Chapter 30
"Oh good, you're back," Venthra said. "How was the demon slaying?" she asked, with a casualness that betrayed her interest as she played with the talismans I’d given her.
I pointed at Almeria. “Pretty sure she got the most kills.”
"Really?" Venthra perked up.
"It helps when you drown an entire underground hive." Nyx smirked. "And don't look at Bran like that. He spent plenty of time dealing with a few heavy hitters."
"I just kept them busy. You were the ones who eventually brought them down," I said, kissing Nyx as Venthra sighed.
"It hasn't even been a minute since you got back, and you're covered in demon blood." Venthra sighed again.
"You should try it sometime. It's a great stress reliever after a battle," Nyx said.
Venthra grunted. "I'll pass."
"I'm sure Borsons are all the same. They have enough size that they never bothered learning any restraint." Venthra waved a hand.
Nyx tilted her head. "You do remember that Bran lived for five hundred-some years after the world went to shit the first time… while staying young and full of stamina," she said, bouncing her eyebrows suggestively.
"Please spare me," Venthra said, and I gave Nyx a gentle nudge on the shoulder.
"If it's not welcome, don't push it. If you want to make jokes, I'm sure you can find some Mul Branova who'll be happy to keep you entertained," I told her.
Nyx paused and tapped her lips. "But half the fun is that it bothers her."
I lifted a judgmental eyebrow.
"Okay, yeah, that didn't come out right. You know what? I'm just going to shut up while I'm ahead," Nyx said.
"That would probably be in everyone's best interest. I'd rather not see how far we can push Venthra if it's making her this uncomfortable," I told them.
They nodded, then frowned. "We were talking about killing demons.”
“It was a rousing success. Right?" Venthra confirmed quickly. "Well, then, I'm going to pop back over to the Mul Branova. Hopefully, the nuns haven't started swinging while I was gone." She threw me a long look, then looked over at Merlin.
“Oh, thanks for that.” I pulled out the skill book and tossed it her way.
Venthra snagged it and then frowned. “I’m not sure I want tougher bones, but I’ll take it. I’m glad to see you knew you owed me one for having to be the face of that introduction," she said, scowling, and vanished as Merlin's shadows swallowed her whole.
I turned to Merlin. "What exactly was she talking about?"
Merlin waved a hand. "Just dealing with the nuns and the Mul Branova.
The two groups don't exactly see eye to eye.
" She shook her head. "I guess even in the apocalypse, puritanical beliefs still win out over a lot of logic.
And the Mul Branova's dress code has been a source of…
heavy contention. Not to mention the whole—" She waffled her head meaningfully, and I shook mine.
"I'm afraid I don't follow," I told her.
"The whole worshipping-Lord-Bran thing. The nuns throw around words like heresy and false idols quite a bit.
But the fact is, they have a system ability linked to it all," she said, whistling and shaking her head, "and the system is more like a god than any religion can produce.
So that's attracted some certain types, and it's gotten a little out of hand.
It's fine, though… the Mul Branova can handle themselves.
All Simone had to do was call it a test of their faith, which caused them to redouble their efforts. "
I sighed but left it be. It sounded at least reasonably under control.
***
"You lied to me," Eve accused as she stepped back into the sect. Her beautiful face looked extra sharp in this moment as she glared at me.
I smiled and leaned back. "There was an opportunity presented to me, and I took it. Your sect was never in danger. I left one of my people here to keep watch over it and alert me should anything happen," I said calmly, hoping she would understand.
"And that's supposed to appease me? We're here to kill demons, are we not?" she said with a smile.
"We are," I said, matching her intensity.
"Listen… the opportunity came, and I wasn't going to pass it up.
Now, you can be upset if you wish, but personally, I'd like this not to alter our existing arrangement.
Would you agree this has been an improvement thus far?
You've had instances to clear, and I've had demons to kill. "
"And what happens when the demons are gone?" Eve asked.
I was fairly sure that the entire time Eve and I had been together, she had not actually inspected me, but I was certain she'd gauged my strength some other way.
Whether through a system tool outside of Inspect or an innate sense honed through years of experience, I wasn't sure.
I just knew that in this moment she was wary of me, and for someone with her personality, it was shocking she'd assume I was stronger than her.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Guarantees," she answered.
"There are no guarantees. We both know that. There is trust we could potentially build between each other," I said, trying to find a solution that didn't give up more than I was willing to offer.
"Trust is only as strong as your best deterrent. And besides… I trusted you to watch my sect, and you ran off to kill demons.” She tried to use the fact as leverage against me.
"I left someone here, and I had my teleporter with us. We could have easily returned if the sect were attacked," I answered calmly. It seemed we were going to start going in circles.
"If whoever you left monitoring successfully conveyed a message within a short period, yes," Eve conceded. "However, a single messenger is a poor failsafe."
I squinted at her for a moment, wondering why she cared so much about the sect. My best guess was that it was an extension of her own power and prestige, though even then, she cared about it more than I had expected.
"Well, it seems we're at an impasse, Eve.
I can and will continue doing what I can to kill demons.
While you remain a very helpful point of cooperation, to be blunt, you and your sect are not my priority.
" I almost added that they never would be, but I held my tongue, lest I outright make an enemy of her.
"And there we have it," she said slowly.
"No. Tell me what it is we have," I said, meeting her eyes.
"Differing goals.” She said it like it was a scathing insult.
“Something that should be simple enough to overcome with only the barest negotiating skills," I countered.
Eve waved a hand. "Doubtful. You have little to give me outside your personal strength and perhaps some of your connections," she said, glancing toward where several of my compatriots politely stayed out of earshot.
"I am here to remove demons. That hasn't changed, Eve.
But if you can't see the purpose of what I've done, then perhaps allying with you is a lost cause.
" I laid it on thick, and she shrank back.
Though I didn't particularly enjoy pushing so hard, it needed to be done. I was done letting her push me around.
I could see the exact moment she clenched her jaw and made a decision.
"Of course, Lord Bran," she said with mock deference and the faintest sneer.
I ground my teeth in immediate understanding. There was going to be a solid wall of tension now, but my help was likely still too valuable.
She knew about the Mul Branova in addition to my stepping out to fight the demons. She must have thought I was here to take over the entire area, which is exactly what I would think if an ally brought a small worshipping army with them into my territory.
But now I understood Eve's position well enough. I could do something about it in the future if I cared to, or I could also be rid of her entirely. I didn't let that option show and gave her a sweeping bow.
"Whenever you're ready to continue, please let me know. Is the instance gone now?" I asked, and she nodded.
"We cleared the last of it, and it has closed,” she said in a clipped tone.
"I'm sure another worth fighting over will appear in the next couple of days.
My attack on the demons' hive is most likely going to put them on edge and make them wary of what comes next.
We should prepare for more resistance, but hopefully, they shift a decent amount of their remaining efforts to defense," I offered.
She scowled but nodded before turning on her heel and walking away.
"Well, she's mad," Merlin said, stepping up next to the rest of us.
"You would be, too, if Bran cornered you like that," Almeria said.
Merlin frowned. "Cornered?"
"Cornered," Almeria confirmed. "Bran basically just told her that she needs him, and he does not need her."
"Oh," Nyx said, understanding dawning. "He swung his big dick around, and she basically has to take it or walk away from all the help he's been giving. Neither of those options suits her, but she's stuck."
"Pretty much," I said. "But we both want to be rid of the demons. She just wants even more than that."
"Greedy, greedy woman," Merlin agreed.
I chuckled. "Yes, she's a little too used to getting her way." I tapped my chin. "Perhaps I should take it as a lesson not to let women get their way too often. Do you all become like that?"
Nyx's eyes went wide. "If we told Simone the things you're learning from Eve"—she gave a sad shake of her head—"then Eve wouldn't last very long."
I chuckled. "Simone's harmless."
All the women gave me a look, clearly not understanding how I could make such a claim.
"I mean… she's a fierce, fierce woman," I corrected myself, and clearly, I still had it wrong by the way they looked at me strangely.
Not that it mattered much. I was certain Simone was harmless, at least to me.
I also realized I'd been thinking about her quite a bit. I found myself missing my Saintess.
"Merlin, why don't we head back? I find myself missing the Citadel of Blood." I thumbed the spatial ring on my finger, checking inside it and spotting the blood peach. "Maybe it’s time to start a little gardening."
That statement got a round of raised eyebrows in curiosity. I was mostly having fun with a slight misdirection, but only moments after I made the comment, Merlin whisked me away into the shadows.
I knew that I owed more than a few of my ladies my time. I had to continue to feed all my relationships if I wanted them to last.