Chapter 135: Rejected

"You'd really kill everyone in the city?"

The Merchant nods.

"Everyone that's our enemy?"

"You could handpick the lucky few who survive the reaping, if you so wish."

Anselm turns to me, excitement clear in his eyes, "Asher, this is it, this is our solution!"

"And all I have to do is swear servitude to the God of Death huh"

He nods, like that's the most reasonable thing he's ever heard.

"Uh, no." the look of excitement washes off his face like poorly applied makeup and he edges back away from me.

"Don't you want to save Kaylin?" he sounds absolutely hurt by the thought I might value the lives of a few thousand people in the city over our comrade.

He is certainly not the same Anselm. Old Anselm would be the one outraged by the very idea, not jumping at the very mention of committing genocide, even if it's on our enemies.

I shake my head, disappointed but understanding nonetheless, he's been through a lot under Frozia's care, a lot of brain washing.

"Anselm, we still need the people." I remind him.

"For what?" he asks, like there was absolutely no need for the thousands of lives the Merchant just offered to 'empty out' for us to stroll in and get Kaylin.

I toss him an outraged look and ask, "Are you even hearing yourself right now? No, forget the economic importance of a healthy, not dead workforce and consider the fact that if the choice was yours you'd kill thousands of men, women and children just to get at what you want."

He looks confused but I scoff, "I know it'll take some getting used to, this new Frozia degraded you, but this is an absolute no. It's not even a good deal!" I throw my hands up in frustration.

"Not a good deal?" The Merchant speaks at last, pulling me out of the next bit of my rant and giving Anselm time to assimilate what I've said.

"No, it's not." I reply firmly.

It's actually the last thing I'd ask a freaking God for. "You think just because I have a rather difficult short-term problem on my hands now you can just swoop in and offer some shitty deal to make it go away and I'll jump at it without considering exactly what you're asking in return and what I'm getting?"

I can't help but snort at the Merchants pained look.

"You said I could ask for anything else right?" He nods, albeit with gritted teeth, "Great, then why don't you just get rid of my biggest problem and headache yet? Phien, get rid of that fallen God, clear the continent, the world of his presence and make sure I live a peppy life without having to worry about fighting Cultists or getting struck with Lotar's hunger."

…

Nothing, the Merchant even dares to look away.

"Oh, you can't do that? Then how about you just hand me the keys to the Kingdom then? Make me King, give me a Kingdom following my every command so I don't have to build one myself."

…

Again, nothing, just staring at his blue shoes.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"How about we ask for Kaylin to safely appear here, Asher? Huh? How about we do that?" Anselm groans, "You're so self-involved you're not even thinking about how to get Kaylin out of there safely."

Breathe Asher, breathe.

He's had decades to forget I've always got some sweet plan up my sleeve, and that I'll never leave my people behind.

"Anselm, why don't you trust that I don't know what I'm doing? Is it really because of Frozia and your time in her realm or is it because of something else? Tell me cuz I'm really itching to know why you're not considering the fact that I'll be the slave to the God of Death for all eternity, even as a God myself."

"And for what? Asking to teleport Kaylin here when I can figure this shit out myself?"

Exhaling, I rub my throbbing temples.

This is not the Anselm I was looking forward to.

"If you have a plan then just say so. And I'm not worried about you because…well, this won't kill you, this won't injure you, this won't stop you from playing the part you have to play."

He still hasn't elaborated exactly what that means.

I look between the two rather annoying individuals and let out a heavy sigh. 

I really need that break.

Looking to the most annoying at the moment and the cause of all the hassle with the other, I say, "Look, it sounds like Ferth can't do any of those things for a multitude of reasons but I'd rather not get pulled into serving three damned deities before I'm even six-feet under."

Looking to the skies I scream, "You hear that you lot! I. Am. Not. Available!"

Then back to him, "If Ferth can somehow give me something I actually want…need and can't get, then you can come back at anytime you want to propose the offer again."

And then to Anselm, "Anselm, once we get this guy to move his Carriage, I'm going to perform a ritual…albeit for the first time ever, but if the Mark of All or the System is as good as it ought to be, then it should be a resounding success."

"What's the ritual for?" he asks, finally tamed.

"I'll be making a familiar."

He raises an eyebrow at this but I only smirk in response.

Clapping my hands at the Merchant I rather rudely begin to shoo him away, "Well, why are you still here? Off with you!"

The Merchant growls but nonetheless turns. Before he goes, he does mutter one more thing into my head.

"You will regret this, Ferth is the only true ally you have, and if you succeed in become a God, however unlikely, you will need allies and power. More power than you'll have at that point."

I don't get a chance to throwback a snarky response as he snaps his fingers and in a bright blue flash, he and his carriage disappear.

I roll my eyes at the excessive display and turn, headed for the carriage and wagons full of the weapons for the elves.

Only then does it occur to me that if Kaylin has been captured, the Elven North may well not exist anymore.

"Asher," Anselm calls after me, floating behind, "Do you truly believe you won't regret this?"

I shake my head as I understand where he's coming from once more, "You left while I was weak, Anselm. Now, I have power, power enough to squash any unruly Mayor that dares hinder me. Audwin, the Matron, the boys? I don't rightly care anymore. I'll trample over every single person who even thinks they can become a menace to me, I will not be a stepping stool for anyone anymore."

I look him right in the eye and hiss this last part, "Especially not you Frozia."

I'm more than certain she's watching. 

Unfazed by this, Anselm laughs, his shoulders trembling as he floats beside me, "By your time I've only been gone a day or three. But you've got power now?"

"You seem to have forgotten a very important detail about me with all that time you spent licking Frozia's toes, Anselm."

Still with a grin implanted on his face, he asks, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I grow stronger with every battle."

***

The wagons are set at a safe distance away from the city walls but close all the same. I let the drivers who brought them here go in the carriage I travelled in, I also let them take some of the horses.

I'd be getting a city full soon, so why bother keeping them.

Right now, Anselm and I are situated to the Northern side of the wall, if I'm coming in then it's best to come in through the part of the city that might have allies.

Even though there's a chance the place is crawling with the Mayor's men, all waiting for me to make an appearance.

In fact, it's very likely this is the case as from the quick aerial sweep Anselm performed, the Northern gates are the only ones swung wide open at all times, with no active checkpoint and a blockade far up ahead dissuading any one traveling from that side from taking the route.

But that's fine. Ally or enemies, it doesn't matter.

Allies great, I get to distribute the weapons. Enemies? Perfect, I get to have a head start on that undead army I'll be using as a distraction not to mention begin to reap some souls.

A little snippet in my break in and slaughter plans is how mana intensive it's all going to be. I don't exactly have a battery, well, my ring aside. But I suppose some of the burden will be alleviated by the fact that Anselm has magic now...borrowed magic.

My biggest concern now however, is not the cost of mana, I can always duck and replenish my reserves by performing Soul Drain on my enemies and suck whatever natural mana they have in their bodies instead of sucking out their life force.

My biggest concern is actually finding where exactly in the city Kaylin and whomever else is being kept hostage.

And that's why Anselm and I are shuffling through the tall grasses looking for a particularly slippery animal.

A snake.