Chapter 4
The heat is one thing, but the humidity…" Venthra pulled at her clothes as if it were enough to explain the rest of her statement. Of the group, she might have already been wearing the least. Her fur-lined leathers, however, might not have been appropriate for a rainforest.
"Humidity?" Almeria asked, tilting her head curiously. The woman was a princess, a rank gained by the martial might of her people, who happened to live under the ocean.
"You realize she grew up underwater, right?" Nyx reminded Venthra.
The Borrson-raised ginger frowned, pulling back her bright orange hair that had somehow become even frizzier in the humidity. "Fuck, I guess you're right. Hard to be more humid than living under the ocean."
Almeria nodded, though she seemed less concerned about the conditions, her eyes raking over the forest we were busy tromping through. "Where is this place, Bran?" she asked as I led the way, pushing aside broad green leaves as wildlife fled from our very noisy march through the jungle.
"Farther this way. It should be around here somewhere." I squinted at the hills in the distance, trying to recall when I visited the First Garden in my past life. "We’re close," I said, ripping a leaf away that tried to rebound and smack me in the face.
The vegetation of the Amazon was so thick that, at times, it was like pushing through a dense crowd.
The only person who was quiet was Merlin, a stealthy shadow in my wake. "If you'd like, I can scout a little more," she offered.
I shook my head. "No need, because we're here." I stopped and smiled as the foliage around us split, and leaf-clad men and women swayed from behind it, their hips rocking back and forth as they eyed us much like a predator would its prey.
"And who might you be?" one of them asked, narrowing her eyes. I felt inspection rolls across me, and I relaxed my spirit enough for them to see my name but nothing else.
"Bran Heros. I believe Eve would react positively if she heard I was here.
" I stood calmly, doing my best not to radiate danger despite my towering build. My own Soul Gaze raked over the group and found them all in the mid-sixties. Not terrible, though by the way they were only wearing leaves and reeds to cover the most important bits, they didn’t exactly have much in the way of gear to compensate.
Two women narrowed their eyes, checking with the people behind them. Some of them shrugged, but a man spoke up. "If he wants to see Sect Leader Eve, and he's lying about her greeting him positively, it's just a difference of him dying here or dying in her palace."
Several of them chuckled.
The lead woman had a slow smile creep across her face, her eyes raking me over. "Sure, why don't you follow us?" She turned back around, her hips popping left and right with each step, though she was silent as she moved through the lush, overgrown vegetation of the Amazon.
The site was just as incredible as the last time I was brought to the First Garden.
There was no enchantment placed upon it, but one moment, you were pushing through leaves, and the next, you stepped onto cool white marble, and it was like the foliage peeled away to reveal ornate columns wrapped in vines.
The white of the stone and the ever-present green of the Amazon intertwined and worked together as they made a pavilion, roofed by green leaves, comfortably shaded and spotlessly dry.
The group that had come to fetch us walked before us. The pavilion ended in a pair of large bronze doors greened with age, as guards stood before it.
"We have visitors," the woman said, walking up to the guards, who didn't even ask a question. Instead, they stepped back, pulling open the doors for our group to walk through, revealing a sect that I could have mistaken for a heavenly paradise.
Small clouds of mist wafted through an area of rich, verdant growth that barely managed to hide the sprawling structures growing under the protection of large, lush trees.
Colorful fruit hung down as if a simple reach up anywhere in the sect would offer ripe and ready picking.
It truly did appear like a paradise on earth.
"Yes, our sect is beautiful," the woman leading us said, as the others all split off without a word, going to tend to other tasks.
"It's as beautiful as I remember," I said, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you've been here before?"
"Yes," I smiled. "A long time ago, though." In my mind's eye, I saw it, but I also saw the place wreathed in flames that had devoured all of this beauty. Still, I smirked. "Hopefully, my visit here will be more productive than my last one."
The woman cast me a small wink. "I hope so as well," she said, not bothering to hide that she was flirting with me, which caused Nyx to cross her arms behind me with a small hmph. "Unless, of course, you're taken," she said, with a small apologetic bow to Nyx.
"Several times over," Merlin added, pulling back her hood and giving the woman a fierce glare.
"Yes," Almeria chimed in, and I paused, glancing towards Venthra, who scoffed at my attention.
"Oh, don't expect me to become one of your simpering women, too." She crossed her arms and dared me to say anything in response.
I held up my hands like a wise man. "I would never." Which only seemed to upset her further. I sighed, not sure what I did wrong this time. Women could be cold creatures in the best of times and downright impossible in the worst, yet I found myself drawn to them regardless.
The woman leading us had a sly smile on her face. "I suppose maybe this will be more productive than last time, given you're on your way to see Eve herself."
"Before we get there, I heard you were having issues with demons," I hedged, and her eyes became sharp.
"Yes," she answered slowly.
"I just wanted to make sure I'm still offering help for a problem that exists.
After all, the whole reason we're here is to hunt demons—hopefully, with your sect's support.
" I smiled. Giving a member of the sect the idea that we were here to help and laying the groundwork was critical because if Eve then dismissed our help, it would most likely cause more headaches for her than simply allowing us to join.
That, and I needed a read on the situation.
Our guide's sharp expression softened. "Demons are a scourge upon us," she said. "They are simply trying to strangle our growth like the others."
Her words made me frown.
"What does that mean, precisely?" And I could see the moment she locked herself down, her lips pressing together. I knew I wasn't going to get any more out of her.
"It would be best if I let Eve explain the situation. After all, I'm just one of our scouting groups. I wouldn’t have the full picture like the sect leader would," she said quickly.
I cursed to myself. I had rushed, pushing for more information, and now she would stay tight-lipped. I tongued my teeth and squeezed out a smile. "Of course. As it should be."
Our guide was satisfied with me pulling back and continued our march through the sect.
There were several thousand people here, and by their numbers, they made quite an eclectic group, seeming to be far-flung people from all over the world, brought together and wearing very little amongst the lush paradise of the sect.
Some of them had gone so far as to wear little more than a single leaf for their fashion statements.
As we approached a rather palatial building that was completely unguarded, our guide began to slow, stepping to the side as if we were to continue on our own. "She’s in there. And as no one is stopping you, I assume you're free to meet her."
"Is that how it works?" I asked with a chuckle, stepping forward.
"Eve sees everything in the sect," our guide said, half in warning, half in explanation.
I continued forward, the four ladies behind me gawking and taking in the sights. Not far from this building, a waterfall sprayed down into a small lake as a gathering of men and women laughed, splashing and playing beneath the deluge of water, as if this were some sort of idle paradise.
However, I didn't miss that several of them were crossing straight under the waterfall that should have had enough pressure to knock anyone flat, yet they ran through it without a care in the world.
I reminded myself that this place might seem idyllic, but it was full of people who had trained and grown powerful with the system.
The idyllic moments were simply what they wished to project to the world.
And, of course, all of those thoughts faded away as we walked through what I assumed must be Eve's palace.
A roof made of twisted vines forty feet overhead protected us as the simple sound of pouring water resounded within the hall, and a small blanket of steam began to cover the ground, growing as we neared our destination.
Eve looked up from where she had been lounging, soaking in a hot spring.
Her practically transparent eyelashes fluttered, flinging droplets of water, as her rich blue eyes caught mine.
The woman, with a complexion whiter than a swan's feather, smiled with ruby red lips made only a deeper, more vibrant red by the green leaves twisted across her chest and more covering her hips beneath the water.
"Ah, visitors." She smiled at us, briefly and calmly assessing the group, her eyes lingering on each of the ladies before settling on me with a look of recognition and a faint trace of shock that was quickly drowned out by wry amusement.
"I suppose for the esteemed Bran Heros himself, I should give you a more proper greeting.
" She stood and strode out of the spring in a slow, languid movement that spoke of a sensual predator stalking her prey.
"Now, Bran Heros, to what exactly do I owe the honor of your visit?
" Her lips twisted into a half-smile, half-laugh.
"I don't suppose I have the honor of being your first visit? "
"Unfortunately, that honor went to the Wukong," Merlin said, cutting into the conversation and stepping up beside me. "I'm surprised you haven't heard yet, though it hasn't been too long since Bran and I slaughtered every demon in the Wukong and even the neighboring sect."
That statement caused Eve's eyes to flash dangerously as the vegetation wrapped around her palace shifted and shuffled in a small reminder of Eve's ability to control them, and that we were very much in her element.
"I see. Well, I hope you've come here with far more pleasant intentions." She drew out the word, her tongue flicking out unnecessarily as if she were savoring it.
I smiled at her and stepped forward. "Of course. I came here for what I hope is a far more pleasurable experience," I said, holding out my arm.
Eve smiled and slid hers inside mine, brushing much of her body against me. Now that I had taken her focus off Merlin, that seductive smirk grew quickly back upon her lips, and she nipped her lower lip ever so slightly, tilting her head forward and bashfully looking up at me through her lashes.
"Is that so? Well, I must say you were impressive at the tournament you arranged, even if you did cheat a little.
" She pouted, pinching her fingers together.
"But I did see that you're more than capable of elevating any force beyond their current station.
Why, the ability to redistribute bloodlines…
it's beyond valuable. I'm surprised the Heros Clan allows you to run around with such a small escort. "
I glanced over my group, and I could tell she wasn't so much inspecting them as assessing their strength in the way that only someone as experienced as her might be able to do.
"Is that so?" I said. "Then do I take it you’ll at least allow me to stay with you for a while?
There are some matters I would love to discuss.
In particular, I heard you were having issues with demons around here.
" I tried to keep the flirting up, even though I wasn't interested.
It was simply the best way to work with the woman.
Yet my question caused her flirtatious exterior to crack, a dark cloud crossing her exquisite face.
"Unfortunately, we are having our own difficulties. Though I suppose now that you're here, perhaps we can alleviate some of them. I see you've brought capable hands with you, but I'm afraid it may not be enough."
"If you would," I said, holding her arm and gesturing forward, "I'd love to go somewhere comfortable and discuss what you need further."
She licked her lips, and the smile grew wide again. "I can think of someplace comfortable for us to continue this conversation."