Riez weighed her options. The goblins were still fighting among each other. She looked at her stats, hoping to find the solution there.

  She could pull back the Energy she had spent on making the elves think they would be okay, but she liked to have it brewing just a little more, if nothing else, then to ensure that they would get over whatever crisis they were currently dealing with.

  She addressed the two goblins first. "Since the Architect of Reality is unavailable, I hereby claim you as my chosen."

  Her statement was firm and confident, and as she spoke, the world seemed to shift. She could definitely feel how Spif and Spaf came under her command, and as they did, the Loyalty Domain kicked in. She could see their stats get bigger as they seemed a little more hardy, and the wounds on their bodies almost vanished.

  "Are you two ready?" She asked, a smile on her face.

  Spif and Spaf didn't appear that much smarter, as they instantly started to blame each other for starting the fight. Riez ignored them, as the plan slowly started to form in her mind.

  Riez moved over to the cage and cleared her throat. She slowly started to sing, ensuring to mimic the sound that the elf who had locked them inside used.

  She felt the pull of her Deception Domain and dedicated another point of Energy to perform a miracle.

  As if by magic, the branches of the cage started to unfold, as her voice functioned by magic.

  >????????????: ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????. ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ?? ?????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ??????. ???????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???? ????????????. - ????????????.

  Riez blinked at the message as she stepped out. For the first time, she felt her subordinates struggling against her will. The two goblins wanting to fight with each other rather than get out.

  It took some coaxing, but before long, Riez was guiding the goblins out of the prison and down the stairs. To her surprise, there didn't seem to be any elves around, which was fortunate since Spif and Spaf were still loudly arguing about how they would get the cage with them once they had found the Alman Stone.

  While they talked, Riez assigned some of her Impact to making sure that the elves would believe they would be okay, which cost her 3 of the 5 Impact she had available. It did allowed her to also pull back one point of Energy that she had been using to keep the belief that everyone would be okay alive.

  That left her with 1 point of Energy for the day, and judging by the position of the sun, she was about halfway through this ordeal.

  "Where do you think they are keeping the Alman Stone?" Riez asked her two companions.

  "Oh! Dat be easy! They keep it in most secure place. It be very important." Spaf said with great confidence.

  Riez groaned. She had a feeling that would be the case, and she also had a feeling where the most secure place would be. It was probably the massive redwood she had seen.

  They were making their way towards the middle of the tree village, each step making the branches they were walking on creak. It didn't take long before they saw people, and it also became very clear why they hadn't seen anyone before.

  Every elf seemed to have been gathered in the large woven town square, where Riez had walked up the stairs. Moments ago, there had been chaos, but now. Everyone was standing completely still, listening to something.

  The source that seemed to keep everyone's attention was fairly clear. A woman, dressed in white, her skin as dark as the night sky, was addressing everyone. On her left was a barely clothed man, standing enough behind her to show that he was a subordinate. He was ribbed beyond belief, with multiple scars all over his body, something that was quite clear thanks to him not wearing a shirt. The man did, on the other hand, wear some thick-looking leather pants. The pants had been stained a deep crimson, though Riez couldn't tell if it was due to blood or some dye. His eyes scanned the crowd for anyone to lash out at. He was wielding a massive axe, almost as large as him, but he seemed to have little trouble holding it, and the head was engraved with a symbol: Two triangles crossing each other.

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  The axe itself seemed vicious in ways that Riez couldn't even put into words, as if the object itself was intent on cutting anything it got near into a million tiny pieces.

  It was a strange symbol, mostly because the man's body had a multitude of tattoos, all depicting the same symbol. A diamond with a smaller diamond inside, the two figures connected with lines that seemed to cross through the middle of the entire figure.

  The drow on the woman's right was in the complete opposite camp, wearing as much armour as possible, to the point where his face wasn't even visible. A tabard showed proud purple colours, while a giant two-handed sword indicated that, while he was defensive, he was more than capable of dishing out damage. His tabard kept repeating the same symbol: A diamond with lines from each opposing corner.

  The woman that was adressing the people was standing tall, though marks on her cheeks showed that she had been crying. She was holding a long, thin staff, whose point had been sharpened into a primitive spear, almost like it was a wizard's staff that would be just as deadly in melee combat. Her ropes repeated the same symbol, over and over again, finely embroidered with such care that Celeste would probably have a field day with how amazing the craftsmanship was, and yet, Riez noticed that they had been modified. Her Deception Domain told her that this had not been the original symbol, that it had been modified, like a forgery.

  Riez didn't recognize the symbol, and for now, she ignored it, there was something else that was pulling at her attention.

  It was only due to Riez's Deception Domain that she noticed the fourth figure. Someone was hiding behind the trio, unseen. It wasn't that he was invisible. It was like his very being was telling Riez to look away from him, as if he wasn't worthy of even her gaze.

  Riez resisted the compulsion and saw the man for the first time. He was wearing all grey, and if anything, he looked... emaciated. Small, frail, and cold. The bag slung around his shoulder, resting on his hip, looked like it was forcing him to the ground as each step he took was weighed down with a responsibility that he was not able to carry. His skin wasn't black and lousterous like the other drow, but ashy to the point of being grey. He had wide eyes in sunken hollows that seemed to stare around the place, darting from side to side. His cheekbones were prominent, though only due to his cheeks being nonexistent. He wasn't wearing a symbol, though empty patches on his clothes showed where they were missing.

  As Riez stared at him, he caught her eyes, and when it became clear that she wasn't looking away, he moved to place the woman in white between himself and Riez.

  The woman in white was clearly in the middle of some grand speech, addressing every elf she could. Riez noted with some satisfaction that none of the elves seemed to panic. They were so calm that it was definitely frustrating the woman in white. Riez smiled, knowing that her work was annoying someone who clearly saw themselves as superior. No matter how threatening the trio of drows were, the elves simply believed that everything would be okay. That they would be okay.

  "And that is why I have come to you, to proclaim the joyous news that while my mother is gone, I will take her place. You, who was too weak to take the bargain offered. You who did not seek glory when you had the chance. It is you who will be the second people to know. Today we stand in front of a time of change, for while one door closes, another one opens." The woman spoke with a firm voice that did not betray the sorrow that had stained her cheeks. Her voice was not kind, but commanding.

  The elves around them did not seem to react in the manner she had expected, but she continued, her voice growing harder with each word. "See, you will have a new choice before you. Renounce the gods that have slain my mother, and join our people. We still have the Will of Misrush, an artefact that will allow you to strike a deal with darkness itself, to join the ranks of the drows, not as a lesser, like other races, but as our peers."

  Once more, it almost looked like the elves refused to react. "Renounce this so-called Morwen, who believes herself one of our kin. Renounce this ur-god Armandos, believing herself to be our superior. They live upon our mercy, not for the benefit of the world, but so that we may torture them and savour the pain of those responsible for the death of our mother."

  Reiz got an idea. It was a stupid plan, but it would, without a doubt, be incredibly funny.

  She looked over at the two goblins and smiled. "Are you really going to let them talk about Armandos like this?" She asked innocently.

  Spif and Spaf seemed to light up and instantly started to yell and scream about Armandos not being responsible for anything of the sort, while Riez moved towards the town hall, located in the massive Redwood.

  She cast a look back, just in time to see the two small goblins practically charging at what Riez assumed to be the Ilshers. She watched in amazement as the topless guy cleaved Spif in half, only for the goblin to regenerate from one of its halves, and act like nothing had happened.

  >????????????: ????... ?????????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????? ??????... ???? ?????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????? ??????????.

  Riez had to agree. What had clearly been supposed to be a minor immortality bonus must have mutated thanks to Spif and Spaf being a bug. Jasper must have messed something up when he fixed those two. It gave Riez some more comfort, knowing that she hadn't just sent those two to their deaths. She hadn't expected the Ilshers to be so aggressive and on edge to attack and kill a couple of random goblins that made noise. Something must really have put them on edge.

  However, with the two goblins distracting the gods able to walk upon the mortal realm, Riez moved into the town hall.