"Why are you showing me this ring?" Olaf asked as he grabbed the ring out of the golem's mouth to look at it.
Standing up on one leg, the golem said.
"You don't know? Oh goody, I get to explain it then! This here is what your allied dragon-wannabees are after!"
"Hm?"
"You know, it took me a while to figure it out! I mean, I understand you and the beehive, but I couldn't figure out why those half-dragon halfwits decided to get in on this! I mean, going back and forth from the 3rd continent must be such a hassle, dangerous too! Seemed a little much just to get their hands on the dumbass of all people, but then I got my hands on this and it all just clicked into place, because this ring, isn't just a ring, it's a key!"
"You don't mean-!"
Upon hearing the words of Nox's robotic replica, the sage's heart skipped a beat, and his hands began to shake as he realized the value of the item he was holding.
"Wealth, fame, power. Yang Long, the dragon lord obtained this and everything else his descendants had to offer! And his dying breath drove his descendants overseas, leaving his unclaimed, absurd wealth locked inside one place! A vault so impenetrable, even the other dragon lords can't smash it open by force! The treasure trove of one of the worlds, filthiest, richi-est, dragon lords since the draconic age! I bet there are tons of goodies in there even a bigshot like you would be dying to get your hands on, right?"
Her words were not wrong. The 9-dragon clan alliance has been one of the top three forces of the current world since the end of the divine age, and the 9 dragon lords who founded the alliance have been around since the draconic age. The treasures they must have accumulated over that time would be tempting even to the gods themselves. Wealth beyond your wildest dreams, artifacts of unbelievable power, ancient lost books on every subject. Cultivator or magician, scholar or warriors, man or beast, it does not matter who or what you are, in all likelihood, something that would make you drool with desire was added to the pile a long time ago.
"I see! But there is still one thing I do not understand! Did you not say you were not here to bargain for your life? So, why gift me this ring?" Olaf inquired, suspicion filling his eyes.
"Oh, that one's fake!" The golem said as it grabbed the chain of the wall and began skipping rope again using it's one functional leg.
"Are you just here to taunt me?"
"No, well yes that too, but no! I am inviting you and the goat alliance to play a little game! Winner keeps the ring!"
"What?"
"There are a bunch of me-s strewn all over the place, each one carrying a ring, but only one of which is real! To win, all you need to do is find, kill, and plunder the right ring from the right me! Simple right! Any questions?"
"Do you think this is some kind of game?"
"Duh, I just said I want to play didn't I! Besides! I'm the one winning the war right now, so I have the leeway to do this!"
"What are you talking about!"
"It should be happening around now, right?"
"Are you broken!"
Ignoring the sage of runes, Nox just continued skipping as she said.
"Jol dressed in yellow,
Went south with his fellow,
Made a mistake and trusted a snake,
How many lives will it take?"
"What are you-!"
"Long-Beard, from where did you get the idea to go through that narrow valley to bypass border patrol?"
"You!" Olaf exclaimed, his eyes going wide in realization as he pulled out a communication crystal.
"Sometimes it's just too easy! Lie to your allies and your moles will be misled too! Then all you need to do is kick back and relax, as your enemies wonder off a cliff on their own!"
"Come on! COME ON! JOL! JOL!"
"You're wasting your time! Even if he was alive, his crystal wouldn't be able to pick up the signal!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"To keep the game engaging and entertainingly chaotic, I have banned all long-range communications on both sides by scrambling the airwaves! After all, I wanna play with the big-boys, not the army of boy scouts they have on speed dial! If you want me, and I know that you do, then you don't get to sit in the back with a thumb up your ass! Now are you ready to play or do you wanna wait until another disciple dies!"
"…!"
In response to her words, the sage of runes only grew red in the face as he was so angry he couldn't come up with the words to express his rage.
"Long-Beard, Long-Beard, please tell me.
What kind of fortune will it be,
Lion man, Giant man, Demon man, or tree?
Raging Bull, Two fish, Lady Ghost, or battlefield?
Pirate horse, Grass stone, Blind lady, or disease?
What death Hades brings, let us see."
"You little-!"
*Boom**Smash*
With bloodshot eyes, the sage waved his hand in anger, the enchantments on his gloves releasing a shockwave, smashing the golem to pieces. However, even still, the head, now lying covered in cracks on the floor without the rest of its body, continued speaking.
"Long-beard did a thing,
Went to town to steal a ring,
Made a mistake and grabbed a fake,
Watch me count until it breaks!
5, 4, 3, 2, -!"
"Hm!"
Just then, Olaf noticed the white ring begin to light up while emanating with energy and immediately dropped it in favor of putting on his helmet.
"One!"
*clink**BOOM*
The moment the ring hit the ground, everything within a mile's radius was vaporized in an instant, all except for a single suit of black armor with a singed beard fluttering in the wind.
…
Meanwhile, to the west, an elderly spellcaster could be seen standing before a certain masked golem which had been frozen from the neck down, while to the north, in the ruins of what was not too long ago a city, a certain high-elf was holding a partially scorched robot head. The two may be in different locations, but at this moment, the same greed could be seen in their eyes.