Pantheon Online

Chapter 176: Seeds of Victory

"Finally!" Exile exclaimed loudly, startling the surrounding players. He quickly waved to show that they should get back to work as he focused on the image in his mind. 'The dwarves have completed the Temple!'

As he was about to confirm that he wanted to descend there, he realised a problem. 'With Thovok in the mountains, will I even be able to communicate with them?' He frowned slightly as he wondered about that technicality. 'Mind you, Thovok was able to detect me. So maybe they have something that will help facilitate communication? Thovok didn't seem worried about it, so there should be something in place.'

He only hesitated for another moment before confirming his selection. Causing his main body to go limp. Beans cocked an eyebrow at that sight before letting out a long sigh. 'I swear! He's away more than any of the other leaders! He better have a good reason for it when he comes back!' Those who saw the expression on her face quickly looked away. It was that kind of expression a mother or older sister would give when they were annoyed.

Exile's consciousness fell through the heavens, plummeting towards the mountain range near Eraldsfen. A lightning bolt tore through the sky, marking his passage. Striking the peak of the tallest mountain in the near vicinity. For the first time, Exile felt some resistance appear during the procedure. It was as if something was causing slight friction against his mind.

'That's strange...' He thought as he finally felt his boy materialising. However, he felt somewhat weaker when it did. 'What's going on?'

As he glanced around, he noticed he was in a huge hexagonal shaped room. The ceiling of which became a golden dome standing around forty feet above his head. Stone arched pillars supported that structure, each one was intricately carved in the dwarven style. A grand altar had been placed towards the rear of the room, with a golden throne sporting inlaid jewels.

It was a breathtaking sight. However, he soon noticed that a blue gem supported by a silver stand was radiating bright light from the altar. Causing the many dwarves to gather there and begin chattering excitedly. Soon, one of their number rushed off. Causing Exile to cock an eyebrow at him as he dashed past.

'Hm, maybe that gem lets them know when a player is among them? It's basically a different version of that thing that Thovok used to track me down. The dwarves studied the jewel intently before their eyes started to turn in his direction. 'Looks like I was right...'

However, it did not appear as if they could actually see him. 'Seems like I might need to wait a bit.' Exile wandered around the dwarven temple, studying its architecture curiously. The whole room was a work of art as far as he was concerned. The only problem was that every time he moved, the dwarves' eyes moved with him. It was a strange feeling. Because they were looking through him, not at him. He could not help but wonder what they thought about that strange situation.

To know he was there but unable to see, touch or speak with him. Some time passed in that manner before excited talking could be heard from beyond the exit. A group of well-armed dwarven soldiers entered the Temple with their weapons at the ready. 'I guess it's showtime.' Exile grinned as he walked slowly towards the golden throne and sat on it.

For all he knew, the throne was for the dwarf king to sit on and show his authority when speaking to him. However, Exile knew he had to make sure that the dwarves knew that he was above them. So of course he would assume the throne was for himself. The temple was built for him after all. As he sat on the throne, he noticed that the eyes of the dwarves by the altar had gone wide as they stared at his location on the gem.

When the soldiers spotted the others staring at the throne they began to spread out in a fan shape to stare at it. Exile watched with curiosity, wondering what it was that they planned to do. However, a tapping sound from the entrance caused the soldiers to stand at attention as a new figure strode towards him. 'I guess this is the king...'

The dwarf king wore a golden crown over his long grey hair. His beard was richly decorated with jewellery, as were his fingers. His purple tunic that wore spoke of extravagance as well. However, Exile could not help but wonder where they got the materials for some of these things. As they would usually come from the surface. The soldiers made a clear space for him to stand before the throne as they awaited his orders.

As he stared at what appeared to be an empty throne, he carefully stroked his beard with thick fingers. His beady eyes hiding beneath bushy eyebrows darted to those gathered around the gem. "Are you certain he is sitting on the throne?"

They quickly nodded as one stood out from the rest. "Yes, Your Highness. It can only be the God King Exile. We made certain to attune the gems to the presence detected from the dwarf who came to request the building of this temple."

As the king nodded with a solemn expression, Exile could not help but feel confused by their discussion. 'Attuned to my presence? What does that mean?' Exile suddenly felt a little insecure as he looked down on the dwarves from his seat. Although they were allies, and this was necessary, he knew they seemed to have a strange understanding of the players. However, at this moment he was now beginning to wonder just what they could do with it.

"King Exile!" The old dwarf king suddenly exclaimed as he turned to look at the throne, yet again. "I am King Bargrux. It is my greatest pleasure, and honour to welcome you to my kingdom. I am going to place something on the arm of the throne. If you place your hand on it, it will allow us to communicate."

Exile studied Bargrux's actions carefully as he walked towards him and took another small device with a purple gem from his pockets. The gem had been fashioned into a disc-shaped device with rich metals making up the shell. As Bargrux backed away slowly, Exile carefully placed his hand on it. Ready to pull back if anything seemed amiss.

However, as soon as he touched it, the weakness he felt disappeared. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. At the same time, the gem on the altar began to glow with a golden colour. When that happened, all of the dwarves glanced towards the throne expectantly. He realised they were waiting for him to say something. 'I guess it's best to start with a greeting.'

"Thank you, for your hospitality, King Bargrux. The aid you have given me so far has been immeasurable. You deserve a reward for these efforts before I ask any more of you." Exile stated, with a firm voice. Hoping to sound authoritative when facing an actual king.

King Bargrux burst out laughing as he turned to the other dwarves with a joyful expression. "It works! Well done! Each of you will have a thousand pounds of gold and five thousand pounds of silver!"

Those dwarves wore ecstatic expressions as they said their thanks before focusing fully on the gem. King Bargrux turned back towards where Exile was seated with a warm expression.

"King Exile, I have no need of a reward for these services. Your presence here in this temple is more of a reward than anything you could physically give me! If anything, I would ask that you spend as much time here as you can whenever you are free to do so. I would like to talk to you about the heavens and what it means to be a god!" Bargrux's tone was full of emotion. So much so that Exile could tell that he was being sincere.

"This I can grant. However, time is different for us. So you should not place high expectations on how frequently I can be here." Exile replied while trying to be as clear as possible. He did not want a misunderstanding to cause their partnership to break down.

"That is agreeable!" Bargrux chuckled as he stared at the empty space. "Now, you mentioned something about asking more from us? Whatever it is, we dwarves will staunchly support it!"

Exile smiled at that reassurance even before he explained what he needed from them. However, he was concerned by how much support they were willing to give in return for mere talks with him regarding the Divine Realms. 'It's almost as if they are fanatical. Not about the gods themselves, but about reaching those realms in some way. Can that even be done?'