Pantheon Online

When the group finally reached the end of the staircase, they found a wide-open room. There were statues that were identical to the one that guarded the entrance to the stairs dotted along the walls. All of them were staring at what stood in the centre. 

"What is that?" Clay asked as he looked at the strange sphere that was held above a gaping hold in the ground. 

"No idea..." Exile hummed as he moved towards it. 

However, after a few steps, a piece of the metal that made up the sphere parted. Showing that there were a dozen seats inside. This caused Exile to frown as he glanced around the room for what could have triggered the change. However, nothing caught his eye. 

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

-Antihero]

Seeing that nothing else seemed to be reacting to their presence, he took the opportunity to move closer to inspect it better. 'Hmm, it seems to be two different spheres. One on the outside while the interior one has room for people to sit inside... Is it some kind of transportation?' Exile glanced into the abyss of the hole that was beneath the sphere.

'It could probably gain a lot of speed if it was dropped down this... But where would it lead to?' He was feeling troubled that this could potentially be what Old Un's power pointed to be their way out. They had no idea where it would take them. With their current HP and DP, there was no way that they could survive a long journey across the wilds either. 

'There are a lot of questions about these ruins. But I don't think we're capable of unearthing its secrets quite yet...' Exile let out a sigh. At least they knew what to expect if they were to return here. 'It's not all bad. We learned about an important mechanism of the game and we can be certain there is treasure to be found down here. We'll come back once we're strong enough...'

"Ok, everyone. Let's get in. Looks like this is our ticket out of here and we don't have any other options..." Exile sighed as he shook his head.

"You're kidding, right? I'm not good with rollercoasters, never mind whatever that is!" Leggy yelped as he realised that Exile was serious.

"No, unless you want to go back up there and definitely lose some stats fighting those mobs? You know there's no way we'll be able to recover any of our orbs with them around. It's a miracle we even made it here without suffering a loss." Exile shrugged his shoulders as he stared at Leggy. "It's time to cut our losses and get out... Who agrees?"

There was no discussion as everyone but Leggy nodded in agreement. He flashed a look at the others that basically accused them of being traitors, but he did not want to be left behind. It was with a reluctant expression that he allowed the others to help him climb inside the sphere. As soon as everyone had sat down, they looked at each other with awkward expressions.

"Does anyone know how to use this thing?" Burri chuckled at the awkward air between them.

Exile flashed a look at Old Un. After all, he was the one who led them to the device. So if anyone would have an idea, it would most likely be him. Old Un sighed as everyone turned to look at him. He activated one of his spells, and a frown crossed his face.

"I'm just getting a vague feeling that it should be working already..." Old Un's frown deepened as he struggled to understand what was wrong.

"Great... It's a dud. Looks like we'll just have..." Leggy's delight was cut off as he yelped. The metal suddenly slid back into place and sealed them inside. 

[You have been granted the Quest: Autosphere]

[Quest: Autosphere]

[Description: The Autosphere is a marvel left behind by the Dwarven Gods during the War with the Fallen. Discover its secrets and bring the entire network back online. (Current Progress: 2/100)]

[Rewards: Unknown]

Exile frowned when he read through the Quest description. 'We have to find 100 different locations? This is clearly something that can't be done in a short time...' Exile sighed, but became elated a moment later. 'Wait... This means we have a monopoly over a fast travel system! If we can keep this hidden...'

Exile laughed out loud when he realised how useful this network would be. It would allow a Pantheon to quickly reinforce its territories if there was an Autosphere station nearby. 'We have to keep this secret, no matter what! This is the real treasure down here!'

Moments later, a map appeared like a kind of hologram in the space between their chairs. There were two dots on the map. One white and one green. When Exile studied it, he realised the green dot should be somewhere in Valheim. While the white one must be the current location. 'It's a shame it does not have red dots or something to indicate where the other locations are. But why is there an active one in Valheim?'

A sickening thought crossed his mind at that moment. 'Has someone else found an Autosphere in the city? But they couldn't use it because no other location had been found yet!' A deep frown crossed his face as he wondered if this was a sort of social Quest that was completed by the player base as a whole. 'That'll make it harder to keep this place on lockdown... We'll have to find a way to guard this location... maybe charge people for using this station or something... I'm sure the other Pantheons who find one will have the same idea.'

It made sense since it had the potential to be a massive moneymaker in the game. However, before he could discuss his thoughts with the others, Clay reached out and tapped on the green dot! A girlish squeal filled the sphere as everyone felt that they had suddenly been dropped down the hole! However, there was only one person that everyone was looking at. Leggy! He was the source of the squeal and his face turned bright red under their gazes!