Bjorn peered between the trees at the walls of Korden. A deep frown appeared on his face as he glanced at the people who had come along with him. 'This is all for Lord Exile! We can't let him down!' The old warrior motioned for the group to follow him as he led them back into the forest. Once they were far enough away from the town, he chose a rock to sit on before looking at everyone's determined expressions.
"Remember... We are only here to deal a blow to DonnaThaGreat's followers. We will not attack innocent civilians!" Bjorn glared at them to make his point clear. "This is not a typical raid. We are here to further the glorious name of Exile and strike a blow to his enemies!"
"What if the civilians attack us first?" Someone in the group asked, while the others agreed with Bjorn.
"Then that would make them an enemy of Exile! So what do you think?" Bjorn growled in response as the man wore an enlightened expression. "Did everyone bring their ropes?"
The crowd checked their belts for the ropes they had turned into grappling hooks, using the large spear hooks for hunting tundra whales. When everyone confirmed they were ready, Bjorn led them around the town's walls. He was searching for a good point of entry. 'We have to locate their temple quickly. It'll be enough of a message if we kill their oracle!'
They had almost completely circled the town by the time Bjorn found an area he was happy with. There was a building on the other side of the wall that was almost completely pressed up against it! It would provide excellent cover for their infiltration! The group spread out and began to swing their grappling hooks by their side. When they built up enough momentum, they released them!
The metal clanked as they struck the opposite side of the wall, but no alarms were raised. Bjorn nodded his head with satisfaction as they began their brief climb. Some of them held their breath, worried that someone would discover them at any moment. But everything went smoothly as they regrouped on the other side.
Bjorn gestured to two young women who were accomplished hunters back in Eraldsfen. They immediately understood that he wanted them to scout out Korden and discover the temple's location. As they disappeared between the buildings, Bjorn sat down and signalled for the others to do the same. As long as they stayed quiet, it was unlikely that they would be discovered.
A patrol would have to deliberately leave the main streets and search behind this building to find them. However, before they could get comfortable, the women returned. Bjorn frowned as he looked at them. 'Did they run into trouble?'
One of them came close before saying what they had found in a low voice. "The temple is quite small. It's just across the road..."
'Lucky! Exile's surely smiling down on us!' A light appeared in Bjorn's eyes as a wicked smile appeared on his face. He excitedly motioned for the group to follow him as he got up and led the way between the buildings. Sure enough, there was a small building just across the road that appeared unloved. They made the whole thing of logs, with gaps between them. They had taken no care in its creation at all!
'Do they have no respect for the Gods at all?' Despite DonnaThaGreat being their enemy, the sight infuriated Bjorn. He even began to wonder if she really had many followers in Korden. 'Could it be that they felt the need to look for followers elsewhere because hardly anyone here believes in her?'
Bjorn felt like he had hit the proverbial nail on the head as he looked at the ramshackle temple. 'Still, that doesn't excuse her for starting a war with Exile!' Bjorn's expression turned stone cold as he glanced up and down the street. There was nobody out at this time of night, which made their job easier. The group kept low as they dashed across the dirt road, eager to get this over with before the entirety of Korden could react.
Bjorn slammed his shoulder against the wooden door, which failed to resist his effort. The door collapsed from its hinges and fell inside of the temple as the group stormed in. They gripped their weapons tightly as they prepared for any resistance. However, they frowned as several people on the floor turned to look at them with a hunger in their eyes.
"Beggars!" Someone gasped as he glanced at these frail figures.
None of them looked like they had eaten a decent meal in months. They actually looked too weak to defend themselves. The group appeared hesitant when they realised that the warriors that had visited Eraldsfen were definitely within the minority of this Goddess's believers.
"Kill them!" Bjorn growled as his expression remained cold.
His order startled the group. Many of them pitied these poor people. The will to fight had slowly fled from them as they digested the situation. Bjorn snarled as a few in the group pushed their way to the front. These men and women nodded before walking off to put the beggars out of their misery.
"Even if they are pitiable..." Bjorn paused as he glanced at those who failed to act. "They are still the source that empowers the Goddess who wants to remove Exile from our lives! Don't be deceived, they are still our enemies."
Bjorn stormed through the short hall as the beggars screamed for their lives. A voice was silenced with every few footsteps that he took. His eyes were focused on the pathetic door that separated the hall from another room. 'That must be where the oracle lives!' Bjorn sneered, as he pushed the door open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the slightly darker room.
His eyes fell on a dirty figure sitting on a pile of hay against the wall. Tears streamed down his face as he hugged his knees to his chest. Though the figure was too scared to say anything. Bjorn's eyes went wide as he shook his head. 'He still has several winters until he reaches Ania's age.' Bjorn sighed as he stroked his axe between his thumb and forefinger. 'Blame your Goddess for this!'
A small scream escaped from the back room of the temple, which sent a chill down the spines of the others. Even the most hardened amongst them understood what they heard and trembled slightly...
[Pantheon Online System Log…]
[DonnaThaGreat, Goddess of the Harvest has no active Oracles left…]
[Revoking player DonnaThaGreat's Divinity…]
[Player DonnaThaGreat has been forcefully ejected from the game…]
[Player DonnaThaGreat has been permanently banned from Pantheon Online…]