Nate walked beside Marshal Hondo, a grey-skinned Orc from The Golden Tide faction, and pondered whether he had made the right decision. On one hand, it seemed foolish to reject the offer of a dinner invitation from a True Divine.

On the other hand, Grommir was also the individual who had assessed Nate’s spatial zone and, while Nate hadn’t gotten into any trouble over whatever Grommir reported, that in no way meant that Grommir hadn’t intentionally under-reported something.

Basically, Nate was concerned that he was walking into a trap. Not the kind that would see him kidnapped. No, Nate suspected that he was about to be blackmailed. Agreeing to such a meeting felt foolish, but then, denying such an offer felt like it would lead to an even worse outcome. If Grommir had information on Nate that the Grand Marshal could use against him, then denying the offer of a meeting seemed like a good way to get whatever that information was used against him immediately.

The problem was that Nate had no idea what he might be carrying that was considered contraband. He had the three Low-Divine Artifact rings on him. Then there were a few small creations made from his Divine Paint that he had set aside for Frick. Those he was withholding from his Familiar simply because using them now would unbalance Frick. Nate had no Sigils for Chaos and nothing he could twist in that direction. In fact, finding a Sigil for Chaos was high on his list of priorities for catching the crazy little goblin up. Gluttony was Frick’s other half and Nate could twist Destruction into something resembling Consumption. The loss of Divine Energy was high and the conversion done by Frick would lose even more, but it was better than nothing.

Still, none of those should have been contraband as far as Nate knew. Besides that, there was just food, wine, furniture, his flying ship Solaris, his art gallery, and a small pile of Orbs that were honestly barely worth mentioning since there was nothing in there above Legendary. He just didn’t know what Grommir could have learned that he could use against Nate.

He tried to suppress his concerns, putting one foot in front of the other as his mind spun through possibilities for how the meeting would go. He’d left word with Felicia to let Kiri know where he had gone. So, if he truly was fucked and was forced to make a quick escape, at least Kiri would know, as his sister was likely to return to the hotel soon when the sun was setting.

The walk to the Golden Tide compound was painful in the sense that Nate was constantly trying to force himself to relax and not walk so stiffly. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from the hotel. Approaching the walls reminded Nate of a military compound, with tall walls manned by uniformed guards who patrolled in pairs. The guards themselves seemed to be mostly Orcs and Humans, though Nate spotted a few larger individuals that must be the same race as Grommir.

The inside of the compound made Nate think of the architecture of ancient Rome. Tall pillars and plinths rose high into expansive ceilings with square-cut areas filled with gardens, baths, or sand opened to the sky. In a number of those areas, uniformed men and women of the Golden Tide trained. Mostly Mythics, Nate decided from watching them, refraining from actually scanning anyone. They fought with spear and sword and shield, blasts of light and golden outlines following them as they fought in pairs or in lines, following what looked like choreographed movements.

“The Grand Marshal wished you to see the might of The Golden Tide up close,” explained Marshal Hondo as the Orc continued to lead Nate on a circuitous route through the compound before arriving before a multi-story metal box.

That was the best description Nate could give the unadorned, utilitarian building that loomed before him in grey metal. Enchantments ran through the walls, keeping Nate’s awareness firmly outside of the building. Nate saw armoured and adorned Orcs and Humans moving around carrying metal slates and gem-fragments as they continued to work into the evening. The bureaucracy of a well-oiled military on full display.

Marshal Hondo led Nate up the stairs and to the uppermost floor of the command building before guiding him to a door marked with three stars hovering over a golden sun. The Orc knocked sharply with his knuckles twice.

“Enter,” came the response.

Marshal Hondo opened the door, ushering Nate in ahead of him. Grand Marshal Grommir loomed larger than life behind his desk, a metal slate with gems embedded in it set to the side and a stack of paper in front of him. Looking up, Grommir showed no emotion on his flat face, yellow eyes flicking from Nate to Marshal Hondo.

“Thank you, Marshal. That will be all for now.”

Marshal Hondo snapped a salute before quickly exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Nate took that moment to get a sense of the room. On the walls hung various flags, standards, weapons, and armour. They came in a variety of styles, though Nate sensed no Divine Energy from any of them. Trophies then, rather than resources. That was, however, the extent of the decorations within the room. The remains were spartan, with a desk, Grommir’s chair, and two chairs facing the Grand Marshal. Orderly was how Nate would’ve described it.

Swallowing his misgivings, he prepared to be blackmailed, which was why Grommir’s first words left Nate confused.

“Apologies for the sudden invitation, but I wasn’t sure how else to approach you, given I found no record of The Risen Sun Sect in our archives.”

“That’s alright,” hedged Nate.

“While I am curious about that, curiosity can wait to be satisfied until business has been conducted. The chefs are preparing our dinner as we speak. I took the liberty of ordering you a selection of what our human officers prefer. I hope that it is suitable. While we wait, I shall lay down my offer and request so as not to waste your time or mine. After all, we are both experts in our fields.”

Grommir leaned back slightly.

“While searching your storage space for contraband, I came across a gallery of paintings. The nature of the space leads me to believe you created the artworks, rather than collected them. A few in particular caught my eye. There was one of two armies doing battle across a muddy field.”

Nate took the hint and reached into his spatial zone, extracting the painting and an easel upon which to rest it. The painting was one he had done after the battle between the Third Army, under Morgane, battling the forces of Asmuisil. It had been meant to show the plight of the militia that had been conscripted by Etrua and their futility against the organised forces of Asmuisil. Champions of Asmuisil fought Lords and Ladies of Etrua while the common folk of Etrua broke themselves against the shields of the Asmuisil regulars.

“Yes,” stated Grommir. “This one in particular. It reminded me of some of my own battles. Order versus Chaos. The strength of soldiers displayed in their solidarity against unorganised rabble. An aspect of some types of War.”

Nate could hear the ringing of a Divine Truth in that final statement, though the Truth was not his own. An insight into Grommir’s own Path perhaps.

“You were there?” asked Grommir, as the gigantic ogre moved around his desk to get closer to the painting.

Reciprocity hummed and Nate realised up until now they had been speaking mostly in statements. Nothing asked or requested. But this time Grommir wanted to know. A small thing, but they both clearly felt the pressure.

“I promise, under The System, that your time and answers will be appropriately compensated,” added Grommir.

Nate nodded, “I was there.”

“The way you display the futility among the rabble, militia I am guessing, makes me think that you were on the same side as them. The anguish on their faces. The attention to detail with the signs of blood and dismemberment. Am I right?”

“You are,” admitted Nate. “It was my first time seeing a large-scale battle. It left a mark on me.”

“Did you win?”

“The battle? No. We were betrayed from within. Those who survived scattered and fled.”

Grommir nodded thoughtfully, “An army not unified is doomed to defeat. A lesson The Golden Tide learned long ago. Only through Order can victory be grasped. I had suspected as much, though I am somewhat surprised at the defeat given your presumed caliber. A Seed should have been able to turn the tides. Or perhaps you were simply following orders and not allowed to display your true strength?”

Nate felt the second hum of another Divine Truth and thought he now had a decent grasp on Grommir’s Path. At least the outlines of it. It also made Nate think that maybe it wasn’t blackmail Grommir had invited him for. The last thing he had expected was to be discussing one of his artworks with a True Divine.

As for the Grand Marshal’s questions, Nate just shrugged, not wanting to reveal his meteoric rise to the True Divine.

Grommir didn’t seem to mind, moving on without a single twitch of eye or mouth at the lack of a response.

“There were some other artworks I noted. A battle outside a coastal city against beasts.”

Nate produced the painting of the battle of Pinoreth, where he had created his Regalia and thrown the beasts of the jungle into a frenzy as they had thrown themselves at the Calikex in a mad fury to get at the Divine Energy on display.

“Less organised,” commented Grommir. “This makes me think of a small unit combat. They even bear particular designations based on their outfits. Not an army. Combat units following different paths. Very chaotic. No Order to be seen here. The colours used are less vibrant than the previous artwork as well. I admit, I do not know what you are trying to convey here. Will you share with me?”

Nate glanced at the ceiling in thought before opening his mouth.

“This piece was a penance. The colours are darker because it is meant to be a reminder of a mistake made, rather than a celebration of a success. My own personal price. Reciprocity was satisfied, but they weren’t given a choice to participate.”

Grommir nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“If Reciprocity was satisfied, then you should be as well. This Reality does not forgive weakness. There was one last piece that caught my eye. Armies clashing in a jungle below while Divinities fought against a dragon in the sky.”

Nate tensed at the request but after a moment produced the painting of the Eternium forces fighting the Calikex while Lord Ankh’Aris battled against their True Divines in the sky above.

“This,” stated Grommir. “Is an invasion. And unless I miss my guess, those forces are from The Eternium.”

“How can you tell?” blurted out Nate.

Grommir smiled, “The Golden Tide has fought them before. They’re not from this sector of the Heartlands but their widespread use of elementally-aligned warriors is kept in our records. Along with the nature of their Seeds and Greater Divinities, who merge a basic element with something more esoteric. It’s a known Path and, while not unique to The Eternium, the lack of any other forms of combatants on display gives it away. Thank you for confirming my suspicion.”

Nate felt the debt between them lessen slightly as Grommir answered his question.

“Not a battle I recognise though,” continued Grommir. “The dragon is unusual. They are incredibly rare in The Heartlands. I know of only three and none of them are black-scaled. Did you witness this battle?”

Nate shook his head, “I witnessed the memory of it. Not the actual battle itself.”

Reciprocity built again in response.

“Ah. A teaching device then perhaps? Don’t answer that. It’s ultimately not relevant. The battle itself is interesting to me. Your use of colour is brighter this time. What was the emotion behind it?”

“Hope. It was hope. I thought the invaders, The Eternium, would be pushed back. That the… natives would win.”

“Did they?”

“Yes and no. They ended up pushing The Eternium back but not before losing a great deal of their heritage and Divine Artifacts.”

Grommir nodded, “A pyrrhic victory then. If the natives had been organised, do you think they could’ve won?”

Nate thought over the question. Could the Calikex have won if the Sects had been united? If they’d been organised in how they defended their lands? The answer was likely yes. Strategy, tactics, and logistics might have turned the tide against The Eternium.

“I think so,” agreed Nate hesitantly.

Grommir smiled, showing sharp teeth.

“That is good. You have answered my questions and I think we have taken the measure of each other. Now to my proposals. This is entirely separate to the debt I now owe you. Firstly, I would like to purchase these three paintings. The System will determine the price between us if you accept. Are you willing to part with them?”

Nate glanced at the three paintings. He didn’t want to part with them. Any of them. They were his creations. Artworks that spoke to him, capturing his past and his Path. However, he came to The Heartlands partially to fuel his growth and now a True Divine was willing to trade for his art. A trade that would no doubt involve Divine Artifacts. And Nate could recreate the artworks. The wise decision was to agree, and so, with a heavy heart he did.

“I am.”

“I was uncertain as to your own Path. I still am. Reciprocity is telling me that… a single Low-Divine Artifact for each would be sufficient. That will be based on the Concepts you wish them to contain. I have a reasonable selection but we tend to collect specific Concepts that align with the Paths and Classes of The Golden Tide so I might not be able to meet your demands. What are your preferences?”

Nate didn’t need one for Transformation. He had the Totemic Transformation Ring for that. Chaos for Frick was almost certainly out, given how much Grommir had espoused the idea of Order. That didn’t mean Nate wasn’t going to ask. Just that he needed a backup. Gluttony was also on the menu since then Nate could start settling his debt with his Familiar. As for Nate, he could work with almost anything since he was going to feed it to his Regalia to continue expanding his tapestry of Reality. All Concepts were important for that endeavour.

“Chaos or Gluttony if you have them. Otherwise, Order and War is fine. My only ask is that each one be unique. No repeated Concepts.”

Grommir produced three items, each humming with a contained Truth. Nate activated his new ability, Conceptual Sight, his eyes glowing with mana and swirling with a slowly unfolding mandala of colours that shimmered behind his green pupil.

A simple white rod of chalk denoted the Concept of Order. A shard of metal, likely broken from a weapon, whispered of War. Finally, a black blob of slime hummed with something resembling Gluttony. It took Nate a moment to recognise Engulf for what it was. With each realisation a small amount of Divine Energy flowed into Nate and he glanced up at Grommir, realising his mistake.

The ogre was giving him an unusual, scrutinising look, no doubt having sensed the in flow of Divine Energy. Either way, the Grand Marshal said nothing, moving back to his chair behind the desk and sitting down so that they faced each other across the expanse of wood.

Nate put the Low-Divine Artifacts in his spatial zone as Grommir continued to speak.

“As for my second request, I would like to request a painting from you. I want your help in creating a gift suitable for catching the eye of my beloved.”

Nate tried not to let his jaw hit the floor. He failed.