“By the Gods! What happened to Bjorn!” Harik roared as the group approached the village.
“He killed the beast, my Jarl. But we’re unsure of his condition. It appears that he was wounded, but there’s no sign of any on his body. Yet he still won’t wake up.” One of the warriors replied as he stood aside to let Harik through.
Harik cast a concerned glance over Bjorn. However, he was relieved to see that his friend was still breathing. ‘You really did it, my friend.’ Harik’s eyes wandered to the dead body of Skourj on the other sledge. The sheer size of the creature was enough to make anyone fearful. ‘We should contact Lord Exile.’
“Get him inside! Take him to the temple! I’ll have Ania talk with the Gods about his condition! Hurry now!” Harik barked his orders as he stormed off to find his daughter.
More and more she had taken to wandering through the forests alone. It concerned him whenever she did that. After all, the enemy could be anywhere and they could not afford to lose her. Even though Thovok was also an oracle of Exile, the Skardians would still prefer to go through one of their own instead of relying on the dwarves for that.
Harik cursed as he searched the temple, and other places first before grabbing ahold of a passing hunter.
“Track down my daughter and tell her to hurry to the temple!” Harik growled as the startled hunter nodded before running off.
He could barely contain his anger at that point. Her presence was sorely needed at that moment, but she was nowhere to be found. ‘Blast it! I’ll have to fetch the damn dwarf!’ Harik complained as he stormed off to the construction site of the fortress.
It did not take long for him to pinpoint Thovok’s location there. The dwarf was happily yelling out orders as others grumbled while digging the area for the foundations. Thovok nodded happily as he watched them work. It was clear that if they kept up the current pace, the foundation area would be large enough in another week or so.
“Thovok! I need you to come to the Temple! I can’t find Ania and we need to seek guidance from Exile!” Harik yelled once the dwarf was within earshot.
Thovok’s small figure turned, and Harik clearly saw a spark of excitement in the dwarf’s eyes. Harik could only sigh when he heard Thovok barking some quick orders before rushing to meet up with him. The dwarf did not even slow down and quickly barreled past him. Leaving Harik stunned.
“Well? What are you waiting for!” Thovok snorted as he shouted over his shoulder. Snapping Harik back to reality.
The pair stormed through the village, attracting the attention of everyone that they passed. Soon, there was a crowd following after them as they reached the temple. As Thovok went inside, Harik paused by the door and turned to the crowd.
“Nobody is to enter! Bjorn has returned, and we must seek guidance from the gods. I will announce what has happened once we know the full details! For now, you should go back to work!”
The crowd grumbled as they let out their complaints. Many of them wanted to be present on the chance that Exile would descend. However, they could tell from Harik’s tone that somet6hing may have gone wrong with Bjorn’s quest. Although they were curious, they were not willing to anger their Jarl over it.
The crowd soon dispersed, but Harik spotted a few figures who had clearly been left behind to inform the others if there were any changes. ‘Hmph, I guess that’s fine…’ Harik glared at them for a moment before slipping inside.
The warriors who had accompanied Bjorn had laid his sledge in front of the altar to Exile. Skourj’s massive frame rested to the side, as they had no idea what else to do with it.
“Thovok, contact Lord Exile now. I want to know if Bjorn is any danger…”
The dwarf placed his hands on the altar and showed a solemn expression as he closed his eyes. Harik began to tap his foot as he tried to remain patient. He had seen something similar enough with Ania, but that did not relieve his worries. Eventually, Thovok sighed as he turned to Harik and shook his head.
“What did he say?” Harik asked with a grim expression.
“Lord Exile wishes for me to convey this. Bjorn is fine. He just needs a good rest. We should contact him again once Bjorn wakes up. Until then, he should be celebrated as a hero.” Thovok replied while glancing at the unconscious Bjorn. “Lord Exile will reward him personally once he is fit again.”
Harik let out a sigh of relief as he studied his old friend. Bjorn was even older than he was, but this achievement would make sure that he was remembered amongst their people. It made Harik wonder what tales would be told of him once he was gone, if any. After all, apart from the raids, he had no great victories to his name. ‘Maybe it’s time I start thinking about how I want to be remembered. With everything that’s going on, there’s no telling when I could die.’
Meanwhile, Exile let out a broad grin as the hustle and bustle of the Alliance went on in The Raider’s Horn. ‘It seems like I’ll have a new asset soon. It should be similar to the requirements to turn an animal into a monster. Let us just hope I’m right. I’m interested to see what a hero can do.’
Exile chuckled softly to himself, causing Winter to frown. She was sitting across from him and they were in the middle of a discussion when he suddenly told her to wait a moment. So far, all she had gathered was that she was in trouble. But she could not fathom why. After all, she had achieved her missions successfully and taken care of their enemies.
She let out a long sigh of her own, which attracted Exile’s attention back to her. She froze like a deer caught in headlights when his gaze landed back on her. His expression turned from one of joy to a stern one as he refocused on her.
“Sorry about that… I just got some good news. Now, where were we? Ah, that’s right.” Exile coughed a few times to clear his throat as he stared at her. “Your achievements so far are remarkable and nobody is doubting the contributions you have made to the alliance. I hope that is clear?”
Winter frowned as she slowly nodded. Her hand trembled beneath the table as she waited for the other shoe to drop.𝗼𝐯𝐥.𝗻𝐭
“However…” Exile continued as he lifted Un’s report from the table. “It seems your actions are negatively affecting the Pantheon…”
“Wait!” Winter suddenly blurted out as she slapped her palms on the table. “How can that be? I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Just sit down and let me explain…” Exile sighed as he motioned for her to take her seat. “It’s like this. Your methods are so heavy-handed that anyone who survives or escapes becomes terrified of Ragnarok. Now we can’t have this mindset spreading amongst the NPCs. It damages our future recruitment of followers. Very few will want to follow us if they think we only know how to torture them.”
Exile’s expression softened as he watched Winter’s reaction to the news. She appeared genuinely surprised and lost in thought.
“I can see that this was not intentional. So there is obviously no punishment for it. But you have to be more careful from now on. Be more strategic with your authority. Don’t brute force your way into a victory over them. Maybe try tempting people close to your targets into killing them for you and rewarding them for it. Or give them good dreams that will make them more inclined to support us.”
Winter sighed as she glanced at him. She had already been wondering about other ways to use her powers, but they were not all that simple. Her divine spells that worked on mortals required her imagination to work. Projecting whatever she thought of into their dreams and nightmares. That was its greatest strength and weakness at the same time.
It could only be used on someone who was sleeping. If she could not clearly imagine something, then the spell would shatter with no effect. She had even taken time to watch more horror movies than she normally would just to strengthen this ability.
She let out a helpless sigh. “Exile, projecting horrors is easier. I have no idea what someone would class as a blissful dream. It’s not so easy to understand someone’s desires.”
“You’re right, of course. Your path is not an easy one, Winter. But I have faith in you. Truth be told, I think your Authority could become one of the strongest ones in the game if nurtured properly. I suggest you take time off with the next batch and explore the possibilities. Read some books. Check out some paintings. Watch movies. Whatever helps. But I hope to see favourable results…
