pointed to several groups of markers.
"It could just be them preparing to deal with the Sommerdan invasion." Exile hummed as he stared at them. They were all facing the coastal areas where markers had been placed for the last known location of Sommerdan troops that had landed in Skardia.
"I don't think so..." Noslin shook her head as she pointed at other known locations of troops belonging to the ruling faction. "As you can see, they seem to be covering each other and blocking the routes between the neighbouring territories. It's obvious that they're trying to stop people from leaving these territories."
Exile could only nod when he studied the map as a whole. Noslin was right. It was as if all the rulers of Skardia had placed a lockdown at the same time. It would be difficult for anyone to get through in these conditions.
"What about the mountain paths? They're bound to be slower, but it doesn't look like they're being guarded." Exile asked as he glanced over the various mountain chains.
"They're NPCs, Exile. They're families. Children and the elderly are in these groups. They won't survive something like that." Noslin seemed exasperated by the situation as she pointed out the other groups of their followers that were trapped in different locations. "I don't know what you'll do to solve this, but it isn't my problem for the next three days. Well, three weeks for you! Good luck..."
Exile sighed as he glanced around The Raider's Horn. Players were busy pouring over their own information at various tables. Everyone seemed to be looking for answers to their own problems. The only one that sounded like they were doing well was the special operations that Winter was a part of. Logistics was struggling with finding a suitable route to get supplies to the stranded groups, while the generals were unsure if they could create holes in the enemy's blockades.
Things were not looking so good, but Exile had an idea. 'The first issue is to break the blockade on the borders of Stormcrown so those closest to us can get in. Seems like those few days off may have come in handy.'
"Everyone! I'm going to the Mortal Realms for a bit. If anything happens or you have suggestions, leave a report for me when I get back." Exile looked around the room to see a sea of solemn faces nodding back to him.
Seeing that nobody had anything to say to him right now, he activated his Avatar spell and felt his consciousness darken. Moments later, he was standing in the Temple in Eraldsfen. 'Hmm? It seems bigger than before.' There were obvious signs that it had been extended recently, but what really caught his eyes was the huge block of stone behind him.
'They're trying to carve a statue of me?' Exile smirked as he studied it. Whoever was working on it had only done so far as his head, neck, and shoulders. It was not an exact alikeness, but that was to be expected, considering what they had to work with. The sounds from outside were loud, with a lot of yelling. From what he could hear, it sounded as if the whole village was busy.
He slowly walked out of the temple and his eyes went wide as he glanced around. The forest around Eraldsfen was in the middle of being cleared for a large expansion. At the same time, some villagers were digging pits or outlining areas in the ground that seemed to be the footprint for future housing.
'It seems like Harik is going all out to prepare for the new arrivals.' Exile sighed as he watched the NPCs work. 'It would be a shame if all of this effort went to waste.'
Without waiting to see if anyone had spotted or felt his presence, Exile took off in the direction of the border. He wanted to see these blockades for himself. As he ran at his full speed, a white blur appeared next to him while releasing soft growls. But they were friendly growls that almost sounded excited.
Exile grinned as he turned to face the large wolf running beside him. "Skovi... Tell me what's been going on down here for the past few weeks..."
