Pantheon Online

*Just before we start I'd just like to say thanks for your support guys! Please read the Author's Thoughts as it's quite important!*

Exile shivered as he stared at the almost completely submerged marble column in the snow. The top of it had clearly broken off, but this was only the first of several. They laid out a path through the snow, but where they led to, Exile could not see. 

"Exile... I have a bad feeling about this..." Clay rubbed his arms to warm up as his eyes shifted to their surroundings. "It doesn't feel like we should even be out here at our level."

"You're right... I don't think we are..." Exile's eyes narrowed on the trail of columns. "But that just means there's a good chance this is an opportunity for us."

The others cast dubious gazes over the ruins as they tried to gauge if Exile was right. However, none of them could see what made him think that there was anything to gain from being here. To them, it looked more like a random ruin to add some flavour to the game, so they could not help but raise their eyebrows at him.

"Trust me..." Exile coughed as he glanced around at the team. "There's bound to be something interesting."

'The developers put something in every area of Mayhem when they developed it. There were no locations that were solely for decoration. I guess these guys are unaware of that...' Exile hummed as he led the group through the snow. At times, they would lose sight of the columns. But when they continued onwards, new ones would appear. 

"See! There's nothing here!" Burri complained as they reached the end of the path. 

Exile glanced around with a frown. 'Don't tell me they expect us to excavate the ruins?' He could not help but sigh when he considered this possibility. It would be a mammoth task. One that they could not complete in a short time with their current numbers. 'Maybe I should just take a note of it and come back at a later time?'

It felt like he had wasted their time, but he was still certain that there had to be something worth finding in the area. 'Where should we go for now, then? It'll take some time to head back in the other direction...' Just as he thought that Burri prepared himself to make another complaint... But he was suddenly interrupted!

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The group screamed as they plunged downwards! The carpet of snow beneath their feet gave way as the unseen ice supporting it broke! The group was thrown downwards into a dark chasm, the columns around them rushed past as they fell!

"Damn! How far does this go!" Clay yelled above the rushing wind in his ears as he tried to peer into the darkness. 

The sound of waterfalls soon entered their ears. Just as Exile was about to warn the others to brace themselves, they were plunged into ice-cold waters! Exile choked as he felt the frigid water rush down his throat. An oxygen bar appeared in his mind and it was depleting at a fast rate! He immediately gained his bearings and swam upwards. Luckily, he had not been thrown too far underwater and broke the surface within moments. 

"Is everyone alright?" Exile yelled as he glanced around at where they had arrived.

A chorus of yells replied as one by one, the group surfaced. 'Damn, where are we?' Exile's eyes could not see much. This place was unlike the tombs which had lit up when they arrived. There was nothing but long, sharp, icy rock walls that disappeared into the darkness and the marble columns.

"Yo! I think I've found a bridge!" Leggy's voice came from somewhere off to Exile's right.

The group swam towards where his voice had come from, but because of the darkness, they could not see more than a few feet in front of themselves. Eventually, Exile's hand landed on a smooth piece of stone. Leggy came into view as he helped Exile haul himself out of the water. 

"Pretty stupid right?" Leggy grinned as Exile sat on the firm ground, creating a puddle around himself.

"What is?" Exile grumbled as he peered past Leggy to spot the others.

"Drowning. I mean, that Gods can drown..." Leggy started laughing, but Exile was in no mood to laugh about their situation right now.

'It's definitely not a natural bridge...' Exile's eyes scanned the smooth surface and realised that Leggy had been right. What he was sitting on was indeed a bridge that stretched into the darkness on either side. However, there was something about it that was throwing him off.

'The columns...' His eyes swiftly moved to the hole that had been created where they fell through the snow far above them. Sunlight streamed in past the snowstorm outside to highlight the upper halves of several columns. 'The marble columns and this stone bridge don't match...'

The more he looked at it, the more he felt like the marble columns had been added at a much later date. Their style was consistent with Valheim's architecture but the stone bridge was made of a different material with no embellishments! This one subtle detail piqued Exile's curiosity. 'What did we stumble into?'

"Hey, Exile! What way should we go?" Clay shouted as he strode over while peering into the darkness. "I don't want to stick around here. It's giving me the creeps."

"I know what you mean... Well, at least we only have two options. That way leads towards Valheim. But the other leads deeper into the snowstorm..." Exile hummed as the rest of the group gathered around him.

"That doesn't really answer my question..." Clay hummed as a frown appeared on his face.

"Well, we're in unchartered territory. We don't know if there are mobs down here. Or what they are capable of if there are any. On top of that... I'm fairly certain that any loot to be found will be in the opposite direction of Valheim."

"Do you think it will be worth taking the risk?" Old Un asked as he glanced towards the end of the bridge that led away from Valheim.

"Hm, the rewards should be good. Whether we can survive is another question. For all we know, it might also be the only path out of here." Exile glanced at each of them in turn. "Let's take a vote on it."

There were a few grumbles as they discussed the possible pros and cons of each choice before they took the vote. In the end, the majority agreed to take the risk of heading away from Valheim. Their footsteps sounded oppressive as they echoed around the chasm that surrounded them. Old Un kept his eyes focused on the dark waters on either side of the bridge. This was just in case there was a threat hidden in them that had yet to reveal itself.

Time passed slowly for the group as they wandered further and further away from the sunlight that was now far behind them. Their visibility reduced a little bit more, but it would be enough to react to any sudden movement close by. Exile quickly calculated how long they had been walking for, only to realise that it had been a few hours at least.

As more time passed, he began to doubt whether they had made the right choice. However, Burri, who had been walking ahead of them, came back with some news.

"It looks like we've found the end of the bridge..." Burri spoke softly, as if the surrounding darkness had ears.

"What's the details?" Exile asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"The rock on either side of us comes together to form a wall up ahead. But there's a tunnel through it. It looks like someone has fashioned it into a doorway. It's made of the same smooth rock we're standing on. But it seems to have some kind of design. It's got different layers of smooth squared rock as an outline..."

Exile hummed as he heard this. 'Something was definitely living down here then... But what? Or is it an old structure that's been buried with time? A fortress or something of the Old Gods?' His mind raced as it became more and more likely that they would find some good stuff down here. Or at the very least a sort of secret passage between two areas.

"Let's go, and everyone keep your eyes and ears sharp. If there are any mobs they're bound to be beyond that point..." Exile commanded solemnly as he felt his body tremble. 'Let's see what you're hiding...'

*How do you feel about this chapter length? I'm debating making this the new normal after I finish getting the priv chaps out and the mass release is done.*