“This is it?” Exile asked as he looked at a rundown wooden shack in the space between two glorious buildings.
“We’re certain it is. Some of our players have explored this area before, and they said this building wasn’t here the last time.” Mikari replied and Midas nodded.
“Why’s nobody else here then?” Exile asked as he glanced down the abandoned street.
“Who knows? Either they haven’t found yet, or they’ve already been.” Mikari replied with a shrug.
Exile sighed as he pushed the rickety door open. There was only one room in the shack. It contained a table and a woman shrouded in dark robes sitting on a chair behind it. ‘She should be the event vendor.’
As Exile closed in on the table, the woman behind it took a crystal ball from one of her sleeves and placed it in front of her. Exile looked at the item with a curious expression. ‘I guess I have to touch it to see the item list.’
When he placed his palm on it, a list containing the rewards and how many tokens they cost appeared in his mind. ‘There’s quite a lot of good stuff here.’ There were books that could grant spells of every element. Weapons, Armour, potions, materials, and at the end were manuals for crafting! 𝐞𝗻𝐨𝘃𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝗺
Exile removed his hand and turned toward Midas. “Purchase everything you can about crafting. With anything left over, purchase the materials next, then whatever you think is best. Forget about the spell books.”
“Why should we ignore them?” Midas asked with a curious expression. “Won’t they help to increase our players’ overall power?”
“No,” Exile replied as he shook his head. “They’ll lead our players down the wrong path. I discovered something interesting during the event. Besides, the manuals on crafting confirm something. Everyone can make items regardless of their Authority if they know what they are doing. I’m guessing an Authority in these things acts as a support mechanism to help provide superior results. We need to focus on this aspect to build a stronger foundation for the future.”
“Exile, our people are already spread thin. We need a proper structure. Divisions within the Pantheon that focus on different aspects.” Mikari said as he wore a thoughtful expression. “We need to replace the players we lost as well.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you since you know what you are doing,” Exile replied with a grin. “Once you have the structure written down, bring a report to me so we can look over it before making it official.”
“Oh, Midas,” Exile continued. “Where are we at with a merit point system?”
“I haven’t got very far with it with everything going on. But I can work it in to complement different positions in the Pantheon once Mikari sorts that out.” Midas replied with a smug smile.
Exile chuckled as he patted both of them on the shoulder. “What would I do without you two?”
“Go bankrupt…” Midas replied with a shrug.
“Already be banned from the game?” Mikari replied with a frown.
Exile let out a long laugh before nodding. “You’re right, both of you. So let’s keep working together to build the best Pantheon, eh? I’ll leave you two to it. I’m going to make the most of the protection Valheim still has. It shouldn’t last much longer, but there’s something I need to do before we clash with Nar’Kozz’s horde again.”
‘I guess the real rewards come from Amari.’ Exile thought as he exited the shack to spot a small group of players heading there. He pretended to be deep in thought as he walked past them so they would not ask him any questions. ‘I don’t recognise their emblem. They must be a small Pantheon.’
‘The larger Pantheons will start swallowing the small ones as they reach the higher Pantheon Tiers.’ Exile frowned when he had that thought. ‘They’re going to have it rough.’
‘I’d better get back to Himinbj?rg. I need to create at least one Tier 2 spell before I rejoin the fight against the Deep Stalkers. Then I can visit Bargrux and settle some matters.’
Meanwhile, M’Throk reached the coast where a ship made of green wood awaited him. The ship had no sails as it did not need them. Chains spread from it to the collars of two tame whales, ridden by humanoid figures with gills on their necks and webbed hands and feet. ‘Merfolk…’ M’Throk sneered as he glared at that species of Warbeast.
Their bluish skin and green seaweed-like hair sent a shiver down his spine. ‘Laskia is going all-out by sending them.’ He slowly shook his head as he waited for the rest of the party to arrive. M’Throk’s mind was abuzz with thoughts regarding the Heavenly Beast Pantheon.
He was only a hero and the god who had made him one was considered the fifth strongest among the top ten of the Pantheon. However, as a hero, he always had to report to Laskia and treat her as his one true goddess. The merfolk were her first followers, but it was the second race of Warbeasts that called her their goddess that truly terrified him.
‘He’s here.’ M’Throk’s eyes narrowed as a tidal surge broke the surface of the sea in the distance. A long, serpentine body rose from the surface into the sky. Its four clawed feet walked on platforms of water that appeared beneath them as the sun reflected off of its pristine blue scales.
M’Throk stared at the red mane of hair that surrounded the sea dragon’s face and ran down its spine. The dragon roared toward the sky before coiling around its own massive body before sprinting toward the coast. M’Throk trembled beneath the gaze of its serpent eyes as he kneeled before one of Laskia’s Oracles.
“Lord Dretheir,” M’Throk said as he struggled to stop his trembling. “Thank you for joining us.”
“Hm, I’m only here because Laskia commands it,” Dretheir said with a voice that sounded like raging waves. “Skardians aren’t worth my time.”
M’Throk nodded in agreement as he wanted to stay on that ancient existence’s good side. He remembered the tales of the Dragon Wars his people had suffered through centuries before. Those mighty beings had brought much of their territory and some of the surrounding countries to ruin at the time.
Dretheir turned his mighty head toward the east. To M’Throk it seemed like the dragon was lost in ancient memories. The sea became rough as Dretheir continued to glare in that direction before his head snapped toward the southwest. The sky turned dark and gloomy as the rain began to fall.
“Lord Dretheir!” M’Throk called out as the wind started to pick up. “Is something wrong?”
Dretheir snorted as he shook the rage from his mind and allowed the weather to calm down again. “It’s nothing we can’t handle. Let us be off. I want to end this as soon as possible.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t think a god will back down so easily,” M’Throk replied as he remained kneeling on the sand.
“Then I’ll just devour him!” Dretheir bellowed with a laugh that sounded like thunder.
A short distance from a hidden island located to the southwest of Skardia, Allyce shivered as she sensed a calamity through the wind. Her instincts screamed at her to hide while another part of her reacted with hatred toward the strange feeling in the air. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it arrived as her sight allowed her to see through the magical barrier that hid the Isle of Vuertas. The home of her people.
As she flew through the barrier, her eyes gazed upon the island covered in cliffs with the many homes built into their sides. Young featherlings raced between the trees as they dipped their wingtips in the numerous waterfalls as they flew past. Allyce smiled to herself as she gazed upon that paradisic island where she had grown up.
Suddenly, she heard the warning cries of many eagles as many of them rose into the sky to defend their home. However, Allyce did not worry about that. Her species always had white feathers unless they pledged themselves to a god. It had been so long since any of the nests had done so that their first thought would have been that she was an invader.
Of course, she could not blame them since great trails of fire followed behind her. She was no longer a simple member of the Great Eagle tribe for she had become a legendary Pheonix Eagle with her transformation. ‘Mother will be so surprised.’ Allyce chuckled to herself as she corrected her course to fly toward the palace at the centre of the island.
The eagles slowed down once they had a chance to study her. They let out joyous cries to alert the nests that there was nothing to fear when they realised who she was. Allyce listened to their cries as she soared overhead, hearing her people sing the song that signalled the beginning of the Trial of Feathers.
She smirked as five great eagles rose into the sky from different positions around the palace. They were the leaders of the other five nests, and they glared at her with grim expressions. ‘That’s right. I was the first dear sisters.’ Allyce chuckled as she flew past them. ‘Mother will reward me for this achievement!’
Allyce groaned as a great weight suddenly struck her back and drove her to the ground! The blow was so powerful that she felt her consciousness slipping and some of her bones breaking. Before she blacked out, she caught sight of the magnificent golden feathers of her mother, the Queen, as she shrieked with fury!