King Belosh had reigned for decades over a reign of comparative peace. There had been battles upon the Sea of Power and a few raids and skirmishes. Many of his sons had marched to fight in Calisha's wars abroad. Yet Western Kalthak, in his reign, had been peaceful and productive. He had stockpiled goods during good harvests. In doing so, no one went hungry when famine struck the land.

Unfortunately, the era of peace might be coming to an end.

One of his principal warriors walked into the throne room now. He came through the door, his orange hair a mess as always. His ram horns stood out nearly as much as his size, which towered over the guards. On his back was a massive cleaver of a sword, and his garb was in fur.

Evidently, no one had taken his sword, as usual. Isamu had a way of bypassing such restrictions.

"Isamu, I'm glad to see you here at last," said Belosh.

"Well, I got a bit held up, but plans can change," said Isamu. "What's the story?"

"Isamu, show some respect!" said Agas, white-bearded and ancient. One who was still dedicated to some level of decency. "You are in the presence of King Belosh of Western Kalthak, and you will kneel!"

"Break my arm if you want, old man," scoffed Isamu. "I kneel to no one."

"Enough, we've had this discussion far too many times, and it will never happen, Agas," said Belosh. "Isamu is valuable enough to tolerate his quirks. Or I would not have requested his presence."

"So, what's the story?" repeated Isamu.

"A meeting," said Belosh, remembering the letter. "King Abdul Sahshir I of Eastern Kalthak has invited me to visit him." And it was not an invitation he wanted to accept, though he had no intention of saying as much. "Though I wonder why he never requested my aid before now. Certainly, I might have made his ascension a far simpler matter."

"So, go do it or don't; why do you need to call me for this?" asked Isamu flatly.

"Don't pretend to be ignorant, Isamu," said Belosh. "There has been bad blood between our nations. Blood that had persisted since Eastern Kalthak came into existence."

Isamu paused. "...When did this happen? I know Asim's a bastard, but I thought he was just some bandit."

Asim... a common bandit...

Belosh had a headache trying to understand how Isamu could be so ignorant. Asim had carried out his raids in a specific bid to discredit Belosh. And worse still, it had almost worked. Before Asim attacked, there had been a discussion of giving Eastern Kalthak back. He was owed it by right.

Afterward, with both sides gearing up for a full-scale war, Baltoth interceded. He had decided to leave them separate. Officially because Eastern Kalthak did not want to rejoin. But it had been because Calisha lost confidence in Belosh. He'd had to scramble for years to regain Baltoth's confidence. His sons had done well there, better than Belosh had managed.

Not that Isamu would understand this, even if it were explained to him. So, perhaps a more mythical explanation? "Agas, explain, will you."

The older man nodded and stood slowly so as not to disturb his joints. "In ages past, the Goddess Safara was expanding her influence worldwide. Her very presence could enslave men and women alike. The merest glimpse caused them to fall desperately in love with her. Using this, she quickly subdued what is now Dinis and Chaminus.

"Perceiving the threat faced by her, Kalthak attempted to invade her. However, Safara used her charms to convince much of the army to join her. With them under her spell, she began to take over the entire land of Kalthak. Only the great desert between what is now Eastern and Western Kalthak slowed her.

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"For a century, a large part of the land was under her grip."

"Right, right, now I remember," said Isamu. "My old man stopped her from taking over this place with his magic, and they stalemated."

"If we must bring up Rammas, then yes," said Belosh. "My ancestors did work with him. Eventually, High King Suloth and his brother, Baelgost, journeyed into Eastern Kalthak. There, they defeated Safara, chained her, and dragged her back to Ruscow, where she remains."

"I hear they've been putting up all kinds of cults to her in the Sea of Power," said Isamu. "Some imprisonment."

Wait, so Isamu knew that but not the basic history of the world he lived in? That was a very specific level of ignorance. "We can discuss that another time," said Belosh. "The point, Isamu, is that Eastern Kalthak was not rejoined to us as it ought to have been. Rammas' rebellion had seen to that, and instead, it was given to the Sahshir family, a group of petty bandits. And it has remained a borderland for years."

"Some petty bandit," said Isamu. "Last I heard, he wrecked Sorn without your help."

"We had indeed expected him to fail," said Belosh. "We hoped he would be forced to turn to us for support. Unworthy, he proved to be far more adept at leading than expected."

"Isn't that a good thing?" asked Isamu. "Aren't Sorn enemies of Calisha?"

"Yes," said Belosh.

"And isn't Eastern Kalthak part of Calisha?" asked Isamu with an insufferable level of smugness. "So shouldn't we rejoice for Lord Baltoth's victory?"

"We are owed Eastern Kalthak by legal right," said Belosh flatly. "When he abdicated the throne and took up life as Baltoth's Disciple, Aresh ceded all his territory to me. He aimed to reunite Eastern and Western Kalthak and end this pointless divide.

"But when we tried to stand for our rights, Asim started burning our villages in retribution. We both came to the brink of full-scale war. And so, I am denied my lawful rights, and Eastern Kalthak remains in the hands of barbarians.

"I rejoice for Baltoth's victory, of course. As for Abdul Sahshir's victory, that is yet to be decided.

"That is why I've decided to accept his invitation. I want to take the measure of the man and see how I ought to respond to him. Which is why I want you there."

Isamu stared at him incredulously. "You want me present at negotiations?"

"As a bodyguard, you and your entourage are quite formidable," said Belosh. "Your presence should be more than sufficient to head them off.

"And it would be a great honor-"

"Not interested," said Isamu.

"What?!" said Agas, somehow surprised.

"I don't care about honors, and sitting still and silent at banquets has never been my style," said Isamu. "I'd much rather keep fighting bandits.

"That's why you hired me, remember? And I'm sure as hell not acting all polite with Asim."

"King Sahshir is a very good fighter," said Belosh simply.

Isamu paused, that being his weakness. "...How good?"

"They say he injured the God Typhos and forced her to retreat," said Belosh. "He dueled Garacel in single combat twice. The first time he won.

"And he defeated Sorn through sheer force of will."

"So what you're saying is that if I go with you to this place, I can fight this guy?" mused Isamu.

"I'm certain I can arrange a spar between you," said Belosh.

"Alright!" said Isamu, forgetting as usual where he stood. "Finally, someone worth fighting! I mean, Cadas and Urus are okay, but they stopped being able to catch up with me years ago!

"I'll go tell the others right away!" And he walked for the door.

"You were not given permission-" began Agas.

"Don't bother," said Belosh. "He is a demigod. It isn't worth the effort."

The door shut, and the guards sighed. Agas cleared his throat. "Milord, Isamu is entirely unsuitable for this. Eastern Kalthak does not hold Rammas in high regard, as some of our people do.

"We should bring Ashinin."

"Ashinin is too far away," said Belosh. "And he serves us best in Khasmir anyway. He won us great glory during the battles against the raishans.

"Besides, when Isamu crushes their King, it will help with negotiations. And I can put up my hands and claim no one can control him."

"And what if Sahshir is victorious?" asked Agas.

"Then Isamu may learn some humility," said Belosh.

"He is liable to offend the King if things get out of hand," noted Agas. "And one may kill the other. Not all are as tolerant."

"Isamu is a demigod, and therefore we cannot punish him," said Belosh. "And he is not the kind to kill another man in a spar. If he does step out of line, we can hand him over to High King Suloth. He has become less valuable as the bandits in this region have been wiped out anyway.

"Besides, Tuor requested his presence. He wants him for that venture he's been planning. He's wanted to do it ever since the Grail of Immortality was retrieved."

"Are you sure Eastern Kalthak will cooperate?" asked Agas. "Baltoth is apparently very impressed with King Sahshir. Tales of his exploits have spread."

"King Sahshir has one foot in the grave," said Belosh. "he's been dying of the same plague for years with no heir apparent. And Tuor's connection to him is strong.

"No mere boy will be able to stop what I have planned."