More people begin to emerge from the buildings and you can see others coming to the windows to stare at the three of you as you walk down the crumbling roadside. Tom speaks to you telepathically as you walk beside him.
" Get ready, Donny. Based on what everyone here is thinking, we're probably going to be approached by the gang that owns this territory. If things get ugly, don't make it obvious that we have unnatural abilities. "
As if it's right on cue, a group of seven armed men with matching coats and rifles emerge from the buildings and meet the three of you in the middle of the sidewalk. Four more of them approach from behind to stop you from retreating and a short man with long pink hair who's presumably the leader emerges from the group of seven in front of you. He peers at you with his glowing yellow eyes and his voice sounds sly as he speaks.
" Look what we got here, boys! What are a bunch of Corpos doing on our turf? "
Reylesh expectedly looks around at the group of men with a dirty look in her eyes and Tom responds to the man in a polite demeanor.
" We're not Corpos. We're operatives on our way to speak to a hacker who breached The Monument's security system last night. "
The man laughs in a derisive manner as he responds.
" Ohoho! Operatives from The Monument, huh? Tell me, what kind of operatives dress all fancy and travel with a small girl? "
Tom remains patient with the man as he tries to calm things down.
" We're not here to cause problems with anybody. We just want to pass peacefully and speak to the man who hacked our system. "
" You're on Lynch Mob turf, cron. The only way things are gonna end peacefully is if you pay the toll for stepping here when you're not welcome. "
The men all brandish their rifles as they step closer. Tom, completely unfazed, continues putting up the front and asks the man a question.
" Alright. What would you ask of us to let us cross peacefully? "
" Three million creds. You ain't got that, we're gonna have a problem. "
Tom looks around at the crowd as he calmly sizes them up. Knowing that he can't actually deliver on their request, he looks back at the leader and responds respectfully.
" Three million? I'm afraid we can't make any transactions on that scale while we're out on our mission. "
The men all immediately put the barrels of their rifles in your faces as the leader responds.
" Wrong answer, cron. "
All of the bystanders on the roadside and in the buildings around you begin to stare as the gang members aim their weapons at you, but the leader then looks down and sees the ring that Aatu gave you on your finger. You look down as well and see that it's glowing, presumably tempting him. The man looks hypnotized for a moment as he stares at it, then he speaks up, changing his mind.
" Hold up, boys! "
The men all lower their weapons as the leader steps forward and gets in your face.
" Lemme see that ring. "
" Are you sure? "
You ask the man cautiously.
" Don't make me tell you twice. "
The leader says as he puts his hand out for you to put the ring in. You raise your hand to take the ring off but Tom reaches in front of you, grabbing your arm as he talks to you telepathically.
" You don't have to give it to them, Donny. We can handle these guys discreetly. "
You respond to Tom telepathically in a reassuring tone.
" Don't worry. Aatu made sure the ring couldn't be used in the wrong hands. "
You take the ring off and hold it up with your fingers in front of the whole crowd, making sure everyone sees it. Then you place the ring in the leader's hand and he looks at it with a smug smile. You can tell from the man's eyes that he's absolutely taken by it, looking almost inebriated from the amount of power that he's feeling by holding it in his hand. The rest of the gang members all stare at the ring in awe as the man puts it on his finger. It begins to hum as it glows brighter, and Reylesh hides behind you as if she's shielding herself from what's about to happen. The leader continues to stare deeply at the radiant ring on his finger as it glows even brighter and he speaks as if his mind is on the edge of being broken.
" I can't- believe- my hand- finger- the ring- ring is… God… The ring is God! "
The humming gets louder and the ring becomes so bright that you have to squint your eyes and shield your face with your hand as you take a few steps backwards, holding Reylesh behind you while she takes cover. Then suddenly, you hear a loud harmonic ringing sound before the light instantly disappears and everything goes quiet, followed by a faint clinking noise that you hear which sounds like the ring hit the ground. You lower your hand and your eyes adjust to see that all of the gang members have disappeared along with every single bystander who saw the ring from the roadside and buildings around you. You look down to see the ring in its normal non-glowing state on the pavement, so you pick it up and look at it with a dumbfounded look before putting it back on your finger.
" Holy shit. "
Tom says as he turns and looks at you with a surprised face.
" I think I just saw the darkness leave their bodies. "
Reylesh then comes out from behind you and makes several remarks about what just happened as she looks at the ring on your finger.
" Yeah, that's my biggest bro's power for ya. Because of how much of a mastermind he was, he never really had to use it in order to keep the balance between our siblings. Even when he wasn't around, it always seemed like he set things up to go in his favor. I've only ever seen him use his power one time, and it was to put Nahzgor's ego in check after he grew too ambitious in the early days of our existence. Aatu was the only sibling that Nahzgor ever feared. "
You think back to when Aatu sacrificed himself to unite all of the gods. Mastermind is definitely a good descriptor based on what you've seen from him. Also, based on the way Nahzgor looked at the ring after you told him that Aatu gave it to you, you can definitely tell that he understood how great Aatu's power really was. You still remember the look of desire in his eyes when you showed it to him back in that moon dimension.
You glance around at the now almost empty street before you make a remark about what just happened.
" When Aatu gave me this ring, he told me that it would tempt people with its power and shine out all of the darkness of those who allow the ring's power to consume them. I didn't think that it would include everyone else here that didn't have the ring in their possession. "
" Perhaps they had already felt its power and allowed it to consume them within their minds by simply looking at it. "
Tom says as he looks down at the ring on your finger peculiarly.
" What about you then? "
Reylesh chimes in asking Tom in a teasing voice.
" You didn't take your eyes off of it, yet here you are. "
Tom smiles slightly, turning his gaze back to Reylesh as he replies.
" Your father already gave me an ample amount of power. To want more would be ungrateful and avaricious. Don't think I didn't notice you hiding behind Donny too. Were you afraid that you'd be tempted as well? "
Reylesh giggles before giving Tom an answer.
" I had no idea what that ring was or what it was capable of. Unlike a few of my other siblings, I could care less about Aatu's power. More power means more responsibility, and I don't want any more than what Father gave me. I only hid behind Donny cause I was scared and worried about protecting my physical form. That's all. "
You look down at Reylesh as you question her.
" Why'd you look at the ring so strangely back in that rooftop apartment, then? Surely you know something about this ring that we don't. "
Reylesh loses the playful look she always has in her eyes and she looks up at you almost as if she's dejected. She gives you a vague response.
" When you caught me out as an imposter and I saw that ring for the first time, it felt like Aatu was right there with us. I promise that I really don't know much about the ring, I just know my brother. Everything Aatu ever did was because he had some sort of greater plan that he was serving. He never once gave a gift out of kindness, not even to Izael, and they were the closest. "
"Yeah, that checks out… "
Tom says as he returns his gaze to the ring on your finger.
" That ring already saved my ass once when I was weakened by the tainted Light during that fight with the Valghul. Aatu's brilliance is also the only reason why Izael and Nahzgor are still alive, along with the reason why I was able to introduce myself as an ally to Donny when I first met him again after his memory erasure. "
Reylesh returns to her playful attitude and responds in a snarky tone.
" Yeah, who would've ever guessed that The God of Time would be good at planning? "
You smile slightly from Reylesh's response, then you look at Tom, asking him a question to get things back on track.
" Where did the hacker say to meet him? "
Tom looks down the street before turning to you and giving you an answer.
" There's supposed to be an abandoned house in a neighborhood not too far from here. Let's hope that we're still welcome to visit after turning down his offer. "
Tom leads you and Reylesh deeper into The Barren and you look down at the ring on your hand as you walk beside him, thinking about what Reylesh said earlier about Aatu never giving a gift out of kindness. It's clear to you now that the ring was intended as something more than what you've already used it for. Whatever awaits you in the future, Aatu saw it and made the necessary preparations in the form of the ring that he gave you.
You close your fist and put your hand down beside you as you continue to follow Tom with a determined glare. By the end of all of this, the sacrifices of Aatu, Noeh and Sowzo will not be in vain. Uphedis and his Valghuli must be stopped. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to Rosie.