Exile sighed as he led Midas and Winter over to Beans. "Let me guess... You're the player Clay recruited?"
Beans glanced at the floor nervously. "I didn't know it was your Pantheon."
Exile rolled his eyes as he cursed Clay under his breath. 'There has to be a reason he thought she would be a good addition. Something must have happened after I returned.' He eyed Beans curiously, but considering their history he was not exactly thrilled with Clay's decision to bring her into Ragnarok.
'I can't just reject her without letting Clay know why.' Exile felt a headache brewing over the matter. "Forget it... You know I can't just trust you, right?"
Beans nodded slowly as she met Exile's gaze while Winter and Midas wore confused expressions. "I know. But I want to try to make it up to you for abandoning you. Please, let me help..."
Exile sighed as he studied her expression. She seemed sincere, but there was something else there. 'She's afraid. What's she afraid of?' It only took him a few moments to realise the issue. 'She said she's lost contact with Donna. Kaleidoscope is after her as well. She's alone. She doesn't just want to make it up to me. She wants to feel safe.'
He let out a long sigh as he considered the situation. "Ok... But you answer to Clay. There are no more chances."
Beans nodded slowly with a worried smile on her face as Exile brushed past her to lead them to the tablet where he registered the Pantheon. After navigating the information that appeared, he was met with a notification.
[Are you sure you want to invite these players to Ragnarok?]
As soon as he agreed, Beans, Midas, and Winter quickly accepted the invitation they received. Very quickly a golden light appeared on their chests before leaving behind the badge depicting the Pantheon's emblem.
[King of the Gods activated: +3 Authority]
Exile let out a sly smile as the others celebrated their success in joining a Pantheon. Beans seemed especially happy, but Exile was only interested in the bonus Authority he gained from inviting her, at least, until she proved that she was someone who could be trusted. As he was about to talk to the others, the sound of bells rang all throughout Valheim.
Players all throughout the city paused what they were doing as they looked around in confusion. Confused and excited chattering began as people speculated on what it meant. Some believed that a major event was about to begin or someone had achieved something amazing. However, a select group of players received a notification.
[You have been invited to the Council of Gods. Please head to the Tower at the centre of Valheim with the other Pantheon Rulers.]
'What the hell is this?' Exile frowned as he paid attention to the notification. It was clear that the others with him had not received a similar message since they were still looking around for the source of the bells. 'Something big is definitely happening...'
"You guys head to The Raider's Horn, I have something to take care of." Exile commanded as he gave out directions. Hopefully, someone had returned by now to deal with them.
He quickly left them behind as he moved outside of the Temple. Amongst the players looking confused, he spotted several others heading towards the centre of Valheim. His palms felt sweaty as he had no idea what this was about, and it was likely that he would run into Aeri herself if he went along with this.
'I can't just ignore this though...' Exile sighed as he bit the bullet and joined the others. The players who were not in a Pantheon or part of the ruling class of one stared at them as they whispered. It was clear that something was going on, but nobody had clicked on to the fact that everyone who was heading to the centre of the city were leaders of different Pantheons.
Eventually, the herd mentality of the players took hold as they joined the march. Eager to gain any information that they could. Exile's eyes narrowed as the tallest building he had ever seen in the city came into view. The white tower was gilded with gold and columns running down its exterior at regular intervals. It gave off a sense of grandeur far greater than anything else he had seen so far.
"Hey, any idea what this is about?" The man walking beside him asked curiously, as they followed the crowd.
"No idea..." Exile hesitantly replied as he eyed the stranger.
"That's what everyone keeps saying." The guy sighed as he glanced around at the crowd. "But someone has to know something, right? Oh, I'm Beartooth, King of the Icefang Pantheon... What about you?"
Exile glanced at the hand that Beartooth extended towards him before shaking it. "Exile, King of the Ragnarok Pantheon."
"Exile?" Beartooth frowned as he searched his memories. "Oh, you're on the rankings, right? Man, I was far too slow in getting to grips with this game. Really threw me, you know?"
"I think everyone in the first batch struggled... You must have done something right since you're still here." Exile chuckled at the friendly attitude of Beartooth.
"Yeah, I wouldn't say I did anything right... More like I got lucky. Or unlucky, I guess." Beartooth frowned as he glanced at Exile. "What do you think of this game?"
Exile frowned at the strange question as the person in the lead reached the doors. But before he could say anything, the doors to the tower slid open, as if inviting them in.
"Ok, forget the game..." Beartooth continued when Exile hesitated. "Let me tell you what I think about this event. It's called the Council of Gods, right? And all of us who lead Pantheons have been called here. So, I'm thinking this is where a lot of alliances and enemies are going to be made. I mean, how often do you think we'll really talk to each other with the way the game is set up? This must be what balances all the competition against each other..."
