Exile stormed directly out of the Tower. Anyone who saw his expression quickly looked away. The crowd that had been waiting outside were whispering furiously as they tried to figure out what had happened, but they did not have to wait long. Exile frowned as a red glow appeared around a large number of players who were standing in the area around the Tower.

[A Civil War is now in effect. Those with a red aura are designated as enemies. Those with a blue aura are your allies. Anyone without an aura is neutral and can be harmed by either side. Valheim is a safe area where you can not be harmed.]

Exile's expression darkened as he glared at the sparse amount of blue that he could see. 'Damn! Most of them voted to stick with the current human rulers!' He could not fathom why the majority had voted so, but maybe their situation was different depending on where in Skardia their Oracles were based.

[Notifications are no longer on hold...]

[Milestone: The Ragnarok Pantheon (Tier 0): 24/24]

[You have received +15 Authority]

[New Quest Detected]

[Quest: Pantheon Ascension!]

[Description: Your Pantheon is ready to step up to Tier 1. To complete the Ascension meet the following requirements and interact with the Pantheon Registration tablet in the Temple.]

[Requirements: 6 members must reach Tier 1 (0/6), 100 Soul Tokens (5/100)]

[Rewards: +10 Stat Points for all members. Gain a personal Realm for your Pantheon]

Exile's eyes widened in shock at the sudden notifications. To make sure it was not some twisted joke or a glitch, he quickly checked his stats. 'Authority... 44...' The sudden jump in stats made him feel strange. It placed his Authority at roughly double of what Parthus had when they had clashed. 

A deep frown appeared on his face as he wondered how strong Parthus would become if he got a full Pantheon behind him. 'This is only borrowed strength, though. If anyone leaves or gets banned, then my Authority will reflect that.' Exile brooded over the matter as the crowd started to surround the leaders who had exited the Tower, demanding answers. 

'I should make use of this while I can...' A sly smile appeared on his face as he pushed his way through the crowd, under the watchful eyes of Aeri. Upon his return to the Raider's Horn, he was suddenly bombarded with questions from Clay and the others who knew him well as soon as he set foot inside. 

Exile looked around at the now crowded bar as he motioned for everyone to calm down. There were plenty of new faces that he did not recognise, but he guessed these were the players the others had recruited. It took him a while to explain everything that happened inside the Tower and how it affected them.

"Exile... This is madness..." Clay sighed as all eyes in the room turned towards him. "From what you're saying we're basically enemies with the majority of the players in Valheim now."

Many of those present nodded in agreement with concerned expressions clearly written on their faces. Others started to wonder if they should quit Ragnarok already to avoid being caught up in all the hassles. However, Exile smiled strangely as he met Clay's gaze.

"Don't worry about that. There's too much going on for everyone to focus on us. Sommerdan is likely to launch an assault, there's also the increase of mobs around here but we need to find out how bad it is. Beyond that... I have a plan..." Exile's grin turned savage as he explained what he had in mind. Much to the delight of the others, who suddenly became excited.

Roughly an hour later, when they had settled on the details, the members of Ragnarok filed out of the bar together. Exile wore a stern expression as he led the group who threw taunts at any red player they passed on their way to the city gate. Their display drew a lot of interest at a time when everyone was afraid to be the first to step outside of the safe area. 

Nobody wanted to become targets after all. However, the curious onlookers and the affronted players followed the group to see if they really did have the guts to take that step. Exile glanced around to see how many blue players were following them. 'It's as I guessed. We really are outnumbered...'

Exile shook his head slowly. This was just a display to make the players following them think he had misjudged the situation. In reality, he was thrilled. By the time they had reached the gates, the crowd had grown exponentially. Many of them were furious with the way his Pantheon members had been acting. So full of themselves as they continued to throw out insults and taunts.

"Hahaha! Look at this! I didn't think you would be so eager to die!" Aeri shouted joyously over the crowd as she pushed her way to the front with everyone from Kaleidoscope. "Should I thank you for the early birthday present?"

The crowd jeered at Exile and his Pantheon, thinking that they were idiots. However, Exile smiled back as if she was of no concern to him, which really got Aeri irritated.

"Sorry, I don't speak idiot. Come back when you find a translator." Exile grinned as he insulted Aeri straight to her face.

Aeri's face flushed red as she glowered at him in return. She just could not understand why Exile was being so foolish! However, she quickly calmed down when she thought about the orbs they would be able to collect if they really did leave the city.

"I promised to bury your Pantheon... Why don't you step outside so we can settle this?" Aeri's forced smile twitched as she addressed Exile in front of the crowd. 

"And I promised to bury you first! Let's see if your spine is as strong as your making it out to be!" 

Loud gasps escaped from the crowd as Exile quickly ran out of the gates!