The Runic Artist Chapter 26: Chapter 344 - Brokering for Broke

Read chapter 26 of The Runic Artist by Ellake on NovelPedia.

The sound of Nate’s comfortable boots echoed with each footfall down the metallic hall. On his right thick glass windows stretched from below his eye level to far above, putting the majestic view of the planet Eternia, the home world of the Eternal River Sect, in clear view. The sight was beautiful and in stark contrast with the mostly silver and grey utilitarian walkways of the Starbreaking Guild spaceship. The dull colours were all the more obvious given Nate’s choice of yellow, white, and purple robes. Even he had to acknowledge that he looked out of place, especially given his escorts. In front of Nate walked the Lesser Divine who had come to guide him, dressed in dark grey robes. Behind Nate walked two Greater Divinity guards. The squat dwarves were armoured to the teeth, looking more like walking robots than living beings. The guards were apparently there for Nate’s safety, but, even if that wasn’t the case, he felt no real threat from them. A door loomed in front of them, stretching over four metres tall with the flashing lights of a mana-powered console to the left. The doors opened with a swipe key used by the Lesser Divine guide. Nate’s Conceptual Sight picked up on the interface between the card and door’s locking mechanism. He noted the design for future plans with a corner of his mind while the greater part took in the room. Inside, the glass wall continued to loop around the entire front of the spaceship, revealing a stunning view of Eternia along with two of its five moons. While the hallway had been bereft of decoration, the same could not be said of the room he now found himself in. Plush rugs carpeted the floor while curios in sealed containers stood atop pedestals, sparking or whirring with various Concepts and energy signatures. A gigantic wooden table took up the centre of the room with enough ornate seats to comfortably allow over a dozen individuals to participate. Atop the table were a selection of plates, with a yellow-skinned elf standing off to the side behind what Nate took to be a bar of some description. The various liquids were stored in anything from standard glass bottles to one that looked like it was a science experiment with the orange liquid constantly in motion through a series of tubes. Around the table stood four individuals, three of which had been in deep conversation right up until the door opened. The fourth sat, nursing a drink that smelled like spices and alcohol to Nate. Glancing at those present, he recognised two instantly. Dorin, the Lesser Divine dwarf who had first introduced Nate to the Starbreaking Guild, stood alongside Wu To’sama, the Head Merchant from Nate’s World Reaping who was now a Greater Divine. The third standing member was another Greater Divinity. This one was also a human, her skin like obsidian, dark and smooth. Nate couldn’t get an immediate idea of the Concept she was emitting and so cycled the task of figuring it out to the back of his mind when the trio turned to greet him. “Welcome Nathaniel,” greeted the woman. “Thank you for accepting our invitation. Let me introduce everyone. I know you’ve met Dorin Starbeard and Wu To’sama previously. I am the Chief of Procurement for the Stellar Faction, Anastasia Tanbrick, and I will be handling all of the negotiations today. However, one of our founders asked to sit in on the meeting. I’d like to introduce you to our Chief of Research and Development for the Starbeard Faction and Lord of the Starforge, Hurin Starbeard.” Nate glanced at the seated True Divine. The dwarf was a bit older, with streaks of grey in his braided, black beard. Like Wu To’sama, the dwarf was bald with a shiny pate. However, where Wu To’sama was quite hairless on his face, Hurin Starbeard possessed bushy, black eyebrows that mostly shaded his sharp, brown eyes. “So, you’re the youngster that my great grandson was raving about. Artist of Last Rites, eh? Looking at you, you look more like one of those soft, Sectborn Seeds in their fancy robes.