[ i Never thought that you will be so SUPPORTIVE....i got ZERO stones... thanks you for your support.... cause I got atleast more than 5 collection so here's your chapter...]
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They trailed the group at a safe distance, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of the artifact. But as they turned a corner, they were suddenly ambushed by the thieves themselves.
"Well, well, well," the leader of the group sneered, "What do we have here? Some lost travelers, perhaps?"
Ryu clenched his fists, "We're not lost. We're here to retrieve the artifact you stole."
The thief laughed, "You'll have to do better than that, boy. We have the artifact now, and we're not giving it up without a fight."
Aria stepped forward, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace, "There's no need for violence. We only want to retrieve the artifact and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
The thief scoffed, "And I suppose you think your words will convince us to just hand it over?"
But as they spoke, Ryu noticed something strange.
The thief's eyes kept flickering to a spot behind them, and he seemed increasingly uneasy.
"Wait a minute," Ryu thought, "Could it be?"
He turned around to see the trickster god from the temple, standing behind them with a mischievous grin.
"Ah, I see you've met the thieves," he said, "But don't worry, I have a plan."
Ryu raised an eyebrow, "What plan?"
The trickster god loki held up his hand, and suddenly, the thieves were frozen in place, unable to move or speak.
"Now's your chance," he said, "Retrieve the artifact and make your escape."
Ryu and his friends quickly searched the thieves' pockets, finally finding the artifact they had been sent to retrieve. As they turned to make their escape, the trickster god waved his hand, and the thieves suddenly came back to life.
"What the-" the leader of the group started, but Ryu and his friends were already running away, the artifact clutched tightly in their hands.
As they made their way back to the temple, they couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
They had just stolen from the thieves themselves, with the help of a mischievous god.
"Well, that was certainly unexpected," Issei chuckled.
Aria smiled, "But we retrieved the artifact, just as we were sent to do."
Ryu nodded, "And we have that trickster god to thank for it."
As they entered the temple, the trickster god was waiting for them, still grinning.
"Congratulations on your success,"
Loki said, "I knew you would figure it out eventually."
Ryu raised an eyebrow, "You knew? You could have just told us from the beginning and saved us all this trouble."
loki shrugged, "Where's the fun in that? Besides, I wanted to see what you were capable of. And I must say, I'm impressed."
Ryu rolled his eyes, "Well, we're just glad we were able to retrieve the artifact. Now, can we please go back home?"
Loki chuckled, "Of course, of course. But first, I have a gift for you."
He handed Ryu a small, intricately carved box. "Inside you'll find a token of my appreciation."
Ryu hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should trust the trickster god. But eventually, he opened the box to reveal a sparkling gemstone.
"It's beautiful," Aria gasped.
Issei looked at Ryu, "Are you sure we should accept this?"
Ryu nodded, "I think it's okay. We did help him, after all."
The trickster god grinned, "Good. I knew you'd like it."
With that, the god disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Ryu and his friends to make their way back home.
As they walked through the multiverse portal, Ryu couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. They had completed their mission and made it back in one piece to the dragon.
But as they emerged on the other side, they realized something was wrong.
They were no longer in their own dimension. Instead, they found themselves in a strange, dark forest.
"What happened?" Aria exclaimed, "Why are we here?"
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[ Don't forget to send power stones...]