Getting from the portal encampment, as Nate had decided to call the fortified base that housed the inter-world portal they had arrived through, to the metropolis covering the distant horizon was not cheap. Especially when Nate and Kiri were effectively paying for Wulfgar and Jemima. Kiri was confident that would change once they got to the city and Jemima could start plying some of her trade. A Lesser Divine Alchemist as old and skilled as she was should be able to make back every pristine mark they had spent on her and then some. Which led to Nate’s plans to do a little of his own crafting once they got settled.

As for transport to the city, apparently named Hammerhome after the Greater Divine that ruled over it, there had been a few options. Walking was the first, and far below them Nate could see plenty of mortals taking that option and casually strolling the distance to the city along curated walkways that hemmed in a multi-lane road. It might take them a couple of hours but it was also free.

Enchanted vehicles and a few beast mounts traversed the road at speeds that would have rivaled, or in a few cases exceeded, some of the fastest transports on Earth.

Finally, there was the transport they had taken. An enchanted flying device made of wood and shaped like a bird of prey that was large enough to seat fifty people. It had been a little more expensive than Nate had liked but Hrung’Jak had assured them it was worth the price as it was restricted to use by Lesser Divines and would fly directly to the inner parts of Hammerhome that were set aside for them. The vehicles below might be going fast now but Jak had explained that once they hit the city they would be slowed down considerably and you could spend hours trying to cross deeper into the city, all the while having to be wary of Reciprocity.

Nate supposed that a little expense for peace of mind was ultimately a cheap price to pay, but he just wasn’t used to having to consider how much money he had. On Galle, mana was wealth and he had a lot of it. If he was being honest with himself, which he tried to be, that was because he’d stolen a lot of it. Coupled with his crafting, it had been enough to start a mercantile empire. In the Dynasty of the Heavenly Serpent, mana by itself was relatively worthless. The ambient mana levels were kept high enough to support their population's growth because Dungeons and the like were mostly restricted to uninhabited worlds.

Instead, in the Dynasty, physical wealth came in the form of processed mana, materials, Orbs, and artifacts of the Divine for the truly high end. Mana was cheap, advancement was expensive, was the basic premise that the economic system seemed to be built upon. So, Nate was just going to have to find someone to supply some customised materials to. That was completely ignoring the wealth he already had on him in the form of a few Orbs and other System rewards.

Jak and Wulfgar drifted over to join him as the vista below shifted from cleared grasslands to the tops of skyscrapers.

“Hope we ain’t intruding,” said Jak in greeting.

The warrior had become a little more effusive when addressing Nate ever since the Orc had cozied up to Wulfgar. Nate didn’t want to bother guessing at what the blood warrior had been telling the Orc but whatever it was, it seemed like Jak had begun to view Nate as a superior.

“Wulfgar mentioned this is your first time in the Dynasty. It was my first time on Fifth Scale but I’ve been to Serpent’s Wing, Hammerhome specifically, once before. I know of a good place to stay if you’re interested. Comfortable and discreet. Price ain’t bad either. Sound like something you might want to check out?”

Nate glanced at Kiri who was whispering something to Gwen and felt a small smile creep onto his face.

“Sure, that sounds perfect,” answered Nate.

“Jak was telling me how they split everything up in big places like the Dynasty,” added Wulfgar. “Sections of the city are set aside for tiers. Almost every world only has a split between mortals and Lesser Divinities. Not enough Greater and True Divinities to warrant their own sections of a city, though the way Jak tells it, their compounds are usually so big as to be a city unto themselves.”

Nate nodded along, simply acknowledging the words. He could see the proof below him anyway. The towering skyscrapers that seemed to double as both apartment buildings and business ones gave way to the beating heart of Hammerhome. The compound in the very centre would’ve taken up a third of the city on its own, with what looked like private gardens, arenas, and even areas set aside for training grounds, living areas, and a business district.

“That’s the World Forger Sect,” whispered Jak, the Orc leaning down to say so softly. “Founded by the Greater Divinity Worldhammer, before they were absorbed into the Dynasty.”

“What kind of Path do they follow?” asked Nate curiously.

“Heard they call it the Path of the Inner World. No idea the Class name. Supposedly they cultivate some kind of miniature world inside themselves that they can draw on for power. Makes their other choices pretty flexible, which is something plenty of those who come up in some Sect or another lack.”

“Interesting idea though,” Nate mused. “Wonder if they rely on Space or use some other Concept to create their inner worlds.”

Jak shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“What about your Path, Jak? Unless it’s impolite to ask?” Nate probed while Wulfgar smirked.

“I don’t mind sharing, if you think your sister will take it easy on me if we run into each other in the combat tournament?” hedged Jak.

“I can probably convince her.”

“I’ll take that. Don’t want to have any lingering issues because she got a bit too hot-blooded. I follow a Demonic Warrior Path. Got a Class that feeds off my rage to empower me along with an axe specialist Class and a durability Class. Makes me a good frontliner in Dungeons and a decent warrior. Good enough to get through this tournament probably. But nothing special. Wulfgar says you follow a hybrid Path? Crafter and Mage?”

Nate shot a frown at the old warrior but Jak jumped to his defence.

“Don’t be too hard on your bodyguard. Anyone with a small amount of experience would peg you as a Mage. Crafter wasn’t as obvious but the rough bastard didn’t say what type of Crafter, though my guess is an Enchanter, seeing as Jemima is clearly an alchemist the way she hands your sister potions like she’s got an endless supply.”

Nate hedged on how much to share. Jak’s own words had focused on the general theme of his Classes but not the details, giving a picture of a warrior that wielded his emotion as a weapon while being designed to take and deliver the hits. Nate supposed he could do the same.

“An Enchanter-type Class coupled with Space and Life Mage Classes.”

The response was barebones but Jak stopped and looked thoughtful.

“Space and Life together is pretty uncommon but I bet that would make you a powerful Healer that’s a pain in the ass to pin down. Throw in Enchanting and you’re like the perfect support. Your sister goes in and does the damage while you set up wide range control effects and heal her as needed? That’s actually pretty solid. Especially with Wulfy to act as a go between and Jemima to enhance the lot of you. That’s some long-term strategy right there!” crowed Jak, laughing and slapping his stomach with meaty thuds.

The enchanted, wooden bird began to descend before Nate could comment on Jak’s thinking and Nate quickly found himself filing off the flying device along with Jak’s team and the two elven teams from Fifth Scale.

The area they were in was similar to the Lesser Divine zone in Jungpo, but on a much larger scale. Jungpo’s Lesser Divine zone had housed less than a hundred Divinities, the remainder of the staff made up of high-level mortals. Hammerhome was clearly meant to support thousands of Divinities, and continued the theme of the Dynasty with meshing plants and floating platforms to give a sense of height and scale.

Nate appreciated the aesthetic, finding it calming and welcoming. Instead of linear streets, wide paths wended through parks filled with towering trees and among them nestled huge buildings made of all sorts of materials. The one Jak led them towards was at least fifteen stories tall, made of dark wood that looked like it had been grown into being.

Walking in through the huge double doors was like walking inside of a tree, with various art and flowers decorating the expansive foyer along with wooden chairs and lounges. Nate’s eyes were drawn to the artworks and though he could sense two elves in his sphere, he directed his focus towards the paintings. He was just thinking about the preference they seemed to have for thick brushstrokes when Kiri started pulling hard on his sleeve.

“What?” he asked, turning towards her.

Kiri nudged him with an amused smirk before flicking her eyes towards the desk they were approaching. Behind the desk stood an older female elf, with clear blue eyes and dark purple hair.

“Hrung’Jak, is that you?” greeted the matron with a warm smile.

“I’m back, Felicia!” laughed the Orc marching forward. “And I brought a few friends along.”

“Jak, you old scoundrel! I see Gwen and Fillow are still with you. Where’s Poi’rah?”

Jak sighed loudly, the sound like a bellows out of his huge chest.

“Poi found greener pastures. Got picked up by Voidsteel Enterprises.”

“The ones who design and build Divine security systems?” asked Felicia.

“One and the same. Was a sad day to see him go, but I can’t blame him. It was a good offer and far more secure work than looking for Dungeon access on Feeder Worlds. We haven’t found someone else to fill his spot in the team yet so we’re working with three.”

“That’s a shame, but I am sure you’ll bounce back. Going to introduce me to your new friends then?”

Nate forced a smile, trying to ignore Kiri elbowing him in the ribs.

“I’m Nate, this is Kiri, and behind us are Wulf’gar and Jemima. We’re from the Risen Sun Sect,” greeted Nate, trying not to grit his teeth.

“Ask her if she wants a personal painting!” whispered Kiri’s voice in his mind as he struggled to keep a straight face.

“I also have a Familiar around here somewhere,” added Nate.

Frick chose that moment to blur across the room like a blue lightning bolt as the little goblin chased a butterfly as big as Nate’s head. Claws extended, Frick launched himself at the butterfly only for it to send out a blast of wind that knocked Frick off course and through one of the couches. Wooden shrapnel exploded from the impact and Nate facepalmed.

“I’ll pay for that,” he muttered as Frick climbed out of the wreckage, head on a swivel as he looked for the butterfly.

Said butterfly had hooked around and alighted calmly on top of Felicia’s head.

“Rambunctious one you have there. Chasing my little Gossamer, but as long as you’re paying for the damages and replacement we’ll have no issues.”

Nate frowned in confusion, “You don’t want me to ask Frick not to chase Gossamer?”

“She can use the exercise and half the fun of being chased is getting caught. Isn’t that right Jak?” Felicia replied, directing her flirtation at Jak, which Nate was eminently thankful for.

Jak just guffawed and Nate thought he might’ve detected a hint of purple in the Orcs cheeks, which begged the question, could Orcs blush. The answer seemed like a yes and apparently their blood was purple.

“We can catch up on missed time later, Jak. I should act like a proper host. Welcome to the Hollow Hearth. My name is Felicia Mossvale, owner and proprietor. How many rooms would you like and for how long do you intend to stay?” asked Felicia.

Sorting out rooms was a relatively quick affair and in the end they booked out a third of the Hollow Heart, with everyone taking a room for themselves. Kiri had considered sharing a room with Jemima until the risk of alchemical smells was raised at which point Jemima had a special room set aside for her that was designed to help capture and clear said fumes. Nate had no desire to share a room with anyone and so had set Wulfgar up with his own room as well. Nate did get the sense that normally Jak, Fili, and Gwen shared a room to keep their costs down but between Felicia’s flirtation with Jak and Gwen’s ongoing fling with Kiri, even Jak’s team got individual rooms. Though Nate suspected Gwen’s wouldn’t get much use.

Nate settled into his room, admiring the similarly large patio that housed a private garden. He supposed for Lesser Divines, once they had reached these heights, the idea of comfort and space was more important to them than holding onto their wealth with tight fists. He’d barely done a single circuit of his garden when Kiri appeared next to him, twitching momentarily.

“That stung,” she grunted. “Got some decent security. Feels like it limits my use of Soul Shift. Had to push through and it actually hurt a bit.”

“He’d call that good training,” replied Nate with a smile, clearly referencing Ankh without saying the ancient dragon’s name. After all, you never knew who was listening.

“Grandmaster would,” agreed Kiri, adopting the Sect way of talking. “I might even do a little training, assuming I can find the time.”

Kiri waggled her eyebrows at him and Nate rolled his eyes in response.

“Yes, yes, I am glad to see you’re happy and even gladder that they actually have enchantments in the walls that naturally restrict my awareness.”

Kiri laughed, “I’d joke that you might learn something but I think you’d find a better teacher in Felicia.”

“I knew it,” grumbled Nate. “Couldn’t resist could you?”

“What?” asked Kiri innocently. “I’m just saying, she’s in the right age range and certainly seems spry enough if she’s climbed Jak before. Show her a few of your paintings and see where it gets you!”

“I don’t know… “ hedged Nate.

“I get it,” Kiri replied, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’ve been thinking about Britt and how there is an opportunity there to get back what you thought you had lost. But we’re going to be away from home for a while. Jak mentioned World Reapings can take up to a year on their own. That’s not including the time the tournament takes. And this is just our first stop. It could be a few years before we get home. Who knows what could happen in that time? Maybe she moves on. Maybe you do. I’m not suggesting you throw yourself at every woman that looks willing, but maybe be open to it? Not like we’re going to linger here, so they would just be flings anyway.”

Nate snorted gently, “Okay. Point taken. I’ll try not to act like I am celibate. But I am still not going to take a shot at Felicia. Not about to go cutting another man’s grass and Jak seems like an alright guy.”

“Sure sure, we’ll find you some other matronly elf,” said Kiri with a cheeky grin.

“Why does it always have to be ‘matronly’ with you?” complained Nate.

“It’s not my fault that you’re cougarbait,” teased Kiri.

Nate just sighed, “Let’s go get something to eat.”