Jack had the butterflies send a message to the ducol, asking for a meeting as soon as possible. He was informed that the ducol was willing to speak with him in person, but that it would take a day or two before the meeting could happen. Jack wanted the meeting to involve everyone, so it made sense to have the meeting in person.
A meeting with a former god was daunting, but Jack was more worried about how he was going to handle the time before that. The bore-bot trio all treated him differently after their long conversation. There was a heavy feeling over every interaction they had, and Jack made a point to avoid them when he could. Jeler was more or less the same, only asking a few questions when they were alone together. The animalus seemed to trust Jack to an absurd degree, even going so far as to say that he would help Jack run away if things got too dangerous.
Jack didn't really want to run away. He enjoyed the mercenary camp, and the bore-bots were good people when they weren't upset with him. As appealing as the idea of seeing the other sights of Drowl appealed to Jack, he was still afraid to leave the relative safety of the camp. Even ignoring the possibility of attempts on his life, people from all over the world were coming to him for access to the system. It was his responsibility, and anything short of another worldwide announcement from the High Deity would not be a good enough excuse to leave.
Jack spent most of his downtime consulting with people coming to receive their 'gift' from the High Deity. As always, people had heard rumors, or seen others with access to the system, and had formed strong opinions about what they wanted. Many people seemed to assume that Jack would give them higher stats or more skills if they sucked up to him. Hypothetically he could do that, but that was a very slippery slope. Even ignoring the ethical problems, Jack had very little use for most of the bribery that people proposed.
It seemed as though the fact that Jack was a tri-internal type bore-bot wasn't spreading among the populace very much. Some people came with rare foods or attractive women dressed provocatively. Once they saw him, they quickly changed tracks, offering varying amounts of money in order to buy stats. Money was slightly more enticing, but Jack was genuinely concerned that it would mean various world leaders would visit him again. Both the Queen of Cheria and the Queen of all demons scared Jack, and he didn't want to deal with them.
Jack firmly told everyone who asked that he would not alter their stats or skills, claiming that the High Deity wished for people to experience their own growth. This was met with surprising resistance by some people. Most smiled tightly and pretended it was fine, but a few people simply started cussing and raging at the excuse. The few who raised a fuss were quickly subdued and escorted away, forced out of the mercenary camp with all haste. The whole experience gave Jack more insight into people's perceptions of the High Deity. Even when Jack used the god as an excuse, it was clear that many people only complied out of social obligation or fear.
Jack found himself getting frustrated once more at the thought of waking Deis up. The god was a control freak and a stalker for every living being on Drowl, and it was clear that many people only 'worshiped' him because they had to. There were obvious zealots, people who scraped and bowed willingly at even the mention of the High Deity, but they were in the minority as far as Jack could tell.
Dealing with people took most of Jack's free time, and he was pretty grateful for the distraction. Giving people access to the system meant helping them, and Jack was able to truly feel like he was doing good. He was able to lose himself in work for the better part of a day and a half. However, His distraction was interrupted by a certain group's arrival.
"Make Way! Make Way!" A man on horseback, dressed in heavy plate armor raced through the camp. He bore a large flag, the symbol of the true church emblazoned on it. The horse trampled through the camp, and the man seemed to expect people to simply part for him. Curses followed the man as surprised mercenaries fell back or dropped things in haste to avoid being trampled. Only when the man saw Jack did he pull his mount to a stop and dismount.
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"Excuse me, I am looking for Jack, chosen servant of the High Deity."
Jeler took a defensive stance, moving himself between Jack and the newcomer. "And who are you supposed to be?"
The man removed his helmet, and a strange sight greeted Jack. The man's face was shaped differently than a human, closer to that of a mole. Instead of hair, he had layered scales that flowed along his skin. Jack realized that he was an animalus, his form some kind of scaled creature, maybe a pangolin. "I take it that this...person is Jack. Greetings, I am a representative of the True Church. I have come as a messenger o to inform you that an envoy will be coming to meet with Jack. They will arrive in an hour." The man had looked at Jack with piercing eyes, and Jack suspected that there had been some level of judgment about his bore-bot form in the man's gaze.
An hour was not enough warning in Jack's opinion, and judging by Jeler's expression it wasn't enough for him either. Jeler growled slightly, "An hour? Couldn't give us more warning than that?"
The pangolin man shook his head. 'Forgive me, but from what I understand this is a matter of the utmost importance. I do not have the power to change anything, I am just a messenger after all." The man donned his helmet again. "The message has been delivered, I will now return to the delegation. Go inform your superiors and make the necessary arrangements for our arrival." The man remounted his horse and left without another word.
Jeler watched the man go worriedly. "A delegation from the church? Do you think..." the question was left unanswered, Jeler didn't dare talk about the large secret in the open like this.
Jack nodded slightly. "I'd bet good money on it. Go warn Riniox that the church is coming. I'll go warn Reph and the others, they might want to hide Abac just in case."
The two quickly scrambled to spread the word, and shortly thereafter the camp readied itself huridly for a delegation from the church. Scouting reports indicated over one hundred people bearing the symbology of the True Church, many of whom were armored in full plate and bearing weapons. There was also a very auspicious carriage bearing multiple flags that likely contained some VIPs. Jack grew more nervous with each report, and Riniox seemed to grow more worried as well.
The demon commander yelled out orders until the last minute, sending people every which way to prepare the camp. Some troops were ordered away, not trusted enough to keep level heads and proper respect in front of the church. In some ways, it seemed like Riniox was more worried about these individuals than she had been about visiting royalty. When Jack commented on it, she just laughed. "Well if you mess up and piss off some monarch, you can always move to a different country. But piss off the church? You'll be hunted down like a dog."
The words did not fill Jack with confidence, and he grew more nervous as the troops filed into the compound. There was a clear line that neither side was willing to cross, and Jack imagined that this was what a tense ceasefire felt like. Two forces staring each other down with an intensity that filled the air. The carriage opened, and two individuals were shepherded out. There were small gasps as the two people emerged, and a ripple of shock moved down the mercenary line.
There was a steam internal type bore-bot woman and a draconid man with dark green scales, each dressed in heavy black cloaks reminiscent of Deis. There was an aura about them, a weight of power and authority that Jack had only really felt from the Queen of all Demons. These people were powerful and important, and they carried themselves in a way that showed they were aware of how powerful they were.
The bore-bot woman spoke after they left the carriage. "Blessings upon you all. I am Braith, arch-deacon of the High deity. this is Rilm, my fellow arch-deacon. We have come to speak with Jack, servant of the High Deity, about a very important matter." Braith did not look away from Riniox, who stood at the front of the mercenary band. She clearly recognized the woman as the person in charge and made eye contact the entire time.
Riniox regarded the woman before waving a hand, beckoning Jack to come forward. As he did so, he could see Braith's expression tighten. Her steam remained constant, but Jack could tell that the sight of him offended her. He sighed internally but kept a neutral expression on his face. It was time to face the music.