248 A Parting of Ways
“What’s wrong?” Clay asked when he noticed Exile’s grim expression.
Exile cursed as he glanced at his brother somewhere behind him. He noticed that Noslin appeared to be unusually close to his brother as they talked. ‘That could be trouble in the future.’ Exile sighed as he turned his attention back to Clay.
“I just got some bad news from Allyce.”
“What kind of bad news? Is something happening down there?”
“No, it’s bad news for us. There’re too many ears around just now. I’ll fill everyone in once we get settled in Himinbj?rg.”
Exile frowned as they exited the narrow tunnel and found themselves on a stone bridge. The bridge spanned a black lake that made Clay groan. Memories resurfaced as they both realised where they were. However, neither of them wanted to speak about it.
“Have everyone wait here,” Exile said as he glanced up at the sunlight piercing through the hole in the ceiling. “I’m going up to take a look around. Personally, I hope it’s safe for us to resurface. We have no idea when we may find another way out.”
Clay nodded as Exile spread his wings and ascended through the gloom. ‘I can see more than the last time. I guess that’s because of my new Tier.’ He thought as he glanced at the ice-laden walls. Before long, he spotted the remains of the marble columns at the edges of the chasm as he soared into the open sky.
Exile took a deep breath of the fresh air as he heard the sound of birds and other animals nearby. ‘Good, it looks like Nar’Kozz’s influence doesn’t reach this area.’ He sighed with relief as he looked around for the mountain that Himinbj?rg was situated on.
‘We have to go northeast.’ Exile thought as he spotted it. ‘It should be safe to surface here and continue the journey above ground.’
His gaze moved to the forest in the distance. All seemed quiet in that direction which made him grin. ‘Nar’Kozz hasn’t attempted another assault on Valheim yet. That’ll buy us some more time.’
Exile nodded in satisfaction as he flew back into the chasm. The various leaders had gathered on the bridge to await his assessment. He took his time to explain what he had seen, and how he thought it was best to resurface now before they ran into any complications.
Mikari wore a dubious expression on his face the entire time, but eventually relented and agreed. After all, they had no idea what to expect if they delved deeper into those tunnels. The worst-case scenario saw them running into a situation they could not handle.
Hours passed as the leaders arranged the army and talked over which spells to use and when to ensure the army reached the surface. Exile’s spells would not be of any use, and he was running out of the runestones he had previously prepared. So he was left with nothing to do except stare into the lake’s dark waters.
“There’s a strange feeling about it,” Noslin suddenly said as she approached him while curiously staring at the waters. “I feel connected to this place somehow.”
Exile cocked an eyebrow at her statement as he glanced around. ‘It’s a ruin. From what Allevia said, this could be the remains of a divine realm that used to belong to an old Pantheon.’ Exile sighed as he stared at her. ‘She has a similar power to Jor, and I’m sure she probably has a fragment belonging to the water element.’
‘I guess it’s possible Jor was its previous owner. If she feels connected to this place, then I assume it belonged to his Pantheon.’ Exile frowned as he wondered if he should tell her about his guesses. If he was right, then there was no doubt in his mind that she would want to explore deeper into the tunnels.
However, if she did that, there was a chance she could come across trials. He wondered how smart it would be to give his hypothesis to her in their current situation. ‘Then again, if she gains more power, it’ll help with the battles to come.’
“Noslin, be honest with me here. Do you own one of the first elements?” Exile asked after he sighed heavily.
“Eh? I thought you already knew I do?” Noslin replied as she chuckled. “I slipped up not long after we first met.”
“Yeah, but that could have been anything. I had a hunch, but there’s so much in this game that you could have been referring to something else.” Exile said with a shrug of his shoulders. “It has to be water, right?”
“You got it, just like you have to be hunting the parts belonging to fire.” Noslin smiled playfully at him as she bent down and ran her fingers over the surface of the water. “Do you ever fear the other fragments falling into the hands of another player?”
“Of course I do,” Exile replied with a shrug. “I think the best bet for reaching the top in this game involves collecting an entire set.”
Noslin shot a curious glance in his direction, which made him continue. “I’m not saying it’s the only way, just that I think it’s a major factor in reaching the highest potential power.”
“Hm,” Noslin grumbled as a frown appeared on her face. “I think you’re right. It’s why I was so eager to take charge of the rebellion. I hoped to use everyone to find my other fragments and collect the other elements. Imagine, a Pantheon that wields all of the first elements.”
“Yeah, it would really be something.” Exile chuckled as he glanced toward the army. “But I doubt the area around Valheim holds them all. I mean, think about it. It doesn’t make sense to put that much power in the hands of one race.”
“I guess you’re right, but that doesn’t explain why both fire and water, as far as we know, are here,” Noslin replied as she ran a hand through her hair.
“No, but from what I’ve learned, the fire was originally in the hands of the Elden race,” Exile said with a grim expression. “Allevia brought it here, but I’m starting to realise something.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t think she owned the entire flame,” Exile replied as he scratched the side of his head.
“What makes you say that?” Noslin asked with surprise as she continued to play with the water.
“It’s just a hunch. I think she tracked down three, maybe four of the pieces. But from what I’ve seen from her Inheritance, I think she lacked the final product.” Exile groaned as he studied Noslin. “There’s another issue that’s been bugging me for a while now. How did they end up in fragments in completely different locations? There’s a lot I don’t understand yet, and it’s starting to get to me.”
“I see your point, but aren’t you thinking too much? It’s probably just a game mechanic. You know, so it isn’t too easy.” Noslin shrugged her delicate shoulders as she glanced at the army’s first spells.
“No, I think this game has a reason for everything. Like it’s all a part of a real history that actually happened.” Exile murmured as he stood up.
“Pfft! Ok. Come on. You don’t really believe that, do you?” Noslin raised her eyebrows as she dried her hand. “I’ll admit the developers have done a great job with the lore, and how it ties into the game. But somewhere, there’s someone who knows where every valuable item is.”
Exile smiled softly as he nodded at her words. ‘That’s what I want to believe. But recently, the game’s been feeling more real than ever.’ He studied Noslin again as he struggled to decide whether he should tell her his thoughts about that ruin.
“Hey, Noslin,” Exile called out when she stood up and started walking back to the army. “That connection you mentioned.”
“What about it?” .𝓬ℴ𝓶
“Don’t you think one of your fragments may be nearby?” Exile asked as he glanced in the opposite direction. “I have reason to believe that this could have been Jor’s Pantheon’s home. So there’s a good chance there’s a fragment in that direction.”
Noslin frowned while she mulled over his words. Exile could see that she was struggling to decide what to do with his statement. ‘She’s probably thinking through the same issues I did. Whatever. It’s her decision. I’d rather it ended up in her hands than someone else’s. There’s a good chance we’ll remain close allies till one of us falls.’
“You better decide what you’re going to do soon. It seems like the army is about to move.” Exile smiled apologetically as he walked past her. “I won’t blame you if you decide to go for it. If you make it, come back here and make a way up to the surface. You’ll see the mountain to the northeast. We’ll be waiting for you.”
Exile smiled as he saw her expression crumble as she looked at the army. He knew at that moment what decision she had made.
“Take care of my people until I return,” Noslin said with a gentle smile playing on her lips. “I don’t think they’ll understand why I left without saying anything to them.”
“What’s there to understand?” Exile replied as he clapped her shoulder. “It’s a big risk, and you don’t want them to take it with you. If there’s something nasty waiting in there, how could you forgive yourself for putting them through it? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’re safe. But you better hurry back to us. Good luck.”