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Chapter 282  Time For A Change

He replayed the feeling of stealing Nar\'Kozz\'s stats in his mind as he compared it to the cost if he\'d kept his spell active. \'Those stats would\'ve become permanent if I fully drained the Devourer. But I would\'ve lost a part of myself.\'

\'I wonder if that\'s what led dark gods to be labelled evil. If they stole stats, did the voices of their victims drive them insane?\' Exile couldn\'t imagine what living with Nar\'Kozz in his head would\'ve been like. \'It\'s a lucky escape, and I learned how to manipulate the dark element better.\'

\'If that was all I got, I would\'ve counted it as a win. But...\' Exile\'s attention shifted to the large, black orb in his inventory. \'Nar\'Kozz had to go and drop an orb.\' Exile sighed as he wondered what effects it would have. Since it was black instead of golden, he was rightfully wary of it. He could assume there would be risks in absorbing it. \'What do I do with you?\'

Of course, he considered the possibility that he was overthinking things. The orb could be harmless. Its colour could simply come from Nar\'Kozz\'s divine alignment. \'I\'ll think on it later. I need to think about what I\'ll say to everyone.\'

There was a lot he would have to talk about. Exile would also have to make sure the other Pantheons returned the equipment on loan to them. \'We\'re entering a period where we have to stabilise Skardia. Spend some time in the mortal realms and explore our borders.\'

\'While we\'re working on that, I\'ll need to keep updated about the elves and what\'s happening with the dwarves.\' Exile groaned loudly as he turned on his side. \'There\'s so much to do.\'

A loud knock came at his door as Mikari pushed it open. He threw a confused look at his brother, who lay on his bed before he spoke. "There\'re no signs of any Stalkers. The players all say they vanished around the time you killed Nar\'Kozz."

Mikari frowned as Exile simply waved at the statement as if it were nothing. "The leaders have gathered as you requested. They\'re looking for answers, and so am I. What\'s going to happen now?"

Exile sighed as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up. "A lot is going to happen. I\'m afraid we\'re going to be busy. There\'s a lot we\'re going to change around here." Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

He smiled as he patted Mikari on the shoulder before glancing out his window. "Tell everyone I\'ll be there in a moment."

Mikari nodded slowly as he gazed into his brother\'s eyes. "Are you ok?"

Exile hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, just tired."

"If you need to talk, I\'m here," Mikari replied before slipping out of the room when Exile remained silent. Mikari looked at the gathered leaders for a moment. The most prominent ones like Noslin and Beartooth sat at the head table below the throne. Important officers of various Pantheons sat closer to the walls. \'I hope he doesn\'t say something too outrageous.\' Mikari plastered a smile on his face.

"Exile will join us in a few moments. I would ask everyone to remain seated and be patient. Thank you." Mikari bowed slightly before taking his place next to Noslin and Clay.

"Did Exile say anything?" Noslin whispered in Mikari\'s ear, but the latter shook his head.

"No, but it seems like he\'s struggling with something." Mikari stared dead ahead as Clay cocked an eyebrow at their conversation.

"What about the Stalkers? Is Nar\'Kozz going to come back?" Clay asked.

"From what my brother has said, that\'s unlikely. But I don\'t understand how he could know that. As far as we knew, we had to kill every Stalker before Nar\'Kozz to prevent him from resurrecting."

"Exile\'s a bit strange, but he wouldn\'t say that unless he were sure," Noslin replied as a content expression spread across her face. "That was my biggest concern."

"True," Clay grumbled as he stared at the door behind the throne. "But what\'s the plan now? No offence, Noslin. But nothing is holding all these Pantheons together anymore. Are we going back to killing each other? Or is there another threat we need to stay united against?"

Mikari frowned at Clay\'s slip of the tongue as Noslin displayed a curious expression. Ragnarok had not shared the issue with the elves and dwarves with the other Pantheons yet. Only Exile and Clay knew of Mikari\'s misgivings about the recent events.

Before they could get any further with their conversation, the door to Exile\'s room opened. The hall became silent as everyone looked toward it with expectant expressions. But what they saw took them by surprise. The player was unmistakably Exile. However, he wore a dyed grey cotton shirt and trousers with open grey robes over the top of them. His plain calf-length boots had been dyed grey as well, and a dark belt around his waist kept his ensemble close fitted.

The staff he held was made of golden wood and engraved with runes along its length. Several silver bands wrapped the staff at regular intervals, but it was the lack of armour and threatening weapons that drew the players\' attention.

Ragnarok\'s officers displayed wry grins as Exile sat on his throne. The other leaders noted two rings on Exile\'s left hand and the silver beads in his beard. Their eyes narrowed because even though he seemed more vulnerable than he\'d ever been, he felt more dangerous than ever before to their senses!

Mikari watched as Exile calmly analysed the mood in the hall. \'He\'s pausing for effect. Whatever he says here will probably become a part of the streams for every team here.\' Mikari smirked as he understood Exile\'s plan.

"Gods and goddesses of Skardia." Exile began with a solemn expression. "I sit here before you as the ruler of Ragnarok, here in our realm of Himinbjörg. It is with great joy I now announce the crisis of Nar\'Kozz the Devourer to be over!"

The rulers of the small Pantheons that had survived and a large number of officers cheered at Exile\'s announcement. However, the rulers of the larger Pantheons remained silent. Although it was a cause for celebration, there were a lot of issues surrounding the end of their joint alliance.

Exile held up his left hand to calm everyone down, waiting until silence descended before speaking again. "I would ask that everyone takes a minute of silence. In honour and remembrance of those we have lost."

The atmosphere turned grim as the gathered players thought of those who had been ejected from the game. Too many had been killed in the various battles, and even more, were slaughtered when they respawned in Valheim. It was no exaggeration to say that many of Skardia\'s Pantheons had met their demise.

Once the minute passed, Exile looked around the hall. "I\'m sure you\'re all wondering what steps come now for all of us. I have pondered this question myself, and I have reached several unsettling conclusions."

"First, our divine realm has been greatly weakened by this crisis. We no longer have the numbers to effectively defend against outside Pantheons. Two, some of you may be looking at this as an opportunity to overturn the current status quo. Three, there is the very real threat of another civil war between our Pantheons with such a power shift. Four, some of you may be considering defecting to another divine realm."

Mikari frowned as he noticed a few leaders frown at this last statement. \'I see. Exile wants to settle that issue now. Well played, brother.\' Mikari made a note of the leaders he had noticed before turning his attention back to Exile.

"Issues one through three can be solved in one stroke," Exile said as he held up a single finger. "Some of you may not like this.  However, I firmly believe this is the best path forward."

"We will not disband our alliance," Exile stated matter-of-factly. "We will create a domestic structure between our Pantheons to ensure the prosperity of every Skardian Pantheon. This will give us all time to grow, and stabilise while trading resources and information. Without any threat from your fellow Pantheons, we will be able to spend more time preparing for the next situation that assaults Skardia."

"Issue four is a troublesome one." Exile continued as he focused on the head table. "I believe we have one or more traitors in our midst."

The hall burst into an uproar as the main leaders remained silent, waiting for an explanation.

"There have been issues of other races testing the borders of Skardia in the mortal realm. However, it\'s too coincidental for more than one race to try this while we were preoccupied with Nar\'Kozz. This has allowed the elves to make some progress in our domain."

"I believe that a few leaders have already made contact with enemy Pantheons belonging to these races and are feeding them vital information. Therefore, I believe the first thing we should do is create a unified intelligence agency between our Pantheons to root out these traitors who threaten us all."

"Beyond that, I will hold talks with the other rulers about the structure of a unified government. One that ensures fairness and the safety of every Pantheon. No matter how small or large!"