A flash appeared in Valheim’s temple as Exile appeared in the silent city. ‘This is too strange.’ He wasted no time as he set off to see an old friend. His footsteps echoed off the walls of the alleys as he studied the buildings for any sign of damage from the war with Nar’Kozz. ‘I guess they weren’t strong enough to cause serious damage. It’s that, or the city has a repair function.’
Exile contemplated the serenity of the silent city. However, it was unnerving to be in such a large place that was supposed to be full of life. ‘The other Pantheons should arrive here later today or tomorrow. I wonder what mobs they’ll find by travelling back across the land?’
He knew they had chosen the land route instead of heading for the Autosphere underground because they felt uneasy. With Nar’Kozz rising up from the tunnels, the other leaders were concerned there may be other ancient horrors down there yet to be discovered.
Exile shook his head as he walked through the empty plaza. ‘While it’s wise to be cautious, we’ll probably miss out on great opportunities by avoiding exploring everywhere available.’ He had no doubts now that there were clues left somewhere in either realm that would lead to important items and information.
However, he also felt a lot of these things could be found simply by exploring the landscape for ruins or anything that looked out of place. ‘And here are.’ Exile sighed as he stared at the door with nostalgia.
His hand gently pressed on it, and as the door slid open he saw the familiar green barrier. With a slight smile, he stepped into the shop beyond.
The ground floor of the store still looked the same, except for different low-level items being displayed on the shelf. Exile chuckled to himself as he casually glanced at the wares. ‘A lot has changed here since I first set foot inside.’
“Exile! What a pleasure it is to see you again!” Jarxos’ passionate voice called out as he appeared behind the counter.
“Jarxos.” Exile grinned as he nodded to the will. “What can I do for you today?”
“You know, Jarxos, I think there’s quite a bit you can do for me.” Exile fake sighed as he shot Jarxos a knowing look. “I never realised before, even though the clues were all there.”
“Oh? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Could you be clearer?”
“Jarxos, you’ve even fooled me all this time.” Exile chuckled as he stared at the shopkeeper. “You’re a fully sentient will pretending otherwise, aren’t you?”
Silence descended in the store for several seconds before Jarxos revealed a sly smile. “It seems I’ve been found out.”
Jarxos chuckled wryly as he dropped the facade he’d kept going for all this time. “Well, what gave me away?”
“Hm, for one, you’re the only will I’ve heard of that wasn’t fully sentient. I couldn’t tell before because I hadn’t met any others. After I met Allevia and Amari, as well as being told about Jor’s will, I still took you at face value. It’s only recently I’ve really considered things.”
“I see,” Jarxos’ eyes narrowed as he peered at Exile. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, you offered intelligence that would specifically help me. You shouldn’t have been able to make that connection unless you were sentient. Besides, no other Pantheon ruler has mentioned any out-of-the-ordinary conversations with you. Even Midas found you were pretty bland with him when he sold goods to you.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Jarxos closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned on the counter with both elbows. “I see. There it is, then.”
Exile grinned as Jarxos spread his arms out wide with a satisfied expression. “I’ll have to be more careful with the others in the future. The real question is, what now?”
“What now, indeed.” Exile sighed as he stared at Jarxos’ will. “Now that I know you’re sentient, I’m also aware you’ve always had information that could’ve helped me. You know a lot about the divine and mortal realms, their histories, and everything that’s happened before we arrived. Don’t you?”
“Well, it’s not like I can deny it now, can I?” Jarxos chuckled. “If you’re asking questions like that, you’re finally ready.”
“Ready for what?” Exile cocked an eyebrow as the will snapped his fingers. The green barrier on the inside of the shop’s door turned red. “You’re ready to enter my true store.” Jarxos chuckled again as he motioned for Exile to follow him.
The latter followed Jarxos to a door hidden out of sight behind the counter. Exile’s eyes went wide as he studied the intricate golden embellishments on the silver door. ‘This door alone would be worth a fortune! But what does it lead to?’
Exile’s confusion grew. He had thought Jarxos would take him to a higher floor. Instead, it seemed like he wanted to bring him into the basement. He put his misgivings aside as Jarxos placed a hand on the strange door.
Exile felt divine power leaking from Jarxos as the latter fed it into the door. Suddenly, a loud click sounded, and the door slid open. Jarxos chuckled at Exile’s expression as he glanced over his shoulder. Behind the elaborate door was something akin to a broom closet. However, hovering in the closet was a golden portal.
“What is that?” Exile asked as he swallowed. He had his guesses, but he wanted Jarxos to confirm his suspicions.
“It’s the entrance to my personal realm.” Jarxos grinned in response as he casually stepped into the portal.
Exile massaged his temples as he stared at it. ‘A personal divine realm! Hidden here in Valheim!’ Exile coughed as he took a step forward. ‘I’ll have to be careful. If it’s like Amari’s, then there’s no telling what Jarxos will be capable of in there.’
He took a deep breath as he followed his host into the golden light. However, unlike Amari’s portal, Exile found himself standing on a golden bridge in the infinite darkness. Jarxos nodded once his guest had joined him, and Exile suddenly felt like he was moving at an incredible speed!
‘What the hell?’ Exile panicked slightly as he looked back. He discovered the portal entrance was quickly disappearing into the distance!
“Don’t worry. I added this feature to bring us to my realm much more quickly. The portal and the bridge only activate if my divine power has been channelled into the door. Otherwise, all you would have found was an empty broom closet. Also, this bridge wouldn’t exist either. It helps to stop other gods from finding your realm if they explore the void.”
Exile cocked an eyebrow at that piece of information. “Why don’t you make the portal lead directly to your realm?”
“That’s simple. The amount of energy needed to activate the portals deep into the void is massive. When they’re activated, they become like a beacon for gods who know how to sense or detect these things.” Jarxos showed him a sad smile before he continued. “You’d be giving away the location of your realm for others to raid if you connected them directly.”
Exile sighed at that explanation. ‘Well, that explains a lot. Why didn’t Amari add a feature like this bridge to make it easier?’ He soon spotted a silver star speckled with gold in the distance. However, with the speed they were moving at, it soon grew in size, unlike when he had to undergo the flight to Amari’s realm. ‘I’ll definitely need something like this if I ever get my own realm.’ Exile chuckled to himself as the star kept growing larger.
Soon, he could make out a floating piece of land. It was richly decorated with marble and columns. As he scanned the winding stone roads that led to other buildings, a serene lake, and even a coliseum, Exile couldn’t help but stare in envy.
‘It’s clearly taken from Roman inspiration. But damn, it still looks so good.’ While Amari’s had been beautiful yet chaotic, Jarxos’ realm was orderly, clean, and lush with natural plant life. Exile couldn’t help but shake his head as the bridge deposited him in the plaza at the centre of that realm.
A huge Roman temple with at least ten floors and a few wings spread out taking up what Exile speculated to be a quarter of the realm. ‘Please tell me it’s not what I think it is.’ Exile groaned as Jarxos walked up the temple’s marble steps.
“You said I had the information you wanted. Well, you were probably right.” Jarxos said as he stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to face Exile. “This temple is my pride and glory. It stores the true wares that I’ve gathered over my time. Everything is for sale, for the right price.”
Exile’s eyes went wide as he glanced from side to side. ‘How long will it take me to search through it all?’ He groaned while wondering if Jarxos would allow the other members of his Pantheon in here. ‘This is going to be a black hole for us to throw our gold into. Midas won’t be happy at the increased expenditure unless we find something good.’ Exile shook his head slowly while staring at the temple in awe. He couldn’t help but gulp at the mammoth task ahead of him if he wanted to find something useful for his needs.
“Jarxos,” Exile licked his lips as he turned to look at the will. “Please tell me there’s a way for me to search for things relevant to what I’m looking for.”
Jarxos chuckled at that as his eyes shone with greed. “Sure there is. For a price.”