Pantheon Online

[-7 HP]

Exile cursed as he swung his shield to block the next blow. The creatures were fast, but they were not anything that he had been expecting. 'Where the hell are these things even from?' They were certainly not dwarves, and they did not look capable of the intricate architecture he had seen on the columns. Which meant that these things were the cause for this place being abandoned. Or they had moved in when the original inhabitants had left. 

Every time he almost caught a glimpse of them, they seemed to elude his eyesight. It was as if he were incapable of registering their true form! Exile lashed out with his axe and a high-pitched scream followed the wild attack. 

[Divine Power Damage Check… Enemy Authority 8. Your Authority 17. Your Divine Power is superior. You have dealt -9 HP to Deep Stalker (Infant)]

Exile's eyes went wide when he received the damage report. Now he knew what his enemy was called, and he had confirmed that they could hurt it! However, the 'Infant' part worried him. That suggested there was something stronger than these down here. 

"Their Authority score is low! Strength seems to be their strong point!" Exile shouted over the din of battle as the group moved through the ruins. 

Don't take part in Piracy! Don't earn money for thieves! DON'T make me drop this novel! 

-Antihero]

A number of complaints rang out from the group as they heard that. Only Exile among them had put such a large amount of points into that stat! Clay grit his teeth as he made a decision. An intricately decorated bone horn appeared in his hand. This was his quest reward for successfully raiding the tomb.

"Everyone! Get ready!" Clay shouted as he placed the thin end to his lips.

In the next moment, a loud blaring noise rang out from the instrument. It was a deep sound that seemed to call them to battle! A golden halo spread out with the sound wave, and as it washed over Exile, he received a notification.

[You have been targeted by the Raider's Horn. Judgement in progress... Judgement Result... Ally... +5 Authority for 20 minutes...]

Exile's eyes went wide at such a powerful buff! It directly rose his Authority to twenty-two points! A mad grin spread across his face before he realised that something else had changed. 'I can see them!' Exile chuckled as he stared at the horrible creatures. 

They were slightly shorter than an average person with smokey grey skin. They wrapped filthy cloth around their waists and upper legs, while all six of their humanoid arms ended in long, sharp nails. Their heads and bodies were completely hairless, but their ears came to a point. It was not as pronounced as what you would expect from the likes of elves, but it was definitely there. Each one of these creatures had three eyes that were set in a triangular formation.

Two where you would expect human eyes to be and one on the forehead. These eyes were all cloudy, as if they were blind. But Exile was sure that they were not. There were no lips to be seen on their faces. It was just a singular, cracked line. However, when they opened their mouth, he could see eight sharp fangs nesting inside.

Exile cursed when he saw why these creatures had six arms as he noticed several of them using them to scale the ruined walls. Apart from this change, Exile also noticed that he could see a bit further into the darkness. So some details had become much clearer to him. 'I see, there are creatures where your Authority will have to be high enough to even detect them. It's like Authority allows you to connect with the game world on a deeper level...'

Exile hummed as he mulled over this revelation. It was a strategic piece of information, and they had been lucky enough to discover it so soon. 'Well, it at least confirms that we're too low level for this place. We need to abandon this place.' Exile sighed as he thought about the treasure that could be hidden within. 

He started to keep an eye on the others, barking out warnings whenever one of the creatures was about to strike. This allowed them to defend themselves better as they slowly backed off, searching for a way out of the situation. It was clear that the others wanted to know how he knew where the enemies were, but this was not the time to divulge this information. Surviving came first!

[You have dealt -19 HP]

Exile cocked an eyebrow as he drew his axe back after chopping one of the Deep Stalkers. 'Oh? That horn doesn't just buff us... It debuffs the enemy by the same amount!' Exile's eyes flashed with excitement as he thought about what a rare item it was. It was a good thing that it belonged in the hands of someone in their Pantheon!

'It'll be a big help in group battles, but for now I need to focus on finding a way out!' Exile grimaced as he thought about what would happen once the effects of the horn wore off. 'There has to be a way out!'

Of course, he was now kicking himself for leading the group down into the ruins instead of running when they spotted the mobs. They had been overconfident in their abilities and had not expected to run into trouble like this. However, that route was now cut off. So they were stuck fighting a protracted battle as they explored the ruins at the same time.

"Exile! Something's telling me we should go that way!" Old Un shouted as he pointed in the direction that held the dwarven statue.

Exile was about to question him about it when remembered something. 'God of Lost Travellers...'