Chapter 274 - Heartland Smugglers

A/N: This is the last chapter of Book 5 (currently titled Colours of the Wild). Friday's chapter will be the start of Book 6. I may need to

A/N: This is the last chapter of Book 5 (currently titled Colours of the Wild). Friday's chapter will be the start of Book 6. I may need to

A/N: This is the last chapter of Book 5 (currently titled Colours of the Wild). Friday's chapter will be the start of Book 6. I may need to

A/N: This is the last chapter of Book 5 (currently titled Colours of the Wild). Friday's chapter will be the start of Book 6.

I may need to take a few days off at some point soon to properly write up and map out the entirety of Book 6 as currently it's mostly living rent free in my head and so lacks the structure I usually prefer to have.

With that said, on to todays chapter!

“You can’t be serious,” complained Wulfgar.

“I am deadly serious. How did you think I was going to smuggle you into the Heartlands? We may be of the same strata but the one sending us there certainly isn’t and I guarantee you that he would demand something for the assistance,” explained Nate.

Nate stood with Wulfgar just outside the doors of the Guild Headquarters as Adventurers and support staff rushed too and fro. The chill in the mountain air caressed Nate’s face, making him thankful that his Regalia, today in white and blue, had temperature control built in. The feeling of being warm while his face experienced the frigid environment was a beautiful sensation as far as Nate was concerned.

Nate looked over his shoulder wondering what was taking Kiri so long as Wulfgar started harranging him again.

“Can I at least bring some of my items?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. You just can’t bring them in a spatial storage.”

“Why in the Nine Hells not?” griped the bald barbarian.

“Because it’ll shatter inside my Regalia.”

“Thought you were going to hide me in your robe? Something about a pool of paint?”

“Same thing,” replied Nate with a put upon sigh. “Look, my Regalia is my robe and it contains the paint I use. In a spatial pocket. A spatial pocket that is significantly stronger than any spatial storage item you likely possess. You put a spatial pocket inside a spatial pocket and one of them is going to explode. In this case, it’ll be yours, creating a rift inside my Regalia at best and killing you and destroying some of my paint at worst. No spatial artifacts!”

“Fine, lad! Fine,” grumbled Wulfgar. “How am I supposed to bring all my items then?”

“Put them in a bag and hang them off your new balls,” answered Kiri as she finally made her appearance, Jemima stumbling along behind her looking like a whipped dog.

“You told her?!” shouted Wulfgar, eyes wide.

“My sister and I don’t keep secrets,” replied Nate as he tried not to smirk in amusement.

Wulfgar continued grumbling to himself off to the side as Nate saw the Lesser Divine start pulling items out of a spatial storage amulet and sorting them into a pile on the ground.

“Have you explained it to her?” asked Nate as he turned to face Kiri.

“I have.”

“And she’s going to behave in there?”

“She knows what will happen if she doesn’t,” stated Kiri with a cold stare for Jemima.

“I do! I understand, Mistress!” mumbled Jemima fearfully.

“Thanks for doing this,” added Kiri as she turned back to Nate. “I’ll have to work on a Skill that lets me store living things in my Soul Sanctuary.”

Nate just shrugged, “It’s fine. I’ll be able to tell if they get out of hand. Or try and kill each other.”

Wulfgar grumbled in response but kept sorting his equipment into piles. Nate had considered his options for how to assist Wulfgar in going to the Heartlands. At first he had simply planned to put the man into his house inside of his spatial zone. But the fact was, that he wasn’t certain that Arikanvil wouldn’t be able to glance inside. Reciprocity might not prevent such an intrusion so long as the True Divine didn’t touch anything. If he was able to and saw Wulfgar inside, it would reveal that Nate was smuggling an extra Lesser Divine, or in this case, two, along with them to the Heartlands.

While he wasn’t confident about the protections on his spatial zone, he was very confident about the protections on his Regalia. It had a Divine Close Rune specifically for this purpose. Could Arikanvil get inside if he wanted? Almost certainly, but to do so he would need to actively contest Nate and that would violate Reciprocity. Unfortunately for Wulfgar that meant the man would be spending a day or so swimming in a vat of Divine Paint. He cared far less about Jemima’s discomfort as she would be sharing the space with Wulfgar. Come to think of it, Nate spun on the pair.

“No drinking the paint!”

“What do you take me for?” replied Wulfgar, puffing out his chest. “I ain’t no thief!”

Jemima however shot a fearful look at Kiri and shook her head back and forth violently.

Nate gave a small nod before turning back to Kiri.

“Anything we’ve forgotten?”

“Nope. I’m ready. Seems like Frick is on his way as well.”

Nate could sense his Familiar approaching, the little blue goblin walking up the path with a jingling bag of mana gems in his hand and blood on his knuckles.

Nate’s eyes narrowed, “What do you have there?”

“My winnings, Boss,” answered Frick brightly. “Fella named Clyde needed to be persuaded to part with them but I promise it ain’t a gem more than what was owed!”

Nate just shrugged after a moment. He wasn’t entirely convinced that Frick was being honest. But then, knowing Frick, Nate wasn’t convinced he was being dishonest either. In fact, if he were a betting man, like Frick was a betting goblin, he would’ve put mana on this Clyde fellow handing over the gems without any need of violence. Nate was pretty confident that Frick would hit someone anyway just for the fun of it.

“So long as no one is dead,” stated Nate.

“No one died, Boss. Promise.”

“Then, it seems like we’re ready.”

Frick was the first to go, vanishing into the spatial zone inside of Nate’s body where Nate could sense the little Familiar started sorting out his stash of mana gems and other assorted trophies the little goblin had taken to picking up.

Next was Jemima. Paint stirred from Nate’s Regalia, slowly enveloping the woman who flailed fearfully before going rigidly still at a glance from Kiri. A few seconds later the Lesser Divine alchemist had vanished inside of Nate’s Regalia. He turned to take in Wulfgar who was hurriedly stuffing as much as he could into a bag as tall as he was.

A few quick words later and Wulfgar was gone as well. Nate could sense them inside his Regalia, floating in the small sea of paint that had lost a couple of hundred litres fighting Severen and the Severed Empire. With his stowaways all stored he activated the Close Divine Rune on his Regalia, sealing off the inner world.

“Now we wait?” asked Kiri.

“Now we wait,” he agreed.

*************

It took almost a day before Nate sensed space shift around him and then between one moment and the next they went from sitting atop a snow-capped mountain to standing on Arikanvil’s space station.

Arikanvil loomed over them from nearby, the tall, four-eyed purple True Divine watching them patiently.

“The time has come for you to fulfil your debt,” he intoned. “I hope for both our sakes that you haven’t squandered the time I have allowed you.”

“We’re ready,” stated Kiri confidently.

Nate had to appreciate her acting skills as he swallowed the urge to call the True Divine out on his scheme and the risks he was taking with trillions of lives spread across the multiverse. Instead, Nate held his words, staring in annoyance at Arikanvil in a way that he hoped would indicate his discomfort at being used as a tool and not an awareness of the True Divine’s ultimate goal. If Arikanvil noticed or cared, he didn’t show it.

“Two tasks. That is what was agreed and that is what Reciprocity demands. I require two items from the Heartlands. I am aware of the current location of each. I don’t care how you get them, just get them, then return them to me. Do so and the debt between us will be fulfilled.”

When neither Nate nor Kiri responded Arikanvil continued his explanation.

“The first is a Lesser Divine Spatial Spirit. They’re incredibly rare creatures that can only be found in the Spiritual Realm. One is held by the Greater Divine known as The Hammer that Forged a World. Most call him Worldhammer. He is a member of the Dynasty of the Heavenly Serpent.”

Kiri rolled her eyes at the name but Arikanvil kept speaking.

“The second item is the Molten Heart of the Void Star. It’s held by the Eternal River Sect in their Divine Vault which is managed by a Greater Divine who is known only as Old Man River. Questions?”

“Yeah, where the fuck do you get off pitting us against Greater Divines?” shouted Kiri.

“I’m not,” answered Arikanvil calmly, a smirk on his purple lips. “I am pitting you against their vaults. They do not carry these things on their persons. Each one is a powerhouse not just in their faction, but within this Reality. I cannot take these things from them without violating the Law of Reciprocity. But you can. I haven’t put a time limit on how long you have to complete these tasks, though as my patience grows thinner I suspect you will feel the weight of Reciprocity begin to press down on your shoulders. Now, any questions that are worth my time?”

“Where are you sending us?” asked Nate, glaring at the purple True Divine.

“I will be sending you to Kalithon, one of the feeder worlds for Dynasty of the Heavenly Serpent. From there it’s on you to figure out the rest.”

“And how do we get back?”

Arikanvil smiled like a snake, “You know how to get back. Just draw it again.”

Nate frowned and nodded. The complicated sigil that had once launched him from Earth to Galle would be the way to open a path back here. Wherever here was. Nate was well aware that Arikanvil could move his space station to somewhere else if he wanted. The fact that the True Divine was unwilling to pick them up spoke volumes about his ability to reveal himself in the Heartlands. A fact that Nate might use in the future to his own advantage.

He glanced at Kiri and when she gave him a small smile he turned back to Arikanvil.

“We’re ready.”

A spherical portal ripped into being in the centre of the teleportation room and Nate felt himself pulled towards it just as he had been sucked into that portal on Earth over two years ago. The difference was that this time he could resist it. He stared at the portal, then, taking Kiri’s hand, he willingly leapt into it, vanishing into the place between universes and rocketing forth onto the next step of his journey.

*************

Arikanvil watched as the two humans vanished into the portal. They were second evolution Divines. An oddity within this Reality. And he didn’t trust them.

“Follow them and see what they do. Do not interfere and do not get caught,” he commanded the space beside him.

“As you wish, Master,” whispered Vicoli, Disciple of the Void.

A second later Arikanvil's Greater Divine Disciple had vanished, using his own paths to get to the world Kalithon.

It was all finally coming together. Arikanvil was confident the two little oddities he had picked up would be able to accomplish the tasks he had set them. Just a little longer now and he would be free of these chains and this Reality. But not before he repaid some of those who had denied him.

*************

Luc looked up as Aisling slapped a letter down on his desk.

“What brings the Guildmaster of the Etruan Branch of the Adventurer’s Guild to the Artist’s Emporium?” he teased.

“Cut the crap, Luc. Did you know about this?” demanded Aisling.

“Know about what?” asked Luc, shuffling a bit further forward until his stomach was pressed against his desk before scooping up the letter to read over it quickly. “Well, I’ll be damned. Hostile takeover indeed. Guess the holiday’s over.”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say? They just conquered two kingdoms halfway around the world and you’re joking?”

Luc smirked. He could tell Aisling wasn’t angry. She was simply confused and irate as her pupils spread their wings and revealed that they were capable of encompassing the entire world.

“Who’s joking?” retorted Luc, pushing the letter back across the table. “Now I need to set up more outposts for the Artist’s Emporium, not to mention the additional work to fold them into our portal network. This is going to be months if not years worth of work. And it sounds like the goal is for the Guild to eventually hand over Kingdom management to the Emporium. The fuck do I know about managing a Kingdom?”

“Perhaps I could be of assistance,” came Hildi’s voice from across the room near the window.

“I hope so,” grumbled Aisling. “I’ll return to the Guild and make some preparations. Let's meet for dinner tonight to go over plans.”

Luc nodded his agreement, “The Golden Catch. Not eating any of that garbage they serve over at the Guild. I’ll make the reservation and yes, I will pay for it. Now shoo! I need to plan.”

Once Aisling was out of the room Hildi climbed out from beneath the desk.

“Can I bring Morgane?”

Luc looked at the letter again and sighed, “Fine. Please bring the Minister. I am sure her input will be valuable.”

A moment later Luc was alone and while he planned, a voice kept whispering in the back of his mind how soon enough he’d be the third richest person in the world!

*************

Binder Nafiri pressed the holy artifact against the skin of Sister Jasmine’s head. The look of relief and freedom that filled Jasmine’s face was like water on Nafiri’s lips. In the darkness behind her, filling the ancient crypts beneath the City of Hakool, other Binders and Nameless waited their turn. 

The entire structure of Gashana was built upon the backs of the Binders. A Class that was only allowed to be taken by women and by City Lords, who would then cage other Binders or essential members of the Gashanan hierarchy with Soul Contracts. The squads of Nameless and the Overseers were just a few that would find themselves bound. 

Sister Jasmine was one such Binder, standing only a single step below Merchant Lord Halal, the old bastard holding the venerable woman's Soul Contract. 

“I am free…” whispered Jasmine, before beckoning forth the next Binder.

Throughout the night the holy artifact was pressed into skin and those once bound in servitude released, their souls tasting freedom for the first time in decades. As the numbers of the Freed grew a few, especially amongst the overseers and a few favoured Binders, proved themselves loyal to the regime and were silenced, permanently. Their bodies left within the crypts, where they belonged, as the living rose with the light of the dawn to claim their freedom and a city.

Binder Nafiri looked to Gajal, First among the Nameless. Beyond them, the city burned as the Nameless fought Merchant Lord Halal’s elite guard, the populace hiding in their homes or taking advantage of the chaos to loot what they could. A few even fled the city, rushing into the desert with what little they could carry.

“This is just the start,” she whispered to the morning air.

“With the Holy Artifact, we shall free our people. FREEDOM!” Gajal screamed, raising his dagger to reflect the sun’s light.