“What’s wrong with him?” Ania asked as she sat beside the makeshift cot holding Skalr. “We’re not sure, Princess. After Skalr returned with both you and Bjorn, he left again. I was there when he did something that annihilated every elf. I can’t even pretend to understand what he did.” Fjora replied as she continued to clean her weapon.
“And after that, he collapsed?”
“Yes, he’s been out cold since then. He seems totally unresponsive, and his pulse is weak.” Fjora sighed as she glanced at Bjorn in the opposite cot.
“What of Bjorn’s condition?” Ania asked as she caught where Fjora was looking.
“He’s stable, but Skalr said the damage to his eye would be permanent when he dropped you both off.” Fjora sighed. “Nobody knows when he’ll wake up.”
Ania clenched her jaw as she considered their next move. The four of them were the strongest fighters in the army. However, a single skirmish with the elves halved their power. Skalr was the reason her army had not been devastated.
In Ania’s mind, the situation was too dangerous to continue. ‘What would’ve happened if Bjorn and Fjora had continued their mission?’ Ania shivered at the thought. It was clear her expeditionary army was ill-prepared. The information they had received had been woefully lacking. ‘If we retreat now, we’ll be leaving the villagers to their fates. What if the elves push back?’ Ania chewed on her lower lip.
‘I need to get word to my father. We need more troops in the north to deal with this threat.’ Ania closed her eyes as she opened a connection to the divine realms. ‘Lord Exile, I require your help.’ Ania thought as soon as she felt the connection go through.
[What do you need?]
Ania could hear the concern in his voice as she sorted her thoughts. ‘The situation in the north is worse than we thought. Can I ask you to get word to my father that we need more troops?’
[Hm, I can do better than that. Fortify your position. I’ll make sure fresh troops arrive to support you.]
‘Thank you, Lord Exile.’ Ania hesitated momentarily before continuing. ‘When will I see you again?’
[I should have more free time soon.]
Ania grinned brightly before saying her farewells. When the connection closed, she realised Fjora was giving her an encouraging look. ‘Damn it! Am I really that easy to read?’
Meanwhile, Exile leaned back on his throne as he stared at the gathering of leaders. Their talks on a unified alliance kept running into problems. Although it had been agreed Ragnarok would head the alliance, the other leaders wanted safeguards in place. Exile had agreed to a type of senate made up of the other leaders. They would have to vote on actions to be taken before Exile signed off on them or vetoed their proposals. However, that wasn’t enough. They wanted an independent review committee to monitor Exile to make sure he wasn’t being unfair.
Exile groaned internally as the talks progressed. When a lull in the debates appeared, Exile spoke up.
“A critical situation has come to my attention,” Exile said as the hall turned silent. “I’m proposing an emergency deployment of troops in the mortal realms. High King Harik is currently dealing with a situation with the dwarves that may turn into a war. At the same time, Princess Ania is holding off an elven invasion in the north.”
“If the situation continues, we’ll have to deal with two invasions into Skardia. I put it to the Senate to vote on sending troops to both locations in the interest of defending our joint territories.”
“Raise your hand if you agree.”
The leaders spoke amongst themselves for several moments before hands rose into the air. Exile counted them quickly before nodding.
“The majority vote agrees to send troops to secure our borders and allies. Please contact your Oracles and have them prepare the troops. Remember to keep enough in reserve to continue building the coastal forts and to defend from a sea invasion. Coordinate with Mikari for where your mortal troops are to be deployed. If the situation requires our intervention, Mikari will contact you if you’re needed.”
‘That’s one issue dealt with.’ Exile felt smug that he thought to deploy more troops to Harik too. Especially since he hadn’t heard anything about the situation in the mountain. ‘I’m sure Harik will contact me through Skovi once the situation is clear.’
‘Maybe I should hold an election for a representative of the Senate. That way I only need to deal with the proposals once the talks are over.’ Exile covered a grin as he thought about that. ‘It’ll also give the illusion of Ragnarok not forcing our thoughts on the Senate.’
Exile made a mental note to have Mikari deal with it. It would free him up so he could focus on his rune research and have more of a presence in the mortal realms. Exile waited for several minutes as the leaders contacted their Oracles and had their subordinates do the same.
Once they were ready, and settled again, Exile glanced around the room. “Is there any further business to discuss today?”
“Yes,” A hand went up in the back of the room as the leader of a small Pantheon stood up. “I’m Florista, Queen of the Freehold Pantheon.”
Exile cocked an eyebrow as he nodded at her to continue.
“I’m sure I speak for all the small Pantheons here when I say we appreciate what you’re trying to do here,” Florista said as she bowed her head. “However, we have some issues. We’re all aware your Pantheon helped us greatly to survive the crisis. But, my people feel the casualties could’ve been much lower if you’d ordered the dwarves or those eagles to worship more of us.”
“There were plenty of players who witnessed Claymore’s prowess and agreed that he’s likely taken a dwarf as an Oracle with his recent changes. On top of that, you held an advantage during the battle with your ability to fly. How many of us could’ve been saved if we had access to that ability? My point is, do you have any plans to allow us to pursue followers from these races?”
Exile’s eyes narrowed as he studied the woman. She had chosen the perfect moment to raise her issues. She waited until things seemed to be going smoothly before casting doubts on his actions. Exile could hear other small leaders mumbling at her statement. However, those belonging to the large Pantheons were shaking their heads.
Exile raised a hand to get their attention before he spoke. “Florista, it seems you’re basing your statement on misconceptions. First, I can’t order those races to worship anyone they don’t want to. Just like you can’t force your followers to worship me.”
“Second, I’m not stopping you from trying. However, I should make this clear. The dwarves among King Bargrux’s citizens are unlikely to worship any god or goddess, not from Ragnarok. Whereas Allyce’s Phoenix Eagles are linked to me alone. I’m led to believe their race has unique requirements you have to meet for them to worship you. If you meet those requirements, they’ll seek you out themselves.”
“While I can appreciate the sentiment of your statement, these issues are not being manipulated by me, or my Pantheon. Believe me when I say I wish we could’ve fielded an air force during the crisis. Things would’ve been easier.” Exile remained solemn as he finished his reply while Florista frowned.
“If what you say is true, then my statement must’ve sounded like an accusation. For that, I apologise.” Florista bowed before fixing her gaze on him again. “The next issue then is our return to Valheim. Many of our players are eager to resume grinding and seek out other ways to increase their power. However, we’re far from the city out here and enjoyed the protection of powerful players during the journey here. Will Ragnarok be providing security for the players who wish to return to the city?”
Exile frowned at this question. Originally he wanted Allyce’s people to help with this matter. But they had returned to the mortal realms as soon as they confirmed the crisis was over. ‘If I refuse now, they’d be trapped here. Theres bound to be powerful mobs between here and Valheim. Small Pantheons may struggle.’
“Hm, I will arrange a time for everyone to return to Valheim together. We understand your eagerness to grow stronger, as my own Pantheon feels the same. Of course, Ragnarok will provide some aid alongside the large Pantheons in escorting lower players back to the city.”
Florista nodded at his reply as she glanced around the room. “There’s one more question I have for you.”
“Please, continue,” Exile said as he studied her carefully.
“Before the crisis, small Pantheons were being swallowed up by large ones. While this alliance will give us some protection, some of us recognise that joining a larger Pantheon would be to our benefit. As such, my final question is whether Ragnarok would be willing to take existing players in to fill their losses from the crisis?”
Exile’s eyes narrowed as Florista displayed an expression of grim determination. ‘She’s snubbing the other large Pantheons publicly by only asking about Ragnarok’s intentions. Wait. Were her earlier statements meant to make Ragnarok look good instead of calling us out?’
‘If that were her intentions, then right now, she’s showing her determination to have her Pantheon merge into Ragnarok!’ Exile groaned at the ticking bomb that had been dropped on his lap.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I can neither confirm nor deny that. There are other Pantheons who have suffered from the crisis. I’m sure we’ll try to reach an agreement that suits all of our needs. If we decide to recruit from existing players or merge Pantheons into our own, we’ll make a public announcement.”
Florista frowned at Exile’s reply. It was clearly not what she was expecting. However, the leaders of the large Pantheons, including Noslin, all sighed with relief. If Exile had agreed then and there, there was a very real chance there would be a rush of small Pantheons backing Ragnarok in the hopes of merging in the future.