RD 4 Ch 27

I grabbed Merlin as she sagged. Teleporting a group of our size had clearly been difficult for her. I held out a mana potion between two of my fingers. "Drink up, it's the least I could do.”

“The least you could do." She confirmed, snatching the bottle out of my hands and quickly slugging back the potion.

The doors of our new Denmark fortress boomed open in front of us. A line of Mul Branova stretched down the entire hall. They were all dressed in red and white, nun-like outfits, bowed in unison. "Welcome, Lord Bran." 

Circe turned and raised an eyebrow at me.

"What? I didn't ask them to do this." I groaned.

Meanwhile, Simone clapped giddily as if everything had gone perfectly to plan. She had bought or stolen places all over the globe for her budding branches of the Mul Branova to call home.

I turned my focus back on our hosts. "Thank you for the warm welcome. How are things here?" I stepped forward into the stone hallway, my boots echoing with each step. The stone seemed old, but one glance out the window proved that it was more than a single structure. There were several row like buildings along the side and no ornate garden that would mark it as a tourist attraction.

Simone did well, yet another proof that she could handle much on her own. We’d all been incredibly busy these last few weeks. It was hard to imagine that the hell gates opened a mere month ago.

One of the Mul Branova fell in line with me as the two lines began to collapse after I passed each person. They all trailed after me. 

"The cities are struggling. At this point, they've given up on maintaining electricity. Thankfully, we were able to prepare before the situation devolved too badly.” The woman spoke with only a hint of an accent. 

"I suppose you have Simone to thank for that." I glanced at the saintess who followed behind me with happy, light steps and a giant smile adorning her face.

"Yes, the saintess has been very helpful. Though, about half of Copenhagen is completely ruined. All of the forces were focused on the hell gate only for instances to start popping around the city. Monsters decimated areas before even the two clans could stop them. It did enough damage that people fled to where they felt a little less like fish in a barrel.”

“And your neighboring countries, or cities even?" I asked. 

She shook her head. "They had it even worse. I hear Spain didn't take the threat seriously. And so when instances started popping in their country, they were overrun within three days, though pockets of resistance have popped up. Their country is gone, it’s completely in a state of anarchy. And we've lost communication with the island nations like Ireland and the United Kingdom."

We all knew losing communication was a polite way to say they were most likely fucked. Even if cell towers and land lines were severed, they should be able to communicate via satellite like the Mul Branova seemed to be using.

I frowned. I did not remember that level of destruction in those two countries in my past life. 

"Either way, we're here to get all of you some experience in some higher rank instance. I'm told most of you have at least managed a C rank." I checked.

"Yes, Lord Bran," she nodded quickly. 

I flashed her a smile. "Good. You'll need that strength." My eyes shifted over my shoulder to Simone. "Gather the 20 strongest, and we're going to shove them all into the SS rank instance. I want Gloria, Nyx, and yourself in there at a bare minimum. Circe, Merlin, you're welcome to go as well if you wish." 

Both of the older ladies shook their heads. "I'm happy to come in as the cleanup crew, though," Circe flashed a smile, following my logic. 

"Exactly," I turned back to Simone. "Circe, Merlin, and myself will not be coming with you. We will be entering two weeks later. At which point, our singular goal will be to clear the instance and reset it. Then we can rinse and repeat with another batch, hopefully earning as many of the Mul Branovas as we can higher-ranked skills." 

Simone took a deep breath and nodded. "Permission to have Gloria and Nyx spend gold on their stats? I think we'd all feel a little safer if we bolstered those quite a bit.”

“Agreed.” I answered. “You can also make some simple chitin armor like we made for ourselves for the Mul Branova. And there’s no issue with Gloria passing her shield around as well. The goal is to keep them alive and let them stab Hivnara as much as possible. I think Nyx's petrify should be at a point where she can keep Hivnara down and let the Mul Branova whale on the monsters." I looked back into the group, spotting Nyx behind Simone.

Her serpents were bobbing their heads in agreement, seeming pleased to have been given recognition.

"This is the level 100 instance?" the leader of the Mul Branova chapter asked hesitantly. 

"It is. But it is not too much for you. All of you can handle it," I reassured her.

My words made a difference and her back straightened. She held her chin aloft. "Of course we can, Lord Bran. We won't let you down." 

We were continuing to walk through the almost castle-like structure that Simone had obtained, I didn’t ask how.

I could tell that it had been updated. In particular, there were a large number of inscriptions etched into the stone walls. I glanced at the inscription, checking them as I passed. Simone spotted me and I gave her a small nod. They were satisfactory, at least for the current level of the invasion.

We continued moving and entered a larger space that appeared to be a cafeteria of sorts, wooden tables lined the room with simple benches. The Mul Branova fanned out, finding seats, while Simone grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. 

"Now, Bran, I'm going to show you something, and I don't want you to get upset," she said.

I scowled at her before she turned and gestured to one of the many new devotees. I had simply not had the time to look at every face. However, before she even introduced the woman, I knew her name.

"Rylee, meet Bran," Simone introduced us.

I froze. It was like someone had just nailed my feet to the floor and glued my tongue to the roof of my mouth.

The Rylee in front of me quivered nervously, but I couldn't help seeing the overlap of the two faces, the one I had known in my prior life and the one standing before me. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. She looked like Rylee, only there was a soft youthfulness to her face, rather than the hardened jawline and the scars I remembered from my past.

There was a sharp dissonance like when you thought you recognized someone only for them to turn around and it was the wrong person. Yet, I knew it was the same.

She looked back at me nervous because I was Lord Bran, but also confused as to why she was getting the introduction. That lack of familiarity was like sharp knife to my heart.

This wasn’t my Rylee.

I took a deep breath and held a hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, Rylee." I managed to break myself from the shock and plaster a smile that I'm sure looked terribly forced onto my face. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Lord Bran." She dipped her head and looked at Simone worriedly, as if she had done something wrong. 

"That's it, Rylee dear. You’ve been adjusting well and I thought an introduction was an apt reward. Please hurry along," Simone shooed her away. 

"Why?" I growled under my breath as soon as Rylee was gone. 

Simone turned to me, the light smile never fading. "Because I think it would be wonderful if you saw her flourish. You’ll see the difference you made in this life. I bet she looks really different, doesn't she?" Simone's eyes were dead serious. 

"Very. Yet the same. If that makes any sense at all," I muttered half to myself. "Still, why did you find her?" I was still indecisive about what I wanted to do with those I knew from my past life more intimately. 

Simone poked me in the chest, a stern expression flashing across her face. "I want to heal part of you, you doofus." Her expression softened. "I can heal any cuts or wounds that the demons might put on you. But I think, Bran, there is something far deeper inside of you." She poked at my heart. "There are wounds, and scars that you carry from your past life. You haven't told me how, but I assume Rylee died. I assume all of them did. And whether or not you want to engage with her in any way, I want you to see that she is alive. She might look a little nervous in front of you, but she is fed. She is smiling. Look over there," Simone glanced to the side.

Rylee had joined some of the other Mul Branova who were all huddled up, casting glances my way, giggling and prodding Rylee. She was likely recounting moment by moment of our introduction.

"Does she look better than your last life?" Simone asked.

"Much," I said without hesitation, a sigh escaping me. "She looks whole in a way that she never was when I knew her." I blinked, a small tear threatening to escape my eyes. 

Something deep inside of me broke. Or perhaps that was the wrong word. It was more like a pressure vented deep inside of me. I suddenly realized I might have more hidden scars than I realized. Wounds of the soul that needed to be broken and reset. 

And I’d found a woman with terrifying insight and perception. One that was doing her all to support me, even in ways that I couldn’t anticipate.

Simone threw herself into my chest and wrapped me up in a hug. "See, Bran, you are making a difference," she said, nuzzling into my chest. 

"I know." I rubbed her back and squeezed her tight against me, only for her to push back and look up at me. 

"Do you really? Do you know, do you understand the differences in the lives you are making? This entire chapter of the Mul Branova has 800 people. All of them got SS rank classes from you. And all of them are getting training that they never would have gotten before, including the advice you've given me and the other Mul Branova distilled down into little booklets." Simone fished around in her spatial ring before handing me one.

The book was about 50 pages and I thumbed through it, seeing many of the abilities that the new devotees received explained as well as guidance on how to rank them up as quickly as possible. There were guides on how to work on your resistances, as well as simple guides on how to gain proficiency with a weapon or element to guide the otherwise bland class forward. It was rather simple but a very good primer into being initiated.

I handed it back to her and it disappeared into her spatial ring. 

"Do you see? Mul Branova's as a whole are over 10,000 worldwide and are only growing." Her expression became increasingly serious. Her emerald green eyes bore into me. "Bran, you have changed so many lives. Each one of those Mul Branova have become an extension of your will. They have protected, they have defended, they have killed monsters before those monsters would otherwise be a problem. Each one of those Mul Branova have saved a hundred lives, at least. And while compared to the whole population of the world it might feel like a drop in the bucket, Bran, our organization is growing daily. If it weren't for the silly requirements," she rolled her eyes, "it would have been growing so much faster."

"Requirements?" I asked, frowning down at her.

"Oh, you know," she waved a hand dismissively and turned away, dodging the subject.

I frowned over and glanced at the whole group of the Mul Branova. All of them were young, female, and none of them seemed to have anyone with them, whether it be parents, children, or significant other. 

"Simone," I put a hand on her shoulder before she could escape explaining.

"Those joining have to be women and unattached." She gestured vaguely, "Not that they can’t have a family, but they should be free spirits and willing to go wherever we lead them." She gave me an overwide smile. 

"Simone," I growled.

“It's not my rule; it's self-imposed by all of them." She slipped out of my grasp. "It's better in Vein City because we work alongside the Nesters. Many women have brothers and have siblings and parents that join the Nesters while they work in the Mul Branova. Perhaps we can find some partner organizations like that for these other branches, but they're still new." She beamed.

I could only shake my head, "Whatever. Start assembling your group and get them into the instance. You have two weeks to train them up as much as you can before we come and clear." 

Simone slapped a playful salute and hurried off, leaving me all alone for a moment. 

My eyes tracked back to Rylee who had been staring my way.

She blushed and spun away, nearly sprinting from the room.

I needed to find something else to do. To occupy my mind and let my subconscious digest what Simone had thrown at me. It was good, but unexpected and I needed time for it to settle.

Circe and Merlin were talking in the corner. Somehow, when Simone had begun talking to me, everyone had given us a wide berth. 

"Circe," I called to her as I stepped up. "I think it's time we check on the Heros Clan and the Borrson Clan. It sounds like they are still around.” The Hell Gate’s red beam could be seen from the windows, we weren’t far.

“You're not going to pick a fight, are you?" Circe watched me carefully, waiting for my answer. 

"Of course not. However, if they pick a fight, I'll be sure to defend myself. I simply want to get a few answers and then I would like to go back to Tartarus's abandoned cave." Both of them looked at me quizzically. 

"You said there is a Trial of Kings there?" Merlin asked. 

"I did, but we're not pulling the sword from a stone," I chuckled. 

"You have been holding on to that one for quite some time," Merlin scoffed, but there was a playfulness in her voice. "As if I haven't heard enough jokes about that in the last two hundred years.” Merlin paused. “Though I suppose anywhere with something that important probably should be a place that I visit at least once so we can teleport there later."

I nodded along. "I think it would be good for you to be able to teleport there. But mostly, I want to head that way. So that I can put a few," I hesitated, "surprises in place for anyone else that might go snooping about.”

“Do you think there's going to be issues?" Circe asked. "I thought the First People didn't clear it for some time?”

“There were a few anomalies when they cleared it. I heard the stories after I became the Wandering King.” I told them. "Besides, I'd really like to just make sure that it's secure and that nothing else deviates from my expectations. Or if it does, then we are aware and ready to react.”