Pantheon Online

Colt sighed as he put his groceries away in his silent house. 'I don't get it. We won the battle at Silverfang Pass, but it seems wrong.' His brows knitted into a frown as he thought about it. 'Parthus didn't make an appearance, nor any other players. Why? Did they think they were certain to win? Or did something else distract them?'

He could not shake the feeling that something horrible was about to come their way. 'Then there's Rebel Energy to deal with. Hopefully, the next stream will feature the battle, so we're in a stronger position to negotiate with them. Not that we really need it with everything they're throwing at us...'

He wandered through the house, lost in his thoughts, until he threw himself down on the couch. The rain outside battered at the windows, creating a strangely soothing sound. A few moments passed before he ran his hand over the black disc on the table beside him. Turning on the holographic television.

"In other news... The debate surrounding the use of AI in the gaming industry has taken a heated turn online..." The announcer stated before images appeared showing various chat rooms and the arguments going on.

Colt groaned as he rolled over and chose to ignore it. Although he left it on that channel as mere background noise. 'Some things are happening too fast, like the state of these wars. While our own progression of strength is stagnating because we have to focus on these issues. Maybe we should think of recruiting people to take care of admin duties for the Pantheon in the future.'

The only problem he had with that thought was they would take up valuable space in the Pantheon. They still had no idea of what would happen once they levelled the Pantheon's Tier up. The news channel grew louder as they invited experts on to discuss the significance of Pantheon's AI. But Colt felt it was pointless for them to get so emotional over it.

Sure, he had his favourites like Ania, Bjorn, Harik, and Skovi. He also had to admit that he barely thought of the warriors that they commanded, as they were just background characters to him. Numbers that helped to make up a portion of his strength. Where one of these experts on the news was arguing that every one of their lives held meaning.

Eventually, he had enough of listening to the debate and changed the channel. A movie played that he had never seen before, but it was clearly done by an indie film studio. There was not much that interested him after he discovered VR games. Their worlds were so vibrant and he could be anyone that he wanted to be. Living a completely different life.

As he started to nod off, a loud knock came at his door. He sat up, startled by the sudden sound. His eyes turned to the hall leading to the front door as a frown crossed his face. 'Who'd come to visit me?' A few moments of silence passed before the knocking happened again.

Colt slowly made his way door, but the knocking would happen every few seconds. As if the person was growing impatient. When he reached the door, he pressed an eye up to the peephole and let out a long sigh. 'Why now?'

He undid the locks and opened the door to stare at the young man standing in the rain. His messy brown hair and blue eyes stared back from underneath his hood. The two stared at each other for a while before the man outside shook his head.

"Well? Are you going to invite me in or not? Seems like we have a lot to talk about." The man asked in a lighthearted tone as he chuckled.

"Why are you here?" Colt asked as he cocked an eyebrow lazily.

"What? I can't visit my own brother?"

Colt shook his head as he stepped aside to let his younger brother, Mike Anderson, inside. The two made their way into the living room before Colt headed to the kitchen.

"You still take your coffee the same way?" Colt shouted through as Mike made himself at home on the couch. Removing his soaked black hoodie as he stared at the wet patches on his jeans.

"You know it! Hurry up, I want to catch up with you. Don't think you can delay it. I've seen the rumours flying around that Camelot let you go!" Mike chuckled.

Colt groaned as he poured milk into the two steaming mugs and headed through to take a seat beside his brother. The two stared at each other silently for a while as they sipped on their coffee. The silence was awkward as Colt did not know what to say.

"Just come out with it. I want to know what happened. You've definitely been let go. Your silence gives that away. If you're stuck, you can come join my team. Though it's not looking so good with that new game, Pantheon on the market. Most of the pros have fled Crest faster than rats fleeing a sinking ship!" Mike laughed as he gave Colt a knowing look.

Colt almost choked on his coffee when he heard that. 'So, he's here not just because he thinks I'm in a tough spot. But because he thinks he'll be in the same situation soon.' Colt was beginning to get the picture of why his brother had really come to visit. He cleared his throat before starting at the beginning. Explaining how he had been let go, but he had already started building a new team in Pantheon.

Mike nodded approvingly as he searched Rangnarok's page while listening to the problems Colt was having in the game and with the sponsorship problems. Every now and then, deep frown lines appeared under Mike's fringe as he watched the uploaded streams. When Colt reached the present point, explaining how something did not feel right, Mike shook his head with a grim expression.

"Bro, no wonder you're having problems. This guy here..." Mike showed the screen of his phone to Colt. On it, the video had been paused at an angle that showed Parthus.

"What about him?" Colt asked, with an annoyed expression.

"Ugh, you really don't know, do you? I swear, if it's not the top rankers of the games you play, you just don't care." Mike shook his head sadly. "Parthus is one of the top three rankers of Crest. I've never dealt with him personally, but he has a nasty reputation. You know that Crest is a strategy kingdom building game, right? With players making up everything in the game. No NPCs. Just mobs and players."

Colt nodded slowly as he remembered their brief conversations in the past when Mike refused to join Mayhem. That was when he realised why he was so troubled by Parthus in the game. And why it bugged him that such a leader was unknown to him.

"Parthus literally led Mirage to the top five guilds in Crest after two years of joining the game. Do you understand how crazy that is? He's on a different level to you, bro. You're too used to individual strength, meaning everything and cooperation in small teams. Crest focuses on strategy and management to claim as much land as you can. He's used to leading massive armies, making alliances and doing whatever he needs to win." Mike heaved a sigh as he leaned back in the couch and stared at his brother.

"What are you saying, Mike? That I can't beat him?" Colt growled as he stared at his younger brother.

"In a one-on-one duel? Maybe. You're definitely not lacking there. But in this type of game, where large-scale wars are bound to happen more and more often... No, you can't."

"That's harsh... Why are you so certain?" Colt's expression turned thoughtful as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"Because you're no strategist, Colt. We both know that. Your place in this game should be a figurehead and leading your team on the front lines. There's no shame in admitting your weaknesses. Find someone who is suited to this part. You'll have an easier time, but you need someone with experience. Or Parthus will roll right over them." Mike's tone was concerned as he stared at Colt.

The latter closed his eyes and let his mind digest what Mike had said. 'So, Parthus is out of my league. Mike seems sure about that. If Parthus is from his game, then he would know better. Plus, he's known me for his whole life. I should accept his advice.'

"Do you have any other advice, Mike?" Colt's eyes shot open as he glanced sideways.

"You said that he didn't appear in the last fight, right? How certain are you that there are no other paths through those mountains? Something that has been long forgotten maybe. To me, it sounds like he sent a detached force to keep you distracted to make the journey through something like that easier..."

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