RD 4 Ch 32

"Thank you again, Merlin," I said as she teleported our group to Egypt. It felt like we hadn’t stopped moving since we recruited the generals weeks ago.

The massive battlefield was more attention-grabbing than the colossal red hell gate stretching out to the sky above. From atop the sand dunes, I could see nothing but blood soaked sands and thousands upon thousands of people fighting an endless pitched battle. Though I knew that many of them were summons, after all that was the Ennead Clan’s specialty.

Several humanoid figures made of sand pulled themselves from the ground at our appearance. 

"Identify yourself," one golem said, crossing its arms in a very human-like gesture. Probably the same gesture as the one controlling it. A low rank technique then.

"Bran Heros, here to meet the Ennead clan," I replied. 

"Seems we have a busy day," another golem said, uncrossing its arms and gesturing for me to continue. "Right this way. If you miss it, go get your eyes checked and come back." It gestured behind it. At the massive structure that appeared to have been ripped up from the ground and dominated the landscape.

The golems collapsed into piles of sand upon completion of their oh-so-welcoming greeting.

Merlin and Circe were the only others with me; I had left the rest with plenty of tasks. We were officially moving full steam ahead, doing everything humanly and inhumanly possible to get ready for the war that I had set us all straight towards. 

I had been busy hopping around the world, collecting elites, but at the same time, I couldn't let myself stall. I used my travels to also pick up a large number of high-level or high-ranking instances. There was no slowing down, and there certainly was no going back. 

I looked ahead, taking in the massive structure that was hard to miss. It was built out of giant chunks of limestone like the pyramids themselves. Only it was even larger.

It felt as if I was intimately familiar with the castle, though I'd only been in it once or twice before. The one I had known had certainly undergone some renovations that weren't yet present.

People were moving quickly around the structure and its many terraces. There was a mix of people in modern clothes and those stuck in some old age. The differences made it really easy to pick out who was actually in charge.

A fair-skinned man stuck out like a sore thumb and spun around as we approached the gate.

"DeGritos, you'll have to forgive me," he said as an assistant flitted away and turned to me. "Bran Heros, pleasure to meet you. Circe, you as well." He nodded to her before focusing on Merlin. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure, Merlin.”

“And you are?” Merlin asked, and the man chuckled.

"Most people call me Ozzy, and no, not like the rock star. My father's Osiris and he named me after himself. You'd be surprised at how much it takes to walk around and be called your father's name all the time. Ozzy works much better and gets me out of his shadow." He grinned like an old friend.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ozzy," I held out a hand and he grabbed it, pumping firmly.

I continued scanning around us. So far, I hadn't seen a demon or anything unexpected amongst the Ennead. Though I hadn't had the chance to see them this early in my prior life, Ozzy was about what I would expect as far as strength and stature.

He went on to do great things, sharper than his casual demeanor implied, but genuinely a man of the people.

"Water, either of you?" Ozzy asked as a servant walked by carrying a platter. He scooped up four glasses without even waiting for an answer and passed them out. "I don't know about any of you, but being on the surface like this, somehow I am always thirsty." He took a long drink before letting out a contented sigh and waving over his shoulder. "Follow me and we'll work through whatever it is you need, Bran," he said my name as if he was working to remember it.

"Thank you, I'm happy to see that things aren't too bad here. Are they worse elsewhere?" I prodded.

"Don’t know. Unlike you, I haven't had the chance to travel around and see the world remake itself. It's awe-inspiring.  A pivotal moment of the world as the old order crumbles and a new one rises up to reshape it in their image. I wish I could see it for myself, if nothing else, to say that I did. But there's more work here than even I could try and put into words right now." He shook his head and led us into a room before closing the door behind Merlin.

Unlike many of the other clans, the Ennead embraced recruiting wholeheartedly the second they emerged from the Rapture. Seeing people still shell shocked from the rapture in the halls, meant that they were each newcomers, still adjusting.

"And I apologize if you wanted to meet one of the big names. But unfortunately, they are all booked up from now until eternity, I think." He reported.

"No, you are certainly enough. Thanks for taking the time, Ozzy." I said, wanting to make a friend of the man eventually.

"Sure, sure." He waved for me to sit down as he rounded into a rather empty meeting room.

The decor was gaudy with most of the items on the wall made of solid gold or even painted with that vibrant blue they seemed to love. Everything felt solid and old, any sharp corners had disappeared long ago.

"I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting before," he said after a moment. His eyes searched me for something, but I couldn’t tell if he got what he was trying to confirm.

"I'm rather young in the Heros Clan, though, already saddled with too much responsibility," I said, playing the part of at least a moderately important member of the family, only to get a giant scoff from Circe. I turned in my chair to give her a droll look.

By manner of letting me do the talking, she’d lended me a considerable amount of credibility, this was just an act to further enhance that.

"Does the peanut gallery have an opinion?" I smirked.

"I would say, more than anything else, you took your responsibilities with an iron fist.” Circe replied.

"I wasn't that harsh on Hercules and Zeus," I chuckled and turned back to Ozzy, who’s expression had turned more serious, regarding more far more diligently. "She exaggerates, well, a little. I've had some slight friction, but I haven't solved it all with my fists. I have used a decent amount of diplomacy," I said, looking pointedly at Circe, before turning back. "In fact, I would say even now, I don't represent the Heros Clan. I have my own organizations that are running quite the gambit behind the scenes."

"Oh," Ozzy said, leaning back in his chair, taking me in again. This time, he was assessing me by more than just my name. "If you didn't introduce yourself as a Hero, I would have thought you were one of those Borrsons."

I winced. "Thorin Aegir is my father.” And I saw something click for the man.

“That explains it, and also why I haven't heard of you, though I have heard rumors from Vidar of a secret child.” Ozzy nodded.

“Do you speak to Vidar often?" I asked, wondering if I was about to try and drink from a poisoned well. 

But Ozzy waved his hand dismissively. "He's an asshole like the rest of the Borrsons, but he gets around far easier than most. Hopefully, you got your tact from your mother and not your father. I have met Thorin too. He doesn't fall far from the Borrson tree. Vidar's been the face of the Borrson clan for the last 50 years or so," Ozzy said, waffling his hand. "But now I'm curious. What organization are you with and what is your aim?" 

"It's a small but growing group. I have a number of powerful elites. We’ve managed to recruit Winnie from up north. Our total size is about 12,000 core members with SS Classes and a growing contingent of foot soldiers." I answered, enjoying the way he began to frown before he put together who ‘Winnie’ was and sat up straighter.

Ozzy pressed his palms into the table, dragging them until he cupped the edges. "Foot soldiers," he said, using the word with caution. "Not a term I see thrown around very often. It almost sounds like you're preparing for war, Bran.”

“Is your clan not? I would think between demons spilling out all across our world and instances becoming so commonplace, that a war would be the first thing on everyone's mind." I took a long sip of my water.

Ozzy shifted his posture, and I could tell he had been expecting the conversation to take a different direction. 

"Are you asking for the Ennead Clan to assist in this war of yours? In case you haven't noticed, we have our hands full." He gestured in what I assumed was the direction of the Hell Gate.

"We do too. My forces are blocking off two hell gates," I replied. 

"Two." Ozzy leaned forward. "How? We are recruiting every summoner for ten thousand miles to keep our side of the battlefield full." 

"Well, one I put under significant protections before this whole catastrophe even started. Those defenses were instrumental in ensuring that it has been kept under tight lockdown. No demon has even wandered a mile from that Hell Gate alive." I couldn’t help the confident grin that spread across my lips.

The Hell Gate in the Citadel of Blood was the best controlled one on the planet by no small margin.

Ozzy's eyes grew incredibly sharp at that information. "And the other?" 

"It is located about an hour away from one of my fortresses. We're going and clearing it out frequently. But, as you can imagine, that's easier said than done. Without constant vigilance, I'm sure some of the demons have run off and caused problems, but we've done what we can to stop a full blown invasion while giving people time to adjust." I shrugged.

Ozzy was nodding along with me. “The adjustment is key. We can’t shelter them from the new reality.”

"Agreed the rest of humanity needs to get a little experience fighting demons. My people won't always be between them and the closest hell gate." I answered, happy to find someone who thought the same way as me.

"Cold but not unreasonable. A guiding hand is far better than an iron vice," Ozzy said. "And where would this war be fought if not between those two hell gates? I'm afraid it sounds like they're off on another continent. This is the only one anywhere within traveling distance for us. We are officially out of oil even if we had working vehicles." 

"Lucky for you, I think the army is going to come much closer. We have reason to believe there's a significant demon army massing in China." I answered.

Ozzy leaned forward and shook his head. "The Wukong clan is as territorial as they come. Heck, they built a wall around their country, and then when the digital age came, they built a second one to keep people and ideas out. If you want to launch forces into their territory, I think you're going to find much more resistance than you expect. And I am not picking a fight with the Wukong clan for any level of benefit." 

I waved my hands in front of me, lest he get the wrong idea. "I'm not picking a fight with the Wukong clan. They simply have too much territory. Demons have spilled out around their forces and embedded themselves in their population far beyond their ability to contain the invasion. I can already see the army massing."

I paused before continuing, making sure he was paying attention. “They will either go across into Europe or down over the Middle East into your land. We both know that if they have even half a brain, the demons will be terrified of Shiva. They won’t go to India."

Ozzy nodded at that fact. It was widely accepted that no one could even challenge Shiva.

"It wouldn't surprise me if some forces probed that direction, only to turn tail and find Egypt as the next closest piece of meat.” I finished. “After all, if they can secure another Hell Gate, their forces will only swell.”

“If what you say is true," he said, emphasizing the word ‘if’. "This will be valuable information to the rest of my clan. However, I cannot yet confirm that information."

"It's fine. I didn't expect an answer here today. I wanted your clan to be aware of the situation and to know that we have a significant number of forces building up on the north side should they choose that direction. If they come for your clan, I would love to support what you need, either directly or indirectly push on them from the other side. After all, not only is this a chance to kill demons, but I think we all know in this new order, coming in and saving a population will reap you bountiful rewards in the long run." I tried my best to sweeten the pot, but war was rarely sweet.

Ozzy licked his lips, letting a little of his greed slip past his otherwise calm mask. "You have a good point, Bran. I'll make sure my clan considers this information carefully. While you seem to have solid numbers, that's barely even the start of an army. I assume the demons number in the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. If they're pulling from the population of Western China, then they could be massive in just a few short weeks.”

He had no idea. Though there were plenty of hosts, the demons would actually need to stop splitting their souls eventually and the rest would become little more than cattle or fodder. If this went on long enough, just millions was a generous underestimate.

I nodded. “We are well aware and doing what we can to recruit. The unfortunate reality is those that are safe are complacent and those who are in danger are panicked. Panic and desperation are wonderful motivators given the right pressures. We need someone who is both determined to do the work and desperate enough to pick up a sword. I am giving an open invitation to the Ennead clan to send some of your summoners my way. I'd be happy to keep them safe while netting them a large amount of experience and gold."

Ozzy restrained his greed this time, however, from the rumors of my past life I knew I likely already had his full attention. "Interesting proposal indeed, Bran," he flinched and glanced towards the door like he’d received a message from one of his summons. "Now if you'll excuse me, it seems I have other guests. Perhaps we spoke his name too loudly and summoned him."

I frowned, replaying our conversation quickly in my head. I came to the only logical conclusion as to who might be visiting him. It suddenly made sense why he thought I might be a Borrson.

"And apparently because the big names are all predisposed right now, it leaves either me or my sister to entertain Vidar. And by that, I mean it leaves me." Ozzy rolled his eyes and stood up. "Pleasure to meet you, Bran, Circe, and Merlin. You're welcome any time. Perhaps when we aren't preparing for a war or in the midst of stopping a demonic invasion, we can have a longer, more relaxing meeting." He clearly was shooing us out as politely as possible.

I got a few steps into the hallway before I locked eyes with Vidar and his adopted daughter.