Exile’s aura spread from the temple, making the nearby civilians shiver. He glanced around only to notice the temple had been expanded since his last visit. The dwarven craftsmanship was evident in its design as he roamed the empty building. His altar stood alone in the deepest part of the temple. The next room held the altars of the major gods, while the one attached to the entrance held the altars of the lesser ones.
‘A lot has changed.’ Exile frowned as he took in those changes as he returned to the throne in his altar room. ‘They shouldn’t have been able to do this in a few weeks. How much time has passed?’
That thought unnerved him. It hinted that the time dilation would speed up during every update. ‘It will become impossible to determine how much time will pass. What’ll happen if decades pass during a single maintenance update?’
Exile frowned as he considered that eventual possibility. Still, he had other matters on his mind, and he could think about that later. ‘Ania is taking a while.’ Exile sighed. Usually, she was rather quick to appear whenever he descended. He even considered the possibility that she was not in Eraldsfen since he had not warned her beforehand.
‘Even Bjorn hasn’t appeared. Maybe I should return and contact Ania.’ As Exile was considering that, two men and a woman entered the temple and headed directly for his altar room. ‘They’re fanatics.’ Exile’s eyes narrowed as they came into view. The trio respectfully kept their eyes pointed down, which was what gave them away as being able to see him.
“Great Exile,” the woman said as she removed her helm and kneeled before him. “Lady Ania will be with you momentarily. She was… caught up in some personal business.”
Exile grunted as he listened to the woman. He did not want to say anything that could reveal his ignorance of the changes in the mortal realms. However, the trio took his silence as displeasure at being kept waiting. Their expressions turned grim as the woman spoke again.
“Can we do anything for you while you wait?”
“No,” Exile said as he shifted in his throne. “I will wait for Ania.”
The trio gulped as they felt his aura pressing down on them. It was suffocating and intoxicating at the same time. Exile’s eyes wandered over them, and he realised their equipment was uniform. It was better made than the stuff the dwarves had initially gifted to the Skardians. That led Exile to believe they were part of a special unit in the army.
‘If they’re all fanatics then it should be a religious army. They should answer to Ania directly then.’ Exile frowned as the trio refused to move and remained kneeling. ‘This could get messy in the future.’
Exile considered the impact a religious force could have in Skardia. They could eventually disregard the orders of kings and act according to their religious beliefs. However, Exile doubted that would be a problem for his own followers. Ania was the head Oracle of Ragnarok. That made her the closest human to the gods in the eyes of the other NPCs. Plus, her father was the King of Stormcrown. Which brought the two sides together since each was managed by a different person in the same family.
However, he could see it becoming a problem for other players. The worst-case scenario would be Oracles leading the army to overthrow the hierarchy of a Pantheon if they believed their God deserved to lead it. Not that it would change anything among the players unless someone deliberately revolted against their Pantheon.
‘I’ll have Mike create plans in case some players band together to try to seize control in the future.’ Exile thought. After all, it was better to be prepared, even if it did not seem likely. As he was considering other future problems that could arise, he felt Ania’s presence as she entered the temple with another trio following behind her.
Exile smiled when he saw her. Her hair was wet as if she had just gotten cleaned up and dressed. ‘So, she was busy bathing when I arrived.’ Exile chuckled to himself as a smile as radiant as the sun appeared on Ania’s face.
“Lord Exile, it warms my heart to lay my eyes on you again.” Ania bowed her head while the new trio kneeled.
“Hm, it is good to see you are well,” Exile replied as he stroked his attend to, it is too easy to forget the passage of time.”
Ania showed a sad smile at his reply. She always knew they lived in beard. “A lot has changed since we last spoke. I’m afraid I’ve spent too long with my eyes focused on the heavens.”
Ania nodded while the six behind her trembled under his voice. “These past five months have been trying times without your guidance.”
Exile suppressed his surprise from appearing on his face when he heard that. “Has it been that long? The days are like a speck of dust floating on the wind to us Gods. When we have our matters to attend to, it is too easy to forget the passage of time.”
Ania showed a sad smile at his reply. She always knew they lived in different worlds, and she would never understand how the gods viewed her world. However, she had hoped their time apart would have hd some effect on Exile as it had on her.
“Come forward, Ania. I have a gift for you.”
Ania showed a surprised expression as she slowly walked toward Exile’s outstretched hand. When she placed her open palm below it, he placed a strange necklace in her hand.
“This is my symbol. It will allow me to hear your prayers no matter where you are.” Exile smiled warmly. “You should make copies of it and sell them to raise funds for the temple. However, this one was made with my own hands in the heavens.” ｂ𝚍ｏｖ𝚕．𝚝
Ania’s eyes went wide as she felt the power held in the necklace. It was made in the divine realms so it was not as simple as the ones they could make. For one, Exile’s aura pulsed from it. That would allow her to feel as if he were next to her at all times. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye as she expressed her gratitude.
“Where is Harik?” Exile said after leaving her to her own thoughts for a few moments.
“My father,” Ania gulped to clear her throat. “Is on his way to the Kingsmoot. The other Kings refused to wait any longer and threatened to not even consider him if he did not show up for it.”
Exile nodded when he heard that. ‘We kept them waiting too long. Of course, they would want to settle this matter and unify Skardia under a single rule. With our absence, their own chances would improve if they could come to a deal among themselves.’ Exile grinned as he thought about their motives. ‘I’ll have to settle this. Thankfully, they’ve already gathered for us.’
“Is there anything else I should know?” Exile asked with a raised eyebrow that implied he already knew everything.
Ania felt it was a cheap test to see what she considered to be important for him to know. She closed her eyes to sort out the information of the past months in her mind. However, only two things came to mind.
“The dwarves have been trading freely with us. Stormcrown has seen an influx of their goods and we’ve used it to establish strong trade relations in the surrounding territories. Our people have seen their quality of life improve significantly.”
Exile nodded when he heard that. It was good to know the relationship with Bargrux was still going strong in his absence. ‘I still need to talk to him.’ Exile sighed in his mind as he nodded for Ania to continue.
“Volunteers have come forward to be the sword and the shield of the will of the gods,” Ania said hesitantly as she gestured to the warriors kneeling behind her.
Exile understood what that meant. Since he had already guessed as much. “And who is your leader?”
His question was directed at the woman who had spoken for the group before. She did not look up as she gave her reply. “We answer only to the High seats of Ragnarok. We trust Lady Ania and the Inner Oracles to convey your wills. While Lord Bjorn is our commander in the field.”
Exile cocked an eyebrow at that response. ‘Why do I feel like Bjorn is responsible for this group appearing?’ He felt a headache coming on as he knew Bjorn’s personality. He even suspected that force would take orders directly from Bjorn even if they conflicted with what the Oracles said.
“What name have you given this force?” Exile asked as he pretended to be deep in thought.
“We have no name.” The woman replied. “Lord Bjorn felt it was above our station as mortals to name a force that acts on behalf of the gods.”
Exile nodded as he studied their armour yet again. Each of them had the symbol of the Ragnarok Pantheon engraved on the pauldrons. A smile played on Exile’s lips as a name came to mind.
“Then, from this day on, you will be the Wolves of Ragnarok. I give each of you the title of Fenrir, to separate your importance from mortal titles.” Exile grinned when he finished his announcement. The NPCs expressed their gratitude and undying devotion to him. “Spread the word then. Go now, I must speak with my Oracle, alone.”
The six of them left, not once looking at his figure. When the temple became silent of their footsteps, Exile stood up. He strode towards Ania, and embraced her! She trembled in his arms at the sudden action. However, Exile had another surprise for her.
“How would you like to see my home?”