Chapter 42
"It's really a shame. He went and insulted our ancestors.
" Set shook his awkward head. "They executed him on the spot, before lifting me to his position.
They want neutrality in this whole affair.
They'd hate to see the Ennead dragged away from our protection.
It risks too much," Set said as he waded into the water with a sigh, drink in hand, clearly wanting me to follow.
I turned to check on Almeria and found she had no drink and wasn't being attended to in any way. I found myself upset at the difference in treatment, but I could already tell Set was very much the kind of person to give vastly different treatment to different people.
"Look, while I understand why you've come here, and there were perhaps prior agreements with Ozzy, the way the ancestors dealt with him left me very little option," Set said, holding his hands out to the side, with an expression that both begged forgiveness yet honestly didn't seem to care if he received it.
"Well, I can understand that puts you in a difficult position, but sharing information shouldn't be hard.
In fact, my people say it's been one-way as of late.
You've happily accepted our information.
I hope you can understand my frustration that, in coming here, you have nothing to offer and no intention of keeping up your end," I told him.
He gave a sad shake of his head. "That does make me seem very poor in comparison." He drummed his fingers on his lips. "I guess the first question is: what sort of information are you seeking?”
“Demons, their whereabouts, any movements in your region? Basic things that shouldn’t bother you at all."
Set made a pained face, waffling it from side to side. "That would put me on a side of this conflict, and we've simply chosen to remain neutral. While I deeply appreciate our friendship, and the information you've given us thus far, I cannot put myself or my people in danger for yours."
He was treating the demons like a force he might one day negotiate with. That alone made my blood boil.
I stared at him, working through his position and incentives, before I realized he was completely relaxed in denying me.
He had yet to even attempt to inspect me.
He simply held no fear in his present position.
He felt as if, by standing and staying in the necropolis, he could and would need not make a single attempt to please anyone.
And he was comfortable, even if it meant betraying promises to Ozzy or any other agreement he'd made with other clans.
But I wondered just how strong the ancestors beneath the necropolis truly were, because if I wanted to make a fit over this, I could, and I doubted anyone up here would be able to truly stop me.
"Well then, if your ancestors hold such power, perhaps it is they I should be negotiating with and not the next person they will simply discard," I said, keeping a smile plastered on my face. Set's eyes narrowed at me.
"While I can respect your desire to push forward a deal, the ancestors do not waste their time on the likes of you. It is why Ozzy and now myself have been tasked with leading the clan in their absence," he told me.
"Still, you must have some way to communicate with them," I pushed.
"I am being polite, Bran. The truth is, they will have no interest in speaking with you, and in the worst case, they would take out their frustration on me. They will not allow you to speak with them," Set told me.
He must have given some subtle cue, because almost immediately, the members of the clan leaning back and enjoying drinks by the pool went rigid, watching the situation with sharpened eyes.
Set noticed my attention and just casually sipped from his drink, watching me. "I hope you understand. It's nothing personal. This is just the way it is. Leading such a distinguished clan comes with its own set of rules."
"Well, while I realize you might be of a distinguished clan, I hate to inform you that you're speaking to someone who was both a member of the Heros Clan and the Borrsons.
I understand not only how to lead one of them but also the burdens it should place upon you.
Never have I heard such an outlandish notion that leadership must be hidden so far from the action.
Unless, of course, they have reason to be afraid. "
"So, that's the way you wish to go," Set hissed, wincing and looking to the side. "Well, if you want to get yourself killed, I suppose there's little I can do." He poured his drink out in front of me. "The Nile sometimes must run red with blood."
The red of his drink slowly diluted in the pool between us. His eyes flicked back up to mine. "You must understand I'm doing you a supreme honor by even considering it. Here, within the necropolis, there's absolutely nothing you can do."
I gave him a thin smile and turned. "I believe there's some misunderstanding here."
A grin flashed across his face. I was almost certain he was ready for a backhanded comment, but I reveled in watching his face drop as I continued.
"I'm powerful enough that I'm in a position to negotiate with the Wukong Clan ancestor.
Your Ennead Clan members, no matter how old they might be, still lack plenty of qualifications to deny me. "
For the first time, I felt Set try to inspect me. While hiding my stats would have been preferred, showing them off and the recent boon from the Demon Lord's soul would make this go far faster.
The Demon Lord’s fragment had almost one hundred and twenty thousand in total stats. And Soul Absorption Arts had ranked up in the process. I managed to collect almost twenty percent of his stats.
[Name: Bran Heros - Hegemon of Rule
Level: 135
Class: Blood Hegemon SS
Status: Healthy
Strength: 19305
Agility: 20323
Vitality: 16297
Intelligence: 13001
Spirit: 36270
Skills:...]
Set struggled to hide his reaction.
"I'm certain the necropolis boasts fantastic defenses, and perhaps they might even work.
However, I'm afraid to tell you, at our current distance"—I pointed a finger between the two of us—“there's very little the necropolis could do to protect you.
And I'm unsure how dangerous the necropolis is without someone at the helm. "
Set's expression grew grim. "Are you threatening me?" he asked, and I smirked.
"That you are able to ask, I think, is answer enough.
I'm not here for a fight. I simply have a frustration that a prior agreement is being voided.
I demand that, if you stick to that answer, there be at least some recompense, lest anyone else get the inane idea that Bran Heros is a pushover," I told him.
He was the kind to bully the weak and fear the strong. I just needed to puff my chest out a bit, and he’d fold.
Set swallowed audibly and waved a hand before a fight broke out. A number of the members of his clan were on the edge of their seats, poised to jump in if he needed them. At least he wasn't stupid enough to put up a fight, in the end.
"Fine. This way." He waved, and those poolside quietly got out of his way, slinking off as if they might escape unnoticed, if they were quiet enough about it.
Almeria fell into step beside me, and Set froze. "Is she coming as well?"
"Of course. She's my wife," I said and put an arm around her.
"I thought your wife was a scantily clad blonde from the information I'd received," he told me. "It seems my information is out of date."
His description was boorish, but at the same time, it wasn’t wrong. Probably not enough for me to cave his face in, though it might improve his looks.
I shook my head. "That's my first wife."
"Ah. Ah." He said it the second time with more understanding in his tone.
Though what exactly he was understanding was most likely a mistake. I decided to let it go before I corrected him too many times and upset the delicate balance we'd already established.
"Are you aware of the state of our ancestors?" Set asked.
"I can’t say I'm well-versed, beyond the same information everyone knows.
They've sealed themselves away and preserved their power, supposedly so they may use it for when the demon challenge finally came.
It finally came. However, since they haven't woken yet to fight alongside the rest of us, this is clearly a lie. "
"Well, what the ancestors say is what the ancestors get," Set said, carefully neutral. "We'll descend and see what their answer is to your threat."
"Because I'm not a guest you can handle," I added for him.
"You’re not a guest I can handle without endangering the rest of the sect would be closer to the truth." He refused to be seen as weak.
I shrugged. "It's the same thing. Come. Where's this ancient elevator?" I said, nosing about as he led me deeper into the necropolis.
Set twitched. "You know about it?"
"Well, we have to get down somehow, don't we?" I said.
"Of course," he said, covering his surprise. "This way."
He pointed down a corridor, walls closing behind us as we moved. The entire time, Almeria stayed quietly behind me, her eyes searching back and forth before finding mine with a question on her face.
"Oh, don't worry. He wouldn't be stupid enough to lead us somewhere to try and deal with us," I told her aloud.
Set's complexion looked absolutely horrible, paling as the blood drained from it. "Of course not. My clan is far too honorable for such juvenile deceptions."
"See?" I gestured at Set, as if that should solve everything.
It didn't, but it was nice to pretend it did.
From time to time, we all wished the world was a simpler place.
This was certainly one of those moments for me.
What exactly had happened between Set and Ozzy was likely to stay a mystery, but I simply couldn't have one of the clans deciding inaction was the best action.
If nothing else, it set a horrible precedent for everything else I was trying to accomplish.
Suddenly, through the closing wall behind us, stone began to grind, and the large room we were in simply began to drop.
"Ah, here it is," Almeria commented, entirely unimpressed. "Noisy, for an elevator."
"They made these before ‘elevator’ was even a word," I playfully coached her.
"Suppose so. Still not very impressed," she answered.
"It is a long descent. Perhaps you'll grow more impressed as it goes," Set grumbled.
"I doubt it," Almeria answered.
"Her people come from deep under the sea. They and their ingenuity are impressive," I informed Set.
Set did a small double-take. "Under the sea? Have I been away from the world so long that there are people under the sea?"
Apparently, this new information was the thing that impressed him above everything else.
"We've been around as long as the other clans," she said, tapping the small nubs of horns on top of her head—a not-so-subtle reminder of who she descended from.
"Our ancient ancestor, a water dragon, led my people and helped us establish ourselves.
We've remained under the sea for most of this world's life. "
Set gave a slow nod. "To defeat the demons as well?"
"It seems my people are far less prone to the distractibility I've seen in the other clans. Then again, we didn't invent cell phones and social media," she said, rolling her eyes. "What hideous inventions."
"I find it fascinating that social media destroys social cohesion.
" Set shrugged. "I didn't participate in much of that either.
The ancestors of my clan have kept me secluded for most of my life.
Only now am I getting the chance to enjoy myself on the surface," he said as the doors to the room opened, and the grinding came to an immediate halt.
"I will give you one last chance to turn back, Bran, out of whatever friendship you had with my brother." Set stood before the door, not letting us pass.
"No. At this point, it seems I haven't been negotiating with those who can actually make the decisions in your clan, and that must change," I told him.