Queen Ciena’s sharp eyes narrowed as she entered her throne room. It had not been long since she returned to the island, but she never imagined that Allyce would’ve moved so fast. A grim expression appeared on the queen’s face as she sat on her throne. Her eyes scanned the members of Allyce’s nest that had joined her. ‘They’ve all made the conversion through their bloodline.’ Ciena sighed as she glared at her daughter.
“What is the meaning of this, Allyce?”
Allyce stood from her kneeling position and gave her reply while holding her mother’s gaze.
“Your Majesty,” Allyce said as Ciena’s eyebrows quivered. “I seek your help.”
“What problem requires my help, child?” Ciena replied as she smoothed her dress.
“My candidate, Exile, is engaged in battle with Nar’Kozz the Devourer. The divine forces he has gathered for this battle may not be enough to put down this threat to both the divine and mortal realms.”
“I would ask for your help in sending my nest to the divine realms to aid in this battle. If Nar’Kozz succeeds, too many innocent lives will be lost.”
Ciena hummed as a deep frown appeared on her face. Silence descended in the throne room as the queen sorted her thoughts on the matter. Allyce didn’t dare to say anything else while she waited for her mother’s verdict.
Eventually, Queen Ciena let out a long sigh and stood up from her throne. Allyce bowed her head as Ciena approached her. As the latter stared at her daughter, a thin smile appeared on her face.
“Your request is granted,” Ciena said in a low voice as she placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Prepare your nest. Be in the courtyard in twenty minutes.”
Allyce showed a shocked expression as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thank you!”
As the pair hugged, Killi watched on from the sidelines. Once Allyce and the nest members left the room, the eldest sibling looked to their mother.
“I thought you wouldn’t take part? Why would you allow them to leave?” Killi asked as she glanced at the now-closed doors.
Ciena sighed before turning her attention to her eldest daughter. “Allyce has already sealed their fate. Her nest has made the conversion. If Exile falls here, much of our family will be lost.”
Killi scowled for a moment as she digested her mother’s reasoning. “Then I’ll rally my sisters. I won’t let Allyce face this alone.”
“No,” Ciena said as she met Killi’s gaze. “I have another task for you.”
Killi frowned as she clenched her fists. “What could be more important than securing the lives of our family?”
“You have much to learn, Killi. Out of all my children, you’re the most like me. That’s why this task can only fall to you.” Ciena ruffled her feathers as a faraway look came over her. “You’ll proceed to the Starlit temple. A promising candidate has appeared.”
Killi shot an astonished look at her mother. “Someone has overcome the Fist of the First Star’s trial? How?”
“Who knows what method they used. But that will would never allow someone with the slightest impurity in their heart to seize that treasure. Whoever they are, I approve of them as a candidate, and as your god. Pledge yourself to that god, and make the preparations to bring them here for the Trial of Feathers.”
Meanwhile, Exile was sent flying as Nar’Kozz slapped the spherical barrier protecting him. Exile groaned as a huge crater appeared on the side of the mountain, as he crashed into it!
‘Damn it! I can’t focus on Nar’Kozz because of the others!’ Thousands of winged Stalkers chased after him as Exile heard the screaming of nearby players. ‘There’s too many of them.’
He averted his gaze as more winged Stalkers lifted players into the air before dropping them to smash against the mountain. It wouldn’t surprise him if the mountain would be dyed red for eternity after this battle.
‘No time to think about that now!’ He leapt from the crater as his fireflies intercepted the closest of the Stalkers. However, he couldn’t finish them off as Nar’Kozz was quickly approaching. Far below the aerial battle, Winter gasped from her wounds as she covered Clay with her ability. The pair were worn down and struggling to hide from the search of the ground troops. ‘Damn it! Everything changed once Nar’Kozz appeared. We weren’t prepared. Mikari made a serious mistake!’
She could still hear the sounds of Mikari holding back the worst of the wave that come for them. Winter knew that Mikari prided himself on his planning and preparations, so it had to be a serious blow to his ego. ‘That’s more than once Nar’Kozz has thrown him for a loop. Even Parthus didn’t cause him this much trouble!’
“Keep moving.” Clay groaned, mentally exhausted. “We can’t go back. Mikari’s on his own now.”
Winter nodded solemnly as a greater flash of gold light appeared behind them. ‘Looks like Mikari is getting serious, I hope he survives.’
At that moment, Mikari’s cold gaze studied the Stalkers around him. ‘Victorious!’ A blinding gold light covered him and the statue momentarily before fading. The statue now wore an evil grin instead of a serene one. Each of its hands held a different divine weapon.
There was a bow, arrow, spear, sword, axe, etc. Mikari’s gaze swept his enemies again before he gave the mental command to attack. Devastation swept the area around him as the Stalkers were annihilated. Not even dust remained as proof of their existence. More than three hundred Stalkers had lost their lives in the seconds after Mikari’s command.
Mikari released a long sigh as he contemplated the effectiveness of his power. ‘My brother would have a hard time facing this power. How is it that he’s ended up with a magic build, despite preferring melee? While I’ve ended melee when I’d prefer magic?’
He made a mental note to ask Paul about it when he returned to Ragnarok HQ. ‘I feel like I’m missing something.’ His eyes turned toward the mountain where Exile circled it to keep Nar’Kozz out of reach. ‘I need to help stabilise the situation. I hope everyone’s ok.’
Exile groaned as he unleashed a burst of fire in front of him to create a hole in the buzzing wall trying to slow him down. ‘This is neverending! I’m wasting so much DP on the small fries. If it keeps up like this, I’ll have nothing left in the tank to counter the big bad.’
Exile’s frown deepened as he sent out more protective spells to aid the Skardian players. He could’ve sworn he saw Noslin riding on the shoulder of an ice golem as it swatted Stalkers from the mountain path. However, it was clear the number of players was rapidly declining. ‘With Nar’Kozz here, those with enough stats to survive a death should be safe in Valheim. Maybe our losses won’t be so bad after all.’
Exile cursed as Nar’Kozz almost landed another attack as he was distracted. ‘Damn it! I’ve got to shake this bad habit of mine!’
Meanwhile, at the temple in Valheim.
Players screamed as Stalkers ripped them apart as they resurrected. The few who managed to escape the death trap groaned as they entered the streets. Valheim was still overrun with a separate force of Stalkers!
On that fateful day, hundreds of Skardian players were banned from Pantheon Online. As the players fought till the bitter end, a ray of hope pierced their helplessness. Furious screeching filled the air above Valheim. The sound was completely different to the one Stalkers made, and so the players inside the temple shrank back.
They wondered if a new version of the Stalkers had appeared at the worst possible time. However, none of them was prepared for what happened next.
A raging inferno flooded the temple, dusting the Stalkers in one swift move! Although the flames had felt warm, they also felt like a comforting blanket as they washed over the players who had been struggling for their lives. As the flames vanished, Beartooth stepped forward from the crowd of recently resurrected players. ‘What was that? Did Exile fly all the way out here?’ He wondered as he cautiously approached the exit.
Just as he poked his head outside, a Stalker crashed to the ground with a winged man standing on its chest! The man stabbed his spear into the Stalker’s skull, before flapping his red feathered wings furiously to rise back into the sky.
Beartooth’s shock almost overwhelmed him as he glanced toward the sky. A golden gate stood in the sky above Valheim as flaming eagles and winged people flowed out from it! Beartooth was enraptured by the sight. ‘It’s as if angels have come to help us! But, where did they come from? Are they the gods of another race? Has someone come to help us?’ Beartooth shivered as he considered the alternative. ‘Or are they here to conquer us?’
“My lady!” The winged man from before shouted as he approached Allyce in her humanoid form. Her bow sang as she shot down every Stalker that entered her range.
“What is it?” Allyce grunted as she spun horizontally in the air to shoot down three Stalkers leaping from the higher buildings at her.
“I’ve located the Skardian gods! Perhaps one of them knows where Lord Exile is!”
“Good work! Show me where they are right away!”
As Allyce followed her guide to Valheim’s temple, Ciena crouched over the body of her daughter in the courtyard. Her magic enveloped the lifeless bodies of all she had sent to the divine realms. Golden chains linked each one of them to her chest.
The queen wept as she felt several chains shatter. There was no way to bring them back once their souls were destroyed in the divine realms. ‘Come back safely, Allyce.’