RD 2 Ch 4

Chapter 4

I had spent nearly half a day on the plane, and Simone, my mother, and I were somewhere over the Mediterranean according to the navigation. I’d fallen asleep twice.

We avoided the topic that had precluded the glasses of whiskey. It seemed my mother needed more time to think.

“Alright.” My mother stood up. “This is where we get off.”

I glanced out the window, not seeing anything but a smattering of islands. And ahead of us was nothing but water. “There’s nothing.”

“Those islands.” She pointed and walked back to the door, pulling open a cabinet. Taking out a backpack, she threw it to me.

I looked at it and realized it was a parachute. “Wait. We jump?” This had to be some joke.

“There will never be a record of a plane landing on those islands. Technically they are uninhabited.” My mother also pointed out the window, but up into the air. “We aren’t even the only ones about to jump.”

I could see two other planes circling.

“This is going to be so much fun.” Simone took a pack from my mother and started to work it onto herself.

“Have you done this before?” I stared at her.

“Twice when I was younger.” Simone started to pull the straps and get herself situated. She was clumsy and just got it on before pulling all the straps as tight as she could.

Meanwhile, my mother was slow and methodical like she’d strapped it on a thousand times.

I stared at the harness and then at the pack, squinting briefly.

“You fought giants, went swimming with poisonous piranhas.” Simone stared at me in disbelief. “Are you afraid of skydiving?”

“Going to point out that in all those examples I had some measure of control.” I answered flatly, doing my best to mimic the ladies so I would set up the harness correctly.

But I was fairly confident I could figure this out. Worst case, I could use Drop to hit the water. And I still had on the bracer with D rank Swim. I could reach the island in no time.

“It’s twisted.” Simone came over and adjusted a strap on my thigh. “Pinches bad if it's twisted.”

“Thank you.” I kissed the top of her head. She was under her blonde nun illusion. Still a bombshell, but she was one naturally too.

“Alright.” My mother pushed a button next to the hatch. It disengaged as she pulled a big bar and wind sucked through the plane. “Let's go!” She pushed off the edge of the plane with the supernatural strength of an initiated.

I watched as Simone followed after her.

Skydiving was just falling through the sky at terminal speed. Rushing forward, I mimicked my mother, launching myself out of the plane and clear of the engines as it turned away from the cluster of islands.

The wind tore at my clothes and whipped at my face.

Simone bumped into me, laughing as she grabbed my arm to stay with me. “Isn’t this fun? It’s so beautiful.”

I took a breath and rather than deal with the feeling of falling, I looked around.

The ocean below us was a crisp blue fading to green around each island. It was beautiful, blending up into the clear blue sky.

My mother had her body lined up like an arrow and was moving through the air in a particular direction.

I pointed at her.

Simone got the idea and we adjusted our fall in her direction. “Those islands?” She pointed to a cluster of six islands. They couldn’t have been more than a mile across, and each and nothing but sand.

I used Soul Gaze and suddenly the sand was cut away and the whole group of islands had a magical barrier around them and thick bridges crisscrossing the cluster, with buildings built high across them. “Ahead.” I pointed.

The other planes deposited their passengers as well. They were heading to the same islands.

Simone tapped my chest and then grabbed the cord sticking out of her parachute. “Open it up and then let’s coast.” She pushed off of me, knowing that both of us releasing our parachutes next to each other was asking for them to get tangled.

I pulled my cord and the parachute shot out, pulling me hard in my harness as two little handles dangled down. I grabbed them quickly, figuring out how to roughly steer and heading for the islands.

Simone swayed not far from me and waved.

I was glad she was enjoying herself. Ever since I had initiated her and she learned that I had saved her from being possessed by the demon, she seemed to have taken it as a new lease on life.

The Nesters were running her brothel now that we were gone. They were still giving the girls good lives, and she was now fully focused on me and my organization. The Mul Branovas were in love with her. Despite any trouble that might come up, she was all smiles.

I checked the talisman on me to make sure it still showed me as an uninitiated and then I checked the second and third layers beneath it. One of the best ways to trick someone with some power was to show them what they expected.

Below the one showing that I hadn’t been initiated was one showing that I was a level one S ranked Vampire class.

S rank would be good enough to catch people’s interest but not enough to cause any conflicts, hopefully. Instead I’d hopefully end up on the path to being someone’s right hand.

The buildings grew in size as we came down and I realized most of them were open air buildings filled with columns. Yet they were abnormally tall for mimicking ancient Greek construction, many of them towering four or five stories at their highest points.

Wind caught my parachute and I tried to steer back to the way my mother and everyone else was landing.

Unfortunately, the parachute wasn’t playing nice. A harsh gust rolled off the islands and caught me.

Simone slipped through the barrier and it seemed the wind was calmer on the other side.

I wasn’t so lucky. The wind bouncing off the barrier threw my parachute off to the side. It jerked hard and I missed the barrier, swaying off to the side.

“Damnit.” I growled and tried to twist it back in the direction I wanted to move.

The wind battered me around for a solid five minutes before I threw myself into the barrier and the wind calmed down.

Only, I wasn’t at the landing site with everyone else and instead was heading right into one of those towering buildings.

A woman whose eyes were half-lidded with amusement watched me struggle and lifted a hand with a come-hither motion.

The wind listened to that gesture and practically sucked me over to her.

She waved her hand and a blade of wind cut the strings only for her to catch me.

I struggled for a second. She was strong. Soul Gaze gave me context.

[Name: Circe Heros

Level: 492

Class: Arch Sorceress SS

Status: Healthy

Strength: 2391

Agility: 2653

Vitality: 6540

Intelligence: 7894

Spirit: 2834

…]

Oh, fuck me.

She smiled. The look was the kind that would wrap men around her fingers in an instant. “It seems a little birdie struggled with his first flight.”

Now that I was here with her, I could tell just how beautiful she was. Royal blue hair rippled down her shoulder and over her back while her half lidded eyes were a chilling red. She had a touch of sun-kiss to her skin yet it seemed delicate and fair.

She wore a loose white wrap with sandals that were tied up her ankles. She held a sort of timeless beauty and a large presence. It was only after a moment that I realized she was a good foot shorter than me.

“Uh…” I stammered, but not for the reasons she likely thought.

Holding me up was the leader of the Odyssey branch of the family. I’d never met her  in my past life. She had been injured during the first demon war and then died early in the war for supremacy.

One of the other reasons I wanted to join Odyssey was because it was the only leader of the Heros clan that I respected.

She fought on the frontlines, unlike the other two branches. Supposedly she pushed in and closed one of the Hell Gates. Though, I’d never shared a battlefield with her.

An unmistakable urge surged through me. I wanted to wrap her up in a hug and protect her. A flicker of my spirit and the effects were shattered, but I put up a good act.

“Sorry, I’m sorry miss.” I stammered out.

She put me down, her lips curling up in amusement. “Well, a little birdie has fallen into my nest. It must be fate. Once a long time ago one of your ancestors did the same and made quite a name for himself. I have a good feeling about your future.” She smiled brightly and I suddenly thought she wasn’t so bad.

My mother clearly hated the Odyssey branch of the family, but Circe seemed pleasant enough. She was far more interesting than many of those old men.

“I literally have no idea what to do. A few days ago my mother suddenly said we were meeting my extended family and dragged me and my fiance here.” I forced a blush on my face and looked away.

Circe laughed. “Well then, it seems that you could use a tour.”

“Oh. I don’t want to cause you problems.” It was probably best to get away from her as soon as possible. Old monsters like her were exactly what I wanted to avoid before initiation. They’d be the ones to see through it.

“Nonsense. I was growing bored of the view here. It’s best that I move to another spot. Besides, maybe you’ll do well on the initiation and I want to leave a good impression.” She waved away my concern. “So the fiance, is she pregnant?”

I bit my lip. “Yeah. My mother was pissed. I half expected this trip to be some sort of punishment. Oh. She’s initiated, my fiance. My mother and her have managed to make me believe in this whole thing.” I spoke with half truths easily.

Circe’s lips curled up in a mischievous smile. “Well good for her. She’s found such a handsome man.” She lightly touched my cheek like a familiar lover and this time the blush was a little real.

I hadn’t expected such a touch.

“You’ll have to get over that shyness.” Circe said walking a sedate pace through the building and turning down a row of columns.

There was splashing beyond and the voices of women.

“Some of the ladies that serve under me.” She told me off-handedly. “They wander away from the clan and often come back pregnant.” She clicked her tongue. “Bloodlines are important to the family. I’m guessing based on the fact that your fiance was able to come with you, she has one?”

“Uh… Blushing Phoenix.” I answered quickly.

Circe gave me an appraising glance. “Interesting. The more I learn about you the more I have high hopes. This is a little premature, but what do you say about helping my branch of the family?”

“Well, I think I should learn a little more before I make any decisions. If I were you and I jumped on said opportunity, I’d consider the decision rash.” I answered like a young man who thought he was smart enough to impress her.

On some level, I was hoping to make an impression. Despite my mother’s words, the Odyssey branch still seemed like the right option. Tartarus on the other hand was something worth looking into, but my greatest fear was that they were positioned in such a way that they were already lost.

“Fair point. I’m not one to force anyone to make a decision. Consider the door open and come to me if you wish to walk through it. My instincts have rarely steered me wrong.” She flashed another of her heart melting smiles.

I wondered just how many young Heros men she wrapped around her soft, dainty fingers.

“Well then, let me give you the grand tour.” She continued out of the building and onto the lawn. “There are six islands that make up the Heros Clan. This is Aeaea. You don’t need to remember all the names, but I hope you remember my island’s name. This is what most call Circe’s Palace.” She gestured behind her at the massive structure.

“Wait. If this is your island and your palace. Then you’re fairly important.” I said, sounding as stupid as I could.

She laughed again. “Yes, you could say that.”

“Maybe I should have jumped on that offer of yours.” I commented to the side for her benefit.

She took my arm and linked it in hers with a critical look. “Stop pretending to be such a fool and walk with me. Those two islands.” She pointed to one that was essentially a cliff amid the ocean, a tall mountain that I knew was Olympus. “They are run by the two leading factions of the Clan. Mine is in a comfortable third place while those two compete for first.”

I nodded along, knowing much of what she said, but I dutifully absorbed the information while staying quiet. In my past life, my access to the clan had been restricted. I only ever stepped on the residential islands and went to the center training island when invited.

“Those are residential islands, and finally, the one in the center is for training.” She talked as we walked.

Everything was made of stone and built grandly with towering columns, high ceilings and plenty of space.

“Are there shops and such?” I asked.

She nodded. “You’ll find them along the bridges. You just have to try the clam pottage.”

“Pottage?” I actually didn’t know the word.

“Old word.” She laughed. “Stew. Some sort of stew with lots of things thrown into it, but the clams always make an impression.”

“I’d love to try the pottage.” I gave her a smile.

“Good. The shop is right up here.” She walked to what looked like a fairly simple wooden shack beside the thick stock bridge. “Maybe you’ll grace me with your name over the meal.”

“Shit. Bran. Bran Heros, but the last part is fairly obvious isn’t it?” I scratched my cheek, continuing to pretend to be the eighteen year old I was supposed to be.

Circe just gave me a gentle smile. “It is. Though there are people on the island that married in or don’t have the name. So it is still important, even here. The name goes with the blood and to the Heros clan, the blood of Heros is everything.” She led me into the shop that had a few pots boiling with something in there.

“Two please.” Circe held up her hand.

The man who’d been stirring the pot until she walked in moved with the full speed of someone initiated and very eager to serve. “Elder, it's an absolute honor to have you in my shop again.” His eyes slid to me. “Who’s this?”

“Bran.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “I have my eye on him for this round of initiations. He’s going to be a shooting star, I can feel it.”

The man reappraised me and put two stone bowls full of thick yellowish-green stew on a table for us.

“Do we have to pay?” I asked, in my past life I had to pay or bring my own food.

“For food? No, it’s free for you among the Clan.” Circe said. “He’ll earn from the clan based on how many he fed today.”

I shrugged and took a bite, realizing that this stew was made with multiple system ingredients.

[Pottage F - Refreshes the mind and heals minor wounds]

I blinked. This side of the clan was far nicer than I had realized before.