《Pantheon Online 》Chapter 128: Forsaken
Advertisement
Harik had a deep frown on his face as he stared at the town that was Jarl Jorsson's seat of power. The hill they were currently camped on had a great view of the town and its walls. It was so clear that they could see the decayed heads mounted on spikes. 'I don't like it... It's just too quiet...' Harik glared at the sky above it where smoke from the daily fires should be. But there was nothing there.
"Don't you think it was too easy?" Ania hummed from beside him with her spear firmly in her grasp.
"Yes... Ever since Bjorn returned with his crazy story, we encountered less resistance on the way here. They were disorganised and it should have gotten worse for us." Harik replied with a deep tone. "Something isn't right."
"Bjorn's story is definitely crazy... but I have a feeling that it's true. The followers of Exile all seem to have taken it to heart as well." Ania murmured. "Perhaps it was a miracle sent by Exile... Maybe, this is his doing as well."
Ania pointed at the silent town with her spear as she spoke the last part. Causing Harik's frown to turn into a look of concern. As far as he was concerned, that was dangerous thinking. Ania's faith blinded her to the possibility that it could be a trap. Perhaps Jarl Jorsson was attempting to draw them in before surrounding them with all the warriors he had held back.
'Well, we can't stay out here forever anyway. Eventually, we'll have to make an attempt to take the town.' Harik let out a long sigh before turning to his captains.
"Let us take this nice and slow. I don't want everyone to rush in at once and sweep through every building. Don't overlook anything." Harik commanded as he waited for them to gather their warriors and move out. He would enter last with the main army.
He watched each section split off one by one and make for the gates. Leaving plenty of time between each other. His eyes narrowed as he waited for something... anything to happen before they could reach them. But the town remained silent. He held his breath as he watched the main gates open freely to his warriors as they pushed on them. 'They haven't even barricaded the gates?' Harik's concern grew with that development.
His eyes skimmed over the walls, but there was still no movement even as his warriors invaded the town. Then, more of his warriors entered the gates and from his vantage point, he could see the first batch moving unobstructed through the nearest paths between the buildings. That was when he noticed the small figure of a man running out of the gates and straight towards him.
Advertisement
'Have they found something?' Harik's gaze became fixated on the figure as it slowly grew larger. Eventually, a warrior with grey streaks through his dark brown beard came to a halt in front of him. The warrior bent over to catch his breath with heavy wheezing sounds escaping his mouth, but he finally found his voice.
"My Jarl... You have to come and see this!" The warrior had a panicked look in his eyes.
"What is it?" Harik growled as caution bubbled in his mind.
"I can't... I just can't describe it. You have to see it for yourself." The warrior shook his head with a helpless look on his face.
Harik stared at him for a long time, but there was still no sign of a fight breaking out in the town. 'Perhaps it's abandoned. Or maybe some message was left behind for us.' Harik's concern turned to curiosity as his gaze turned to the town behind the warrior.
"Father... I think we should go." Ania cut in with a steely look in her eyes. She used that tone of voice that Harik had come to know as the one she used when she spoke seriously about the gods.
"Ok, have everyone enter ahead of us and help with checking the buildings. Show me what's got you so rattled." Harik commanded as he stared at the warrior.
The man had a nervous look in his eyes as he nodded slowly and led the way for the Eraldsen's. Snow crunched beneath their feet as the town grew larger in their sights. Harik's mind was racing as it considered a lot of different theories as to what he would see. But nothing could prepare him for it as he passed through the gates.
Huddled against the walls on the inside of the town were the dead bodies of warriors. They looked fresh, maybe by a day or two, but it could be longer because of the cold. There were small groups like this as far as he could see. Always huddled by the walls with used torches laying by their feet. 'What the hell happened here?'
His first thoughts went to some kind of outbreak. Some illness had possibly swept through the town, but even then, there should be survivors. He knew well enough that it was highly unlikely for an entire settlement to be killed by something like that. 'Besides, Jarl Jorsson is no fool.' It left him feeling uneasy as he continued to follow the warrior after that slight pause.
Advertisement
Ania stared a bit longer at those bodies. 'There are dark circles around their eyes...' She had seen something similar before on her mother. When she struggled to sleep whenever her father went off on the raids. 'But why would they all have them?' Of course, her mind was already connecting the dots. She knew all the gods of the Ragnarok Pantheon and what they ruled over.
'Did Exile send WintersEmbrace to curse this place?' Still, she was unsure if that was what had really happened. It was only a slight suspicion in her mind, but she felt like she could feel the presence of a god lingering in the air here.
"Ania! Come here!" Harik roared from the interior of a nearby building.
A shiver ran down her spine with the tone he used. It was one of worry. It conveyed that he had no idea what he was looking at. Her feet moved of their own accord. Carrying her to the little shabby home. Her eyes went wide as she stepped into the dim room. There, huddled around the charred remains of the logs that had once been lit in their hearth, was a family.
They were still alive, but their eyes were fixed on the darkest corners of the room with terror. Ania clearly noticed the dark circles around their eyes as they whispered incoherent words. The only thing they said that made any sort of sense were the words, 'Exile, protect us...'
Ania's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She noticed the grim expression on Harik's face as he stared at her. It was clear he wanted to say something about this, but the words escaped him. Either out of fear for what would happen once they were said, or fear of finding out the truth of the matter.
Harik shook his head with pity in his eyes as he ordered his warriors to take them and get them warmed up and fed. Preferably with a fire to chase the darkness away in the hopes that it would ease their minds somewhat. Harik's grim expression prevailed as they found others in a similar state. Sometimes in was orphaned children with their parents dead next to them. Other times it was warriors who seemed broken in the mind.
All of them were gathered by Harik's forces and treated with care. It was clear in Harik's mind what had happened here. It had to have been a god commanded by Exile to spread this terror. It was a horrifying fate for their enemies. No chance to fight for their lives or die with a weapon in their hands. Harik could not help but think it was a clear display of the cruelty of the gods if they were displeased.
'Things were simpler before they came back...' Harik sighed as he slowly made his way to the elevated longhouse in the centre of the town. The whole place had been built on a rocky hill, and the Jarl's longhouse stood there like a silent sentinel watching over the citizens. Harik felt dread rising in his heart as he slowly clambered up the meandering path.
The longhouse was as silent as the grave when it should be the building most full of life. His eyes barely paid attention to the sorry sight of two guards, dead on their feet, standing on either side of the doors. Their eyes were wide open and frost was visible on their eyelids and beards. With a deep breath, he pushed open the doors.
Ania loudly wretched behind him. Harik did not reproach her for it. How could he blame her? The smell that escaped was horrific. Laying there in the darkness of the hall were at least a dozen bodies. Arranged in a circle with a dead fire between them. It looked as if they were standing guard over the fire as they faced away from it with their weapons drawn.
'Everyone here was afraid of the dark... As if something was watching them from the shadows...' Harik sighed as he peered into those dark corners for himself. But there was nothing there. 'This place has been forsaken by the gods.' Harik shook his head sadly. He knew Jarl Jorsson. He was a fine warrior and Jarl. He cared for his people as long as they did not break the law. He had silently hoped to bring him over to their side.
"Find the Jarl!" Harik bellowed as the warriors who had accompanied them scurried off into the dark rear rooms of the longhouse...
Advertisement
Shadow's Fall (Discontinued)
Dere(Dare-ay)- Prince of Darkness, God of Shadows, Patron of Beggars and Thieves, King of Lies, and Divine of many titles- awakens to a startling realization; he has been made mortal. The gods have punished him for a crime he swears he didn't commit. Now, stripped of his divinity and powers and cast down to the mortal world, Dere finds himself smack in the middle of an ongoing coup against the sitting Monarch of Clovin, a kingdom he doesn't even know. He avoids involving himself in the petty mortal affair until he learns that it may not be as simple as it first seemed. Monsters of a God long thought dead have reappeared and the hands of the Immortals themselves are at work in Clovin. To restore his immortality and preserve a decision he made long ago, the newly mortal Dere dives into the power struggle around the kingdom and allies himself with the last remaining member of the old monarchy. As he delves deeper and deeper into the ongoing struggle in his search for answers, he uncovers a much larger conspiracy, one that may threaten the gods themselves.
8 179Prover
Humanity's biggest screen loader, the Program, has arrived. And with him its overworked employees. And magic. With enough effort, you can do anything. The world is not divided into the "magically talented" ones and the less lucky. No hidden bloodlines. Just sheer will. And thinking, because hitting the wall with your head can take you only so far. Nature of the world changes and so do people. New jobs, hierarchy and lifestyle. It's time to explore. It's time to give kids in school another bunch of compulsory subjects. It's time to add new government bills and taxes. But most importantly, it's time to face some thriling challenges. Lets have some fun. A note from Author: - this is not lit-rpg, you won´t find any blue screens or floating numbers - no harem - no OP mc - the Program may have some similarities with the System from other works, but will try to keep it at minimum - calm mc, sometimes calculating but not emotionless When you find grammar or other errors, please send me a message or write in comments, thank you. cover source: Pinterest
8 275Immortal Desire
As a pureblood vampire, Fleur is truly eternal. She cannot age. She cannot die. Nothing can kill her; she will exist so long as Ether exists in the world.At first, she had thought it was a blessing. And after the one she loved died saving her, she had thought her immortality was a chance to make things right again by protecting his family. But as life after life, her very presence leads to the ruin of all that she loves, she has learned her lesson. She is a monster. And the love of a monster is a curse.But although she swore never to love again, sometimes fate cannot be controlled. As the years pass, so does her hunger grow. She must search for a way to sate her hunger or cure her vampirism—or risk degenerating completely into a mindless monster. So when she learns of a secret expedition of heretics out to find Ladvin's Vault—said to hold the legendary Panacea—she doesn't hesitate to join.Yet, she never expected herself to become drawn to one of her mortal companions, something she had sworn to herself to never allow. Will the beating of her eternally-stopped heart a blessing or a curse? And with companions that have deadly secrets of their own, and the Order at their heels, will they be able to find and snatch the Panacea? ...And who will be the one who gains it?—Prince Adrian seemed to be blessed with everything anyone can dream for. An Emperor for his father, natural talent, and even Adriel’s Blessing of divine power. But fate has played a trick on him just a year his coronation, for he was struck by a mysterious illness incurable by even the best mages. He was dying, before he had a chance to use his talent to fulfill his dreams. But even though everyone tells him it is hopeless, he refuses to just sit back and wait for his death. Even if it means abandoning everything he had and betraying everything he had stood for, he would do anything—anything—to find a cure and live.But as he leaves behind everything he had known to chase legends and cavort with the heretics he had once despised, he becomes drawn to one of his companions—as well as competitors. But will this new love be his salvation? Or will it be his ruin?
8 184Fox
Completed. FOX is the most mysterious person you could ever meet. All that they know about her is that she is a girl who joined the ANBU at age 4 and then mysteriously disappeared with little notice at age 5. Little did they know, FOX never left the village. A matter of fact, she has been under their very noses this whole time.Where was she? Well, the better the question is- who was she?One name: Naruto Uzumaki. A trouble maker. A dead last. A person that hid under a henge with almost nobody's knowledge.FOX was doing well at not being figured out... well... not till the age of 11. Slowly, male after male will discover her secret, and FOX will do anything to keep them from talking.But... how long can she keep it a secret?Let me tell you this, the FOX is closer than you think.Highest Rank: #33 in Naruto #1 in Fox #1 in Menma #6 in Hinata #1 in Kakashi-sensei #1 in narutoshippuden #19 in Sakura #1 in Iruka #1 in femnaruto #34 in anime #3 in kurama #3 in longstory #3 in longchapters I own nothing but the plot and the characters I make up.Started: May 22, 2018Ended: June 14, 2019
8 82What Happens Now: Sequel to Adopted by Thomas Sanders And The Sanders Sides
It's been a year since Aricka Sanders graduated from high school. Now, her and Dan are facing a new challenge:College. "Dana" as her and Dan were dubbed, both got into a great college. What happens next?Find out with me!Come along for the next installment in the series!
8 7135 | Cody Bellinger x Reader
~~Completed~~You and best friend go to a Los Angeles Dodgers game and you end up bumping into Number 35. Is it a dream?
8 166