RD 5 Ch 16

Now, I had no expectations of what pretending to be myself for Simone would entail. However, after two days of being paraded around the Mul Branova, and then being sent into what were apparently extensive dungeons that seemed to be expanding almost as fast as I could go in and rid people of their bloodlines, I realized it was a very unwise decision to get on Simone's bad side, both here and outside the trial.

Not that the real Simone really had a bad side when it came to me, but I realized to everyone else, she could be an absolute and utter terror. Just ask all of the prisoners I had drained of their bloodlines, only to disappear from the prison entirely.

It was beyond odd to see another side of Simone. Though it was also interesting that in the trial where her memories should be gone that she was still the saintess of the Mul Branova and following my will… did that mean that she’d been changed down to the very core of her person and even taking her memories, she’d still be my Simone?

Huh, well that’s actually quite flattering.

I had just left another session where Simone had paraded me about to new recruits and existing Mul Branova alike. On one hand, she was praising me and encouraging her troops, on the other, discouraging any and all interaction with me. I was very well and truly being managed by her. Then again, she didn't think I was the real Bran, and was doing her best to protect her flock of Mul Branova from me as if I was some wild extra that would go after her Mul Branova like a rabid dog, given the faintest chance.

"Well, now, that was exciting," I said, as we stepped back into private quarters. 

Simone watched me out of the corner of her eyes. All of the love she had pretended to have for me during her speech to the Mul Branova was gone, dried up like stone once the rain had been replaced with sunshine.

"I'm surprised," Simone said instead, as she settled into what I had come to know as her office, here amongst her fortress and the Mul Branova. "You haven't made a single move on any of my ladies. Are you a eunuch?"

I choked on the water I had managed to grab. "No, no, everything's working just fine," I said, doing my best to remain unoffended.

"I could have sworn my ladies held more appeal," Simone said thoughtfully. "Perhaps that's why. That's why Bran never touched any of them."

I paused at that. "Or perhaps it's because he was too infatuated with you."

Simone began to smile, but snorted and that smile disappeared in the huff. "Flattery will get you everywhere, however, I have a very particular type, and it's not you."

"Well, thankfully we aren't like that, or I would be terribly offended." Somewhere in all of this, I had grown somewhat numb to Simone's new thorny behavior towards me.

"Consider yourself lucky," Simone said, her harsher exterior returning with a vengeance. "Recruitment is up significantly with you taking a step forward and your ability to transfer over bloodlines. Heck, I even saw one of the Mul Branova drawing you as their picture for Bran."

I paused at that. "If you don't mind me asking, how can they get away with that? Of course Bran has disappeared, but don't you remember what he looks like?"

This seemed to be another of those things that triggered Simone. Judging by the flash of anger across her face, I couldn't help but notice that the statues of me were rather blank-faced, bereft of specific identifying features. Instead, they were more like a mannequin. Pleasingly handsome, yet in no way, shape, or form specific.

Of course this had made me curious, but I hadn't exactly had the best chance to probe Simone for more information, especially with how tight of a leash she was keeping me on.

"Something happened the day Bran disappeared," she admitted. "To this date, I am entirely unsure what happened, but what I am sure of is..." she sighed, almost as if wondering if she should continue this line of conversation, if I was worth this. "...someone tampered with all of our memories, trying to get us to forget Bran," she said after a moment. “However, I could never and propped the Mul Branova and their faith back up after.”

"Well, that's somewhat horrifying," I gave what I thought was a proper response.

"Truly," Simone agreed. "That someone had the power not only to remove Bran, but attempt to remove him from our minds only tells me it was some horrible enemy. Another reason that this fight with the other three is ridiculous."

The enemy you speak of is the Trial of Kings, I thought to myself. I didn't mention it aloud to Simone, fearing some horrible setup from Syssy might fry my brain, or Simone's, or something far worse should I try to talk her into believing that this was all some sort of setup. It would be entirely in line with the trial of kings and everything Syssy was trying to do.

Instead, I decided to keep her attention on the present and the benefits that I provided. If I played this right, I’m sure I could woo Simone a second time.

"Well, that's a good thing," I said, referring to the whole problem at hand. "That way, I can come here and help you with your recruitment, and no one can naysay." I smiled at her. 

Simone snorted. "Be thankful that I needed you, otherwise pretending to be our Lord Bran would have found you dead several times over." 

I gave her my best tight smile, all the while wondering all the while how I could convince her that I was the Bran she so desperately wanted to return. 

"What do you remember about Bran?" I asked. 

"Well, he was powerful, strong, handsome." Simone seemed to have a visceral reaction to saying that, her eyes closing for a brief respite, and no doubt remembering some good time. "Unfortunately, he's gone. My memories of him are blurry at best, yet I will retain his spirit and continue to fight for what he believed in." 

Though she couldn't remember me, her devotion remained. 

"And what is it that Bran fought for?" 

Simone smiled. "A better tomorrow. Bran had knowledge about what was coming prior to the demon's arrival, and beat them back. Of course…" her eyes narrowed and she stared out into the distance, "those of us that followed him back then were all very compliant, including Circe and Winnie. But then…" Simone hesitated, no doubt more holes in her memory, "then Bran disappeared and things all went to shit. Now we're fighting over remnants of what Bran left behind." 

I smiled at that, perhaps there was something I could work with in there after all. 

"Well, Bran sounds like a fine man, even if I'm not him," I said, nearly wincing at my own words, "I would like a chance to live up to those ideals." 

Simone watched me out of the corner of her eye. "You'll never live up to our Bran, but perhaps you could play his role long enough to do some good." She paused. "How are you doing on the stock of bloodlines you've been collecting?" 

I smirked and held my hand out, a small ball of blood squirming within it. "Depending on what rank of bloodlines you'd like to give people. 10 to 100?" Part of me wondered if these were real bloodlines or not, technically I could give them to myself or to Simone and we’d walk out of here eventually.

With that in mind, I decided to start hiding some away, see what I could build within this instance that the system constructed.

"Let's go somewhere in the middle," Simone said, "if we give them all low-ranked bloodlines, it will have no effect. B-rank at least," she said thoughtfully.

"That's enough to give you a significant early-level advantage. Enough that people will come for the advantage itself, regardless of our ideals. And once they come and become Mul Branova…" I left some unsaid.

"The camaraderie and sistership will carry them through." Simone finished for me. 

"Of course," I gave her a quick bow. "By the way, where exactly are you getting these people for the bloodlines?" I hesitated, looking down at the ball. Of course, I knew that she had what seemed almost an inexhaustible level of prisoners. 

"Spies, soldiers, mostly," Simone waved her hand. "While we are back here at the rear, safe within our castle, there is an ongoing war over the Citadel of Blood.”

“My-- I mean, Bran's original castle from the Rapture?" I corrected myself quickly.

"Oh, you've been picking up things," Simone said with a smirk. "Yes. It's incredibly valuable due to the number of inscriptions it holds. If any of us would be able to completely secure it and transfer enough resources to keep the inscriptions running, we would no doubt be able to win this war." 

Simone, however, tapped agitatedly on the side of her throne. "But it's proving far more difficult than I would have ever imagined. Four enemies, and anyone who takes the center becomes the focus of all three. And so now it's largely posturing and shuffling and trying to knock the others simply out of the competition to reduce the overall risk."

I nodded along to all of that. This was the trial of kings, and leading people at war, shuffling resources and trying to come out ahead, was truly an all-encompassing trial of leadership. At least for what Syssy needed. The fact that Simone was paired against four other leaders made it all the more dangerous.

"Lots of little concern to you," Simone said, shifting my way. "You just need to act the part and work on the bloodlines. I will manage the Mul Branova as I ever have.”

“I’m still interested in how we find the real Bran. Is there anything I could do that would make sure I was completely above suspicion?" I asked with a genuine smile.

Simone smirked. "If you were Bran, I would know it down to my very core. But perhaps if Bran came with Gloria or Nyx, those two who also disappeared along with him, perhaps I'd be forced to believe it."

Well, shucks. Finding those two was going to be hard, especially because they weren't present here in the trial.

"Then how are you so sure I'm not Bran?" I asked.

Simone looked me up and down. "Because you're simply too weak."

I grimaced.

"And Bran is very much not a vampire." Simone smirked at those words.

"Oh, I assure you, I am not a vampire. Nor was I ever," I shot back.

Only for Simone's eyes to dip towards me and glow faintly as she checked my skill page. As she inspected me.

"The system says otherwise," she scoffed. "And it's how I knew the second that I saw you, that you weren't Bran."

I smiled. Fond memories floated forward of her insisting that I was a vampire as I took bullets and moved faster than she could track. All to deal with a mundane problem outside her apartment.

Though, those thoughts burst like a bubble as someone stormed into Simone's room, and I was forced to put on a passive smile and nod along, both pretending to be myself to the Mul Branova, and trying to worm my way more securely into Simone's good graces.

I figured of anyone present, even with her memories gone, there had to be some way to get Simone to recognize that I was truly her Bran.