RD 2 Ch 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2

“Pulling off my plan will be complex. Right now, I have no support. If I go into the clan and show off too much, I’m probably going to have to kill my way out.” I sighed; the clan was a den of vipers. Making the wrong person jealous would probably force me to kill them and then there would be more behind them. It would just be a mess.

“But if you don’t show off enough, you won’t be able to join one of the three branches.” Gloria understood immediately. “So you have to thread the needle.”

I closed my eyes. “Normally, I’d say yes. Instead, what I’m going to have to do is show off in a very different way. It won’t be about my class or my fighting abilities. The Olympus branch and the Hercules branch are locked in a contest of who can be stronger. I have one option where I might be able to fake the awakening into a SS or even a SSS ranked class. If I did, I could probably get into one of those, but faking those class skills would be tough.”

Gloria nodded along.

Amanda quietly drove the car, but I could tell she was listening.

“The third branch?” Simone prompted.

“Odyssey. They don’t often stay within the clan, but instead act as its strong external arm. The members of that branch are going out into the world, adventuring and coming back with treasure for the clan.” My speech slowed down toward the end.

“That sounds right up your alley.” Simone said. “What’s the hesitation?”

“The missions are dangerous. Oftentimes you are operating with multiple unknown variables.” I glanced at her. “Also, any members have to keep providing resources or they are removed from the branch. It’s completely and utterly cut throat.”

“So?” Gloria frowned. “You’re probably more cut-throat than them.”

Amanda stifled a giggle.

“The point is that I’m not sure I can continue to provide the way they would like. Not to mention it would bleed me of what I’m trying to build here.” I stared at the ceiling of the car. “We’ll see. There’s a chance I could get to be buddy buddy with one of the upcoming leaders of the clan and slide my way into Olympus.”

Back when I had first joined the clan and learned what I had missed, I had checked the records for awakenings the same year that I would have met the clan, which was the year I was going now.

The future leader of the Heros clan was about to get his SSS class, and they would shower him with anything and everything he wanted.

Perhaps I could make a fast friend.

I recalled his record and that nearly thirty percent of the names recorded had been struck out. It was that way for nearly every awakening. That meant there was something very dangerous following whatever process they used.

“We’ll see how many friends you make with guys while Simone is trailing around with you.” Gloria chuckled.

At the same time, Amanda pulled up to my mother’s apartment.

Thorin was fussing over her as she stood on the sidewalk with her suitcase and mine.

“Big.” Gloria looked at him. “Are you going to get that big?” She almost sounded hopeful.

“Didn’t last go around. I grew a good foot though. Never that thick though. Damned Borrson Clan; you could consider my father a pipsqueak.” I stepped out of the car, putting on the expression of a dutiful son. “Mother, we can take my car. Thorin, this is Gloria Nester, my fiance and she runs my small organization. She’ll be staying behind. I hope that you’ll look out for her if she needs it.”

“Sure.” He grunted and picked up my mother’s suitcases before she could even try. They were like toys to him. “Open the trunk.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Gloria stepped up to him and held out a hand.

He eyed her up and down, likely using his inspect to see her stats. A brow rose. “Oh? Good  Magnamalo… Queen? Probably would still work. There’s a training manual in the Borrson clan for a physique for Magnamalo Bloodline holders.” He paused and tapped his chin. “Shimmering Violet Physique.”

Gloria’s eyes went wide and checked with me. “Sounds incredible.”

“I don’t think you want to train a technique from the Borrson Clan.” They were notoriously brutal. Meaning, she was probably going to get the shit kicked out of her.

“Is it better than Thick Skin?” She asked my father.

He let out a deep laugh that actually shook the sidewalk. “Yes, dear. Far better.”

“Sign me up. Bran let monsters beat on me to level Thick Skin.” She pouted.

Thorin blinked. “That’s all? To train this, we’ll have to use hot pokers and Delutha Acid.” He paused. “And a eighty five foot cliff.”

“Uh… On second thought.” Gloria pivoted away from him. “How are you soon to be mother-in-law?”

My mother eyed her up and down, unimpressed. “Well. Bran, we need to get going.”

“Hold on a second.” I rolled my eyes. “Thorin, she’s building a compound outside the city too. It might be more comfortable for you to spend time there. My people are all initiated or aware so you wouldn’t have to tiptoe around.”

He rubbed his chin. “How far into building?”

“Still laying foundations.” I wasn’t going to lie.

“Good. Let me go help. Otherwise it won’t be sturdy enough.” He shifted back to Gloria. “We’ll work on your training too.”

Amanda zipped up next to him. “Do you have training methods for me?”

He eyed her. “Yes, generic ones. I don’t think we have anything specialized for your level of bloodline.”

“Generic is good. I just want to be as strong as I can be. There’s a whole group of us, we’d gladly throw ourselves off eighty-five foot cliffs if it meant we could be stronger for him.” She glanced at me out of the side of her eye.

I didn’t say anything or even react, worried what the compulsion on her might do.

“Alright, we’re leaving.” My mother got in the back seat. She seemed to disapprove of any other woman in my life.

I gave everyone a strained smile. She was prickly today. Perhaps going back to the clan was making her more irritable. “Simone, come along. Amanda, you’ll have to beg for training later.”

“Yes, Sir. Coming Sir.” She shot back to the car as fast as her legs could carry her and slid behind the driver's seat smoothly, making sure her gloves were on tight and adjusting the mirror as I slid in.

“Airport please.” My mother said as Simone slid in. “We are in a hurry.”

Amanda put her foot down hard on the accelerator and we shot off.

Gloria waving with Thorin stepping up behind her was the last sight I had off her before we took off.

The Borrson clan was famous for many things, one of which being their addiction to training. Gloria had stepped on a landmine, but she’d be stronger for it.

“Public or Private?” Amanda asked.

“Private.” My mother answered quickly.

“You have a jet?” I asked, incredulously. That would have been nice to know once upon a time.

“No. The Clan sent it, which is why we are moving up the schedule. They told me it would land ahead of schedule and we had three hours to get on it.” She huffed. “Just more shit from them.” That would be why she’s in a bad mood.

“What do you mean?” I was curious about her experience with the clan.

“If we missed the flight, you miss your chance at initiation. Someone pulled the schedule up to try and cause that to happen.” She grit her teeth. “Just make sure you don’t make any enemies.”

“Sounds like we already have plenty.” I glanced at Simone and pulled a talisman out of my ring and handed it to her.

She took one glance at it and pressed it to her neck. “Done. Next.”

I handed her the other and there was no physical change, but her status read ‘pregnant’.

My mother stared at her for a long moment. “Are you sure that will fool people?”

“Pretty sure.” I slapped my own disguise talisman on myself, to hide my class. “If they can penetrate this, then I’m screwed no matter what.”

“Your confidence is inspiring.” My mother said dryly, but clearly attempted to and failed to see anything but what I wanted with the talisman.

“It’s okay. He’s not really a S Rank Vampire.” Simone turned back into the sexy nun from her party outfit. Her disguise skill was something she’d gotten from the demon general when she defeated it with my help. She very much enjoyed it.

My mother turned back out the window, ignoring Simone. She had not yet gotten onboard with the concept of the women in my life.

“So, Simone. Going to be okay on this trip? I might get sucked into things and kept away.” I warned.

She hummed happily. “I am going. You won’t scare me off. Besides, just how bad can the Heros Clan be?”

“Very.” My mother spoke from the front seat. “They are all manipulative, greedy assholes. Unless of course, somewhere in this new wealth of information you have Bran, there’s a piece on how to fix that.” There was some bite to her tone.

“No. He was thinking of joining the Odyssey branch.” Simone added in, a little fire in her eyes as she spoke to my mother.

Great, these two weren’t going to get along.

“What?!” My mother spun around in her seat. “You can’t.”

“Why not?” I glared back.

“Because you’ll die is why not. Do you realize how many deaths there are in the Odyssey branch?” She was getting angry.

I still wasn’t sure what was up with my mother.

One part of my distant memories remembered a brisk but caring woman. So far she’d been more brisk and quite sharp, like an unsheathed sword.

Had I just never really gotten to the heart of her personality when I wasn’t initiated? Or maybe there was still something she needed to settle.

I hadn’t told her I was Bran from another timeline. Given how much trouble I was having on understanding her, I wasn’t sure how she’d react. She’d accepted that I was Bran after the sword strike in the warehouse, yet she hadn’t brought teaching me the sword back up since.

“I can handle myself.”

“You can’t even handle a sword properly.” She sighed and rubbed at her temples. “I understand you seem to think you know everything now Bran, but you cannot join the Odyssey branch of the family. They’ll chew you up and spit you out after wringing all of the value out of you.”

“Spoken like someone with experience?” I felt like I heard a tinge of direct bitterness in her tone.

“A friend from my initiation went to Odyssey. S rank, got plenty of gifts and treasures given to them. We kept up for a long time, about two years later she went missing on a quest. I asked for them to help me go find her. Nothing. Bran, those they send out are treated as entirely disposable.” My mother was furious.

“Then if I’m supposed to progress, what would you recommend? Sit outside the three main branches and be some fruit on the vine that is destined to wither away? Maybe I should join Olympus or Hercules and fight amongst the clan?” I hummed angrily at her.

“Do you realize the point of the four branches?” My mother asked.

I paused, tilting my head. “Four?”

She smiled at knowing something I didn’t. “Of course there are four. One to counter each of the other main families. Olympus? The titan slayers? The branch is dedicated to fighting the Borrson Clan should they ever fight. Thus, they’ll hate you out of the gate because of your father.”

I frowned and leaned back. “Hercules is for dealing with the Wukong Clan then?” I took a guess. In many ways they were parallels.

“Yes, then Odyssey?”

There were two of the five clans left. Ennead were summoners and bestial warriors. Kailash were monks and in particular they had Shiva, who was universally respected as the strongest human.

And for all the clans to agree on that together, the man had to be an absolute monster. I could confirm. When I had seen him fight, I wasn’t in a situation to even glimpse at his stats, but he had been powerful enough to make everyone else clear the field when he fought the demon lord of the first invasion.

“I’d almost say that we don’t need to prepare for Kailash, so Ennead?” I said.

My mother smiled. “Correct. The final branch is Tartarus. They are a last resort should Shiva ever move to strike our clan, unlikely as it is.”

“What do they do?” I asked.

“Hide.” My mother answered. “Which is why you should join them.”

I stuck out my tongue in distaste. “No. I’ll join Odyssey. My skills match my confidence.”

My mother’s glare lasted until we pulled into the airfield.

Our car approached a gleaming plane sitting in the middle of our designated spot.

“The clan has money.” Simone broke her silence. “Lots of money.”

“More than you can imagine. All five are stupid rich. Even those giant brutes.” My mother seemed disappointed and slid out of the car the second Amanda brought the wheels to a stop.

Our suitcases went into our spatial rings, they were just props anyways.

Simone patted my hand. “She’ll come around. You could always tell her the truth.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Might have to risk it. At least we’ve gotten to the point of no return now.”

“Hmm?” Simone asked.

“I was worried that if she learned the truth, she’d stop me from going to the clan. As soon as we get on that jet, that option isn’t available.” I smiled at Amanda. “Thank you for your services, as always.”

“A pleasure.” She dipped her head low. “We all will hope for your valiant return and will take care of your base here while you’re gone.”