《Broker》 Chapter 1 She gripped the knife in her hand. Bloody tears flowed down her cheeks. Her messy black hair was askew. She looked down into his eyes, pleading, hoping, begging. He looked up at her without a shred of doubt or guilt. The city, the world burned around them. Her fingers trembled as the tip of the blade grated against skin inured to such mundane weapons. Her lips bent down in grief, her teeth bared, her heart breaking in her chest. She could smell it, the bodies of her friends, of every living person on the planet. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you survived that, girlie,¡± He croaked, blood leaking from his lips. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw cracked, his nose streaming. ¡°You¡¯re one lucky bitch, if nothing else.¡± She clutched at her chest and gasped out a sob, raising the weapon again and bringing it down against his chest. With a twang and scraping sound it clipped off of his body. She tossed it aside with a frustrated scream. ¡°Otis!¡± She howled his name, slamming her fists against his nigh-indestructible body. ¡°Otis! Otis! Otis! Why?!¡± ¡°It was fun, so why are you bothering? I¡¯m dead anyway, you¡¯re dead, the world¡¯s dead, it¡¯s over,¡± He chuckled, smiling at her. ¡°Why do you even care?¡± She gripped the collar of his costume and tried to pull him up to look at her. She couldn¡¯t lift him. She didn¡¯t have the strength anymore. She rest her hands on his face and let out another sob as the flames raged around them, explosions, screams, life on earth was coming to an end. Ruination. It wasn¡¯t just his fault. All of them had become so god damn corrupt, obsessed with their power rather than using it to fight, to do the right damn thing! She hated them, she hated how petty and stupid humans could be. She screamed in his face, ¡°YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!¡± She howled, slamming her fists on his chest again. He didn¡¯t respond. Otis, the Faceless Hero, the most powerful man on earth, was dead. She was the last hero alive. A nobody. A nothing. Sonya Chernovna was barely even enough to be classified as a hero. All she had were her eyes that clicked and whirred like clockwork contraptions in her head. The glow that was once bright and pure had dimmed to barely a luster. She dragged herself off his corpse and rose, clutching at her chest, her costume was torn and bloody. Everything hurt, her heart, her arms, her legs, her universe was nothing but pain. She turned away and started walking, towards the center of it all, towards the epicenter of the chaos. The monsters ravaging the city paid her no mind, it was as if she didn¡¯t exist. She trudged along as people screamed, but she didn¡¯t have the power to save them. She grit her teeth as a mother sobbed in the distance, her heart splintering again. ¡°The League of Heroes,¡± She muttered, ¡°The American Heros Guild, The Japanese Hero Society, The Korean Hero Association, The Russian¡­¡± She trailed off, the words tumbling from mouth. The groups that had once been a beacon of safety for the world, the organizations that had stood stalwart against the creatures that had appeared more and more often, that were supposed to fight the worst of the worst. In the end, they¡¯d become what they fought against. Otis was just the fulcrum, the governments of the world, the greed of the organization leaders, the corruption of the heroes. They¡¯d styled themselves like gods to the ordinary people of Earth, lording over them until their arrogance pushed them to war against one another. Earth couldn¡¯t survive it, not as monsters ran rampant and heroes fought one another. Sometimes, Sonya, people are just like that. You can¡¯t make them change. ¡°Bullshit!¡± She snarled, stepping past a ruined car and over the corpses of another pair of heroes, their faces and costumes burned beyond recognition. ¡°Heroes should work together!¡± She croaked. It¡¯s okay, love. She staggered into the city center, heedless of the soft voice in the back of her mind. So warm, so full of love. She could smell her still. She could feel her hands on her face. Sonya felt her legs go numb but she just forced feeling into them, slamming her fist into her legs and trudging onward. ¡°No it¡¯s not,¡± She swore, ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive them.¡± You don¡¯t have to forgive, but you can¡¯t forget the good in people too. Sonya squeezed her eyes shut and collapsed to her knees, gripping the sides of her head, her chest hurt so bad it felt like it would burst. ¡°Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! If I could I¡¯d kill all of them! Over and over! I¡¯d turn their lives into a living hell and never let them escape!¡± Is that what you really want? Sonya¡¯s hands dropped to her sides and she looked up at the red sky, ¡°No, but if I could, I¡¯d make things right. Even if¡­¡± She drew a ragged breath into her chest, ¡°...even if I have to be the worst there is! I¡¯d do it!¡± A familiar scent washed over her, her eyes opened and she gasped. ¡°Chunhua?¡± She asked, dazed, desperate. Something heavy thudded to the ground in front of her and she looked down. It was a box, a chest, two blocks of marble on a hinge. It was engraved beautifully. She¡¯d seen it before, the source of everything that had happened on earth since that day. According to the stories, the box had opened on its own in the middle of a crowded museum and the flash of light that followed had turned the world upside down. ¡°Pandora¡¯s Box,¡± Sonya breathed. Then let hope out, and try again. Sonya grabbed the sides of the lid, she wasn¡¯t sure what the voice meant, but if it meant she could have a second chance to make things right, she¡¯d take it. Her bloody fingers slipped on the lid and she grunted helplessly before finally getting a grip, trying to pry it open. The old story said that hope had been left behind when the box was opened the first time by Pandora herself. Sonya forced the lid open and her world became nothing but blinding light. ¡ª ¡°It¡¯s the top of the hour and we have had recent reports of unusual seismic activity taking place throughout the eastern seaboard, no injuries have been reported at this time but folks at home are encouraged to remain vigilant of your surroundings, seismologist Lincoln Atwood said¡­¡± It was a familiar voice that Sonya woke to, the sound of a man talking over the television. She tried to open her eyes and was met with nothing but darkness. Her head hurt, her memories muddled and languid. What happened? She thought numbly, reaching for her cane, her fingers wrapping around the smooth, reflective surface. She felt the plushness of the couch beneath her, the familiar fruity scent of the air freshener she liked in the air, it was her apartment. Small, a bit on the unkempt side, but home. She struggled to remember, the thoughts coming in jumbles at first before hitting her in a deluge. A world of heroes, monsters, violence, death, war, fire, Chunhua, Otis. She let out a cry of pain and grasped the sides of her head, letting out a wretched sob as fresh agony burned its way through her brain. The sound of hurried footsteps, a hand touching her shoulder, someone¡¯s voice, calling her name. ¡°Sonya! Sonya are you okay? Is the TV too loud?¡± Another familiar voice, she wrenched her arm away and tried to scramble to her feet. What was happening? Why couldn¡¯t she see? Wait¡­ she¡¯d been blind before the box had opened. I¡¯m blind again? She thought, her fingers wrapping more tightly around the cane. And that voice? Marta? ¡°Marta?¡± Sonya asked, trembling. ¡°Bad dream, Sonya?¡± Marta¡¯s voice offered with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sonya felt an ache explode in her chest. Marta had been killed so early on during the war, slaughtered with everyone connected to the The American Heroes Guild, anyone remotely close to her had been annihilated, even if she had been a nobody. A glorified scout. She felt her body try to cry, but her damaged tear ducts couldn¡¯t weep. The terrible acid burn that had rendered her disabled had ruined it for her. She reached for Marta¡¯s hand, the caretaker who had been by her side even after being let go by the government who had paid for her employment with Sonya. She squeezed the woman¡¯s hand desperately. Warm, real, solid. She was alive. Pandora¡¯s Box had sent her back! Her mind whirled first in disbelief, then in panic. ¡°Marta! What day is it? What¡¯s going on right now?¡± ¡°Sonya, seriously dear, are you okay? You sound terrified,¡± The woman trailed off as Sonya gripped her wrist. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°The date!¡± She begged. ¡°It¡¯s March Third!¡± Marta gasped, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°The time!¡± Sonya insisted. ¡°Ah! Uh¡­ just a bit after noon? Sonya, seriously, you¡¯re scaring me, did we miss an appointment?¡± Marta asked. Sonya dropped to the couch and scrambled, muscle memory guiding her to where she always left the remote on the coffee table. She snatched it up and fumbled with it for a moment, remembering where all the buttons were before hurriedly punching in a new channel. She felt Marta sit down next to her and could practically sense the caretaker¡¯s concern. The sound clipped out for a moment on the television before a new voice cut in. ¡°I''m here at the National Archeological Museum in Athens where a new exhibit featuring artifacts discovered during the Hesiod Ruin Excavation. Of note are numerous weapons found at the dig site and an unusual marble cube, as you can see, the cube appears to be hinged but researchers have yet to find a way to open it,¡± A reporter said. ¡°Was this what you were worried about?¡± Marta asked, ¡°It¡¯s just an exhibit-¡± She was cut off as sounds began to come from the tv, shouts of surprise and confusion. Sonya braced herself, she¡¯d barely been awake a few moments after coming back and already things were kicking off. It looked like she didn¡¯t have any time to prepare. ¡°Marta, make sure the front door is locked,¡± Sonya urged her, gripping the seat as the shouts from the tv grew more frantic. ¡°There seems to be something going on inside, excuse me!¡± The reporter called. ¡°Miss Sonya?¡± Marta started but Sonya turned and did her best to give the woman a sightless stare. Marta hopped to her feet somewhere nearby and hurried to the door, ¡°It¡¯s locked!¡± As if those words were a gunshot fired at the beginning of a race, screams erupted from the screen. Marta let out a gasp of horror, ¡°What is that light?¡± Sonya pursed her lips together, Here it comes¡­ Sonya braced herself before she felt something wash over her like a tidal wave. She was knocked onto her back, prone on the couch as a burning erupted in her head, her eyes were on fire! She cried out, she¡¯d forgotten how much this had hurt the first time it¡¯d happened. She grit her teeth, focusing on the pain rather than running from it. Her memories of what had happened before raging to the surface with a white hot fury. Anger boiled her blood and she snarled, she wouldn¡¯t black out from the pain this time. She wouldn¡¯t wake up on the ground while chaos erupted in the streets. Light assailed her and she winced, the light began to dissipate and soon colors and shapes began to make themselves known, particles that consolidated into recognizable forms. Like the first time, her sight had returned to her. She looked down at her pale fingers for a moment. Even after all she¡¯d experienced the first time around she couldn¡¯t believe how easily that flash of light had changed everything. She felt that odd heaviness in her head, the strange ticking, the sensation of those mechanical eyes in her skull once again. Tick tick tick tick tick. It was the same as before, a remarkably mundane power that because of its weakness she¡¯d never been able to properly foster. She heard Marta groan nearby and got to her feet, hurrying over to the caretaker. She pulled the woman to her feet. Marta looked up at her in bewilderment. ¡°Miss Sonya! Your eyes!¡± She gasped, raising her hand to her mouth. Sonya shook her head, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later, do you hear that?¡± Sonya urged her and took the woman by the wrist. She looked into the woman¡¯s face, a middle aged woman with brown hair and frantic brown eyes. Her hair was a mess and her blouse was askew from having been knocked off her feet. She always looked a bit harried. Just as she remembered her. She tried to remember what else came next, the light, her vision, there had been so much confusion. A bestial roar sent the windows shuddering and a chill rushed up her spine. Marta froze in terror. That¡¯s right! A monster appeared in the street outside the complex. Ah come on Sonya! What happens next? Remember! ¡°What was that?¡± Marta cried, stepping back against the wall. Sonya opened her mouth to say she didn¡¯t know and choked, she tried to speak again but her voice came out strained. She grabbed her throat, confused, and looked up at Marta¡¯s face. She was growing paler and more terrified. She tried again and choked once more. Why? Her mind raced, because what she was going to say wasn¡¯t true? That hadn¡¯t happened before! Sonya grit her teeth, she didn¡¯t have time to think about it, ¡°Whatever it is, isn¡¯t friendly!¡± Sonya said and the words came out easily. She frowned, avoiding a direct answer worked, it seems. A noisy crash outside shook the building, Marta screamed, and Sonya grabbed her again by the wrist and started to tug her towards the door to the bedroom, her training as a field hero kicking in. They needed to get away from outside windows and walls. Monsters rarely spawned inside of buildings, she knew that for certain, they needed to appear in areas exposed to open air or the sky for some reason. The building shook again. Why couldn¡¯t she remember what had happened the last time? It was all a blur. Her thoughts raced as Marta finally found the strength to stand and move, Sonya guiding her to the bedroom and shutting the door behind them. ¡°What is going on?!¡± Marta cried, ¡°Was that a monster? What was that light? What happened to your eyes?¡± Sonya opened her mouth again to lie and say she didn¡¯t know, but the words choked in her throat. She coughed and turned to look at the door, she had to figure out a way to calm Marta down without sounding like an absolute crazy person. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust Marta, frankly she was one of the few humans on this planet worthy of any kind of trust. How did she tell Marta that she knew exactly what these things were, that they¡¯d been granted powers by Pandora¡¯s Box, and that the world was about to change forever? Marta would ask her how she knew and Sonya would have to lie again, which clearly she couldn¡¯t do for some reason. She thought fast, ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either, Marta,¡± Sonya said, which was true, no one understood how Pandora¡¯s Box worked or what forces were involved that caused all this to happen, ¡°My head feels heavy and I can see.¡± Another crash followed by a shout and then an explosion. Someone was already trying to fight the monster? Why didn¡¯t she remember that? She couldn¡¯t have been out from getting her powers for more than a few seconds, it was the same with every person who got powers from Pandora¡¯s Light. Marta grabbed her hand, ¡°Sonya! We should call the police, right?¡± Sonya turned and was about to say that someone probably already had, when she saw something she¡¯d never seen before. Her new sight had given her the ability to see at great distances and make out fine details, but she¡¯d never had a heads up display like feature before. Words hung over Marta¡¯s head. Something like a charge ran up her hand from her contact with Marta¡¯s hand. She felt it wash through her and into her brain. Images, thoughts, confusing details, instincts. It was said that once someone acquired a power from Pandora¡¯s Light, they instinctively knew how to use it or at least the bare minimum of its functionality for more complex abilities. It was like she could see something in Marta, an untapped font of power that had been missed by Pandora¡¯s Light. Marta had been an ordinary civilian till the end the first time around, but why? What was different between her and Sonya? Luck? Luck was bullshit. She instinctively shifted her grip in Marta¡¯s hand, holding it like she was shaking the woman¡¯s hand. More words appeared in her vision. Appraise? Temporary Sample? Deal? What is this? Another crash, this one shook the entire room, picture frames fell off the wall and furniture toppled over. She could hear the screams from outside more distinctly. It all came back to her in a rush. While fighting, the monster was sent careening into her apartment. The feral beast had lashed out at Sonya and knocked her out. She¡¯d awakened days after the initial blast from Pandora¡¯s Box in a hospital and had been forced to move afterwards. ¡°Miss Sonya?¡± Marta''s face was pale, her entire body trembling as she looked at the door. Sonya looked at the words again and swallowed, ¡°Marta, do you trust me?¡± Marta turned her eyes to Sonya, shocked, ¡°Of course! What¡¯s happening?¡± It was like she¡¯d done it a hundred times before, it came so naturally. She felt a strange connection between herself and Marta, specifically an untapped feeling of power hiding just beneath the surface. She reached for it, Appraise and Provide Sample, she willed the thoughts into being, following the breadcrumbs created by the instincts that governed this new ability. It was like a new limb, raw, it ached a little when she activated it. Sonya winced and Marta let out a cry of alarm, gasping as her body began to glow with a familiar light. Pandora¡¯s Light. The light spread from Marta¡¯s arm and into Sonya¡¯s body, sizzling against her skin, she felt it burn into her muscles like an inferno. The wall behind them exploded, Sonya was sent hurtling towards the bed and skipped over it like a stone, hitting the wall and blacking out for a moment. A roar woke her and she scrambled, trying to get her bearings. The words hung in Sonya¡¯s vision even as a more impossible sight drew her attention. Marta was standing tall, her arms outstretched, and her hands gripped around the jaws of a horrific creature that looked like something between a dog and a panther, its smooth body coated with muscles. It tried to swipe at Marta but its arm wouldn¡¯t bend in such a way to reach her. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Marta cried out, terrified despite her advantageous position. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Sonya shouted back, back on her feet even as her body ached from the impact. ¡°Can you kill it?¡± ¡°I think so!¡± The caretaker said, surprised at her own certainty, she wrenched her arms and with a titanic effort pulled the creature down to the ground, slamming its head on the apartment floor. The room shook with the force and a noisy crack of something breaking inside the body of the beast that sent a chill through Sonya. For a moment, no one moved, no sound, no breathing, nothing. Then the beast let out its last breath and shuddered. Sonya stared in awe at Marta¡¯s back. The humble caretaker, the housewife, the woman that had died ignobly at the hands of Sonya¡¯s enemies in the future, was strong! Really strong! Marta turned and looked at Sonya, her eyes wide with shock, ¡°I¡­ I did it!¡± She gasped as light began to build on her skin again, and then faded. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed into a heap. Sonya darted forward and caught the unconscious woman. She held Marta in her arms and looked down at her own hand that still tingled from the handshake. She clenched it into a fist as a dark smile began to spread across her lips. ¡°Maybe I can do it too¡­¡± Sonya whispered as sirens approached. Chapter 2 Sonya sat in the chair in the waiting room, looking down at her hands. Even now she could still feel the strange tingle that had swept up her body when she¡¯d taken Marta¡¯s hand. A woman choked out a sob nearby, her husband consoling her silently. Sonya glanced at the two people, loving and supporting one another. Why couldn¡¯t all people be like that? She looked down at her fingers again, What was Chunhua doing at this time? She wondered quietly, clenching her hand into a fist. A nurse stepped out through the doors, ¡°Miss Chernovna?¡± Sonya got to her feet and followed the Nurse, ¡°How is Marta doing? She was my caretaker.¡± ¡°Miss Daphne? She¡¯s still unconscious but she seems to be fine otherwise. Her husband is with her,¡± The Nurse said, ¡°We¡¯re more concerned about you, Miss Chernovna.¡± Sonya frowned but gave a curt nod, ¡°I figured,¡± She said, reaching up to touch her eyelid self consciously. In this early time many people would be confused about the circumstances of Pandora¡¯s Light and the changes it would have on the world. A woman suddenly growing prosthetic eyes was certainly cause for concern. The woman gave her an uneasy look, ¡°Do they¡­ hurt?¡± Sonya shrugged, ¡°They feel a little heavy,¡± She offered, brushing her hair out of her eye. She paused and grabbed a strand of it, ¡°What the?¡± ¡°Miss Chernovna?¡± The nurse paused, looking at her in concern. ¡°My hair,¡± Sonya gasped, it had turned white! Stark white, starlight white, every inch of it. She scrambled for her phone and pulled it out. She hadn¡¯t checked her own appearance since she knew what the eyes from her Pandora-Given powers looked like, it didn''t matter. What the hell! Sonya trembled as she hit the camera button and turned it to selfie mode, looking at her face on the screen. Her skin had gone deathly pale and her hair was indeed as white as fresh snowfall, her mechanical eyes twirled and spun, clicking with that eerie sound they made. A faint blue-green glow blazed inside of them. ¡°It¡¯s changed¡­¡± The nurse regarded Sonya for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ make a note for the doctor,¡± She said uneasily, hurrying to scribble something down on a notepad as Sonya recovered and they continued walking. They stepped into an examination room and a trio of doctors were waiting, the three of them turned as one, all of them wide eyed. ¡°I¡¯d heard what was going around,¡± One said. ¡°But to see it in person,¡± Another murmured. The third strode forward, a broad shouldered man with jet black hair and glasses, he looked asian, he extended a hand to Sonya. ¡°Choi Da-Som, I¡¯m the head of neurosurgery here,¡± He said. Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment and she could see the same name hanging over his head. She took his hand and felt a momentary connection with him, that same untapped sense of potential. She made a split second decision. He¡¯d taken her hand willingly and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to test and see more detail about this strange new power of hers. This time she wanted to see what a single feature would do; Appraise. Nothing happened for a heartbeat and she forced herself to smile and shake his hand, ¡°Nice to meet you sir,¡± She said, trying to look weary. It must have worked because he leaned in a bit and examined her face. ¡°You look anemic, Miss Chernovna, why don¡¯t you have a seat,¡± He said, gesturing to the examination table. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just tired,¡± Sonya admitted, she¡¯d been up for almost a day, it wasn¡¯t easy to nap with all the crying and wailing in the waiting room. He seemed to take her retort in stride as she stepped past him and onto the examination table. ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Well, honestly we need to know more about your condition from you,¡± One of the doctors said, moving up to stand next to Da-Som. He had a tablet in his hand and was reading it, ¡°It says here you were clinically blind, your eyes damaged by an incident at a lab you worked at?¡± ¡°I worked for Stockton Chemical, yes, there was an incident with acid that took my sight,¡± Sonya said flatly, ¡°Then yesterday happened and now I can see.¡± ¡°How would you compare it to your original sight?¡± The other doctor asked, taking a few notes down. ¡°Well, like I told the nurse, they feel a little heavy in my head and make a ticking sound like there¡¯s a clock up in there,¡± She tapped her temple, ¡°Whatever happened didn¡¯t heal my tear ducts, and I still don¡¯t need to blink, also I can see honestly better than I had before. Peripheral detail is really good, your shoe¡¯s untied, Doctor Manse,¡± She said, staring straight into Doctor Choi¡¯s eyes, unblinking. Manse, one of the other two doctors, looked down at his shoes and coughed, ¡°Remarkable.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to run some tests,¡± Doctor Choi said, ¡°But after that, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll be good to go, you don¡¯t seem hurt at all.¡± ¡°Just some bruises,¡± Sonya said. ¡°But what¡¯s happening is extraordinary, it could take days to get all the information!¡± Manse protested. Sonya stiffened, she didn¡¯t like the sound of that. She had no memories of what happened at the hospital after Pandora¡¯s Light the first time. She''d awakened and was given a clean bill of health before being sent home after some questions about her condition. ¡°We don¡¯t have a right to hold her here,¡± Doctor Choi cut in firmly, ¡°More importantly, there are plenty of other people experiencing these odd symptoms and changes. We need to catalog first before we start examining for more detail. You¡¯re putting the cart before the horse.¡± Manse frowned but nodded his consent to the point. Sonya let out a breath and graced Doctor Choi with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to follow up once we better understand what¡¯s going on?¡± The doctor asked, returning the smile. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it favorably,¡± Sonya said, she wasn¡¯t willing to say no and after experimenting with some of the people in the waiting room she realized she couldn¡¯t lie and say yes either. If she¡¯d lied in front of observant people like this, they¡¯d notice her choke and start asking more questions. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Does my inability to lie have a connection with this new power? It sounds like it involves making deals, is that a consequence of that? I can¡¯t deceive people directly? Fortunately, Doctor Choi seemed satisfied with that response and immediately set to work through a few tests to get an idea of what was going on with Sonya¡¯s new eyes. They tried to examine them internally but the inner workings were too complicated for their equipment. They ran her through an MRI with little success either though it did paint a picture of how the eyes were connected to her brain, that alone had been monumental according to Doctor Choi, who had enthused about it and urged Sonya to return before they parted ways. ¡°Your eyes could be the solution to blindness in a lot of people,¡± Choi said, ¡°I do hope you¡¯ll come back.¡± Sonya simply shook his hand again with a smile, she noted that the option to appraise him was gone. Instead only the sample and broker deal options remained. So I can only appraise once? Interesting. But what does it mean by product? Before she left, she managed to get the room number where Marta was staying and went in for a visit, finding her husband looking tired but relieved that his wife was alive. He thanked Sonya despite his obvious misgivings about her new eyes, shaking her hand and giving her a new person to appraise. She left the hospital after urging him to contact her when Marta¡¯s condition changed. That woman had died for her once and now had saved her life. It was strange, though, last time around someone else had destroyed the beast, obviously. Where had that person gone off to? Had they simply been too slow to respond before Marta had settled the problem? It was anyone¡¯s guess. ¡°Mommy it hurts!¡± A small voice whined as she stepped into the small hall between the automatic doors that lead outside. She glanced over at a little boy sitting on the ground, clutching helplessly at his arm in a cloth sling. His mother was hovering, fretting over his condition. She looked about as beat up as everyone else, cuts and scrapes but no serious injuries. She looked at the boy¡¯s arm and felt a surge of instinct come over her, it was like she could see a warehouse in her mind, inside were hundreds of empty shelves. One, however, had three vases on it. Product? If it''s a product, it belongs to me, she reasoned, so can¡¯t I use it? She turned and walked towards the pair, ¡°Excuse me, I might be able to help,¡± She offered gently, kneeling down next to the boy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who are you?¡± The woman demanded as Sonya reached out and touched the boy¡¯s arm. She mentally drew on the item on her warehouse shelf and felt it rush into her. Instinct and understanding, just like the acquisition of her eyes. She knew how to use it. A faint green light erupted from her fingertips and the boy let out a startled gasp. ¡°What are you doing!¡± The woman screamed only to go silent as the boy stretched his arm out in awe. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt!¡± The boy gasped as Sonya got to her feet, it was a good test but she needed to leave, fast. ¡°Wait!¡± The woman called, but Sonya had already pushed into the crowd as more and more people streamed towards the hospital. ¨C Sonya let out a weary breath as she sat down at the only coffee shop that had dared to be open after everything had transpired. She held the warm coffee in her hand, more for the soothing feeling it gave her than her desire to drink it. Oh boy would she drink it though. It was fortunate that only the woman seemed to have seen her and the boy was too elated with his arm being mended to have noticed. I mended that kid''s arm¡­ She thought, still awestruck by what happened. She reached back into her mind to check through her warehouse. Lo and behold, the shelf still had all three products present. The only explanation she could come up with was somehow she had taken a copy of the potential power in the people she had touched and internalized it. Her power referred to it as a product, though. Did that mean she could just as easily give it to someone else? Is that what it means by Broker Deal? She snorted, ¡°A power broker.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that ma¡¯am?¡± A man asked, stopping next to her with a tray in his hand. He set down a small cake in front of her and she looked up at him. He tried and failed not to wince at her eyes. She really needed to get some sunglasses, she¡¯d worn them all the time after getting her powers the first time around. ¡°Mm? Nothing, sorry,¡± Sonya shook her head and looked down at the cake, ¡°I didn¡¯t order this.¡± ¡°The man over there did,¡± The waiter said, pointing across the room, ¡°We aren¡¯t a bar though¡­¡± He grumbled. Sonya raised an eyebrow and followed the waiter¡¯s gesture. There was indeed a brown-haired man sitting there, he was young, probably in his early twenties and had an earnest look on his boyish face. Sonya frowned, she wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about being hit on right now and he certainly wasn¡¯t her type. Even so, she couldn¡¯t help but feel she recognized the guy from somewhere. She examined the bar over his head. Not Unawakened. Did he already have a power? Why is his name so familiar? Sonya graced the waiter with an easy smile, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll go talk to him.¡± ¡°Sure sure,¡± The waiter groused and walked away. Sonya picked up the cake and her coffee before walking over to Nick. A few people glanced her way uncomfortably before looking away. It had been just over a day since Pandora¡¯s Light and word was already getting around about people with unusual powers showing up. Sonya stopped at Nick¡¯s table and set her plate down, ¡°May I join you?¡± ¡°Please!¡± Nick enthused. Sonya swept into the chair and sighed, taking a sip of her coffee, she really needed to get some sleep soon. ¡°Can I help you, Mister Adders?¡± She asked, keeping her tone light. He winced, ¡°That one of your eye¡¯s abilities?¡± He asked. ¡°You could say that,¡± Sonya said with an easy smile. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, ¡°I¡¯m like you,¡± He whispered, ¡°I got hit by that light and¡­ whoom!¡± She gave him a deadpan look, ¡°Whoom?¡± ¡°Yeah! Whoom!¡± He exclaimed, drawing a few looks, he winced and lowered his head, ¡°Uh¡­ I can like¡­ make fire, and light stuff up.¡± She narrowed her eyes, Adders, fire, her eyes widened momentarily before she controlled herself. V N Adders was the internally known name of the hero Firestorm, a horrendously powerful hero from her memory and one of the bigger players in the American Heroes Guild. He was a big name! Or would be a big name, eventually. What on earth was he doing in a smaller city in North Carolina? More importantly, how do I get him to shake my hand? she thought, a small pang of hunger was already building in her. To have Firestorm¡¯s ability as one of her ¡®products¡¯ would be incredibly useful in the future. ¡°Impressive,¡± Sonya said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid my eyes aren¡¯t nearly that special.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your eyes I¡¯m interested in!¡± He corrected her, earnestness on his face. ¡°Please, I need your help!¡± She frowned, Sonya knew for a fact that Firestorm only had one power, so he couldn¡¯t have identified her abilities. So what was he so interested in? He seemed to notice her guarded expression so he lowered his voice even more, ¡°I saw you heal that kid at the hospital. Can you do it again?¡± Her eyebrows shot up, ¡°...you saw that?¡± ¡°A few people did, but it was so crowded I¡¯m pretty sure only I saw your face. I kinda¡­ followed¡­ you here,¡± He started to turn red as Sonya scrutinized him. ¡°...sorry.¡± She sighed, ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s say I can, what do you want, and what¡¯s in it for me?¡± He slapped his hands to his knees and bowed his head, ¡°I need you to help my dad, please! We can work something out I¡¯m sure!¡± It took every ounce of strength for her not to grin, she extended her hand to him, ¡°I can at the very least have a look,¡± She said, her eyes ticking ominously in her head. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick Chapter 3 It turned out that Nick Adders was loaded, she sat next to him in the exotic car he¡¯d driven all the way out to a small cafe in broad daylight. She felt severely underdressed for the moment. Her brown slacks and white blouse weren¡¯t exactly the style of the century and now that she looked at him, he was wearing name brand, everywhere. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, of course he was rich. He¡¯d be one of the best equipped heroes in the future. Which left her wondering who exactly his father was. She found that pretty quickly with a search on her phone. Jonathan Adders was the president of the family-owned Starhaus Furniture brand, high end and very prestigious furniture for the elite. It made sense why Nick was here, since Starhaus¡¯ headquarters was in town. She set her phone down and glanced at him but he was so focused on getting where they needed to go that he paid her little mind. She looked down at her hand, he¡¯d shaken it without a second thought and had given her yet another product for her warehouse shelf. The real question now was how to make use of her products. She experimentally drew on Heroic Strength and felt it surge momentarily through her muscles. She tried drawing on Light Step at the same time but didn¡¯t feel anything. So I can only use one at a time. Fair. Maybe that¡¯ll improve over time. Other powers seemed to grow, though I never was able to figure out how to improve on my eyes more than a little in the past. She put away Heroic Strength and tried on Light Step. She tried tapping her foot on the interior of the car and found that it didn¡¯t make a sound. It was a low-grade stealth ability, then. Something in the same realm as her eyes. Still, it¡¯s useful. ¡°Here we are,¡± Nick said, drawing her out of her thoughts as she looked up at the office building and headquarters of Starhaus Furniture. ¡°Your father¡¯s here?¡± She asked, incredulous. ¡°We have a private medical facility set up for him,¡± Nick said and got out of the car, hurrying around to open the door for her. She made a face but let him do it, no need to be rude. She got out of the car and followed him inside, passing a security checkpoint quickly with Nick¡¯s insistence. Soon they were on an elevator and he was looking nervous. ¡°I can¡¯t make promises,¡± Sonya said when he looked her way, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but all this just happened a day ago, I know you¡¯re excited but you should temper your expectations a little. Who knows what my limits are?¡± He deflated a little but nodded, ¡°R-right.¡± The doors opened and they soon arrived at an innocuous looking door. The only thing secure about it was the pair of cameras above it. She glanced down the hall and spotted a door positioned so that if anyone unwelcome was spotted on the cameras, the guards could be there in a heartbeat without drawing attention to the room itself. Security used intelligently rather than with brute force, she liked this Jonathan guy¡¯s style. They entered what looked very much like a private hospital room, the entire space was meticulously clean and every surface shone a little bit with careful polishing, the sunlight outside reflecting on them. The lights were out above, giving the room a comfortable glow. Ahead of them she could see the shape of feet underneath a quilt and sheets at the end of a hospital bed. It was otherwise concealed by a curtain pulled around one side. Nick hurried around the curtain and she could hear him talking to someone in a low voice. She heard a deep, barking laugh and then Nick came back around looking worried. ¡°He¡¯s willing to try anything,¡± Nick said, tugging at his collar, ¡°But he¡¯s not happy.¡± Sonya looked him in the eyes and then glanced at the door, she would really rather not demonstrate her abilities again in front of him even if he had seen them before. Especially since this was an opportunity to test out another Broker ability. That¡¯s what she figured she¡¯d call it. She gestured to the door, ¡°Let me talk to him privately, Nick,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t want to make a deal about his health in front of you.¡± Nick blinked, his eyes lighting up a little, he nodded with all the naivete he could muster and walked to the door. Sonya watched him go and shook her head, he¡¯d left a powered person alone with someone he cared about. In the future, that was suicide. Now, though, in this early time, no one knew any better. Sonya let out a wistful sigh and walked around the curtain, stopping at the foot of the bed to look the old man in the eyes. He stared back unflinchingly. ¡°You¡¯re a bit creepy,¡± The old man grunted. He looked to be in his mid seventies, his body emaciated and worn down by his condition. Numerous machines were attached to him and his white hair was thinning on his head. Even so, his eyes were like steel. She smiled, ¡°So I¡¯ve been told,¡± She said, walking around to stand next to him, ¡°Nice to meet you Mister Adders.¡± ¡°Jonathan is fine, you¡¯re some kind of healer, right? I saw the news about you weird folk showing up yesterday, my son showed me his fire. Damn near gave me another heart attack,¡± He grunted, gripping his quilt. His eyes were firm, but there was fear there. Sonya¡¯d seen it enough in the future to know it immediately. ¡°I¡¯m not here doing this for free,¡± Sonya said flatly, ¡°Your son practically stalked me to ask me for help.¡± Jonathan grunted out a laugh, ¡°Of course he did, what do you want?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not listening, so what are you willing to give? Payment on my success, of course,¡± Sonya offered, she wasn¡¯t sure if she had to be holding the guy''s hand to broker the deal, but her instincts said no. They just had to shake after agreeing. ¡°I¡¯ve spent almost a million dollars on finding a solution,¡± He groused, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you the same.¡± A million dollars, just like that, she forced her face to remain neutral and inclined her head. ¡°That makes sense, however if this works, it¡¯ll be fairly instant.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, ¡°Two Million, I like you.¡± Sonya extended her hand, ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± She said smoothly and he reached out to clasp hands with hers. In an instant she felt the connection with him and the latent potential hidden inside. The ability that didn¡¯t awaken with Pandora¡¯s Light, the ability that would be locked forever unless she gave it to him. Appraise. She had to force her face to remain even as she reeled from that acquisition. The Gift of Youth? She could give someone youth? She swallowed and turned her attention to the broker option, but found additional text. Broker Deal, she thought and words began to appear. So if I have the product in stock, I don¡¯t even have to actually draw on it, I can just use it as part of the Brokered Deal. She thought, restraining the smile creeping on her face. With this she would have money, more than enough to be comfortable. But that wasn¡¯t enough for her, not by a long shot. No. She needed to fix this rotten world and make sure that the absurdities that had happened the last go around never come to pass. With this, I can do it with this. Proceed. Her phone chimed in her pocket just as green light began to fill the room. It blazed brightly for a moment before fading. The old man let out a ragged, coughing breath before taking another, his body stiffening and his eyes opening wide in wonder. ¡°I can breathe,¡± He gasped and with some effort sat up, ¡°I can move! Even my jaw¡­¡± He trailed off and looked at Sonya with wide eyes, ¡°You-¡± ¡°Just as was agreed, Mister Adders, nothing more, nothing less,¡± She tried to sound as confident as possible, even as her heart raced. It really works! It¡¯s incredible! Now take the bait! He visibly relaxed, ¡°Nothing more?¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°What more could there be?¡± This time she couldn¡¯t restrain her grin any longer, she held out her hand to him. ¡°Another deal, then?¡± ¨C Sonya examined her phone thoughtfully as Jonathan stretched next to her, he bent over a few times, touching his toes and clenched his fists, marveling at himself in the reflection in the window. It looks like the deal not only worked, but somehow it automatically took the money from the Adders and deposited it into my account. What can¡¯t the Broker power do? She glanced his way and he turned to face her with a brilliant smile. Gone was the withered husk of a man that had been languishing in his bed. Instead, there stood a youthful man in his late thirties, dark brown hair and a smooth complexion. He looked very much like his son. ¡°You could have charged more,¡± He said with wonder. ¡°There are people who would pay billions for this.¡± ¡°I could have,¡± Sonya agreed, still drunk on the moment, ¡°But I¡¯d never tried it before. Consider it a guinea pig discount.¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Reasonable too! You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a Mister Chernovna, would you? My son¡¯s available!¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows and laughed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s not my type,¡± She admitted with an apologetic wave of her hands, ¡°Thank you though.¡± His expression relaxed and then grew serious, ¡°I assume you want me to keep the nature of what happened here a secret? It¡¯s why you had my son leave.¡± Sonya glanced out the window, catching the glow of her eyes in the reflection, ¡°I plan on trying to keep a low profile for a while, build a small clientele, I think,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how far I can push my gift, if I could make someone even younger. It¡¯s only been a day since all this happened and already I¡¯m making money off of it. I have a feeling bad things are coming for all of us, and I want to be prepared.¡± ¡°The monsters I heard about?¡± Jonathan asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Sonya said. ¡°If anything happens, can my family call on you again?¡± He asked. Sonya considered it and then inclined her head. Let''s try something out, she thought and extended her hand. ¡°I will provide my healing to the Adders family in exchange for your silence on the matter of my abilities and identity, Mister Adders.¡± He took her hand. Proceed. There was a sudden buzz of energy between the two of them and then, nothing. Even so she could feel that the deal had been struck. If at any time Jonathan called on her to heal his family, she would be required to uphold her end of the bargain. She wasn¡¯t sure what the consequences would be, but she knew how it would affect him. He would choke on his words, just like she would choke on her lies. She would have to offer a similar deal to Nick too, just to make sure her bases were covered. The now young Jonathan Adders looked down at his hand and marveled, he looked up at her as realization dawned in his eyes. She smiled at him and winked, ¡°Till next time, Mister Adders. Hopefully in the future I will have more services to provide you.¡± She stepped out of the room with a heavy sigh after that, she was exhausted, using her abilities like that had been more draining than she had anticipated and she needed to sleep something fierce. The memory of her destroyed apartment loomed up in her head and she groaned, she was going to have to crash at a hotel. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Nick burst out, jumping to his feet from a chair in the hall outside, startling her. She rounded on him, wide eyed for a moment, before letting out a sigh, ¡°He needs a few moments, but it was a success,¡± She said, placing a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Wait until I leave, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He looked at her incredulously but nodded, ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet,¡± Sonya said and held out her hand, ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¨C Nick watched her go, looking down at his hand, the door to the elevator opening and closing with her departure. He could still feel that strange tingling sensation. It was eerie. What had she done just now, to him? She¡¯d told him that she needed to make a deal with him concerning her identity and powers, that he couldn¡¯t speak a word about her to anyone. He¡¯d readily agreed and then there was a zap through his entire body, he felt a tightness around his throat that faded almost as soon as it had come. Was her power really just healing? He shook his head and hurried to the door, throwing it open and almost falling on his face as he saw his father. He looked like he¡¯d jumped out of an old family photo. ¡°Dad?¡± Nick breathed. ¡°Nicholas,¡± Jonathan Adders said firmly, ¡°We must never, ever, cross that woman.¡± Chapter 4 Sonya sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes and trying to remember where she¡¯d been. Everything felt like a blur. Her regression, the opening of Pandora¡¯s Box, her powers both new and old, and the many times she¡¯d used the Broker ability. She opened her phone for the hundredth time and looked at her bank account. She still couldn¡¯t believe that she had a smidgeon over seven million dollars to her name, just like that. All she¡¯d had to do was shake a man¡¯s hand twice. It was a euphoric feeling, but she knew it had limitations. She picked up her notepad and read it over, ¡°I can¡¯t lie anymore, all of my deals have to be made without overt deception. I don¡¯t have to fully explain the terms, though, such as silencing someone,¡± She began, ¡°In the case of silencing someone I don¡¯t have to have an ability that can do that as a product, rather since just not saying anything is within reasonable boundaries I can just make it happen. However, it seems like if I want to do something more miraculous I need a product in place that can achieve the goal.¡± She moved down to the next line, ¡°If it¡¯s an extension of an already established agreement, I don¡¯t have to provide additional payment or vice versa, probably. I didn¡¯t have to offer Nick anything in exchange for his silence since it was part of his father¡¯s deal. I guess that means I can offer my services freely if I want. That could come in handy, probably,¡± She mused and moved to the next line. ¡°I can only appraise someone once, and when I do I get their ability as a product that I can use as my own or as part of my deals. I haven¡¯t tried giving one of my products to someone, and I don¡¯t know if that will make me lose it or not. Probably. I¡¯ll have to be careful there. Maybe I can try it with Light Step,¡± She murmured thoughtfully. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like one I really need.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I take the ability from a person when I appraise it, I doubt that,¡± She continued and scribbled down a few more notes, ¡°Can I awaken the ability in someone? The potential is there. Try it on Marta if she¡¯s willing,¡± She muttered and read over the notes again. She felt like she already had a pretty good handle on what Broker could do, but it was still early. The most important thing now was continuing to test its limits. ¡°Most importantly,¡± Sonya said quietly, thinking back to when she arrived at the hotel, a small flush coming to her face, ¡°It won¡¯t activate unless they take my hand willingly¡­¡± Sonya had snatched the hand of one of the hotel staff to shake it vigorously as thanks for the room. It had been a positively humiliating experience but it was one of the only ways she could think of to test that particular limitation. She let out a breath and tore the sheet off the top of the notepad, her thoughts collected. She drew Firestorm out of her warehouse and with a flex of thought, incinerated the paper. She couldn¡¯t leave any evidence behind of her ability, even a scrap of paper in the garbage. She slipped off the bed and got dressed, eyeing herself in the mirror. Her white hair had been eye catching for numerous reasons, against her pale skin and the glow to her eyes, she seemed like some kind of otherworldly creature. The Hotel Staff had gaped at her for the first few minutes of her attempts to get a room, her ID card looked nothing like her now, she¡¯d have to get a new one. Fortunately she looked enough like herself that they shrugged it off as a rather dramatic bleach job. She snorted and threw on a shirt and some slacks, and frowned, ¡°Maybe some new clothes are in order, not like I can¡¯t afford it.¡± No, Sonya! She chastised herself, First, you need somewhere to live! She thought about Marta as well, ¡°And I need to take care of her, too, I won¡¯t lose her again.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± She nodded to herself, ¡°A good financial foundation, a place to live, Marta¡¯s protection, and after that, I need to figure out how exactly I¡¯m going to keep my promise.¡± Her expression fell, the words she swore when she¡¯d reopened Pandora¡¯s Box to let hope out. That she¡¯d fix things, make things right, even if it meant being the worst. She set her hands on the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. But how? What did that even mean? She rubbed her temples and groaned again, this was way too much thinking without junk food at her disposal. She wanted a burger and an ice cold soda. There was so much to do though! Not enough time to get a good burger. She threw a brief tantrum over the huge list of things to do before recovering when her phone rang, a chipper christmas bells ringtone that she¡¯d set for one person and one alone in her prior blindness. She snatched it up, ¡°M-Marta?¡± ¨C Sonya opened the door to Marta¡¯s hospital room and found the woman sitting alone with a large vase of flowers next to her. She was looking out the window and eyeing the street outside. Since the first appearance of monsters there hadn¡¯t been any reports of further activity. Sonya knew why, of course, the beasts would be appearing in packs at first and then in other ways. Soon, dungeons would start appearing that would have to be raided before the monsters over populated them and started swarming out into the civilized world beyond. For now, things were calm. ¡°Marta,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re awake.¡± Marta turned and looked at Sonya, casting a radiant smile her way, ¡°You came!¡± ¡°Of course I would!¡± Sonya insisted, moving to sit down next to her caretaker, ¡°I owe you my life, you¡¯ve taken care of me for so long, you¡¯re like a mother to me, Marta.¡± Marta looked down at Sonya¡¯s hands and then up at her, ¡°You¡¯re so sweet, oh, look at your eyes, they¡¯re so pretty now that I get a good look at you, and your hair!¡± She gasped, reaching out to take a strand of Sonya¡¯s hair in her fingers, ¡°It¡¯s a good look, honestly.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Sonya cracked out a laugh, ¡°After everything, my hair?¡± Marta chuckled and let go of Sonya¡¯s hair, ¡°Sonya¡­¡± Sonya felt a lump form in her throat and an uneasiness wash over her, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It was you, that made me strong, then, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She asked, looking again at Sonya¡¯s hand, ¡°When you held my hand, you did something. It didn¡¯t last long, though, I can feel it still there, but it¡¯s like it¡¯s been turned off.¡± That confirms one thing, Sonya thought as she swallowed, she glanced over her shoulder just in case a doctor had slipped into the room without her noticing. They were alone. She let out a sigh and set her hands in her lap, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Can you do it again?¡± Marta asked. ¡°What? Why?¡± Sonya blurted, ¡°You don¡¯t- I mean-¡± She stammered, ¡°Why would you want that?¡± Marta looked down at her hands, they were worn from years of hard work. There was a faint crease beneath her eyes, she¡¯d aged just a little more recently, the stress of Pandora¡¯s Light. Many people would go through the same thing, premature aging caused by the incident that changed the world. Marta¡¯s brown hair fell around her face for a moment, ¡°I was assigned to take care of you, Sonya, a long time ago. We practically live together. It¡¯s been the most rewarding job I¡¯ve ever had, but,¡± She looked up at Sonya with a shocking level of fierceness in her eyes, ¡°What I was able to do for you that day, it felt right. I was finally able to really protect you. You¡¯re like a daughter to me, Sonya, and I was never able to¡­¡± Sonya felt that lump in her throat again, ¡°Marta¡­ you don¡¯t have to do that,¡± Sonya urged her, You died for me once already, that¡¯s enough. ¡°My husband left,¡± Marta said, ¡°I told him about what happened, what I had to do, I didn¡¯t tell him how it happened, so he thinks I just have that strength now, like the other people that changed,¡± Tears formed in her eyes, ¡°He just walked out the door.¡± Sonya hung her head, ¡°Marta I¡¯m so-¡± ¡°If he couldn¡¯t stand with me after this change,¡± Marta croaked, ¡°He isn¡¯t worth being sorry over.¡± You don¡¯t mean that, Sonya thought, seeing the pain on her dear friends face. Sonya didn¡¯t know whether or not Marta wanted to be strong because she felt vulnerable now, or if she really wanted it in a genuine way. But Sonya realized it wasn¡¯t really her place to judge that, Marta had made a request and Sonya was not about to turn her friend down. ¡°Okay,¡± Sonya said and stood up, holding her hand out to Marta. Marta reached out and gripped it. ¡°Then I want you to stay with me from now on,¡± Sonya said. ¡°It would be my pleasure, Miss Sonya.¡± Proceed. It was the most complicated deal she had made with a shake of her hand rather than a paper contract and the feeling from Broker reflected that. She would have suggested writing something up, but she knew that the moment she left this place without a deal, Charon would be in the wind. It was either settle up now or lose the opportunity until she found him again and the reception the second time around would be a lot less friendly. She nodded to him as he looked in confusion at his fingers, ¡°The deal has been struck.¡± He looked up at her, ¡°What was that? I felt a tingle for a second.¡± He is very sensitive to mana. ¡°My ability allows me to make deals,¡± She said, ¡°I made our agreement binding, temporarily, for both sides. It will hold me to the agreement just as it will hold you. I¡¯m not sure what the consequences of failure will be beyond the other party suddenly knowing that the deal has been broken either through negligence or conscious action.¡± He nodded slowly, staring at his fingers, ¡°You said it holds you to it as well?¡± He pressed. ¡°Yes,¡± Ishtar said with a nod. ¡°Then I got no problems,¡± He said with a grin, ¡°What do we do first?¡± She got to her feet, ¡°Get you into a proper fucking lair,¡± She said with a chuckle, ¡°And into some clothes that fit your new role, Charon, Ferryman of the Villains.¡± He smirked, ¡°You got it, huh?¡± ¡°Of course I did, I¡¯m pretty familiar with mythology,¡± She said and turned away, ¡°Are you coming?¡± He hesitated, ¡°Let me just grab a few things real quick!¡± He called after her and she walked outside without another word. When she stepped into the thick mist that Kingshark was creating she glanced up at the Supervillain who raised an eyebrow at her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just force him to join up? Sounds like he¡¯d be good for the gang.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think, but a Queen does not own every business in her domain, no matter what she fools herself into thinking. It is much better to build a friendly working relationship with these neutral businesses and support them rather than work against them,¡± Ishtar explained, ¡°There needs to be neutral actors or there will be a perception of dictatorship.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a dictatorship?¡± Kingshark asked. She chuckled, ¡°Yes, but they don¡¯t have to know that.¡± He grinned, ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Get Charon set up,¡± She said with a breath, ¡°Supply him with what he needs and we¡¯ll need to figure out a way to increase the numbers of his zombies without pressing too hard against his morals. I have a feeling he does not actually enjoy the act of killing,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°So we¡¯ll have to play that carefully.¡± ¡°After that, I want you to inform your men in Vegas that I will be coming soon and they will need to be ready for what I have planned,¡± She said, ¡°You need to remain here as I said before, secure the home front and continue expanding.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna deal with that lightning guy?¡± Kingshark asked. ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t want you anywhere near him,¡± She said. He nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve played enough games to know it''s a bad match up,¡± He said gruffly. ¡°How are things overseas?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got a foothold in London and Venice thanks to that lady you introduced me to,¡± He grunted, ¡°Tokyo, Cape Town, Mexico City, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and a few other places. It¡¯s just a start though, I gotta be careful or my boys will be pushed out before we¡¯re set up.¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°Excellent work as always, you¡¯re a natural, Kingshark. You make me feel like a proud mother.¡± He grinned even more broadly than before, rubbing the back of his neck, ¡°Thanks boss.¡± The door opened behind them, the two turned to look at Charon who was lugging a heavy looking backpack and duffle bag. ¡°Just gotta get my zombies and I¡¯ll be good to go.¡± ¡°How many do you have?¡± Ishtar asked. He grinned, ¡°A few.¡± Side Story: Marta 2 It had been a while since she¡¯d taken a day off just for herself. The convention had been weeks ago and to be honest she really hadn¡¯t felt up to getting out there and getting some fresh air. Helping Sonya always took priority, so she¡¯d thrown herself into her work both as a caretaker and as a bodyguard. Marta had even offered to take on a more direct role, as an enforcer if necessary. Instead of accepting her offer, Sonya had insisted that she take some time off and separate herself a little from the work they were doing. She knew Sonya was worried about her conscience, worried about her burning out, but Marta was fine, really. They¡¯d gone this far already, why not just see it through to the end? They were committed. Even so, Sonya had put her foot down as her employer. Her argument? What was the point of all the money she was paying Marta if she didn¡¯t ever actually use it besides the occasional convention? So she¡¯d low-key threatened Marta with shutting off all of her streaming subscriptions if she didn¡¯t get out there and take a breather. That had been enough to convince Marta that her friend was serious, she¡¯d taken the next day off, and now here she was. She¡¯d rationalized it well enough, there wasn¡¯t much to do right now and the Chairman would be arriving in a few days. Might as well collect herself before things got busy again. New York was as big and oppressive as ever, the presence of the city simply overwhelming. Marta was used to smaller cities with smaller and less impressive buildings. Every structure around her seemed to reach towards the sky as if daring the heavens above to challenge humanity¡¯s greatness. She¡¯d opted for a pale sundress for the day, a wide brimmed hat to protect her from the sunlight that reflected harshly off the sides of the buildings around her, a simple strap purse and a pair of heels. As for her face? She¡¯d decided to wear her real face today. Sonya had suggested she go out in full cosplay now and then just for giggles, Marta had opted against it, for now anyway. Maybe when she was more confident. Maybe when she got over what happened at the convention. Every time she looked at one of her costumes now she saw his face screaming in front of her, full of hate. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pushed the memory aside before glancing up at one of the shops that she passed. A bookstore. She smiled, This could be refreshing. She slipped inside, the door chiming and the owner looking up from the counter, his nose having been buried in a book. He smiled at her and waved before gesturing at the store, saying nothing. She nodded at him and drifted past, taking the long route towards her destination. She stopped in fiction, wandered about biography, quickly hustled past romance, before finally coming to a stop at in the comic-book section. Specifically, manga. She smiled as she scanned the high shelves, her eyes tracing over the titles. She mentally worked her way through her personal reading list. Read it, read it, oh a new volume. She reached for it and paused, frowning. I can¡¯t reach it. Who sets up shelves this high? Limited space I guess¡­ She grumbled inwardly and glanced around for a stool or portable step, she didn¡¯t want to bother the owner, he seemed a bit reserved. ¡°Which one?¡± A voice came from behind her. She jerked and spun before taking an instinctive step back. A humongous man stood in front of her, broad chested with short black hair. He looked down at her with intense eyes and cocked an eyebrow. She met his gaze. Familiar¡­ she thought. ¡°Well? You were trying to reach one, yeah?¡± The guy grunted, nodding to the shelf. She blinked, ¡°O-oh! Right, yes, um,¡± She turned and pointed at one of the volumes. ¡°That one there.¡± He reached for it easily and plucked it off the shelf, handing it to her. She took it and looked up at him again. He really looked familiar but she couldn¡¯t place it. Was it just his face? Or was it his build? She¡¯d seen several heroes at the Hero Day event that had a similar build to him, if a bit smaller. ¡°Barry,¡± He grunted and held out a hand with an awkward grin, ¡°Barry Logan.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She raised an eyebrow beneath her wide-brimmed hat, That name. Why do I know it? She shook her thoughts off though and reached out to take his hand. Her small grip wrapping only around two of his powerful fingers. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her another awkward smile. Her eyes widened and she cleared her throat. ¡°R-right! Marta Daphne, it¡¯s nice to meet you Barry. Thank you for¡­ you know,¡± She held up the manga and gave him a little smile. He shrugged, hoisting a small pile of books in his other arm to get them more comfortable in his grip. She couldn¡¯t help herself, she tilted her head and squinted at the titles. The Complete Works of Lovecraft, Ichthyology, Mammals of the Sea, Great Beasts of the Deeps. She pursed her lips for a moment before looking back up at his face. She let her imagination drift for a moment and coughed, holding back a small laugh before leaning forward and whispering. ¡°...Shark? Is that you?¡± He blinked, ¡°Wh-? I uh¡­¡± He looked left and right, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Marta¡¯s lips twitched a little bit and she whispered again, ¡°I¡¯m Sonya¡¯s assistant, Marta.¡± She said, putting a little emphasis on her name. She reached up and tilted her wide-brimmed hat up a little bit to give him a better look at her face. He stared at her for a heartbeat before snorting out a small laugh that sounded more relieved than amused. This was a self-proclaimed supervillain? It was hard to imagine with him looking so awkward, though she supposed he was trying to keep a low profile. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be,¡± He grunted and glanced down at his books, ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°She mentioned you needed to do some reading,¡± Marta said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s a little strange seeing you alone, you two are normally attached at the hip,¡± The Supervillain admitted, turning and leading her over to a table set up for people to read around. He glanced at one of the chairs and frowned, considering his options before just setting his books down and standing near the table rather than risking it with his bulk. ¡°Told me I needed a day off,¡± Marta said with a sigh. He shrugged, ¡°She¡¯s a good boss, all things considered,¡± An awkward silence stretched out for a moment before he cleared his throat. ¡°So¡­ comic books?¡± ¡°Manga,¡± She corrected with a squint, ¡°Have you never read manga before?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I have,¡± He said, ¡°I only got my hands on a few comics when I was a kid. What are they?¡± ¡°Anything,¡± She said flatly, ¡°There¡¯s a genre for everyone.¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Sports?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± She said, getting a thoughtful look from the big man. He scratched his head and stared at the volume in her hand. He glanced over at the shelves and then back at her. He looked like he wanted to ask something but couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. She snorted out a laugh and set her volume down next to his own books, ¡°I¡¯ll help you pick something,¡± She said with faux resignation. He brightened and walked over with her. The two of them spending a little time as she explained stories and pointed out series that would probably interest him. His eyes nearly zoned out when she told him that they were read in a different direction from what he was used to, but he soldiered on. Soon, the two of them were at the checkout counter. The owner looked up from his own book and glanced between the two of them, ¡°Big haul today, Barry?¡± He gave Barry a bit of a grin. The supervillain cleared his throat, Marta noticed the red flushing up his neck. The big man gave the owner a daring look, ¡°Just let me pay, Anders.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± The owner, Anders, said and held up his hands. He started scanning the books and comics, even grabbing Marta¡¯s. Marta opened her mouth to say something but Anders just winked at her and Barry didn¡¯t say anything. When they were done, they stepped outside and back into the sun. Barry reached into his bag and pulled out her manga, handing it over to her. She looked at it and up at him, ¡°You know I¡¯m paid pretty well, right?¡± She asked. ¡°Just take it,¡± He grunted. She pursed her lips and took it out of his hands, tilting her head and looking up at him. To hell with it. She thought and let out a breath, ¡°You know, I still have a while before I should be getting back and I¡¯m enjoying the fresh air. Walk with me?¡± He looked down at his sizeable bag, up at her and met her eyes. He seemed to think for a few seconds before he nodded, showing her that signature big toothy grin. It wasn¡¯t that bad when he was in his human form. ¡°Sure.¡± The two of them turned away from the store and started walking. A hulking man walking just a little behind a small young woman in a pale sundress. Somewhere behind them, far in the distance, a disembodied glowing eye watched them move down the sidewalk before winking out of existence. Somewhere even further away, Sonya chuckled to herself. ¡°Atta girl.¡± Chapter 70 She¡¯d heard that riding in a private jet was supposed to be one of the most relaxing and luxurious experiences one could have while traveling. Veloce wanted to find whomever had made that claim first and vibrate their brain right out of their goddamn skull. Every moment she spent on that aircraft on her way to the United States was another moment spent thinking, another moment spent wondering, another moment spent dreading. She saw those eyes in her sleep. She felt her presence every time she had a rebellious thought. Just the name alone was enough to send her into a trembling fit. What was it going to be like when she saw that monster face to face again? It was so, so much worse. It felt like every cell in her body was trembling as she sat in the limousine, staring at her hands and wishing with every fiber of her being that she could just wrench the door open and run out, top speed, and disappear. Yet as soon as she had the thought all she could do was flinch, her muscles going taught and her body going stiff. Every rebellious thought left her disabled for a heartbeat, unable to move, unable to breathe. A punishment for even considering breaking the slave contract. Then there was the sound. How could no one else hear it? It was so fucking loud. TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK The ticking that rang in her ears, like an unruly clock. It had been quiet except when she had those thoughts, but here, now, sitting in front of her? It was deafening, maddening, another layer to the endless hell that was her punishment for having the audacity to even consider crossing this woman and take what¡¯s hers. ¡°Veloce,¡± The word came out like a hissing rasp, the sound of metal nails across bloodstained ice. A chill went up her spine and she jerked her head up in almost programmed obedience, looking into those digitized eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was dry, her jaw still locked by her rebellious thoughts. ¡°I have a job for you.¡± Veloce tried to pry her eyes away, her guts twisting, but she couldn¡¯t. She could only nod mutely. ¡°Do well, and I will reward you,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I will renegotiate your contract, give you some freedom back. Would you like that, Veloce?¡± Hope. Fleeting, beautiful, agonizing hope. She forced her jaw open even if it hurt, ¡°Yes, please!¡± Veloce pleaded, grasping onto that kernel of a chance of blessed relief. ¡°Then don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¨C ¡°As more mana radars are set up across the planet, we are beginning to get a better idea of how mana moves and its function in our newly changed world. More and more dungeons are being located as well, with many in a critical state. Heroes are being dispatched to cull the population of monsters within the dungeons while guilds and corporations rush to secure rights to the dungeons themselves,¡± The reporter said. ¡°The single crystal that was taken from one of the first dungeons by the team lead by Firestorm has demonstrated remarkable qualities and appears to be packed with energy, scientists are eager to get more samples to see what can come of this new material element. We are looking at a modern day gold rush,¡± The reporter continued, ¡°With ASTA Corporation being the leading company in the field of Pandora-based technologies, their value has continued to rise rapidly. Some have raised questions about monopoly, but the corporation has stated that it has not formalized any patents. It has not, however, released any detailed papers on their research.¡± Another voice chimed in, ¡°This is obviously an open invitation for competition, a rather magnanimous approach from the young CEO. Given the rumors about how well she treats her employees and her quick reaction to Dharan, she has earned a lot of general goodwill worldwide,¡± A man sitting across from the reporter said, the words under his name implied that he was some kind of financial analyst. ¡°When do you think ASTA will shift to public trading?¡± The woman asked. The analyst laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± Martin frowned at the television as he finished packing his bags, it wasn¡¯t a lot, but it was enough. He rubbed his neck and grabbed the remote, ¡°All people talk about these days,¡± Martin grumbled. ¡°Most national-level conflicts have moved to cease fire after the flash,¡± Ironsides said, leaning against the wall and sipping at his coffee. ¡°Everything but the most radical movements have taken a back seat, and groups like that are being ostracized for not prioritizing the monsters and villains.¡± Martin nodded slowly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to talk about,¡± he grunted and finished zipping the bag. ¡°Pretty much,¡± Ironsides said and put his mug in the sink. ¡°You ready, Chief?¡± ¡°Fucking Vegas of all places,¡± Martin grumbled. ¡°The Chairman wants you there to meet the international team he¡¯s putting together,¡± Ironsides pointed out, ¡°On top of that¡­¡± He trailed off. Martin nodded, ¡°She will be there. Both of them. We¡¯re sure about Kingshark¡¯s gangs in Vegas making moves?¡± He asked. ¡°Positive,¡± Ironsides said. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¨C As Smallfoot stepped onto the private jet, the shadows at his feet shuddered and shifted. The business-killer walked over to the sofa and sat down as the crew finished their procedures outside the aircraft. He pulled out his suitcase and made himself look busy, organizing some notes and flipping through documents. This was his normal routine, so it didn¡¯t bother him. In fact, it was refreshing to be getting back to what he did best and still had to work out a cover story to explain his absence to his mundane employers. He smiled curtly to himself and had that same thought he had every time he did this, If only they knew. The plane took off not long after he got settled and he got to his feet once it reached proper altitude, heading over to the bar and pouring out two drinks. He walked back to the sofa and sat down again, holding one out to thin air as he reclined. The shadows beneath him stretched out like a snake, gathering and swirling until they condensed into a solid mass. The solid mass took on the shape of a man and soon the Headmaster was standing in front of him, taking the glass from his hand. ¡°Dean Smalfoot,¡± The Headmaster said with a nod. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The newly minted Dean of the Night Society smiled at him, ¡°Headmaster.¡± ¡°Have you thought about your curriculum?¡± The Headmaster asked. ¡°There are going to be a lot of people pretty sad to hear that I am retiring from public life,¡± Smallfoot said with a chuckle, ¡°Yes, I have a lot to teach the next generation of financial assassins.¡± Blackrazor took a sip of his drink and nodded, ¡°Good. News?¡± Smallfoot nodded, ¡°The faculty trip is well underway, most of the adjuncts have arrived and have engaged with their assigned tasks.¡± Blackrazor moved over to the sofa and sat down next to him, letting out a breath and taking another sip of his drink, he nodded slowly for a moment before offering Smallfoot a rare smile, ¡°Sad you couldn¡¯t go?¡± ¡°And miss a trip to Las Vegas?¡± Smallfoot laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a numbers man, Headmaster. I intend to fully enjoy myself.¡± ¨C ¡°Nick! Quit your fretting and finish packing, we¡¯re going to be late!¡± Jessica shouted, standing at the door with her arms crossed. On the other side of the door she heard frantic movement, thumps, and the movements of an idiot trying his best to get ready after waiting way too long to get started on his task. She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, glancing over at the man standing next to her. Logan had his Bandit hood up and was grinning wildly at the door. ¡°Come on blowtorch, let''s get going, how are you the last one to get packed? You wanna make your crush wait?¡± There was a crash in the room. Jessica groaned and looked down at Logan, ¡°Are you serious? Don¡¯t do that to the poor guy.¡± Logan laughed, ¡°Sorry Guildmaster.¡± She sighed, adjusting her blue sport jacket and tie. She was going as Jessica Wright, ASTA Guildmaster, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t fly her personal colors, or, color. She gave Logan a little elbow and shook her head admonishingly while hiding a small smile as she fixed her eyes on the door. ¡°Firestorm! Front and center!¡± She shouted. The door swung open and Nick stood there, breathing hard, eyes wide, ¡°I¡¯m good! I¡¯m good!¡± He panted, clinging to his suitcase. She gave him a once over and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Uh huh,¡± She said and shook her head, ¡°Come on, Larry is waiting downstairs. He does not like going out without his mask on so lets not make him sit any longer than he has to, alright?¡± She said, turning away as Logan snickered and hurried to join her, Nick close behind. ¡°Are we really going to meet the international team?¡± Nick asked, excited. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going,¡± She said patiently, ¡°They want to meet us, and Miss Chernovna wants the exposure for us. On top of that, she said theres a dungeon in Vegas she¡¯s looking into. We might be helping her clear it.¡± ¡°Or we could be teaming up with the International Team on it,¡± Logan said, ¡°Good PR move.¡± ¡°You¡¯re learning!¡± Jessica said, elated. Logan scowled at her, ¡°All you do is talk about this kind of stuff, of course I¡¯d pick some up.¡± ¡°Only because all you talk about is video games,¡± She shot back. ¡°They¡¯re good stress relief!¡± Logan defended himself. Nick looked between the two of them, ¡°Is this¡­ fraternizing?¡± He asked. Jessica and Logan rounded on him, wide eyed, ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± They both asked in unison before looking at one another in disbelief. Jessica was the first to turn away and march down to the elevator. She stepped inside and slammed the close door button. ¡°I¡¯m going to Vegas, you two can stay here,¡± She barked as the two men raced for the door, it shut on them. She sighed, ¡°Pair of idiots,¡± She said and hit the open button after a heartbeat. ¨C The International team was gathered in the main space of the aircraft as it made its way through the atmosphere. Five of them assembled from across the world so far to be the mobile strike force that the Pandora Committee could call on when a nation didn¡¯t have the heroes to leverage against a particular threat, or with recent news, dungeon. Chunhua stood in front of the group with a tablet in her hand. On it was a sketch of a figure in what looked like a pilot jumpsuit and wearing a helmet that reminded her of a particular french electronic music artist. She looked up and brushed a strand of black hair over her ear, fixing each of the other four heroes present with a stare. Vytal from Germany sat with his legs crossed and a small smile on his face. His blue eyes glittering brightly. Sapporo of Japan crossed his thick arms and frowned. Euclidia of the UK was playing with an unnerving square of light over her palms that flexed and bent but somehow remained rigid. Pathfinder of Saudi Arabia sat with his fingers laced and elbows on his knees, his dark eyes fixed on Chunhua with concentration. She cleared her throat and as if a switch flipped the other three that seemed to be distracted immediately joined Pathfinder in deep focus, ¡°The information that we¡¯ve been provided is top secret and not to be shared with anyone in order to avoid a panic,¡± She said and turned the tablet around. ¨C Sonya shook hands briefly with Colin, ¡°I¡¯m glad things went well in Massachusetts,¡± She said with a smile. The Lawyer gave her a pretty smile and waved it off, ¡°It was nothing, if anything, a good field test to see whether or not your ability really fit its name.¡± She nodded, it was true she hadn¡¯t tested her ability to see if she could make a deal between two parties that didn¡¯t include herself binding, which was a bit of an oversight if she was honest with herself. ¡°Is Amos happy?¡± She asked. Colin chuckled, ¡°It was a good night.¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°You¡¯re terrible! Thank you for holding down the fort for me, Colin,¡± She said and held out a hand. He took it in a quick shake. ¡°Let me know if you need anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯ve figured out how you do business, shouldn¡¯t be a problem, just hurry back,¡± Colin said with a shrug and a sassy wink. He turned away and walked back to the suv they¡¯d taken to the private airport. She watched him go and glanced over her shoulder, sensing a few more people approaching. She turned her head to Marta who had been standing silently next to her. ¡°You ready?¡± She asked. ¡°Always,¡± Marta said with a smile. Sonya turned around fully and opened her arms in greeting, ¡°Chairman! All done with your business?¡± She asked. The Chairman approached and returned her quick embrace. He pulled back and pat her arms, ¡°Yes! I¡¯m looking forward to this time now, take a bit of a breather. Though unfortunately I still have a little work to do while we¡¯re there,¡± He said. Sonya turned on the other two, meeting Hyunhs gaze with her own and smiling curtly, ¡°Yes, at least they¡¯ll get to have the time of their lives. Vegas is an exciting place,¡± She said. Hyunh met her stare for stare, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always wanted to see this so-called Sin City and see if the rumors hold up. I¡¯ve been told you can disappear forever there if you¡¯re not careful.¡± Sonya grinned, restraining her bloodlust, ¡°So they say! Lets hope you stay well in sight of your fiance! Wouldn¡¯t want you to vanish, he might get upset.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare leave his side for a moment,¡± Hyunh shot back. ¡°This is going to be a wonderful trip!¡± The Chairman chortled, oblivious as the two women stared daggers at one another. ¨C The coach-grade bus rolled to a stop. The bright lights of the city shone down the people stepping out and those waiting to step in. A young man, just a few years into his twenties, stepped out of the bus and took a deep breath, reveling in the atmosphere of this place. He reached up and played with the coif of his golden hair and smiled brightly at the driver from over his shoulder. ¡°Thanks for the ride!¡± He said merrily. The driver gave him a quizzical look before shaking their head and shutting the door. He didn¡¯t even notice the weird look, already distracted by his surroundings. ¡°Hey blondie!¡± He turned, his face still plastered with that brilliant winning smile and saw two men standing over him, both a head taller, both with a wicked aura. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± The young man asked. They looked at one another then back at him, ¡°No shit, you got any money?¡± One asked. He shook his head, ¡°Afraid not! Last of it was spent on that ticket!¡± The young man said, ¡°Do you have money?¡± The two stared at him before glancing at one another again, ¡°Uh huh, Why don¡¯t you come with us and we¡¯ll show you how to make some?¡± The other suggested. The young man looked up at them, his smile never faltering but a little bit of flint glinting in his eyes, ¡°Oh sure! Lead the way!¡± He said as his hand twitched. Chapter 71 The entry to the Palace was beautiful. The Marble floor stretched out, shining against the light that shone down from above. Patrons from all across the world came and went, the wealthy, the powerful, and those lucky enough to make their dreams come true. Standing in the midst of it all was a lone statue of the Roman Emperor for whom the place was named. Everything glittered, everything was bright, the music triggered a desire to explore and by extension, spend. Everything was tailored to draw the eyes in every direction, subtly encouraging you to lose yourself in it all. Sonya walked in at the head of her group. She¡¯d changed into a dress for the occasion, a white sparkling backless gown that fit tightly around her frame with a pair of silver plates playing at being a corset around her waist. It was one of Mikayla¡¯s designs. Her hair was up in a ponytail bound with a silver clasp adorned with pink jewels. Her skin glittered under the lights. A spectacle that shimmered just as brightly as the elegant chandelier above. All eyes were on her. It felt amazing. Their trip had been a secret, but now that they¡¯d arrived all pretense of subtlety was thrown out the window. ¡°Oh it''s beautiful in here,¡± She said with a sigh, casting a brilliant smile at a few of those gawking at her. Marta stepped up to her side with a slight flush and frown on her face, Sonya had insisted she dress up. She wore a black and white sleeved sundress, the open sleeves and the lower part around her legs were an elegant lace. Her brown hair had been braided neatly, hanging down her shoulder and ending in a jeweled clip. Sonya had never been good at braiding hair but it turned out Bluestar had several sisters, so she¡¯d been happy to help. Her friend glanced her way and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Center of attention again, ma¡¯am?¡± Sonya grinned, ¡°Always.¡± The Chairman cleared his throat as he walked past in his suit, ¡°I¡¯ll get our keys,¡± He said with a harrumph. He was clearly excited to be here but Sonya guessed he felt a little strange staying at a place this nice when they were on government business. Sonya had no such compunctions so she had helped foot the bill. She watched the man go as his son and future daughter in law walked up to the statue. Sonya glanced sidelong at Hyunh, ¡°Everything you imagined?¡± Hyunh turned to look at Sonya, ¡°It¡¯s a bit of an eyesore,¡± She said and glanced back up at the statue, ¡°The Hotel is, I mean.¡± Duong grunted noncommittally and Sonya casually jolted him with Imperious. She was feeling petty. In response, Hyunh twitched and frowned. Sonya restrained a smile and turned around to put her hands on her hips. Firestorm and his team were looking around in awe and obvious discomfort. The three men wore black suits that Sonya had made sure were prepared for them, each with decorative stripes color coded for their heroic identities. She hadn¡¯t interfered with Bluestar¡¯s outfit, the blue suit was perfect for her and she approved. ¡°You four need to get used to this kind of thing,¡± Sonya chastised them, raising an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re with me.¡± Firestorm met her gaze and flushed, looking down at his feet. Lifesaver ran his hand over his bald head and took it all in, not even listening. Bandit tried a little harder to look natural but it only made him look kind of constipated. Bluestar simply let out a breath and walked over to her, sighing, ¡°They¡¯ll get over it,¡± She assured Sonya. ¡°I was including you,¡± Sonya said with a wink, ¡°You¡¯re sweating, Jessica. Relax! We¡¯re here for a good time!¡± ¡°Says you,¡± Bandit groused as he walked over, ¡°You¡¯re not dreading meeting the international heroes.¡± Sonya leaned back, ¡°Who says I¡¯m not nervous?¡± She asked, ignoring the butterflies that rose up in her gut. She leaned forward and grinned at him, ¡°I¡¯m just better at faking it than you.¡± Hyunh snorted nearby and Sonya pursed her lips. Patience, Sonya, she¡¯ll be dead before you head home. Patience. She reminded herself and let out a breath, glancing towards the Chairman who was walking over. ¡°All good?¡± The Chairman handed Sonya a pair of key cards with a room number on them, ¡°All yours,¡± He said brightly. ¡°Also, you should have mentioned that you registered rooms here for the International Team. They weren¡¯t expecting to stay somewhere like this,¡± He said with a bit of a frown. Sonya gave him an aghast look, ¡°The Pandora Committee¡¯s top heroes staying anywhere else while in my care? Preposterous!¡± She said, raising her hand to her chest in offense, ¡°How could you even consider it?¡± He blanched, ¡°W-well when you put it that way-¡± He trailed off as Sonya laughed. ¡°I¡¯m teasing you, Chairman,¡± She said and walked over, locking arms with him, ¡°I made a unilateral decision and had Carla take care of the details. Sorry I didn¡¯t tell you, but I wanted to make a good impression on them. She tells me that the US Branch just assumed I was being eccentric and didn¡¯t see a problem.¡± The older man sighed, ¡°You are beyond anyone¡¯s control, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked with a chuckle, walking with her. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯m quite proud of,¡± She agreed. ¡°Sonya? Where are you going?¡± Bluestar called. Sonya glanced over her shoulder, ¡°The valets will take care of your bags, silly, we¡¯re all checked in. Time to see the casino!¡± She said brightly. The others looked at one another and smiled before hurrying to follow her as she bantered with the Chairman of the Pandora Committee. He did not seem upset to have her escorting him. ¨C In less than an hour they had all largely scattered throughout the Casino. Firestorm and his group stuck together in a little clique while Hyunh and Duong went their own way. The Chairman had opted to go speak with some of the politicians he recognized at one of the card tables while Sonya stood off to the side as Marta sat down at a dice table. The dealer looked up at her as she remained standing, sipping soda from the fanciest glass she could find at the bar. She thought it was funny. ¡°Is the beautiful miss joining us?¡± The Dealer asked. Sonya shook her head, ¡°Sweet of you to invite me, but I have a sensory power, I shouldn¡¯t be doing too much gambling at tables. I¡¯ll probably hit the slots later, less of an advantage there.¡± The dealer looked taken aback, ¡°We¡¯re still ironing out the rules about light-touched abilities in the casino, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem ma¡¯am,¡± The dealer said. She glanced at his name above his head and saw that he was unawakened. He clearly was still one of those who didn¡¯t quite understand what he was dealing with when it came to those with abilities. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She grinned at him, ¡°Nice sales pitch, but I think your boss appreciates my stance more than you do.¡± He frowned and then paused, his head didn¡¯t move but it was clear he was listening to something. He nodded slowly, ¡°He would like to have a drink with you later, if possible,¡± The dealer said. Sonya glanced down at Marta, leaned in and whispered in her ear, ¡°Practice your muscle control while you¡¯re playing,¡± She said and pat her arm, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Marta glanced her way with a bit of concern before nodding, ¡°Understood,¡± She said, looking down at the table again thoughtfully and with no small amount of excitement. Sonya stood back up and smiled at the dealer, ¡°I have time now.¡± The dealer nodded and after a moment said, ¡°He¡¯s in the third VIP room,¡± He said, pointing at a set of doors along the wall. Sonya gave him a gracious nod and slipped away, making sure to take a bit of an irregular route so that she could pass by Hyunh as she sat at a baccarat table with Duong standing over her like an angry hound. She shot Duong a jolt of Imperious as she walked by, causing Hyunh to react instead. The woman twitched and lost focus for a moment as Sonya stepped up to the door to the VIP room and slipped inside. The room was surprisingly large for a VIP room. One could fit about twenty to thirty people in here comfortably. There was a single large table in the center of the room with elegant decorations on the wall surrounding it. A chandelier hung over the table where several men and women sat playing cards with one another. One of them, a man in a nearly metallic looking suit, stood up immediately upon her entrance and walked over with a perfect smile. He held out his hand, ¡°Sonya Chernovna herself, to think I¡¯d have the opportunity to host the Voice at my hotel.¡± She took his hand, ¡°It was my first pick, Mister Earl,¡± Sonya said pleasantly. Analyze. She raised an eyebrow at him and he paused, a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes that was quickly masked by a casual demeanor as he shook her hand. ¡°That means a great dealt to me, even more now that I¡¯ve met you in person.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± She said with a grin, ¡°Introduce me to your friends?¡± She asked and glanced at the others at the table who had stopped their game to stare. ¡°Of course Miss Chernovna,¡± He said and walked her over. He gestured to those present and they all got up to shake hands with her, glancing at Prichard momentarily before engaging her. It was clear they wanted confirmation that she was worth their time and given how they behaved after the brief exchange, he¡¯d decided she was very much worth it. She wondered how his power worked, she¡¯d have to take it out of her warehouse and give it a spin. First, she had some new product to snatch up while she was here. She started shaking hands. Not a bad haul so far, one more person. She turned to look at the man who stood up next as Prichard introduced him. He was a thin man with slightly sunken eyes and cheeks. His hands seemed frail even though he felt anything but. Her heart froze in her chest as she forced every ounce of concentration into maintaining a calm demeanor. ¡°And this is Craig Hart, he¡¯s in real estate like myself,¡± Prichard said. Craig extended a hand, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure, Miss Chernovna. We should do business sometime, I hear you¡¯ve been working out of your laboratory. You really should get a proper highrise at some point,¡± The man said as she took his hand. Craig Hart, one of Otis¡¯ top investors and supporters. You helped fund the war, bastard. She thought as she smiled at him, ¡°It¡¯s been something I¡¯ve been thinking about,¡± She admitted with an easy laugh, ¡°I need more consumer product going out before I can justify it though.¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°So you plan on producing consumer product?¡± He asked. She shrugged, pulling her hand away and slipping into one of the chairs at the table. A few people had shifted over to allow her to sit next to Prichard. He was trying to make a point. She let it happen. It didn¡¯t bother her that he was using her presence to earn political points, she was intending to do the exact same thing to him. Though her priorities had shifted a bit. She needed to figure out where in the hotel Craig was staying. He couldn¡¯t be allowed to leave this place alive. Just another body in Vegas. She thought grimly as a waiter came over and set down a glass before pouring some soda into it. ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± She said and took up the glass. A few of the elites around her gave her odd looks, she just smiled at them sweetly, ¡°I have a hard time getting drunk these days, it¡¯s not as fun as it used to be,¡± She said, tapping her temple. She made it seem like it had something to do with her eyes, which wasn¡¯t entirely false. They looked at one another and shrugged as the dealer present shuffled the cards. ¡°So, we were talking about ASTA¡¯s consumer goods,¡± Craig said eagerly, wanting to get back on topic. One of the others, the man who had Beacon, also took interest. He was in the consumer electronics field, a telecom company executive. ¡°I can¡¯t say much, you understand,¡± She said with a bit of a smile, ¡°But I am interested in a few areas. We¡¯ve learned a lot of very interesting things from the materials we¡¯ve acquired from monsters and the dungeons we¡¯ve involved ourselves in,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Textiles of course, but also communications. Lines of mundane contact are cut off between outside parties and those inside of a dungeon. That¡¯s a danger we want to try to overcome.¡± ¡°A strong signal that could outplay anything currently on the market,¡± The executive commented. Sonya shrugged, ¡°Perhaps. Now! How about some cards? I assume I¡¯m allowed to play with a full deck, Mister Earl?¡± She asked. The hotel¡¯s owner inclined his head, ¡°I¡¯m curious to see what those eyes of yours are capable of,¡± He said and nodded to the dealer and their little game began. ¨C Sonya folded her hand and sat back, getting a surprised look from Craig as the man stared at his cards and sighed, throwing them onto the table. He scratched his head, ¡°You are a monster at this,¡± He chuckled and leaned back in his seat. ¡°I¡¯ve never met someone with intuition like yours.¡± You all might have excellent poker faces for the mundane, but your microexpressions, body temperature, breathing, all of it is just data to me. My senses read you like a book even if its something my eyes can¡¯t immediately notice. She thought smugly, ¡°And that¡¯s why I refused to play at the table out there,¡± She said casually. ¡°Remarkable,¡± Prichard said, ¡°I may have lost more than I expected but it was worth every penny. Could I perhaps interest you in dinner later tonight, Miss Chernovna?¡± He asked. She tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, I am meeting with some rather important people related to my work tonight, it wouldn¡¯t do for me to not be there,¡± She said, ¡°Also, and I say this in the nicest way possible, you¡¯re not my type.¡± The man burst into laughter, ¡°Your bluntness is refreshing!¡± He said, ¡°Damn shame, that¡¯s alright though. We really should talk more though.¡± ¡°That, I believe, can be arranged,¡± Sonya agreed as Craig got to his feet across from her. ¡°As for me, I¡¯m going to retire to my room soon, thank you again for the exciting evening, Prichard,¡± Craig said and stretched his back. ¡°Miss Chernovna, a pleasure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll reach out soon,¡± She said with a nod and got to her feet as well, I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight. ¡°I should check on my people. Thank you again, Mister Earl.¡± ¡°Prichard, please,¡± The man said with a wave of his hand, ¡°Enjoy the rest of your stay Miss Chernovna.¡± She nodded to him, ¡°I most certainly will,¡± She said and turned to follow Craig out, bloodlust burning just beneath her skin. Chapter 72 Sonya stepped out of the room and glanced to her left, watching Craig head towards the exit of the casino. Her eyes narrowed a fraction before she caught herself and let out a breath, chuckling. Plans never quite work out once you¡¯re on the scene, do they? She asked herself, walking out onto the floor and brushing her hair over her ear. She turned towards the bar and sauntered over, ignoring a few of the looks she got and instead focused on the call function of Cyber-punk. She dialed out and waited, not expecting an immediate answer. While she did, she also shot a message over to Amos. She sat down at the counter and gestured at the bartender who walked over with a smile. ¡°Cola,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Can you do a little extra syrup?¡± The bartender nodded, ¡°Sure thing, miss,¡± He said and started to prepare the drink, turning the dial on the soda gun while the call in her head clicked over. She leaned forward and relaxed against the counter as the glass was set down in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m here, Mistress,¡± Blackrazor¡¯s voice popped into her head. ¡°Just arrived at the hotel.¡± She sipped her drink, ¡°There¡¯s a person that I want to talk to, alone, Blackrazor. Amos will be sending the location of his room to you,¡± She said through the mental call, ¡°His name is Craig Hart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deliver him to a secure room, mistress,¡± Blackrazor said without hesitating, ending the call. Sonya looked up at her reflection in the mirrored back bar and sipped at her drink. The woman that looked back at her smirked and nodded. She would have looked away before, but she knew now wasn¡¯t the time to reject what she was becoming. Tomorrow was going to be chaotic, no doubt about it, and she needed her more than ever. She set down the drink and looked at it, she hadn¡¯t even noticed how it tasted. Distracted, she thought. She brought it to her lips again and took another sip, savoring the bubbles and the stronger sweetness than the usual can. She smiled to herself, ¡°Refreshing.¡± ¡°Glad you think so, miss,¡± The bartender said and inclined his head, winking at her as he walked away. She watched the guy go and shifted to the right a bit as she felt Marta approach her from behind. Marta hesitated before letting out a sigh and sitting down next to her. ¡°Your senses are kind of scary.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just loud,¡± Sonya teased. ¡°Have an interesting meeting?¡± Marta asked. ¡°Yes, I think I might have made a friend,¡± Sonya said and set down the glass, ¡°I also found someone I¡¯ve been looking for,¡± She said in a lower voice. ¡°Someone like Ocche.¡± Marta tensed, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Sonya ran her fingers over the rim of the glass and looked towards her friend, ¡°Something new, and maybe a little scary. Let¡¯s go to the room for a moment,¡± She said and started to get up. Marta frowned, ¡°You¡¯re not trying to get out of meeting the International Team again, are you?¡± She asked, not moving. ¡°No, I¡¯ve come to terms with it,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°As funny as it would be to throw you to the wolves, I need to face this. Besides,¡± She flexed her fingers and grinned, ¡°New product would be nice.¡± Marta searched her face, ¡°What are you planning?¡± She asked but got to her feet regardless. Sonya had Marta go over to the chairman and inform him that the two of them were going to freshen up a little before meeting the international team, and may be a moment. Sonya watched the chairman wave her off with a smile and looked up to nod at Sonya. Sonya returned the nod and scanned the room as she made her way towards the doors. It was getting more crowded, but she still managed to spot Hyunh and Duong sitting at a card table, Duong focused on cards in his hands while Hyunh stood nearby. Cheater, she snorted and spotted Firestorm and his team, they were all laughing at Bandit who was hanging his head in front of a slot machine. She didn¡¯t turn her head as Marta approached, ¡°I¡¯m glad they¡¯re having fun.¡± ¡°You care about them,¡± Marta commented, ¡°It¡¯s a little hypocritical.¡± ¡°The sign of a renaissance person is being able to entertain two opposing thoughts at the same time as equally true,¡± Sonya said in response, ¡°They¡¯re her enemy, they¡¯re my children.¡± ¡°...her?¡± Marta asked hesitantly. Sonya didn¡¯t respond as they made their way out, making for the elevators that would take them to their room. It was fairly high up which Sonya liked. She appreciated a good view, a bit of a hold over from being a scout, she guessed. Just like the rest of the building, the elevator was overdesigned to the point of aesthetic perfection, as was the hallway, every inch spotless with an overbearing weight of wealth hanging in the air. They made their way to the room and went inside. It was less a hotel room and more a full apartment suite. Marta gave her a sidelong look when she saw the size of the beds. ¡°Expecting company?¡± Marta asked with a grin. ¡°I might indulge myself tonight,¡± Sonya said with a laugh and walked to the curtains, closing them over the outer window. ¡°Just warn me before you do,¡± Marta said and sat down on the bed, ¡°Now what¡¯s the plan?¡± Sonya turned to her and closed her eyes, pulling Duplicate out of her warehouse. She¡¯d only pulled it out once before to get the instinctive knowledge of its function. For Dupe, the ability created a few barely sentient copies that obeyed his commands and shared any additional abilities he had. Sonya¡¯s version would work much differently, in theory. Not because of Broker per-se, but because of Cyber-punk. She created a needle of light and pricked her finger, holding it out over the carpet and felt a swelling beneath her hand. She pulled her hand away and stepped back as Marta let out a gasp of surprise. When Sonya opened her eyes, she was looking at herself, naked, sparkling, and returning her gaze pointedly. I had a feeling, Sonya thought. My copy is far more self-aware. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Enhanced Intelligence and Technopathy working in tandem?¡± She asked aloud, noting that Marta had gotten to her feet and was watching with significantly more interest. The copy seemed to hesitate for a moment before crossing her arms and nodding slowly, ¡°That¡¯s a good theory, though I¡¯m not so sure. It could be all manner of factors,¡± The copy said. ¡°That¡¯s Dupe¡¯s ability,¡± Marta said with a breath, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him use it. Is it supposed to be so¡­¡± ¡°Real?¡± Both Sonyas said at the same time before looking at one another and laughing. The real Sonya stepped back and admired herself for a moment, tilting her head, ¡°Not bad at all, the sparkling is far more impressive in person than in a mirror. I look good,¡± She chuckled and let out a sigh, ¡°I think the copy retains a lot more because like Dupe it has all of my innate abilities including the mishmash that is Cyber-Punk. Enhanced Intelligence and access to my Technopathy means it can probably feed off of my thoughts a little better and act more distinct.¡± The copy shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t tell myself, I just feel like me,¡± She said and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Either way, we¡¯re getting side tracked. What do you think the limitations are?¡± They stared at one another for a while, ¡°Uptime is a bad idea,¡± Sonya confirmed. ¡°Agreed,¡± The copy said, ¡°Dupe¡¯s power worked at a maximum of a mile,¡± The Copy added, ¡°That hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°This is a warehouse power, so you and I both can¡¯t use any other warehouse powers while this is active,¡± Sonya continued, rubbing her chin. ¡°Operating time,¡± The Copy muttered, deep in thought for a moment, ¡°I estimate four hours.¡± ¡°Generous,¡± Sonya said with raised eyebrows. ¡°So long as I don¡¯t have to do anything overly physical,¡± The Copy added. ¡°This is really, really, weird,¡± Marta said with a bit of a laugh, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Wanna f-¡± Both started at the same time, grinning at one another. ¡°Stop!¡± Marta held up her hands, ¡°Please, don¡¯t go there.¡± The two laughed in unison, hugging themselves in mirth before Sonya sat down on the bed and leaned back. ¡°Since you have a copy of my brain and the hardcoded memories, you know what the plan is?¡± She asked the copy, kicking her feet from the bed and glancing over at the pile of luggage. The Copy turned to the luggage and stared at it for a moment, a frown crossing her features before she turned back to Sonya. ¡°You don¡¯t think that¡¯s risky?¡± She asked bluntly. Sonya frowned and gave the copy a hard look. Sonya said. The copy pointed out. Sonya growled. The copy challenged, but relented, The interaction happened at the speed of thought, their connection amplified thanks to technopathy, allowing the messages and considerations to happen so fast that it only seemed like they were staring at one another for a heartbeat. The Copy shrugged and put her hands on her hips, striking a pose, ¡°I will play the role of the monstrous Ishtar!¡± The copy announced, turning on her heel and walking over to the luggage. ¡°And my dear creator will go back to having fun, two places at once.¡± Sonya caught Marta staring and glanced her way, ¡°Something wrong?¡± Marta shook her head and seemed to admonish herself with the frown she gave. She cleared her throat, ¡°No, it¡¯s a good plan. That Detective is watching so if Ishtar makes an appearance while you¡¯re clearly in line of sight, it¡¯ll force him to re-evaluate.¡± The Copy snorted as she reached into one of the bags, tapping around a moment before finding a compartment in the bottom of the bag and unzipping it. She pulled out the white leather armor and began slipping it on, throwing her hair back and pulling on the gloves and boots. She turned to another bag and opened it as well, pulling aside some of the clothing that was put in there just to cover up what had really been concealed inside; Ishtar¡¯s helmet. She pulled it out and ran her fingers over the smooth surface, ¡°The man¡¯s obsessed,¡± She said after the long silence, her tone had dropped an octave, ¡°I doubt even seeing us right next to one another will change his mind.¡± Sonya felt something tighten in her gut at the way the copy acted, the way she carried herself all of a sudden. It was a series of small changes that seemed to build on one another in a way that made her skin crawl. She knew what it was, she had concerns about it, about her own mind. Yet when the copy turned around, the helmet sliding over her head, she felt her chest tighten a little bit more. There is something very wrong with me. She concluded. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The copy, no, Ishtar said. ¡°Much better,¡± She flexed her fingers a bit and clenched her fists. ¡°So I just wait here until we hear from Blackrazor?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Get the job done and then find somewhere to dissolve, preferably a shower drain.¡± Ishtar nodded as her eyes came online, her voice modulator activating next. The next words were said with that hissing rasp that Sonya had never heard from outside before. She¡¯d never seen Ishtar in person, never known what everyone else saw and heard. ¡°It will be done.¡± Sonya resisted a flinch and glanced at Marta, ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± Marta looked between them and nodded slowly, ¡°Got it.¡± Sonya turned away from her copy and made her way out the door, she flinched a little when Marta put her hand on her shoulder, ¡°Sonya, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Sonya said, ¡°But I know I¡¯m not going to be doing this very often.¡± Marta nodded and locked arms with her, giving her a reassuring squeeze, ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¨C Back downstairs, Firestorm was sitting in front of a slot machine with a pensive look on his face. He wasn¡¯t sure which mode to pick, he was terrible at this kind of thing. He knew there was a trick to it, or so his dad had told him, but he really couldn¡¯t for the life of him remember exactly how it all worked. He scratched his head while Bandit frowned at him from the side. ¡°Are you serious? Just pull the damn lever man,¡± Bandit groused. ¡°And end up blowing all my tokens like you?¡± Firestorm shot back. Bandit narrowed his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick.¡± ¡°Too late,¡± Bluestar said behind them, ¡°Boys, time to get going, we¡¯re heading to a VIP room.¡± Firestorm looked up, surprised, ¡°Huh? Already?¡± Bluestar crossed her arms, ¡°You just missed them come in, I just got back from greeting the team leader. The Chairman, Lifesaver, Hero An Set, and Miss Feng are already in the room. We¡¯re just waiting on you two, Miss Chernovna and Handmaiden.¡± Firestorm hopped to his feet, getting a scowl from Bandit, ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡± He said excitedly. ¡°Coward,¡± Bandit grumbled, Firestorm pointedly ignored him as Bluestar turned away to lead them to the room. When they got there, Firestorm hesitated at the door. These people were mythic-tier and the individuals that the various nations who contributed them had decided possessed the most potential. He knew that this new culture of heroes was new, that things would change a lot. Right now, though, it could be argued that the people on the other side of the door were the best of the best. He was popular, sure, but they were powerful. Bluestar raised her eyebrow at him, ¡°Nervous.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± He said bluntly. She smiled and pat his shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t be, I think you¡¯ll be surprised.¡± She said as Sonya and Marta hurried towards them from afar. He glanced past Bluestar and brightened. ¡°Miss Chernovna! There you are!¡± Sonya slid to a stop and panted, ¡°Phew! Made it.¡± Bluestar turned to face their sponsor and put her hands on her hips, ¡°Miss Chernovna, you¡¯re late!¡± She said with a frown before sighing hard and straightening herself up. She looked back at Bandit and Firestorm. Behind Bluestar, Sonya made a face and stuck her tongue out at the Guildmaster, only to switch back to innocence when Bluestar glanced back at her. ¡°Okay, are we all ready?¡± Bandit chuckled, ¡°Miss Chernovna certainly is,¡± He said and pointed at the door. Bluestar blinked and looked to her right, Sonya was already walking inside. Bluestar let out a gasp and looked to Firestorm aghast. Firestorm laughed and stepped past her, patting her shoulder. ¡°Are you seriously surprised when it comes to her?¡± He asked, ¡°Come on, let''s go meet the most powerful heroes in the world.¡± Chapter 73 Craig shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, humming to himself as he ambled his way to his room. It was going well! She was beautiful, famous, and the perfect person to put on as the face of his next line of projects. She¡¯d even agreed to reach out soon. He imagined a glorious high-rise in New York City, built by his people and funded by the UN. He grinned to himself as he reached his door, pulling out the keycard and holding it up. He frowned a little, tilting his head. Did she seem a little off? It was like she instantly distrusted him at first. He chuckled, ¡°Given the company, I don¡¯t blame her,¡± He said and tapped the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. More importantly, his new employer would be happy that he was building a relationship with her. The odd young man had expressed interest in Sonya Chernovna during their last meeting. Maybe he should set up a meeting between the two? That would be good. He nodded, Yeah, I¡¯ll talk to her about that next. Mister Otis will be happy for sure. He thought, wondering at what the young man¡¯s face would look like, so happy, for some reason his youthful sponsor¡¯s face wouldn¡¯t come to him. He thought that should bother him, but he really didn¡¯t feel like it did. He shrugged, it didn¡¯t matter. Craig walked into his room and set the coffee on, it was probably going to be a late night. ¡°Ah¡­ I need a shower,¡± He grunted, and tossed off his coat and shoes. He hummed merrily as he stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, grabbing his mug as he walked by the counter and making way for the desk set up in the corner of the large, luxurious room. He sat down and took a sip, flipping open his computer and typing in his password. It was a long one, but he¡¯d learned to be careful with his information. Having access to this computer was as good as having access to his business and his assets. His arm felt a little stiff and he stretched, grumbling, ¡°Not even a hot shower will do it these days¡­¡± He groused. He took another sip of his coffee and tapped a few more keys, ¡°Okay now,¡± He mumbled only to feel his arm stiffen again, then his legs. He blinked and looked at his hand. It was trembling. ¡°Huh?¡± He gasped, I can¡¯t move. Why can¡¯t I move? ¡°Mister Craig Hart,¡± A voice came from behind him. He tried to turn his head but his body wouldn¡¯t move an inch. He trembled, flicking his eyes about as he tried to get a look at the dark figure that slipped into place at his right. A hand fell on his shoulder and he stiffened when he saw a knife in the figure¡¯s other hand. ¡°Mistress Ishtar has requested your presence.¡± The next thing he knew, he was sinking. He looked down and saw a black hole in the floor, shadows billowing off of it. They felt so cold. His heart rate spiked, he wanted to scream, call for help, do anything. Yet all he could do was endure the chill as slowly he was consumed by the darkness beneath him. He didn¡¯t see the figure turn to the laptop and pick it up before writing something down on a piece of paper, ¡°That¡¯s quite the password,¡± The figure said before disappearing into the ground as well, leaving the room spotless. ¨C At first, the copy was going to do as it was told, stay in place and wait to hear from Blackrazor. It really was, and to be honest it didn¡¯t have any real good reason to leave and cause trouble. However, the more it thought the more it realized that there was a step to the plan that was overlooked. It considered whether or not to reach out to the original, its legs crossed on the chair in the hotel room. Finally, it decided to go for broke. It sent the suggestion out and received a response almost immediately. The copy, no, for the moment it was wearing the mask of Ishtar, got to her feet and grabbed a suitcase before she strode towards the door, technopathy already working on the cameras in the hallway. She stepped out and made a beeline for the elevator. With a single flick of will she temporarily locked all the doors in the hallway preventing anyone from stepping out until she was long gone. She took the elevator up, willing the elevator not to stop on the way. When she reached her destination the door opened and she stepped out onto a beautiful gold-inlaid marble floor. The walls were mirrored and there were absolutely no cameras present. This wasn¡¯t a place for the average visitor. She strode up to the counter where a man in a suit stood, looking down at something. He glanced up and froze when he saw her. ¡°Excuse me,¡± He said after catching himself, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you should be here, miss. How did you get up here?¡± Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°Tell Prichard that he has a guest,¡± Ishtar said coldly. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather call security,¡± He said instead and reached for the phone only for it to fizzle and spark, he pulled his hand away in surprise and looked up at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Ishtar rasped consolingly, ¡°He won¡¯t blame you. He might if you don¡¯t take me to him, though.¡± The host hesitated and reached up to dab a bit of sweat from his brow before turning towards the single archway leading into the private restaurant beyond. He cleared his throat, ¡°R-right this way Miss¡­?¡± ¡°Ishtar. You can tell him before I step inside if it helps your nerves,¡± Ishtar said, that seemed to give the man a bit of his agency back as he relaxed, sighing and nodding. He lead her into a brightly lit hall colored with expensive wallpaper. Instead of the traditional open atmosphere of a restaurant, it was separated into private rooms for the guests to enjoy their meals and have their conversations in the utmost confidence. It was a good strategy, given the kind of people that would get invited up into this place. The host stopped at a door and knocked twice before opening the door and stepping inside. Even with her senses she couldn¡¯t pick up on any words on the otherside. Excellent soundproofing. She thought before the door opened and the man nodded to her, opening it completely to let her inside. ¡°Mister Earl will see you,¡± He said, looking immensely relieved. She nodded and walked past him, stepping into a stately dining room with a long table. Only one person in the room besides herself. Prichard Earl was standing next to his chair, his eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re real,¡± He breathed. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± The man grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard rumors, for someone like me finding so little information is a bit close to impossible. I thought you were a myth.¡± Ishtar walked to the table and set the suitcase down, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°To do business, I imagine,¡± The man said. ¡°Yes,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°How would you like to be young again?¡± She said and opened the suitcase, turning it around to reveal the documents stacked inside. ¨C Martin had been invited to sit at the table in the VIP room but opted against it, he preferred to stand and it allowed him a better view of everyone present. Specifically the one person he wanted to watch the most. His eyes narrowed just a fraction as the doors opened and Sonya Chernovna sauntered inside, her usual casual flair and lackadaisical attitude clearly infectious to most people. Everyone in the room smiled at the sparkling, nearly glowing, all white woman who threw her hands open in a dramatic greeting. ¡°It feels like Christmas!¡± She laughed, walking up and shaking hands with each of the members of the international team in turn. Who gets that excited over a formal meeting? He wondered just as his earpiece hummed to life. ¡°Martin,¡± Ironsides said sharply, ¡°Got something.¡± He turned away a little and tilted his head down, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Multiple reports of lock failures across several random floors, cameras flickering too. I spotted something while watching the cameras, too,¡± Ironsides went on, ¡°Someone matching the description of Ishtar.¡± Martin froze and whipped his head in Sonya¡¯s direction. Is it really true? Is she really not Ishtar? I was so sure. My gut is screaming at me that I¡¯m right. I have to be right. A trick? He frowned and cleared his throat, ¡°Keep an eye on things and let me know if you get a location to follow up on.¡± ¡°On it.¡± ¨C Ishtar stepped out of the elevator with the suitcase in hand and a smile on her face beneath the mask. She had to admit, the payout was better than she had expected. Prichard had been interested in Sonya, but he was a downright fanboy of Ishtar. It made it relatively easy for her to convince him to look the other way and even help cover up anything she did while she was there. He had asked for quite the repayment, one that was equally beneficial to her. He assumed rightly that she was going to be building a network in North America. While he didn¡¯t know that the ¡®club¡¯ already existed in Europe, he had his theories that she was already spreading her influence. He wanted to be at the helm. That was more than fine with her. Using the Palace as a gathering point was absolutely perfect, it was secure, private, and Prichard was a man with a great amount of sense. He¡¯d also asked for a few copies of the youth contract for his family, which she¡¯d provided without argument. As for binding him as a member of the club, that had been the most entertaining part of the whole interaction. He¡¯d taken her hand and frowned, then his eyes had widened as he looked up into her mask. ¡°You¡¯re-¡± He breathed. ¡°That ability of yours is very useful,¡± Ishtar said coldly, ¡°But I would be careful, Mister Earl, about what you say next.¡± He grinned at her, ¡°I understand, amazing, really amazing. You¡¯re going to have the whole world dancing in the palm of your hand.¡± She grinned to herself at the memory as she approached the room that Blackrazor had informed her about part way through the meeting. She willed the door open and slipped inside, handing the suitcase off to a waiting Blackrazor. ¡°Well done,¡± She said before stepping fully into the open space where she found a bound and gagged Craig Hart waiting. ¡°Craig Hart,¡± She rasped as his eyes fluttered open, ¡°Found you.¡± ¨C It was the only way she could get herself to do it. The only way to break through the hesitation and gut tightening terror that she felt. Just throw herself in with all the gusto and panache she could manage, be the Sonya Chernovna that everyone knew even if every instinct told her to be the one that none of them had ever known. The one that clawed at the back of her mind when she finally met her eyes. Those eyes that made her heart ache and made her knees weak, that made her skin tingle and her mouth go dry, that made her want to weep with tears that would never come to her broken eyes. I missed you so much. ¡°It¡¯s like Christmas!¡± She declared, laughing, throwing her arms open in a dramatic greeting and walking forward towards the assembled group of five heroes. First among them, leading the pack, was her. Lian Chunhua. Tall, raven haired, stoic, achingly gorgeous. Sonya extended a hand with a smile and the woman returned the gesture. Even in that moment, with all her emotions in turmoil, she had enough presence of mind to use analyze. ¡°Lian Chuhua, in the flesh, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re more beautiful than on the television,¡± She said with a wry smile. She gave the woman a wink, ¡°You aren¡¯t single, are you?¡± The Chairman barked out a laugh and Marta sighed next to her. Chunhua on the other hand just stared at her and at her hand then up at her again, a look of confusion on her face. She squared up a little, ¡°I greet the Voice of the Hero-¡± ¡°Call me Sonya, please. I have a name,¡± Sonya cut in, giving Chunhua¡¯s hand a squeeze, ¡°Please use it.¡± The irony wasn¡¯t lost on Sonya. Chunhua blinked and then relaxed visibly, which for some reason got a few odd looks from the rest of her group, ¡°Very well, Sonya it is,¡± She said with a small smile and it may have definitely been Sonya¡¯s imagination, but a look of amused interest. Yeah, definitely my imagination, not wishful thinking at all. Quit it you idiot, you¡¯re getting carried away! Sonya cleared her throat, ¡°Aha! Enough flirting,¡± Sonya teased and released Chunhua¡¯s hand before turning to the others, ¡°Let¡¯s see!¡± She walked over to the first in line. Vytal was a slightly heavy set man with a easy smile and eyes that were a startling near-white blue. They reminded her of glaciers. ¡°Vytal, right? Or should I say, Edgar Wolf,¡± She said and took his outstretched hand. ¡°You make quite the impression, Sonya,¡± He said with a startlingly deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure ma¡¯am.¡± Analyze. ¡°The pleasure is all mine!¡± She said brightly and gave his hand a brisk shake before turning to the next. A powerfully built man with short black hair, thick eyebrows and dark eyes. ¡°Sapporo, Takeda Goro,¡± She said and took his hand with a brief handshake and a partial bow. His dark expression remained unchanged but he did manage to speak at least, ¡°Your work has resulted in a peaceful east, even if unintentional, you have my gratitude and that of my family and people.¡± Analyze. ¡°Thank you,¡± She said, ¡°I hope that my work can inspire more success for humanity in the future.¡± He nodded brusquely and she moved on. The next person was a younger woman, late teens probably, with bright eyes and a too-wide smile. She was bouncing on her heels when Sonya reached out to greet her, ¡°Molly Byrne? Or should I say Euclidia?¡± She asked. The girl snatched up her hand with both of her own hands, shaking it vigorously, almost so fast that she didn¡¯t get to use analyze, ¡°Oh my gosh it''s such an honor! You are a frigging icon! Like, seriously, oh my god, can you believe what you¡¯ve done for the community, not to mention you know, all the hero stuff and uh¡­ can I get your autograph? For my girlfriend, I mean, oh man, wow you¡¯re pretty.¡± Sonya blinked. Analyze? Sonya laughed, ¡°Sure!¡± She said, ¡°What do you want me to sign?¡± Molly brightened, ¡°Could you sign my t-¡± She began only to get cut off by Chunhua clearing her throat in warning, she grinned at the leader of their group sheepishly, ¡°I got a postcard.¡± Sonya just laughed and shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll sign whatever you want later, cutie,¡± She said and moved on past a squealing Molly to the far more serious looking man next to her. He bowed his head once before standing up straight and shaking his head. ¡°I apologize, I cannot,¡± He said. ¡°I understand,¡± Sonya said without dropping a beat, ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± He inclined his head, ¡°It is the right thing to do.¡± She stepped back to give him a bit of respectful space before looking between the five of them and put her hands on her hips, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve had our introductions! Let¡¯s eat!¡± Side Story: Amos 2 Amos shifted back and forth on his feet, his hands in his pockets. He hadn¡¯t been around here in a long time and while every thought about this place had filled him with dread for the past few years, now he felt something else. Confidence. He rest his head against the wall and smiled to himself, swaying a little as he listened to a little music playing in his earbuds. Good old gamer rock. He grinned as his connection to the local security cameras around him alerted him to someone approaching. He tilted his head and glanced in the direction of the approaching man, a big smile on his face. Where was he? Well, if he had been fully honest with Sonya when he first met her, he hadn¡¯t exactly washed out of college. No. He had been chased out. He was at MIT. Beautiful Cambridge. He¡¯d taken a flight here the previous night and had spent the evening doing what he did best. He didn¡¯t take many days off, but Sonya had insisted that he get a little bit of down time before she and the others went off to Vegas. It was going to be a big deal apparently and he really ought to be fresh in case he was needed. So he figured he¡¯d settle up while he was out. Sonya didn¡¯t know what he was doing, or at least probably not, his computers were the only ones she couldn¡¯t poke around in with her own technopathy. It wasn¡¯t like he tried to keep it a secret from her, he just didn¡¯t bother bringing it up. It was his problem to deal with and to be frank she¡¯d already helped him enough towards his goal. Now he just needed to act. Which was why he was so elated to see the University president marching his way in his direction. ¡°President Williams!¡± Amos said brightly, throwing his hands out wide, ¡°Good to see you, how long¡¯s it been?¡± He asked. The president frowned, a bit of sweat dripping down his brow beneath a carefully combed head of brown hair, he wore a black suit and red tie that did not agree with the heat, ¡°Mister Carter, you seem to have forgotten that you were banned from this institution.¡± Amos blinked, raising his eyebrows dramatically. Just like Sonya would, he thought with amusement. ¡°Really?¡± He gasped, ¡°Oh man, that sucks! And here I wanted to have a chat with you! I¡¯m honestly shocked you came out all this way. If that''s the case, sir, shouldn¡¯t you have sent security instead?¡± He asked. The president¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°I have been trying to, but apparently their communications are on the fritz. We can¡¯t even call the police. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that, Mister Carter?¡± President Williams asked pointedly. Amos pointed at himself, wide eyed, ¡°Me? Why would I do something like that?¡± ¡°To force a meeting with me,¡± The man said with a scowl. ¡°What on earth do you want? Amos beamed at him, ¡°Mister President! Johnny!¡± He soothed, walking over and throwing an arm over the president¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Can I call you Jonny?¡± He asked, grinning ear to ear as he threw basically his entire social battery into the interaction. ¡°Listen, I just want to have a conversation. You and me, somewhere private, have a few drinks, talk about the good old days!¡± ¡°You are not allowed in-¡± ¡°Avery Stolls,¡± Amos said, suddenly stony in his tone. ¡°Huh?¡± The man blurted. ¡°Bianca Harold, Lucas Myers, Sammy Redmond, myself,¡± Amos continued, counting on his fingers. The man looked at him wide eyed, ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°Mister President,¡± Amos said and turned his head slowly towards the man, ¡°Do you know where I work now?¡± He asked, ¡°You watch the news, right?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I fail to understand your point,¡± The president said, his face turning redder. ¡°I¡¯m that Amos Carter. There are only like what, sixty of us in the states? Come on, man, piece it together, you¡¯re a smart guy!¡± Amos said, giving him a playful squeeze with his arm around shoulder, ¡°Do I really have to say it here?¡± The President paled a little but held his ground, ¡°You can¡¯t just blackmail me in public!¡± ¡°Cameras aren¡¯t working,¡± Amos said, ¡°Your phones off. Mine is too. All electronics within a mile are disabled. Your students are having a pretty bad time right now, it¡¯s kind of funny since it¡¯s all your fault,¡± He snarled at the end, ¡°And since you don¡¯t have enough grey matter to figure out what I¡¯m getting at, let me put it to you plainly.¡± ¡°I know what really happened when you kicked me out, I know who you were covering for, I have all of the emails, I have all of the records, I have all of the photographs, camera feeds, evidence, Mister President, evidence,¡± Amos growled and squeezed a little tighter, ¡°I know I¡¯m not the first and I also know that if this scandal gets out, that the board finds out that you did this to the head researcher of ASTA, that his name could be tied to this University¡¯s pedigree¡­ well¡­¡± He trailed off and lowered his voice, ¡°Screw your job, I¡¯d be surprised if you didn¡¯t end up in a ditch somewhere with a bullet in your head.¡± The president was shaking at this point, his skin a ghastly white. ¡°You fucked up, Johnny, and you fucked over the wrong guy. I¡¯m here to set the record straight and give you a chance to nut up or I send everything to the board, newspapers, broadcast agencies, web forums, hell I¡¯ll even put one up on vidTube,¡± He laughed, ¡°I will fucking bury you,¡± Amos said. The president trembled again, ¡°What do I have to do?¡± ¡°Public apology you don¡¯t have to elaborate, just say it was a mistake, reinstatement, my fucking Doctorate, and a partnership with ASTA,¡± Amos bit out, ¡°That¡¯s all I want.¡± The man stared at him, bewildered. Amos let out a sigh, ¡°See, I wish the conversation could have been more pleasant, but hey, what can you do?¡± He shook his head and held up a hand to wave at another figure who was sitting at a bench nearby. Colin approached with a suitcase in hand, his hair done up just right, and his skin practically glittering in the sunlight. ¡°Colin can you take it from here?¡± Colin pursed his lips and smiled at Amos, ¡°Of course,¡± He said sweetly. Amos grinned and let go of the man. ¡°All yours babe,¡± Amos said and stepped away, leaning Colin stepped forward and held out the suitcase, opening it. Inside was a thick tan piece of paper with a contract written on it. ¡°As per the terms of this contract, Doctor Williams, you will be responsible for the terms that Mister Carter just explained to you. You will have twenty four hours to approve the reinstatement, fourty eight to complete the public apology and issue the aforementioned degree. You will then have one week to contact ASTA headquarters and discuss a long term educational partnership with the company,¡± Colin said matter-of-factly. Mister Williams swallowed, ¡°And if I¡¯m unable to meet these terms in time?¡± He asked. ¡°It says right there in the document, you will die of a heart attack the instant the contract is void. Complete the terms and you will live as long as you were intended to. This contract was made with a powerful ability that makes deals quite binding and includes an indefinite gag order. So don¡¯t bother trying to get help, you dug this hole, you can dig yourself out,¡± Colin said, his eyes twinkling with malice. ¡°Amos will also be held to a similar standard, having to eliminate all evidence connecting you to your crimes that he is aware of within twenty four hours of you holding up your end of the bargain.¡± The president of MIT stared at the document for a long time, his eyes wide as he read every line. He swallowed hard. ¡°Hurry up Johnny, you¡¯ve gotta agree to the terms whole heartedly or it won¡¯t work and the longer I¡¯m here, the longer I¡¯m gonna keep the whole school¡¯s systems down,¡± Amos said from afar, ¡°I can do this all day.¡± The president let out a sigh and snatched up the pen sitting next to the document. His shoulders sagged and with a weary look in his eyes he signed the document. It flickered for a moment before it started to glow and the ink from the pen immediately dried. Amos felt a tingle run up his arm that felt very similar to the time he made his first deal with Sonya. He looked down at it with a small smile as the president set the pen down. ¡°May I leave now?¡± The man asked. ¡°Sure, fuck off,¡± Amos said and glanced to Colin. ¡°Dinner and a movie?¡± He asked, walking past the man as if he didn¡¯t exist. Colin just smiled at him, ¡°Sure.¡± Chapter 74 It certainly wasn¡¯t the introduction she had expected. Chunhua wasn¡¯t sure what to even think of it. She¡¯d seen her on television more than once, captivated if she was being honest with herself, which of course she¡¯d firmly chosen not to be in this particular instance. Grossly inappropriate didn¡¯t even begin to cover the kind of professional breach that even the thought of such a thing would constitute. Yet the first thing Sonya Chernovna had done when they met was to flirt, and not even subtly. Chunhua had tried to salvage the situation, providing a proper and appropriately respectful greeting for someone of her personage. Only to be immediately rebuffed. She could only stand there for a few heartbeats, trying to process what had just happened. What the woman had said, the way she had said it. She remembered her grandfather for a moment, his gentle smile and easygoing presence. He¡¯d always hated formality even if he had been a man of some importance for the majority of his life. I have a name, use it. That had been almost a catch phrase for him. He said it the same way every time, the same rhythm to the words, the same amused cadence. Chunhua blinked and caught herself, willing her body to push down the flush that had threatened to rise to her cheeks and instead allowed herself to smile and relax her shoulders. In a single exchange she had the feeling that she understood the woman in front of her more than anyone else in the room, all of the fantasies she¡¯d had during the flight cast out to the wind. This wasn¡¯t a person who respected formality and conventional rules of hierarchy, she stood alone and she was intimately aware of it. The way to this person¡¯s good graces wasn¡¯t through placation and overt respect. It was through treating her as a peer. She could do that. ¡°Very well, Sonya it is,¡± Chunhua said and let go, her fingers tingling a little. She watched Sonya turn away and caught herself lingering on the nape of her neck. She¡¯s so small. Chunhua thought, Petite, frail, but my instinct tells me that there¡¯s so much more to her that I can¡¯t even begin to figure out. She forced herself to look away. It¡¯s even more evident now than when I first saw her on the television. She peeked again as Sonya shook hands with Vytal. Alabaster skin, silver hair, she¡¯s like a ghost or a statue. Damn it, stop looking. She looked away again and closed her eyes for a moment to settle herself. She listened patiently as Sonya greeted Sapporo. Her voice is pretty too. Euclidia immediately jumped into rambling, of course she did. When she wasn¡¯t playing with puzzles she was talking. It was endearing, if you could understand half of what she was talking about. ¡°... uh¡­ can I get your autograph? For my girlfriend, I mean, oh man, wow you¡¯re pretty.¡± Chunhua¡¯s eyes opened and her lips formed a thin line. ¡°What would you like me to sign?¡± ¡°Could you sign my t-¡± Chunhua cleared her throat and shot Euclidia a warning look. The mythic-tier teenager gave her a sheepish grin in response. Chunhua shook her head and sighed, it was so different from working with soldiers. The personalities were just so¡­ big. She cast another look at Euclidia, and abrasive. The greetings came to an uneventful end after that, much to Chunhua¡¯s relief. Sonya seemed intent on getting straight to dinner and a more comfortable atmosphere which Chunhua was more than happy to acquiesce to. Sonya sat down quickly in one of the seats near the middle of the table. The woman who had entered with her followed but didn¡¯t sit down, instead she stood behind Sonya with her hands clasped in front of her waist. Handmaiden, I read about her during the briefing. She¡¯s a licensed mythic but not an active hero, Sonya¡¯s bodyguard and caretaker. Chunhua sized the woman up and her instincts told her only one thing: She''s strong. Handmaiden returned her gaze stoically, her expression stony. Chunhua got the impression that the woman didn¡¯t like her for some reason. ¡°Leader Chunhua,¡± The chairman spoke up, suddenly right next to her. She blinked and looked at him, realizing just how lost she¡¯d looked for a few moments there. ¡°Yes sir?¡± ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind sitting next to Miss Chernovna?¡± He suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll be sitting on the other side,¡± He added and made his way over, slipping into a seat next to the CEO. Chunhua glanced at the open seat he¡¯d indicated and hesitated, looking up at Handmaiden. ¡°What about you, Handmaiden?¡± She asked. The woman shook her head, ¡°My place is here,¡± She said simply. Chunhua groaned inwardly, she hated politics. ¨C Sonya hated politicians. She forced herself not to shoot the Chairman a glare when he ambled over to sit at her right, grinning ear to ear. It had been hard enough to rein herself back in when she had gotten started talking to Chunhua during their introduction. Now she was supposed to sit next to her? Madness. Absolute fucking madness. Just looking at her was agony in a way she could never begin to articulate. The attraction, the sadness, the joy, the confusion, the everything. She¡¯d managed to bluster her way through with grins and smiles and a joking attitude but now there was no room for that. They¡¯d have to have a normal conversation. A normal conversation, with the past self of the woman who you are the widow of. No big deal, Sonya. You¡¯ve only seen her naked more than anyone else on the planet and the sound of her voice makes you want to do stupid submissive things. Oh and not to mention that the last time you saw her she was a god damn corpse! She dug her fingers into her leg, squeezing tightly to control her face. Yeah, no big deal, no problem, you got this. Don¡¯t forget that your ability makes it so that you can¡¯t lie, by the way! Chunhua sat down next to her. Fuck. The two stared at the table for a moment. ¡°Miss- Sonya?¡± Chunhua asked. Sonya turned a forced smile on the woman, ¡°Yes?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What are you planning on eating? I¡¯m not used to this kind of cuisine, if I am being honest,¡± Chunhua asked, looking thoughtfully down at the menu that was placed in front of them while Sonya was having her little panic attack. You. Sonya let out a thoughtful breath through puffed lips and picked up the menu, ¡°Something greasy so I can sleep hard,¡± Sonya said bluntly, ¡°Though I¡¯ll of course pair it with a soda, which kind of defeats the purpose,¡± She continued rambling. The others at the table stared at her for a moment, Sonya snorted and shrugged, ¡°What? Liquor does nothing for me, it¡¯s no secret,¡± She redirected quickly, ¡°Anything catch your eye?¡± The others looked back down at their menus, no longer focused on her and murmured amongst themselves. Sonya leaned over a bit to peer at her menu, it was the same menu, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. Its what she would have done before and old habits died hard. In response, Chunhua shifted her grip on the menu and pulled her head back a bit. Sonya glanced up at her, did she just flinch? ¡°I¡¯ll probably just go with the steak,¡± The hero said, tapping her finger on the item in question. Sonya scoffed, ¡°Boring, you¡¯re in Vegas, get something exciting!¡± She laughed and pointed at a few things. I can¡¯t stop myself, Sonya realized with mild panic. I need a distraction! As if sent from the heavens above, a sudden jolt of noise drew everyone¡¯s attention at the table. Hyunh had gotten to her feet and was staring at her phone, her face a little pale. She quickly bowed to everyone else present. ¡°I need to take this, apologies,¡± She said hurriedly and rushed out of the room, even leaving Duong behind. The man turned to watch her go but didn¡¯t get up to follow. This¡¯ll do. She thought with relief and brightened into a mischievous grin, ¡°Duong! Is this the first time I¡¯m seeing you without your other half?¡± She laughed, ¡°You two are attached at the hip, aren¡¯t you?¡± He blinked slowly at her for a moment, almost looking confused before she saw a bit of light come to his eyes. Ten bucks says the Night Society is doing well, Sonya thought with a bit of self-satisfied amusement. He shrugged, ¡°We¡¯re to be married, is it that much of a surprise?¡± He asked, his words coming out articulate but still with a layer of muted calm. Still under control, but Hyunh is definitely distracted. She smirked at him, ¡°Everyone needs their space now and then,¡± Sonya said with a wave of her hand, ¡°Even happy couples like you two, don¡¯t you have any hobbies?¡± He was about to answer when she turned to the other members of the international team, making it clear it was a rhetorical question and she really didn¡¯t care. ¡°What about you guys? I¡¯ve only heard about you through your profiles in the Pandora server, but that doesn¡¯t tell me anything fun,¡± She said brightly. Molly, Euclidia, sat up first with bright eyes, ¡°Oh I just love puzzles! I have like, um, four, no, no, six puzzle cubes on the plane and two in my luggage for the hotel room!¡± She said eagerly, her hands already working as if she was doing one such puzzle. ¡°I also have some knot puzzles, a few twisted metal puzzles, and tons of puzzle books.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°I heard you had an interesting power, does that help?¡± Molly¡¯s expression turned almost a little wicked, ¡°Oh you have no idea.¡± Sonya was about to turn to Vytal when a bit of text flashed across her HUD. Craig is dead. She thought, doing her best to keep her expression neutral as Vytal began talking about painting. Off to the side she spotted Martin standing there, staring at her, only to tense up and reach for his ear. He frowned and looked away before making eye contact with the Chairman. She told her copy through their connection. Her copy said. ¨C Following the way the cameras shorted out briefly had been a pointless pursuit. Tracking just about anything had resulted in failure. That was until an unoccupied room near the top floor, one of the floors that had lost camera signal for several seconds, had its movement sensors go off. That wouldn¡¯t have been unusual, it could have been housekeeping. But no member of housekeeping was scheduled to be in that room at the present time. Ironsides gut told him that this was the place to be and he wasn¡¯t going to waste a second. He¡¯d hurried out of the security room and to the elevator, quickly reaching out to Martin through the earpiece. ¡°Martin, I think I found something. Cameras are out in the area but an unoccupied room¡¯s movement sensors are going off. I¡¯ll keep you posted,¡± Ironsides said as he stepped into the elevator. There was a momentary pause followed by, ¡°Understood. Do not engage if you see her.¡± Ironsides chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not you.¡± ¡°Just be careful,¡± Martin insisted. Ironsides smiled to himself and hit the button for his destination. He arrived a few moments later and stepped out onto the floor. It was just as grand and audacious as every other floor in the building and despite his knowledge to the contrary, nothing else seemed amiss. He made his way over to the door in question and pulled out the security card he¡¯d been given by the hotel staff. That was when the door opened of its own accord and the smell of blood hit him like a truck. He tensed, his relaxed demeanor melting away as he took in the scene. There was a body laying in plain sight on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with a bloody hole where the heart should be. His eyes shifted from the corpse to the person standing above it, a woman in a white leather combat suit wearing a smooth helmet that completely concealed her face. Long white hair flowed down her back before spreading out a bit. It was no wonder that Martin thought Ishtar was Sonya Chernovna. The hair color was so similar. And yet, Sonya was downstairs and Ishtar was right here. Right in front of him. He reached up and tapped his earpiece, ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Another pause, ¡°I¡¯m on my way, do not move!¡± Ishtar tilted her head and held out a hand, beckoning him inside. ¡°I think that ship has sailed, Martin. Get up here fast,¡± He said as he strode inside and the door shut behind him, the lock engaging. His hands dropped to his sides, his fists clenching as the metal armor spread across his skin. ¡°Ishtar?¡± He asked. ¡°Ironsides, right?¡± Ishtar asked in a raspy hiss that made his skin crawl. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± He confirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to change sides?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°I offer great benefits and I could make your life far more enjoyable than working for the Committee,¡± She said, ¡°We could make a deal. Money, new powers, comfort and security for your family. All you have to do is tell Martin that you were wrong and walk away,¡± Ishtar offered. He frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my family,¡± He said with a low growl. ¡°Three brothers, two sisters, an aunt, and a father in a wheelchair,¡± Ishtar said without heeding him at all, ¡°It must be tough supporting them all,¡± She said with a sigh and nodded, ¡°I get it. Taking care of the people you love is challenging.¡± His eyes narrowed and he reached up for his earpiece, ¡°Martin-¡± He winced when static and feedback filled his ear. ¡°None of that,¡± Ishtar said, her luminous eyes glowing brightly, ¡°I asked you a question.¡± ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re doing this, and I might consider it,¡± He said quickly, thinking on his feet. If he could just keep her talking then Martin could arrive and confirm. It was a pain but Martin had to make the call to bring in the international team as the Chief. Ishtar chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re not very good at lying, I¡¯m jealous, to be honest.¡± He frowned, ¡°Jealous?¡± She sighed, ¡°My primary ability restricts me a great deal, Ironsides,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m physically incapable of lying. It¡¯s very troublesome,¡± She tilted her head to the right and pointed a finger at him, ¡°The offer was genuine, Ironsides. Please don¡¯t hold this against me,¡± She said as light began to blossom on her fingertip. Chapter 75 Ironsides took a step back, his eyes fixed on the villain in front of him. His mind reeled at the sudden revelation and the implications of her shift from conversation to force. The only reason she would have said anything about such a glaring weakness or feature of her person was if she fully intended to kill him. What was more jarring was the implication that she had been completely forthcoming about her offer. She was fully willing to negotiate with people and pull them over to her side. Then why had she so brutally murdered that guy? He thought, glancing at the glowing ball of light on her fingertip. Priorities, Ironsides! He dove to the left as a narrow beam of white light erupted from her fingertip. He whipped his head up and looked back over his shoulder, noting the perfectly circular hole that had been left in the door to the room. That wasn¡¯t a warning shot. He looked up just in time to see her coming towards him, fist raised and glowing eyes burning with malice. He raised his arms up and tanked the blow, the force spreading across his reinforced body and dispersing. It wasn¡¯t an overly hard hit, but it definitely would have killed a normal person. Light based attacks, enhanced strength, he memorized it, sweeping his foot out only to be surprised as she grabbed onto his wrist and threw herself up into the air like a gymnast, toes pointed to the low hanging ceiling. Her other hand slipped back and grabbed the handle of a knife she¡¯d had strapped across her lower back. He pushed up, trying to catch her foot on the ceiling and throw her off of him but she merely did a split, pushing off of him and drawing the knife in one motion. He kicked off the ground and rolled past the corpse on the ground, getting to his feet and bringing up his fists. Enhanced reflexes, definitely. The supervillain landed on her hand and pushed up, throwing herself back into the air and into a somersault, her body spinning like a top as the glint of metal blurred in his vision. He brought his arms up again and felt the blade graze against his skin, actually biting into flesh a little bit despite his reinforcement. The weapon is made of post-pandora material. He thought as he winced, taking another step back before responding with a haymaker towards her head. She spun out of the way and slid to a stop a few feet away, her shoulders relaxing a bit as she tilted her head thoughtfully. He was slower than her, but his body was durable, he could tank the hits long enough for Martin to get here. Not that Martin will be much help, but at least he has the authority to call for help. Damn those Pandora regulations. ¡°You¡¯re planning on delaying me,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°So?¡± He grunted, shifting a little to the left to get ready for a charge. ¡°That¡¯s cute,¡± She chuckled, ¡°You want your dear friend Martin to see me? His obsession isn¡¯t healthy, you know. It could even get you killed right here.¡± Ironsides frowned and clenched his fists tighter, ¡°A risk I¡¯m willing to take. I won¡¯t let you continue what you¡¯re doing, no matter the cost.¡± She raised her head a little, ¡°A proper hero, then,¡± She said, ¡°Apologies for not taking you seriously. I know very little about you so I assumed you were just another light-touched preferring to work for the committee rather than face the true dangers of hero work. I was wrong.¡± His brow furrowed, ¡°What does that mean?¡± She twirled the knife between her fingers, ¡°It means I¡¯m going to treat this fight as one between a hero and a villain,¡± She said and threw the knife. It zipped through the air and he barely had an instant to respond before she was next to him, driving her fist up and into his jaw. He felt his bones shift a little and his vision go white as he was carried up into the air with the uppercut. His reinforced body was the only reason his spine wasn¡¯t ripped out right then and there. Something grabbed onto his ankle and the next thing he knew he was crashing through the small wardrobe on one side of the room. The force of the impact forced his eyes open and his vision shook as he looked up at his ankle. She was still gripping it. That mocking tilt to her head was gone. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She demanded in her bloodthirsty rasp and held up her other hand, light forming on her fingertip again. ¡°Fight back, hero!¡± She snarled as another bolt of light launched at him. He threw himself to the left and twisted with all his might, wrenching his ankle out of her grip and rolling across the ground. He bounced off the bed a few meters away and hurtled at her, fist outstretched. She stepped aside and backhanded him, sending a shock through his brain as he stumbled. He blinked only to have the air knocked out of him by a blow to the gut, his ribs shrieking with pain. He dropped to his knees as his legs lost strength for a moment and he felt her steel-like fingers tangle in his hair. She pulled him back to his feet. ¡°Stand up,¡± She hissed and struck him again, sending him stumbling back towards the bed only for her to be there, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him up again, ¡°I said, stand up!¡± She snarled and struck him across the face. She has too many powers, I can¡¯t figure out what it is! He reached for her wrist and tried to bring his senses back in order, his head spinning but his spirit unwilling to bend to her ruthless assault. He clenched down, squeezing with every ounce of strength he had and opened his eyes, looking back into the unfeeling gaze of her helmet. He spat on it. ¡°Monster,¡± He snarled and swung his other arm, driving it into the side of her helmet. It didn¡¯t even crack. She tilted her head a bit with the blow, looking away for a moment before looking back at him, ¡°Better,¡± She hissed and lashed out again. ¨C The elevator didn¡¯t work, none of them did. Everything was going wrong. Martin raced up the stairs with his gun in hand and his fingers pressed to his ear. ¡°Ironsides! Ironsides! Damn it answer me! I told you not to engage!¡± He shouted into his earpiece as he rounded another flight and kept running, his legs pumping for all they were worth. He needed to get there faster, he had to get there faster. He was the only one who had the authority to call on the heroes and only with visual confirmation. He knew he could throw his weight around and get it to happen anyway, but bending the rules, even once, even now, he knew it would set a precedent that he couldn¡¯t come back from. He grit his teeth and kept running. Hold on man, I¡¯m coming. ¨C Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Hyunh raced into the room, slamming the door behind her. She knew it was a terrible idea to let Duong out of her sight right now but just sitting there as the panicked messages were coming in was only going to distract her further. She needed to know what was going on back at home. She quickly dialed the number and held her phone up to her ear, the tone ringing over and over until it clicked over into voicemail. She hung up immediately with a curse and dialed another number, then another, and another. It was the sixth person who answered, her younger cousin, Bian. ¡°Bian! Bian! What¡¯s going on over there?¡± ¡°Cousin Hyunh? Oh thank goodness you¡¯re okay I-¡± The teen started rambling. ¡°Bian! Focus, tell me what is happening, is there anyone there with you?¡± She asked urgently. Bian hesitated then spoke, ¡°Y-yes, Uncle Giang is here.¡± ¡°Put him on, sweetie, please,¡± Hyunh urged her. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Please!¡± There was a moments pause and then she heard a wet cough through the phone. She winced before a tired voice spoke, ¡°Little Hyunh.¡± ¡°Uncle Giang, what is happening over there?¡± She asked. ¡°Started this morning, strange numbers in our financials, money started disappearing. It kept getting worse, Hyunh, by the evening no matter what we did, we couldn¡¯t get the clan and syndicate to stop hemorrhaging,¡± He grunted, coughing again, ¡°Then the kids started to disappear.¡± He coughed again, ¡°After that, they showed up, those people with hoods and knives.¡± Hyunh¡¯s heart clenched in her chest, ¡°Hemorrhaging? People with hoods and knives?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re killing everyone, men, women, any of the young people left like Bian, it doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s like the entire clan has a death mark on them,¡± Giang wheezed, ¡°I barely made it out alive to a safe house with little Bian here.¡± Hyunh sank to her knees, ¡°Did anyone else make it out?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I-¡± The sound of a door opening with a bang echoed through the speaker on her phone followed by a scream and two gunshots. Silence followed that, only footsteps filling in the void. She stared at the ground in horror as the speaker rustled, someone was picking up the phone. She jolted and looked up, ¡°Bian? Giang?¡± She shouted, ¡°Are you alright? Who was that? What happened?¡± ¡°Feng Hyunh?¡± A gravelly voice said. Rage, grief, confusion and hate exploded in her mind, tears streaming down her face, ¡°Who the hell are you people? What do you want? Why are you doing this?¡± She screamed. ¡°I have a message from the Night Society,¡± The voice said, not even reacting to her shrieking. Her entire body went still as numbness washed over her, ¡°We have been ordered to exterminate the Feng Clan and Da Mao Syndicate, our orders are also to leave you as the sole survivor. From this moment forth, neither organization exists. This is the decree of the Headmaster and of Mistress Ishtar. As of now, we sever our connection to you and your organization. You may not call on us again. Goodbye, Feng Hyunh.¡± Click. Hyunh dropped the phone and tilted her eyes up towards the ceiling. ¡°My god,¡± She breathed, her hands reaching up, cupping over her mouth to restrain the coming scream as her entire world began to fall apart. ¨C Ishtar threw Ironsides across the room again before taking a few steps and grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him up the wall to hang a head above her. His face was covered in blood and bruises, his metallic skin cracked and worn down by constant blows. She frowned a little beneath her helmet, she hadn¡¯t even had to push herself all that hard to deal with him. She had hoped his confidence was grounded in something, that she might even have to use uptime a little bit even if Sonya had warned her not to. Disappointing, she thought coldly, letting him go and watching him fall into a barely seated heap on the ground. She sensed the signal trying to reach him, Martin trying over and over to contact him over the security channel they shared. She almost felt a little guilty, it was one of Sonya¡¯s suggestions during the formation of the current incarnation of the Pandora Committee that had created the shackles that Martin was dealing with now. She huffed and dismissed the momentary feeling, A wise man would not have taken my invitation. You were overconfident, Ironsides. He tilted his head and looked up at her, glaring death in her direction. ¡°Still alive?¡± She asked. ¡°Fuck you, villain,¡± He spat. She let out a sigh and pointed at his knee, releasing a beam of hard light that punctured his bone and ruined the limb. He let out a grunt of pain and threw his head back, seizing up a little as agony worked through him. ¡°That wasn¡¯t very polite,¡± She hissed, canting her head to the right. ¡°Is that how you talk to someone who¡¯s considering letting you live?¡± His lips curled back, ¡°Why are you doing all this?¡± He snarled. ¡°I already told you the answer to that question,¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°You are a really poor listener aren¡¯t you? I told you to be more polite,¡± She bit out and ruined his other knee with a bolt of hard light. She watched him writhe for a little while, disgust coiling in her guts. It was a shame, really, he had potential and a spine, but he had wasted his time playing detective rather than building up his powers and becoming someone who could actually put up a fight. He¡¯d be useless in the future, especially when the world changed once again. Although, perhaps this loss could motivate him to grow in the future. ¡°I have an offer for you,¡± She hissed. He narrowed his eyes in disgust, ¡°I want nothing from you.¡± She held up a hand, ¡°Hear me out,¡± She said, ¡°You have two paths I can offer you with a shake of the hand,¡± She began and held up one finger. ¡°First, I can heal your legs and in exchange you can take your death like a hero after I have a conversation with Martin in which you remain silent, you have an honorable end and I will tell him as much.¡± She held up the second finger, ¡°You agree never to speak a word of what you learned about me, you go through your life knowing but unable to tell the truth to anyone, not even Martin. But you get to live through this night and find some other way to try to bring me down.¡± She held out her hand again, ¡°Which is it going to be, hero?¡± ¨C The radio crackled back to life. ¡°Ironsides!¡± Martin shouted as he ran up the stairs. He was almost there, just another floor to go. ¡°He fought well,¡± A terrible hissing voice rasped through the radio. He nearly stumbled to a stop, his heart locking up in his chest as his eyes went wide with panic, ¡°Ishtar!¡± He shouted, ¡°Where is Ironsides? What have you done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to kill him,¡± She said, her cruel voice remarkably soft despite her words. ¡°Don¡¯t! We can talk about-¡± He started but he just heard her scoff over the radio. ¡°Do us both a favor and stop,¡± She said, ¡°You¡¯re dishonoring him. He fought well, I said, he will die a hero, on his own two feet, mighty for having lasted as long as he did against me. Be proud of your friend.¡± ¡°You!¡± He snarled, picking up his pace despite how much his muscles ached, he pulled out his phone and tapped in the emergency code, confirming that Ishtar was present and the room number. He hit send and the message got stuck on sending. ¡°Martin, I¡¯m going to give you an offer, a present left in this room with your friend. I do hope you take it with you, I left a note with it, just for you,¡± She said, ¡°You can send your cute little message now,¡± There was a pause, ¡°He¡¯s dead. Goodbye for now, Martin.¡± The blip of the message finally going through didn¡¯t even register as Martin stumbled on the staircase and caught himself against the wall, breathing hard, all he could hear was static. Chapter 76 Martin burst into the room, his gun raised and at the ready. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood and sweat that permeated the room. He took a quick look around, frowning when he didn¡¯t see anyone at first from where he stood. He didn¡¯t notice the way some of the shadow in the entry hall thickened beneath his feet for a moment before passing like a whale cresting beneath the surface of the ocean. He crept inside slowly, still ready for whatever might come, still prepared to fight if he had to. His phone rang in his pocket and he snatched it up, opening it and pressing it to his ear. ¡°I¡¯m in the room, Sir,¡± Martin said quickly. ¡°No sign of Ishtar.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sending Vytal and Black Lotus,¡± The Chairman said, his voice grim, ¡°Any sign of Ironsides?¡± Martin took a few more steps, moving through the entry hall and into the main part of the small hotel room. He glanced down at the ground, first, where a puddle of blood still lay sticky on the carpet. He panned his view up and to the right, his eyes trained to focus on the space immediately in front of him in order to not miss clues or relevant details. It was kind of like putting on blinders. There had been a struggle, the wardrobe was smashed into numerous pieces from what looked like an impact from above. He panned his vision to the left, to the far bed first which had its blankets tossed and splattered with blood. There were spots of blood all over the walls as well. Then he focused on the bed nearest to him and his time stopped. Ironsides was just laying there, on his back, eyes closed as if he¡¯d just fallen asleep. Martin felt his shoulder go numb for a moment and his weapon fell to his side. He swallowed, ¡°I found Ironsides,¡± Martin grunted. He walked over to his friend and leaned over the bed, checking his pulse. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Martin said, his voice stiff and clinical even as his mind seemed to spin. He took a few steps back and sat down on the bed across from his friend. His gun locked in his grip, his eyes fixed on the still corpse. He looked so peaceful. The only signs that he¡¯d even been in a fight were the bloodstains and tears on his clothes. The fatal wound wasn¡¯t even truly evident. He regarded the man he had worked with these past few months since the flash, the man who had demonstrated to him that the light-touched weren¡¯t all bad. He¡¯d seen the heroes do their work but Martin had always seen them as grandstanding even as they¡¯d demonstrated their honor time and time again. He just couldn¡¯t let go of the understanding that they were vigilantes in his mind. Lucian-no-Ironsides had been someone who didn¡¯t need the recognition, his only goal was to use his abilities to do a little good in the world. He¡¯d changed Martin¡¯s mind about heroes. He¡¯d helped him accept reality even while his single-minded obsession with Ishtar had inevitably led to this point. The thought brought a frown to his face. No, it wasn¡¯t his fault. Ironsides would never feel that way. As evil as that woman was, she was right to warn him against devaluing what Ironsides had tried to do. The thought that he agreed with anything Ishtar had to say made him even more sick now than it could have ever possibly made him before. He looked away, glancing at the nightstand between the beds. There was a large envelope there, held down by the alarm clock. Ishtar¡¯s letter. He realized and finally engaged the safety on his gun before slipping it back into his coat. He picked it up and opened it. He numbly pulled the two sheets of paper out. The first was on the white lined paper of the complementary notepads that one could find in the drawers of the hotel. The other was on a thick paper that reminded him of some kind of parchment. He read the note first, he¡¯d seen his name at the top. The text was a bit unsettling, it had been clearly written in pen but it was so rigid and straight he could have been convinced it was printed by a computer. Won¡¯t even let me get an idea of your penmanship. His detective brain groused, grasping for some details to distract himself from the reality he sat across from. ¡®Chief Investigator Martin, For what it is worth, I am sorry it came to this. Your partner was a good man and fought me valiantly. I gave him a choice at the end, to die standing and as a hero or live but never be able to tell a soul of what he had learned from our fight. Perhaps it is the compulsion of my ability, the implication of the deal offered, but I am compelled as I write. I am incapable of telling lies. Do with that information as you will, detective. Your friend earned it for you. As for the contents of this envelope. It contains a contract. This contract is capable of awakening the unawakened abilities possessed by a non-light touched person who signs it. The terms are simple. It is you who must make a choice now. Right now you are but a fish in the ocean where I own the sharks. You can allow yourself to fall behind, slide into obscurity and be consumed. Or you can use this opportunity and attempt to catch up. The choice of whether or not we continue this game of cat and mouse is on your shoulders, detective. I am curious as to which is more important to you, your principles or your need to be the one to catch me. In full transparency, I will likely endeavor to kill you tonight if you choose not to at least consider my offer. My Condolences for your Loss, Ishtar¡¯ There were striations on the paper, signs that it had endured more than just the movements of the pen across it. She had used superhuman speed to write it, if he had to guess. It had only taken him a few minutes to arrive at the room after her first contact. Those observations were the first numb thoughts that occurred to him as the rest of it sank in. She was compelled? She can¡¯t lie? He looked up at Ironsides¡¯ body, his lips trembling as he moved to the next document. It was indeed a contract. He felt something inside the paper that tingled against his fingers, something unidentifiable to his senses. Just like she¡¯d said, the terms were straightforward and simple. Signing this document would awaken powers for him, but Ishtar would be able to withdraw one favor of her choosing at the time of her choosing from the signator. While the contract remained unfulfilled, the signator could not speak of anything related to the contract or its creator, Ishtar. If an individual touching the contract chooses to expose information about the contract or the creator before signing the contract, the contract will be voided and its powers dispersed. He stared at the names at the bottom. ¡®Endorsed by: Ishtar Notarized by: Mephisto¡¯ A new henchman, probably one with a dealmaking ability given his name. Martin shuddered. He didn¡¯t notice his phone buzz in his pocket, nor did he notice the small gathering of shadow in the corner of the room, observing him. He only hung his head, both pieces of paper clenched in his hands as he wrestled with it all. I should hand it over, this is wrong to even consider this while sitting here. He thought as the shadow behind him grew deeper. He swallowed hard, She read me like a book. Damn it. His phone buzzed again and he finally answered it. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Martin,¡± He said hollowly. ¡°Are you alright? I¡¯ve been trying to contact you,¡± The Chairman said. Martin looked at the document in his hands, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just sitting here.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± The Chairman said after a long pause. ¡°Black Lotus and Vytal are on their way, the elevators in the hotel have been disabled, likely by Ishtar. They are taking the stairs. They should be there in just a few moments.¡± Martin folded the document and note without thinking, slipping them into the inner pocket of his coat. ¡°Understood sir,¡± Behind him, the growing shadow faded away. ¨C Black Lotus watched as the Chief Investigator left the room, his eyes sunken, his expression filled with a mixture of grief, resolve, rage, and confusion. She looked over at the still body of his partner. She had to give the man credit for being so stoic in the face of such a terrible loss. It was not easy to lose a comrade. She squared her shoulders and glanced around the room. There was evidence that another corpse had been in the room at one point, the blood pooling on the carpet being the indicator. They weren¡¯t sure who she¡¯d killed, but Ironsides had indicated that there had been a body in his message to the Chief. ¡°It¡¯s unblemished,¡± Black Lotus said thoughtfully, standing next to the body. Vytal stepped over and placed a hand on Ironside¡¯s body before abruptly pulling his hand back, his blue eyes going wide. ¡°This man was completely healed before his death. There are several incredibly small puncture wounds remaining. Such precision,¡± Vytal said hesitantly, ¡°He was killed painlessly, though based on the state of his clothing and the room he clearly put up quite the fight.¡± Black Lotus frowned, what kind of person would do such a thing? Was it out of some sense of honor? In her brief conversation with the Chief before sending him away, she¡¯d learned a bit about what Ishtar had to say when she took Ironside¡¯s radio. ¡°She wanted him presentable for a funeral. We¡¯re not dealing with a normal mind here,¡± She said evenly, crossing her arms and glancing around the room. ¡°I could have told you that, this woman is insane,¡± Vytal said darkly. ¡°No,¡± Black Lotus said with a shake of her head, ¡°I get the feeling she is very, very sane. Something far worse than a crazy person.¡± ¨C Ishtar sat in the dark and empty hotel room with a smile on her face. Blackrazor had been very kind to move her into the room rather than her using technopathy to open the door and alert the hotel¡¯s computers that the room had been accessed. She had taken pains to disable the motion sensors that controlled the lights, she had a feeling they served a greater purpose than illumination. Her helmet was at her side as she leaned back, her eyes closed. She was sharing everything that had happened with the real body. The shadows around her stirred and she opened her eyes, turning to where Blackrazor was taking shape. The man stepped into physical being and regarded her as she returned his stare with a smile. ¡°How did it go?¡± She asked as he lowered himself to a knee. ¡°It would appear he is considering it,¡± Blackrazor said, his tone thoughtful. ¡°You disapprove?¡± She asked curtly. He shifted a little and she grinned at him, ¡°It¡¯s okay to have your own thoughts, Blackrazor. Speak your mind.¡± ¡°There is a lot that could go wrong now that I am no longer observing him,¡± He said. ¡°The man sticks to his decisions,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°If he took the document with him, he will sign it. Even if he doesn¡¯t, that¡¯s still beneficial to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Blackrazor said after a long pause, his shoulders slouching a little. ¡°If he divulges the information about my so-called weakness and the contracts, that will only be a net positive. He can''t prove that Ishtar and Sonya Chernovna are one and the same, so he can only apply it to Ishtar. People talk, Blackrazor. Word spreads. Leaks happen. Information from a reliable source like the Pandora Committee¡¯s investigation unit is very trustworthy. People will know a deal with me can be made with confidence,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°They will know that I can give them power with only a favor in exchange.¡± She tilted her head to the right and beamed at him, ¡°And if he chooses to sign, he will have compromised his morals and turned into a far more interesting opponent. He will also be unable to speak about my abilities until I call to collect, which I have no intention of doing unless absolutely necessary,¡± She let out a laugh. ¡°In other words, regardless of the outcome, I win.¡± He looked up at her and his expression grew thoughtful. He smiled, ¡°Masterfully done, Mistress.¡± She snorted, ¡°A bit improvised, in my opinion, but I am not one to avoid capitalizing.¡± She slid to her feet and began disrobing, ignoring the startled look from Blackrazor as she folded the garment and set it on the bed next to her helmet. She glanced over her shoulder at him, ¡°Take this to my hotel room, please.¡± He got to his feet and nodded, ¡°What about you?¡± She shrugged, ¡°What about me? I am nothing more than a highly functional clone made from an ability and my time is at an end. Persisting only serves to trouble your true mistress. Now go,¡± She said with a dismissive wave. He nodded brusquely and scooped up her regalia, turning into shadows without another word and disappearing into the floor. She watched him go and let out a sigh, rubbing her shoulders and popping her neck. ¡°This was fun,¡± She hummed to herself as she walked to the shower and slipped inside, standing beneath the showerhead and turning it on. She closed her eyes and let out a breath as her hair fell around her. Ishtar said through their connection. Sonya joked back. Ishtar said seriously. Ishtar said and cut the connection. She looked down at her feet and back up at the showerhead before smiling. ¡°One day, we¡¯ll have a proper talk,¡± She said with a sigh as her body began to melt. It dissolved into naught but a grayish sludge that dissolved in the water, disappearing down the drain without a trace. ¨C Sonya¡¯s lip twitched as she sat across from the Chairman who hung up the phone and let out a sigh, ¡°Very troubling,¡± He said with a shake of his head. ¡°He was a good man.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Sonya said, sounding equally saddened, ¡°I have only encountered him a few times and read his dossier.¡± The Chairman glanced her way, ¡°You followed up on him?¡± She sighed, ¡°Of course I did, your new Chief Investigator is his partner and the man has had a very singular interest in me for quite some time. I like to know who my potential enemies are.¡± The Chairman¡¯s shoulders slumped, ¡°It¡¯s plain as day that his suspicions are unfounded, just look at the situation. You¡¯ve been down here with me the entire time,¡± He shook his head and rubbed his temple, ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit indelicate but I¡¯ll order him to stay away from you. I think giving him a lengthy break might also be in order.¡± She smiled, ¡°I think you¡¯re being rather kind.¡± He smiled back at her, ¡°Now, about tomorrow. I assume with the situation as it is you¡¯d rather not risk yourself in going to the dungeon? My son is still very excited and I¡¯m sure my future daughter-in-law would be very disappointed to not go. She seems to like you.¡± Our little deal seems to have quite the effect, is it really coloring the direction of your thoughts to the point of rationalizing? Fascinating. I wish I could study you longer. She thought before she held up a hand, ¡°Chairman, your son will be with us, what do I have to be afraid of?¡± She asked with a small smile, ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, despite the tragedy of the evening, our plans for tomorrow remain unchanged. You do need to see a dungeon first hand after all, right?¡± He smiled, looking a little relieved, ¡°Right.¡± Chapter 77 Hyunh stood over the sink, staring at herself as the acidic smell burned at her nostrils. She struggled to right her mental state, reign in the horror that was gripping her. She could barely comprehend the nightmare her life had turned into in just a matter of hours. Reports had stopped coming in at some point and even her phone had been disconnected at one point. Her hair was a mess, bags hung under her eyes and her makeup was smeared. The emptiness gave way to a maddening ache before slipping back into numbness again. She couldn¡¯t breathe long enough to feel anything in any normal way. It was a living hell. She¡¯d lost everything. His presence entered the hotel room. Everything but him. He was all she had left, his power, his connections, his authority. If she lost him then she would have nothing. She would be a nobody, a helpless tumbleweed in the merciless winds of the world. She gripped the sink and bore her teeth. Ishtar. Her true enemy¡¯s name was Ishtar. Whomever this person was, the enmity had been more than personal. The agent of the Night Society had been instructed to tell her without reservation that Hyunh was to be the sole survivor of the extermination of clan and syndicate. It was intentional. This person wanted to leave her with nothing, to make her feel unimaginable suffering. If she wasn¡¯t sure that Sonya Chernovna wasn¡¯t capable of such absolute wretchedness and evil, she would have believed it was her. But while the woman was a bit conniving, she was so obviously a disgusting paragon of the new world and heroes that Hyunhs mind couldn¡¯t rationalize any form of connection. What would Hyunh have done to her to deserve this sort of wrath anyway? It didn¡¯t make sense. None of it made sense. Who had she wronged so deeply to deserve this? She chewed her lip until the flesh tore and blood dripped onto the sink. A knock came to the door and she turned her head frantically. ¡°You¡¯re fraying,¡± Was the only thing he said. She snarled and threw the door open, looking him in the eyes and baring her teeth. He looked back at her without a lick of sympathy in his eyes. She drove her fist into the wall next to his head, her eyes blazing with amethyst light. ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are? You¡¯re mine, mine!¡± She snarled, ¡°Talking like that to me!¡± He grinned at her, his hands twitching involuntarily at his sides, ¡°I¡¯m awake, but I can¡¯t hurt you,¡± He said with a chuckle, ¡°But for some reason I¡¯m enjoying this way more.¡± She held back a scream as she punched the wall again, getting right in his face. She felt a spark jump between his nose and hers and she winced, hauling back and slapping him across the face. ¡°Like you deserve any better! Murderer! Psychopath! You fucking lunatic, if it wasn¡¯t for me you would have gone off the deep end long ago, killed the wrong person. Put down like the rabid dog you are.¡± He just looked away, amusement in his eyes as his cheek turned red from the blow. She felt him push back against her control again. He wanted to kill her. She knew it. If she lost control of him it would all be over, he could walk away and it would be worse than killing her. She grabbed him by the shirt and she felt him try to attack her with his powers. She pressed down on his mind with all of her might. She knew he was more powerful than her, but that didn¡¯t matter, while his power was greater her reserves were greater still. She¡¯d never felt exhausted while using her powers even while others claimed that they had felt tired or weary when pushing themselves. As far as she knew, she was limitless. Her concentration may waver but her power, my power. She reminded herself as she pushed and pushed and pushed while he raged and rallied with all his might, trying again to break his containment. She knew that it was the wrong way to handle this. She knew that wearing him down slowly was the more effective course of action. She knew that she could fragment his psyche and turn him into an animal if he ever managed to break free while under this kind of pressure. At this point, she didn¡¯t give a fuck. She wildly smashed his psyche over and over as she took her grief out on him, crushing his mind into powder. When she was done, he stood there, vacant, while she laughed. ¡°See? I¡¯m still in control here! Not you!¡± She snarled and slapped him again, ¡°Not you! Me!¡± She slapped him again and again, tears streaming down her face as her laughter filled the room. ¨C FACULTY EXCURSION COMPLETE The cold, unfeeling text message came through and Blackrazor held it up for Sonya to see. She was sitting on her bed now, stroking her helmet and reflecting on the memories sent over to her through her connection with her copy. The copy had done exactly as she would have if she were in the role of Ishtar, still, it felt strange experiencing it all vicariously. It was still her committing the acts, she understood that on an instinctual level from the way the duplication ability worked. Yet there was an unsettling separation there. She could honestly say that Ishtar had done those things and not Sonya. She stared at the text message for only a few heartbeats before waving it away. ¡°Thank you, Blackrazor. Good work as always,¡± She said and returned to stroking the helmet. Her eyes fixed on the wall in thought. ¡°You know what to do next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be ready, mistress,¡± He said before giving her a sidelong look as he got to his feet. His face turned a bit rosy. She glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow before pursing her lips and smiling at him, ¡°Was it that nice?¡± She teased him. He cleared his throat, ¡°Just unexpected.¡± She barked out a laugh and relaxed, leaning back on the bed and glancing over at Marta who had taken to reading a comic on her own bed. The woman looked up with a frown of confusion at the exchange and Sonya clarified, ¡°My copy decided to strip down out of the regalia in front of dear Blackrazor here,¡± She said with a light chuckle. ¡°Poor thing is all worked up now.¡± ¡°Mistress!¡± Blackrazor protested. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Go play or something, I want you focused tomorrow.¡± He tensed and then nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± He said and disappeared into the floor. ¡°Things are going smoothly,¡± Marta said absently, looking back down at her comic and flipping a page. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sonya let out a sigh and got to her feet, crawling onto the bed with Marta and wrapping her arms around her friends waist, peering over her shoulder to read the comic as well. She barely understood what was going on so just closed her eyes, ¡°What happened with Ironsides feels unsettlingly separate from me,¡± Sonya said with a sigh and rest her head on Marta¡¯s shoulder, Without prompting, Marta reached up and stroked her hair. Her friends hand felt warm and it loosened a knot in her chest. She squeezed Marta tighter, ¡°You¡¯ve been committed for a while now,¡± Marta said, ¡°There¡¯s no turning back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it before,¡± Sonya said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ve accepted that.¡± ¡°Then let''s see tomorrow through to the end,¡± Marta agreed. ¡°I¡¯m your weapon. Wield me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Marta.¡± Sonya was surprised she¡¯d managed to sleep as deeply as she did after that. She had figured she would have dreams or nightmares. She had expected that the thought of something going wrong would leave her tossing and turning. Yet all she felt was confidence. She was satisfied with how things had turned out with Ironsides. She was elated that her revenge against Hyunh was progressing to its conclusion. She was ready for what was to come. She had built herself up, hardened herself, tempered herself with one crime and act of villainy after another. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. ¨C Chunhua rested her hand on her sword as she watched the vehicle go. The Chief Inspector of the North American division of the Pandora Committee was onboard with the body of his partner. They were being transported to the airport to return to New York for an official funeral. Martin had told her that he would be taking a leave of absence for a while. It wasn¡¯t required by the committee but he had been a police officer before his current work and had a strong sense of responsibility and self awareness. She had applauded his decision, right now his judgment would be clouded by what had happened. It was for the best. She sensed the Chairman approach her from the side. ¡°Chairman.¡± ¡°Black Lotus,¡± He said, trying to sound more merry than he felt, ¡°I got your message, you¡¯ve decided to stay for a few more days?¡± ¡°Ishtar is a serious threat to the worlds security and I want to know what her scheme is,¡± She said, ¡°She murdered one of our own, as honorable as she¡¯d been, she¡¯s still a hated enemy. I may respect how she composed herself but-¡± She trailed off and gripped the handle of her sword tightly. ¡°I understand, it¡¯s fine,¡± He said with a nod, ¡°Will you be coming with my little party to the dungeon to see it firsthand?¡± She shook her head, ¡°That had been my plan initially, but I think it¡¯s best if my team patrols the city and stays on alert. You have what Euclidia gave you?¡± She asked. He nodded, ¡°I have it, I¡¯ll call you if something serious happens.¡± She let out a breath, ¡°Good, good.¡± They stood in silence for a moment before he cleared his throat, trying to change the subject to something a bit more light hearted, ¡°So, you took quite an interest in Miss Chernovna. You were hanging on her every word last night.¡± Chunhua nearly jumped, whipping her head in his direction as heat rose to her face, ¡°Ch-Chairman! That¡¯s not an appropriate topic of conversation, sir!¡± She protested. He raised an eyebrow, ¡°She was eyeballing you as well,¡± He said with a shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t know, young lady, I just think that in times like these we should take advantage of moments to find a little joy and enjoyment. Maybe I¡¯m just an old man, though.¡± She scratched her nose, ¡°It has been a long time since someone spoke to me like that. I am used to formality, sir.¡± He snorted, ¡°Everyone noticed.¡± She groaned, ¡°Was it really that bad?¡± He pat her shoulder, ¡°Good luck on your patrol, young lady. Be safe.¡± ¨C Afternoon came faster than anyone was really prepared for. There was no fanfare with their departure from the hotel. No grand conversations or witty banter. Sonya, Marta, Hyunh, An Set, and the Chairman simply got into the car and drove through town until they arrived at an abandoned construction site. The fences around it were ten feet high, keeping out all but the most intrepid troublemakers. Outside the skeleton of what would have been a high rise, the life and lights of Vegas moved on as if nothing was coming. Sonya got out first, stretching and grinning brightly to herself. She felt immensely satisfied. The reason came in the form of the pair that stepped out after her. An Set had no light in his eyes at all, his expression nearly dead, he was practically a walking corpse at this point. Next to him, Hyunh wasn¡¯t faring much better. She¡¯d managed to clean herself up at least, her appearance immaculate as always. Her eyes were trembling though and she flinched at small sounds. Sonya savored the sight and could practically taste those final moments already. Just a little longer. Marta got out next, she was wearing her Handmaiden regalia with the full armored gauntlets and maid uniform. Her expression stern as she moved to stand next to Sonya and shadow her protectively. Sonya cast her dearest friend a smile and for a brief moment the veneer of the focused bodyguard broke to return it. Finally, the most oblivious man on the planet as far as Sonya was concerned stepped out of the car with a belly laugh. ¡°Is it really here?¡± He asked, amused. ¡°It is, according to the radar,¡± Sonya said and gestured to the gates. ¡°We have permission to go in?¡± She confirmed. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve already handled it,¡± The Chairman said, walking over with them. Marta stepped up when they arrived at the gates and with a quick motion she grabbed the chains keeping them closed and ripped them apart. The Chairman made a surprised noise, ¡°My goodness! That¡¯s a way to do it!¡± Sonya snorted and locked arms with him before glancing over her shoulder at Hyunh, ¡°Are you alright, miss Feng? You were so excited to be here yesterday.¡± Hyunh shook herself and forced a smile, her eyes still unsteady behind the paper-thin veneer of confidence, ¡°Just lost in thought! I¡¯m thrilled to see this place, aren¡¯t you, dear?¡± She asked An Set who nodded numbly. The Chairman nodded proudly, ¡°Not even tragedy can bring down your spirits, I applaud you lot!¡± He said with a chuckle and walked arm in arm with Sonya into the building. It didn¡¯t take long to find the portal. The pylons grew out of the ground in sharp relief from the off-gray metal of everything else in the skeletal structure. They stood tall at the very heart of the place, the only reason they weren¡¯t visible to outsiders was the ceiling above and the fences around the place. Otherwise it was down right out in the open. Between the pillars, the swirling lights of a dungeon portal glimmered and rippled as the air grew thick with energy the closer they got. The Chairman came to a stop and let out a breath of excitement, ¡°My word, it¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°And incredibly dangerous,¡± Sonya confirmed. ¡°So this is what happens when mana gathers and packs itself together, fascinating,¡± The old man said, walking forward to get a closer look. Sonya walked over to join him and regarded the portal thoughtfully. She¡¯d been through this portal once before, she¡¯d watched Chunhua go through it as well, she remembered the ache of seeing the woman she hadn¡¯t realized until that moment that she loved enter. She almost reached out to touch it before pulling her hand back. ¡°You like pretty things too?¡± He laughed. She grinned at him, ¡°I have my tastes.¡± He laughed harder, ¡°Duong, my boy! Hyunh dear! Get over here and have a good look! It¡¯s amazing up close. Like water!¡± Sonya took a step back to give them some space, meeting Hyunh¡¯s gaze briefly and shrugging at her. The woman glared at her but otherwise paid her no mind, stopping in front of it. Sonya could tell that the woman couldn¡¯t appreciate what she was seeing, her mind far away. She took a moment to appreciate the look in Hyunhs eyes, the faint slouch to her posture, the image of herself during those last days after losing both Marta and Chunhua. You know how it feels, now. She thought darkly. Good. Now die like that. What happened next happened so fast that for a moment the world seemed to go completely still. Veloce, who had been hiding in the building since the previous night, darted out of her hiding spot and zipped across the ground at top speed. Marta was the first to notice, already aware of the plan. A true actress, she shouted Sonya¡¯s name in horror and tackled Sonya protectively to the ground. The Chairman was the next to react, turning his head around and looking wildly at the blur approaching him and his family. An Set didn¡¯t move, his mind buried so far down that he didn¡¯t even flinch when Hyunh turned and let out a cry of panic, the blur of Veloce colliding with her and sending both of them hurtling through the portal. ¨C Hyunh landed in a heap atop dirt and rocks, rolling several meters before stumbling and scrambling to get some sort of sense of what had happened. She stood up, breathing hard, panic rising in her chest as she looked around. She was standing in a barren canyon, rocky terrain stretching out behind her and walls of sheer stone stretching up on either side. It only took a second to realize what had happened when she turned to see the strange woman standing in front of the portal. ¡°Who are you? Do you realize what you¡¯ve done?!¡± Hyunh screamed. The woman just shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t really care, Ishtar says jump and all that.¡± Hyunh stumbled backwards, ¡°Ishtar?¡± She blinked, ¡°Ishtar? She sent you?¡± She frantically reached for her connection with Duong, stretching her will out as far as it could go but she felt nothing. Not a hint of his presence in her mind. She looked up at the portal as the woman just waved and turned back, darting out. Hyunh started to run to follow her but slid to a stop. He¡¯s loose on the other side of that portal. She realized. I can¡¯t go back! She held up her hands to her head. I can¡¯t go back! She turned around, looking for another route out when she saw figures racing towards her, they looked like little men with doglike faces and snouts. They were carrying spears and waving them with wild abandon. Monsters. She looked back at the portal. Duong. She looked back at the monsters again and gripped at her hair. Her eyes bulged, her face contorting as nearly all reason began to melt from her mind. She tore at her hair, her emotions exploding into a single scream of hate and terror. ¡°ISHTAR!¡± Side Story: Team Firestorm ¡°Fucking run!¡± Bandit shouted, racing down the path as a low rumble followed him. The others just stared at him as he darted past and leaped over the small ledge leading down to the platform below where they¡¯d been standing. Firestorm scratched his head and glanced over at Bluestar who gave him a frustrated look, Lifesaver was already silently hopping over the side behind Bandit, not bothering to wait for them. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°You just had to say it,¡± Bluestar said, ¡°You knew he was going to do it if you said something like that.¡± He flushed as the rumbling grew louder, ¡°Now, In my defense it is a good movie.¡± She threw her head back and groaned, ¡°You know that¡¯s not the point!¡± She sighed and stalked towards the edge next to him, the noise now nearly deafening. She casually threw a hand back and muttered something, a blue flash of light erupting behind them followed by the sound of numerous fleshy objects striking something very hard, very fast. Firestorm decided not to glance back at the hideous mess created by the raging horde of high speed monsters that had been turned into windshield splatters. She gestured at the ledge and a blue glowing staircase took shape, ¡°We had no idea what that lever did.¡± ¡°And now we do, so when the next team comes in to clear out the monsters, they won¡¯t make the same mistake!¡± Firestorm said with a grin. She rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re impossible.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re grumpy today,¡± Firestorm shot back, ¡°Come on, we¡¯re in a magic extradimensional dungeon surrounded by monsters and hidden passages and treasure sometimes. Doesn¡¯t that inspire childlike glee in you?¡± She kept walking down the steps next to him, her arms crossed, but a small smile played on her lips. She sighed and shook her head before grinning at him, ¡°Neither of you said ¡®wrong lever¡¯.¡± She pointed out. He slapped himself, ¡°Oh shit! You¡¯re right!¡± He leaned forward a bit as they approached Bandit and Lifesaver. ¡°Bandit! We didn¡¯t say ¡®wrong lever¡¯!¡± Bandit poked his head out from behind a large fallen piece of stone wall or debris and stared at him, ¡°Are you kidding me? We ruined the joke!¡± He groaned and hopped up, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. ¡°We can¡¯t do it again in this dungeon, it¡¯ll seem forced.¡± Firestorm alighted on the platform and put a hand on his friends shoulder, ¡°Next time, buddy.¡± ¡°You two are not throwing another untested lever, without warning, just to make sure you get a joke right,¡± Bluestar protested, unable to hide the amusement from her face at this point. ¡°You are ridiculous!¡± ¡°I thought it was funny,¡± Lifesaver finally spoke up, his voice utterly deadpan. They all looked at him, blank faced as the healer hero just returned their gazes, ¡°What?¡± Bandit shrugged and sat down on the debris he and Lifesaver had been hiding behind, crossing his arms and stretching his legs out, ¡°Look, this whole dungeon is some M C Escher bullshit, none of the stairs make sense, there are passages that go nowhere, and I swear we were walking upside down at one point. It doesn¡¯t help that the monsters are basically cartoon characters. You guys heard that splat up there like I did. A little humor helps smooth over the existential dread.¡± Bluestar glanced back up at the otherwise inaccessible ledge as the stairs she made vanished and made a face, ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve got a point. What the hell are those things anyway?¡± ¡°They looked like bald goats with eyes like dinner plates,¡± Bandit said with a shudder, ¡°Oh and they totally had little tiny wings,¡± He said, gesturing to his shoulders. ¡°Freaky.¡± A low thump on the ground nearby sounded out just as he finished speaking and he let out a groan of annoyance. The others did as well as they turned towards the most annoying part of this entire god forsaken place. It was about two feet tall and looked like it had been made by someone just starting to experiment with three dimensional art on a computer. It was vaguely reminiscent of a certain cartoon mouse with its big ears and far too wide smile. Its knees bounced and bobbed as its tail whipped left and right. It held a mallet in one hand. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Who¡¯s up?¡± Bluestar asked with a sigh. ¡°I think you ar-¡± Firestorm started to say only for a blue flash of light to erupt from her fingertip and burn a hole straight through the things head. It dropped and dissolved into an inky black puddle before sliding away, making whimpering sounds. ¡°Right,¡± He grunted. The nonsensical entity had been following them since they arrived in the dungeon, attacking out of nowhere and only after very blatantly announcing itself and making a show of its presence. It was by no means strong or dangerous. The only problem was that no matter what they did to it, it wouldn¡¯t die or at least stay dead. At one point Firestorm had tried incinerating the black ooze it turned to when it was killed but it only deformed into a crispy burger-like puck for a moment before bursting into a cloud of black smoke. It came back about an hour later. ¡°Do we have any jars or anything?¡± Lifesaver asked as they watched the black sludge disappear into a wall. ¡°You want to catch it?¡± Bandit asked with disgust. ¡°We can¡¯t kill it,¡± Lifesaver pointed out with a shrug, ¡°Might as well keep it contained. I¡¯d hate to actually be in a dangerous spot and get hit with that hammer by surprise.¡± ¡°Look at those arms!¡± Bandit protested, ¡°It can¡¯t swing that thing for shit!¡± Lifesaver crossed his arms and tilted his head, ¡°Explain to me how you¡¯re able to puncture stone with an arrow with your tiny arms?¡± He asked, flexing his own muscles beneath his costume. Bandit opened his mouth to protest and quickly closed it, frowning and looking at the ground. Lifesaver chuckled and nodded towards the next passage they hadn¡¯t gone down yet and Firestorm walked past Bandit, patting his shoulder again and joining the healer. Bandit shook his head, giving his two comanipons a rueful look from behind only to get a squeeze on the arm from Bluestar. ¡°I happen to like your noodle arms,¡± She said with a wink and kept walking. He grinned for a moment, just a moment, before her comment sank in, ¡°They aren¡¯t noodles!¡± He shouted, chasing after her and entering the passage with the others as they laughed. Ahead of their little group they found themselves in yet another long overdesigned tunnel of irregularly placed columns and doors in places that served no purpose other than to give them a headache. To make matters worse, the entire hallway seemed to twist like a corkscrew ahead of them until it stopped at another door that was now upside down from their perspective. ¡°I hate this place,¡± Bandit said, sounding a little nauseated. ¡°Oh this is kinda cool,¡± Firestorm commented almost at the same time. ¡°Watch the doors, boys,¡± Bluestar said, nodding to the doors that were actually embedded in the walls. She pointed at one of them and fired a tiny bolt of her azure magic at it. The bolt bent slightly in the air as it passed into the tunnel and struck off-center, still hitting the door but clearly not where she¡¯d intended to hit it. The door shuddered and opened before slamming again as a low growl of pain rumbled out from within. She frowned hard, ¡°I knew it.¡± Both Bandit and Firestorm looked back at her with a mixture of concern and disbelief. ¡°What? This place is weird, those doors had to be traps or monsters or something,¡± She protested. They both nodded, ¡°Right, yeah, that¡¯s what you meant,¡± Firestorm said and turned back towards the hall before rubbing his hands together, ¡°Alright I got this,¡± He said and the others took the cue to back off all the way to the entrance of the hallway. He reached for his belt where the treasure of their very first dungeon hung from his hip. It was an almost onyx-black double headed axe with orange red cracks running through its surface that glowed brightly. It wasn¡¯t overly long or big, small enough to hang comfortably from his belt, but boy did it help. He raised it over his head and his hand began to glow white hot, soon the orange cracks turned white and heat began to billow off of him as he took a step forward and swung. A cascade of fire ripped out from the weapon, washing through the hallway like a tidal wave as the creatures inside the doors screamed, roared, and burned. A moment later, the pristine passage was nothing but blackened surfaces and ash, the door at the far end left unscathed. ¡°Done!¡± Firestorm called, slinging the weapon miss Sonya had described as some kind of ¡®elemental focus¡¯ over his shoulder and grinning back at them. The others made their way forward, nodding and voicing their approval as they stepped into the twisted hall. Somewhere behind them, a dollop of blackness appeared in the air and began to swirl, condensing into a semi-solid shape that broke into a manic grin. Chapter 78 Sonya got to her feet, taking a step to the right as her eyes stayed fixed on An Set. The Chairman poked his head up from behind some construction materials, looking around in confusion. Marta shifted forward, her gauntlets clenching into fists. The young man standing in front of the portal didn¡¯t move for a heartbeat, he looked frozen, his eyes still vacant. Sonya glanced at Marta. She wondered for a moment if perhaps Hyunh had actually gone too far in what she¡¯d done to the man¡¯s mind, had this been a miscalculation? The Chairman slid out from behind his shelter just as the portal rippled again. Veloce came out and all hell broke loose. At that moment, every single light in Las Vegas went dark. A rolling blackout surged across the city like a tidal wave as every instinct in Sonya¡¯s body screamed at her that she had very assuredly miscalculated but in a far worse sense. Every hair stood on end, every fiber of her being recoiling in a terror born of raw survival instinct. Death was in front of her. The plan had been to pressure his mind and make him snap, lashing out in anger at what Hyunh had done to him. He was petulant and unstable so it should have been an obvious outcome. He shouldn¡¯t be this powerful! An Set¡¯s head jerked back and he whipped his hand out to grasp at Veloce, the woman let out a shriek of pain as she darted past him, covering herself as bolts of electricity raced across her skin and she hurtled into a far wall. Meanwhile, An Set jerked and writhed where he stood, his body jolting and his head twitching backwards as if he was in the midst of convulsions. His eyes rolling back and his mouth falling open. Electricity leapt from his teeth before skittering across his skin like a thousand insects. Marta reacted before Sonya could protest, frozen as she was in the face of not a young An Set, but a reminder of what he had been like at his prime. Marta grabbed her arm. Sonya blinked and whipped her head in her friend¡¯s direction. ¡°Marta, no! He¡¯s-¡± With a sudden whipping motion Sonya felt numerous g¡¯s of force act on her body as Marta literally threw her at the portal. An Set¡¯s eyes came into focus as she hurtled past him, she met his gaze, wild eyed, feral, and glowing with the yellow wrath of The Great Eel fully realized. This was more than a temper tantrum, it was like the ability itself had taken the reins. He cracked his mouth with a smile and reached for her just as she hit the portal. ¨C Marta watched with relief as Sonya passed through the rippling surface of the portal. She felt a chill run over her skin when she looked back at Duong. The young man stared at the portal for several seconds as if confused about where Sonya had gone. He frowned and tilted his head before turning to look at Marta. She clenched her fists. Sonya¡¯s reaction had spoken volumes and the darkness around them was just as telling. Something had gone very wrong that Sonya hadn¡¯t taken into consideration. ¡°Son?¡± The Chairman called out. Marta whipped her head in the old man¡¯s direction, ¡°Chairman! Stay away!¡± She shouted. She started to move forward but a spark jumped off the ground and sent a charge through her muscles. She grit her teeth and pushed through the pain, she had to get to the old man! Duong looked over his shoulder at the Chairman who froze mid step, eyes wide with confusion. ¡°My boy, what¡¯s gotten into you, I-¡± The rabid young man raised his hand and pointed it in the direction of his father, the scent of ozone filling the air, ¡°Blind and stupid,¡± came a chittering croak from the back of Duong¡¯s throat. It barely sounded human. Electricity gathered on his fingertips in a flash of light that Marta had to throw her hands up to protect her eyes from. Healing them would take seconds that she couldn¡¯t afford to spend. ¡°Chairman!¡± Marta shouted, ¡°Run!¡± The scent of blossoms cut through the scent of ozone like a knife. Marta heard a cry and then a clap of thunder that momentarily left her ears ringing. The light faded and she looked up to see an empty spot where the Chairman had been standing. She whipped her head around and spotted a woman a short distance away, the unconscious chairman slung over her shoulder. There was a sword in her hand. Black Lotus. ¡°Handmaiden! What¡¯s the situation?¡± She shouted as Duong slowly turned to face her. ¡°He¡¯s gone berserk!¡± Marta shouted back, ¡°We need to get the Chairman out of here, Miss Chernovna and Miss Feng are in the dungeon!¡± The swordswoman shot the portal a glance and a frown before nodding. ¡°Understood!¡± Black Lotus responded and tapped her earpiece, ¡°Doorway!¡± In an instant an archway appeared to the hero¡¯s left that she tossed the Chairman into. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished and Black Lotus turned her full attention to Duong. ¡°Hero An Set, stand down!¡± She shouted, leveling her weapon in his direction. ¡°This is my only warning!¡± Duong glanced back and forth between the two women. Marta raised her fists and took a step to the left, watching Black Lotus¡¯ position. She¡¯d attack as soon as the other did. Her legs tensed and she felt the power of her heroic strength build, amplified by Baldur''s body. Black Lotus lowered her stance and bent her knees, the scent of blossoms filling the air again. Duong didn¡¯t move, not for a full heartbeat before he barked out a laugh and the two exploded into motion. Marta drove her fist forward at his head while Black Lotus brought her weapon in a low uppercut towards his legs and knees. CLANK! Metal gauntlets and sword collided with impenetrable flesh. Eyes glowing with blue-yellow light flickered in Marta¡¯s vision for a moment before her world became a thunderstorm of pain, electricity roasting her from the inside out before she was flung bodily through the air, colliding with a wall and passing through it. Another body hit the ground next to her as her flesh immediately began working to restore itself, the pain fading almost as rapidly as it came. She coughed and forced herself to her feet as the flesh of her face knitted back over her teeth, restoring lips that had been blown clean off. Next to her, Black Lotus got to her feet as well her eyes narrowed at the glowing form of Duong as he stepped through the hole he¡¯d made with their bodies. Lightning arced off of him in spurts while his head swayed left and right to an imaginary jaunty tune. He was humming. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Marta clenched her fists again and glanced at Black Lotus who brought her finger up to her ear before cursing in her native tongue, she pulled an earpiece out of her ear and tossed it to the ground. ¡°They¡¯ll come,¡± Black Lotus spat, ¡°Can you hold out?¡± She asked. ¡°He can¡¯t keep me dead, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± Marta groused. ¡°Good enough,¡± The swordswoman acknowledged, ¡°We need to keep him here.¡± Marta entered a fighting stance, ¡°Understood.¡± ¨C Sonya hit the ground on the other side of the portal, skipping across the ground before rolling and scrambling to her feet. She spun around and was about to dart back through the portal before she froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands fell to her sides. With only thirty seconds of uptime what good was she against a monster like that? She only hoped that reinforcements would come before Marta had to endure too much. Enough heroes should be able to bring him down, though now she was anticipating more than a few casualties. She clicked her tongue,. Damn it. This is more than I expected. What happened? She rounded on her feet and looked around, her eyes flicking up towards the top of the canyon walls and down at the dirt path that winded between them. She sighed, she hated this place so much. The gnolls were tiresome and wild creatures that had excellent senses. It made it an absolute pain in the ass to scout it out back in her past life. She rubbed her neck and searched the path ahead of her, her mechanical eyes focusing on details on the ground. Splotches of blood here and there but no bodies. Her expression darkened. It looks like Hyunh is holding out, she thought, putting her focus on the situation at hand. Prioritize survival, find Hyunh and make certain she¡¯s dealt with. I¡¯ll be a liability on the outside so I¡¯ll stay here as long as possible. She looked down at her fingers and flexed them, Better not get changed just yet. She thought and turned her attention towards the cliff overlooking the path and started climbing. A minute later she was looking down at the path below as she moved along in a crouch, her old skillset coming in handy. She kept her senses focused ahead of her, listening for any sound or shift. Occasionally she heard a bark or howl from one of the gnolls somewhere in the distance. BANG! An explosion sounded off in the same direction of the gnolls. There you are. She thought and picked up her pace, eager to catch up with her quarry. ¨C People were screaming. Marta threw her arms up again and blocked the blow coming for Black Lotus. The electricity rippled across her body in a terrible wave that was immediately soothed by the rapid healing that followed. The swordswoman darted out from behind her, her body whipping through the air like a rocket even as her movements were as languid and graceful as a feather. She murmured something and a series of pink arcs of light ripped through the air behind her, converging on Duong as she landed and darted past him. He snarled and threw his hand out, electricity leaping from his palms and intercepting Black Lotus¡¯ attack as he reached to grab ahold of her. Marta sprang forward and grabbed him by the wrist, the electric charge once again racing through her body as her muscles screamed in protest. She threw her back into the throw, launching him back-first at the ground with all the force she could muster. The instant he collided with the ground his body burst into a spray of sparks and bolts, scattering and sending a secondary wave of pain through Marta¡¯s body that almost had her doubling over. Black Lotus raced past her, not stopping for an instant as she chased him. Marta looked up to see him take two hops back and part his arms to either side of himself, lightning sprayed from his shoulders and up into the air before washing out in a wave of chain lightning that cascaded far and away from him, catching civilians who were desperately trying to get away from him. Bodies hit the ground as he whipped hand out and rings of electricity spread out from his palm, catching Black Lotus as she prepared another attack. She snarled and whipped her weapon up and down, cutting through the rings before resuming her pursuit. Marta shook off the pain again and darted after the dueling pair. Cars exploded around them, Duong showing no interest in keeping collateral damage low. Electricity spread across the ground as if it were a perfectly natural conductor before shooting into the air and cascading out to kill anyone and anything that got close to their fight. He¡¯s tireless! She thought, trying to figure out a way to pin him down. Ahead of her, Duong landed on a car and raised his hands again, getting ready to release another torrent of electricity. Marta pumped her legs, moving to catch up and act as shield again when something dark hurtled through the air from Duong¡¯s left. The mad hero barely noticed in time to step back and avoid the shadowy arrow fired from a rooftop a startling distance away. Bandit! Marta realized only to have her suspicion confirmed as a column of flame erupted from Duong¡¯s feet that was joined by a ring of blue spheres of light around the spot, peppering down on the man from above. A bolt of lightning darted out from the column of flame and landed nearby, reforming into Duong who lifted his head up in a sneer as Firestorm and Bluestar landed next to Black Lotus. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± Black Lotus shouted. ¡°Our jobs!¡± Firestorm shouted back, ¡°We brought friends!¡± On cue, archways rose up from the ground throughout the decimated street. Lifesaver and Vytal stepped out of one near the back, ready to provide healing at a moments notice. Pathfinder appeared at mid range, drawing a rifle from his coat and pointing it at Duong. Then more started to come through, heroes that Marta didn¡¯t recognize but assumed where members of the guilds located here in Nevada. Two dozen people in costume, their powers at the ready, came out to face An Set. An set stood up straighter as his eyes swept over the crowd of heroes. Each and every one of them ready to fight to stop him. He bore his teeth, electricity racing up his face and through his hair. He threw his head back and laughed. Above them, the clouds darkened, thunder rumbled, and a bolt of lightning shaped like an eel began to course through the murky blackness. It¡¯s terrible roar set off the next round of the fight. Marta kicked off the ground and hurled herself at Duong, fist reared back. She punched straight through the jittering clone of electricity he left behind and rolled across the ground, catching herself and getting to her feet. Flames, bolts of energy, arrows, concussive waves of wind, bullets, rays of starry matter, attacks of all kinds came from every direction as Duong darted from spot to spot, trying to reach the heroes with weaker defenses. Every time he landed, though, Black Lotus was right there swinging her sword with a wash of pink illusory petals floating around her. Duong whirled, trying again and again to deliver a direct attack on Black Lotus while she danced around him, keeping him focused on her while the others rained their attacks on him. Marta dove in once more, her entire mind focused on keeping him contained as long as possible only for the madman to let loose a roar that sent everyone stumbling back. Marta landed next to Black Lotus. ¡°Plan?¡± She asked, panting. ¡°Hold him here as long as possible,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Sapporo will be ready soon.¡± ¨C Sonya stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down and watching as Hyunh fought off the gnolls that had surrounded her. Amethyst bolts of energy erupted endlessly from her fingertips as she whirled and danced in place, desperate to keep them at bay. Found you. Chapter 79 Sonya considered her options a bit longer than she cared to admit. Was she enjoying watching Hyunh struggle? A bit. Frankly she considered letting the woman die right then and there. It would be as good as killing her and should earn her credit with her deal with Pandora. She glanced down the winding path towards the boss room. She remembered it was less an arena and more a battlefield. Gnolls were militant creatures and tended to form war parties, like this one. She glanced down again as Hyunh released a trio of desperate bolts to pummel a particularly hardy gnoll, driving it back. That power of hers is pretty tempting, I wonder what would happen if I merged it with Bluestar¡¯s power? She thought before letting out a sigh, Not that I have the space for it. What would that do to my already abysmal uptime? Hyunh let out a shriek of rage and drew her hand up into the air, a pair of spears of amethyst light erupted from the ground and pierced through one of the gnolls, skewering it. How does her power even work? The mind control element is a concern, but what did she do to An Set to render him in that state? It was like¡­ She frowned remembering the gaze of that beast wearing An Set¡¯s skin. She had instinctively thought of the name of the power, she¡¯d known in her gut that it was his power fully realized, fully unleashed. Knowledge of a power is based on instinct, that instinct guides a person to use those abilities. What if, what if there isn¡¯t enough left of the conscious mind? What if all that is left is instinct? How the hell did this woman obliterate that man¡¯s conscious mind? It had made sense to Sonya that it was a steady process with the occasional sharp pushes as she lost control. It would piss An Set off but nothing more than that, resulting in the expected tantrum that came when he was released. Yet she had crushed his mind into powder, that was the only explanation Sonya could come up with. Her eyes narrowed, Just what is the name of your power, Feng Hyunh? A gnoll darted at Hyunh from behind, its spear raised as the woman released another volley of amethyst darts at the slowly dwindling warband in front of her. Sonya clicked her tongue, I guess you get to live a bit longer, she thought and drew her knife, tossing it hard at the gnoll¡¯s head. The canine-humanoid let out a whimper of pain and surprise as its skull was pierced, its body hitting the ground with a heavy thud. The gnolls and Hyunh looked up in confusion as Sonya slid down the side of the canyon wall down towards the woman, snatching the knife up from the creature¡¯s head and standing next to her. ¡°Chernovna!¡± Hyunh snarled. ¡°Feng,¡± Sonya quipped with a wink, ¡°Looks like you need some help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± The woman snapped, whipping around and drawing her finger across the line of gnolls before them with a snap of her fingers. A ray of amethyst light zipped across them in an angry line, cutting through three of their throats. They dropped messily to the ground. Two more darted towards them, bloodlust overriding survival instinct. Sonya darted past Hyunh, keeping her speed close to that of a human as she drove her knife into the throat of one while she grabbed the spear of the other and pushed it down towards the ground. She punched it in the muzzle before ripping the knife out of its comrade and stabbing it in the side of the head. ¡°So it seems,¡± Sonya said, standing up to turn and look at the woman who had a finger pointed at her, a glint of amethyst beading on her fingertip. ¡°Is there a problem, miss Feng?¡± ¡°You, you¡¯re the problem,¡± Hyunh growled, ¡°What do you know about Ishtar?¡± Sonya tilted her head, feigning confusion, ¡°The mesopotamian goddess? Martin asked me the same question, funny enough. What¡¯s this about?¡± Hyunh¡¯s expression pinched a little and she looked down at the bodies of the gnolls Sonya had slain, ¡°You¡­¡± She trailed off, ¡°A person named Ishtar was the one behind that speed user that pushed me in the portal.¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows, ¡°Well, Marta threw me in after your fiance went berserk, do you have an explanation for that, by the way?¡± Hyunh froze, ¡°Berserk?¡± ¡°Yes, berserk, I got a look at his eyes, they weren¡¯t human,¡± Sonya said darkly and turned away, ¡°Put your hand down, I¡¯ve scouted this dungeon ahead of time. You need me.¡± There was a pause as Hyunh hesitated, Sonya had hard light at the ready just in case. She needn¡¯t have worried, though. The woman let out a sigh and walked up to stand next to her as they watched the last remaining gnolls retreat, realizing that they were outmatched. ¡°You¡¯re good with a knife,¡± Hyunh commented. ¡°My eyes help, but survival necessitates more than good senses,¡± Sonya said cooly, looking down at the gnoll corpse, ¡°Shall we move on? Even if we¡¯re out of sight of the portal, we¡¯re still fairly close. I¡¯d rather be as far away as possible in case your man decides to go through and pursue us. I get the impression he doesn¡¯t like me very much,¡± Sonya said with a laugh. Hyunh pressed her lips together and looked down at the body as well, ¡°I have a feeling both of us would be in danger if that happened.¡± Sonya glanced her way and started walking, ¡°Oh?¡± Hyunh snorted as she walked next to her, ¡°Prying for how my powers work?¡± ¡°The function of my eyes are public record,¡± Sonya said offhandedly, ¡°You¡¯re the one who had the chairman put your abilities in the need-to-know category.¡± ¡°So you looked me up,¡± Hyunh shot back. ¡°Of course I did,¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, Feng Hyunh. Your fiance is powerful but he isn¡¯t smart and his only strong connections are you and his father.¡± ¡°You know about the hit,¡± Hyunh muttered as they rounded another corner in the winding canyon. They navigated around a rockslide that made the passage even more narrow, practically pushing their shoulders against one another. ¡°Obviously,¡± Sonya said as she climbed over a particularly obtrusive boulder and turned around to reach down and help Hyunh up. Hyunh stared at her hand and scoffed, climbing up herself. Sonya shot the woman a glance and forced herself not to click her tongue in annoyance. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Your eyes let you know the name of an ability if you come in physical contact with someone, specifically shaking hands, and that gives you insight,¡± Hyunh observed as she got atop the boulder with a grunt, she wasn¡¯t as athletic as Sonya. She cracked a grin, ¡°Nice try.¡± Sonya shrugged and smiled curtly at her, ¡°It was worth the attempt. Are you going to tell me what happened with Duong?¡± Hyunh hopped off the boulder and kept walking, staying silent for a moment as Sonya moved to catch up. They walked along the path and occasionally Sonya would redirect them, moving them out of the way of a patrol or angling them around the camp of a group of gnolls waiting in ambush. They didn¡¯t speak again until they had passed a particularly large campsite that in the past served as the half-way marker of the dungeon. Hyunh glanced her way as they took a quick breather, her expression thoughtful and a little pensive. ¡°You do know your way around here.¡± ¡°I told you, I scouted this place out before we came,¡± Sonya said, smoothly slipping from truth to a misinforming question, ¡°What, did you think I would let a group of VIPs go into a dungeon I¡¯m monitoring without taking precautions?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted me dead,¡± Hyunh said only to frown when Sonya snorted at her. She looked away and bit her lip before looking at the ground, ¡°Duong was out of control, losing his grip, he was killing the staff at his residence when he lost his temper,¡± She explained, ¡°He needed a leash,¡± She pulled a piece of amethyst out of a pouch that she pulled from her pocket. ¡°I provided that leash, though I think I may have pushed too hard.¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows in surprise, putting on an oscar worthy act, ¡°What? Mind control?¡± Hyunh pressed her lips together further, was that shame? ¡°It was either that or let him go on a rampage and waste what value he had to me, though that seems to be a moot point now.¡± She said hollowly and pushed away from the Canyon wall, starting down the path, ¡°Happy?¡± ¡°I have an explanation at least,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Though I¡¯m surprised you were able to hold someone so powerful down for so long.¡± ¡°I have a lot of stamina,¡± Hyunh shot back, ¡°Quit while you''re ahead, Chernovna.¡± Sonya held up her hands, ¡°Fine, fine,¡± she chuckled as she followed the woman around the next bend, her eyes fixed on the spot between her shoulderblades for just a moment. She looked away and moved to walk beside her, stopping when they hit the crest of a cliff that dropped down into an even deeper canyon below. There was a narrow path to the right winding around it, but their eyes both focused on the literal war camp that sat in its depths. Hyunh let out a low breath, ¡°Dungeons are truly frightful.¡± ¡°They are,¡± Sonya agreed and nodded towards the path, one side of it was sheer wall while the other was a long, trepidatious drop down into the mist of the gnoll army below. Sonya had been waiting for this. They moved along the perilous route for a few minutes, carefully inching along the path as it tapered in a downward slope. At the end was a fresh opening in the canyon just out of eyeshot of the gnolls. Sonya wrinkled her nose at the scent of smoke and burning meat down below, not sure what the gnolls were eating. She did her best not to think about it, instead looking for just the right time. ¡°Chernovn- Sonya?¡± Hyunh said, giving Sonya a moment of pause. ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°When we get out of here, I owe you an apology, perhaps there¡¯s a chance we can work something out. So long as Duong is dealt with,¡± She said hollowly, ¡°With him like that, I have nothing left.¡± Sonya¡¯s pleasant demeanor collapsed in an instant, her smile turning down, her head tilted forward, casting a slight shadow over her glowing eyes. ¡°I know,¡± She said, and created a panel of light beneath Hyunh¡¯s feet, pulling it out from under her and towards the ledge. ¡°You-¡± Hyunh started before letting out a shout of surprise, she turned, wide eyed, reaching up in desperation as she began to topple over the ledge. Sonya snapped her hand out and caught her hand, clenching tight and holding her aloft as the Gnolls below all looked up at the source of the sudden noise. Sonya met Hyunh¡¯s gaze coldly. Analyze. Sonya¡¯s eyes went wide and in a flash she drew the second power out of her warehouse. Instinct rushed through her and understanding came next. She spluttered, then laughed as Hyunh stared up at her wide eyed, ¡°So that¡¯s how it was! That¡¯s how you did it! You¡¯re one of the special ones! Did you even realize you had two abilities? How rare that is?¡± She laughed, ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°Sonya! Damn it, what are you doing?!¡± The woman screamed at her, dangling from Sonya¡¯s grip. Sonya paused and blinked, ¡°Oh, right,¡± She created a panel of light beneath the woman''s feet and lifted her up to stand floating just a foot away from the ledge. She released the woman¡¯s hand before snapping back out to grab her by the throat, ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± She said, letting out a relieved sigh, ¡°Finally¡­¡± Hyunh opened her mouth to speak but Sonya just squeezed down on her throat, ¡°Shhh, I¡¯m savoring this,¡± She said, holding a finger up to her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t bother using your ability, I¡¯ll just drop you, dear.¡± The woman froze and tried to choke out a response, rage and betrayal blossoming on her face. Sonya returned her gaze and titled her head to the right, ¡°You want to know why?¡± She asked, ¡°Why all this has happened? You, Duong, your family, your syndicate?¡± Horror and realization came next, ¡°Ish-tar,¡± she forced out, gagging. Sonya nodded, ¡°Mhm, good girl,¡± Sonya said as if talking to a child, ¡°Now, I suppose you of all people deserve to know.¡± She put the jade heart away and pulled out another ability, share the path. From their physical contact she filled the woman¡¯s mind with everything. The previous timeline, what had come of it, what Feng Hyunh had done, who she¡¯d allied with, the people her Amethyst Order had killed, as well as Sonya¡¯s actions throughout the current timeline. The woman choked, her face going paler and paler as tears streamed down her face. Sonya watched her spirit break as the last bit of sparkle dimmed in her eyes. ¡°You brought this on yourself. Goodbye Herald,¡± Sonya said to the limp woman. She let go and released the hard-light plate holding her up. Hyunh fell, her arms flopping limply for a moment before she snapped out of it, a scream wrenching itself from her lips as she hurtled towards the gathered gnolls below. Sonya stood on the ledge and looked down, watching as they tore her apart. She didn¡¯t look away until the screams finally died down, a wave of relief and exhaustion washing over her as her shoulders sagged. Sonya read the words that came from Broker, internalized them, but her mind was elsewhere. She had avenged the past timeline¡¯s Marta. That was all that mattered to her in the moment as her body felt weak from a wave of grief and triumph that made everything ache. She closed her eyes even as the gnolls below shouted at her, searching for a way to get to her. She ignored them and pulled Heavenly Jade Heart from her warehouse. A rush of mana roared through her veins, her body briefly inundated with power. The ability was pure, no quirks, no additional functions, no spells, nothing to inhibit compatibility. It was a power source, the power source that had given Hyunh the capacity to crush An Set¡¯s mind and maintain control of a Peak Mythic. With it, she could integrate magic abilities if she wanted, the word ¡®uptime¡¯ would be a thing of the past. She smiled to herself and tilted her head up to the sky as the howls of monsters became a choral symphony to her ears, a soundtrack to Ishtar¡¯s true birth, here in this desolate place. ¡°Merger.¡± Chapter 80 The air was energized, the clouds of dust, smoke, and debris were charged, sparks jumping across them as they blew across the ever widening field of devastation. Buildings had fallen, their superstructures weakened by the devastating blows thrown wildly by the living force of nature on a rampage. It was a scene out of a nightmare or waking fantasy, like a movie brought to life by a disturbed mind. The clouds overhead were darker than ever, the coiling eel-serpent of electricity continuing to worm through them and roar out its defiance to the heroes down below. The man himself stood at the center of the battlefield, his body levitating several meters off the ground as he turned in place, hand outstretched. Chunhua darted forward, eyes focused on the next smooth stone archway. Her scabbard held tight in one hand, her sword gripped in the other. Her body was a blur to any outsider that looked at her, her hair more like the tail of a comet as pink petals scattered behind her. She raised her arm again and twisted, blocking another bolt of electricity with her scabbard just as she passed through the arch and appeared in the air over him. She raised the weapon over her head as the tell-tale scent of her wrath burst around her like a cloud. Luminous Moonfall. She willed the stroke into being and felt power race through her body, the collected energy following her down as a singular beam of light that drove her blade down with it, increasing the force. He looked up at her and sneered only for his face to harden as a bullet raced through the air towards his back, jerking and weaving through space and following an impossible route towards its destination. An Set bore his teeth at her and twisted his body at an impossible angle. She heard a bone crack somewhere in his body as her blade grazed his cheek and chest, cutting a furrow through his clothing and drawing a small amount of blood. She kept heading towards the ground like a comet just as a well made of perfectly smooth stone appeared beneath her. The next moment she was rocketing into the air, upside down, and a hundred meters away from him. Chunhua pivoted, kicking hard enough to apply pressure to the very air around her and change direction as a bolt of electricity carved a path through the spot where she¡¯d just been. ¡°Pressure!¡± She shouted. A hail of attacks from the heroic-tier heroes erupted from all directions as she tagged out, the brown haired Handmaiden darting out from where she¡¯d been concealed, recovering from her most recent clash. Chunhua landed on a building and watched from above as the armored woman bounced from spot to spot in the nearly circular field of devastation, her body moving like a pinball through the archways created by Euclidia, dodging blasts as she built up more and more momentum. Occasionally a white streak would stray off of Handmaiden¡¯s body that glimmered and faded. Chunhua turned her attention back to the battle as a whole, closing her eyes and letting her senses wash out. Cultivating her body and power had made her more than a normal person could ever be, her hearing could pick up words from across the field, even with the din of combat raging around them. More importantly, her danger sense was sharper than anyone else¡¯s. She could feel when the tide shifted and when something was very wrong. Her gut twisted as an ephemeral feeling of danger washed over her but it didn¡¯t come from any particular direction. It was like it hung in the air, a potential energy ready to be unleashed as soon as it had built up enough. She tried to perceive it, understand its direction and intent, but it was wild, more wild than the man that had caused this cataclysm. Something¡¯s coming¡­ ¡°Status!¡± She called into the radio in her ear, static buzzed back at her for a moment. ¡°We lost Magnae, his heart gave out before Lifesaver or Vytal could get to him,¡± Pathfinder said heavily, his tone stricken with the loss of life. Chunhua¡¯s lips pressed together and trembled a little, ¡°Any word on Sapporo?¡± ¡°The party¡¯s in full swing,¡± Euclidia huffed, ¡°I¡¯m about to send him over! He¡¯s a big boy so it might take a second for him to go through!¡± Relief washed through Chunhua. That meant that the civilians were far enough away now as well as a chance for a reprieve. ¡°When you do, get Handmaiden out of there and get some rest, this is far from over.¡± BOOM! A crack of force ripped through the air that nearly toppled Chunhua over as Handmaiden¡¯s accelerating form crashed into An Set from the side, driving her fist into him. The serpent above roared in fury and outrage, thrashing about in the clouds as An Set was driven to the ground. He tumbled a few meters as he caught himself and with a barrel-roll of his body threw three bolts of electricity in the woman¡¯s direction. A gateway appeared in her path just as he fired the shots off, a bullet zig-zagging through the air to catch them. Marta disappeared through the portal and landed next to Chunhua, her eyes empty yet again as she dropped to her knees. Chunhua watched the woman nearly fall to her face before her chest heaved as her heartbeat resumed and she slammed her fists into the ground, digging out deep furrows before forcing herself to her feet. She breathed hard, ¡°Got a hit in,¡± Handmaiden growled while a flurry of bullets approached An Set from all directions. The maddened hero threw his head back in a roar and bolts of lightning flew, striking the bullets as he darted into the air, spinning about. Chunhua frowned, He¡¯s looking- no! ¡°Sapporo¡¯s half-way through!¡± Euclidia called into the radio just as Chunhua reached for it. ¡°New target! Move Pathfinder, now!¡± Chunhua shouted, panic exploding in her brain as An Set turned into a singular bolt of lightning and charged towards a spot on the other side of the battlefield. ¡°Pathfinder get out of there!¡± The lightning bolt struck, a cloud of electricity blooming like a bomb going off as a portion of a tilted building erupted into scattering debris and superheated rock. Chunhua heard a furious scream on the other end followed by a moment of silence as the bolt of lightning darted back out to land in the midst of the field of devastation. A moment later a ring appeared over her head and two people fell through. A scorched and twitching Pathfinder hit the ground hard just as Vytal landed next to him, holding his hands out. ¡°I¡¯ve got him!¡± The bolt of electricity jumped away from the building and landed again in the center of the battlefield, reforming into An Set beneath the writhing monstrosity overhead. His glowing eyes turned in Chunhua¡¯s direction, anger smoldering at losing his prey. Before he had a chance to protest, though, a new archway rose from the ground to his right. He paused and turned. From within the slow lumbering form of Sapporo stepped into full view. His body swayed left and right, stumbling now and then even as he held his head high. A golden glow rippled off of him in waves. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. An Set tilted his head and pointed a hand towards Sapporo, releasing a bolt of electricity potent enough to vaporize a person. It fizzled against Sapporo¡¯s skin and the berserk man hesitated before reaching out and blasting the drunk-looking man again and again. Sapporo just kept walking, each step sounding heavier and heavier as he drew closer. Then he stopped and threw his head back. Chunhua threw her power into her voice, ¡°Cover your ears!¡± She shouted and clamped her hands over her own ears. A jolly, uproarious laugh caused the air itself to ripple and bend. One hero nearby let out a scream of confusion and grabbed his head, his eyes flicking about as if seeing something that wasn¡¯t there. Momentary madness gripped him before foam fizzled up his throat and he toppled over, unconscious. Chunhua shook her head, Going full tilt right out the gate, are you, Sapporo? In the midst of the battlefield, An Set took a few confused steps back, grasping at his head and shaking it. Above him, for a moment, the horrible eel flickered and almost faded away before restoring itself in a mad thrash of fury. An Set snarled and launched himself at Sapporo only for the gigging man to drive his palm into An Set¡¯s nose. The concussive force created a crack in the ground between them and sent the mad mythic tumbling back against the ground like a skipping stone. The ground shook as Sapporo took an unsteady step, his giggling loud enough to be heard everywhere. ¡°What am I watching?¡± Handmaiden gasped next to Chunhua. ¡°Festival of Dionysus. Sapporo was away stirring every single person in Las Vegas into a frenzy of celebration and pushing them out towards the edges of the city. The more people partying, the more powerful he is, he may be a stern man, but he understands celebration and embracing the inner self better than anyone I know,¡± Chunhua said as another concussive blast shook the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve never met someone who understood the meaning of his power better than him.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Handmaiden asked, glancing towards her. ¡°Dionysus wasn¡¯t just a god of parties, he was a powerful god of madness and illusions, he had monstrous physical strength like the other gods of Olympus. He could be wrathful unlike any of his kin, and was capable of unspeakable punishments,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Sapporo studied Dionysus and everything there was about him when he comprehended the name of his power. At first, he could only get people drunk, but now¡­¡± The giggling and chortling Sapporo spread his arms wide and a dozen of him appeared, dancing and laughing and cavorting about, pointing and mocking the confused An Set who thrashed about, firing off bolts of electricity only for them to do nothing against the hallucinations. Everyone watched from afar, grateful for the reprieve. ¡°Get the injured out! How many have we lost in total?¡± Chunhua called out as Handmaiden marveled at Sapporo¡¯s might. ¡°You are working me to the bone here!¡± Euclidia complained into her earpiece, ¡°Twenty injured heroes, four dead so far, the reinforcements from LA say they¡¯re almost ready for a gateway,¡± Euclidia said, ¡°That one¡¯s gonna take some muscle though.¡± ¡°Take a breath then,¡± Chunhua said, not tearing her eyes from the battle for a moment. She glanced up at the great eel above, swirling and churning in the sky as it snapped its ethereal jaws at an unseen opponent. Chunhua glanced down at Handmaiden who looked deep in thought, her fists clenched tightly. She glanced back at the battle, Yeah, me too. She thought. ¨C Veloce twitched, her body spasming once as she swam back up towards consciousness. Her heart still pounded rapidly in her chest but after a few moments she managed to open her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered as an ache spread across her body. She tilted her head forward and slid out from the crater her body had left in the wall, debris falling off of her as she tumbled to the ground, catching herself on her knees. She coughed as thunder rumbled in the distance and the smell of ozone and burned flesh crawled up her nose. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m alive,¡± She groaned as she tried to move her legs. She frowned and glanced down at her knees, she couldnt feel them but she could sure as hell see them. Panic rose, ¡°No, no no no,¡± She gasped a scream bubbling up in her throat. This wasn¡¯t happening, this couldn¡¯t be happening, ¡°N-¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± A cold voice rumbled out above her. She whipped her head up in shock, tears in her eyes, and saw a dark shape sitting on one of the i-beams that made up the skeleton of the building. There was a young man sitting there, or at least she figured it was, his entire body was jet black from head to toe, only violet eyes burning down at her from above. She caught her breath, covering her mouth as he glared daggers in her direction. It felt like meeting Ishtar again. ¡°Veloce?¡± The dark figure asked. She nodded hurriedly. ¡°Blackrazor. I am an agent of Ishtar,¡± He said and dissolved, his body turning into an inky black liquid that fell from his perch like a waterfall before reforming before her. He looked down on her with narrowed eyes, ¡°Calm down. She will heal you when she returns, we are to wait here for her. After you recover, I will take you from this place, she is pleased. Your deal is complete.¡± The pounding of her heart slowed, relief washing over her even as she gripped fruitlessly at her paralyzed legs. She whimpered at them before looking around, ¡°Where is she? The Mistress?¡± Blackrazor looked up and away from her. She followed his eerie gaze towards the portal of the dungeon. The pylons that held up the portal were shaking and rumbling, energy washing off of them in visible wisps of power. A crack of energy rushed up one of the pylons, erupting into a spark that danced through the metal structure of the building. The air felt so thick, she knew that feeling. She tensed and looked up at Blackrazor, ¡°She asked you to protect me too?¡± He glanced down at her, ¡°Yes, why?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re about to have company, I think,¡± Veloce said meekly as small multicolored clouds began to form in the air around them. Shadows raced across the ground and formed a ring around Veloce, from them, violet blades lanced out in a ring, creating a wicked barricade. He rose to his full height next to her, his shadowy form becoming more solid as a pair of purple knives slid out of his hands as if from nowhere. The multicolored clouds condensed and crackled, bolts ripped out from the portal and struck them before flashing out and through the openings in the incomplete building. A raspy cackle came from one of the clouds and a creature fell from it. It had the head and body of some kind of hyena or dog but it was vaguely humanoid, standing upright with a spear in its hands. More of the horrible smelling things dropped out of the clouds, taking shape and getting to their feet with barks and cackles. They raised their spears and swung them about wildly, howling as more violet blades took shape in the air around Veloce and her new protector. ¡°This is troubling,¡± Blackrazor hissed before launching into a vicious defense. ¨C Thousands of miles away, Amos was on his feet, eyes wide as he stared at the radar screen. The other researchers were with him, watching as a massive cloud of mana was taking shape in Las Vegas. Dots were starting to appear everywhere, monsters forming in huge numbers. He ran his fingers through his hair, ¡°What the hell is happening over there?!¡± Chapter 81 Sapporo was containing An Set, but he wasn¡¯t gaining any ground either. It was a deadlock and everyone knew it. Something was going to give way one way or the other, though, they were both powerful but neither of them had truly unlimited strength. Marta watched them clash with awe in her eyes, regardless of the stalemate. The hero from the international team comprehended the nature of his ability so intimately that he embraced it, practically becoming the entity whose namesake his power drew from. It was unreal, it took her breath away, but it also made her think. Sonya had encouraged Kingshark to consider the nature of his power; she''d even suggested reading material for him. ¡°The physique of the Norse God Baldur. He could come back from any wound or injury and his body could withstand terrible punishment. His only weakness was mistletoe.¡± Sonya had said, it had been a cut and dry explanation of how the power worked. Marta could not be killed save for being poisoned by mistletoe. It was an odd, mundane weakness, but one she could live with. But is that all there is? Who is Baldur? What else did he do? What did he represent? Marta wondered to herself as the ground shook again from another collision between Sapporo and An Set. Above, the terrible serpent coiled again and lashed out at it''s invisible opponent. Was it actually fighting someone or was it a visual representation of An Set¡¯s inner state? His actions? She had her theories but she couldn¡¯t clearly wrap her mind around everything she was seeing and experiencing. She had seen some amazing and terrible things since the flash, so she was more used to it than others. She could only imagine how the others felt. A chime in her ear alerted her to an incoming communication. She raised her finger to it, her heart leaping into her throat. ¡°Sonya? Are you okay?¡± She asked hurriedly, getting a glance from Black Lotus. ¡°It¡¯s Amos, where¡¯s Sonya? I can¡¯t get in touch with her,¡± Amos said hurriedly. ¡°What the hell is happening over there?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the dungeon, I threw her in to protect her from Duong, the guy¡¯s gone berserk. We¡¯re fighting-¡± She was cut off by Amos flying into a rant. ¡°She¡¯s in the- shit! Fuck! Never mind, never mind! Just shut up and listen to me,¡± He said as fast as he could, ¡°Whatever the hell you guys are doing there is an absolute fuckton of mana in the air right now. You know what that means, right? I¡¯ve got hundreds of monster formation alerts all over the goddamn place on the radar and what¡¯s left is heading straight for the dungeon!¡± Marta¡¯s skin went cold, she got to her feet, ¡°Mana in the air?¡± She breathed, ¡°From all these heroes fighting¡­¡± ¡°Yeah! Probably? Okay, definitely! Anyway you¡¯re going to be up to your tits in monsters in a few seconds and that dungeon? Yeah well that six month timer I put on it just got a hell of a lot shorter. I hope she¡¯s up to closing it because otherwise that place is gonna look a lot like Dharan.¡± Marta¡¯s spine jolted and she shot an uneasy glance at Black Lotus who to her relief didn¡¯t seem to react. ¡°Amos, I¡¯ll let everyone know,¡± She said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m here with Black Lotus right now.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? She¡¯s a cultivator, warn me!¡± He griped, ¡°She probably has super hearing or something,¡± He sighed, ¡°Nah, I shut you up didn¡¯t I? God damn it, just be careful! It¡¯s about to get really bad in a minute!¡± He cut the call and Marta turned to an expectant looking Black Lotus. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked. ¡°We¡¯re making mana in the air by having so much of us here, fighting,¡± Marta explained, ¡°High concentrations of mana create monsters.¡± Black Lotus tensed, her expression growing thoughtful before she glanced out at the battle between An Set and Sapporo, the two had parted for a moment and now were charging at one another again. The resulting clash kicked the wind up and sent dust into the air, ¡°How long?¡± She asked quickly. ¡°A minute,¡± Marta said, ¡°And we¡¯ve got the dungeon to worry about too, it might go the way of Dharan if this keeps up.¡± Black Lotus nodded sharply and tapped her own radio which crackled for a moment before she got through, ¡°Euclidia alert everyone that we¡¯ve got incoming, monsters are going to start forming soon and there will be a lot of them.¡± Black Lotus frowned harder as she heard her response, ¡°Thank you, Stay alive,¡± She turned to Marta, ¡°I¡¯m going to cover the heroes on the west side with Vytal. Can you help the East? Lifesaver is already on his way according to Euclidia.¡± Marta tensed and squared her shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± She said as Black Lotus grabbed her comrade and darted away. She turned towards the east side of the disaster zone before glancing back at the fighting, at the pockets of multi-colored clouds that were starting to lazily form here and there. It was like watching the initial spark of an apocalypse. Powerful light-touched fighting one another creating an atmosphere that could trigger the end of the world. Amos had mentioned once that if a big enough dungeon exploded, the released mana could trigger another in a chain reaction. Marta¡¯s heart nearly stopped. ¡°Oh my god,¡± She murmured, her hand rising to her lips. This is what she saw. Sonya''s words over the past few months came rushing back to her: ¡°They need heroes now and they know it.¡± ¡°We need to guide them, otherwise they may very well become villains in this new era.¡± ¡°The heroes need to be united with a common goal, the right goal, even if I have to force it on them.¡± ¡°You cannot let another Dharan happen! As a hero you take an oath to the people of this world and not yourselves!¡± ¡°Probably pay for my crimes, I¡¯ll deserve it in the end.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m trying to save the world.¡± ¡°It has to be me, I have to be the one to do it¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re just what I want to see from the heroes.¡± ¡°If they¡¯re going to risk their lives for us, the least we can do is stand for them.¡± ¡°Am I still Sonya?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to do something irredeemable.¡± Tears welled in Marta¡¯s eyes. What Sonya felt was so visceral, it was like she¡¯d lived through the very apocalypse that was playing out right before her eyes. She was willing to do anything, go to any length, make any sacrifice, and bear any blame if it meant keeping mythic heroes from fighting one another. She had schemed to bring An Set down carefully but it had backfired, the look on Sonya¡¯s face at the portal had made it clear that this was not the plan. Every time she took down one of her enemies it had been calculated, avoiding a big show. Her only performance was Hero Day, where it had been a plan to bring heroes together. Marta glanced around as she turned to head towards the east side, a chill rushing through her body as she started to pick up speed. She needed to get to the other heroes, Firestorm¡¯s team was over there and the monsters would form soon. She raised her hand to her earpiece and tapped it, ¡°Amos?¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yeah, what? I¡¯m kinda busy keeping track-¡± ¡°This is it,¡± Marta said in as low a voice as possible, ¡°This is what she¡¯s trying to prevent.¡± ¨C Chunhua stood behind the pillar, she¡¯d doubled back after hearing what that man Amos had said through the earpiece. Can Chernovna clear a dungeon? How? Chunhua thought as Marta stood there, staring out over the battlefield for a moment. The woman seemed to come to a realization and Chunhua sensed shock overcome her, there was another sound, a choking in her voice. Grief? Why? She concentrated, trying to listen in a bit more carefully. The woman was a cautious one, though, and didn¡¯t say anything until she turned away and began racing towards the east side. She called up that Amos man again, it sounded like. ¡®This is it, this is what she¡¯s trying to prevent.¡¯ Chunhua stiffened, What does that mean? She thought, her mind trying to piece together the puzzle. There was something missing, something that didn¡¯t make sense and didn¡¯t fully add up. Sonya Chernovna knew that something like this could happen? How? The grief in Handmaiden¡¯s voice made it seem like the pretty young russian had thrown herself to the wolves in order to prevent what was happening right now. Certainly she had been a vocal spokesperson of heroes, but her actions had been praiseworthy not tragic. Her frown deepened and she looked up at the battle unfolding, shaking her head. Now¡¯s not the time. ¨C The monsters arrived with a cackle that nearly shook the battlefield as much as the ongoing war between two would-be gods. The multi-colored clouds had spread like wildfire after the first one appeared, more and more swelling before popping to reveal a gnoll as it fell to the ground, spear in hand, eager for bloodshed and violence. They didn¡¯t pop down at a distance from the heroes, there was no merciful placement or logical organization. They just fell everywhere, between groups, next to people, even on top of one poor man who had his throat ripped out by savage jaws. Firestorm threw his hands out and sent a cascade of flame over the ruined buildings, the creatures letting out screams of pain and fury. Even so, they didn¡¯t die right away. They were far stronger than hounds, each of them close to a lurker in general ability, and there were hundreds of them. The mayhem was instantaneous and the reaction swift. Powers flew left and right in a chaotic tumult as everyone fought for their lives. Firestorm couldn¡¯t have known that it only fueled the chaos rather than pushed it back. All he could do was fight and protect those close to him. ¡°Blue! What¡¯s the status?¡± He shouted, swinging his mace and sending another gnoll hurtling through the air with a dying whimper of pain. ¡°Barriers like this take time! Fortunately there¡¯s a lot of mana in the air, so that¡¯s definitely helping!¡± She shouted, ¡°My body¡¯s not taking it well, though, where¡¯s Lifesaver?¡± A trio of dark arrows flew past Bluestar and buried themselves into the craniums of three gnolls that had raced up behind her as she knelt, hands pressed to the ground. She was desperately trying to erect a magical structure that the other heroes could retreat into and help weather the onslaught. Bandit landed a short distance from her and glanced around, focusing on another gnoll that crawled up from behind a fallen pillar. He drew his bowstring back and killed it, looking her way. ¡°He had to stop with another group, they¡¯ll all be joining us here soon!¡± Firestorm laughed and raised his fist up, flames forming in rings beneath several gnolls that charged their way, columns of fire burst up into the air and incinerated the wretched mongrels. ¡°Our boy is getting a workout today, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Speak for yourself, ¡®peak-heroic¡¯!¡± Bluestar jeered back at him. ¡°Oh you¡¯re not doing so bad!¡± Firestorm teased. ¡°You two are making me jealous!¡± Bandit joined in, crouching and firing into the air, his shadowy arrow grew thick for a moment before exploding into dozens of narrow darts of blackness that rained over the approaching gnolls. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that, love!¡± Bluestar laughed, ¡°You know he only has eyes for Miss Chernovna!¡± ¡°Oh right!¡± Bandit barked, pivoting and firing off a powerful arrow that pierced three gnolls in a row, ¡°How could I forget he¡¯s utterly hopeless!¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling human resources after this!¡± Firestorm complained. ¡°We don¡¯t have one yet!¡± Bluestar said, ¡°Remind me to set one up when we get back!¡± ¡°Flag!¡± Firestorm and Bandit shouted at the same time. ¡°Nerds!¡± Bluestar shot back, ¡°Okay it¡¯s ready! Get over here! Euclidia can dump the others inside once it¡¯s formed.¡± Bandit brought his hand up to his ear and started backing up towards Bluestar, ¡°Send ¡®em our way, miss Euclidia!¡± Firestorm threw a fireball in the direction of an approaching cluster of gnolls and it exploded, sending them flying into the air. He started moving backwards, firing shot after shot. Behind him he heard the sound of a stone archway forming and voices coming out of it. Heroes pouring through to escape the chaos and restore some sense of order under the protection of Bluestar¡¯s dome. Bandit fired an arrow over Firestorms shoulder, ¡°Pull back, red! Handmaiden is on her way!¡± Relief washed through Firestorm as he started stepping back as well. He was already getting winded, between running around saving civilians at the outset, pummeling An Set with attacks, and now this, he was surprised any of the Heroes were standing. Another shuddering boom from the duel between Sapporo and An Set rang out. The ground shook and a portion of a building toppled over as the transparent blue of the barrier began to form in front of him. He could see past it now and saw an approaching trail of devastation in the form of Handmaiden. The only problem was what was between her and them. A sea of gnolls had gathered in the open space and had only missed Firestorm and the retreating heroes because of the visual barrier. Now hundreds of eyes turned in his direction. More than a heroic-tier barrier could possibly handle. He whipped his head back at Bluestar and met her eyes. Near her, Lifesaver was on his knees restoring a wounded man¡¯s arm, the poor guy screaming as flesh knitted itself back together. More injured heroes were coming through Euclidia¡¯s archway. He looked up at Bandit and his comrade nodded to him, his lips formed in a thin line. Before Bluestar could say anything he darted from his position and landed next to Firestorm, rolling his shoulders and adjusting his grip on his bow. ¡°You owe me,¡± Bandit said. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to say anything?¡± Firestorm asked, stepping through the forming barrier. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just do a thing about flags?¡± Bandit grunted. ¡°Right, right,¡± Firestorm nodded and slung his mace onto his shoulder, flames coating it and sinking into the head. It began to glow orange, then red, then white. He started to rise off the ground as Bandit stalked forward, drawing his bowstring as the arrow forming on it grew bigger and bigger. ¡°How long till she gets here?¡± He asked. ¡°Two minutes, at that rate?¡± Bandit griped, ¡°Fucking hell she¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Rain of Chaos?¡± Firestorm asked. Bandit chuckled and pulled his hood back, scratching at his mess of black hair, ¡°Keep saying stuff like that to me and Bluestar¡¯s gonna be the jealous one.¡± The ground shook again and the first cluster of gnolls at the back of the army flew into the air as Handmaiden came in contact with them. Meanwhile, the majority threw their heads back in a battle cry and charged at the two men. Firestorm let out a roar of his own and raised his mace over his head as heat surged through his body, flames spread from the weapon and leaped into the air before raining down in a self-contained cataclysm. A moment later, black arrows joined the firestorm, cutting through the flames and igniting into an explosive combination. Flaming black arrows exploding on contact and sending dark needles everywhere, spreading flames and poison through the ranks of their enemies. Behind them, the barrier finished taking shape. Dozens of injured and dying heroes inside. Side Story: Carla 1 The faint scent of coffee hanging in the air was the first thing that caught her nostrils as she came to. Her entire body ached, but not in a bad way. She rolled over onto her side and groaned, burying her face in the pillow. It was soft, so soft, and the case was ridiculously smooth. So were the sheets, they were like silk. She pulled the cool cloth over her head as more of the ache and stinging began to register in her brain. Her eyes fluttered open when she caught the scent of a slightly woody, cinnamon-like perfume. It was almost a cologne if not for the sweetness of it and hint of a flower she couldn¡¯t quite place. Huh? Her head still a little muddled as her fingers clung tighter to the sheets. Silk? This isn¡¯t my room. She thought as she pulled the sheets down over her face and peered around. She was in a bedroom, a large one, expensive. There were three doors. One looked like it led out into the rest of the house. The one to the left of her was ajar and she could see a desk inside as well as several screens showing current stock prices and financial news. The door to her right had a laundry basket next to it, a restroom. Everything had a white color scheme, with hints of pink. Hot pink. The memories came back in a rush as her breath caught in her throat. She sat up quickly, pulling the sheets up to her chest and whipping her head around in a panic. Oh my god, I¡¯m in Sonya Chernovna¡¯s bed. She felt fresh heat race up her face and she reached up to clasp at a stinging spot on her neck, several of them. The aching made sense now. She¡¯d allowed herself to let go of all semblance of control the previous night, all of her senses, all of her thoughts, her fears, her inhibitions, dominated and led along by a masterful conductor. The door leading out into the main living space of the CEO¡¯s apartment opened and the woman herself stepped inside. Not in her usual all-white suit and slacks, but in a pair of tights and a long t-shirt that had a red rounded video game company logo on it. She was holding a mug of coffee, her usually styled white hair hanging down loosely over her shoulders and face, her bangs were actually pretty long. The usual intense glow of her eyes had been turned down to a faint glimmer, making her seem so natural, normal. Sonya leaned against the door, ¡°Morning Carla. Coffee?¡± She asked, gesturing with the mug before tilting her head. Her mechanical eyes twisted and refocused in her skull as they flicked almost mechanically over Carla¡¯s torso. ¡°I did a number on you, I¡¯ve got some lotion and concealer in the bathroom.¡± Carla reached up and touched the stinging spots again, her breath caught in her throat. Her mind was a mess, nothing made sense, she thought- ¡°I don¡¯t hate you,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I hate what you did, and I¡¯ve forgiven you. Did you have fun?¡± Carla¡¯s shoulders fell, ¡°Yes ma-¡± ¡°Nope, none of that, we¡¯re well past Ma¡¯ams and that stuff in casual conversation,¡± Sonya corrected her before she could finish, ¡°You can do that when we¡¯re in public if you want, but I¡¯m just Sonya right now,¡± She laughed, ¡°Look at me, do I look like I¡¯m dressed to be called ma¡¯am to you?¡± Carla stared at her, a knot in her chest loosening a bit, she blinked a few times before a laugh bubbled up, she reached up and brushed back the raven bob of her hair back over her ear, ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Coffee would be lovely, Sonya.¡± ¡°There we go!¡± Sonya cheered, ¡°Coffee coming right up!¡± She said and twirled in place, somehow not spilling her own coffee as she half skipped back into the living space. Carla slipped off the bed and pulled herself to her feet, she considered taking the sheets with her but realized that was pretty pointless. She walked to the bathroom and gave herself a once over. Sonya hadn¡¯t been kidding. ¡°Got a few shirts and essentials for you on the sink in there!¡± Sonya called. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Carla blinked and glanced down to see a couple rolled up shirts and other important bits of clothing. She tossed the first one on, a baggy t-shirt with the word ¡®Soda¡¯ written in curvy letters and glitter before dragging herself out into the living room. It was blessedly free of Sonya¡¯s coworkers-slash-roommates. Only a wide couch set in front of a widescreen tv. Behind the tv was a wall of windows that wrapped around a corner of the apartment and gave a great view of the city. To her right she saw the dining area and beyond that, Sonya standing at a large silver coffee machine, humming to herself. ¡°Taking the day off?¡± Carla asked. ¡°Figured I might,¡± Sonya said as the mug filled. ¡°Though to be honest I probably should go in later. It¡¯s pretty early still, if you¡¯re worried.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m actually on a vacation,¡± Carla admitted, ¡°Needed some time off.¡± ¡°Chairman pushing you that hard?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°..a bit,¡± Carla admitted, feeling a bit sullen, ¡°After I failed with you, I-¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t fail, he shouldn¡¯t have asked that of you,¡± Sonya said and picked the mug up, not looking in her direction. ¡°How do you have it?¡± ¡°Black, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Sonya cringed, ¡°Yikes, you¡¯re tougher than you look,¡± Sonya said and walked over with the mug. Carla took it with a grateful smile and sipped, it had to be the best cup of coffee she¡¯d ever had. She looked up at Sonya and dared to ask, ¡°Do you not like black coffee?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a really bad sweet tooth,¡± Sonya said with a shrug, ¡°Drives Marta crazy. Double cream with six sugars.¡± Carla coughed, nearly spitting out her coffee, ¡°Six?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Sonya hummed, walking over to the couch and sitting down, stretching her legs and letting out a sigh, ¡°How else do you think I get through the day? Sheer will and gumption? Please,¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°I am powered by spite, energy drinks, sugar, and snacks!¡± She declared with way more pride than Carla really thought she should have for such a statement. Carla snorted out a laugh, earning her a beaming smile from Sonya. She flushed, remembering the far more domineering person from the previous evening. She looked down at her hands and back up again. Sonya gestured for her to sit and she obliged, sitting down a seat away as she sipped. ¡°So what happens now?¡± Sonya scratched her nose and sipped her own drink, ¡°Up to you, really,¡± She said offhandedly, ¡°I¡¯m not looking for something serious, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I go to that club often and I rarely sleep alone,¡± She admitted before glancing in Carla¡¯s direction, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a way to blow off steam and get rid of some of that stress that was eating you alive last night, sure, I¡¯m game.¡± Carla managed to put forward a bit of a petulant pout, ¡°And here I was looking forward to getting fitted for that collar you mentioned.¡± Sonya coughed, it was her turn to nearly spit up her drink. She looked up at Carla wide-eyed, ¡°You uh, you remember that? Oh, uh,¡± She rubbed the back of her neck, ¡°Y-you do realize I was saying that stuff for your benefit, right?¡± She babbled. For the first time in a long time, with all the weight of working for the committee, with all the pressure from the Chairman to make up for what had happened, all the fear of this changing world, Carla didn¡¯t just chuckle; she let out a full and hearty laugh. Sonya seemed so scary behind the desk, she was a scary person, she was powerful and influential and demonstrably could bring serious political pressure against even a person like the Chairman. And yet there was a side to her that was normal, if a bit goofy. Carla smiled down at her mug as the laugh ended, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± She muttered. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Carla said, ¡°A little stress relief would be nice now and then, Sonya,¡± She paused, ¡°And¡­ I think I¡¯d rather work for you, than him.¡± Sonya glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous thing to say. You¡¯re a Pandora representative, an important one. You operate on its home turf. You can see the UN building from here.¡± ¡°He should have thought of that before using me for a honey trap, then,¡± Carla said, a bit more sharply than she¡¯d intended. She couldn¡¯t help it though. She¡¯d seen it as something she just had to do at the time, but the derision that Sonya had laid down upon her in that moment, and then the way she was being treated now. It was empowering even if it had required surrendering all her power for an evening. She looked up at a genuinely surprised looking Sonya, seeking her approval, some sign that she was going a better direction than playing lapdog to that old buffoon. Sonya gave her a rakish grin, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, Carla Mint.¡± Chapter 82 Chunhua cut down another gnoll. The damn things were getting bigger. Those multicolored clouds would sprout back up now and then and change them into behemoths twice the size of their kin. Worse were the smart ones wearing bones and beads on strings. They were capable of using some kind of strange magic. She clicked her tongue as she kicked away another one of the bigger ones, sending it bounding back across the ground a few feet and raised her hand to her earpiece. Behind her, a small group of heroic-tier heroes had formed a wall, preventing the monsters from slipping past and into the city beyond the ruined battlefield. ¡°Euclidia, what¡¯s the status on the east side?¡± She asked, one of Pathfinder¡¯s bullets whizzing past her head and striking one of the caster gnolls between the eyes. She glanced over at him and nodded. ¡°Not great, Guildmaster Bluestar has a barrier up and is protecting all the injured I sent her way. She¡¯s a real friggin trooper. They got the lions share of beasties though, like, a friggin¡¯ army. Firestorm and Bandit are holding the line, and Handmaiden is fighting her way towards them,¡± Euclidia said. ¡°Can you get the injured further away? We could send Vytal, it¡¯s not as bad over here,¡± Chunhua asked, her eyes turning towards the ongoing fight between Sapporo and An Set. Sapporo drove his palm towards the mad mythic only to get rebuffed by a pulse of yellow light. An Set¡¯s movements looked jerky and static from here. She narrowed her eyes. What- ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t,¡± Euclidia¡¯s voice came back, sounding weary, ¡°I¡¯m almost done with building the bridge to LA. I¡¯m giving it all I got as it is. You¡¯re gonna have to pick me up after this. Gotta go.¡± The connection cut and Chunhua frowned, Even Euclidia¡¯s at her limits. She looked towards the warzone on the other side of the battle. Hang in there. ¨C Bandit flew through the air, pulled along by his grappling hook. He accelerated towards another wall and landed, affixing himself with his powers before firing off another volley of shots. Not far away, Firestorm whipped out one hand and a thin ripple of white-hot flame ripped through the ranks of the Gnolls, cutting them in half. One of the big ones charged at him and he snarled, firing a quick series of shots straight into its eyes. It gurgled and fell only for four of the small ones to climb over it and charge at him, spears raised over their heads. He growled, about to dart to the right when the concrete rumbled and shot into the air, forming a makeshift wall in his path. Shit, he cursed and spotted the caster-gnoll standing at the back, a wicked sneer on its dog-like face. The spears drew closer and he lowered his head, ¡°Inky!¡± He barked, ¡°Smash ¡®em up!¡± From within his cloak a tendril of liquid black ink rushed into the air and took the shape of an oversized arm with a puffy white glove. In its hand was a mallet made out of the same inky black material. It brought the weapon down on the four incoming attackers with an exaggerated ¡®bonk¡¯ sound effect, leaving nothing but greasy red smears and gore in its wake. The hand and mace turned into a circular head with white eyes and a too-wide deranged smile. It brought a hand to its lips and snickered as Bandit caught his breath, glaring at the confused caster. He conjured up an arrow and tossed it to the monster. Inky caught the arrow in its mouth and chewed, crunching noisily before letting out a delighted snicker and returning to Bandit¡¯s cloak. He drew another arrow and it snapped out, plunging into the casters throat as it began a new chant. He shook his head and jumped up, climbing the wall it had created to block him before crouching down on it, scoping the area. Everything fucking hurt and he hated having to resort to calling Inky out. The monster wasn¡¯t exactly well behaved and only stuck around because it liked the taste of Bandit¡¯s arrows. The fact that it had somehow followed him out of the madhouse dungeon had been more than a little troubling. Still, he was a big help when he wanted to be. He spotted Firestorm as his friend turned into a whirlwind of flames, the raging funnel of flame stretching up towards the sky as it marched its way across the gnolls. The small ones were drawn up into it, their bodies turning to ash while the big ones pulled away, giving the casters a chance to pelt it with various elemental-like spells. Stones, jets of water, tiny jolts of lightning, a tumult hurtled towards Firestorm as he dominated the battlefield. Bandit swallowed, he had never seen his comrade push himself so hard before. He hadn¡¯t even seen some of these moves. Don¡¯t let him outdo you, he reminded himself with a grin and drew his bowstring back, concentrating. Blackness swirled into the projectile that formed, condensing and increasing in mass. He felt his muscles scream at the rising weight of the arrow, the head turning into a saw-like barb and oozing with deadly promise. He pursed his lips and focused on the biggest clump of them. He released the arrow and it burst forth, racing across the distance before scattering into dozens of vicious arrows that pelted the battlefield, killing in droves and spreading clouds of miasma where they struck. BOOM BOOM BOOM! He whipped his head in the direction of the sudden nearing tumult. A big gnoll went flying past him, crashing into a wall and missing him by a hair. He blinked, startled. ¡°Uh¡­¡± At the other end of the gnolls trajectory, close enough to see her smiling at him, was Handmaiden with her fist raised and a cut on her cheek closing fast as the eye could see. She stood up straight, her maid-cosplay covered in blood, her gauntlets soaked, her chest heaving, but her head held high. He raised a tired fist, ¡°Glad you could join us!¡± He shouted. Nearby, the blazing tornado that was Firestorm ceased somewhere over Handmaiden. Bandit grinned at him only to frown when the guy just dropped. Handmaiden caught him in one arm before looking up at Bandit. The remaining army of gnolls just stood there, dumbstruck by her entrance. She hefted Firestorm and tossed him towards Bandit. Bandit blinked, ¡°Shit! You crazy-¡± He shouted and spread his hands out, the dark stuff that made up his arrows turning into a shortly lived net that caught his friend. He slid forward and Firestorm landed in his arms, Bandit quickly checked him. Still breathing, you monstrous bastard, Bandit thought with a laugh before sending Handmaiden a nod of thanks. He kicked off the ground and made his way back towards the dome of the barrier. ROOAAAWWRRRR! A savage roar drowned out all other sound, the bloodlust in it enough to lock Bandit¡¯s muscles in place. He tripped and slid across the ground, finding just enough wherewithal to wrap himself around the unconscious Firestorm as he skipped across dirt and concrete before slamming into the surface of Bluestar¡¯s barrier. He coughed and tried to sit up, checking again on Firestorm before looking for the source. ¡°What the hell was-¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. BOOM! A golden streak flashed from the center of the battlefield. A ring of smooth stone tried to take shape in front of it but crumbled before it could fully form. The streak lanced across his vision before crashing into the ruins of a nearby building, part of the concrete and rebar bending inward before collapsing on whatever had fallen there. He blinked, uncomprehending for a moment before he looked over at where the streak had come from. An Set stood there, alone, uncontested, his body twitching and jerking as the serpent above swam even more wildly in the clouds. He tore his wide eyes from An Set to Handmaiden who was also looking at the mad mythic. Her chest rose and fell a few more times before she closed her eyes and looked over at Bandit. She met his eyes. Fucking hell, he groaned inwardly. He closed his eyes tightly before nodding, Get out of here, damn it. Handmaiden didn¡¯t need anything else, she changed direction and like a meteor, blasted through the thickest portion of gnolls she could find, streaks of white light streaming off of her body. He smiled at her back; That was nice of her, he thought ruefully and leaned against the barrier. He glanced over his shoulder at those inside. Bluestar was hanging in there, her eyes shut tightly as she squeezed every ounce of power out into her barrier. The occasional spears and spells that made it past Firestorm and Bandit had started to take their toll. Next to her, Lifesaver leaned against a broken pillar, spent. He looked back as the Gnolls recovered from the shock of An Sets shout and Handmaiden¡¯s departure. Just another hundred or so left, no big deal, he thought as they began charging. He shifted his weight and tried to pull up his bow. His muscles didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Alright,¡± He grunted, ¡°Inky, gonna need your help bud, I¡¯ll have to pay you back later.¡± Ink began to spread out beneath him just as a hand clasped his shoulder. He jolted and looked up to see Firestorm getting to his feet, a frown on his face and flames literally dancing on his skin. He pat Bandit¡¯s shoulder and shot him a grin, ¡°I got this, man,¡± He said and started walking, his skin glowing brighter and brighter. Bandit recovered from the surprise a moment later, his eyes fixed on Firestorm''s back, and the cracks beginning to spread across his skin. He tried to get up, tried to move, but his muscles just wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°NICK!¡± He forced out, ¡°DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING DARE!¡± ¨C Marta threw herself forward, she was like a comet. She blast her way through the few remaining ranks of gnolls. The sheer force of her body impacting them enough to pulverize bone and send them flying like bowling pins. Her attention was on only one target. An Set stood at the center of the battlefield, twitching and writhing in some kind of fit. Behind her she felt a sudden flare of intense heat that even scorched her skin at this distance. She didn¡¯t look back, she couldn¡¯t, but she had a feeling she knew what had just happened. A tear strayed down her cheek, her heart cracking just a little. This is the tragedy she has been trying so hard to prevent, she reminded herself as she ran, her eyes fixed on the twitching man ahead of her. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest only to immediately heal, her strength building and building as muscle fibers tore and rebuilt over and over. They tried to revert to her natural state, tried to resist growing denser, her body wouldn¡¯t let her work out in a normal way. Here though, pushing herself to her absolute limits, she felt her power finally starting to grow. She grit her teeth against the pain. I won¡¯t let it happen, I won¡¯t let it all fall apart. This won¡¯t be the end, this will be remembered as proof. She swore, I¡¯ll make sure people can look back on today and learn from it. An Set met her gaze, the twitching of his body easing. He cracked a grin at her. All I have to do is beat you. The storm above her rumbled and the serpent coiled again, eager for a new opponent. She barely heard her radio crackle in her ear. Amos said something about mana levels dropping. An Set turned fully to face her and spread his arms open as if welcoming her. White streaks continued to build on her skin, she moved faster and faster as she slowly forced her arm back into her signature blitz punch posture. Everyone will blame her, no one will forgive her, she reminded herself, No one will know, The tears kept coming, She opened her mouth in a scream. BUT I WILL! In an instant she was in front of him and that sneer of his turned into a wide eyed look of shock. I¡¯LL FORGIVE EVERYTHING! Her entire body, coated in brilliant light, crashed into the mad mythic with titanic force. She drove her fist into his head. His body twitched and jolted, electricity trying to spread to her, his flesh trying to go incorporeal. She wouldn¡¯t allow it. She felt the cruch of cartilage beneath her fist as his head twisted to the side and he hurtled away towards the west side. She kicked off the ground again, vanishing and leaving a crater behind her. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she reappeared in front of him, passing a startled Black Lotus. She grabbed An Set and kicked him under the jaw, sending him into the sky. EVERY CRIME! She launched herself and drove a fist into his gut. EVERY LIFE! She pinwheeled in the air and kicked him in the side, shooting him off like a rocket towards the center of the battlefield. He hit the ground and scrambled to his feet, drawing his fists up and catching himself as she launched herself towards him. Every ounce of her strength, every memory, every emotion she could bring to bear, she threw it at him. Even if it took everything she had, she would stop him then and there. EVEN IF THE WORLD HATES HER! I WON¡¯T! ¨C Chunhua watched the brilliant comet that was Handmaiden fall from the sky and crash into An Set. The two punched one another, electricity lancing through Handmaiden¡¯s body in a visible stream of crackles and sparks. The woman only swayed before coming back and landing a haymaker against his face. Above, the serpent recoiled, shrieking and writhing. Chunhua glanced to her left at the scorched ground where the passing duo had left devastation in their wake. Half of the remaining gnolls simply vaporized by their passing. The rest had begun to flee as a heavy archway formed behind her. She felt something clench in her gut as another feeling welled in her chest. Pride. Whatever realization Handmaiden had come to, she¡¯d embraced what it meant to have whatever power she had. She had become one with it. It was her first time, though, and Chunhua didn¡¯t know how long it would last. Even so, it was breathtaking. The very air seemed charged with positivity. She felt stronger, ready to give anything to stop this chaos. Her troubled scowl curled into a grin and she squeezed the hilt of her weapon tight. ¡°Euclidia?¡± ¡°LA Heroes coming, Sapp¡¯s fine, but he¡¯s gonna need treatment,¡± Euclidia wheezed into the connection, ¡°Is that Handmaiden?¡± Chunhua smiled, ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m gonna go join her. Time to pick up where we left off.¡± ¡°Kick some ass, leader.¡± ¨C On the other side of the battlefield, Bandit leaned against the blue barrier. He gaped at the vast devastation ahead of him. A near perfect cone of destruction stretched out ahead of him. The ground rippled with waves of heat, stone glowed molten. His eyes barely processed it as he looked down at the pair of boots standing at its apex, and the pile of ashes surrounding it. He covered his face and bit his lip, ¡°Damn it.¡± Chapter 83 An Set lunged forward, his body splitting in half as an electric charge raced up Black Lotus¡¯ sword. She whipped it down and to the right, a huff of exertion all it took to send the charge into the ground rather than her arm. The outstretched arm of the mad mythic crackled and sparked, talons of electricity reaching for Marta. Marta tilted her head back, letting the blow catch her in the chest. Her vision went white for a moment before her head whipped forward, her heart restarting as soon as it stopped. She raised her arm and brought her elbow down, a thunderous crash echoing out as her limb crashed through his. Above, the serpent howled again, the Great Eel recoiling as a portion of it flickered and its body shrank. An Set reflected its howl with one of his own, staggering backwards as a tendril of electricity leaped from the stump of his arm and reformed into a limb. He snarled, bearing his teeth as Black Lotus darted in low, the scent of blossoms filling the air. She muttered under her breath as the pink coloration faded to an icy white-blue, a chill ripped through the air, and frost began to form on the edge of her weapon. She momentarily turned into a streak, her skin nearly turning red as the frost on her body turned into steam. The next instant she was past him, a trail of ice in her wake and his right side coated. Without stopping for a moment, An Set pulled himself in half as the serpent in the clouds struggled and thrashed. Lightning became flesh and he threw his arms out wide, the air becoming charged. Marta and Black Lotus exchanged a look and darted away, getting some distance as an enormous bolt of lighting fell down from the sky. Marta glanced up at the serpent again, noting it had significantly reduced in size. She frowned and brought up her glowing fists, the metal gauntlets gleaming with an almost holy light. She¡¯d finally noticed it, but she wasn¡¯t about to question it. Whatever she¡¯d done, whatever had changed, she was going to roll with it. An Set lowered his arms, breathing hard, his body moving with strange jerks and slowdowns as if he was moving both fast and slow at the same time. His head was looking both back at Black Lotus and Marta at the same time. He¡¯s powered up, again, but he¡¯s running out of juice. There was only so much electricity in Las Vegas, no matter how you shake it. He has a limit. She glanced again at Black Lotus and nodded at her. The other woman nodded as well and set herself into a stance, drawing her weapon up and over her head, parallel with the ground. Her hand outstretched, she let out a low breath and the chill that had surrounded her shifted to a summertime glow. The scent of blossoms filled the air again as Marta¡¯s muscles coiled beneath her, ready for another burst of movement. The two moved as one, Black Lotus raced forward in a ray-like line, a pink flash of light and motion while Marta kicked off the ground into a blitz, traversing fifty meters in an instant with her fist already descending. Her fist collided with An Set¡¯s head while a sword erupted from his chest. His head turned nearly one hundred and eighty degrees. Marta felt the point of Black Lotus¡¯ sword pierce her waist, the energy releasing out of her back but there was no pain. The heartbeat-length exchange felt like several seconds as Marta pivoted in the air and Black Lotus turned her sword to cut horizontally across his chest. There was a terrible sound of tearing and another howl of impotent fury from above as An Set was torn in half, his torso skipping across the ground away from her punch while his lower half dropped to the ground. Marta pulled back and glanced down, his legs twitched and sparked. ¡°Retreat!¡± She shouted and kicked away just as they exploded with arcs of lethal electricity, scorching the ground and sending glass-like shards everywhere. A few darted past her face, leaving cuts in her skin that quickly healed. She turned towards the torso and readied herself as another bolt of lightning came down from above. ¨C Chunhua whipped her weapon down, not that she needed to. The monster didn¡¯t bleed. She glanced up at the sky with Handmaiden, the writhing serpent above had nearly vanished. It barely resembled a coiled bolt of lightning anymore. She looked down at the reforming body of An Set, his bare lower half twitching and spasming. All of his clothes were gone at this point, he couldn¡¯t reform them with his powers. Her lip twitched as he sat up with a jerk, his appearance all the more bestial now. His teeth looked more like needles and sparks jumped off of them as he got to his feet. She readied her weapon, prepared for the next exchange, when something struck An Set in the side of the head. She blinked. A single blue bolt of power splashed against his temple and dissipated. Then a rock hurtled in from the left. A black arrow from the right. Then a blade of wind screeched across the field and knocked him to the side. One of Pathfinders bullets caught him under the chin and sent him stumbling. Chunhua looked around, bewildered, as the heroes who had fought, bled, and nearly died against the gnolls positioned themselves around the circular battlefield and resumed their bombardment that had only been paused by the monster attack. She saw Marta shift and reach for her ear and couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Marta!¡± The man called Amos said over the line. ¡°Mana levels dropping and fast!¡± Marta sagged a little, ¡°What-¡± ¡°The Dungeon¡¯s gone!¡± Amos shouted excitedly. Roars and shouts rang out all around them as everyone threw all they had left in their reserves at An Set. The serpent above shrieked and writhed in agony while Chunhua internalized what Amos had said. Gone? It was cleared? But- BZZRRTTTZZTTTT- TICK ¡­ TICK ¡­ TICK ¡­ TICK ¡­ TICK The ticking of a clock. A hum in the air. A chill up her spine. An eye appeared before her, opening wide. Chunhua froze, taking a step back but it simply followed her. It hovered there, two dimensional, transparent, it looked almost digital. It glitched and flickered, blinking once as it observed her with its eerie pink glow. Then she noticed that it was utterly silent. She glanced towards Handmaiden with a similar eye in her face. Then at An Set who was confusedly swatting at the one observing him. Eyes everywhere. Eyes in front of every hero. Eyes floating in the air looking at the battlefield from all directions. An all encompassing gaze. Then as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished, all closing at once. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°What was-¡± She felt something descend upon her, pressure, will, an absolute presence that washed over everything she was and reached down to her soul and gripped it in an iron clasp. She felt her knees buckle as light erupted overhead. She looked up, fighting against the terror that was trying to worm its way artificially into her heart. The serpent was gone but dark clouds remained. In its place was an eye as big as the battlefield, a fuschia gaze of some otherworldly thing whom they¡¯d drawn the attention of. ¡°Leader-¡± BZZZTTTT Euclidia tried to chime in but the radio immediately fizzled out. An Set tried to pull himself off the ground only to abruptly trip and fall, it looked like an invisible force was literally pushing down on him, crushing him with ruthless strength. Chunhua forced herself to breathe, drew on every ounce of training she had and will collected through her ability to stay on her feet and squeeze down on the handle of her sword, even as her fingers went numb. She looked back up at the eye and saw the inner part of the eye grow more solid, a ring of hard light that opened up into a space she couldn¡¯t quite make out. From it, she descended in a column of light. All white, her hair flowing out to either side like feathered wings, her arms spread out. Her helmet, dark and cruel with two slits of pink light burning from within, malice boiling off of her in nearly visible waves. She seemed to stand in mid air as she descended, her feet firmly planted on what looked like nothing at all as the eye loomed above her. Panels of light formed in the air around her before spreading out over the field, slamming down in a ring around the area, blocking the view of the heroes around them. The self-proclaimed first supervillain, a supposed goddess made flesh, the absolute enemy of every hero on the planet. ¡°Ishtar,¡± Chunhua breathed even as her mind reeled and connected dots. Her lips formed a thin line. She tilted her head forward and leveled a defiant glare on the woman. In the corner of her eye even Handmaiden assumed a defensive pose, shifting back a bit and readying for yet another fight in this tireless onslaught. ¡°I AM ISHTAR.¡± The voice was bloodcurdling, cold, a rasp that could likely be heard across the city. ¡°THAT FALSE HERO, A DESECRATION OF THE TITLE, IS STILL USEFUL TO ME.¡± Chunhua jolted, No! She turned her focus back on An Set and darted towards him, sword drawn. She was going to take him, she wasn¡¯t sure why, but she was not going to let that happen before she got her answers. Even if that meant killing him. She had a duty. ¡°PRIMROSE DANCE OF ONE THOUSAND-¡± She roared, her weapon vibrating as she turned herself into a rocket of motion only for her blade to come crashing into a panel of white light. ¡°I¡¯M AFRAID I CAN¡¯T LET YOU DO THAT, HERO,¡± Ishtar¡¯s booming voice declared. Chunhua darted around the barrier just in time to see a pool of blackness spread out beneath the broken man, violet needles sticking out of his neck and foam coming out of his mouth. He sank into it as if it were water before the puddle simply dried up and vanished as if it had never been there. One moment the monster known as An Set had been on the verge of death and at her fingertips, the next he was simply whisked away with nothing to show for it. Her teeth nearly cracked as she whipped her head up towards the woman hovering above her. In response to her glare, the panel beneath Ishtar vanished and she landed where An Set had been only moments before. ¡°Apologies for the steal, hero, I do feel bad about taking your glory,¡± Ishtar rasped, her voice down at a normal volume. There was a bit of amusement in it, ¡°Like I said, I have a use for him.¡± Chunhua snarled and marched towards the supervillain, her blade at her side. She didn¡¯t stop until she was right in the villain¡¯s face, looking at her own eyes in the reflective surface of the helmet. ¡°You,¡± She growled, ¡°Are you Sonya Chernovna?¡± The villain tilted her head as a low hum filled the air and Chunhua¡¯s earpiece crackled to life. A low rasp hissed into her eardrum; ¡°Yes.¡± Chunhua blinked, she had expected anything but that. Mocking would have been more expected, more reasonable. She held her ground, glaring at the woman behind the mask, trying to wrap her head around it all. The things that Handmaiden had said. That she was trying to stop things like this from happening. Yet she had been nearby when An Set had apparently lost his mind. Did she have something to do with it? What was her angle? She¡¯d said it through her earpiece, was that a clue? An admission? Why? Just, fucking why? None of it made any sense to her. She¡¯s lying, trying to discredit Chernovna. Somehow she was in the dungeon with her. It just doesn¡¯t click otherwise. ¡°I want answers.¡± ¡°If you survive, certainly,¡± The Supervillain said. Chunhua blinked only for every instinct in her body to scream at her to move. She leaped to the side just as a ray of light erupted from Ishtar¡¯s fingertip. If she had moved a second too late it would have created a finger sized hole in her heart. Chunhua slid to a stop and readied her weapon, she raised it and opened her mouth to speak, ¡°If I-¡± Handmaiden didn¡¯t need to be cajoled as much as Chunhua. She let out a roar and charged at the supervillain who took a dancing step back and swirled her hand once, a barrier of light appearing between her and Handmaiden¡¯s fist. The glass-like material shuddered and cracked, but held. Ishtar seemed to vanish into another panel of light and Chunhua¡¯s instincts were the only thing that saved her yet again, she dove low as a combat knife made of light swiped across the space where her throat had just been. Fine! She snarled and pivoted, bringing her weapon out with a snap-draw. Ishtar pirouetted out of the way and snapped out a kick, the force of it making Chunhua¡¯s eyes water as she pulled her head back and out of the way. Before Chunhua could recover a fist drove up and into her gut, sending her heaving and staggering back. I need to recapture momentum! She screamed at herself, dodging another knife blow aimed with surgical precision. She snapped her leg out to kick Ishtar¡¯s foot out from under her while sweeping her blade out towards the woman¡¯s helmet. ¡°More,¡± Ishtar growled and a barrier formed right next to her head. Chunhua pulled the weapon back, picking up speed and released a series of rapid speed jabs, One-Hundred Eighty Petals! Ishtar stepped back and swayed, moving with each motion like a blade of grass. Her head tossing lazily left and right. Chunhua snarled and followed up with the next step in the form, going from one-hundred eighty petals to Ninety-ton Flowering Branch! She felt her internal energy rushing through her muscles, her power screaming to life as she brought the weapon in, up and down in a cataclysm of force. Ishtar caught the attack at the base of the blade with her knife, pivoting past Chunhua¡¯s left side and driving a kick into her. Chunhua let out a gasp of pain and tumbled, hitting the ground and scrambling to her feet. Handmaiden had moved in place of her, her fists raging as she threw her full wrath at Ishtar. Ishtar danced and dodged, delivering light but carefully targeted blows to the woman¡¯s body. She moved into a backflip and even landed on one of Handmaiden¡¯s hands, snapping down into a split kick that caught the hero in the back of the head with her boot. Chunhua looked down at her sword and up at Ishtar, breathing hard, She had already used a lot fighting An Set, even still, that move. She knows my fighting style? Handmaiden staggered back from the blow. It wasn¡¯t one intended to injure but to stun her. She was immune to killing blows but staggering ones were effective. She moved like water, no, like a faerie, dancing on the air and even hopping on panels of light to get distance before immediately responding with vicious and lethal force. Chunhua collected herself and shook off the pressure that the supervillain was putting on them somehow. She took a new pose. ¡°ISHTAR!¡± She shouted. The Supervillain landed a few meters away from Handmaiden and raised her hands in welcome, ¡°Come, Hero! Show me everything!¡± Chapter 84 Ishtar took several swaying steps backwards, her head moving just out of the path of Chunhua¡¯s swings. Her attacks kept missing! Either she could see the goddamn future or she knew her fighting style better than Chunhua did. It was beyond frustrating. How could anyone possibly know a style that didn¡¯t exist? Yet she knew every move as it happened, moved just the right way to block it, intercept it. Chunhua grimaced, she needed to shake things up, change the momentum in any way she could. Her eyes glowed faintly as she ducked low, shifting immediately from one form to another. The stress of the shift putting extra strain on her muscles. Executing a technique from this proximity was not only difficult, it was dangerous. She usually relied on momentum and keeping the opponent on the backfoot on a drawn out fight. There were no such openings here. Besides, she needed to keep Ishtar¡¯s concentration on her for a few more seconds. Chunhua did her best to keep her eyes steady, not shifting at all when she noticed Handmaiden coming from behind. The thoughts moved through her head in the span of a single heartbeat, her body moving into a crouch so fast the force sent out a small rush of wind around her. She gripped the hilt of her sword and pushed off the ground, her muscles screaming. The uppercut came like a flash of pink light that stretched up to the sky. At the same time, a thunderous crash rang out as Handmaiden came in like a comet, her body gleaming like a star. Chunhua felt something give way and followed through with the blow, bringing her weapon up and back down into her next ready stance. Ishtar chuckled. ¡°Better.¡± Chunhua¡¯s eyes went wide as a kick drove all the air out of her lungs. She was flung backwards as she heard a cry of pain from Handmaiden. She hit the ground and skipped off of it twice before slamming down with a groan and wheeze. Her head spun, her vision blurring, exhaustion screaming through every cell in her body. She pulled herself back and up, staggering to her feet and fixing her gaze on the supervillain. Ishtar was standing there, examining her gloved hands as if she was checking her nails. The woman spread her fingers out and tilted her head, nodding slowly to herself. ¡°Not bad, I like it, a good baseline.¡± Baseline? Ishtar turned her head and looked at Chunhua, tilting it slightly like a bird of prey examining something tasty. ¡°Shall we turn it up, ladies? I have a whole warehouse to test out.¡± A thrill went up Chunhua¡¯s spine, she grit her teeth and cursed. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± She demanded. She glanced over and spotted Handmaiden getting to her feet, several deep furrows in her face and neck healing and closing. The woman looked physically healthy, but she was clearly tired. Regeneration didn¡¯t replenish stamina as fast as one might think and between An Set and Ishtar, the both of them were already running on fumes. Still. I am not letting her go! She glanced towards the west side of the battlefield where the glowing panels of light had formed an arena for them. She couldn¡¯t see any movement. Hopefully that meant that Pathfinder had figured out where An Set was and had taken the other heroes to pursue him. She glanced to the right and saw cracks forming on the east side barriers. The heroes lead by Bluestar were fighting to get through and give their support. Her focus returned to Ishtar who hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°Done figuring out your strategy?¡± Ishtar asked, crossing her arms behind her back and holding her head high, ¡°I imagine Pathfinder is off searching for your quarry, right?¡± Chunhua kept her mouth shut, slowing her breathing and allowing her cultivated energy to flow through her body, muscle tension eased and aches began to fade. ¡°I wonder,¡± Ishtar said aloud, tilting her head and looking up at the sky, ¡°Can Pathfinder handle a mythic-tier master assassin? He¡¯s good, but is he that good?¡± Chunhua bore her teeth, ¡°Handmaiden! Now!¡± She shouted and exploded into motion, her body turning into a streak as a burst of light erupted behind Ishtar. Ishtar just laughed, a cruel insane laugh as the ground beneath their feet shook. Chunhua reacted as fast as she could, changing direction and spinning out of the way as water exploded from the ground beneath her in a torrent. A column sprayed into the sky and created an artificial rain around them, water flooding out at their feet. More bursts happened around the battlefield, more columns of water. The pipes! Chunhua realized as droplets of water changed direction in mid air and began pelting her, leaving small scratches and cuts as they passed. She winced and pivoted, shifting from strength to speed. Her sword turned into a blur as she cut lethal droplets of water out of the air. How many powers does she have?! Water kept flowing, spreading, it was ankle deep when she landed again. A flash flood that filled the basin created by their battle with An Set. She slid across the ground, stopping on top of a slick slab of concrete. Ahead of her, Handmaiden lunged at Ishtar again who simply raised her hand and blocked with a barrier of hardened light. She swept her arm and used it as a plow, pushing the woman to the side before leaping into a flip kick. The impact releasing a crack of sound before sending Handmaiden back a good distance, splashing into the water. ¡°I set the terms, I set the field, I control the game,¡± Ishtar pronounced and raised a hand. The water spraying into the air stopped and the ground shook again. ¡°The battlefield is mine, heroes. You are just playing in it.¡± BOOM! The ground behind Ishtar exploded into a spray of debris and dirt, something huge roaring up into the air and spreading out. Chunhua stood there and watched, her head turning up and up as the bows of a tree spread out over them. Leaves grew and flowers bloomed as the ground shook beneath her feet. One limb caught Ishtar beneath her feet and carried her up into the air with it, now looking down on them. Another limb sprouted from the tree and curled behind Ishtar who leaned back and took a seat, crossing her legs. Chunhua felt heat rise to her face as the supervillain took the posture of a queen. She nearly lost her temper, her anger flaring with the adrenaline, confusion, and stress. She bit her lip, drawing blood and forcing herself to calm down. She¡¯s toying with us. If she could do things like this before we should already be dead. She took a calming breath as her eyes took in the changed battlefield. A massive tree hanging over an artificial lake, Ishtar sitting in her wooden throne like Titania herself. She mentioned Pathfinder and An Set, a realization hit her that should have hit her a long time ago. She¡¯s delaying us! She¡¯s using herself as a goddamn distraction! A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She stood up straight and lowered her weapon, ¡°Ishtar! Enough games! I¡¯m leaving!¡± She shouted. ¡°About time!¡± Ishtar shouted back, laughing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say I can¡¯t let you, dear, not until I have word that my quarry is secure.¡± ¡°Try and stop me!¡± Chunhua shouted back and turned her attention to the west, ¡°If I get out of range, whatever you¡¯re doing to our communications will come back on, right?¡± She snarled, ¡°Are you faster than me?¡± ¡°Probably not, but you¡¯re not in a position to run that easily,¡± Ishtar teased and the ground shook again. ¡°Trees have roots, did you forget?¡± Chunhua¡¯s eyes shot down towards the ground and her instincts screamed at her to move. She darted towards the west, throwing everything she could into speed. ¡°HANDMAIDEN, LET''S GET OUT OF HERE!¡± She shouted and put power into her voice, ¡°HEROES! SHE¡¯S DISTRACTING US! GET AWAY AND FIND AN SET!¡± Roots erupted from the ground and grasped at her, they darted from the side, from the front, aiming to spear and incapacitate. Every blow was projected, clearly aimed not to kill but rather to slow her down. She set the infuriation she felt at the insult aside and put all her focus into running. There was no beating Ishtar, not now, not when they were all exhausted. She understood how powers worked intimately, she was more practiced, more powerful. The best strategy was to eliminate a fight all together. I¡¯ll get you one day. Chunhua thought, darting past another pair of roots as Handmaiden caught up to her. The two exchanged a look and nodded before leaping over the glowing barriers that had contained them. ¨C Ishtar watched them go through the Astral Eye hanging above and let out a sigh, leaning back in the seat she had created for herself. She rest her helmet against the tree. Sylvan Monarch worked well. She thought and looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers again. Ah¡­ your heart feels great in my chest, Feng Hyunh. She thought and glanced towards the distant ruin of the building where the dungeon had been. I didn¡¯t expect that answer, but I¡¯ll keep my promise. A chime sounded in her ear. ¡°Blackrazor?¡± She answered. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived at the first staging area, Mistress. We are securing An Set to move to the second location, I am being pursued,¡± Blackrazor reported quickly. ¡°Pathfinder, he can find anything as long as he has some sort of connection,¡± Ishtar said and shifted in her seat, watching the heroes of the east side of the battlefield make their retreat. She raised a hand and threatened them a little with the roots of her tree to keep the show up, ¡°He could be a problem, kill him, he¡¯ll be able to find the second location once we move An Set.¡± ¡°It will be done,¡± Blackrazor grunted and cut the connection. Ishtar glanced towards the east side again and a frown crossed her features beneath her helmet, she felt her heart tighten a little. ¡°Oh, Nick,¡± She sighed, ¡°You brave, incredible man, you won¡¯t be forgotten, I promise.¡± She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. The air stirred and the eye in the sky began to slowly fade. The panels of light shattered, scattering sparkling dust about the now dimly lit lake and tree. She basked for a moment, savoring the sense of power that burned in her veins. She looked down at the water below, glittering beneath the dissipating hard light and smiled to herself. ¡°...maybe a memorial garden,¡± she murmured as a panel of light appeared behind her and turned in on itself. She leaned back into it and disappeared. ¨C Blackrazor stood over the broken man. An Set was a shadow of his former self. He remembered seeing the man from afar when he once met with Feng Hyunh on a job some time ago. Now he looked¡­ diminished. His face was sunken, his muscles were deteriorated, and his eyes were just hollow. He supposed the paralytic he had used didn¡¯t help things. He glanced towards one of the gang members who walked over with a steel suitcase. The young man wore the usual uniform of those in Ishtar¡¯s employ, including the white queen chesspiece on his lapel. He opened the suitcase and revealed the cuffs. ¡°This is the prototype that the boss sent,¡± The youth said, holding it out. Blackrazor nodded, another mechanical marvel created by Amos no doubt. He nodded towards An Set, ¡°Cuff him and activate it, we don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The gang member nodded and got to work, slipping the cuffs onto An Set and securing them before stepping back and pulling a remote from the box. He fiddled with it for a moment before hitting in a combination on the number pad. There was a sizzling sound followed by a strange sense of emptiness around An Set. The broken mythic let out a groan and stirred, his eyes fluttering. Blackrazor frowned and tossed a violet needle at his throat, putting him back to sleep. He glanced at the youth, ¡°I¡¯ll take the remote for now.¡± ¡°Right, the code is one-four-seven-nine-nine-five,¡± The young man said and handed it to him. Blackrazor turned it over in his hand, it looked like a universal television remote. Well if it works it works. A rush of air drew his attention away from his new toy and he glanced over his shoulder to see Veloce return, one second she was at the door and the next she was at his side, arms zipping around his elbow. He glanced down at her, confused, as she pressed her face against his shoulder. He decided to tolerate it for now, ¡°How did it go?¡± He asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get him to target me,¡± She pouted, puffing up her cheeks, ¡°He practically ignored me, I even tried teasing him. It¡¯s like that guy doesn¡¯t have balls or something.¡± Blackrazor looked away, ¡°Did you delay him at least?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a few more minutes,¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°Is that enough?¡¯ He nodded, ¡°Yes that¡¯s fine, we¡¯ve just finished up here. All we need is for the mistress to arrive so she and I can go to the secondary location,¡± Blackrazor said, ¡°After that, you¡¯re to find your own escape route. If you are caught you might be recognized as the one who separated Feng Hyunh and An Set which immediately resulted in his berserk state.¡± She looked up at him wide-eyed, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± She blinked and looked thoughtful. ¡°They won¡¯t settle with imprisonment, if you want to live long enough to get Mistress Ishtar¡¯s planned gifts, you¡¯ll need to give it your all to get out of here,¡± He said grimly. She squeezed against his arm, ¡°Can¡¯t I go with you?¡± He raised an eyebrow. What was with her, it was like she was physically attached to him for some reason. All he¡¯d done was fight off a few gnolls while she was paralyzed. Ishtar had been the one to restore her legs. He sighed and shook his head, ¡°No, the Mistress¡¯ orders were clear-¡± He was cut off by the sound of gunfire. ¡°And there he is, faster than expected,¡± He muttered, ¡°Time for you to go.¡± She pulled away and snapped a playful salute, ¡°Right away!¡± She grinned and in a blur of motion she was gone. He shook his head and turned away from the beaten An Set, ¡°The rest of you! Prepare to make your escape once we¡¯ve bought a little time. The Mistress will arrive soon and she will not want to be disturbed!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± A unified shout came as the thugs and lesser villains hurried to make their final preparations while their comrades held the heroes at bay. Blackrazor threw out his hand and a short blade appeared in it, glittering, violet, and deadly. His steps made no sound as he glided across the ground towards the door, ¡°Only one thing left to do.¡± Chapter 85 A hail of gunfire greeted Blackrazor as he stepped out into the main space of the old manufacturing plant that they had used for their temporary hideout. Thugs that didn¡¯t have adequate powers to use in a fight had been armed with automatic weapons loaded with anti-monster munitions. The serial numbers would be traced back to a shipment sent to the west coast to be shipped by sea to east asia. One of the trucks had gone missing. He swept into the room as a stone, launched at high speed, hurtled at him from a stray shot by a hero who was immediately gunned down. The pebble went through his head, liquid shadow dripping from the hole that had opened in his changed body. He huffed and sealed the ¡®wound¡¯. He walked slowly as the first wave of heroes encountered surprising resistance, some of their defensive powers not ready for non-mundane bullets. He took a breath and spun the forearm length blade in his hand, spreading his will throughout the room. His mind grasped onto the shadows, integrating them into himself as he became a part of the room. He closed his eyes and shifted his senses throughout the space. Here, he was king. Autarch. Shouts rang out dimly in his ears, his mind already hunting for his prey. He had been given only one task, eliminate the greatest threat to the final step of his mistress¡¯ plan. An Set had to disappear at her hands, his reputation sullied forever no matter what happened next. If that was what she desired, she would have it without question. A gunshot sounded next to his head and he ignored the thug next to him who gave him a wide-eyed look. He kept his pace slow as he moved into view of the heroes. One face at a time. Quickly now. No. No. No. He stepped out fully and the heroes paused for just half a heartbeat and he exhaled, liquid blackness spreading across the floor in a creeping tide. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the dark-skinned man crouched near the middle, a rifle in his hand. He met his gaze, There you are. One moment he was there, establishing his presence, letting the heroes know that there was a predator in their midst. The next he dove into the ocean of shadow beneath him, his body slipping into the ground as if it had simply gone. Menace. There was power in fear. An assassin could operate on cold efficiency and silence, certainly, but fear made one make mistakes. Fear led one to change plans. Fear destroyed cohesion. Blackrazor would tear them apart one by one if he had to, all for the Mistress. He didn¡¯t have time to play it safe, he had to disorient, confuse, and break their reason as he pursued his target. Ishtar would not hold Handmaiden and Black Lotus at bay for long. He did not want a rematch with Handmaiden, not yet. ¡°Watch your feet!¡± The man, Pathfinder, shouted, ¡°He¡¯s in the shadows!¡± Blackrazor willed a poisoned knife out of himself and launched it silently from between Pathfinders feet. The tracker hero moved with almost preternatural instinct, diving out of the way as the knife darted into the air and slipped into yet another shadow. Blackrazor let that chill wash through his veins as murder became his sole focus. Another knife leaped from the shadows, coming from above and scratching a hero who was blocking for his comrades with a barrier made of some kind of metal. He winced and dropped to a knee as another knife darted across the room horizontally, striking a man behind him in the ear. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Those knives came from both sides of the room!¡± ¡°Watch the shooters, don¡¯t forget we¡¯re under fire!¡± ¡°I know that!¡± ¡°We need light in here! Push the shadows back!¡± There¡¯s a good idea, you should do that before I kill more of you, Blackrazor thought, swimming through his own personal sea. He swirled, danced, and then spotted his prey again. Pathfinder had moved to a spot above the battlefield near the entrance, faint light beating down on his back. Blackrazor swam up the crates where the man was sitting, his shadowy form slipping from place to place like oil. He reached the man¡¯s leg and the man darted away again, landing on the ground and firing his rifle at the crate where Blackrazor had hidden. Tch. Blackrazor pulled back, slinking into the shadows before releasing another flurry of blades. The metal shield hero who had been cut in the leg toppled over and foamed at the mouth. Another hero took a knife to the throat, another stabbed in the back. ¡°Shore up! Pull back! He¡¯s probably Mythic! Handmaiden and Black Lotus are on their way!¡± Pathfinder shouted, firing shot after shot. He seemed to know where Blackrazor was, no matter which way he went, as soon as he surfaced there was a bullet heading for him again. Blackrazor frowned a little, he had changed his target rather quickly. The mistress said that he needed a connection to the target to track them. I touched him, was that enough? What does he have of An Set¡¯s that makes him so confident? An article of clothing perhaps? Blackrazor mused as he pulled away from another bullet. ¡°I¡¯ll keep him contained!¡± Pathfinder shouted, ¡°Focus on the defenders!¡± Arrogant. I¡¯ll have to correct that. Blackrazor grunted internally, focusing hard as he spread his will throughout the darkness again, becoming fully one with it. He grit his teeth, clenching his fists and throwing himself into the act of control. He barely heard the confused shouts that came next as the oil-slick darkness that spread across the floor beneath the heroes began to grow deep. Boxes slid into the ground, descending, boots dropped a few inches, some managed to climb out of the trap while others found themselves stuck. I¡¯ll swallow you all- BANG! A gunshot rang out and the bullet plunged into the shadows. Blackrazor winced as he felt pain spread across his shoulder. He blinked and opened his eyes, glancing down at the wound that had been left behind. He shot a bullet into the sea of shadow? He wondered before looking back at the man who stood at the center of his allies, rifle raised, confidence in his eyes, as they pulled themselves out of the dispersing trap. Blackrazor¡¯s lips formed a thin line. As you wish. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. For a moment, a brief moment, it seemed like the entire room grew brighter. All of the shadow that had spread through the room swarmed across the ground in an angry rush. ¡°Scatter!¡± Pathfinder shouted, ¡°Get away from-¡± Blackrazor leaped from the shadow, blade in hand. Pathfinder stepped back and blocked it with his rifle, the weapon scraping against the metal barrel. A low hiss erupted from the point of impact and the poison so toxic it could burn through steel ate its way into the weapon. Pathfinder grunted and took a step back, drawing a pistol from his belt as Blackrazor dove into the shadow again and resurfaced behind him, lunging again. Pathfinder spinned and fired off a shot only to hit empty air. ¡°You can track me, certainly,¡± Blackrazor hissed, his voice filling the chamber. Pathfinder spinning and firing on the spot, always missing in the concentrated space of shadow that was forming in a ring around him. He spun again and again, his eyes going wider until a hand wrapped around his chin and a cold blade pressed against his throat. Blackrazor leaned into his ear, ¡°But you aren¡¯t fast enough.¡± He pulled the blade to a splatter of crimson blood as poison ensured the kill. ¨C Chunhua hurtled herself over another building, racing from spot to spot as she tried to get some distance from Ishtar¡¯s communications impairing ability. She could hear gunfire nearby so she figured she was on the right track. She was nearly a mile away before finally she heard the radio crackle back on. She raised her finger to her ear, ¡°Euclidia! Are you okay?¡± She shouted. ¡°I¡¯m fine, oh my god, holy shit,¡± Euclidia breathed. ¡°I know,¡± Chunhua panted, tossing herself over an electrical box and landing on the street below, ¡°Where¡¯s Pathfinder?¡± ¡°Two blocks from you, he¡¯s fighting something I can¡¯t see, it''s gross,¡± She said, ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Chunhua said and turned to look at Handmaiden, ¡°How about you, are you okay?¡± ¡°I can keep going,¡± Handmaiden said with a firm nod, ¡°Whatever you need.¡± Chunhua felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. The interaction also triggered an intensifying sense of doubt. This woman was close to Chernovna, very close, yet she¡¯d thrown herself at Ishtar without a single doubt in her mind. The attacks that Handmaiden had delivered were not intended to subdue, she had gone for the kill from the first punch. Either Handmaiden didn¡¯t know that Sonya was Ishtar, Ishtar was lying, or this woman was a superb actress. She really hoped it wasn¡¯t the latter. She nodded at her comrade and they raced towards the building in question, flashes of gunfire still lighting up inside. She landed on a rooftop and looked down. She saw Pathfinder, ¡°Oh thank-¡± A shadow wrapped around him, and he dropped to the ground. ¡°No!¡± ¨C Blackrazor glanced over his shoulder at the two women on top of the building and huffed. There was Handmaiden, he needed to leave. He turned away, ignoring them, and raised his hand to his earpiece as he stepped into the ground. ¡°Retreat,¡± He said casually before diving down and swimming back to the room where An Set was held. There he saw the Mistress step through a rectangle of light, her arms crossed behind her back. Her head was turned to look at the unconscious An Set. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Blackrazor said as fighting broke out outside. ¡°I know,¡± Ishtar said with a nod and gestured, a new portal appearing behind An Set. ¡°Is he dead?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Blackrazor confirmed. ¡°Well done, shall we?¡± She rasped and the two made their escape. Blackrazor grabbing hold of An Set and dragging him through the portal. Just as it began to close behind them, the woman Black Lotus stepped into the room. Ishtar, next to him, glanced back over her shoulder and waved as the portal shut. ¨C Everything was confusion, colors were sounds, words were nonsense, emotion was everything. Feeling was killing, killing was breathing, everything was lightning. Duong swam in a void of his own power, the great eel had slunk back to a place deep within himself to rest and recover. Yet he had not found enough of himself to resurface. When it woke again, he would feel its rage once more. That was fine. That was easy. It was comfortable, fun even, he had enjoyed the battle, had savored the carnage, had reveled in the ruination as he took a backseat to the thing inside of him. This was a good place, a good time, to drift into nothingness. Yet he didn¡¯t, something held him in place. A violet light that brought back feelings of petulant rage and incoherent fury filled his mind. He wanted to kill its source, destroy it, obliterate it, he needed to. Yet he couldn¡¯t find his strength. He couldn¡¯t move. The light kept pulling at him, guiding him. It didn¡¯t try to push him back down as before, when that woman had oppressed him. No, this violet light was a guide to bring him back to the surface above the clouds of darkness and storms. He took the offered hand, curious more than anything, perhaps desperate for one more shot at living. He didn¡¯t know, his thoughts were so jumbled and confused that he- ¡°Welcome back, Duong,¡± A voice that sent chills up his spine greeted him. Inhuman. A rasp of bloodcurdling quality that was laced with unrepentant cruelty. His vision swayed and he blinked before looking up into a pair of glowing pink eyes blazing on a faceless helmet. ¡°Who¡­?¡± He managed. ¡°I am Ishtar,¡± The woman said and stood up, a violet glow fading from her fingertips. ¡°How?¡± He tried, his head still fuzzy. ¡°I killed Feng Hyunh,¡± Ishtar said. He blinked at her and tilted his head, her logic didn¡¯t make sense to him, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain. ¡°Should I be grateful?¡± ¡°I want you to die too,¡± Ishtar said callously, ¡°But I figured I should give you the opportunity to make something useful of your last moments. In return, for a moment, you will be far more powerful than you ever were with The Great Eel.¡± He felt his stomach sink, his head tilted forward and he stared at her, a frown on his face. He searched her mask for a moment, looked her body up and down, then squinted, ¡°Take off your mask and we can talk.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair,¡± Ishtar said with a shrug and reached up, removing her mask and revealing the mechanical eyes of the bubbly, playful, mischievous Sonya Chernovna. He gaped at her, bewildered, his mouth falling open as he tried to process it. ¡°I put a lot of effort into getting you here, alone, like this An Set. You should be flattered.¡± ¡°How long have you been planning this?¡± He asked, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°Since the moment I heard your name, would you like to know why? I shared it with Feng before I killed her,¡± She said, holding out a hand to touch his chin. He jerked his head away, ¡°Nah, no thanks,¡± He spat, grinning at her. She pulled her hand back and actually frowned a little, it was satisfying, ¡°Fine, it doesn¡¯t bother me. I had the satisfaction with Feng after all.¡± ¡°How did she die?¡± He asked. ¡°Torn to pieces and disemboweled by gnolls in the dungeon,¡± The woman said frankly, ¡°After I dropped her off a cliff into their midst. She was afraid of you until the very last moment.¡± He felt something swell in him that he hadn¡¯t expected, joy, delight, he threw his head back and laughed long and hard, kicking his feet and thrashing a bit in his bindings. He glanced around, it was some sort of abandoned shack from the looks of it, barely a shed. He finally caught his breath, ¡°Oh, wow! You know what, I¡¯m grateful,¡± He said, grinning at her, ¡°So what do you want from me? You wanna make my death flashy? What¡¯s the plan, I figure we¡¯re more than even now. I owe you one for telling me that.¡± Sonya nodded at him, ¡°I had a feeling you¡¯d appreciate the news,¡± She said and held out her hand to him again. He took it and she smiled wider as she pulled him to his feet. She reached out to touch his chest, right over his heart and inclined her head, looking up into his eyes. ¡°Before we make our deal, let me make a little investment, consider it a down payment for what I¡¯m going to ask of you.¡± He felt something rush into his body, something changed, something big. He grinned, ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Chapter 86 The faint scrape of soles against gravel and dried soil was the only sound amidst the low hiss of wind across the landscape far outside of Vegas. A single pair of sneakers brushed across the ground, baggy jeans hanging behind. The wind picked up into a howl for a brief moment, the dust swirling past a head of blonde hair styled with a carefully crafted coif. A pair of glittering blue eyes glowed for a moment, examining the small structure that he¡¯d found. He slid his hands into his hoodie and tilted his head to the right, his lips forming a thin line. He had watched the battle, up until An Set had started to lose. He had figured the guy would be dead by now, but to his surprise the man was not only alive but alone. This was supposed to be one of the guys that would make his dreams a reality, that would be the heralds for his grand design. He was supposed to be amazing, and he was, he was impressive there was no doubt about that. The serpent-eel thing was really cool. The young man rubbed his neck and stared at the door, But he lost, that¡¯s weird. Was there something wrong with his information? No, that can¡¯t be right. He held out his hand and felt the air, there was indeed nobody there except for his quarry. He¡¯d been abandoned there. Something about some woman named Ishtar. He¡¯d barely paid any attention to the news, it wasn¡¯t important. Just things talking to one another about useless things. How could all those things call themselves people? They weren¡¯t important enough to matter one bit in the greater story, so why did they even bother breathing? It seemed so pointless to him, so empty. Every time he had tried to talk to people about the things that really mattered, before the flash, their eyes had glazed over and they¡¯d responded in pointless ways. His thin-lipped expression curled into a bit of a smile. Sometimes they would not even remember him when he talked to them a second time. Like they had no idea who he was even if they¡¯d met him just the day before. It made him feel like the hero in a video game and they were the npcs, saying the same things over and over as if that was all they were programmed to do. Up until the flash, my flash. His smile darkened and he hesitated, a grin cracking across his face. I wonder why I¡¯m feeling nostalgic? That¡¯s kinda funny. He chuckled and approached the small shack. It was barely a shack, more like a bunch of panels of sheet metal welded together haphazardly with wood making up the frame. He rest his hand against the door and felt the energy inside, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as he got a feel for it. An Set felt a bit off, as if the mana in his body was being restrained somehow. Interesting. He mused and pushed the door open, walking inside without a care in the world. He hummed merrily, the door shutting behind him just as he stopped and looked down at the dark haired man who seemed to be dozing off. There are cuffs on his wrists. Are they restricting his powers? Why haven¡¯t I heard of this? That¡¯s not in the guide. ¡°Hey,¡± He said. An Set blinked and looked up, squinting for a moment, ¡°A kid? Nah, you just look kinda young,¡± He mumbled, tilting his head to the right. There was a faint electric blue glow in his eyes. The young man liked it, it looked powerful. Maybe straining himself against those heroes had made him stronger somehow. That¡¯s really cool, I like that. ¡°Name¡¯s Otis,¡± Otis said with a grin, ¡°Nice to meet you, An Set.¡± An Set narrowed his eyes, ¡°Otis, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Otis said brightly, pulling his arms out of his hoodie and raising his chin, ¡°The one and only!¡± He brought his hand up to his chest and leaned forward, ¡°And you sir, have been chosen! I am going to become a god, and I want you to join up with me. The prologue wasn¡¯t quite right for you, but I¡¯m sure the next part of the story will be a great redemption arc.¡± An Set raised an eyebrow, ¡°Neat,¡± He said, dubiously. ¡°I know you have your suspicions but-¡± He started only to get cut off as An Set cleared his throat. ¡°Are you really Otis?¡± He asked, making the young man pause. That wasn¡¯t right, no one should have heard of him yet, no one that was outside whom he¡¯d been collecting. Now that he thought of it, that thing, what was its name, Craig? What happened to that thing? ¡°Yes,¡± Otis said with a bit of a frown. ¡°Great, you got somebody who wants to talk to you,¡± An Set grunted and thumbed towards the wall to his right, Otis¡¯ left. Otis glanced over and spotted a small device planted in the wall. He narrowed his eyes, Why didn¡¯t I sense it? I should be able to sense any electronic device, I made sure. I only sense mana in here though. Static hummed in the device for a moment before a rasp hissed its way out, ¡°Hello Otis.¡± Otis turned to face the thing and concentrated. ¡°Did you try to cut the signal? This is a mana-based telecommunications device, no electricity involved. A bit more complicated,¡± The voice said. That was interesting, even a little exciting, what a twist! He broke into a wide smile, ¡°Who is this?¡± He asked brightly, walking up to the device and leaning in towards it, ¡°Can you see me?¡± He reached up and tapped it a few times, ¡°It¡¯s amazing you came up with this so fast!¡± ¡°I am Ishtar,¡± The voice hissed out. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t see you, why bother? The camera won¡¯t work on you, right? I¡¯ll forget this entire conversation if I look at you. I don¡¯t want that.¡± Otis paused and glanced up, The person all the things were talking about on the radio? His smile faltered just a small amount, More importantly. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I know a lot about you, Otis,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Most importantly, I know what you¡¯re planning. I know what you want for Earth and all the people in it. I know you want everything to look like downtown Vegas. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing what I¡¯m doing,¡± The voice paused and deepened to a threatening tone, ¡°I am going to ruin everything you¡¯re working for and put you down like the mad dog you are.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Otis blinked, confusion flashing on his face. He looked over his shoulder at An Set who just shrugged at him, he looked back at the machine and frowned. ¡°No, that¡¯s not how this is supposed to work. This is my story. There aren¡¯t supposed to be spoilers. You don¡¯t get to-¡± ¡°I do what I please,¡± Ishtar hissed. ¡°This is my story now.¡± Otis¡¯ nostrils flared, he clenched his fists as his mind worked through the options, the possibilities, how did this play into his story? How could the guide be wrong? He had so carefully crafted it, could it have been an influence from his imagination? He blinked, So that¡¯s it! Yes! I get it now! Ishtar is my Posideon, my opponent holding me back from reaching my glorious goal. That¡¯s what this is, right, just another character in the story. What tale is worth telling if there isn¡¯t a villain, right? Of course. Even so, it made him a little irritated that she was taking so much spotlight. Maybe he should move his plans up a bit? He cracked a wide smile, overjoyed, ¡°Amazing! You are a really interesting addition! I like this twist!¡± ¡°So this is what you¡¯re really like,¡± The voice sighed, ¡°I had wondered.¡± She trailed off and let out another breath, ¡°I hate you, with all my heart. I hope this hurts at least a little, though I doubt it. I¡¯ll figure out your powers eventually.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± A clank of metal sounded out behind him and he turned around, flummoxed, An Set got to his feet and grinned like a maniac, electricity sparkling on his skin. That¡¯s a bit funky, I thought he needed to drink power from somewhere. There¡¯s nothing here. The electricity intensified, magnified, Otis¡¯ eyes widened and he broke into another smile, ¡°Oh wow! What did you do?¡± He asked as An Set¡¯s body began to break down, his skin turning an electric blue before bloating up like a balloon. ¡°Good bye for now, Otis.¡± BOOOOOOOOOOOOM ¨C Chunhua stepped onto the debris and looked over the lake that had formed in the middle of downtown vegas. She had to admit, with the tree hanging over it and the blue sky reflecting down on it, it was beautiful. A helicopter flew overhead bringing in more rescue workers, although most of the work had already been done. The heroes from LA and the surviving heroes from Vegas and New York had come together to sift through the debris and find whomever they could. It was arduous, painful, and gut wrenching work. She sighed and dabbed her forehead with a towel as her earpiece buzzed. She reached up and tapped it, ¡°Euclidia?¡± ¡°Just Molly right now, please, I¡¯m too tired for code names Chuchu,¡± The young hero whined into her ear. Chunhua smiled to herself, she wasn¡¯t bothered by the nickname. If anything, the girl had earned it. If it wasn¡¯t for her pushing herself to the brink none of them would have survived the events that had transpired. She sat down on a piece of concrete and sighed, rubbing her neck, ¡°Alright, what¡¯s up Molly?¡± ¡°They found Miss Chernovna, she¡¯s alright, a bit banged up though, Handmaiden is back with her,¡± Molly said, ¡°The Chairman threw a fit over her condition and is sending her home right now. I almost got haranged into it,¡± She sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of range. LA was a bitch.¡± Chunhua frowned, she still wasn¡¯t sure about everything and had a hard time believing anything concerning Sonya Chernovna. She scratched her head and let it hang between her shoulders. Still, if it¡¯s true, it''s a relief that she was okay. ¡°How is she really?¡± ¡°Upset about Firestorm,¡± Molly said, ¡°Angry. She wants to hold a press conference about what happened while in a sling and covered in bandages. The Chairman shut that down pretty quick. Apparently she wants to see Vytal,¡± Molly laughed bitterly. ¡°Goodness knows why,¡± She added sarcastically. ¡°He¡¯s a bit busy,¡± Chunhua muttered, ¡°How are Bluestar and the others holding up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ gonna take a while, I think,¡± Molly said a bit more softly. ¡°Yeah, I imagine so,¡± Chunhua said, looking up towards the disaster zone. ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay until things are under control here.¡± ¡°I figured,¡± Molly said with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll be here too.¡± ¡°You can head home, I¡¯m sure your girlfriend-¡± ¡°Will understand,¡± Molly interrupted her, ¡°You aren¡¯t doing this alone and I¡¯m good at logistics. Let me help.¡± Chunhua chuckled, a real smile finally coming to her face, ¡°I don¡¯t know what we would have done without you.¡± ¡°You would have managed,¡± Molly said brightly, ¡°Like, seriously, you¡¯re a fuckin badass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just another hero,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Just like the others. They put their everything into protecting the people of this city. Same with Sapporo and Pathfinder,¡± She said, the last name coming out with a bit of pain in her chest. She barely knew the man, only having met him a few weeks before, but it still hurt her to know that a comrade had died like that. She remembered the youthful face of the ¡®master assassin¡¯ that Ishtar had employed and clenched her fists. ¡°Sapporo still hasn¡¯t woken up, doctors say he¡¯ll be fine and Vytal¡¯s already healed him up, but he¡¯s still out,¡± Molly said sullenly. ¡°He pushed himself hard, just let him rest,¡± Chunhua said and got to her feet. As she did, she heard footsteps approaching behind her. She turned, seeing who it was, and reached up to her ear, ¡°I gotta let you go Molly. Get some rest, okay?¡± ¡°Sure. You too.¡± The connection cut and she put her hands on her hips before tilting her head, ¡°Bluestar, Bandit, Lifesaver, what are you doing out here. You should be in recovery,¡± She said sharply, trying to regain some of the commanding persona she¡¯d set aside during her talk with her teammate. All three of them looked rough. Lifesaver wasn¡¯t even wearing his mask, instead wearing a white medics outfit and baseball cap. They had bags under their eyes and their shoulders were slack but¡­ Those eyes. She thought, hesitating as she met Bluestar¡¯s gaze. The young guildmaster¡¯s eyes were blazing, fierce. It was the same with Bandit and Lifesaver. She regarded the three of them for a few moments before sighing and nodding, ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t push yourselves.¡± They sighed with relief as one and Bandit nodded to the others before darting off towards one of the rescue teams working near the east side, Lifesaver hurrying off after them. Bluestar stayed behind, though, and walked up to Chunhua. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t push it,¡± Chunhua said. ¡°I got word from Miss Chernovna,¡± Bluestar said, ¡°ASTA will be helping with the reconstruction and she wants to ask Vegas to let her build a memorial garden here,¡± She said, glancing at the artificial lake with a sad smile, ¡°She kept raving about a ¡®big ass statue for Nick¡¯. She¡¯s kind of kooky, isn¡¯t she?¡± Bluestar choked and lowered her head, ¡°What kind of guildmaster lets her people die like that, ma¡¯am?¡± She asked, bitterness in her voice. Chunhua let out a sigh and turned to the young woman, wrapping an arm over her shoulder before pulling her into a hug, ¡°That¡¯s one of the hardest parts of being a leader of warriors,¡± She said stroking her hair, ¡°They¡¯re going to fight, and they might die, and you just have to carry on and make sure that their deaths weren¡¯t in vain. You have to stay strong for the others, even if it hurts,¡± She pulled back and tilted her head down, looking the young woman in the eyes, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to always hurt. There are people you can talk to and ways to deal with the grief. I lost a lot of men under me in the army, I understand.¡± The girl¡¯s lips trembled and she threw herself into Chunhua¡¯s neck, sobbing. Chunhua held her for a while, letting her mind go blank to focus on the agonized person with her. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± She murmured into the sobbing girl¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± She paid no mind to the blue sky as it flickered electric blue for just one moment, nor to the faint rumble in the ground beneath her feet from a distant blast. Chapter 87 Sonya set down the phone and stared at it, running her thumb over the glossy surface. She tilted her head to the right, lost in thought. Her chest felt lighter and tighter at the same time. She¡¯d heard his voice with her real ears for the first time in a long time. The dreams she¡¯d had about him weren¡¯t the same. The memories of his heroic persona were all a performance. The only time she¡¯d heard the real Otis speak was in the end, on that day, when she¡¯d sat atop him with a knife in her hands, unable to cry over the deaths of everyone on the planet. Unable to grieve with anyone but herself. She¡¯d seen his madness then. She¡¯d heard it again just now. She glanced at the words on her HUD, it was a useful function if not something she had any way of using anytime soon. She had no interest in playing villain for the immediate future. It was time to lay low. She waited a few more seconds before her lip twitched. No notice of Otis¡¯ death. Not that she¡¯d expected it, still she was a little disappointed it hadn¡¯t worked. And there it is, a successful test of Investment. She thought as she pulled the power out for a moment, electricity dancing across her fingertips before she put it back. She had forcibly invested it into An Set, suspecting that it would have an interesting effect when combined with The Great Eel and based on what she¡¯d sensed from him before departing, the results had been more than promising. She let out a sigh and leaned back, turning her head to look at Marta who was asleep on the couch to her right. She smiled at the woman, ¡°Thank you,¡± She said softly, ¡°I know I should say it more, I¡¯d say it every day if I could.¡± Marta mumbled in her sleep and rolled over, Sonya chuckled, ¡°We¡¯re going on vacation when we get back,¡± She said and glanced at the television in front of her, ¡°Maui, probably. That sounds nice.¡± The reporter on the television was standing in front of the devastated area around the Vegas battle site. She was reporting generally about estimated loss of life, it seemed that Sapporo¡¯s ability had cut down the lions share of it but An Set¡¯s rampage had not come without cost. Thousands of people were dead, a historic disaster, and one the world was already reacting to. However what came as more of a surprise was the next part of the news feature. ¡°Among those present during the fighting, the Georgia native turned ASTA Guild Hero, Firestorm, gave his life to save over thirty of his comrades. He was also singularly responsible for rescuing hundreds of civilians. We are still processing what little footage that was able to be acquired by drones so unfortunately we cannot provide any at the moment, however, word from the heroes and civilians on the scene has lead to an overnight trend on social media,¡± The woman said and she was moved over to the right to show social media posts. All of them were words of praise, condolence, and memory of the hero who had given his life along with a hashtag that made Sonya smile. #WeAreTheFirestorm. She felt her lip tremble a little and she looked down at her hands, I hate it. She thought. You weren¡¯t supposed to die. You were supposed to be one of the heroes to fight me, in the end, to stop me once it was all said and done. She raised her hand to her face and covered her eyes, cursing them again. She let out a breath. He knew about broker, I have to accept that it was a loose end eliminated and do what I can to make sure his memory accomplishes the right thing. She told herself, it was a cold thought, but it was a necessary one. The feeling sent a chilling wash through her body that eased a little bit of the pain. She breathed and rested her chin on her knuckles as the television went on. A picture of herself appeared, ¡°CEO Sonya Chernovna was present during the incident while taking the Chairman of the Pandora Committee on a tour of one of the active dungeons in Las Vegas. She was reported to have been temporarily lost in the dungeon when the quote: ¡°False Hero¡± An Set went berserk. According to information that was disseminated widely about An Set around the time of the disaster, he had made several attempts against Miss Chernovna including ordering an assassination and orchestrating a plot to steal her company¡¯s intellectual property by leveraging his connection with his father, the Chairman of the Pandora Committee.¡± Amos works fast. Sonya thought. ¡°It should be noted that these acts were taken unilaterally as all of the details recorded by the various anonymous sources online have reported that the Chairman was unaware of his son¡¯s underworld dealings, including his association with a dangerous criminal syndicate based in his homeland of Vietnam,¡± The picture changed to an image of An Set. ¡°There are some questions about whether or not the Chairman will step down, though an official comment from an ASTA spokesperson has insisted that Miss Chernovna does not attribute any responsibility to the Chairman and hopes he continues his good work,¡± The reporter went on, ¡°Currently Miss Chernovna is in recovery after receiving minor injuries before her rescue. We wish her a speedy recovery.¡± ¡°An international outcry has gone out concerning rules regarding the behavior and backgrounds of licensed heroes with several nations demanding adjustments to the Pandora Committee¡¯s regulations,¡± The woman continued, ¡°There have also been calls for a full investigation into the battle in Vegas and the cause of the sudden appearance of monsters during the fighting. A United Nations panel will be held in the coming weeks to discuss ways to preventing such an incident from ever happening again.¡± Sonya smiled to herself, Doing the work for me. I just have to do a little speech now. She nodded slowly and turned the television off with a thought. The world¡¯s seen an example and things will move in a better direction, but I still have more heralds to deal with and Otis is still out there. I need to be more careful. For the foreseeable future, Ishtar will remain in the shadows. She thought as she felt the air shift in the cabin and glanced up to see Veloce standing there. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°You look good for a woman on the mend,¡± Veloce said with a hesitant smile. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°And you seem to have your spine back.¡± The woman winced before noticing the smile on Sonya¡¯s face, she cleared her throat, ¡°I did as you asked, Mistress. I survived.¡± ¡°Yes you did,¡± Sonya said, sitting up a little and crossing her legs, ¡°You did very well, I¡¯m more than pleased. You even went as far as going in to support Blackrazor without my orders. I like that.¡± Veloce blushed, ¡°He helped me,¡± She said, reaching up to twirl her fingers in her hair. Sonya raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t comment, ¡°Yes well, I¡¯d like to teach you a little something about how I do business, Veloce,¡± Sonya said and got to her feet. ¡°I firmly believe that the weakest link in any organization is the lowest, most underpaid, and undervalued agent. Treat your people well, and they will treat you well in return. Keep your promises, no matter what. You are one of my people now,¡± She said and walked over to the woman, ¡°And I have something very special for you.¡± She cast her mind back into her warehouse and grabbed hold of The Great Eel and Might of Thor. Merge. Yes. It was kind of nice being able to merge things in her warehouse. As long as they weren¡¯t pulled out, she didn¡¯t feel a damn thing. Simply a rush as Broker drew on its own strength and her internal energy. A rush that continued for several seconds and left her knees a little weak for a moment and a pallid feeling on her skin. She blinked a few times and swayed, surprised by the expenditure, and was even more surprised when Veloce actually had to catch her. She dropped to a knee and shook her head, her vision swimming. ¡°Well, that was a bit unexpected,¡± She murmured, ¡°Thank you.¡± Now that¡¯s a name! Sonya thought with delight as Veloce helped her to her feet. She smiled at the young woman and placed her hand over her heart. Investment. Veloce staggered back as if shocked, she gasped and grasped at her chest for a moment, wide eyed, her pupils dilated and she stood unsteadily for a moment before flopping onto the floor of the aircraft and looking up at Sonya with wonder. Sonya smiled down at her, ¡°You¡¯ll have to come up with a proper Supervillain name,¡± She said with a wink, ¡°Oh, and please don¡¯t test it here, we¡¯re in an aircraft for heaven''s sake.¡± The young supervillain just nodded mutely, staring into space as Sonya turned away and threw herself back into her seat. She rest her head again, catching her breath. Another addition to the inner circle. I¡¯m making quite the little group. She thought with amusement. It¡¯s still not enough, though. I need more. More to keep my promise. She thought back to her interaction with Pandora at the end of the dungeon. The sole question she had time to ask, ¡®Why?¡¯ She had thought about it for a while after meeting Pandora for the first time. At first she had considered all sorts of more complicated and demanding questions, but her heart had told her that what she really needed, for closure, was the reason why the strange being had even bothered to reach out to her at the end of things. So she¡¯d asked, and the answer had been simple. It had also been exactly what she needed to hear. It had reaffirmed everything she believed about what she was doing and had shored her resolve to keep going, despite how cruel things became. ¨C Sonya looked up at the transparent being that hung over her. Her appearance seemed everchanging, always a woman, but always a different face, a different hair color, different eyes, every time she blinked. Even so, there was an exhaustion there that Sonya hadn¡¯t felt when she¡¯d met the otherworldly being on their first encounter. She was weary and sad, beaten down by something that Sonya couldn¡¯t possibly comprehend. Yet when Sonya had asked the question, she seemed to brighten and her appearance nearly became solid. ¡°I have failed humanity twice now. Once in the distant past. Once with Otis. Help them, where I cannot, so I can finally rest,¡± She said, ¡°I am trusting you, Sonya, and that grief that we both share.¡± ¨C Sonya smiled to herself as she pulled out of the memory, That, I can do. After all, she thought, her smile growing a bit darker. She clenched her fingers around the arms of her chair, I am the one who will take control of everything from within. I will set the rules, I will control the field, I am the solution to the unsolvable, the force that will overcome Otis. She pulled up the details on her newly merged abilities, Imperious, Non-Euclidian and The Astral Eye joining Heavenly Jade Heart in her newly and appropriately renamed core ability; I will be the God in the Machine. ¨C He staggered through the desert, pulling his arm back up and reattaching it to his shoulder. The agony was real and it made him angry. How dare that woman, that thing, that creature that thought it was a person like him. He was the only real person in the world, she was just another fixture in his story. To think a mere side-character would dare lash out at him like that, try to kill him, hurt him, actually hurt him. He had never felt pain since the flash, since he had snuck into the storage room behind the museum and found Pandora''s Box. Since the moment he opened it and was given the right to choose his power. He felt his flesh knit back together. He would not die, he could not die, not until he had seen his story through to the end. Anything else was inconceivable. She is not my Poseidon, she¡¯s a glitch, an error! Another player in my game! My story! She needs to die! I will find her and I will break her in ways she can¡¯t even begin to imagine! He swore it, bearing his teeth as his foot and leg twisted back into position on their own. The burns across his body sizzled and slowly began to heal, the intensity of the blast had left him as nothing but a seared lump of meat for nearly an hour before he had regained consciousness. That hurt! It hurt so much! He screamed, Ishtar. I¡¯ll remember your name and I won¡¯t let you forget me. You¡¯ll be the only one. He trudged across the heated landscape, still within the crackling radius of the blast. Electricity danced across the ground, the environment irrevocably altered by the blast. He glowered at the blue sky ahead of him before cracking into a smile. ¡°The story doesn¡¯t need to change that much,¡± He said, a thought occurring to him, ¡°That¡¯s right, this is fine, I can work with this, even. She¡¯s some kind of villain, right? Then I just need to be the hero to triumphantly take her down! That¡¯s easy! I can¡¯t die!¡± He laughed, ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill you and everyone you love, Ishtar, then I¡¯m gonna make you watch as I burn this world to the ground!¡± He felt his fingers bend as functionality returned to them and clenched his fists, ¡°Just you wait you bitch, just you wait,¡± He snarled as he trudged towards a distant road. He watched as cars drove by, salvation. A few more things to kill so he could drive back to civilization. Irrelevant mindless objects pretending to be people. ¡°Nothing can stop me, not with my ability, The Man, The Myth, The Legend. I am the main character of this story, this world, and you¡¯re just living in it!¡± ¨C Broker, Season 1: Creation Myth ¨C ¨C End ¨C Side Story: Downtime 1 The dust swirled around them, kicked up by an unseen wind. Her jet-black robes flapped around her body, she could feel it, the power swelling inside of her. She closed her eyes and brought her weapon up beside her head holding it in the ready position. Her thin smile widened into a sneer and she raised her head, her nose tilted up as she opened her glowing yellow eyes and looked down on her opponent. Across from her, he brought his own weapon up in front of him, brown robes hanging loosely off of his fit frame. ¡°This is where you fall,¡± He said, ¡°There could have been peace between us.¡± She sneered at him, ¡°Peace was never an option.¡± As one they flicked the switches on their weapons. A beam of red-colored hardened light extending from her weapon as one of a brilliant blue extended from his. With a swift movement they engaged one another, blades clashing, sparks flying, light illuminating their faces. Off to the side, Marta rest her chin on her palm and stared at the two as they played. ¡°So this is why she wanted me to make those robes,¡± She muttered and let out a sigh, shaking her head. She couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. It was a good way to spend some downtime, she supposed. ¡°Embrace your anger Amos! It¡¯s the only way to defeat me!¡± ¡°Never!¡± ¡°I will make you kneel, fool!¡± ¡°Been there done that,¡± Colin said next to her, popping a piece of caramelized popcorn into his mouth and chewing. He leaned back and crossed his legs languidly. Marta gave him a sidelong look and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are your only two defining personality traits thirsting after Amos and being Sonya¡¯s lawyer?¡± She asked frankly. The pretty boy looked up at her, ¡°When I¡¯m paid this well? Sure.¡± She barked out a small laugh and rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous,¡± She said and turned her attention over to a rather disgruntled looking Blackrazor who was standing next to the oversized industrial fan that had been creating the wind to make the duo¡¯s ¡®fight scene¡¯ look more dramatic. He scratched his chin thoughtfully as if trying to figure out the point of this entire thing. She kind of felt bad for him, in a way, he was so inured to having fun that he couldn¡¯t comprehend that they were just goofing off. She called out to him anyway, ¡°Hun, you don¡¯t have to stand there anymore!¡± She shouted, waving for him to come over. He glanced her way and tensed, looking up, down, then any other direction but in hers. She frowned and tilted her head, ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you nearly choke the life out of him with a knife in your head at one point?¡± Colin asked, crunching away at his sweets, ¡°I¡¯d be fucking terrified too.¡± She slowly turned her head towards him, grimacing, that particularly violent fight was not one of her proudest moments, ¡°Did Sonya tell you?¡± She asked with a sigh. ¡°Nah, Amos, you know he set the cameras up in that room, right?¡± Colin pointed out chewing thoughtfully before leaning forward, ¡°Get her babe!¡± He shouted, throwing his fist in the air. Back in the center of the room, Amos was on the attack, swinging dramatically while Sonya went on the backfoot, snarling at him as she blocked his strikes. Marta turned a glare on Amos, ¡°Sonya! Strike him down!¡± She shouted. Colin shot her a look, ¡°Blast her away!¡± ¡°Kick his ass!¡± Marta barked. Back near the industrial fan, Blackrazor let out a sigh and hung his head. This was beyond the normal level of silliness that he had come to expect from his mistress. He was trying really hard to get into it, he really was, but the absurdity of the situation just made his head hurt. He glanced over again at the bestial maid and rubbed his neck. She was shouting at the dueling pair now, her shoulder pressed against Colin¡¯s as the two seemed to throw themselves into their own ¡®bout¡¯. It was like she¡¯d completely forgotten about their fight. How could she forget something like that? He pinched the bridge of his nose as a hand landed on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and stared forward. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Kingshark.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Barry, kid, we¡¯re not in uniform, ain¡¯t we?¡± Kingshark said and lumbered around him, sitting down on the ground and pulling a can of beer out of a six pack he was holding. He popped it open and extended it to Blackrazor who stared at it. ¡°It¡¯s good, just fuckin¡¯ drink it man.¡± Blackrazor pressed his lips together, ¡°Um¡­ what¡¯s the drinking age in America again?¡± He asked. Kingshark-Barry turned his head slowly and squinted up at him, ¡°Are you serious?¡± Blackrazor groaned and snatched it up, plopping down on the ground and taking a long chug of the drink before pulling the can away with a sigh. ¡°Fine! Damn it! Shit!¡± He whined and reached up to scratch at his head. He turned a hard look on Barry, ¡°It¡¯s Beyol.¡± ¡°Yeah I know,¡± Barry said and cracked open his own drink, chugging it down before glancing up and grinning at Marta who waved at him. He raised his drink and winked at her. ¡°Man, this ain¡¯t a bad life, yeah?¡± Beyol looked between the two of them and huffed, taking another drink of the beer. He begrudgingly admitted that it was very, very good. He stretched out his legs and leaned back, glancing over at the two still in the midst of their ¡®duel¡¯. ¡°The first encounter notwithstanding, things have turned out quite well,¡± He conceded. Barry laughed, ¡°Yeah! You did have a pretty fucked up first time. I had some goddamn flashbacks, man. Did not envy you one bit.¡± ¡°You too?¡± Beyol asked, glancing at the big man. Barry puffed out his breath through his lips with a raspberry, ¡°Got beaten to hell by a lurker dragged off and offered my deal,¡± He grunted, ¡°Now I¡¯m a king.¡± Beyol frowned at his drink, ¡°You know mine, and now I¡¯m the Headmaster of the Night Society,¡± He said and snorted, he tilted back the can and drank the rest of it down. He crushed it and snatched up another that was immediately offered by Barry. He barked out a genuine laugh, it felt kind of good. ¡°To miserable starts and glorious futures!¡± He proclaimed, the buzz getting the better of him. Barry grinned at him, ¡°I hear that!¡± The big man said and knocked his can against Beyol¡¯s. Back with Marta, she smiled in the direction of the two men sitting next to the industrial fan. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± ¡°Looked into Beyol by the way, Amos helped,¡± Colin said, the two having finally relaxed from their petulant little spat, ¡°You know he has no birth certificate or anything? There¡¯s no telling how old he actually is. We¡¯re putting it between eighteen and twenty-one. Pretty hazy on it, if I¡¯m being honest. The kind of training he went through probably triggered some early growth.¡± Marta looked at him, aghast, ¡°Are you joking?¡± Colin pursed his lips, ¡°Nope, his false identity says twenty-three, if that helps.¡± Marta got to her feet, ¡°Oh no! Not here!¡± She barked angrily. Colin laughed, ¡°Hey, the drinking age is sixteen in sw-¡± ¡°We¡¯re not in Switzerland!¡± Marta railed, marching over to Beyol and Barry to give them a piece of her mind. Colin chuckled and shook his head, glancing away and popping another candied piece into his mouth. He chewed slowly and thoughtfully as he watched the antics of this strange group that had been brought together by the strangest woman he¡¯d ever met. He couldn¡¯t help but think about how un-villain-like they really were once the costumes and masks came off. Sonya was an impish and often childish wildcard, flirtatious and exuberant in everything she did. She practically danced through life with her heart on her sleeve and a smile on her face. Amos was a hard working and diligent guy with the demeanor of a snarky middle-child and nothing to lose. Marta was motherly and patient most of the time but would swing into fretting and discipline at the drop of a hat. Beyol tried so hard to play the cool edgy guy but was really the youngest son who was just holding himself back too much. Barry was that jolly uncle who was too enabling for his own good. He glanced again at Sonya, What kind of family are you trying to build here? He thought, amused, and rest his arms on his knees. Do you really need all this support for what you¡¯re planning? He glanced down at his popcorn and plucked out another piece, popping it into his mouth and letting out a contented sigh. Guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. We have a deal, and I¡¯ll keep this whole crazy thing running behind the scenes for you. He thought as Sonya and Amos finished their duel. Amos turned to look at him and waved, beckoning him over. Colin slid off the bench and got to his feet, Just make sure you keep your promise and save the world, will ya? I¡¯m starting to like this place. AMA 1 Broker: Hey everyone! [waves] Broker aka DerelictPresence here with a very special guest. Wanna say hello? Sonya: Hello cuties! What¡¯s shakin? Broker: Would it kill you to be more professional? Sonya: Probably? Anyway! I heard some of you darlings had some questions! I hope they¡¯re good ones! To get some out of the way my favorite chip brand is- Broker: Sonya! Sorry about that, let¡¯s get started with the AMA! Sonya: Boo! Alright alright. The first one is from wcman on Royal Road! Hey there! [wiggles fingers] ahem! ¡°What were some inspirations for this story?¡± That¡¯s all you old man. Broker: Aren¡¯t you older than me? [huff] Well! I actually have had a lot of inspirations for Broker. The original version of Sonya was a My Hero Academia OC, actually, I was fascinated with the idea that superheroes in that setting could get sponsors and I thought, ¡®What if there was a Villain that sponsored heroes?¡¯ Over time I picked up more inspirations, I read a lot of myths and legends, wuxia, xiania, manhwa and manga. There was definitely some inspiration from Solo Leveling and like stories that went into it all. I love literature and entertainment in general and take bits and pieces of inspiration from everything I watch and read. Hell, you might notice a little Raymond Reddington from Blacklist in some of Sonya¡¯s interactions. Sonya: [shivers] The original version was¡­ dark. Broker: Yep, definitely lightened you up a whole lot. Far less interested in saving the world than getting rich. Next is from gibberish also on Royal Road! ¡®How do you come up with ideas?¡¯ Sonya: Yes, please, how do you come up with my various torments? [stare] Broker: [gulp] W-well! A lot of it comes from consuming media as above. Sometimes I¡¯ll play out different scenarios in my head and see what fits well. Often I¡¯ll create a new character and go through several iterations before being satisfied. Often I¡¯ll introduce a side character and just see where it goes. [rubs chin] Though my favorite way to brainstorm is to just listen to some good music and experiment in my notes. Sonya: [frown] I wonder what you were listening to when you decided to put Mikayla through all that. Broker: Ha ha! Anyway! Uh¡­ next question? Snipoxillo from Royal Road asks; ¡®How do you imagine the ending for Sonya and Ishtar? Would it be more positive of an ending, a happy ending sort of? or would it me a somber/bittersweet sort of ending, not entirely bad? or otherwise?¡¯ [laughs] That¡¯s an excellent question! I usually imagine it when I¡¯m working on my notes or adjusting my outline when a new idea occurs to me. I can see it pretty clearly in my head! It¡¯s a long way off though. Sonya: [stares hard] Broker: Something wrong? I told them how I imagine it. Sonya: [rolls her eyes] Broker: Ohhh! Here¡¯s a good one! Got this question from a couple people actually. Dont_like_to_Talk from Royal Road and GigaDotti from Scribblehub ask some variation of ¡®Will Sonya and Chunhua work things out and get back together?¡¯ [grins at Sonya]. What do you think? Sonya: Ahem! [plays with her hair] I certainly wouldn¡¯t be upset if something happened. But, you know, gotta work some stuff out first. [coughs] Did you know she could bench press me? I wonder if she still can. I¡¯m a bit heavier now with all the upgrades. Probably? Hopefully? She can bench press me right? Broker: [shakes his head] Adam Wise from Royal Road asks; ¡®What would happen if Sonya gave someone a power they already had?¡¯ That¡¯s actually a really good question, Broker won¡¯t let someone double up abilities like that. She could find something thats pretty much exactly the same with a different name and give it to them and that would work though! Sonya: Figures! Tobi131313 - is that a bad luck thing? Broker: Sonya! Don¡¯t be rude! Sonya: Fine! Fine! They ask about refinement of the categories of abilities, are there different tiers? Well yes, There¡¯s Low, Middle, High, and Peak categories of each tier. On top of that, some abilities even encroach a little on the other tiers because of their functions. The raw elemental abilities like Firestorm are Heroic but they can put up a pretty decent fight against a miss-matched Mythic! It¡¯s all about who¡¯s using it for other abilities. Amos¡¯ core ability, Genius Level Intellect, affects things he¡¯s good at. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t suddenly become an engineer when I merged it in. I¡¯m better at people. [smirk] He was already a genius before, and that ability brought it up to eleven. Even if the ability itself is Heroic, the effects are pretty Mythic if you ask me. Broker: Well put! What else do we have? NotYourSaviour asks; ¡®How far along do you plan your story?¡¯ I have most of the main story beats all planned out for the main course of the story and know what order we¡¯re going to be facing certain lurking threats in. As I said before, I also know how it ends. For the meat of it; I¡¯ve got Season 2 completely storyboarded out and some of Season 3 prepared as well. Sonya: He won¡¯t even tell me anything, don¡¯t bother. The guy¡¯s a nutcase. You should see how he treats the guys in the discord. They have memes about his distraction tactics and pranks. Broker: How can you see the discord? Sonya: [points at head] Technopath? Really? Anyway! Let¡¯s see, Oh! Finally! BIGLARGEFISH from Royal Road asking the real questions: ¡®What is the cast''s favorite food?¡¯ Well I¡¯m glad you asked; I can give you the list from the Inner Circle!
  • Sonya: Deluxe Steakburger, all the fixings, with Cheese Fries and a Cola
  • Marta: Teriyaki Chicken and Noodles, Cucumber Salad, and an IPA
  • Amos: Supreme Pizza and an Energy Drink
  • Barry: Overloaded New York Style Hotdog and a six pack of cheap Beer
  • Beyol: Instant Noodles cooked with Extra veggies, Sriracha, and a Snack Cake.
  • Colin: Filet Mignon a Loaded Baked Potato and Red Wine
Broker: You actually went that far? Sonya: Food is important! Okay! Uh, next one is from xobotun on Royal Road, ¡®Why did you make Sonya Russian?¡¯ Broker: Hoo! That¡¯s an interesting question, [rubs chin] well, when I originally designed her I wanted her to be from somewhere close to Japan while not being a native resident. That was important at the time. Her name came next and I based her appearance around her original ability. Shock! It wasn¡¯t Broker or Farsight initially! Ultimately when I started to write Broker I decided to keep her as is but made her an American Citizen and decided not to put a lot of focus on her family life. A lot of protagonists base almost their entire personalities around their initial upbringing, I wanted Sonya to be someone who was affected more by her adulthood than her youth. She¡¯s Russian by blood, but that¡¯s really about it. Sonya: Frankly I barely remember my birth parent¡¯s names, it just doesn¡¯t matter to me. [shrugs] I feel like I lived more lifetimes after the first flash than I did in the two plus decades beforehand. Okay, next one from sheep-dodger from Royal Road, huh, ¡®In the original timeline, how many dates/weeks did it take until you realized you were dating Chunhua?¡¯ [plays with her hair] Uh¡­ we-well, [clears throat] I gave her a hard time for a while after she basically pulled some strings to have me assigned to her squad. She kept coming around trying to apologize after she realized I was mad about it. We saw each other a lot but it wasn¡¯t until she went into the Vegas Dungeon that I realized I had feelings. Six months or so until we got pretty serious, I¡¯d say. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Broker: Cute. Sonya: Shut up! Broker: Heh, Karrakaz from Royal Road asks; ¡®Are we most definitely looking at a tragedy here? I cannot help but hold out hope for some kind of miraculous feelgood ending.¡¯ ._Loki_. From Royal Road asked something similar. Sonya: [squint] Broker: Every story has its high and low points, we¡¯ve got a lot of ground to cover before we reach the end. I know the ending, of course, but I think that¡¯s gonna stay up here. [Taps his head] Sorry! Sonya: Ugh, of course, Got another one from Royal Road! Questing questioner [snickers] asks: ¡®Did Otis plan for the world to end, or was it ¡®just¡¯ an unexpected consequence of the war he started. Broker: Definitely his intention. Full stop. Cheesecakegood from Royal Road asks¡­ ¡®In the old timeline, did nations¡¯ governments usually stick around for a while or did the supers take them over pretty quickly?¡¯ Sonya: I got this one, yes and no. The US collapsed pretty quickly after the Times Square disaster started to spread south towards DC. Europe had a similar problem. The Eastern Countries got their shit together pretty quick though and the pandora committee was proposed by Japan and the remnant US Government. It was their last big move. Broker: [nods] Yep, it was pretty bad for a while. The Pandora Committee being formed as early as it was in the current timeline really saved a lot of lives, Unknown Mongrel from Royal road had a couple questions¡­ ¡®What is a power you want to add that you haven¡¯t had a good opportunity too?¡¯ Oh that one¡¯s easy, Sonya¡¯s original power as an OC was a cold radiation ability that had a light application. One day, [sighs]. Sonya: Could just give it to some rando that I shake hands with. Broker: Where¡¯s the fun in that? Sonya: [scoffs] They also asked ¡®What are some miscellaneous character details that just don¡¯t come up normally?¡¯ Oh, I can give you a few. I forget to turn on the lights in rooms I go into. My base ability, Farsight, gives me perfect vision in the dark so I don¡¯t notice when the lights are out. Marta has a peanut allergy, not that it affects her anymore. Colin is really good at sudoku. Oh, oh! And Amos knows every good pizza place in New York down to being on a first-name basis with the owners. Broker: Good ones! Let¡¯s see, got some from Scribblehub too! Oinkymoo from Scribblehub asks, ¡®What is Otis¡¯ real middle name?¡¯ Sonya: Great question! Broker: Who are we talking about? Sonya: [squint and sigh] They also asked about Broker¡¯s real name. Broker: You might get some hints in season two~ Sonya: I guess that¡¯s answer enough, Lupenthewolf from Scribblehub asks, ¡®When it''s all said and done, will you be satisfied? Once the world is safe from the future you saw, once your mission is complete, will it be enough?¡¯ Well¡­ I hope so. Only time will tell I guess, [sigh] It¡¯s going to be a long road. Broker: Yep, I have a lot planned, we¡¯ll see where it goes. Michoucast from Scribblehub asks, ¡®Will we know the origin of Pandora¡¯s Box?¡¯ Yes. Definitely. Sonya: That question you answer. [shrug] Let¡¯s see¡­ oh! Look at this! Broker: Ahaha! Modality from Scribblehub really went all out! Lightning round? Sonya: Lightning round. We¡¯ll do the author one¡¯s first; ¡®Are deities real in this world?¡¯ Broker: Yep, but they¡¯re all dead. No divine final boss for this story! Sonya: What inspired you to put this story together? Broker: A love of literature and wanting to be a part of it in some way. To be honest, the first couple of chapters were a trial run, after the response and all the comments, it¡¯s you guys that keep me going. Sonya: Favorite side character and favorite individual power? Broker: I adore Martin. Euclidia¡¯s power is so interesting and it goes a lot deeper than you can imagine! Sonya: How long do you plan for Broker to go on for? Broker: Eight seasons if I have my way. Some may be longer than others. Season two is beefy. Sonya: What does your average writing session look like? What¡¯s your process? Broker: I start off with getting some music going then I make a copy of the previous chapter in google docs. I cut out most of it except for the last one or two paragraphs and pick up where I left off. Usually have some research material on the side. Then I copy in the summary for the next chapter at the bottom and work through it. Sonya: Next is¡­ questions for the cast! [turns and shouts] Hey! You guys! A few of you have questions! Broker: Oh boy. Sonya: First a few for me, ¡®Sonya, how far did research into Skills go in your first timeline? People certainly figured out a lot about the how, but was there any progress made on the why?¡¯ Well, to be honest we did the best we could. We were trying pretty hard to survive so not a lot of people spent time on the reasons why powers were named the way they were or where they really come from. We were getting somewhere as things settled down a few years in, but by then Otis was gearing up for the war. Sonya: Next is¡­ ¡®What exactly are you hoping to get out of Detecitve Martin in the long run? Do you be plan to be publicly outed, eventually?¡¯ Well, I expect to pay for my crimes, yes. My hope for Martin is to leverage him where I can. I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll sign on the dotted line for awakening, though. Broker: Next one is for¡­ Chunhua! Chunhua: [walks in] Good day, sir. [bows] Broker: [coughs] They¡¯re asking, ¡®How do you feel about your fellow Mythics, and what they represent of the worlds of the world¡¯s power dynamics? How do you feel about the fundamental inequality it poses on people on an individual level?¡¯ Chunhua: [crosses arms behind back] There is a certain level of responsibility that comes with power, those with powerful abilities, especially dangerous ones, should be reminded of that. Ultimately I have noticed that most of those who are actively awakened are younger and from more ordinary backgrounds save for a few. I imagine the effect on the world¡¯s class and power dynamic will be interesting but I will have to observe longer to give a more definitive answer. Broker: Crisp and astute as always. Chunhua: Thank you, [leaves] Sonya: ¡­god that was hot. Broker: Huh? Sonya: What? Did you say something? Anyway, Marta! Marta: Yes, ma¡¯am? Sonya: You got one, let¡¯s see¡­ [snorts and bursts into laughter] Oh no! Hahaha! ¡®Marta, how are things going with Kingshark? As a manga and cosplay lover, do you think about the fact he can use t*ntacles all that much? Marta: [clears her throat] It¡¯s going very well, thank you for asking. He¡¯s a good man. [deadpan] Every. Single. Day. [leaves] Sonya: [stares] Woah. Broker: [clears throat] Kingshark! You¡¯re up man! Barry: Yep! I¡¯m here! What¡¯s up? Broker: ¡®King Shark, just how much power do you feel like your organization has over the USA and over the world at large now? If you flexed your influence in its entirety, what do you think you''d be able to accomplish?¡¯ Barry: Eh? I haven¡¯t really thought about it all that much, the boss gives those kinds of orders. If I had to guess I¡¯d cause a good amount of damage, maybe take a state or two if I piled everyone on. Then get blasted to atoms. My boys ain¡¯t soldiers, they¡¯re street thugs. [leaves] Sonya: About what I was expecting. [shrugs] Bluestar dear! Bluestar: [peeks in] M-me? Really? Sonya: Yes, you, what do you think about your powers and how differently they seem to function in comparison to others we¡¯ve seen? Also, are you dating Bandit? Bluestar: Oh! [blushes] I uh.. Well¡­ my abilities might seem unique but there¡¯s several ¡®magic¡¯ users on the Pandora listing. I¡¯m the only color based one I¡¯m aware of, though. It¡¯s a bit odd, perhaps there are other colors out there? [clears throat] Yes, we¡¯re seeing one another. Keeping it simple right now. I hope that¡¯s okay, ma¡¯am? Sonya: You¡¯re asking me if I disapprove of fraternizing? Bluestar: Point taken. [leaves] Sonya: Last one since a certain asshole isn¡¯t around right now. Amos! Amos: [slides in] Wassuuuup? [holds out fist] Sonya: Wassuuuup? [brofist] Amos: Whatcha got for me? Sonya: If Sonya never found and rescued you, how do you think your life would have played out? Amos: [frowns] That¡¯s easy, I was near ground zero for the Times Square dungeon. Probably would have died in the break, if I got away from it, I dunno, start a business or something? [Grins] Immortal Konflict later? Sonya: Hell yes, see you later. Amos: [leaves] Sonya: And that¡¯s everything! Thank you guys for joining us! Broker: Yep! Thank you all so much for your questions and sharing your love for the story. Like I said, we got a long way to go from here! Season two will start soon! For now¡­ enjoy the trailer! Season 2 Teaser BROKER SEASON 2 TRAILER It¡¯s a brave new world. Everything has changed since Vegas, an event that will go down in history as the climax of the flash and the punctuation-mark on the dawn of a new era. Measures have been taken to prevent such an event from ever happening again. It has been a year since that fateful day and society has reached a new equilibrium, tenacious as ever. Young people across the world are coming of age and awakening their powers as new opportunities fast approach. One young soul, committed to upholding the ideals of the man remembered as the greatest hero of the flash, dreams of becoming a hero. Meanwhile, forces are on the move. Factions are forming, The Guilds are growing, Villains are rising, Dungeons have been conquered, and a cult is on the move in the American South.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Even as everything is going to plan, Sonya is at her wits end. Caught between her worn down heart, her fragmenting mind, and her indomitable spirit, she is growing erratic and temperamental, seeing a face in her reflection that isn¡¯t hers and crossing lines she really shouldn''t. Despite this, she moves forward with the next phase of her plan, to raise a generation of heroes capable of standing against what¡¯s to come. With a new ally that causes her nothing but pain, her ever loyal inner circle, and her growing powers, she needs to come to terms with who she is meant to be and find the strength to lead humanity into the future, kicking and screaming if necessary. If only a certain nihilistic immortal hadn''t signed up for training too. Season 2 Prologue - Moments out of a Year Sonya leaned back in her chair and stared into space, pulling her knees up to her chest and tangling her fingers together. It had been a month since Vegas, a month since one really bad day. Her jaw shifted a bit in her mouth as the thoughts came back and she pushed them away with a huff, closing her eyes and trying to center herself. She glanced at the cold can of soda that had been left for her on the desk and reached out before flicking it with her finger, getting that nice noise out of it. Her lip twitched up into a small smile as the intercom buzzed on her desk. She let out a breath and reclined, spinning in her chair before reaching out to tap the button. ¡°You have reached the boss among bosses, Sonya Chernovna here,¡± She chirped, putting her best cheer into her voice even if it was a little forced. A small chuckle came back on the other end, ¡°Miss Chernovna, Miss Mint is here to see you.¡± Sonya sat up straight, ¡°Carla¡¯s here?¡± She asked, surprised. She hadn¡¯t seen her since the funeral and well, everything else. Their encounters had become a bit of a regular thing after that first exciting evening and while she didn¡¯t want to put a label on it, it was kind of nice to have at least one sure thing she could count on in her¡­ she paused and let the thought trail off, that face popping up again and she reached up to pinch her cheek, Stop it. ¡°Send her in!¡± The door in front of her slid open and the adorable raven haired woman stepped in, bob hair swaying a little bit as she adjusted her glasses and inclined her head to Sonya, ¡°Miss Chernovna, good to see you.¡± Sonya got to her feet, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Carla, how are you?¡± She asked, walking over and taking her hand before leading her to one of the chairs in front of her desk, ¡°Please, have a seat, coffee? Soda?¡± Carla raised an eyebrow, ¡°That excited to see me?¡± Sonya froze, half-way turned, ¡°Uh- I mean,¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°You¡¯re here for business, right?¡± She said and turned with an awkward smile, ¡°Of- of course, it¡¯s just been a while since you were last here and I-¡± She rubbed her neck. Carla let out a small laugh, ¡°I finally got to tease you!¡± She said and relaxed, ¡°Sonya, it¡¯s fine, I just came to check on you. At the funeral you seemed like you needed some space,¡± She said and reached up and played with her black hair a little, ¡°I uh¡­ I wanted to come sooner but after that things got a little busy.¡± Sonya melted, just melted, that little bit of kindness just blasting all of it away, even if it was temporary, it felt good, really good. She hopped up onto the desk and snatched up the cold soda before popping it open and took a sip before passing it over to her guest with a grin, her feet swinging back and forth. ¡°You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.¡± Carla flushed at the lip of the can before glancing up at Sonya and sighing, ¡°I guess I deserve this,¡± She said with pursed lips. ¡°You got one in,¡± Sonya winked. Carla laughed and took a sip of her own before setting it down, ¡°You seem stressed.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± Sonya asked, tapping her fingers on the table, ¡°Yes, a little, it¡¯s a lot.¡± Carla tilted her head, ¡°I think we¡¯ve seen enough of one another that you can talk to me about it,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯ve told you a lot of my problems during our¡­ visits,¡± She emphasized her words with a hard blush and a gentle rub of her wrists. Sonya smiled at her and reached up to run her fingers through her hair, she threw her head back and let out a long suffering sigh. She crossed her legs and tilted her head at Carla for a while. There was so much trust there, now, after everything. What she needed more than anything was someone she could trust. Even for a moment. Even if it was taking a risk. If the reaction was bad she- no, she wouldn¡¯t do that. She¡¯d deal with it. She smiled at Carla and held out her hand and an eye appeared over it, glowing, pink, it flickered as it gazed at her. Carla stared at it for a long time before looking up at her, ¡°Don¡¯t say it out loud to me, understand? Just in case,¡± She said with a warm smile. ¡°The less I know the better about it. Whatever the reasons, I know the real you.¡± Sonya blinked and her shoulders went slack, Thank goodness. Her lip trembled a bit and she dismissed the eye, letting her hands fall into her lap, ¡°There¡¯s a lot I can¡¯t say, but¡­¡± A few minutes later Carla was on her feet with her arms wrapped around Sonya¡¯s neck. Sonya rest her chin on the woman¡¯s shoulder as a hand ran over the back of her head. She didn¡¯t say anything, there wasn¡¯t much she could say. Sonya could only give an abridged version of the events anyway as there was no way she could share the truth about the past timeline and Carla didn¡¯t want to know about Ishtar. That didn¡¯t matter, though, the hug felt nice. Carla pulled back a bit, ¡°Sonya, I want to check on you more often, if that¡¯s okay.¡± She said, brown eyes searching hers, ¡°I¡¯m going to be in New York a lot going forward.¡± Sonya titled her head, ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I like having you around, but what changed? I thought the Chairman had you running all over the place the past month.¡± Carla smirked, ¡°Well, apparently that was his way of introducing me to everyone I¡¯d be barking orders at in the future,¡± Carla said with a raised eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯m overseeing the North American Branch as administrator, my predecessor is stepping down next week.¡± Sonya brightened, ¡°From New York administrator to North America, Carla! Congratulations, you should have opened with that!¡± ¡°I wanted to check on you first,¡± Carla said, flushing a little and stepping back. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a good girl?¡± Carla squinted at her, ¡°Sonya, we¡¯re having a moment here.¡± Sonya chuckled and rubbed her neck, ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± Carla reached out, ¡°Look,¡± She said and took Sonya¡¯s hand. Sonya looked down at her fingers and up at Carla, ¡°I don¡¯t know what we are doing here, or what¡¯s happening, or any of it, but I¡¯d like to be around more to help you when I can. We can see where things go, alright?¡± Sonya squeezed Carla¡¯s fingers and played with them, ¡°I met a girl here in town and took her with me on my Florence trip,¡± She said thoughtfully, tilting her head and running her thumb over Carla¡¯s nail, ¡°I was¡­ projecting on her, it was unfair¡± She said hesitantly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that to you. I don¡¯t want to make that mistake again. You¡¯re you and-¡± Carla tilted her head down a bit to catch Sonya¡¯s eyes, ¡°Clearly you¡¯re already doing a better job, aren¡¯t you?¡± She said, ¡°Thank you for telling me that.¡± Sonya shifted a bit in her seat and scratched her nose, ¡°Quit it.¡± ¡°Quit what?¡± Carla asked, smiling a bit wider. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Sonya grumbled, trying to hide her smile. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about, Mistress,¡± Carla quipped. ¡°Oh now you¡¯re not even trying!¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°Did Marta call you? You really came all this way after running around the US just to see me? All I do is tie you up for stress relief,¡± She babbled, ¡°Come on, I-¡± Carla looked Sonya dead in the eyes, ¡°She didn¡¯t call me, I¡¯m not here for a quick lay, I just wanted to make sure you¡¯re okay and cheer you up if I could. I promise.¡± Sonya groaned and slid off the desk, ¡°That¡¯s it! We¡¯re leaving!¡± She declared, marching towards the door and tapping the button to open it, ¡°Marta, cancel all my bullshit for the evening and call that french place I like, table for two,¡± She barked, poking her head out of the door. Marta looked up from her desk with raised eyebrows and smiled before nodding and getting to work. Carla hustled up behind her, ¡°Sonya? What on earth are you up to?¡± Sonya turned on her heel and reached out to grab the woman by the chin, ¡°You go this far to cheer me up and are surprised when I decide to take you out to dinner? Silly thing,¡± She said and tugged the woman closer with a grin and a raised eyebrow, ¡°I am going to spoil you rotten tonight, understood? Dinner, a nice dinner, for a nice first date.¡± Carla melted in her grip and her eyes went just the right amount of glazed, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡ª Amos shifted a bit on his feet. The shoes were unbelievably uncomfortable. Sonya kept insisting that they were the most comfortable dress shoes of their brand but it still felt like his feet were in a vice. That wasn¡¯t even to begin to talk about the rest of it. He could hear the distant sound of Sonya talking, giving her speech, he groaned. Sure, this was exciting, but for heaven¡¯s sake did it have to be so formal? He shifted again and a hand grabbed him by the tie, tugging him forward to hold him still and straighten it. ¡°You are worse than a kid before a school play,¡± Colin said with a huff, pulling a strand of hair behind his ear as he fussed with Amos¡¯ tie. ¡°Stop wiggling around.¡± Amos glanced down at Colin¡¯s expression of concentration and went still, relaxing as his boyfriend went to work straightening him up a bit more. He stared for a bit, lost in the smell of his perfume. Colin glanced up at him as he pat his chest and smiled coyly, Amos¡¯ heart did a flip, ¡°Now now, none of that,¡± He said softly, ¡°I¡¯m wearing lipstick today,¡± He said and reached up to touch Amos¡¯ chin, ¡°Relax. You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you have to wear lipstick?¡± Amos complained in a low whisper. ¡°Because I wanted to look good for you,¡± Colin hissed. ¡°It worked,¡± Amos muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t take my eyes off you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to,¡± Colin teased and stepped back, putting his hands on his hips. He was wearing a suit jacket, tie, skirt, and black hose. He pursed his lips and gave Amos a once over from afar before nodding, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°I dunno if I can do this, babe,¡± Amos said, ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people out there.¡± Colin tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, his pretty lips doing that tilted thing again that made Amos feel weak. He walked forward and reached up to cup Amos¡¯ face in his hands. They were so fucking soft. ¡°Amos, listen to me, carefully,¡± He said putting some firmness in his voice, ¡°You got your degree back, you¡¯re Doctor Amos Carter, celebrated post-pandora scientist and the guy who probably saved billions of lives with your work. If there is anyone on the fucking planet who deserves whats coming out there, it¡¯s you. You¡¯re going to be fine. Fuck those guys, just talk about what you did, accept, and get the fuck outta there.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I-¡± He opened his mouth but it was cut off by a finger. ¡°Get through it, and you¡¯ll get that kiss, mm?¡± Colin put a bit of that husk in and Amos melted, his shoulders slumping as Colin pulled back with a wink, ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± He breathed, feeling significantly more motivated to get out there and get through it. He glanced towards the curtain to the stage again, he could hear the words. Time was up. He didn¡¯t have a chance in hell at this point. ¡°...and so with that said,¡± Sonya said to the audience, ¡°I am honored beyond words to introduce my dear friend and fellow Nobel laureate, without whom, nothing I accomplished would have been possible. The father of the post-pandora era, Doctor Amos Carter. Doctor Carter, the floor is yours.¡± Trumpets blared and Amos felt Colin push him towards the stage, he did his best not to stumble before stepping out through the curtains. The light beat down on him, the applause of the crowd was deafening, the trumpets were a lot, and the stage was bigger than he remembered. He focused on Sonya who was standing on the podium with her arm outstretched and a smile on her face. She wore a sheer white gown that sparkled as much as her skin and her hair was done up with crystals. She beamed at him and he felt his chest tighten, You say that, but aren¡¯t you the one who pulled me out of the gutter? He thought as he marched forward and took her hand. She pulled him gently towards the podium. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± She whispered before giving him a kiss on the cheek and stepping back, clapping with the audience. He cleared his throat, a little bit of pressure behind his eyes, and looked towards all of the people gathered. Physicists, scientists, historians, authors, amazing people. He looked down at the podium for a moment, his hands shaking and caught his breath. Sonya said through their technopathic connection. He took another deep breath and blinked a few times before brandishing his best smile. Just handle it like Sonya would, he thought, using his usual mantra. ¡°We all remember the time before the flash,¡± He began, ¡°Before our world irrevocably changed and life as we knew it took on a whole new dynamic. The touch of pandora¡¯s light brought out the best and the worst in us, it changed us, and with it came a force that shook the foundations of our knowledge and understanding of the universe,¡± He looked across the audience, ¡°A veil lifted, our eyes were opened to just how little we understood.¡± He rest his hand on the podium, ¡°We as a species have fought our way tooth and nail throughout history to survive, to thrive, to adapt to an ever changing world and to learn more so that we can push that progress to the next level. Mana, that force that now swirls around our world, has added a whole other level to this challenge. Yet it is the very tool we need to push through the boundaries that we once saw as insurmountable for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°My fellow laureates, excellencies, majesties, nobility and leaders, it is up to us to responsibly harness this power and turn it in the right direction. I believe in humanity¡¯s capacity to do good, to accomplish good, and to struggle and thrive even in the direst of conditions. I have seen what it looks like for someone to fight against all odds, even when it feels like the world itself is their enemy, and step forward to make a difference. I have seen heroes rise, I have met them,¡± He lowered his eyes, ¡°I made Firestorm¡¯s armor. The same armor he wore when he walked into Vegas with his head held high.¡± He looked up and smiled, ¡°And I will keep supporting heroes, just like him. I hope you will too. Because that is our role in this post-pandora world. Strive for better, Earth. Thank you.¡± He bowed and the applause took his breath away. He stood up straight and glanced back over his shoulder. Sonya was gone, back behind the curtain. It was all him. He blinked a few times and looked up and out at the crowd as the representative of the nobel committee stepped onto the stage and handed him his prize and shook his hand. The representative had tears in their eyes as they kept the handshake going for a few more moments before stepping back. ¡°It was an honor to hear you speak, Doctor Carter, thank you.¡± Amos swallowed, ¡°Thank you,¡± He said before turning and forcing himself to walk naturally back to the curtain. He dipped through it and immediately felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his neck. Before he could react soft lips pressed against his own and he staggered forward and to the right. He felt the last bits of tension wash away as his shoulders sagged and he wrapped his arms around Colin¡¯s waist. He held the kiss for a while, not wanting to ever let the moment end. Eventually though the two had to come up for air and they parted. ¡°You are amazing,¡± Colin breathed. ¡°Thanks to you,¡± He chuckled, resting his head against Colin¡¯s before glancing up at Sonya, ¡°And you too.¡± Sonya was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with a red face. She crossed her arms and looked away, ¡°You¡¯re a jerk,¡± She said quietly. ¡°You know I can¡¯t cry, right?¡± He chuckled and while still holding onto Colin, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She rest her head against his shoulder and reached up to hold the back of his head. She sighed into his shoulder, ¡°So proud of you, so happy for you,¡± She croaked. ¡°This is where you should be.¡± He squeezed her tight, ¡°You deserve it too, no matter what anyone says,¡± He said and pulled back, squeezing her arm, ¡°Thank you, for saving me. You are my hero, Sonya. Don¡¯t ever forget it,¡± He said and grinned at her as she stared at him, wide eyed, her lips trembling. He chuckled and slapped her arm, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go home, get out of these horrible clothes, and play some games or something. Yeah? We don¡¯t have to go to an after party or anything, right?¡± Sonya and Colin winced and exchanged looks. ¡°...right?¡± ¡ª Beyol was troubled. The streets of Moscow were beautiful, as always, it was a sunny day despite the chill that came with the first touches of winter. He didn¡¯t mind it, his shadows were colder. The coat that the mistress had insisted he wear helped, of course. The slacks too, and the designer shirt, and the new shoes. He was a bit confused about why she was so insistent he wear something different. T-shirts and jeans were cheap and practical, for someone who got blood on himself often, it seemed more sensible just to wear something disposable. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing though and it helped him blend in a bit better with all the other people who were walking around the streets of the Russian capital. Few looked his way though a few smiled at him with amusement for some reason. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on why. He rounded a corner and spotted his destination, it was a cafe. He liked coffee. That put him in a good mood. Yes, the sun was out, the air was crisp, and he had coffee to look forward to. Still, though, he was troubled. Something soft pressed against his arm again and he looked down at the mess of off-gray hair attached to the head rubbing against his arm. He felt that softness again as well as the narrow arms of the troubling woman who was gripping onto him like a vice. He raised an eyebrow and once more wondered what on earth was wrong with this woman. He had spent a short time dealing with some gnolls on her behalf and all of a sudden she was glued to him every time they were assigned together. He sighed and glanced around as Veloce, she still hadn¡¯t picked her new villain name yet, mumbled something about fruits. ¡°Date, date, date, date, it¡¯s a date.¡± Veloce sing-songed against his arm, barely audible since her face seemed to be attached to his coat. He scratched his nose, he didn¡¯t hate the attention but it confused him a great deal. He hadn¡¯t been prepared for this kind of thing back during his training so he had no real frame of reference to work with. Why is she so interested in fruit? He thought to himself, Does she like dates? Should I get her some? Would that make her happy? He glanced down at her again, She seems happy already, he sighed again, I don¡¯t understand. He walked into the cafe and up to the counter and a young woman greeted them with a small smile, ¡°Hi! Welcome! Can I make anything for you?¡± ¡°Two coffees, please,¡± He said, pulling out some cash from his wallet that he unfortunately had to move from its usual pocket because of his new ¡®attachment¡¯. ¡°Sure! Would your lady friend like anything sweet to go with it?¡± The woman asked brightly. Beyol considered the question before leaning in and holding his hand up to whisper, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any dates? She apparently likes them quite a bit.¡± The woman blinked and then gave him a deadpan look, it was the same look mistress gave him all the time these days. Why did women look at him like that when he was with Veloce? The woman looked down at Veloce with a pitying look before taking out a tart from a display and setting it down next to the two coffees she prepared and handed it to them. He paid quickly and led Veloce over to a table. ¡°We need to sit, Veloce,¡± He grunted. Veloce looked up at him with bright yellow eyes, a big grin on her face before glancing over at the table and the small tray with a treat and coffee in his free hand. Her eyes sparkled and she darted off his arm to sit in the chair, swaying merrily as he set the two coffees down and the tart that he assumed had dates in it in front of her. She looked down at the treat and brightened even more, if that was possible, before looking up at him with a big smile, ¡°You¡¯re so sweet.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± He grunted and sat down, taking his blessedly strong black coffee in his hand and sipping. ¡°Mhm,¡± She mumbled, already a full piece of the tart in her mouth. ¡°We have work to do after this,¡± He said stiffly. ¡°I know, I know, boss lady wants us to go poke around a bit,¡± Veloce said waving her hand, ¡°No worries, I got it.¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Have you given your name any thought?¡± He asked in a low voice. She pursed her lips and looked away, ¡°Always busy talk with you, good thing you¡¯re cute,¡± She said and tilted her head left and right, ¡°Yeah, I got a few books from her that have some great ideas in it. I¡¯ll come up with something soon.¡± ¡°You said that a month ago,¡± He pointed out. ¡°Yeah well I get distracted,¡± She shrugged, picking at her black fingernails. She wore a heavy coat but the rest of her ensemble was decidedly not for cold weather. A punk outfit with a torn shirt and ripped jeans that exposed enough skin to make him flush a little if he looked too hard. For some reason that seemed to make her laugh when it happened. She was messing with him somehow, he knew it. She took a sip of her coffee and glanced out the window, ¡°Wish we could just, you know, deal with the problem instead of being all stealthy.¡± ¡°Only if it¡¯s as bad as she suspects,¡± He reminded her, ¡°We¡¯re not here to make a mess.¡± She puffed out a breath, ¡°No fun! No fun!¡± She whined and threw her head back, slumping against the chair, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be good, but only if you buy me dinner later, somewhere nice.¡± He glanced down at his attire, he figured it was suitable for a nice restaurant later, ¡°Alright, I suppose that isn¡¯t a bad deal. I will buy you dinner at a reputable restaurant this evening after we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Two dates in one day,¡± She sighed, leaning forward on her elbow and cupping her chin with her hand, ¡°You know how to take care of a girl, Beyol,¡± She said, waggling her eyebrows at him. Again with the fruits. Is it addictive? ¡°You can have plenty of fruit tarts or whatever you like when we go,¡± He said flatly and sipped at his coffee, turning to look out the window as well. Across the street was their target, an innocuous building that was home to several shops but had a large warehouse in the rear that they all shared. Apparently a group of criminals were active in the area collecting monsters that appeared in the city in order to sell them as pets on the open market. It was a bit distasteful and bound to cause unnecessary trouble for the mistress¡¯ wider goals. According to the mistress, monsters were bad for business. That was good enough for him. Beyol finished his coffee and set it down as Veloce finished her own and popped the last piece of tart into her mouth. She beamed at him and got to her feet, stretching a little and arching her back in his face before getting to her feet and brushing her hands off. He cleared his throat and looked away, it was a little embarrassing how much she did that around him. He got to his feet and they walked past the counter where the young woman gave Veloce a look and patient smile. Veloce grinned at her before wrapping her arms around his left arm and returning to being attached to his side. Once again, Beyol was troubled. The two of them crossed the street through the cold and walked straight into a butcher¡¯s shop. They walked towards the side of the counter and the owner looked up and frowned at them, ¡°You can¡¯t-¡± He was cut off by a small spark of electricity that jumped from the clingy Veloce¡¯s finger and struck him, knocking him to the ground, unconscious. She glanced up at Beyol and blew across her finger like it was a smoking gun as they stepped up to the door leading to the back. He pinched his thumb and a violet knife appeared in his free hand. One swing and the deadbolt was cut cleanly. He reached forward and opened it. The two of them stepped inside of the large space beyond, there were people shouting and going back and forth as they worked. He frowned and looked around while Veloce skipped away to peer with a hand over her eyes like a visor, ¡°Oho! Looks like we found the right place!¡± She said merrily and glanced back at him, grinning. She paused and pouted, ¡°Wait, do we still get to go to dinner?¡± She asked. He frowned at the cages with hounds in them and then glanced at her. He met her gaze, big yellow eyes pleading, and sighed, ¡°Very well, go have fun,¡± He said. She turned on her heel and cheered while pumping her fist, ¡°Yes!¡± She shouted and hopped onto the rail before declaring to the entire warehouse; as bolts of lethal electricity began dancing across her skin, jumping from her body to strike anything around her and immediately starting small fires, ¡°Y¡¯all gotta die please! I have a date tonight!¡± He frowned, What is it with this woman and fruit? Chapter 88 ¡°Two-twenty-four.¡± She pulled herself up, muscles heating, sweat beading on her neck, brown eyes focused on the far wall. The alarm clock next to her bed ticked over and buzzed once before the radio clicked on. She pulled her chin up and over the bar as a short jingle played. Then a voice cut into the near-silence of her bedroom. ¡°Good morning, Atlanta!¡± A jolly voice said, ¡°It¡¯s six am! Blue skies today with a high of eighty-four. First thing¡¯s first, here¡¯s the carter radar report: Mana levels are going to be high again as a dungeon is anticipated to form in the city by the end of the month. City leaders are looking forward to it as it¡¯ll mean more business.¡± ¡°Two-twenty-nine.¡± She glanced towards the window and saw some people starting their days. Lights either coming on or people making their way out of their homes to start an early commute. ¡°For your commute this morning, we¡¯ve got a few hot zones already marked for a high chance of monster formation. Heroes are already being sent to the scenes. You should avoid the following streets for the next hour or so,¡± The man started rattling off street names as she pulled herself up over the bar again, her fingers tensing. ¡°Make sure to check the tracker app regularly for the latest updates. Now a quick chime in from the sponsor¡­¡± He trailed off and a slightly amused woman cut in, ¡°This morning carter radar report has been brought to you by ASTA Corporation. We are your solution.¡± ¡°Two-thirty-six.¡± ¡°Now for the news,¡± The man went on as the very digital ASTA jingle finished playing out, ¡°Two uncommon-grade dungeons were claimed this past evening by a joint operation with the Atlanta and Georgia state Guilds. Seems like there¡¯s already an agreement on the books about mining rights, you can look it up on the official Pandora Guilds app. If you¡¯re a freelancer looking for work, they¡¯ve still got some slots open,¡± He rambled on, ¡°The final piece of the North American carter radar network was also completed this morning, finalizing a project that¡¯s been a year in the making. I for one am going to be sleeping a whole lot more easily now.¡± ¡°Two-fifty,¡± She let out a sharp breath and dropped from the bar, landing on her feet and heading for the folded towel and bottles of water on her wardrobe. She snatched up the towel and ran it over her face before cracking open a bottle of water and drinking it down. ¡°It¡¯s been just under a year since the Vegas Incident, everybody, and the day we lost one of our favorite sons. Two memorials will be held this weekend. One at the Vegas Memorial Gardens with the unveiling of a statue of our own Firestorm, and at the Nick Adders Memorial Building right here in Atlanta.¡± ¡°Radio off!¡± She called with a smile and dipped into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Long black-brown hair was trussed up in a ponytail clashing with lightly tanned skin. A pair of bright brown eyes glittered back at her. She smiled and checked herself out, all muscle, a proper set of abs and toned arms. She was as ready as she could ever be. A quick shower later she threw on a tube top to allow her skin to breathe a little, some blue jeans, and of course her favorite article: an orange letterman jacket with Firestorm¡¯s logo on it. The jacket had come out very briefly as part of a funding drive to help build the Vegas Memorial Gardens. Both ASTA¡¯s Sonya Chernovna and the now late Johnathan Adders, Firestorm¡¯s father, had come together to start the fundraiser and had both doubled the public donation. The release of hero-related merchandise had been intended to be a one-time thing but it had triggered an intense wave of demand as more heroes who participated in the incident were publicized. Especially the international heroes. She even had her own Euclidia pocket watch, it was really cool, you could see the time reflected clearly on the inner part of the lid no matter what angle you held it at. She snatched it up and stuffed it into her pocket just as she reached the door. ¡°Lily! Lillian! Are you awake?¡± Her mother shouted from downstairs. She pushed the door open, ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m up!¡± She called back, ¡°Just finished getting dressed!¡± She hurried down the stairs, bouncing from step to step before landing in front of her bewildered mother. A head shorter than her and way prettier in her opinion. ¡°Hi!¡± She said brightly. Her mother laughed, ¡°Hi! Did you have a good birthday?¡± She swept her mother up into a hug, nearly lifting her off the ground, ¡°Sure did! Thank you!¡± She kissed her mother on the cheek and hurried past her to the kitchen. ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± ¡°Dragging himself out of bed slower than you,¡± Her mother chuckled, walking past and setting down a plate of steaming food in front of her. ¡°Hurry up and eat, you¡¯ve got a big day,¡± She paused, ¡°Any signs?¡± ¡°Nothing yet,¡± Lillian said as she scarfed her food down, ¡°Usually happens within the first week of turning eighteen though, so I got time.¡± ¡°You have your badge?¡± Her father grunted as he stepped into the kitchen. She looked up at the tough-looking man. Black hair and a bit of salt in his beard. He had a lanyard around his neck marking him as a mining hero. Someone with enough power to handle themselves in a fight and do work in a dungeon, but not much else. He¡¯d been a contractor before the flash, working to support his family. He¡¯d awakened his powers and started making money selling monster parts to ASTA before dungeon mining became a legitimate job a few months back. The money was great. ¡°Sure do!¡± Lillian said and pat her neck, ¡°Or not, one sec!¡± She jumped out of her seat and ran back up the stairs to the sound of her father and mother laughing. She grumbled and scrambled around her room till she found it on the nightstand. She picked it up and looked at it. HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT-TOUCHED AWAKENING, LILLIAN LANDREY Getting tested for how receptive her body was to mana had been a bit nerve wracking. The machines were still in their early stages and were frankly huge and intimidating. The report that there was an extremely high likelihood of awakening was exhilarating though. She clasped it in her hand. ¡°We are the firestorm,¡± She breathed, holding it up to her head and muttering a small prayer to anyone or anything who would listen. ¡°Please be cool, please be cool.¡± Her little mantra done, she hurried back down the stairs and flew into her seat, scarfing down her meal. Her father laughed as he took a bite of his toast and her mother sipped at her coffee. ¡°You¡¯re going to choke,¡± Her mother cautioned her, ¡°I¡¯ve got work in an hour, love. I don¡¯t want to take you to the hospital.¡± Lillian looked up abruptly, a piece of egg in her mouth. She scarfed it in quick, ¡°Uh¡­ sorry.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I know you¡¯re excited, just be polite and keep a cool head, ¡®Lil,¡± He said and reached out, patting her head. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you chose this over free running.¡± Lillian grinned, ¡°It¡¯s fate, free-running was just preparation. I know it,¡± She said clenching her fists. ¡°I¡¯m strong, fast, and agile. A perfect fit.¡± ¡°Confidence will do you good, just make sure to be polite to the guild members and especially the guildmaster if you meet him,¡± Her father cautioned with a wink, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that people have personal space, alright?¡± Lilian scratched her nose, ¡°Right right¡­¡± ¡°Now get going, you¡¯ve got to make it to the terminal,¡± He said and sipped at his own coffee. Lillian hopped to her feet and ran around the table to pull him into a monstrous hug. She did the same for her mother before hopping back into the entryway of the house and snapping off a little salute. ¡°Trainee hero Lillian Landrey is off!¡± She barked and hustled to the door, snatching up her gym bag that her mother had packed for her. She fumbled with the lock before darting out onto the sidewalk to a chorus of her parents'' laughter. She took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s gonna happen today, I know it!¡± She pulled out her phone and flipped to the map, ¡°Terminal¡­ turn on monster watch¡­ okay!¡± The route to the terminal avoiding monster watch areas was a bit back and forth, but it was the fastest route. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and broke into a jog, excitement glowing in her heart. The first annual youth camp for high-potential hero trainees. I can¡¯t believe they let in people who aren¡¯t awakened yet. Hell, I can¡¯t believe I got in. She grinned. Just goes to show how far a little passion will take you. She thought as she jogged down the street, darting past people as she made her way out of the neighborhood and into the city proper. She passed by a few shops as she went, waving at a few people she knew. One of those ferryman taxis passed by, the ritzy black taxis that only the rich seemed to afford. They looked pretty normal to her. She shrugged as she rounded a corner and spotted a few people standing in front of a large kiosk with a tv hanging from the ceiling. She hustled over and slid to a stop, glancing up at the screen. An asian woman in dark martial artists robes accented with armor and a sword across her lower back stood at a podium with an older looking guy. ¡°The current top-hero, Black Lotus, is currently in the United States in an oversight tour with a few other members of the new International Team,¡± The reporter said, ¡°She is the first hero to single-handedly claim a rare-grade dungeon. There is some speculation that she is in the country to assess the epic-grade dungeon that appeared in the mountains outside of Seattle.¡± The screen changed to another woman wearing all white with a bombastic smile on her face, she was laughing and talking with a few children. ¡°ASTA CEO Sonya Chernovna visited one of the orphanages set up in the wake of the Vegas Incident yesterday. She is slated to be touring the east coast before heading to Europe for the Pandora Committee conference next month,¡± The reporter continued, ¡°After the Committee moved their headquarters to the Hague its reach has expanded, especially with the formalizing of the Vegas Act, which restricts the activities of Mythic-grade light-touched outside of dungeons.¡± She¡¯s gonna be on the east coast? Lillian stared up at the screen, Will she visit the camp? Oh man. Signing with ASTA would be crazy! She bounced on the balls of her feet and checked her phone. Oh shit! She darted away from the kiosk, racing down the street as fast as she could. That¡¯s what I get for getting distracted! Sheesh! She admonished herself, zig-zagging between cars stuck at a red light and hopping to the next stretch of sidewalk. She kept running, going from street to street, following the guide. Just a little- She spotted a small form moving out of the corner of her eye and slid to a stop, snapping her hand out to grab a kid that had wandered a little too close to the edge of the sidewalk by the shirt. She pulled him back as a car zipped by. ¡°Hey! Careful there!¡± She said and glanced around to see his mother running over. ¡°Zack! I told you to stay with me!¡± The woman admonished him before turning to Lillian. ¡°Thank you.¡± The kid turned around and pouted, ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Lillian squatted down and spotted his firestorm t-shirt, grinning at him and poking it, ¡°He¡¯d listen to his mom, right?¡± She said and then tapped his nose, ¡°Be good.¡± He blinked as she got up and turned away, darting off without another word. She came to a stop at a particularly clogged intersection. The other intersections beyond it were just as bad. People avoiding a marked area. She checked her phone again. Ah, poop. She glanced around and saw an alley that would get her to her destination while skirting at the edge of the marked area. She huffed out a breath and darted between a few openings in the cars and into the alley. Just run through. She told herself and broke into a dash, hopping over things left behind. A bang sounded off to her left, Heroes must be working. She thought as she crested the alley and a hound went flying past her face. She slid to a stop and blinked, glancing to the right at the creature as it staggered to its feet only to get a bullet in its head for its trouble. It slumped to the ground as she glanced to her left and a grizzled looking man walked past her, giving her a sidelong look, ¡°Did you not check the app this morning, kid?¡± He grunted. She scratched her neck, ¡°Running a little late, gotta get to the terminal.¡± He glanced at her lanyard and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Better get moving. It¡¯s clear here. I won¡¯t say anything,¡± He said and strode towards the corpse. She snapped him a salute, ¡°Thanks!¡± She called and he waved dismissively, not looking back. Lillian raced across the vacant street, moving into the next alley. Buildings turned into a blur as she passed, pushing herself until she finally hopped over that last inappropriately placed dumpster. She landed on her feet, breathing hard, as she finally laid eyes on the bus terminal. A heavy looking bus with the Pandora Committee logo on the side of it was waiting and there were already people gathered around it. ¡°Made it,¡± She let out a breath. She hurried across the street, waving her hands. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m here!¡± A guard wearing a committee inspectors coat turned and reached for a weapon on his belt only to pause when he saw her lanyard flapping about. He was wearing a full face helmet and armor beneath his coat. He crossed his arms, ¡°You¡¯re late! What¡¯s your name?¡± He demanded. She slid to a stop, her stomach sinking a little from the admonishment. ¡°Uh, Lillian Landrey sir.¡± He turned his head towards a woman standing off to the side, she had black hair in a bob cut. She wore a functional pencil skirt and white blouse that almost made her miss the ornate white choker hugging the woman''s neck. Is that a pink sapphire? Lillian thought before the woman cleared her throat and drew Lillian out of her distracted thoughts. The woman adjusted her glasses and looked down at a clipboard in her hand, ¡°She¡¯s on the list,¡± The woman said, ¡°You¡¯re very lucky Miss Landrey. We¡¯re getting ready to leave. Is that your luggage?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Lillian barked. ¡°Mhm, go ahead and put it in there,¡± She said, pointing a pen at an open compartment beneath the bus. ¡°Then get in. We¡¯re leaving in five minutes.¡± Lillian didn¡¯t have to be told twice, she hurried over and tossed her bag in before making her way over to the door to the bus. She climbed inside and looked out over the many heads that looked back up at her briefly before going back to what they were doing. Oh man this is it! Now where do I sit? She thought, making her way down the aisle until she found an open seat. There was a guy sitting there and looking out the window. She stopped, ¡°This seat taken?¡± A pair of bright blue eyes turned to look at her, blonde hair coiffed perfectly on the guy''s head. He brandished a brilliant smile at her, ¡°Nope! All yours!¡± Chapter 89 It was the single longest few minutes of her life, sitting there, waiting for the bus to start moving. She did her best to sit still, she really did. She kept her hands pressed between her knees and fixed her feet to the ground as the psec guy and the woman with the clipboard made their way up onto the bus. She glanced into the aisle and saw others talking and looking around, some were just relaxing, while a few looked about as nervous as she felt. The low hum of activity was dizzying, there were so many people here and all of them were at the bare minimum in the rare-tier or had the high potential of getting there. She felt like she was sitting in the middle of a powder keg. She needed a distraction and in her desperation turned to the only person who had even so much as acknowledged her existence so far among the others. The blonde guy. She turned towards him and put on her biggest smile, ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡± She asked, trying to sound casual even as her heart pounded just about ten miles a minute. He was resting quietly against his seat, his head tilted to look out the window lazily. When she spoke she saw his shoulders tense a little before he shifted and glanced back at her. ¡°Marc,¡± He said absently. ¡°I¡¯m Lillian, nice to meet you!¡± She said eagerly, holding out a hand. He raised an amused eyebrow and took her hand, ¡°Huh, sure,¡± He said his lip twitching a little, was something funny? ¡°You look a little nervous.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± She gasped, losing a bit of volume control, she glanced around and saw a few eyes turned towards her before turning away with a few muted chuckles. She sighed and dipped her head, ¡°Yeah, maybe a little. I¡¯m just so excited to be here.¡± ¡°You and me both,¡± Marc said absently, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms. She opened her mouth to ask another question when a chime rang out through the bus. Marc shifted forward and glanced up over the top of the seat ahead of them, she looked his way then followed his gaze to see the woman in glasses standing at the head of the bus. She adjusted her glasses and surveyed everyone for a moment before nodding, ¡°This was our second to last stop, everyone, thank you for your patience,¡± She said primly, ¡°For those of you who are just now joining us, I am Carla Mint, East Coast administrator for the Pandora Committee.¡± ¡°She used to be the liaison to ASTA corp before she got promoted,¡± Marc muttered under his breath, ¡°Super well connected.¡± She glanced his way, Woah, that¡¯s some good info. She thought before looking back at the woman. ¡°From here we will be making our way directly towards the facility in Green Bank West Virginia,¡± She said, ¡°It will be about half a day before we arrive, you should take that time to use your phones as much as you can. Greenbank is a signal-free zone. Keep in mind that communications in this vehicle are being monitored and mentioning the location of the camp will result in expulsion. This is non-negotiable,¡± Miss Mint continued sternly, glancing at a few faces in particular. ¡°You are now the first generation of East Coast Hero Aspirants, feel free to get to know your neighbors but keep moving in the aisle to a minimum. That is all,¡± She finished and with a practiced move, turned away to sit down next to the guard. On cue, the bus began to move, pulling out from the terminal without a word. ¡°Woah, this is serious,¡± Lillian breathed before breaking out into a grin, ¡°I can¡¯t friggin wait!¡± She said and clenched her fists, ¡°Today¡¯s gonna be the day, I know it.¡± ¡°Unawakened?¡± A boy said from above her. She glanced up sharply into the face of a guy with short brown hair and bright lavender-colored eyes. He grinned, ¡°Or are you just sleeping on it?¡± He asked, raising his eyebrows and waggling them a little. She blinked at him a few times, squinting a little. ¡°...huh?¡± Another boy popped up next to the first and nudged him, ¡°Dude your puns suck,¡± He said with a chuckle before looking down at Lillian, he was blonde with messy hair and dark eyes, dark eyes that widened when he took a look at her, ¡°Holy mother of gorgeous,¡± He breathed, ¡°I mean,¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m BLF.¡± He said, dropping his voice an awkward number of octaves. Lillian opened her mouth, her confusion only getting worse. What is happening right now? Was that flirting? Dude, come on. ¡°His name is Alex,¡± The pun-guy said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking what BLF means, he won¡¯t tell anyone. He thinks it¡¯s cool or something to do that.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Alex-BLF barked, ¡°At least mine¡¯s a bit original, ¡®Gravitic¡¯.¡± ¡°It has a certain profundity to it,¡± Gravitic said, ¡°Name¡¯s Greg, by the way,¡± He held out a hand. Lillian took the hand with a breath, finally, an actual lifeline in this confusing conversation, ¡°Lillian, I¡¯m guessing those are your chosen codenames?¡± She asked with a small smile, ¡°I¡¯m unawakened, yeah, so I haven¡¯t picked one yet. I was hoping to come up with something like Firestorm¡¯s name, though.¡± Alex rested his chin on his palm, ¡°Figured you for a fangirl, I like your jacket by the way.¡± She beamed up at him, ¡°Thanks!¡± She said before glancing over at Marc, ¡°Oh! This is Marc!¡± She hesitated and glanced towards the stoic blonde, ¡°I didn¡¯t get your codename, if you have one, sorry.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve met,¡± Alex grunted, frowning at Marc before turning back to Lillian, ¡°Lilian, huh? You wanna be like Firestorm? Not bad,¡± He said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m in it to make a name for myself, maybe do a little good along the way with my team.¡± ¡°Team?¡± Lillian asked, glancing sidelong at Marc who shrugged at the dismissive comment and resumed looking out the window with a small smile on his face. She looked between the two young men who were hovering over her, ¡°You two?¡± ¡°Oh not just us,¡± Greg said, he pointed at a rather plain looking guy with dark hair and slight bags under his eyes. He was wearing the most ordinary white shirt and black tie ensemble she¡¯d ever seen. She half expected him to come up to her and ask her uncomfortable religious questions. ¡°That¡¯s John, just John, don¡¯t let appearances deceive you, his power is nuts.¡± Greg then pointed at the red-haired boy sitting next to him in a long sleeve shirt and hoodie. He was tapping his finger on his arm and looking generally impatient, ¡°That¡¯s Val, or Pyrolysis, cool dude, short temper, great in a brawl,¡± Greg said before leaning forward a little and nodding towards one more person. A girl who looked almost half her size was tucked into the seat across the aisle from her, separated by another guy with glasses and a thin lipped expression. The girl was curled in on herself and had a hood pulled up over her head. She was fixated on the cellphone in her hand.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°That¡¯s Snow,¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Hey Snow! New friend!¡± Before Lillian knew what was happening, text appeared in the air in the middle of the aisle, it looked like it came right off of a smartphone, little bubble included. The text said followed by a genuine ¡®winky face¡¯ emoji and a kiss emoji. Lillian leaned back from the abrupt appearance of the text. ¡°Snow¡¯s thing is illusions, she¡¯s got the best control of her powers out of everyone on the bus pretty much,¡± Alex cut in, ¡°Too bad she doesn¡¯t talk much.¡± A middle finger emoji popped up next. ¡°Oh yeah, you wanna go short stuff?¡± Alex asked, climbing up on his seat a little. ¡°Mister Ellis?¡± A sharp voice rang out. He froze and turned his head slowly in the direction of a very unhappy looking Carla Mint looking back at him from over her seat. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Sit. Down.¡± He grinned, ¡°Ah, yeah, mhm, doing that, right now, look at me go!¡± He babbled, turning a bit red as he slid back down into his seat. Lillian barely made out the poor guy cover his head with his hands. ¡°Why is she so scary?¡± He whined. ¡°Because you¡¯re a simp,¡± Greg grunted and turned back to Lillian, ¡°So yeah, that''s all of us, straight out of Nashville.¡± Lillian blinked a few more times, taking it all in as a bubble of excitement welled up in her chest. She couldn¡¯t contain it after only a heartbeat, ¡°Already forming a team! That¡¯s crazy! What are your powers? I mean, besides Snow¡¯s, hers are amazing by the way. That¡¯s so cool!¡± She enthused. She hadn¡¯t even thought that far ahead. What kind of team could she be on? Would she have teammates as cool as Bandit or Lifesaver? What role would she play? There was so much to think about! Greg raised an eyebrow as a winky-face emoji appeared next to Lillian. ¡°Think mine¡¯s pretty easy to figure out,¡± He said. ¡°Gravity, right?¡± She asked. ¡°Something like that,¡± He said with a grin before pointing down at Alex, ¡°This poor guy can do weird shit with his body.¡± Alex shot up, ¡°Hey! That is not how it works!¡± He barked, ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound creepy!¡± Greg laughed, ¡°As for John and Pyrolysis, they don¡¯t like talking about their powers so I won¡¯t be that guy, sorry.¡± She leaned back against her chair, ¡°That¡¯s fine, I understand,¡± She said before turning to look at Marc, ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Here we go,¡± Alex grunted and sat back down, ¡°Mister Mythic.¡± Her eyes widened, ¡°...you¡¯re a mythic?¡± She asked the blonde. Marc glanced her way and smirked, ¡°Only one on this bus, apparently,¡± He said with a slightly self-satisfied sigh and leaned back. Alex grumbled something on the other side of the chair that Lillian couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°Perfect power to achieve my dream. Like how you want to be like Firestorm, I happen to have a goal of my own.¡± Greg, who had stopped paying attention when Marc was talking turned his head and looked down at the guy, ¡°You actually have a goal? I figured it was just ¡®show off¡¯.¡± Marc snorted, ¡°Hardly,¡± He made a face and looked down at his hands, ¡°I have someone I want to take down more than anything in the world. To do that, I¡¯ve got to make a big name for myself so I can get picked to be on the strike-force sent after them one day, no, I want to lead it.¡± He said and clenched his fists tightly. It was a little melodramatic, but Lillian couldn¡¯t help but get caught up in that passion. To make his singular goal of taking down another person, they must be absolutely terrible- ¡°I¡¯m gonna lead the strike team to take down Ishtar.¡± His declaration came with a silence that hung throughout their part of the bus. The young man in glasses flinched a little bit out of the corner of Lillian¡¯s eye. Alex sat up from his seat and looked down at him, ¡°Dude, you¡¯re nuts.¡± Marc looked up at him and smirked, ¡°Am I? I know the name of my power,¡± He clenched his fist, ¡°Crown of Gilgamesh. Ishtar¡¯s enemy in myth,¡± He said, ¡°Seems like destiny to me.¡± ¡°Shh!¡± The guy in the glasses said, ¡°Are you serious? Stop saying her name!¡± He urged them. They all looked over at him, Greg speaking first, ¡°What¡¯s your deal, Ollie?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? One in thirty people have a connection to that person or know someone connected to her. There¡¯s fifty two of us on the bus, that means at least one person here-¡± The guy in glasses started only for Alex to hold up his hands. ¡°Dude, dude, that¡¯s just a conspiracy theory,¡± Alex said, ¡°Come on man, half the shit they say about her can¡¯t be real.¡± Lillian pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands. They clenched into fists as she felt a small twinge of fear run through her. Just thinking about that woman, that person, that monster, sent chills through her. Someone who fought off the worlds greatest heroes and stole away the man ultimately responsible for Firestorm¡¯s death, only to kill him herself afterwards. Cruel, evil, and powerful. Everyone knew her name and it was true that even at home saying it out loud was something of a taboo. It felt like thinking about her was bad luck. ¡°I believe it, most of it anyway,¡± She said with a breath. They all looked at her. ¡°I don¡¯t care if some people think she¡¯s curtailing the villains. I¡¯ve heard it all too,¡± She said and glanced towards Marc, ¡°If you¡¯re gonna be there to take her down, so am I.¡± Marc grinned at her, ¡°Better get a good power and keep up then. She¡¯s mine.¡± Now that fired her up, she grinned back at him, ¡°Challenge accepted!¡± ¡°Oh great, now we¡¯re in a frigging shonen,¡± Alex groaned and sat back down, ¡°I for one will be happy just helping some people. No crazy suicidal goals for me, thank you very much.¡± Greg rest his arm on the back of his seat and tilted his head, ¡°Just be careful, alright? You¡¯re still unawakened and the camp isn¡¯t going to be easy, not with miss grump overseeing it,¡± He said and sat down himself. She felt a flush run up her neck and lowered her head even as she kept her fists clenched. No, she wasn¡¯t going to back down just because it sounded crazy. She let out a breath and leaned back against her seat, giving Marc a sidelong glance, ¡°Thanks.¡± He shrugged at her and looked back out the window. The young man next to her cleared his throat, ¡°I, for one, don¡¯t think that Miss Mint will be our overseer,¡± He said, adjusting his glasses. The text from Snow¡¯s illusion appeared next to him. Ollie nodded at the message, ¡°Miss Snow is right,¡± He said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty safe to say that ASTA will be present, Marian Heroics, Forge Tactical, Wizney,¡± He named off a few. Alex snorted, ¡°You really think Wizney¡¯s gonna be here? I am not wearing a goddamn mouse on my hero suit.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve got money,¡± Ollie pointed out. Lillian tried to keep up with the conversation, there was so much to take in. She blinked a few times before something occurred to her and it felt a little rude that she hadn¡¯t asked yet, ¡°Ollie right?¡± She chimed in, cutting out a stirring argument between the two. He glanced her way, ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°What is your codename?¡± She asked, ¡°Are you awakened? I didn¡¯t ask, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± He asked, blinking a little. ¡°He¡¯s a heroic,¡± Alex grunted, ¡°Scary fuckin guy, scarier than the rest of us, ain¡¯t that right, Riot?¡± He asked and poked his head up, grinning. Ollie frowned, ¡°I didn¡¯t pick that name,¡± He protested, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that karmic threads are more than just something to tug on. It¡¯s an investigative power!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just sayi-¡± Alex started with a laugh before freezing. Everyone froze. Most of all, Lillian froze. She looked down at her hands and blinked, a faint pale-white glow was beginning to rise up off of them. Her eyes widened as she felt something rush into her, a tingling that raced through her muscles and into her very bones. Like a wind, it built up before rushing out of her in a cool breeze. Instincts she didn¡¯t know she had tingled at the back of her head, built in knowledge that told her¡­ next to nothing. She frowned, ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Something¡¯s not right. No, that can¡¯t be it, can it? No, that¡¯s not right. Someone on the far end of the bus sat up, ¡°Who let rip the world''s nicest fart?¡± Oh no. Chapter 90 On a rational, logical level, Lillian knew that the laughter wasn¡¯t that loud. There were only a few chuckling at the crack from the stranger near the front of the bus. And yet, to her, it was all deafening. She tried again to feel for the instincts of the ability, try to see if there was more to it, there was more information she could work with. There was nothing, she understood on a simplistic level what it did, what it was used for. She also knew that she couldn¡¯t simply turn it off either, but she could direct it and reign it in. It provides comfort, She thought miserably, leaning forward and resting her head against Greg¡¯s chair. That¡¯s it. It soothes. What kind of villain and monster-fighting hero has a power like that? What am I supposed to do with it? Stand at the back? She closed her eyes and clenched her fists as the laughter died down, she mutely heard a few sharp words from Miss Mint somewhere but she barely understood what the woman said. ¡°Man, nice and warm in here,¡± Alex mumbled somewhere nearby, ¡°Headaches easing up too.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Greg asked above her, ¡°I think it''s a bit cooler.¡± She frowned and peeled her head off the back of her seat. Her eyes slowly moved up to see the two looking down at her. Alex grinned at her, though he looked a bit uneasy about it, ¡°Not what you were hoping for?¡± He asked, rubbing his neck, ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I feel great.¡± She gave him a sad smile, ¡°Sort of, I guess? Is it really helping a headache?¡± To her left, Marc grunted and shifted a bit in his seat, looking more pointedly out the window. A little bit of her sank a bit. She¡¯d just got done declaring that she¡¯d be fighting on the same team that took down Ishtar. With this? Who am I fooling? She thought. It probably isn¡¯t even rare. They¡¯re going to kick me out if- ¡°Miss Landrey.¡± The clipped voice drew her out of her thoughts and she looked up in horror at the woman standing over her. Carla Mint adjusted her glasses and looked down at her with that piercing gaze. Up close she had a unique scent to her, some kind of rare perfume, why was she wearing perfume for an event like this? Lillian schooled her wandering thoughts, realizing that she was trying to distract herself. The woman reached into her purse and pulled out a small silvery ball about the size of a baseball and held it out to her. ¡°A portable RTE,¡± Carla said, ¡°Please hold it.¡± Lillian¡¯s heart sank but she nodded. She felt the gazes of the others who she had quickly bonded with on her as she let the ball drop into her hand. Carla pulled out her phone and tapped a few things on the screen and the ball started to hum, then glow. First white, then green, it hung there for a while and Lillian felt her shoulders droop before the color deepened to a vibrant blue and remained. A chime rang out from the phone and the ball turned silver again, Carla took the ball and slipped it back into her purse. ¡°Rare, very good. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what it''s features are. It¡¯s an unusual ability,¡± She said and departed without another word. Lillian sat there, mouth agape, ¡°It¡¯s rare?¡± She looked up at Alex and Greg as if begging them to confirm it. Alex just grinned at her and shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s rare! I can stay!¡± She gasped, laughing and getting to her feet, throwing her arms around the two boys'' necks and pulling them into a tight hug. Alex gagged and patted her arm desperately while Greg just laughed. ¡°Muscles- too- can¡¯t- air!¡± Alex squeaked. She let the two of them go, beaming. She didn¡¯t understand her power, the instincts for it were so faint it felt like it wasn¡¯t even there, but it was good enough to stay. Good enough to make a difference. She didn¡¯t know how she could use it to help or live up to Firestorm¡¯s memory, Dammit I¡¯ll try my best! She thought, relief washing through her. Text appeared to her right and she glanced over to see a message from Snow. The text said, followed by a thinking emoji. Lillian glanced at Alex who frowned, ¡°Yeah, had a headache for a while now, honestly,¡± He rubbed his neck, ¡°Slept funny on the way to Atlanta. My shoulders and neck feel better too.¡± ¡°Pain relief?¡± Ollie chimed in, adjusting his glasses, ¡°That would certainly be useful especially when grouped with a regenerator. They rarely come with a pain reduction feature. It isn¡¯t a fun power to have,¡± He tilted his head before narrowing his eyes and reaching out to her, ¡°May I?¡± Lillian looked at his hand, ¡°Do what?¡± She asked, reaching out to take it anyway. ¡°I wanted to-¡± He paused, ¡°Oh my,¡± He glanced around as if he could see something she couldn¡¯t, ¡°They¡¯re everywhere. Instant karmic threads connecting you with the entire bus. That¡¯s¡­ very interesting. Why are they silver? Hmm¡­ new color,¡± He rubbed his chin and pulled his hand away before immediately pulling out a notebook and starting to write something down, ¡°...silver is temporary? No, mine aren¡¯t silver¡­¡± ¡°And we¡¯ve lost him,¡± Greg chuckled. Lillian looked up, ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± She said. Greg shrugged, ¡°None of us really get him, he can see the threads that connect people. It¡¯s no secret. He can even tug on them and manipulate them a bit. Apparently he started a riot with it at one point and got in some legal trouble, hence the nickname.¡± Lillian looked back at the deeply focused young man across from her, ¡°Woah.¡± ¡°The fuck, John?¡± A half-grunt half-shout came from the seat directly in front of Snow and Riot, making Lillian jump. She looked up to see the stoic guy in the white shirt and tie staring at his bleeding hand. There was a knife in his other hand. His expression hadn¡¯t shifted at all, instead, he simply took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his palm down before turning to face Lillian. He held his hand out. Behind him, Val was standing up and looking at him with visible confusion. ¡°Hey you can¡¯t just stab yourself like that, man!¡± Val protested. ¡°Gross!¡± Lillian looked at John¡¯s face, unperturbed and stiff as ever. She looked at his hand. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alex said, ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°No wound, it¡¯s got a regeneration feature to it too, classy,¡± Greg said thoughtfully. ¡°Nice of you to volunteer, John.¡± Lillian looked at the unblemished skin and back up at the stoic guy who nodded to her, ¡°Very good. You can help a lot of people,¡± He said evenly before turning back to sit as he had before. Lillian¡¯s lips twitched and she looked down at her hands. A few emojis popped up next to her, a smiley face, a wink, a hug, and a thumbs up. She pressed her lips together harder and closed her eyes. These are some really good people I¡¯ve met already. I¡¯m so glad. She didn¡¯t feel the little streak of warmth that went down her cheek. Maybe I won¡¯t be a fighter, but I can help, right? That¡¯s good enough. It¡¯s gotta be. She sat up and smiled at them, ¡°Thanks, guys.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Ah shit, don¡¯t cry!¡± Greg griped, ¡°Alex is gonna get all weepy.¡± ¡°Am not! You asshole!¡± Alex protested. Snow said. ¡°The shrimp is gonna protect her? Yeah, okay,¡± Alex laughed. Snow shot back. ¡°Slither?¡± Alex bit out. Lillian couldn¡¯t help herself, she laughed. These people were so strange that it was a breath of fresh air. They¡¯d already completely set aside the moment and gone back as if nothing had changed between all of them. Everyone except Marc, who seemed to have dozed off at some point during the excitement. She smiled at the back of his head, he had a bit of an ego but he had a good goal. She sighed as the bickering continued. Val stood up at one point and told Alex to keep his mouth shut. John dozed off despite the noise. Cartoony two-dimensional illusions of Alex getting his butt kicked by monsters started filling the air. Lillian leaned back and closed her eyes. Maybe a nap would be a good idea. ¨C Lillian woke as the bus came to a stop, the faint swaying of the vehicle drawing her slowly out of her slumber. She blinked a few times and squinted before looking up and around herself. The air felt strange, still. She turned her head towards Ollie and Snow and found them both dozed off in their own seats. Alex and Greg were also asleep from the looks of it. Where are we? She wondered. ¡°Hey, Lillian right?¡± A sharp voice came from her right. She looked up and saw Val. He was up on his seat and staring at her. Facing him, she got a good look at his face. Red hair and off-orange eyes that had a slight grayness around the color. He wore thick clothing, even a turtle neck and gloves. Every inch of his skin except for his face was covered. ¡°You good?¡± She blinked at him, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Not easy not getting what you hoped for, am I right?¡± He said with a knowing smile. She smiled at him, ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯m fine though. It¡¯s not what I was expecting, but it doesn¡¯t feel wrong either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± He said with a nod, ¡°Sorry about John, he just does things sometimes. Nobody knows what he¡¯s thinking, but somehow things just turn out alright,¡± Val said and rubbed his neck before glancing away and looking towards the front of the bus. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, your aura or whatever it is, it¡¯s pretty great. Haven¡¯t felt this good in a long time.¡± She smiled at him, ¡°Thanks.¡± He grinned, ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here. At the gates it looks like.¡± She sat up a bit straighter and looked over the seats, a few of the others on the bus were looking out as well. Ahead of them, Carla was standing with the PSEC guard and talking with two others that were dressed like him. Just past them was a huge sheer white gate of metal and concrete. It trembled once before slowly splitting down the middle and sliding open. The sound of its movement woke a few of the others as Miss Mint got back onto the bus and regarded everyone. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, we¡¯ve arrived at Pandora¡¯s Green Bank Facility. You will notice that your phones are no longer functional. This is normal. We will get you to the courtyard to begin your orientation in just a moment. There are VIPs and sponsorship company representatives present. Keep that in mind.¡± Lillian felt that excitement resurface, racing back through her body and into her mind. Her smile blossomed back to life as she gripped the back of Greg¡¯s seat. He let out a snore and she gave it a good shake, ¡°Greg, greg! Wake up! We¡¯re here!¡± He snorted and shook his head, confused, ¡°Huh? What? Mmm? Oh shit!¡± He mumbled before sitting up and giving Alex a punch in the shoulder. ¡°Ow! What the f- oh! Fuck!¡± They passed through the gates and everyone looked out the windows. It was night. A dozen PSEC guards were standing with anti-monster munition loaded guns in their hands. Past them, trees and a winding road lead up the side of a massive hill. Occasionally they¡¯d see a break in the trees and spot either a building or some kind of sports-like field. There were obstacle courses and what looked like a simulated warzone at one point with scattered debris and craters. They continued until they reached the top where a large white building was stationed a distance away from what appeared to be an enormous decommissioned radio telescope. Behind it, hills and mountains rose in the distance, the sky was¡­ amazing. There are so many stars. She thought breathlessly. The bus came to a stop, ¡°Everyone out! Please line up in rows of five here in the courtyard,¡± Miss Mint ordered and stepped out of the bus. Lillian and the others hopped to their feet, talking quietly amongst themselves as they filed out. She stepped onto the ground and felt the air even more, still, clean, strangely empty for some reason. Like there was a noise that was just missing. She kept her moment of thoughtfulness short and hurried over with the others as they started to form columns. The Nashville crew of course formed their own line while she, Marc, and Ollie joined another, a blonde girl immediately behind her accompanied by a frowning young man who gave her a steely look. She glanced away from him and at the building they¡¯d been lined up in front of. It looked like some sort of combination museum, common building, and residence hall. Probably for the researchers who used to work here. She looked up and saw that there was a balcony looking down over the courtyard. Carla stepped past them and went into the building for a few minutes as they all settled and looked among themselves. Alex rolled his shoulders, ¡°Here we go.¡± ¡°VIPs,¡± John muttered and his expression shifted for the first time since she¡¯d seen him, down into a determined frown as he stared up at the balcony. Beyond the railing, the doors opened and Miss Carla stepped out, behind her were two men and a woman in suits. Lillian didn¡¯t recognize any of them. ¡°Wizney, Marian, Forge,¡± John muttered. Then a laugh like tinkling glass shattered the silence that had only been filled with light muttering. Two more women stepped onto the balcony and everyone went still, Lillian felt her heart turn into stone in her chest as her eyes went wide. The first was a woman in black robes and armor, her stoic gaze sweeping over the gathered youths before glancing at the second woman and frowning a little. Black Lotus. Lillain breathed, The world¡¯s number one. Then the second woman darted to the right, putting some distance between herself and Black Lotus. She rushed right up to the railing and leaned over it, silver hair dancing around her as a pair of luminous mechanical eyes looked over them all. ¡°Woah!¡± Sonya Chernovna said with all the enthusiasm in the world, ¡°Look at all of you! Amazing! I see some familiar faces!¡± She waved, ¡°Wow! Looking good! Oh there¡¯s Ollie! Hi Ollie!¡± She waved merrily, ¡°Glad you could make it! Who¡¯s the cutie behind you?¡± That was when Lillian felt the Voice of the Hero Movement¡¯s eyes directly on her. Carla sidled up next to Sonya as another person stepped out of the doors but was obscured by the gathered VIPs and representatives. Carla whispered something in Sonya¡¯s ear and the woman nodded eagerly, ¡°Oh? Really?¡± She said and whipped around, darting back towards the doors. The person that had come out immediately went back inside with the pixie-like CEO. Up above, Black Lotus looked back over her shoulder, her expression mute. What¡¯s up with that? What¡¯s going on? Lillian thought just as the entry doors of the facility flew open and Sonya strode out, pristine white suit and pink tie practically glowing against her glittering skin. She brandished a grin and strode straight towards Lillian¡¯s group. The woman winked once and Ollie shifted a bit. She knows him, I wonder how? He didn¡¯t say anything on the bus. Sonya marched right past him, giving him a playful wink as the other person stepped out and leaned against the door, arms crossed. That maid outfit, is that Handmaiden?! Of course she¡¯d be here, that¡¯s Sonya¡¯s bodygu- ¡°Hi!¡± The greeting came so abruptly that Lillian had to do a double-take. She looked down a bit and into the glowing pink eyes of Sonya Chernovna herself. She looked like¡­ wow. Was it even possible to be that pretty? She barely seemed human. It was beyond intimidating. Sonya grinned smugly at her, ¡°Lillian Landrey right? Heard you awakened on the bus!¡± She held out her hand, ¡°Mind if I have a look?¡± Chapter 91 Lillian looked down at the woman in front of her, she was so short! She had always seen Sonya as this larger-than-life figure. But the reality was she was a petite little thing. That smile, though, cunning, a bit smug, and full of mischief. It was a bit funny to Lillian to see the person who had figuratively kicked off the age of heroes as this tiny little imp of a person, but here she was. She swallowed and looked down at the woman¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°You can find out a powers name with a touch, right?¡± She asked hesitantly. ¡°Sure can!¡± Sonya said with a wink. She almost didn¡¯t want to know, but a little part of her couldn¡¯t resist the desire. It wasn¡¯t a commonplace thing to know, Pandora didn¡¯t make a big deal of pointing it out, but a power¡¯s name was incredibly important. Knowing it almost made it more powerful, in a roundabout kind of way. Once you knew it, you could understand it. Lillian glanced to the left at the Nashville team, Alex grinned at her and Greg gave her a thumbs up. She looked back down. ¡°Okay,¡± She said and took the woman¡¯s hand. What is that ticking sound? Lillian thought as thin, delicate fingers tangled with hers for just a moment. She¡¯s so close. Is she wearing cologne? It¡¯s ¡­ sweet? Just like that, Sonya stepped back with a chuckle and gave her a coy grin, ¡°I¡¯ll make a note of it!¡± She said with a laugh, ¡°Definitely come see me this evening during the open interviews and I¡¯ll fill you in.¡± Wait, she¡¯s not going to- ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell her here?¡± Alex protested, a frown on his face. Sonya turned her head and put her hands on her hips. She was standing between Ollie and Marc with a frown on her face now. ¡°Excuse me? Why on earth would I do that here?¡± She asked a bit sharply. Alex blinked, ¡°Uh¡­ because¡­¡± ¡°Listen here,¡± She said and stepped back out to stand in front of the group, ¡°I¡¯m going to make something clear for all of you,¡± She held up a finger, ¡°The name of your power is a precious thing. It tells you a lot about the nature of it, how it works, what it does, and how to help it grow to its fullest potential. All powers are capable of hitting the peak of their grade and some can even encroach higher with smart use,¡± She said, turning to give Alex a look. ¡°They are also a hint at your weaknesses. Blatantly shouting out your power¡¯s name is suicidal and stupid, especially the higher in rank it is. In the peak-epic, heroic, and mythic tiers, some of those powers have conceptual weaknesses,¡± She explained and ahead of Lillian, Marc flinched a little, ¡°Thematic ones, especially those named after mythological or historical figures. They can tell you a lot. Imagine if you went around bragging that you had Achilles body? Hm?¡± She spun dramatically and pointed at Ollie, ¡°Ollie dear! Tell me, what would you do if you had to fight a villain with Achilles powers?¡± Everyone glanced at Ollie who shrank a little bit under the intense scrutiny. He pushed his glasses up, ¡°Um¡­ I would go for his heels?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Sonya announced, ¡°Achilles was a hero who was thought invincible in myth, but his heel was vulnerable and one blow killed him.¡± Sonya turned to Alex with a raised eyebrow, ¡°Sharing the name and details of your powers is something for your closest allies and those you trust intimately,¡± She pursed her lips and smiled at him, ¡°Be more careful in the future, mm? Fortunately you¡¯re surrounded by fellow aspirant heroes.¡± She turned away with a flourish, ¡°Miss Landrey, I¡¯m looking forward to talking later tonight!¡± She said with a wave and walked towards the doors. ¡°Black Lotus can handle it from here, I¡¯m sure!¡± She said and Handmaiden opened the door for her with a bow, the two disappearing inside. Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment, looking at one another. Lillian looked down at her hand and up at the door, clenching it tightly. Now I definitely want to know. Behind her, the blonde girl shifted a bit, ¡°Wow¡­¡± Lillian and a few of the others within earshot looked her way. She had long straight blonde hair and dark, dark blue eyes. She pulled her hair back over her ear and scowled at Lillian, ¡°What?¡± Lillian grimaced and turned away, Scary. A sound like a whip crack broke through all the murmured conversation. Lillian turned back and looked up to see Black Lotus standing up there, leaning on the railing with one hand up. The way her fingers were positioned¡­ Did she just snap her fingers and make that kind of sound? That could deafen someone! Black Lotus frowned, ¡°Back to business!¡± She said, her voice carrying despite speaking at a normal volume. She crossed her arms behind her back and held her head high, ¡°As you are all aware this is both a training camp and a way to test you to see if you have what it takes to get your license and become a hero. The laws have changed since the flash and there are many regulations in place and qualifications you must meet. You will be challenged here and pushed to your limits to see just the kind of person you are.¡± She swept her gaze over the gathered youths. Everyone stood up a bit straighter. Lillian felt her heart pound in her chest. ¡°You are the fifty highest potential aspirants on the East Coast, that puts a lot of pressure on you. Embrace it, face it. Tonight is your sole night of peace before the coming storm. As Miss Chernovna indicated, there will be open interviews tonight and every night to introduce yourself to the various sponsors present. It is up to you to choose when to take the plunge and meet with one of them.¡± She gestured to the left, ¡°Miss Hardy from Wizney. Mister Onslow from Forge. And Mister Cramer from Marian. As well as Miss Chernovna from ASTA will be in their offices within the facility that you¡¯ll be staying in. Their doors will be open after training is done each day to meet with you.¡± She drew her arm back, ¡°As for your instructors, there are several licensed heroes present who will help oversee. As well as myself and Miss Chernovna who has agreed to assist in a few classes including one of the combat classes. You can learn more inside, there are catalogs on your bunks. It is up to you to pick which classes you attend throughout the day. Do not waste your time. It is limited.¡± The stern woman gave them all one more once over, ¡°This is your chance to prove yourselves, tonight is your opportunity to rest and get to know one another, enjoy, eat, rest, and prepare. Dismissed.¡± She finished the last statement with a clipped tone and turned away to sweep back towards the doors leading inside. The sponsor representatives scanned the gathered youths one more time before making a few notes of their own and turning away to follow her. Everyone just stood there, Lillian watching the top hero disappear into the upper floor of the building. She turned a wide-eyed look to the others. ¡°Did¡­ did you guys get all that?¡± John nodded and tapped his temple, ¡°Memorized.¡± Val crossed his arms and frowned a little, ¡°So there¡¯s no set schedule, that¡¯s rough.¡± Alex grinned, ¡°Chernovna is teaching a combat class? I gotta see this.¡± Snow tapped into her phone and a thumbs up emoji appeared followed by; Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Greg glanced at Ollie, who was watching Marc march towards the doors without looking back at the others. More of the aspirants started to move, making their way inside. ¡°Ollie, you didn¡¯t say anything about knowing the CEO of ASTA.¡± Ollie¡¯s shoulders sank, ¡°...she got me out of prison,¡± He said morosely, ¡°Vouched for me to be here. If I make it in as a hero, my record will be cleared.¡± Lillian and the others looked at one another, ¡°Ollie, what do you mean?¡± Lillian asked delicately. He turned and looked over his shoulder with a frown, ¡°Someone died of complications from the riot,¡± He said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m legally a villain right now. Miss Chernovna heard about my powers and gave me a chance to do something good with them.¡± He hung his head and turned away, ¡°I gotta go,¡± He said and hurried towards the doors before they could say anything. Greg rubbed his neck, ¡°Now I feel like an asshole.¡± ¡°I pressed,¡± Lillian said soberly, feeling her heart sink a little, ¡°Poor guy, he clearly didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll look after him,¡± Val grunted and shoved his hands in his pockets, ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Salad sounds good,¡± John mumbled and joined him. ¡°You and fuckin¡¯ salad,¡± Val laughed. Alex punched his palm and marched off after Val, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be looking after you? He¡¯s heroic!¡± He laughed as Greg shrugged and moved as well. Snow stayed behind and glanced up at Lillian. She was still standing there, hugging her arms a little bit. A small finger reached up and tapped her on the nose. She looked up to see a big winky-face smiley in front of her. ¡°Woah!¡± She gasped and stepped back, ¡°Oh, shit,¡± She caught her breath as Snow turned away and hurried off after her friends. She smiled at their backs and set her shoulders, Everybody¡¯s got a story, right? It¡¯ll be okay. First things first, let¡¯s go check out the dorms! The dorms were of course separated to two sides of the building, Lillian followed Snow and the arrows on the walls to the girls dorms where there were already a few inside getting unpacked. All of the beds had a small booklet on them and a metal badge with their names. She found her bed and picked it up, it felt a little warm to the touch. She immediately understood why, it was freshly made. LILIAN LANDREY, ASPIRANT - RARE TIER ¡°Woah, that was fast,¡± Lillian said, quickly clipping it to her jacket and picking up the catalog. She flipped it open and it was filled with schedules and tables with names and descriptions of classes and tests they could take. ¡°Oh my god, look at the last class!¡± One girl shouted on the other side of the room. Lillian looked up and then down at her book, hurrying to the last page. COMMON-TIER DUNGEON, FINAL EXAMINATION ¡°A dungeon,¡± She breathed, ¡°There¡¯s a dungeon here?¡± She looked up wide eyed and saw Snow sitting on her own bed a few bunks over. Snow was also looking up at her, those off-white eyes wide with shock. She quickly grabbed her phone and tapped into it. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lillian said, rubbing her neck, ¡°Shit, that¡¯s scary.¡± Lillian nodded, ¡°Yeah, this isn¡¯t going to be easy,¡± She was glad she put herself through so much training before and after the flash. It would help, she hoped. She clutched at the catalog and glanced back at the door. ¡°They said there¡¯s food, want to go eat?¡± She asked. Snow said and hopped off her bed, hurrying to catch up with the much longer legged Lillian. Lily hazarded a glance down at Snow¡¯s badge. SUMMER FINCH, ASPIRANT - EPIC TIER ¡°Summer, huh?¡± She asked, ¡°Funny.¡± Summer gave her a petulant look and tapped into her phone, Lillian burst into laughter, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that one before. I like it, though.¡± Snow asked as they passed into the hallway. ¡°Not until I talk to Miss Chernovna,¡± Lillian said, dodging around a pair of girls that nearly raced through her to get to the dorms. Snow asked, Lillian nodded, ¡°Yeah, I caught that,¡± She said and crossed her arms, muscles tensing a little as she frowned, ¡°But Miss Chernovna invited me directly and said tonight. I can¡¯t disappoint her.¡± Snow pointed out. Lillian shrugged, ¡°This whole thing¡¯s a test, isn¡¯t it?¡± They stepped out into the large common area that they had rushed through when they¡¯d first come in. There was a massive diorama of the earth hanging at one side of the room surrounded by rails. The rest of the space was dominated by couches and chairs. There were tables lined up along one side with a whole spread and aspirants had already crowded it, grabbing what they could before hurrying back to their cliques and teams. She spotted the rest of the Nashville team all sitting in one area, somehow they¡¯d managed to drag Ollie with them. Marc was nowhere in sight. Don¡¯t think about that guy right now, it¡¯ll just get you worked up. She thought and made her way over to the food line. Took only a few minutes to grab a heaping plate of meat, veggies, noodles, some rice, the works. She made sure to grab a few slices of bread too before making her way over to the group with Snow. ¡°Dorms are pretty spartan, huh?¡± Alex said as they sat down. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t mind, reminds me of track and field camp,¡± Lillian said. ¡°You ran track?¡± Greg asked, grabbing a hot dog from his plate. ¡°Yeah, moved to free running after that and it became part of my prep regime for becoming a hero,¡± She said, a small smile coming to her face. ¡°You do parkour?¡± Alex blurted, sitting up, ¡°I gotta see this.¡± ¡°Not here, dumbass,¡± Val chided him. ¡°I liked the dorms,¡± John muttered over a neat pile of sandwiches, ¡°Perfect.¡± ¡°Of course you would,¡± Alex grunted and sat back, waving a fork in Lillian¡¯s direction, ¡°So, you gonna go see Miss Chernovna.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillian said, ¡°After I eat.¡± ¡°Good shit, tell me how it goes,¡± Alex said with a grin, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t mind signing with ASTA, they got great gear.¡± Snow pointed out with a text in the air. ¡°I could always work with some!¡± Alex rumbled. As the bickering picked up, Lillian dug in. The food was beyond good, they¡¯d really taken out all the stops for the Aspirant¡¯s first night. She hoped it would continue but she had a feeling things would be tougher in the days that came. Her lips pressed together as she stared at her food. It¡¯s going to be really hard. But I can do it, I know I can. She looked up at the others, carefree, laughing. Yeah, definitely. She nodded to herself and scarfed the rest of her food down, getting a few startled looks from the others and shot to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± She said, her fists clenched. ¡°Hell yeah! That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Alex laughed. Snow said. She looked at them and felt her chest swell a little with confidence. Yeah, she could do this. She turned around and spotted the arrow pointing up the stairs that said ¡®sponsor offices¡¯ and made her way towards it. A few groups glanced up at her and whispered among themselves as she made it to the steps. She ignored them, excitement building as she forced herself not to race up the steps or hop the rail in a little parkour show. She walked slowly up before arriving at a hallway with several doors leading into conference rooms. Each had a logo set on them for the various companies present. One of the doors near the end opened and Black Lotus stepped out in a huff. Lillian froze. The woman¡¯s expression was frustrated and a little¡­ sad? Disappointed? No, hurt. What happened? She frowned and took a step only to draw the woman¡¯s attention. Black Lotus looked up and schooled her expression into that military frown. ¡°Aspirant,¡± She clipped and walked towards her before passing. The woman paused at her shoulder, ¡°Good luck, if there¡¯s anyone in the world that can help you, it¡¯s her,¡± She said before disappearing down the stairs to the common area. Lillian looked back over her shoulder at the disappearing wave of black hair before looking back at the simple door that seemed a lot more ominous now. She swallowed. No pressure or anything, right? Chapter 92 Lillian stood in front of the door, her hand on the handle. On the other side was a room with someone who could literally decide how far she goes in the future as a hero. She took a deep breath and pushed down, pushing the door open and stepping inside. It was a simple conference room, one long table with several chairs. There were actually three people inside, more than she¡¯d expected. She had figured that Handmaiden and Sonya were present, but who was this third person? Across from her, Sonya was sitting at the end of the table. She was pulling her hair back and letting out a breath. There was a bit of tension in her shoulders and Lillian got the feeling she was irritated. Maybe she and Black Lotus had an argument about something? Black Lotus seemed to think that Sonya was the best person to talk to. She rubbed her neck and glanced up at Handmaiden. The pretty brown-haired woman stood stoically behind Sonya, her hands crossed delicately at her waist. Then there was the third presence, it was a youthful looking person with brown hair that had been tied back into a partial ponytail while the rest spread out over their head. They were sitting a bit back from the table, legs crossed. They were ridiculously pretty. The person glanced up from a notepad and raised an eyebrow at Lillian before winking at her. She flushed immediately and cleared her throat, looking at an expectant Sonya. ¡°Miss Chernovna, I¡¯m here?¡± Sonya brandished a winning smile and got to her feet, ¡°Yes you are! I¡¯m so glad you came, Lillian. I was a little worried you¡¯d wait!¡± She laughed and walked around the table to approach her. She held out her hand, offering a handshake. ¡°Allow me to properly introduce myself, I¡¯m Sonya Chernovna, CEO of the Applied Strategic Technologies Association. ASTA for short!¡± She said brightly, ¡°My company provides technological, logistical, and agent-based assistance for heroes as well as maintains its own Guild.¡± She gestured to Handmaiden, ¡°This is Marta Daphne, but you probably know her as Handmaiden. She is a Mythic Licensed Hero and my bodyguard and attendant,¡± She said. Marta inclined her head and her stoicism melted into a gentle smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, young lady.¡± Lillian already had stars in her eyes getting the full treatment from Sonya and now Handmaiden was smiling at her. She barely processed when Sonya turned her towards the other person in the room, ¡°And this is Colin Matthews. Colin is my personal legal advisor and possesses a very unique set of skills and a fascinating ability.¡± Colin got to his feet and grinned, reaching out to take Lillian¡¯s hand. Soft. ¡°Nice to meet you Miss Landrey. I hope you don¡¯t mind me being here. ASTA takes these conversations very seriously and my role is to help Miss Chernovna vet our candidates.¡± ¡°Vet?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Colin nodded, ¡°My ability isn¡¯t on the public record as I never got licensed,¡± He said, ¡°I am able to endorse and hold people to contracts,¡± He said and reached down, he pulled a suitcase up and opened it, revealing a sheet of paper with text on it. It was very brief. I [BLANK], DO AGREE TO TELL THE TRUTH FOR THE DURATION OF THIS INTERVIEW. IN EXCHANGE, ANYTHING I SAY WILL BE HELD IN CONFIDENCE BY THOSE PRESENT. It was signed by Sonya, Colin, and Handmaiden herself. ¡°Do you understand why I am having Colin use this document?¡± Sonya asked, peering up at her from her side with a serious expression. ¡°An Set,¡± Lillian breathed. ¡°You¡¯re checking for false heroes.¡± Sonya gave her a sad smile, ¡°As much as I want to trust you, I have to be careful as does the Pandora Committee,¡± She said, ¡°The other sponsors have similar methods that they are employing. Forge has a living lie detector in their room right now.¡± Lillian stared at the paper and set her shoulders, ¡°Hand me a pen,¡± She had nothing to hide and knew what kind of person she was. She wanted to, had to believe that with all of her heart. She wouldn¡¯t have lied to begin with, but this made everything clearer for all parties. It was the right way to handle it. Sonya blinked and looked her up and down, a small smile growing on her face. ¡°I knew I had a good feeling about you,¡± She said and walked back to her seat, sitting down. ¡°Colin?¡± ¡°Right away, ma¡¯am,¡± Colin said and drew the paper out, setting it down with a pen in front of Lillian. Lillian filled her name in and signed on the dotted line. Instantly she felt a charge run up her arm and a tension wash through her body. She let out a breath, reaching up to touch her neck thoughtfully. ¡°Have a seat, Miss Landrey,¡± Sonya said. Lillian sat down, ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± She said after catching her breath. ¡°We¡¯ll start with a few test questions to keep things above board and make sure the contract is acting as intended,¡± Sonya said, ¡°What is your name, place of birth, and age?¡± ¡°Lillian Aubrey Landrey. Atlanta, Georgia. I¡¯m Eighteen,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Pretty name,¡± Sonya said with a smile and nodded, ¡°Okay, are you in any way affiliated with any villain-related organization or know someone who is?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Good!¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°Have you at any point before or after acquiring your abilities fantasized or considered using such abilities for a crime?¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Lillian said, shaking her head. ¡°Excellent, one more,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Do you have any intention to use the legal authority granted as a hero to benefit yourself in a way that would be considered by others to be selfish?¡± ¡°Not in a million years,¡± Lillian said, ¡°I want to become a hero like Firestorm.¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows, ¡°I saw your jacket, let''s talk about that,¡± Sonya said and set her notepad down, resting her hands in her lap. ¡°What exactly does that mean to you?¡± Lillian shifted a bit in her seat and took a deep breath, she looked down at her hands, ¡°I want to be someone who helps people, not just that, I want to do whatever it takes to help people. I want to do a little good in the world, you know? It would be nice to make a name for myself too, and sure, it¡¯s a job. But,¡± She trailed off, ¡°He gave everything for others. Right? He made a difference, I want to do that.¡± She looked up into those glowing mechanical eyes of Sonya¡¯s, they whirred and spun quietly, for a few moments. Even though they were made of metal, Lillian could see something soft in them. The small smile that spread across Sonya¡¯s face made Lillian¡¯s heart ache. Sonya had ¡®raised¡¯ him as a hero. She already knew everything Lillian had said, it was a little embarrassing to just go on a tirade like that. She looked down at her hands with a flush, ¡°That¡¯s what I think.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Firestorm, Nick,¡± Sonya said softly and leaned back in her chair. Lillian looked up at the distant look in Sonya¡¯s eyes, ¡°He was a special guy.¡± ¡°What was he really like?¡± Lillian asked, unable to resist the opening. Sonya looked into the distance for a moment, ¡°Kind,¡± She said, swallowing a little, ¡°He was kind,¡± She snorted and glanced up at Handmaiden, ¡°Remember the cartoon dungeon where they found Inky?¡± Sonya asked with a laugh. Handmaiden chuckled, ¡°I remember.¡± Lillian sat up, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard this story. I know that Bandit found his monster companion in a dungeon, but not how.¡± ¡°Not his proudest moment,¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°Now this is all how Bluestar told it to me,¡± Sonya cautioned, ¡°They were in the dungeon and found themselves wandering these maze-like halls. Absolute nonsense it sounded like. Anyway, they stumbled upon a trap. A woman was inside of a pit, crying for help. Wailing,¡± She shook her head, ¡°It was a fresh dungeon, there was no way someone had made it inside, the likelihood of this person making it that far in was ridiculous!¡± She let out a sigh and sank a little in his seat, ¡°You know what Firestorm did?¡± Lillian couldn¡¯t help herself, her lip trembled, ¡°He jumped right in.¡± ¡°He jumped right in, no hesitation, not a doubt in his mind. Even if there was an infinitesimal chance that it was a real person in real danger, he went for it. It was of course a genuine trap and they had to pull him out but,¡± Sonya sighed, ¡°He did it anyway.¡± Lillian felt a glow in her heart and looked down at her hands, smiling a bit dumbly, ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good story,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°I miss him.¡± Lillian looked up, ¡°I want to live up to his legacy. I don¡¯t want to be him, but¡­ I want to be that person that can run in, no matter what,¡± She sighed, ¡°I just don¡¯t think my ability is up to it,¡± She said and bit her lip, ¡°What is it, anyway? You said you¡¯d tell me.¡± Sonya sat up a little, ¡°Do you mean that?¡± ¡°Mean what?¡± Lillian asked, a little confused. ¡°Do you mean what you just said? That you want to live up to that story? All of what you said? The contract demanding you tell the truth aside, from the bottom of your heart, do you mean that?¡± She asked, fixing Lillian with an intense look. Lillian hesitated, Is this what Miss Chernovna was looking for? I don¡¯t understand. She¡¯s so intense right now. ¡°Well, yes, of course!¡± Sonya glanced towards Colin and then back at Handmaiden. Um¡­ what¡¯s happening? Sonya got to her feet, ¡°Alright,¡± She said and walked over, standing over Lillian. Lillian looked up into those glowing eyes as a gentle hand touched her cheek and another landed on her heart, ¡°I¡¯m counting on you, then. Become a great hero, Follow in his footsteps, I know you can do it.¡± ¨C The next thing Lillian knew Sonya was in her seat and smiling at her, ¡°I think we¡¯ve got all we need, I want to sign you on with ASTA, Miss Landrey, but I¡¯d appreciate you keeping that information to yourself for now until we¡¯re further into the camp. Does that work for you?¡± Lillian blinked, her head felt a bit funny and her chest felt really warm, ¡°Um¡­ wait, really?¡± She gasped, sitting up in her seat, ¡°Are you serious?¡± She felt like she was flying! ¡°Yes! Is that alright with you?¡± Sonya asked with a playful laugh. ¡°Of course!¡± Lillian practically shouted, hopping to her feet. She ran her fingers through her hair, ¡°Oh my god, but, my ability, are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Sonya said, ¡°As for your ability name, take some time to figure it out yourself. I know I said I would tell it to you, but I strongly feel it¡¯s something you need to explore before you can appreciate the name.¡± Lillian nodded, that made perfect sense to her, ¡°No problem at all, I¡¯ll work on it!¡± She flexed her arm and clapped her bicep, ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± ¡°Good luck, little hero,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Now go have fun with your friends. It looked like you found yourself in a good group.¡± Lillian bounced on the balls of her feet, ¡°Yes! Right! I mean! Oh my god!¡± She forced herself to calm down, deep breaths, deep breaths, Miss Chernovna told me to keep it to myself for now. Gotta be cool. Be cool. She breathed deep and then exhaled. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°Go on, we¡¯ll talk more soon.¡± Lillian brandished her own big smile, ¡°Thank you, so much,¡± She said slipped out the door. ¨C Sonya watched the girl go and tilted her head, a sad smile playing on her face. Colin shifted a bit in his seat and looked her way, ¡°That was quite the investment, and those sanctions were¡­¡± Sonya glanced his way, ¡°I know. I never said I was a nice person.¡± ¡°You made the right choice,¡± Marta said, putting a hand on her shoulder, ¡°She¡¯ll go far.¡± Sonya reached up and touched her dear friend¡¯s hand. She felt a little guilt for what Lillian would have to go through. ¡°She¡¯ll have to endure a lot to earn it,¡± Sonya said, ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less from his successor,¡± Sonya said and looked down a bit, ¡°After what happened with Chunhua, I need a sure thing, even if that means I have to stack the deck.¡± Marta squeezed her shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about her, it¡¯ll just upset you. Come on, you¡¯ll have at least one more by the end of the night.¡± Sonya let out the boiling emotions that were stirring in her chest with a heavy sigh. She clapped her face with her hands and drew her hair back, schooling her emotions. ¡°Right. Back to work!¡± ¨C Lillian did her best to control her excitement, she really did, but it was so goddamn hard. She hopped down the steps two at a time before landing in the now dimly lit common area. It seemed like most of the eating was over and people were just chilling now. A few of the guys had left for the dorms and now Ollie, Val, and Snow were the only people she recognized. She walked over to them and waved. Val nodded at her, ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°Pretty good! The interview is intense though, all the sponsors have lie detection methods to check for potential villains,¡± Lillian said, sitting down on the couch. ¡°Huh,¡± Val rubbed his chin, ¡°Good to know, I like that. Alright, well I got what I was waiting for, I¡¯ll go tell the guys,¡± He said, clapping his knees and getting up. ¡°Ollie, you coming?¡± Ollie was furiously writing something down in his notebook and mumbling to himself. He looked up and blinked, ¡°Oh? Right! It is late," He said and hopped to his feet. He turned a small awkward smile on Lillian, ¡°Glad the interview went well, I hope you get it. Miss Chernovna is a good person. She helped me out.¡± Lillian smiled at him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier, by the way.¡± He rubbed his neck, ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± He said, ¡°You guys are nice to me, even after that. If you need anything, I¡¯ve already plumbed through the catalog. I¡¯ll help you figure out your schedule tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Lillian said, ¡°Now go to bed you guys. I¡¯m gonna catch my breath for a minute.¡± ¡°Sure, later,¡± Val said and walked off, Ollie close behind. A small flash of movement followed by a pressure in her lap drew her attention. Lillian looked down to see Snow¡¯s head down there, facing out towards the common area. She raised an eyebrow, ¡°You know the couch has actual pillows, right?¡± Snow tapped away at her phone, The text appeared in front of her and Lillian chuckled, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair,¡± She said, ¡°Miss Chernovna said I should explore my power a bit before she gives me the name. That we¡¯d talk more later.¡± Snow said. ¡°You know,¡± Lillian said, glancing around, ¡°There¡¯s barely anyone here, you don¡¯t have to talk to me through your texts.¡± Snow froze, shifting a bit in her lap. Just the glow of her phone illuminating the slight frown on the girl''s face. Lillian felt like she¡¯d stepped in another landmine again. She opened her mouth to speak when another text appeared. Lillian read the words and immediately understood, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry,¡± She said. Snow said with a huffy looking emoji, Lillian laughed, ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡± Chapter 93 Lillian sat down hard in the couch with a sigh, a couple breakfast wraps on her plate and a cup of coffee balanced between them. Her eyes sparkled as she looked them over, the food was still good even after that first night. She grinned to herself and took a bite as the others made their way over. Snow sat down on the arm of the couch to her left. While Lillian was in her tank-top and sweatpants, Snow wore a sweatshirt so big one couldn¡¯t see her shorts. Alex and Greg had gone for t-shirts as well while John and Val wore their usual. Ollie appeared at some point and sat down with all of them as they ate. ¡°Okay, so,¡± Ollie said, adjusting his glasses, ¡°Roll call will be in an hour, so we got a little time.¡± ¡°When do classes start?¡± Lillian asked, sipping at her coffee. ¡°Noon, so we gotta get at least our first few days figured out,¡± Ollie explained. ¡°It¡¯s ten weeks, right?¡± Alex asked, licking his thumb and setting down his plate. He leaned forward, ¡°Plenty of time for everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think,¡± Ollie said, ¡°Take a closer look at the daily schedules and you might be surprised. Getting your schedule right and tailored to what you need is as much a test as the actual classes.¡± Alex scratched his head, ¡°Really? Damn man¡­¡± ¡°Same length of time as basic training,¡± John mumbled over his same obsessively neat stack of sandwiches, ¡°Soldiers designed this, and the courses.¡± ¡°Right on the money,¡± Ollie said with a grin, ¡°Most of it was organized by Black Lotus herself, she¡¯s ex-military.¡± Lillian waved her hands, ¡°We¡¯re getting off track, what¡¯s on for today?¡± Ollie nodded, ¡°Right! Of course,¡± He opened the book, ¡°At noon there are a few options, there¡¯s a physical assessment with Black Lotus for those who are unsure about where to go, followed by drills that take up a good portion of the afternoon,¡± He said, ¡°There¡¯s also a hand-to-hand basics course with¡­ Miss Chernovna?¡± Greg coughed into his cup, ¡°That tiny thing is gonna teach hand to hand combat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it says,¡± Ollie said, scratching his head. ¡°I read it last night but it¡¯s still a little hard to believe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Lilly said, ¡°I¡¯m confident in my physical fitness but I wouldn¡¯t mind joining in on the drills later, what else?¡± Ollie nodded, ¡°Okay so, there¡¯s a timeslot after that set aside for pretty much the entire camp, it¡¯s about an hour to study policy, criminal law, and pandora regulations with a teacher, no name, at the end of the ten weeks there¡¯s a test,¡± He said, ¡°Then there¡¯s a scouting course later in the afternoon with Sonya as well, a focus on mapping out and exploring dungeons safely. At the same time we have the option of taking a course on gear and pandora-tech theory.¡± Snow chimed in with the tick-a-tap of her nails against her phone. ¡°What about going forward?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Ollie said, flipping through, ¡°A few highlights, battlefield rescue, disaster relief, field first aid training, several combat courses, power theory, you can register to get one on one for certain days with one of the instructors to work on your abilities,¡± Ollie said, ¡°Oh, and then there¡¯s the monster class.¡± Everyone stopped and looked at him, ¡°...monster class?¡± Val asked, ¡°Like, actual monsters?¡± ¡°A course centered around combating the standard two variations of monsters that commonly appear outside dungeons, Hounds and Lurkers. Students will be exposed to live combat with the aforementioned entities after sufficient education,¡± Ollie read and looked up at him, adjusting his glasses, ¡°Would seem so.¡± Lillian leaned back and glanced at Snow who looked uncomfortable, she grinned at her, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! No biggie, right? Hounds and Lurkers are the least of our concerns. Yeah? We¡¯re heroes!¡± She said with a big flex of her arm, ¡°We got this.¡± The others seemed to relax a little bit after that, Val and Greg even sending her a small smile and a nod. Alex still looked nervous though, he swayed back and forth in the couch before hopping to his feet. ¡°I gotta walk around.¡± They continued talking for a while after that, going over their schedules. Fortunately they were given pens and highlighters to make notes in the catalogs and map out their schedules for the first day or two to get a feel for things. Before long, time for roll call came around and they looked around to see if anyone was there. It took another five minutes for Miss Mint to come walking down the hallway, looking a little flustered. Next to her, Sonya was laughing. She wasn¡¯t in her usual suit and tie but instead a dress shirt and vest to go with a long pair of slacks. ¡°I said I was sorry!¡± Sonya laughed. Carla harrumphed, pulling on the collar of her turtleneck as she schooled her expression and marched into the common area. Sonya smirked at her from behind before impishly wandering off with her hands behind her back. As she did, a familiar blonde head of hair got to his feet and made his way towards her, waving her down. The woman paused for only a moment before gesturing for him to walk with her. Marc? Is he looking to get signed with ASTA? She wondered, Would make sense for his goals. Lillian thought. The others were caught up on another topic. ¡°They¡¯re banging.¡± Val said. ¡°Totally banging.¡± Greg agreed. Snow wondered. ¡°She¡¯s rubbing her wrists too,¡± John muttered. ¡°Oh my god she is,¡± Greg laughed. ¡°...pretty sure it¡¯s a bit more serious than you¡¯re thinking,¡± Ollie muttered, his face a little red as he looked down at his notes. Miss Mint made her way to the front of the room and pulled out her notepad before adjusting her glasses and going over a few things. The others squinted at Ollie suspiciously, waiting for him to elaborate. He shifted a bit under their scrutiny and sighed, ¡°The- the choker. It¡¯s a pink diamond at least twenty carats and platinum, that¡¯s got to be worth more than Miss Mint¡¯s annual salary. So, just saying, maybe don¡¯t upset her, since it¡¯ll get back to Sonya?¡±Stolen story; please report. They all stared at him, then immediately looked up at Miss Mint who was staring directly at them with a scornful glare. Lillian suddenly felt the urge to stand up and not say another word for the rest of the day if she could get away with it. From the stiff backs of her friends, they seemed to share her thoughts. Miss Mint searched their faces for a moment and shook her head before clearing her throat, ¡°We¡¯re beginning roll call, I just saw Mister Mallory leave with Miss Chernovna so I¡¯ll count him present,¡± She said stiffly, ¡°As for the rest of you, let¡¯s begin.¡± After roll call she went over a few more things, mostly reminding them about the various rules that were already in the guidebooks and that they had until noon to decide on their upcoming class. ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Miss Mint finished, putting her clipboard away and standing up straight, ¡°You are all adults, act like it, compose yourselves, and if you¡¯re going to do anything improper at least find somewhere private and clean up after yourselves. We aren¡¯t stupid, we know things will happen,¡± She said, scanning the room, ¡°Finally,¡± She sighed and managed to put a smile on her face, ¡°This will be my only roll call, the instructors will be handling them going forward. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I will be in my office if needed but otherwise you may not see a lot of me.¡± She met everyone''s eyes and bowed once, ¡°Thank you for your future service,¡± She said and straightened herself up, ¡°Good luck to all of you.¡± One guy raised his voice, ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for Miss Mint!¡± And a chorus of shouts and clapping followed as she turned on her heel and walked back down the hall. After that the rest of their morning passed by in comfortable conversation and hanging out. Lillian met a few of the other aspirants who wanted to hear a bit about what happened in the ASTA interview, she told them what she could. It didn¡¯t take long for it to be time to go to the first class, Lillian, Alex, John, and Greg went their separate ways with Snow, Val, and Ollie. The latter three going out to the grassy field where the dark figure of Black Lotus stood waiting. Lillian and her group went to a large open building set beside the main facility. Inside it looked like the interior of a hangar, open air. The floors were made of a comfortable material that had light springiness to it. Probably for falls, I¡¯ve used this stuff before. Other aspirants followed them in, looking around. Ahead of them, standing at the far end of the room, Sonya Chernovna stood in her vest and slacks, a pair of suspenders holding them up. She wore gloves and had her hair pulled back. She turned a rakish grin on all those present. ¡°Oh goodie!¡± Sonya chirped, ¡°So many for the first day! You¡¯re mighty brave,¡± She said and slowly slid a knife out from behind her back. It was a long, deadly looking trench-combat knife. She spun it between her fingers before catching it firmly and slipping back into a stance. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s first? Come at me. Let¡¯s get your measure. No powers first, I want a baseline to work with.¡± Alex cleared his throat next to Lillian, ¡°Hey Lil?¡± She swallowed, ¡°Yeah, Alex?¡± ¡°You go first,¡± He said. She whipped her head towards him, ¡°Me?¡± John stormed past them, reaching up and tightening his tie. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade that he flicked once and extended. He took a stiff step forward before dipping into an easy sway. He darted towards Miss Chernovna who grinned wildly at him, her mechanical eyes moving erratically. She waited for him to get within just a few meters before she shifted and tilted the blade of her weapon, Lillian squinted at the gleam of light that reflected off of it. John pivoted, holding his arm up over his eyes and hopped to the right just in time to miss getting his legs kicked out from under him. He dipped low beneath a swipe, but Lillian could see him blinking rapidly. Sonya kicked her leg up, doing a vertical split as John¡¯s knife cut across. She brought her foot back down and onto his wrist. He grunted, losing his grip on his weapon. Sonya took a step forward, following the momentum of the downward kick and snatched her hand out, grabbing him by his tie, pulling him close, and pressing her blade against his neck. ¡°Ten seconds, good!. I¡¯m impressed.¡± She dropped him and brushed her hands off, turning to the others. ¡°Everything is a weapon! The light of the sun, the lights above your head, the floor, your feet, your head, your hands, everything. Discounting your surroundings is a sure way to get yourselves killed,¡± She said sharply. ¡°His opening attack was good, the swaying path was an excellent way to keep the opponent guessing. He even managed to recover quickly from me attempting to blind him. Great form,¡± She turned and looked down at him, ¡°You need situational awareness, John.¡± He got to his feet and bowed, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the specifics of knife fighting later,¡± She said to him, ¡°You¡¯re suited for it, but you need technique, not just instincts.¡± He nodded and walked back over to the group. Lillian and the others looked at one another. They looked up at the lights over their heads and only just now realized that they¡¯d been set to be extra bright in the room. There was also a switch just a few feet behind Sonya that she could use to turn them all off. Lillian felt a wave of excitement wash up and over her, a heat burning in her chest that just didn¡¯t want to die down. She grinned and bounced on the balls of her feet a few times before stepping forward, I can really learn something from this. She¡¯s good! Crazy good! Sonya watched her approach and grinned, ¡°Miss Landrey! I¡¯m glad you came to my lesson, you¡¯re wasted on Black Lotus¡¯ drills, aren¡¯t you? Come on! Show me what you got!¡± Lillian didn¡¯t have to be asked twice. She darted forward in a low run, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. She let out a huff and dropped as Sonya flicked her blade to shine the light in her face. She stretched her arms out and to the right, catching herself and pivoting into a near breakdance turn, swinging her entire lower half in Sonya¡¯s direction. Sonya took a half step back, guard up as Lillian pushed hard, throwing herself a few meters and landing on her behind where Sonya had been standing. She didn¡¯t stop moving, she darted forward only to throw her head back as the blade of the knife appeared in front of her face. She kicked out and Sonya wrapped her arm around Lillian¡¯s ankle with a grin, she twirled the knife into a stabbing grip and brought it down towards Lillian¡¯s thigh. Shit! Lillian kicked downward, pulling Sonya with her only for the woman to let go and pivot into a goddamn one-handed handstand on Lillian¡¯s descending leg. Lillian looked up at the the woman¡¯s body as it spun and the knee came down. Lillian saw stars. She landed on her back and blinked a few times, an aching spot right between her eyes. ¡°Ow¡­¡± She groaned. ¡°Seven seconds, but good technique!¡± Sonya said, ¡°You did parkour and free-running, right? I can see it,¡± The woman tapped her chin over her, looking thoughtful for a moment, ¡°You need a weapon, something with reach to compliment those dynamic movements. Not too much reach though, polearm would overcomplicate things and you don¡¯t seem the kind to use a gun.¡± She turned and pointed at a random aspirant in the crowd, ¡°You, cute one! Jessica Wayne!¡± A girl who had dyed the tips of her hair blue pointed at herself, ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Is there another Jessica Wayne?¡± Sonya asked, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°R-right! Sorry ma¡¯am!¡± Sonya snorted and shook her head, ¡°Right, do you know of any weapons that would work well for her? You practice with weapons too, don¡¯t you?¡± The girl mulled it over for a moment, frowning, ¡°A mace might be too heavy if she¡¯s moving at speed, but that momentum would complement it well,¡± She shook her head, ¡°A sword? Not a short sword, something longer. That or tonfa to extend her reach.¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°Good! That¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for,¡± She turned back to Lillian who had brushed herself off. The brief fight had been exhilarating. She didn¡¯t even feel the pain in her forehead anymore as she looked over at the girl and then back at Sonya, nodding along. ¡°Do you know what I expect of you?¡± ¡°Find a weapon that suits me, explore those options first, and come back to you,¡± Lillian said quickly. This is great! Sonya glowed with approval. ¡°Right! In the meantime, spar with John, he¡¯s a good match-up for you.¡± Lillian beamed, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Chapter 94 Lillian was on the ground, breathing hard. She felt a tingling coolness wash over her muscles as they knit themselves back together at a rapid pace. Even then, even as she felt the ache fade and the weariness disperse, she was exhausted. She stared up at the ceiling and closed her eyes for a moment before sucking it up and pulling her knees to her chest. With a grunt, she threw herself forward and was standing again. She glanced around the ¡®dojo¡¯ as Miss Chernovna was calling it, and saw most of her fellow aspirants laying on the ground or leaning against walls. She looked down at the disheveled John at her feet. ¡°You good?¡± She asked, breathless. ¡°Mm,¡± He mumbled, holding out a hand. She clasped it and pulled him to his feet. His dark eyes narrowed and he looked up before straightening his mess of black hair and fixed his tie. ¡°Tired, but I don¡¯t hurt, your ability?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can kind of feel it working on everyone else too,¡± She said, glancing at the others as they slowly pulled themselves together. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys lucky?¡± Sonya chimed in from a cushion she was sitting on in the rear of the area, ¡°Having someone with a passive recovery ability training with you!¡± She smiled and sipped at a cola, seeing it made Lillian¡¯s stomach rumble a little, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell Black Lotus if I were you, she won¡¯t be as nice as I am about it.¡± The other aspirants all looked Lillian¡¯s way. Some of them frowned while others smiled with gratitude. She rubbed her neck, Mixed reaction, great. She thought before glancing at Sonya who winked at her, ¡°I just hope it helps,¡± She said awkwardly, shifting a bit on her feet. Sonya slipped off of her cushion and crossed her arms behind her back, ¡°Now! For those of you who want to continue taking my lessons and improving your basic combat skills, it¡¯s time to talk about the ultimate expectation,¡± She said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. Lillian set aside her mild discomfort from the gazes of the others and gave the woman her full focus. ¡°Thirty seconds and one clean if grazing blow,¡± Sonya said, holding her finger up in the air. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Lillian narrowed her eyes and then let them widen with alarm, ¡°Thirty seconds?¡± She gasped. John frowned next to her, ¡°Against you?¡± Everyone murmured, ¡°Some of us only lasted a second! That¡¯s nuts!¡± Sonya frowned, the first time she¡¯d seen the woman actually make a testy expression in public, she turned her glowing pink eyes on the person who spoke. ¡°You can¡¯t last thirty seconds against an overtrained CEO? A glorified desk jockey?¡± She snapped, ¡°Then give up being a hero,¡± She said harshly. ¡°But you¡¯re way tougher than some office worker!¡± Another protest came. ¡°Yeah, how are you so good at fighting? I heard you were blind up until the flash!¡± Alex chimed in, crossing his arms. ¡°I have maintained myself my entire life,¡± Sonya said, resting her hands on her hips, ¡°My injury notwithstanding. Just because your lifestyle or career changes, does that mean you should stop perfecting the things you are good at?¡± She demanded, ¡°Should I have given up on my body?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°I worked hard to get to where I am, suffered a lot, studied a lot, and now I am here teaching you and kicking your ass, boys and girls.¡± The crowd flinched a little as she looked them over, ¡°Thirty seconds, one definite hit, do that, and I¡¯ll consider you passable as a hand to hand combatant. However!¡± She held up a hand, ¡°One more thing,¡± She cracked her trademark grin, ¡°The one who lasts the longest after thirty seconds by the end of the ten weeks will receive a special reward from yours truly, as long as it''s within my power, I¡¯ll grant your wish.¡± A susurrus spread through the room, everyone stared at her a bit harder as she turned away and threw up her hand, ¡°Dismissed! I¡¯ll see some of you at the scouting training tonight.¡± Lillian watched her go and rubbed her neck, Everybody¡¯s got a story, I guess. She thought and glanced over at John who shrugged and turned on his heel to walk away. Greg walked over to clap him on the back and wave at Lillian while Alex walked over to join them. She bit her lip and looked back at Sonya one more time before nodding to herself. The best time, huh? That¡¯s a bar worth striving for. She didn¡¯t even consider the reward, just getting there was worth it to her. She turned and hustled over to them, grinning and throwing an arm over Greg¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You survived!¡± She laughed. He glanced up at her, ¡°Yeah, kinda? That Jessica chick is no joke,¡± He said with a sigh, ¡°I wish we were allowed to use our powers here. Some of us don¡¯t have passives,¡± He said with a grin at her. ¡°Hey! You¡¯d be half-dead by now if it weren¡¯t for me!¡± She countered as they started to walk. ¡°She¡¯s got you there,¡± Alex said. ¡°Shut up, Alex, you don¡¯t get to talk,¡± Greg said, ¡°You¡¯re just as bad.¡± ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t out me here, shhh!¡± Alex hissed, holding his finger up to his lips. Lillian raised an eyebrow but decided this time she wouldn¡¯t pry and step on yet another landmine. Instead, she just hung on Greg¡¯s shoulder as they walked out. Across from them in the field, the poor sods under Black Lotus¡¯ scrutiny were enduring a special kind of hell. She watched as Val ran by, pushing himself while the ruthless trainer shouted; ¡°ON YOUR FEET! KEEP MOVING! I WANT TO SEE YOUR LIMITS!¡± ¡°Oof,¡± Greg grunted. ¡°Uhuh,¡± John mumbled. ¡°Glad I stayed in shape before coming,¡± Alex said. ¡°Me too,¡± Lillian winced. ¡°Hey,¡± A small voice rang out behind them. They turned as one to see Jessica standing there, she reached up and played a bit with her hair. They all looked at one another and then back at her as she stood there awkwardly for a moment. ¡°Sup?¡± Lillian chimed in, ¡°You alright?¡± She smiled a bit and then looked at Greg, ¡°You put up a good fight, hang in there!¡± She said quickly before hurrying off. They all watched her go, blinking simultaneously. They looked at one another, then down at Greg. Greg stared into space as the three of them started to grin. Lillian squeezed his neck a little more and he shrank a bit into her muscles. ¡°Oho?¡± She was the first to chuckle, leaning in and leering at him.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°What do we have here?¡± Alex asked, rubbing his chin and leaning in too. ¡°Protection is in the medical office.¡± John added in his usual monotone, poking his head in from the side. Greg threw Lillian off with a grunt of frustration, ¡°Fuck you guys!¡± He shouted and stormed off, ¡°Fuckin¡¯ goddamn, fuckin¡¯ what the hell was that!¡± He barked, his ears a bright red as the three of them laughed. They watched him go and Lillian rubbed her neck, ¡°One of us should probably keep an eye on him,¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± Alex laughed and raced off to catch up with his friend. He practically tackled him, throwing his arm around Gregs shoulder as the two bickered in the distance. Lillian let out a breath from her nostrils and smiled at them before glancing over at John who stood stiffly at her side. He was kind of an awkward guy, stiff and blunt, it was refreshing but also made it really hard to start a genuine conversation. She scratched the back of her head and cleared her throat, ¡°So uh¡­ next class?¡± ¡°Lunch first, health is important,¡± John said flatly. ¡°Also I like food.¡± She saw a faint twinkle in his eyes. ¡°Sandwiches?¡± She asked as they started walking. ¡°Perfect food, can be anything,¡± He said thoughtfully, ¡°Protein, fiber, all nutrients can be in a sandwich. Easy to hold, looks clean on a plate. Perfect.¡± She tilted her head and crossed her arms, thinking over what he said, ¡°Huh, I guess you¡¯re right, sandwiches are the perfect food aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°You understand, that¡¯s good. Sensible person,¡± John said with a small smile, ¡°I like you. Good in a fight too, surprising since your training is in mobility.¡± She shrugged, ¡°I went to a few martial arts classes while doing my training, nothing permanent though, just enough to get some ideas.¡± He tilted his head as they reached the door to the common area, ¡°Wise, overspecialization would be bad for you. You also need a weapon. Knife is too short, with your arms and upper body strength, you need reach. Like Jessica said, sword is good. Black Lotus will be teaching the sword.¡± She marveled at him for a moment, he was a startlingly analytical person. He looked up with that blank expression of his and broke into an actual smile, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± He said and wandered off to the buffet. ¡°Lillian!¡± A familiar voice shouted behind her just as she was about to follow him inside. She turned and saw Sonya standing there on her tiptoes and waving at her, ¡°Come over here a moment, I want a word!¡± She shrugged and hustled over, sliding to a stop in front of the diminutive CEO. It was still hard to believe a woman so small could move like she did, let alone fight that well. She was holding a small box in her hand, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I have something for you,¡± She said, ¡°I need you to wear it while you¡¯re doing group training. As good as your ability is for morale, the other students need to feel the strain a bit or they won¡¯t get used to it. You can¡¯t be around all the time,¡± Sonya said with a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m also going to want to see your guidebook, I¡¯m scheduling you with Black Lotus for one on one training.¡± Lillian felt her heart sink, she looked down at the box and had a feeling she knew what was inside. They¡¯d come out almost six months after the Vegas disaster, Mana-Restraint cuffs. MRCs. They were usually used for criminals who were on trial or in prison and were a hotly debated issue. She looked down at her hands, she¡¯d just gotten her power and now she was being told she needed to restrain it. She pressed her lips together in a frown, ¡°Will-will it really help the others if I reign it in?¡± ¡°You only need to wear it when you¡¯re in group training,¡± Sonya repeated with a small smile, ¡°I¡¯m sure the others will appreciate you taking it off afterwards. You can keep snuggling with that cozy ability, Miss Landrey.¡± Lillian flushed, ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Sonya chortled, ¡°Okay, here it is. It¡¯s yours to keep. It might come in handy in the future too until you get your ability fully under control,¡± Sonya said and put the box in her hands. ¡°Do you have your guidebook?¡± Lillian looked down at the cold metal box in her hands before looking up and nodding, ¡°Right, are you really signing me up with Black Lotus? Can you do that? She should be made available to the others, right?¡± Sonya made a complicated face, somewhere between a frown and a grimace before it shifted to a smile, ¡°We have an agreement, she¡¯ll tutor you three days a week for extended periods. The rest will be open to the others,¡± She held out her hand, ¡°Guidebook?¡± Lillian felt awkward but it was also a huge opportunity. The world¡¯s number one hero would be giving her exclusive training three days a week for ten weeks. Thirty sessions. She glanced over at the grueling effort that her friends and other aspirants were going through. Black Lotus took her work seriously, if she was really going to give her that kind of attention. Who was she to argue? It just meant a better chance at becoming who she wanted to be, she only wished that her power was better suited. She let out a breath and got out of her own head, I keep going down that loop. Gotta stop. ¡°Here,¡± She said, pulling the booklet out of her pocket and handing it to Sonya. ¡°Consider this my first act as your sponsor and agent,¡± Sonya said as she pulled out a pen and started flipping through pages, writing things down and circling spots, ¡°I¡¯m also putting in a few suggestions for you to consider,¡± She said before closing the catalog and handing it back to Lillian with a nod, ¡°Do me proud.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Lillian said, ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Sonya grunted with a nod before glancing over at the field, she frowned and turned away with a breath, ¡°Go eat! I need to prepare for the scout class tonight.¡± Lillian broke into a smile, ¡°Sure thing! I¡¯ll see you there!¡± ¡°I hope I will!¡± Sonya called back and waved at her, walking back to the dojo. Lillian watched her go again before glancing back at the field and Black Lotus. She felt an uneasiness in her gut that she couldn¡¯t explain. She shook her head and rolled her shoulders, gripping the box tightly in her hand, ¡°Focus!¡± She told herself before striding towards the common building and slipping inside. She got into line and grabbed a whole mountain of food, making sure to snag a couple sandwiches, before meeting the others at the usual couch. They were decidedly unhappy to hear that the instructors wanted her to wear a restraint while they were in training but ultimately understood the point. It was true, she couldn¡¯t be around them all the time and if they didn¡¯t get used to the ache of effort and to pain from injuries then when they were on the field it would be a terrible experience. She assured them that she only had to wear it during that time, which got some relieved looks. After a while, Val, Ollie, and Snow came stumbling into the common area looking like ghouls. None of them grabbed food, instead, they just trudged over to the group and lay there for a while in Lillian¡¯s aura. Snow practically face planted into her lap while Ollie collapsed into a chair, Val just gave up and lay on the ground, groaning and staring up at the ceiling. The three stayed like that for a good ten minutes until her power helped them recover enough to move on their own. After that, they immediately raced over to the buffet to grab as much food as they could, much to the others amusement. Eventually, everyone recovered enough to talk like human beings. Snow texted, followed by a sick emoji and an angry emoji. ¡°We got to know our limits!¡± Ollie hazarded, too tired to do the usual adjustment of his glasses, ¡°She said she¡¯s coming up with exercise routines for each of us.¡± ¡°Ollie, you¡¯re cool, but shut up,¡± Val mumbled, holding his head, ¡°I¡¯ve never run that much in my life.¡± ¡°Hey, be nice dude,¡± Greg grunted, ¡°Man I¡¯m feeling it again. Even with Lil¡¯s aura.¡± ¡°Still tired, a body can only do so much a day, regardless of how much we are healed,¡± John pointed out, picking up his thirteenth sandwich and biting into it, ¡°It is good that the next classes are mostly academic.¡± They glanced at him before sighing in universal relief, ¡°I completely forgot,¡± Alex sighed, ¡°Thank you John.¡± Snow said, Lillian, Alex, and John looked at one another before glancing down at Greg who frowned at them, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± And so began the relentless teasing of Greg as they went over their exploits and failures during the combat training class. Lillian savored it, the little moments, drank it all in. After one day of this camp she knew without a doubt that it was going to be the hardest experience of her life. If she hadn¡¯t met these amazing people around her, she didn¡¯t know if she would have been able to do it. She smiled at them as they laughed and argued, teased and joked, she¡¯d barely known them more than a day and it felt like she¡¯d known them for a lifetime. I can get used to this. Chapter 95 The Scouting course was definitely more subdued than the two more physical courses in the morning, but it promised strenuous activity in the future. Miss Chernovna spent the majority of the class explaining and emphasizing the role of the Dungeon Scout. It was a little surprising how seriously she took it, to the point that her whole demeanor changed. She stood in front of the class with a whiteboard behind her, her usual white-pink toned attire set aside for more practical tactical clothing of an off-gray color. She even wore chest armor and wrist guards. She crossed her arms in front of the twelve that had decided to attend, Lillian included, and gestured to the board. ¡°Specific cartographic details are paramount. The Scout¡¯s kit comes with a distance measurement tool that uses a laser and gyroscope to create measurements of distant objects,¡± She pulled a pen sized object from her chest pocket, ¡°This is one of those tools,¡± She explained, ¡°It can be synchronized to your field tablet.¡± She held it out for them to see, ¡°I cannot stress enough how important it is to a hero team going inside of a dungeon to know exact distances between points,¡± She said, ¡°That information can mean life and death in some cases. Knowing the size of areas can help them figure out where to camp and when.¡± One of the other Aspirants raised their hand and to Lillians surprise she saw it was Marc of all people. He looked genuinely perturbed. Sonya nodded to him, ¡°Mister Mallory, go ahead.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t wrap my head around it, why not send in a higher tier team and be done with it? Smash the monsters and clear the dungeon?¡± He asked. Sonya crossed her arms, ¡°Would you rather spend a month in the dungeon or a few days?¡± She asked him, frowning. He leaned back at the question and looked down, scrunching his nose a little, ¡°A few days, obviously,¡± He said, ¡°But-¡± ¡°There¡¯s your answer. Having a guide to the dungeon before going in makes the entire process simpler,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Knowing where the monsters are, when they move, how they move, everything. That is the responsibility of the scout. Some of you may not become scouts, I expect you¡¯ll be a front line fighter, Mister Mallory,¡± She said before looking at the others, ¡°But you should know just how important a scout¡¯s job is and the kind of risks they¡¯re taking to get you this information.¡± Marc crossed his arms and leaned back, ¡°They make the walkthrough huh. That is useful. I suppose it has to come from somewhere.¡± Sonya¡¯s lip twitched only once, ¡°Yes, does.¡± Lillian watched him for a moment as he mulled it over. It was like the idea of depending on someone else baffled him. She frowned and looked away, up at Sonya as she continued her lecture. There were few interruptions after that and it eventually winded down with Sonya announcing that for those who were continuing with the course, their overall project would be going into the camp¡¯s dungeon to scout it out ahead of the final exam and that their peers success would largely depend on their work. It¡¯s a huge responsibility, Lillian thought as she packed up her notebook. She looked up at the diagrams on the whiteboard, drawings of ways to avoid monsters and navigate traps safely. Every hour she spent in this place she learned something new, it was crazy to her how much there was to being a hero. Her image of what it took had been completely shattered but she wasn¡¯t really upset about it. Firestorm hadn¡¯t undergone this kind of training, but he had shepherded it. The actions of his team and others were brought up on occasion as examples of things to do and not to do. She chewed her lip, There¡¯s so much to learn. She was about to turn away and leave when Miss Chernovna called out to her, ¡°Miss Landrey! You¡¯re expected in the dojo after dinner. Don¡¯t be late.¡± Lillian turned back and saw Sonya standing with the blonde girl that had been standing behind Lillian back during the initial assembly. Her hand was on the girls shoulder. She met the girls eyes and the young woman shot her a small frown. Lillian cleared her throat, ¡°Right! I¡¯ll be there! Do you want me to bring anything or say any-¡± Sonya held up a hand, ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. Thank you Miss Landrey, your instructor doesn¡¯t need my input.¡± She said before turning back to the blonde and resuming whatever they¡¯d been talking about. Okay¡­ Lillian scratched her neck and nodded before heading out to get dinner. What was that blonde girl''s name again? I don¡¯t think I ever asked. A few moments later she was sitting with the others, Alex popped a piece of fried chicken into his mouth and chewed, ¡°Hmm? The angry blonde?¡± He asked and scrunched his eyebrows together, ¡°Cass-something, I think?¡± ¡°Cassiopeia Hanks,¡± Ollie said absently, sitting upside-down in the chair in their circle. ¡°She¡¯s from Mississippi. Her older sister is some religious leader or something. That¡¯s about all I know.¡± He leaned his head back, his glasses going askew over his dark eyes, ¡°You said you have something to do after this?¡± Lillian nodded, ¡°Yeah, sorry guys, I got signed up for some one-on-one.¡± Snow asked, leaning against her and tapping away at her phone. Lillian glanced down and saw that she was playing with some kind of music app. Snow glanced up at her and scrunched in a bit more to hide what she was doing. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lillian scratched her nose, ¡°...Black Lotus?¡± Val coughed and sat up, ¡°One on one with that¡­ beast?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little rude,¡± Lillian said with a laugh, ¡°How bad could it be?¡± Alex snorted, ¡°Famous last words.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lillian said, getting to her feet. Snow just flopped down onto the spot she was sitting on, ¡°I¡¯m gonna head out, get some rest. Another big day tomorrow.¡± The others just groaned in response as she made her way past the other aspirants. She waved at Jessica who she recognized, the girl waved back brightly before going back to talk to her own little team. She saw a can leap off the ground and hop into the hand of one of them before they drank it. A few of the others were using their powers a bit more freely too. She smiled a little, two years ago this would be a crazy thing to imagine. She thought to herself, Wow. She stepped outside into the brisk night air, the wind rushed past her and carried her attention to the dojo where the lights were set down to a lower intensity than they¡¯d been earlier during the day. She walked over, her heart pounding in her chest. The comments of her friends had gotten to her a little and she could feel a bit of those nerves catching up with her. She bounced on the balls of her feet a little and shook her hands out to get the jitters out before stepping inside. She found Black Lotus sitting in the center of the space, her eyes closed and her legs crossed, she had her sword in her lap and her hands clutched together right at her navel. Her dark hair hung over her face. Lillian could feel something in the air, gathering, moving, pulling, it drew past her skin and towards Black Lotus before collecting and entering the woman¡¯s body. It was a strange feeling, was it mana? She cleared her throat and glanced down at the spot in front of the hero, the world''s number one hero. There was a sword there on the ground.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Lillian walked forward when Black Lotus didn¡¯t react and stopped a few feet away, looking down at the sword. It was in a dark wood sheath but it was not of the same chinese design that the hero used. It had a wide crossguard and was significantly longer. ¡°A broadsword?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Black Lotus said stiffly. ¡°Please sit. Are you familiar with the Lotus position?¡± Lillian nodded, ¡°Yeah, I can do it,¡± She said and sat down, adjusting her legs and sitting with her hands resting on her knees. She waited in silence for several moments, scratching her nose and looking down at the sword again. She let out a breath and the woman looked up at her, her eyes were black as night, deep, dark, but beautiful in their own way. She fixed Lillian with an intense stare before nodding to the weapon. ¡°That is yours,¡± She said, ¡°You may use it, if you graduate from the camp, you may keep it. Take good care of it.¡± Lillian looked at the weapon again, ¡°Seriously?¡± She asked, looking up, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what Miss Chernovna asked,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°You have a build and movement style that would compliment it. She has signed you, hasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to talk about it,¡± Lillian said uncomfortably, feeling a lump form in her gut. Black Lotus snorted and then suddenly looked sad, she let out a deep sigh, ¡°Did she happen to give you a message?¡± She asked, looking up a bit and squaring her shoulders. ¡°No,¡± Lillian said, ¡°She said that you didn¡¯t need her input.¡± The hero¡¯s face twitched just faintly with a wince. It was small but noticeable. She nodded, ¡°I see,¡± She got to her feet and crossed her arms behind her back, ¡°Pick up your weapon. We are going to begin with drills, you may keep your ability active during this time. You will need it. These drills that I will instill into you, you will practice every day. Understood? This will become your foundation.¡± Lillian reached down and grabbed the heavy weapon, holding it by the scabbard, ¡°Muscle memory training, right?¡± She asked with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m familiar. I did it a lot for parkour and freerunning.¡± Black Lotus finally smiled properly, ¡°Good! You understand the theory then. The goal here is to ensure you can perform precise moves and stances without spending time thinking about it and adjusting. After your drills I will walk you through meditation. It may or may not help with your ability, but it will help with emotional control and focus. That is important in a combat situation,¡± She explained before stepping back, ¡°After that we will work on your ability.¡± Lillian brightened, ¡°My ability? You can help with that?¡± ¡°My ability has many functions,¡± Black Lotus said frankly, ¡°You will see when we get there.¡± Lillian nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, understood.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Black Lotus took a few steps back and drew her own weapon, ¡°Draw your weapon and do your best to emulate my movements.¡± ¨C Two hours later, Lillian set down her sword and let out a breath as she hit the ground. She huffed, her power already working slowly on her muscles with that faint tingle. She wiped her face, ¡°That''s a thousand reps,¡± She said, panting, ¡°All four swings,¡± She sighed and sat up, rubbing her joints and legs. Black Lotus had not, in fact, been merciful and had taken it upon herself to whack any limb that was out of place even the smallest amount with her scabbard covered sword. It hurt like crazy. ¡°You pick up quickly,¡± Black Lotus said. ¡°It was that or get whacked,¡± Lillian challenged. She rolled back and pushed off the ground, landing on her feet. Black Lotus gave her an approving nod as Lillian stretched her arms, ¡°What¡¯s next? Meditation or more swings?¡± She was ready for anything, sure, she was more tired than she¡¯d ever been in her entire life, but it was the good kind of tired. She wanted to learn more, do more, whatever she could. Every little step was a good one. Black Lotus appraised her for a moment and glanced towards the entrance to the dojo before looking back at her, ¡°It is getting late, but we can attempt to meditate a bit while I take a look at your ability.¡± Despite her enthusiasm, she was relieved she didn¡¯t have to do more swings. She plopped down on the ground and crossed her legs, ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± The woman smiled down at her, ¡°I¡¯m sure you are,¡± She said and walked behind her, sitting down herself. ¡°I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice, do as I say as best you can¡­¡± It started with deep breathing, she felt herself drift now and then towards sleep but Black Lotus would pinch her to wake her up and start over. Clearing her head was the hardest part, she had so much to think about. She¡¯d learned so much and she had so many ideas and directions she could go in, then there was the excitement on top of all of it. Her brain was going a mile a minute every time she tried to clear it all out and let it go blank. Eventually she could only sigh and hang her head, frustrated, ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day, that is why I said ¡®attempt¡¯,¡± Black Lotus said gently and pat her shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is only your first day, becoming a hero is a marathon, not a sprint.¡± ¡°Only my first day,¡± Lillian chuckled, ¡°Nine weeks and six days to go.¡± ¡°Plenty of time,¡± Black Lotus said and placed her hand on Lillian¡¯s back, ¡°Take a deep breath and close your eyes one more time for me. Last thing before I send you away.¡± Lillian nodded to her instructor and lowered her head, closing her eyes and taking another centering breath. She couldn¡¯t clear her head but she could at least feel the breath relax her more easily than before. Then she felt it, a charge rush through her back and into her chest. She jolted a little, it kind of hurt. She winced and clenched her teeth, ¡°Is it supposed to-¡± ¡°Shh,¡± Black Lotus whispered, ¡°Deep breaths. Bear with it.¡± Lillian felt a heat begin to rise up in her chest again, like before, but it started to spread, to inch out through her body like it was following her veins. She coughed and clutched at her chest as the pain grew worse. It felt like needles in her veins, fire, she squeezed her eyes shut. It hurts! She protested, curling in further on herself as the pressure just ticked up more and more. Her heart started to race and the soothing feeling tried to push it away but only seemed to fan it like a bellows. Her mouth fell open and then the pain stopped. She gasped and rolled forward onto the ground, heaving, sweat soaking every inch of her body. Her throat hurt. Was I screaming? She wondered, falling onto her side and coughing. She felt a cool finger press against her throat and coughed again as a soothing feeling washed over her. Her ability normalized and soon it began to work on its own again. She caught her breath and looked up at Black Lotus crouched over her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked. Lillian nodded, coughing again, ¡°Yeah, Yeah, I¡¯m good. What was that?¡± ¡°The first step, it would seem, we have a lot of work to do,¡± Black Lotus said, looking a bit grim. ¡°You¡¯re in no condition to discuss this in depth. We will speak the day after tomorrow, at the same time. Do you need me to call one of your friends to help you back to the dorms?¡± Lillian shook her head, ¡°No,¡± She said and forced herself to her feet. She felt her bones creak beneath her, ¡°I can do it,¡± She said, screwing up her face in a look of determination. ¡°I can walk.¡± Black Lotus met her gaze for a heartbeat before nodding, ¡°As long as that determination does not turn into stubbornness,¡± She said and nodded to the exit, ¡°Take your sword, you are dismissed. You did well today.¡± Lillian knelt down and picked up the broadsword, wincing a bit at the effort before resting it on her shoulder, ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am,¡± She said and gave Black Lotus a genuine smile, ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve all this help, but I promise I¡¯ll earn it. Somehow,¡± She said, forcing herself to smile as big as her aching face would allow. Black Lotus raised an eyebrow, ¡°Go on,¡± She said with a softening expression, ¡°Rest.¡± Lillian nodded, turned, and trudged away. ¨C Chunhua watched the girl stagger out of the Dojo before looking down at her hands and frowning. She let out a sigh and looked up to the sky. Are you watching? She thought, Is this my punishment? What more do I have to do? She closed her eyes and let her head hang back as she felt the mana in the air swirl around her. Another deep breath came and she turned towards the exit of the dojo. She stopped at the threshold and looked up again, this time at the balcony. Two gleaming pink eyes stared down at her, silver hair fluttering in the moonlight. The woman they belonged to stared at her for only a heartbeat before turning away and walking back inside. She hung her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chapter 96 Sonya closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands shook, her fingers trembled, she chewed her lip and reached up to grasp at her chest. She closed her eyes and slid down a little in the empty hallway. Not a soul around, no eyes on her, privacy, for just a moment. She let herself feel. Why couldn¡¯t you have gone to the Asian camp? Why did you have to come here? She thought, Why can¡¯t you leave me alone? Haven¡¯t you already done enough? She slid down further until she was sitting on the ground, holding her head in her hands. ¡°Just go away. I can¡¯t stop looking at you if you¡¯re here,¡± She breathed. Footsteps came around the corner and she instinctively opened her eye on the wall. Marta. She thought with relief. Her friend came around the corner and walked up, stopping at her side. The woman rest her hands at her lap and looked down at her. Marta was wearing a dark gown that could be interpreted as a maid outfit. The veil was over her face again and her hands were clad in spiked gauntlets. Sonya tilted her head and looked up at her between her fingers and hair, her mechanical eyes glowing brighter than ever. ¡°Are they all asleep?¡± She asked. ¡°He is wandering, but nowhere nearby,¡± Marta said with a slight bow, ¡°Is it time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few months, yes, I think so,¡± Sonya said with a frown and slowly got to her feet, her arms hanging at her sides. She looked up at the ceiling at one of her own eyes, the digitized flickering gaze of her ¡®madan¡¯ as she called them. Her ¡®judges¡¯. She stared back at herself through both sides before slowly tilting her head to the right and looking lazily at her friend. ¡°Where is she?¡± Ishtar asked, her voice cold and chipped with malice, ¡°I won¡¯t have her missing her first time.¡± Marta inclined her head, ¡°On her way, my lady.¡± As if on cue, more footsteps echoed down the hall. The air grew tenser as more terrible powers drew towards the epicenter that was the Queen of Villains. First around the corner was the pretty face of Mephisto in his black business suit, black shirt, and red tie. He wore lipstick and had powdered his face with a bit of a blush. His gaze was wicked as he whispered something and even their footsteps became silent as the dead. Next around the corner was a young blonde woman who had styled her hair off to the side. She wore black lipstick and a tanktop exposing her waist. Long cargo pants ended in boots at her feet. Cassiopeia walked straight up to Ishtar and looked up at her with barely restrained excitement, desperation, and something else, rage, ¡°Taurus is here, mistress,¡± She breathed. Ishtar brushed the girls hair back and gave her an approving smile. ¡°Glad to have you, Taurus,¡± She murmured and Taurus¡¯ lips twitched nervously. She glanced up at Mephisto, ¡°Do you have everything?¡± He dropped into a dramatic bow, ¡°I am always prepared, mistress.¡± She nodded, ¡°Stay close to me, Taurus, you are my heavenly bull, my hammer to the Companion¡¯s shield.¡± Companion, of all the names for Marta to pick for her villain persona, she had chosen one that utterly threw aside all form of identity. With her ability to change her appearance at will, it was apt, and it carried a weight to it. Taurus nodded, her eyelashes fluttering up at Ishtar before she stepped back and bowed before standing next to Marta. Ishtar couldn¡¯t think of Marta as anything but Marta, but she would use the name she¡¯d chosen. She turned her head to the wall across from them and held out her hand palm up. Gauntlets formed on her hands in shifting plates of metal that spread up her arm and across her body. As they formed her storage space opened and her helmet fell into her outstretched hand. In a matter of seconds, Ishtar in her full regalia stood on the second floor of the East Coast Aspirants training building. She gestured and a rectangle of light appeared in front of her that hollowed out, the light inside it bending as space distended and gave way to her will. Her mechanical brain went through calculations that took hard work, training, and seconds if not minutes for the other person that possessed this ability. The portal stabilized and the faint sound of music came through. Ishtar crossed her arms behind her back and strode through, ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± She said in her cruel mechanical rasp. ¡°Yes mistress,¡± The other three said and formed up behind her. Ishtar felt the rush of traveling through the backrooms, the dominion of non-euclidian, in a split second. There was tug as she traversed a great distance in such a short time, her body bending through space until she stepped out onto plush carpet. The first thing that greeted her was relaxing music, a mixture of jazz, swing, and techno. A faint cloud hung in the air from the many cigars and cigarettes smoked by those in the building. She was standing in a rather large lounge, several couches set up along the walls and a private bar to one side. A single billiards table sat in the middle with a single light hanging over it. She turned her head towards the space behind her and saw someone sitting on a couch with his legs crossed. A pair of milky-white circles glowed through the gloom and smoke. The others stepped through with her, Taurus coughing a little bit and waving her hand in front of her face. Marta and Mephisto were unbothered. ¡°Charon,¡± She said, a small smile in her voice as she stepped towards the eerie, gaunt shape hunched on the couch, ¡°How are you?¡± The young man who had obtained ¡®Patient Zero¡¯ was long gone. Changed by his role, his actions, and more. He leaned forward and his face came into view. Black cross-like stitches stretched up his cheeks to his ears and his jaw was discolored. His hair was short and black, spiked a bit with white streaks. He brandished an eerily perfect white smile as he leaned forward, revealing the expensive vest and tie set over a white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal a too-long pair of arms that were also off-color, strangely black. ¡°Ishtar!¡± He cackled, his slightly cracked new york accent still very present, ¡°I¡¯m doing great!¡± He held up his hand, ¡°What do you think? Is it me?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s was it?¡± She asked. ¡°Dunno, don¡¯t really care, he skipped out on payments too many times,¡± Charon said and got to his feet, ¡°I liked his power though,¡± He said and his fingers twitched, a black and white flame appeared in his palm before it disappeared. ¡°Nice, right? All thanks to you.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Ishtar inclined her head, ¡°Glad to be of service to the villains.¡± ¡°Callin¡¯ a meeting?¡± He asked, a cane appearing in his hand as he leaned on it, he ran those long gaunt fingers over the skull on it. ¡°Been a while.¡± ¡°It has,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Yes.¡± Charon nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a rattly breath, ¡°Ahh¡­ I let the cooks and staff know, they¡¯ll make somethin¡¯ tasty.¡± ¡°Always glad to work with you, Charon,¡± Ishtar hissed. Charon smiled a toothy smile and turned his head towards the others gathered, ¡°Mephisto, fuckin¡¯ hot as ever. How ya doin¡¯ babe? Give it any thought?¡± He asked. Mephisto flipped his hair back, ¡°I like where I work, thanks,¡± He said with a chuckle, ¡°And I¡¯m called for, I¡¯ve said it already,¡± He added with a bit of warning in his tone. ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Charon snickered before looking up at Marta, ¡°The Companion and¡­ oh?¡± He tilted his head and took a step forward, ¡°Who¡¯s this gorgeous thing?¡± ¡°Taurus,¡± Ishtar said without moving her head, ¡°My heavenly bull. I¡¯ve ensured that she is fully capable of a city level event, minimum. She will be my hammer in the future.¡± ¡°Where Blackrazor is your scalpel?¡± Charon asked with a glance in her direction and a delicate step away from Taurus, ¡°You always get the pretty ones don¡¯t ya?¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Figures!¡± He stalked past them, leaning on his cane as he made his way towards the door leading out of the room. ¡°Alright! Might as well call everyone else, it''s time for a family reunion¡± They followed him out the door and down the hall to a pair of enormous metal doors shaped to look like elaborate wooden ones. He stepped towards it and rapped his cane against the ground and the doors slid apart, revealing an enormous meeting room entirely made of post-pandora metals and filled with equipment. Screens hung in the air around the long table where several chairs were evenly spaced and waiting. One end held a high backed chair with a white cloth on it, the other held a similar chair with a black cloth. ¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± Taurus breathed next to Ishtar. ¡°Mm, it is,¡± Ishtar said and strode inside, heading over to the chair with the white cloth as she mentally sent out the invitations. One response after another came in and she flexed with her power, panels of light forming around the room that distended and opened into portals. First to step out was Blackrazor clad in a tight fitting jumpsuit, respirator mask, and hood. He bowed to Ishtar before moving to his seat. The next portal unveiled the mountainous Kingshark, blue-grey skin gleamed and his many eyes flicked about the room. He bore his teeth in Charon¡¯s direction as the lanky ferryman sat in the black adorned throne. After him, another figure stepped out. A young woman with a wide grin on her face. She wore a loose fitting shirt with sleeves that concealed her hands and a pair of breezy pants bound with a thick sash. She turned to Blackrazor and raised a hand, revealing a long wicked knife. She glanced at it, gasped, and retracted into her sleeve before twiddling her fingers at him in greeting. He just inclined her head to her and she puffed up her cheeks. Ishtar inclined her head towards the young woman, ¡°Kerauna, glad you could join us.¡± The living master bolt of Zeus once known as Veloce turned a wide smile to Ishtar, ¡°Anything for you, Mistress,¡± She said brightly before wandering over to her seat. Another portal revealed a man in a polo with a baseball cap on his head. Yet everyone turned to look at the ordinary looking guy with messy hair. Amos cracked a grin and strode inside with his hands in his pockets before hopping into his own seat and leaning back. ¡°Technocrat is here!¡± The others began to sit down and Ishtar joined them. Marta, The Companion, stepped up to stand behind her with her arms resting in front of her as usual. Ishtar sensed her glance towards Kingshark for but a moment before returning her attention to the hall. Taurus took a bit more dramatic approach and hopped right into Ishtar¡¯s lap, throwing an arm around her neck and resting her head under Ishtar¡¯s metal ¡®chin¡¯. She kicked her feet as she looked out over the group. Ishtar didn¡¯t turn her away. The Queen of Villains looked out over the table at the faces of those who had gathered to support her, who knew her true plans, two seats remained empty. Two more to bring into the fold and her little family would be complete. She doubted she would ever get Taurus to properly sit down in a chair. ¡°We have a new inductee,¡± Ishtar began, ¡°This is Taurus, the Heavenly Bull.¡± Amos leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, his chin on his fingers, ¡°Raw destruction then, good addition. Welcome to the family.¡± ¡°I could take that role,¡± Kerauna said petulantly, leaning back and crossing her legs, ¡°Though I¡¯d rather be in someone elses lap.¡± ¡°Keep it in your pants nightlight,¡± Kingshark grunted. ¡°Ooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the fish tank,¡± Kerauna teased, ¡°Bite me.¡± Kingshark turned his head and bore his teeth which grew in size, ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me.¡± ¡°Kera,¡± Blackrazor muttered, his voice quiet but somehow carrying, ¡°Be nice to your family.¡± Kera tensed and slipped back in her seat a little, bowing her head, ¡°Sorry Sharkie.¡± Kingshark grunted and shot a smile at Blackrazor, ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯re all a little heated. The Children of the Dawn are a pain in the ass and the Darksiders are just¡­¡± He rolled his eyes, ¡°...a chore.¡± Ishtar nodded slowly. The Darksiders were a faction of villains that had formed separate from her own. They had a very campy and almost nauseatingly cringe-inducing way of handling their work. Still, Ishtar tolerated them because they used the system that she had created through Charon, though they paid her absolutely no loyalty and would often try to press in on the territory of her group. The Children of the Dawn on the other hand¡­ ¡°My sister¡¯s a piece of shit,¡± Taurus muttered, kicking her feet, ¡°That bitch has it coming to her, right mistress?¡± She asked, not moving from her tight cling. ¡°Sister?¡± Kingshark grunted, ¡°You¡¯re related to that nutjob, Liberty?¡± ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Taurus muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, if none of you all get the chance I¡¯ll happily turn her into a pretty little smear on the ground,¡± She said bitterly, ¡°After I pull her arms out of her sockets and feed her fingers to her.¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± Ishtar said soothingly, reaching up to stroke the girl¡¯s hair, ¡°You¡¯ll get your revenge.¡± Taurus squeaked and chuckled, clinging closer as Ishtar turned to the others, ¡°The heroes training is well under way and I will have a full dossier ready before I leave for the European Convention. Our agents at the other camps will do the same. Remember that the point of this is to strike a balance,¡± She said, ¡°Not to escalate. Keep the heroes busy with the dungeons and with us and we will rake in the profits.¡± ¡°And keep the world turning,¡± Mephisto said with a frown, ¡°Another Vegas would be bad for all of us, not just our pockets.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Ishtar said and raised her head, ¡°Our little cabal exists for one purpose. To eliminate potential threats that the heroes either cannot or will not handle and curtail the other villains,¡± She turned to Charon, ¡°How is our little economy doing?¡± She asked. The undead middle-man of the underworld flicked his wrist and a blue coin appeared in his hand. He twirled it between his fingers and it hissed once before turning into a wad of american banknotes. ¡°Conversion has gone down, people like the new currency now that it has value. They¡¯re paying for everything from favors from you, to gear from Technocrat, to henchmen from Kingshark. Whatever they can get to achieve their hearts desires.¡± ¡°And the loaning operation?¡± Ishtar asked. ¡°You have a lot of debtors,¡± Charon laughed, ¡°It¡¯s fuckin crazy.¡± Ishtar nodded slowly, ¡°Very good work,¡± She said and turned her gaze over those gathered, ¡°Now, let''s talk about the Children of Dawn. It¡¯s time to work out a strategy to deal with them and Liberty.¡± Chapter 97 Sonya and the others stepped out of the portal and into her office. She reached up and brushed her hair out of her face, as she deactivated her armor. Ironsides¡¯ power is convenient. She thought with a small smile. That smile faltered when her senses picked up on someone standing in the room. She turned her head towards the door with a frown and saw her standing there. Her lips turned down in a frown and she tilted her head forward, ¡°Black Lotus,¡± She said evenly, ¡°What are you doing in my office?¡± ¡°You left,¡± The hero said. ¡°I had a meeting to attend to, it¡¯s not your concern,¡± Sonya said, tilting her head up to look down a bit on the taller woman. ¡°Just go to bed or whatever and leave me be. You hound me enough as it is,¡± She said dismissively and turned away, waving her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been making up for it for a year, doing what you asked,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Please, just talk to me,¡± She asked, her voice cracking a little. Sonya closed her eyes tight and clenched her fists as Marta, Colin, and Cass came through the portal. Cass froze and frowned, a warhammer appearing in her hand. Marta held up her arm and blocked the girl from attacking as she glared daggers in Black Lotus¡¯ direction. Sonya tilted her head up again and prayed to whatever would listen for patience before she turned around and plastered a forced pleasantness onto her face, ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± She said with poisoned sweetness, ¡°That, what you just said, is precisely the problem and you know it.¡± ¡°Sonya-¡± ¡°Get out. Don¡¯t make me say it again,¡± Sonya said and turned away, ¡°I¡¯m tired. I haven¡¯t slept in two days because of you, I took it out on Carla, again.¡± Black Lotus stiffened and frowned, her eyes downcast. She stood up straighter and bowed, ¡°Miss Chernovna, have a good night.¡± ¡°Thank you, hero,¡± Sonya said, looking down at her nails as the door opened and shut quietly behind her. Her fingers curled and she carved rivets into the table''s surface, ¡°Damn it. Not only do I have to deal with her being here but he decided that this was the best place to start his ¡®rise to power¡¯.¡± She spat bitterly, ¡°That buffoon, I never realized how stupid he was until I met him like this. What the hell kind of power does he have that he was-¡± She stopped as Marta put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She turned and threw herself into Marta¡¯s chest and her dearest friend pulled her into an embrace, ¡°I¡¯m so angry all the time now, more than before, I can¡¯t take it, it hurts,¡± Sonya croaked. ¡°We understand,¡± Marta whispered, resting her chin on Sonya¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be angry. Are you ready for sleep tonight?¡± Sonya nodded mutely into her embrace, ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ensure Cassiopeia gets back to the dorms without a disturbance,¡± Marta said, ¡°Colin has the office. Go rest. Carla will take care of you.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¨C Sonya walked down the hall alone, blessedly alone, finally some quiet. She drifted past the hall leading towards the girls'' dorms and towards the small set of apartments attached to the rear of the building for the instructors and VIPs. Some of them were shared among the instructors while a couple had been set aside for exclusive use. She tried to let her mind empty a little as she wandered, reaching up to run shaking fingers through her hair. Even with all my power my hands are tied, the whole point was to avoid using it at all, only to- she paused and stood up straight. Her senses felt him as he stepped out of the turn leading to the restrooms behind her. She turned slowly and looked at him, glowing pink eyes met luminous sapphire blue. Otis. ¡°Miss Chernovna, you¡¯re up late!¡± He said brightly. I¡¯ll kill you. She smiled, ¡°A bit of late night business!¡± She said merrily. ¡°You¡¯re up late too!¡± Break you. ¡°I¡¯m glad we got to talk today,¡± He said, scratching his head, ¡°That stuff about scouts gave me a lot to think about!¡± Ruin you. ¡°Oh?¡± Sonya said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about it over breakfast tomorrow? I really should be getting to bed.¡± Your dreams! ¡°That sounds great!¡± He said, rubbing his shoulder, ¡°Definitely could use some rest myself, being Mythic doesn¡¯t exclude me from soreness!¡± Your beliefs! ¡°Handmaiden has told me much of the same!¡± She laughed, ¡°We¡¯re all human!¡± I¡¯ll take everything, I swear it! His lip twitched and he tilted his head, closing his eyes with a youthful smile, ¡°We sure are!¡± He said, ¡°Good night, Miss Chernovna!¡± OTIS! ¡°Good night, Mister Mallory,¡± She said sweetly and they parted ways. She walked down the hall, holding it all in. Every step was a nightmare until she reached that door, she opened it slowly and shut it, closing it tightly behind her and pressing her back against it. Her breath came in gasps, He¡¯s right there! He¡¯s right there! She wanted to tear her hair out and scream but all she could do was let her hands fall to her sides. She tilted her head and looked towards the couch where she saw Carla sleeping, dozed off with a half-finished glass of wine on the coffee table. There was another empty one next to it. She smiled and felt the madness drift away for a little bit. You sweet thing, she thought and walked over, kneeling down to pick up the taller woman easily into a princess carry. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed, mm?¡± She purred into her ear. Carla mumbled and curled in a little as Sonya walked towards the bedroom door. She paid no attention to the slitted eyes that glanced at her from the side as she walked past her reflection in a framed painting on the wall. She simply prepared herself for another night of nightmares. ¨C Lillian stirred and grumbled, scratching at her chin as she shifted a bit on the bed. She frowned and squinted at the ceiling. Her chest felt heavier than usual. She squinted and rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looking down. A small form was stretched across her chest and waist lengthwise. She blinked a few times before she realized what happened. Did we fall asleep talking? Oh crap. She glanced around and sat up, the small form rolling off of her and onto the mattress before curling up. She glanced up and saw the top of Snow¡¯s head. Short, almost shaved? Why is it black and white? She thought before remembering how diligent the girl was about keeping her hood up. She took in a sharp breath and glanced around, the other girls in the dorm were sound asleep. Careful¡­ She thought and reached forward to grab Snow¡¯s hood and slowly, very slowly, pulled it back over her head. When her friend didn¡¯t stir she let out a sigh of relief and slid off the bed, getting to her feet. Gonna have to talk about making sure she gets to her own spot before bed, she thought and scratched her neck, Might give people the wrong idea.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. She crossed her arms and sighed heavily before pulling Snow up towards her pillow and pulling the blanket over her. It¡¯s early but I could really go for a coffee, she frowned and wrinkled her nose, And a shower. She went to her duffle bag and grabbed her toiletries before stepping out of the door. She scratched her head and grumbled a little bit to herself as she made her way towards the bathrooms on this side of the building. She rounded the corner and paused, frowning a little and glancing around. That¡¯s weird, what¡¯s that? She thought, turning around in a circle. The air felt odd. She sniffed but she couldn¡¯t pick up on anything. She looked down at her feet, Like the air was charged and then¡­ I dunno. She shook her head. ¡°Wacky place,¡± She muttered and pushed her way into the bathrooms. A little while after that, fully refreshed, she stepped out with a much brighter disposition. She needed to get her morning workout in. She reached into her toiletries bag as she stepped back into the hallway and fished out the catalog, flipping to the back where the map was. The Dojo could work but there had to be a- there! A gym! She clenched her fists, ¡°Blessed weights and pull-up bars!¡± She said with delight and stepped fully out into the hallway, turning as someone stepped up behind her. ¡°Excited to get your workout in?¡± The merry-chirp of Sonya Chernovna rang out behind her. She spun and saw the usually formally dressed woman in a t-shirt that said ¡®Cola Up - Pinky Out¡¯ in playful letters. From her right arm hung a small bag with a towel hanging out of it. She was in sweatpants, sandals, and her hair was down. She definitely had a serious case of bed-head. That said, she looked far more rested than Lillian had seen her since they first encountered one another. She was smiling wider too, refreshed. Lillian realized she¡¯d been staring and flushed before scratching at her head, ¡°Uhh yeah! I always try to get a good one in the morning but, yesterday was a little crazy.¡± The CEO stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head, ¡°Black Lotus and I didn¡¯t put you through enough?¡± She asked with a laugh, ¡°You¡¯re a beast aren¡¯t you?¡± Lillian shrugged and flexed her arm, grinning, ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m tough!¡± The CEO chuckled and reached up to squeeze the arm, her bare fingers were strong and strangely cold, was that why she wore gloves all the time? ¡°Careful with those, might get more attention than you can handle,¡± She teased with a wink, ¡°Have a good morning dear!¡± She said impishly and walked past towards the restroom. ¡°Someone else has the instructor''s shower so I guess I¡¯m roughing it!¡± She laughed. Was she just- Lillian turned towards the woman and mouthed a few words before finally settling on something, ¡°Th-thanks! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better!¡± Miss Chernovna paused at the door and glanced back at her. Her expression softened to something far more genuine, ¡°Thank you,¡± She said before disappearing into the room. Wow, her skin really does glitter, Lillian thought stupidly before blinking, she bopped herself in the head. Stupid! Stop it! She chastised herself before turning away to head back to the dorms and grab a few things for her work out. Snow was still out cold but she was holding her phone and it clearly had an alarm set based on the symbol flashing at the top. She¡¯d be fine. Lillian got changed and grabbed a few more things, she couldn¡¯t get a signal but she had some playlists saved on her phone she could listen to since radio wasn¡¯t an option. She didn¡¯t forget to grab her broadsword, of course. It was a huge topic of conversation the previous night when she got back. It turned out that the girls didn¡¯t want to sleep until they heard more about the one-on-one training from her. When she came back with a freaking sword, the excitement grew even more palpable. Jessica definitely approved of the choice and one of the others had an ability that let them identify what it was made of. Post-Pandora metal. It had elements in it unique to monsters and dungeons. It was apparently seriously expensive hardware. That of course led to the deluge of questions about whether or not ASTA had signed her, she had been as noncommittal as possible and one girl pointed out that she¡¯d probably been asked to sign an NDA for the camp. That had been a nice save. Snow still gave her some squinty looks but it could have been worse. She ambled through the building and to the stairs that she hadn¡¯t noticed were wrapped around the back of the earth diorama. Down the stairs she found a hall filled with classrooms and of course the long gym with glass walls so one could see if anyone else was working out inside. She was not alone, it turned out. Several of the guys and girls from the aspirants were already getting their day started like her. She poked her head inside and spotted only one familiar face. ¡°Morning Jessica!¡± She called as she walked in and found herself a spot next to the bars and some weights. Jessica turned from a conversation with who looked like the guy who had been using his powers to pull things towards him the previous dinner. She waved, ¡°Hi Lillian! Good morning! Getting started early?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± She said and glanced up at the bars, ¡°Got some sets then sword drills to do.¡± ¡°Mind if I do drills with you?¡± She asked, walking over. Lillian glanced at her, she was unarmed, ¡°You don¡¯t have your-¡± Jessica held out her hand and a blade of ice stretched from it becoming very solid and releasing a faint white mist. ¡°Oh!¡± Jessica grinned at her, ¡°I¡¯m always armed.¡± Lillian returned her expression with an awkward smile, ¡°That¡¯s kinda scary when you say it like that.¡± Jessica blinked, then laughed, ¡°You¡¯re right! Maybe I should save that kind of thing for villains.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Lillian agreed and reached down to grab her sword, ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, I¡¯m curious about what she taught you,¡± Jessica said, ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind me stealing a bit?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Lillian said, tilting her chin up a bit, ¡°We¡¯re all training to be heroes, every little bit helps, right?¡± Jessica let out a weary sigh and gave her an almost patient smile, ¡°You are too good for your own good, thanks,¡± She turned to the guy she was talking to, ¡°Hey Reek! Can we get some water?¡± The guy on the other end of the room crossed his arms and frowned, the brown hair on his head falling down just past his eyebrows as he stared back flatly, ¡°That is not my codename and I am not your porter,¡± He turned away with a huff, ¡°Try again, princess.¡± She scratched her nose, ¡°Sorry Luke,¡± She said, ¡°Please?¡± He glanced her way from the corner of his eye and let out a long suffering sigh, ¡°Fine!¡± He said and held out his hand, it looked like the air parted like curtains and a gallon jug of cold water landed in his palm. He set it down and then another appeared before he knelt, grabbed them, and carried them over. ¡°Was that some kind of storage power?¡± Lillian asked, amazed. There are so many cool powers out there! Luke tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Huh? No. Well, sorta,¡± He shook his head, ¡°I can pull things that I¡¯ve marked to me from any distance, pretty much, I¡¯ve got a whole storeroom back at my house full of stuff instead of carrying it with me. My folks are going to keep it stocked while I¡¯m here,¡± He said, ¡°If the item¡¯s close enough I can draw it to me physically and at high speed if I want. I¡¯m partially here to figure out if I can do it the other way. Fire projectiles.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little detailed?¡± Jessica teased him. He shrugged, ¡°We¡¯re all heroes here and I¡¯ll be blunt, you two are the last people I¡¯d suspect spilling their guts, Jess is on my team and no offense Lillian, but Jess is kinda right. You could stand to be a bit more selfish.¡± Lillian flushed, ¡°Just kinda hard reconciling being a little selfish with being a hero.¡± ¡°Aw! That¡¯s why I like you!¡± Jessica said, clapping her arm, ¡°Come on, let''s do some drills, thanks Luke.¡± ¡°Sure sure,¡± Luke said and walked off, hands in his pockets as he ambled his way over to the treadmills. They got right into it, Lillian showing Jessica the way that Black Lotus had taught her to stand, breathe, and swing. It took a little bit for Jessica to get the hang of it but soon the two of them were doing overhand cuts over and over, their eyes focused hard on the wall in front of them. Lillian didn¡¯t let her mind wander as she did, after some sleep she finally had a bit more of a clear head, it was a good feeling. She let out low breath after low breath, the meditative breathing coming naturally as she brought it back from the previous night¡¯s training. A warmth began to rise up in her chest as she swung and sweat dripped down her temple. The heat intensified, but it felt good as it spread out through her body and into her arms. ¡°-ian!¡± She frowned and kept swinging, one at a time, up, down, up, down. ¡°Lillian!¡± She paused, Jessica¡¯s voice? She sounded upset. She turned and blinked at the girl, ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡± She asked, confused. Jessica stared at her frankly for a moment before pointing at her shoulder, ¡°You uh¡­ you got a little something on your¡­¡± Lillian turned her head, confused, and looked down at her left arm. Flames. Fire was burning on her shoulder. Brilliant yellow-orange-gold flames. They were small but¡­ Wait. ¡°I¡¯m on fire!¡± She gasped and reached up to pat it off before pausing again. Why doesn¡¯t it hurt? A Little Thank You Hey everybody, DerelictPresence aka TheBroker here! I wanted to thank all of you for your continued support of this series as it moves into season 2! You guys have been amazing and I love reading all of your comments. They make my day. The world of the series is getting bigger, yeah? More characters, more plots, and more groundwork setting up for future events. I''ve got a lot planned and I can''t wait to share it with you all. Your comments keep me motivated and keep the story going. So as a very special thank you for everything and for hanging in there while we take a look at the world through different eyes in this little prologue, I know y''all are eager to see Sonya take center stage and find out what the hell happened between her and Chunhua- I''m one hundred percent certain that we''re almost there!- I wanted to give you guys something pretty neat.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A piece of an early sketch for the cover of book one! We''re making strides towards getting it ready for y''all to enjoy. Thank you again so much for reading this series and for loving these characters so much. Be kind to one another, TheBroker Chapter 98 Lillian sat awkwardly in the middle of the spartan-looking bedroom as Black Lotus sat in front of her. The world¡¯s number one hero was leaning forward, her brows knotted and rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she looked Lillian over. They had tried putting out the flames on her shoulders to pretty much zero luck. Upside was that it didn¡¯t seem to hurt anyone when they touched it, though no one put their hands in for more than a heartbeat before pulling away. Black Lotus scratched at her waist, she was in a tank top and fatigues rather than her usual robes and it was more than a little strange seeing her dressed down like this. ¡°Well,¡± She said with a frown, ¡°I can see why you called on me,¡± She said and tilted her head, squinting at the golden flames that flickered on Lillian¡¯s shoulders, ¡°They really don¡¯t hurt? They aren¡¯t burning your clothes?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am,¡± Lillian said uncomfortably, ¡°Just kind of chilling there, I guess?¡± She added with a nervous laugh. Black Lotus sighed, ¡°Give me your hand, let''s have a closer look.¡± Lillian nodded and took the woman¡¯s hand. She immediately felt that tingle rush up her arm again and spread throughout her body. It felt a little like Black Lotus was exploring, checking inside of her to see what had changed. The woman closed her eyes and let out a breath, the tingling moving further in towards Lillian¡¯s heart. THUMP! Her heart beat and she felt the heat on her shoulders for the first time, there was a warmth that spread out of her chest and down to meet the sensation that was coming from Black Lotus. It quickly retreated and the woman let go. ¡°Hm, it reacted,¡± She hummed, ¡°But otherwise nothing seems different,¡± She tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯d expected some manner of manifestation after checking you last night but this wasn¡¯t what I expected, to be honest,¡± She crossed her arms, ¡°Regardless I think you¡¯re just a bit of a late bloomer and your ability is unveiling itself in stages. Have you tried checking your instincts?¡± Lillian frowned and shook her head, ¡°To be honest I got next to nothing out of my awakening, so I didn¡¯t bother checking again. It felt kind of pointless.¡± Black Lotus pursed her lips, ¡°Well, try again?¡± Lillian nodded hesitantly before taking a deep breath and thinking about her ability. She knew academically that it was a process all light-touched could simply do on instinct funny enough. She took another cleansing breath in the same way that Black Lotus had taught her before and exhaled, concentrating on- That¡¯s new. There was significantly more information now, the zone of comfort created was just an after effect of the flames inside of her. They were the real source of benefit. Flames that could spread and heal or inversely they could most assuredly be used to harm. The problem was as far as she could tell they only extended from her body, she would have to ¡®ignite¡¯ something in order for it to go further. She could also tell that her body was storing energy somehow, she wasn¡¯t sure what it was but it had something to do with what she was becoming more and more aware of in the air. It seamlessly fueled the flames. She let out a gasp as she came out of her thoughts, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot more detail,¡± She said aloud, looking down at her hand and flexing her fingers. She scrunched her face a little and with some effort she felt the trickle of energy move through her body and to her palm. A tiny, coin sized golden flame popped into being. She brightened and held it up to Black Lotus, ¡°Look! I did that! Oh my god! Look at it, it¡¯s so pretty!¡± She laughed, ¡°Wow!¡± Black Lotus narrowed her eyes at it and then glanced up at her face, ¡°It moved through your meridians,¡± She said with a stony face. ¡°Huh?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°I see,¡± Black Lotus muttered, ¡°I understand now. Last night makes a lot more sense to me.¡± ¡°Um?¡± Lillian tried to cut in. ¡°I checked your pathways to test your ability but my power spread because you possess the ability to channel through your meridians,¡± Black Lotus continued mumbling, getting to her feet and pacing, ¡°The energy acts as a fuel source for the flames, and because of its origins you have a knack for martial arts. Your ability is very similar to mine,¡± She kept talking. ¡°Uh, miss Black Lotus?¡± Lillian tried again. ¡°Still, it''s a very functional ability for rare grade, peak rare then, if not one of the odd ducks that encroach a little further while still reading as rare,¡± She kept going and going, ¡°I could tell that the energy couldn¡¯t leave your body very far, part of the rare-grade limitation? Yes. Hm. May not be able to form a core but we¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll have to add additional sessions. Nightly if necessary.¡± Lillian was getting very lost, she held up her hands, ¡°Miss Black Lotus!¡± She called. The woman tensed and spun, ¡°Oh! You were talking, I¡¯m sorry Lillian, what was your question?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a meridian?¡± ¨C Alex was howling with laughter as they sat together at the couch, his arms wrapped around his waist as he bent over and stomped his feet. The others were chuckling too, even John seemed a bit amused despite his greater focus on his beloved sandwiches. Alex kept chortling before finally catching his breath and wiping a tear from his eye, ¡°So you just caught fire in the middle of the gym and Jessica threw water on you?¡± He threw his head back and laughed, ¡°Oh man, I wish I was there.¡± Lillian flushed, ¡°Yeah, it was uh, embarrassing.¡± ¡°Sounds like you finished manifesting,¡± Greg said, resting his chin on his palm and chuckling, ¡°Happened to Alex too, he awoke in a couple stages,¡± He said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. Alex sat forward, ¡°Hey man, that¡¯s private!¡± He barked, suddenly very unamused. Snow said through her illusions, Lillian looked over at her, stretched out on the couch they were occupying. Her feet were on Lillian''s lap and she was staring up at her phone with her head tucked against the arm of the couch. Alex and Greg were across from them, bickering as always. Val sat forward next to John and hummed to himself, ¡°Maybe you can ignite your sword, you can ignite your body right? Have you tried?¡± ¡°Not yet, gonna wait for the session tonight with Black Lotus,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Wise, she seems to understand your ability well, similar power sets are uncommon,¡± John muttered, ¡°Stick to that plan and don¡¯t use it much today.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Agreed,¡± Ollie chimed in from the floor between them, he was surrounded by notebooks now and was writing furiously, he didn¡¯t even look up as he spoke, ¡°Though personally I¡¯m more interested in the physiological changes you experienced, have you looked in a mirror since the incident this morning?¡± He asked. Lillian blinked dumbly, ¡°Physiological- what? What changes? What happened to my face?¡± She gasped, reaching up and patting at herself. ¡°Eye color is brighter, closer to orange now,¡± Ollie said without looking up, ¡°And unless you somehow dug up some hair dye in the middle of the night, you now have a green streak in your hair, left side.¡± Lillian blanched and looked at the others, ¡°Do I really?¡± They looked at one another, ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Val said and pointed to his temple, ¡°Right here.¡± Lillian let out a groan, ¡°Oh man.¡± Snow offered as consolation, throwing a few winky and smiley emojis to help soften the blow. ¡°Maybe,¡± Lillian said and brought her hand up to her face, ¡°But my mom is gonna kill me.¡± ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t force it!¡± Black Lotus barked, pacing behind her. The two of them were in the dojo in the dead of night, Lillian was standing with her legs spaced and her broadsword in her hand. Her eyes were fixed on the blade. She could feel the heat in her chest building and trying to work its way through the channels in her body that Black Lotus called meridians. Apparently the energy was supposed to be constantly moving but her body hadn¡¯t reached that stage yet. Even so, she¡¯d been able to make that tiny fireball earlier, so there was no reason she couldn¡¯t project it a bit more, right? Well, that¡¯s what she thought anyway until she actually tried it. It felt like trying to press a water hose against a metal wall. Every time she felt the energy reach her hand and build up it eventually flared out from within her palm and scattered all over the place. The worst part was she was trying to use the more dangerous version of the flame, so it spread across the ground and caught portions of the floor on fire before Black Lotus swung her arm and put it out with a gesture. Lillian groaned after the latest failed attempt and dropped her weapon, ¡°I can¡¯t get it to catch,¡± She sighed, ¡°What am I doing wrong?¡± ¡°Inexperience,¡± Black Lotus said consolingly, ¡°That¡¯s all. That and your body probably has to be at the cycling stage before you do anything complicated. Why don¡¯t you sit down and we¡¯ll work on that a little.¡± Lillian nodded and sat down, hunching forward a bit, ¡°No drills tonight?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do them in the morning, won¡¯t you?¡± Black Lotus asked, ¡°Besides, getting a grip on the breadth of this strange ability of yours is far more important right now. We¡¯ll probably hold off.¡± ¡°No kidding, it even dyed my hair,¡± Lillian muttered, ¡°Mom¡¯s always been worried about me coming back from a vacation or something with my hair a brand new color. She just wants to be involved in the process, you know?¡± ¡°I understand where she¡¯s coming from,¡± Black Lotus said with a sigh, ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a manifestation of your ability, not some youthful venture. Have you figured out the meaning, yet?¡± ¡°Meaning? Besides green?¡± Lillian grunted irritably, ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve given it a little thought but nothing comes to mind. Any ideas?¡± ¡°The nature of our abilities, yours and mine, originates in some Chinese mythology and admittedly some of its pop culture,¡± Black Lotus said, resting her hand on her back. Lillian felt the energy slowly inch into her body. The woman was a bit more careful this time, ¡°Green has some connotations, for one, Integrity.¡± Lillian frowned and shifted a bit beneath Black Lotus¡¯ hand, ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable walking around with a streak in my hair that says ¡®hey look! I have integrity!¡¯.¡± She mumbled, ¡°I hope it¡¯s just a pretty color or something. Feels weird to me otherwise.¡± ¡°It can also be associated with health and prosperity,¡± Black Lotus added patiently, the energy spread a bit more and she felt it reaching towards her heart again. She felt her heartbeat spike and this time managed to breathe enough to allow the tingling sensation to reach its destination. It slowly spread out, inching along until it reached the point it had the previous night where the pain had started. Lillian grunted and clenched her teeth as Black Lotus pushed further this time, increasing the distance several more inches before Lillian shook her head furiously. Black Lotus pulled her hand away, ¡°Good effort,¡± She said, ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Can probably stand,¡± Lillian muttered, ¡°Everything hurts though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m opening your meridians. I originally sent my energy into you last night to explore your power, I didn¡¯t realize you possessed the trait and pushed your meridians open forcibly. I¡¯m taking a more direct and focused approach now. You should be fine in a few hours,¡± She said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this every night until your body is completely open.¡± ¡°That might take a while,¡± Lillian panted, leaning back and looking up at the dark haired woman. Black Lotus grinned, ¡°Well, we have ten weeks.¡± ¨C Lillian dragged herself into the dorm after Black Lotus ruthlessly put her through a set of drills anyway even after saying she ¡®probably¡¯ wouldn¡¯t. Probably my ass. Lillian grumbled as she pushed through the door. Some of the girls were still awake and talking, Jessica waved at her and she even spotted Cassiopeia sitting up and reading a book. The girl glanced her way and frowned before looking back. What the heck did I do to her? She thought, I should clear that up at some point, she thought before landing on her bed with a grunt. ¡°How¡¯d it go, golden girl?¡± Jessica asked, walking over and sitting on one of the posts of her bed. ¡°Painful,¡± Lillian said with a sigh, ¡°My ability has ¡®similar¡¯ features to hers so she¡¯s getting a little fixated, I think. I dunno. She really seems driven to get it right with me for some reason.¡± ¡°Probably because you caught Miss Chernovna¡¯s attention,¡± Another girl said a few bunks down, ¡°I saw them arguing earlier, looks like they¡¯re not on good terms right now. Black Lotus is signed with ASTA, so that¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°You saw them arguing?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t make anything out, but Miss Chernovna wasn¡¯t hearing it, sent her away, can you believe there¡¯s someone out there that can send the number one away like that? Shoot, I saw her try to go into the room after Miss Chernovna and like, she couldn¡¯t even walk in the door. Probably some fancy next-gen ASTA tech. Just froze when she tried to step in,¡± The girl recounted, closing her book. ¡°Bet they were a thing once, Sonya likes ¡®em pretty,¡± Another said, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°She¡¯s not exactly shy when she¡¯s in a good mood.¡± All of the girls started laughing; ¡°She¡¯s impossible!¡± One laughed. ¡°At least she isn¡¯t a lecher or something, just likes to tease,¡± Another said. ¡°I bet she was a dirty old man in a past life,¡± A third said before a book snapped shut and they all went silent. They glanced over to see a scowling Cassiopeia staring at them. ¡°Could you not badmouth Miss Chernova in front of me please?¡± She said darkly, ¡°She¡¯s done a lot for me, and I would appreciate it if you kept your mouths shut,¡± She snapped and set her book down before rolling over, ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Oops,¡± One girl whispered. The text box appeared in Lillian''s face before she felt Snow draw near. She shifted and looked up as the girl slipped onto the bed next to her. She looked down at her phone and tapped away. ¡°Uh, hey,¡± Lillian murmured. Snow asked. Lillian stared at the words for a moment before a pit formed in her stomach. She frowned and then slumped, ¡°Yeah. How¡¯d you know?¡± Snow said. She glanced over at Snow, opened her mouth and then closed it. She¡¯d learned not to ask stupid questions over the past few days. She¡¯d already stepped on one land mine with the girl, she wasn¡¯t about to do it again. Snow said and in a quick movement landed a small peck on her cheek. Lillian watched her go, reaching up to touch her cheek, her mouth hanging open a little bit, ¡°Huh,¡± She looked at her hand and then up at Snow as she jumped into her own bed. ¡°Yeah, good night,¡± She mumbled and glanced at her pillow. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to get any sleep after that. Not that she had a choice. Her schedule was practically set in stone now, the next day was coming, and she had a feeling things were going to start moving fast soon. Side Story: Lillian 1 Lillian hit the ground, hard, and rolled onto her side. She let out a cough and reached up to wipe her lip. Every single time she got past that ten second mark it was like the difficulty spiked like crazy. She pressed her hands against the floor and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She was grateful for the slight give that it had. Every time she hit the ground it absorbed just enough of the shock to make sure she wasn¡¯t seriously injured. Above her, Sonya stood with her arms crossed in that same shirt, slacks, and suspenders combo. Sonya crossed her arms and looked down at her, ¡°Twelve seconds, you¡¯re improving bit by bit. It¡¯s almost a shame I have to go to Europe next week,¡± Sonya said with a small smile, reaching down to her, ¡°Need some help?¡± Lillian shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. A knee buckled a little and she put her hand on it to stabilize it. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m fine,¡± She grunted, fixing her face in a determined frown. Her teacher tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you tough?¡± She said with an admiring smile before taking a quick step back, resting her hands behind her back and swaying a little, ¡°Going to be a top hero in no time at all.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Lillian grunted and looked at her hands, the golden flames appeared on her fingertips before retracting, ¡°If only I can get a handle on it. Miss Black Lotus says I have a long way to go, but she¡¯s been a big help,¡± Lillian said, glancing up a bit hesitant at Sonya. She wasn¡¯t blind, there was something going on between Black Lotus and Sonya and it wasn¡¯t a happy thing. ¡°She¡¯s done a lot for me.¡± Sonya pursed her lips, ¡°Has she? Well,¡± Sonya reached up and flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, ¡°Keep listening to her. If anyone can help you, she can,¡± Sonya said before glancing up and past Lillian, her expression changed from one of mild disinterest to curiosity and then amusement. She raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Lillian asked, glancing over her shoulder. There was nothing there but the open entrance to the dojo. She frowned, confused, damn I missed it. She scratched her short hair and looked back at Sonya who was fixing her with a stare. She was really, really close, nearly nose to nose. Lillian shifted back a bit, C-cologne? She blinked and staggered back onto her butt. ¡°Huh? What was that about?¡± Sonya quirked a lip at her from above, ¡°Oh, just making a social observation,¡± Sonya said with a chuckle and walked past her, ¡°Hit the showers, Landrey!¡± Lillian scrambled back to her feet and watched the woman sashay out, hand raised in goodbye. She rounded the corner around the entrance to the dojo and disappeared. Lillian stared at the spot she¡¯d just been and frowned, scratching her head, ¡°What the heck was that all about?¡± Lillian mumbled with a sigh, rubbing her arms and checking for any marks. ¡°No fresh bruises at least,¡± She muttered before taking the woman¡¯s advice and making her way towards the common building. Under the showerhead she rest her forehead against the wall, Twelve seconds, still nowhere near a passing grade. I know I¡¯m only a few weeks in but still, I feel like I¡¯ve hit a wall, She sighed and shut off the shower, drying herself off and getting dressed. She scratched her head again, Maybe I should try a different approach? Direct blows don¡¯t seem to do much now that I¡¯m past ten seconds. Maybe I can ask Black Lotus to teach me some feints. She smiled, Yeah that¡¯s a good idea! Freshly determined and blessedly clean she stepped out of the shower and rounded the corner just in time for a soft hand to land on her shoulder. She glanced back and saw pink eyes staring at her with slightly unhinged mirth, ¡°Uh¡­ Hi Miss Chernovna?¡± She babbled as the woman got closer and grinned at her. ¡°Hi to you too!¡± Sonya laughed and wrapped her arm around Lillians, ¡°Walk with me,¡± She ordered and started to lead Lillian towards the common area, ¡°So I was thinking,¡± Sonya said, tapping her lips, ¡°We should talk a little about the design of your hero outfit, it¡¯s never too early, I think. You like orange, right?¡± She said playfully. Why is this happening? Lillian groaned inwardly as the woman dragged her along. ¡°Uh, I mean sure, I guess,¡± She rubbed her neck, ¡°I like orange a lot but it doesn¡¯t have to be the whole thing. Should we be talking about this out in the open, I thought we were supposed to be keeping it on the down low, covering it up for now,¡± It was true, Sonya was a bit of a flirt and an eccentric but she was definitely off today. What was her game?Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Sonya glanced in one direction and smiled impishly, even going as far as to shoot a wink. Lillian started to turn in that direction when Sonya placed a finger on her abs and she looked down with surprise, ¡°Now Lillian, I would never cover all this up! That would be a terrible business decision! I have a designer that I¡¯m rather close to who would be ecstatic to have you as a subject. I¡¯m planning on meeting up with her in Europe actually, I can bring her a few of your suggestions.¡± Lillian stared down at the hand and then up at Sonya, ¡°I have a question.¡± Sonya tilted her head and smiled innocently, ¡°I¡¯m here to listen!¡± Lillian¡¯s face went a little deadpan, ¡°Why are you flirting with me?¡± Sonya gasped and put a hand over her heart, ¡°Lillian, I never! I am an instructor!¡± She snorted and grinned before patting Lillian¡¯s arm, ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you, you are so cute, honestly it¡¯s a shame you haven¡¯t found a belle yet, seems to be a fad these days at the camp,¡± Sonya said looking a little sad for a moment, glancing off to the right again and grinning. ¡°You know, if someone doesn¡¯t bite soon, I might have to take even more drastic action,¡± She tilted her head forward and looked straight into Lillian¡¯s eyes, ¡°You¡¯re smart but¡­¡± She leaned up and put her lips to Lillian¡¯s ear, ¡°Perhaps you could try to be a bit more decisive?¡± She whispered and pulled away with a slightly manic laugh. Lillian blinked twice, staring at the mischievous woman as she took another playful step back. As she did, a blur moved between them and a hand grabbed onto her wrist. Sonya barked out another laugh and kept laughing as Lillian was pulled down the hall and towards one of the side rooms. She hadn¡¯t even realized she was being tugged along until she glanced down and saw a black hoodie in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder at the crazy woman who gave her a wink and a thumbs up before turning away again with a laugh. That crazy¡­ She was pulled into the side room and the door slammed shut behind her. She looked down into a pair of white eyes that looked into hers with frustration. There were little tears there. Bits of black and white television-snow hair poked out from beneath Snow¡¯s hood and she was gripping her long baggy sweater tightly enough that her shorts could actually be seen for once. Lillian felt her shoulders slump a little bit, ¡°Y-you- I-¡± She hesitated as the girl looked up at her even more intently, ¡°We-¡± She cleared her throat. She wanted to just pick Snow up and hug her, she knew what Snow wanted her to say right now. It was just embarrassing. Snow frowned at her, she didn¡¯t pull out her phone. Lillian let out a breath and forced herself to relax, letting an easy smile cross her face. ¡°We¡¯ve been pretty inseparable since we met, huh?¡± Lillian said, trying to figure out what to do with her hands and just letting them rest at her side helplessly. Snow¡¯s hard face relaxed a little and her frown quirked a little bit towards a smile, just a little. ¡°You-¡± She cleared her throat and flushed, ¡°Me-¡± She swallowed and stumbled a bit. ¡°Dang it this is hard,¡± She scratched her head. ¡°I¡¯m just better when-¡± Snow threw her head back with a noiseless groan and whipped out her phone. She reached up and grabbed Lillian by the sleeve and tugged. Lillian crouched down a little while Snow tapped furiously on it for a moment with one hand. She shot Lillian a petulant look before shoving the screen in her face. Lillian relaxed, ¡°I can do that,¡± She said and looked up into Snow¡¯s pale eyes, ¡°If that¡¯s alright with you.¡± Snow¡¯s face fell, then went through a whole litany of emotions as her hand trembled against Lillian¡¯s jacket. She pulled herself forward and rest her head against Lillian¡¯s chest, giving it one little punch for good measure. ¡°Yeah I deserved that, sorry,¡± Lillian said and wrapped her arms around Snow¡¯s trembling shoulders. She rest her chin on Snow¡¯s head as a message appeared to her right. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Hey now, not dense, just didn¡¯t know how to-¡± Snow pulled back and grabbed her by her face. Her hands were delicate, soft, a little small, but the young woman didn¡¯t hide that she¡¯d grown a little stronger through her conditioning training. She turned Lillian¡¯s head towards hers and gave her a gentle kiss before pulling back with the biggest smile Lillian had ever seen. Lillian stared at her for a heartbeat before wrapping an arm around Snow¡¯s waist. The smaller woman blinked and Lillian gave her a hard look. ¡°Come here.¡± Chapter 99 Sonya watched as the days passed. She kept an eye on them, her beloved heroes. She watched them laugh, she watched them fight, she watched them struggle, she watched them succeed, and she watched them fail. Her many eyes throughout the camp observed everything at every moment, it was a strain, but it was worth it. There were moments where she smiled, moments where she wept, and moments where she had to send someone to step in on a fight. Big personalities meant conflict, thats just how it was. In the end, it was all about inspiring that sense of unity among them. As the days turned into weeks and her week-long trip to Europe grew ever closer, she kept a diligent eye on Lillian Landrey. Her merged investment, the sanctions, and the courses she had practically foisted on the girl, were all part of the plan. Even so, it all depended on Lillian stepping up and facing the mountain that had been placed down before her. There were dozens at the camp that would have stumbled and fell on the path, there were many who would have collapsed to their knees and given up. Lillian thrived. She leaned on the balcony and looked down with her chin resting on her palm, watching the practice field. Lillian jumped back into a handspring and threw herself into the air, a tuft of flame bursting from her palm that sent her an extra few feet into the air. It wasn¡¯t much, but the small projections were getting there. She turned in the air and drew her sword, flames flickered and tried again to catch on its surface as her free hand reached up to press against the flat of the blade. Beneath her, the spunky one, Alex, darted forward with his friend Greg behind him. Greg slapped the ground and shouted something, the dirt beneath Alex¡¯ feet began to lift off the ground as the young man kicked off the ground, his body stretching like one of those odd dolls. He threw his fist forward and it expanded, scale-like patterns forming on his skin. He rocketed towards her, fist and sword clashed and Lillian was sent tumbling backwards. She landed and nearly lost her bearings when her feet didn¡¯t follow the rules of gravity quite right, bounding a bit. She hurried to throw her weapon to the right and block again, Alex was already moving, swinging his leg and stretching it out like a club to crash against her. Sonya leaned forward a bit, a scent of perfume gracing her nose as Lillian slammed her feet down into the dirt with all her might and held fast against the powerful blow. She didn¡¯t fall, but a whistle blew. ¡°Two sequential hits! Match!¡± One of the new instructors that had arrived over the past few days shouted, holding his hand in the air. He was a burly guy wearing a tank top and dog tags. His hair was messy and long. The Hero, Axel, stepped forward and called the three of them over and began speaking in a low voice, giving them pointers. ¡°You look so proud,¡± Carla said, resting on the railing next to her and pressing her shoulder against Sonya. ¡°Do I?¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Off to the side, Black Lotus was overseeing a match between John and the rocket-boy, Val. She frowned, what did he pick for his codename? Right, it was Pyrolysis. Man after my own heart, She thought with amusement as John swayed back at an impossible angle, his legs still planted on the ground as his body tilted back to nearly twenty degrees. Concentrated flames ripped out from Pyrolysis¡¯ heel, his foot ripping through the air where John¡¯s torso had been. The blow would have ripped a normal person in half. He¡¯s ruthless, if only he wasn¡¯t so uncomfortable about using his powers to the fullest. He¡¯d make a superb striker in a dungeon. Sonya glanced at Black Lotus and their eyes met. She looked away with a huff before looking down at her hands. Have I punished her enough yet? She thought miserably as a hand rest on her back and rubbed it. ¡°You okay?¡± Carla asked. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, she glanced up at the pretty face next to her and down at the collar around her neck, ¡°Carla, about what happened at the beginning of the camp-¡± Carla snorted and shook her head, ¡°You raised your voice a little and went on a bit of a rant,¡± She laughed, ¡°Is that what¡¯s been bothering you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done it a couple times,¡± Sonya said and hung her head. ¡°But you¡¯ve never laid your hands on me, have you? Never. I talked you down, you were fine. You were upset, you know people are allowed to be upset, right? You are a human being as much as you pretend not to be,¡± Carla said softly and gave her a squeeze. Sonya melted a bit, a small smile playing on her lips. ¡°We still probably shouldn¡¯t have messed around that night,¡± Sonya muttered. ¡°I had fun,¡± Carla laughed and pulled away, ¡°Come on,¡± Sonya turned and looked up at the woman whose shoulders helped her get through the past year. They were still straight even as her own sagged a little. Carla raised her hand to the jewel at her throat, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be wearing this if I felt like you were using me to replace someone else. You told me about Mikayla. Our relationship is different. I¡¯m not stupid,¡± She said and glanced towards the field. ¡°You still love her too.¡± She said those last words with a whisper, barely audible, knowing that the woman might be listening in. Sonya let out a sigh and reached up to run her fingers through her hair, she didn¡¯t speak, but she did nod. Carla huffed with a laugh, ¡°Was that so hard?¡± She said and turned away to start walking towards the doors going back inside, ¡°Marta was looking for you, she¡¯s got everything packed for Europe.¡± Sonya brightened and moved to catch up, ¡°I¡¯m so looking forward to it,¡± She said with a bit more energy, glad for the change of topic. ¡°Even though I won¡¯t be there?¡± Carla gave her a play-accusatory look. Sonya raised her hand to her heart, faux offense on her face, ¡°Carla!¡± Carla burst into laughter, ¡°Oh just go have fun you lech,¡± She teased, ¡°Maybe get it out of your system so you aren¡¯t teasing the poor aspirants. So far no complaints but good grief. You are going to be the cause of a whole lot of tension while you¡¯re away.¡± Sonya scratched her nose, ¡°Eh, maybe I have been over doing it a little.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Carla said and opened the door for her, offering a small bow, ¡°For you.¡± Sonya tilted her head up with a smug grin, ¡°Thank you dear.¡± ¡°Anything for you.¡± ¨C Lillian walked into the common area with a towel over her head and threw herself into the couch with a groan. She let her head fall back and the towel fell over her face. ¡°Alex, you hit like a truck,¡± She complained, reaching up to rub a little bit of heat into her arms. Even after the encounter they were still sore despite the best efforts of her ability. Alex hopped into the chair next to her with a smug grin, ¡°Gotta get good!¡± He said, popping some boneless wings into his mouth. It opened a bit wider than should probably be natural to fit it all as he chewed. She looked up at him, ¡°How are you hungry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m always hungry,¡± He mumbled between chews, ¡°Comes with the territory.¡± ¡°Maybe once we do some monster fighting he¡¯ll finally be full,¡± Greg said as he walked over and sat down on the couch next to Lillian. Alex tilted his head a bit thoughtfully and licked some sauce off his lips, ¡°Never thought about it, I wonder what monster tastes like.¡± Lillian wrinkled her nose, ¡°Whatever Miss Chernovna said to you, I wish she hadn¡¯t, gross man,¡± She said.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It was just a pep talk,¡± Alex mumbled, popping another piece in, ¡°No big deal.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Lillian grumbled. Val and John joined them shortly afterward. Val looked petulant but determined. He collapsed into his seat with a grunt and crossed his arms. There were tears in his sweater at the elbows and his shoes were burned slightly. He covered the spots on his shirt with his hands as he glared daggers at John. John just sat down with his usual stack of sandwiches and started eating. ¡°Won.¡± ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡± Val grunted and looked away, ¡°How do you move like that?¡± ¡°Alex would say: Get good.¡± John mumbled. Val clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, ¡°At least Black Lotus had some good advice,¡± He mumbled, ¡°Still not okay with going shirtless until they make me something to wear.¡± ¡°Are they going to?¡± Lillian asked. Val flushed and scratched his nose, ¡°I had a pretty good interview with ASTA last night.¡± They all sat up at once and looked at him, ¡°Really?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Not bad, man!¡± Greg clapped him on the shoulder, ¡°Congratulations!¡± Val waved his hand, ¡°Ehh, quit it, you¡¯re embarrassing me,¡± He said hastily before looking around, ¡°Where¡¯s Ollie and Snow?¡± ¡°Ollie is with Madame Rouge,¡± Lillian said, ¡°She¡¯s been practically fawning over him since she showed up from Chicago.¡± ¡°Lucky bastard,¡± Greg bit out. ¡°Snow¡¯s still in the lab,¡± Alex added, ¡°Hasn¡¯t come out for three days. She¡¯s missed a lot of her classes but I don¡¯t blame her. Doctor Carter showing up was a huge deal.¡± They all nodded before sending sneaky glances in Lillian¡¯s direction. She looked at them all and frowned, ¡°What?¡± ¡°You okay?¡± Alex asked with a grin. ¡°Wh-Why would I not be okay?¡± She asked nervously, knowing where this was going but really not wanting to have the conversation. The others started grinning at one another only for an angel to come from above and save her. ¡°Good afternoon!¡± Sonya Chernovna chirped from behind Alex, suddenly hanging over him with a grin sent Lillian¡¯s way. She winked at Lillian before looking down at the rest who all jumped and stared up at her wide eyed. ¡°Are we having fun?¡± ¡°Normal conversation,¡± John clarified. ¡°Mhm, sure,¡± Sonya teased and stood up straight, her hands behind her back, ¡°Wanted to remind you all that I¡¯ll be away for a week. I¡¯m leaving in a few hours. So you should keep up on your basic hand to hand and review the lessons I gave you, understood?¡± They all nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± She turned towards Val, ¡°Also, Amos brought some supplies with him and I¡¯ve asked him to get started on some chest armor for you. That¡¯s about all he can do right now though, is that alright?¡± Val blinked, ¡°I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting anything until much later,¡± He said, actually smiling for once, ¡°Thank you.¡± She brandished her brightest smile, ¡°I hope it helps!¡± Just as Sonya turned to go talk to the other aspirants several of them rushed up and practically crowded her. ¡°Miss Chernovna!¡± One said, ¡°We have a request! Please? Before you leave?¡± Lillian watched as Sonya¡¯s face turned from bright confusion to a frown. ¨C The forty-eight aspirants, two had already dipped out citing Black Lotus¡¯ grueling conditioning training, all gathered within the dojo. They sat along the walls, pulling back as far as they could while still close enough to have a good view. Lillian sat down with her friends, glancing at Snow who was looking more than a little frustrated about being dragged out of the lab and Doctor Carter¡¯s assistance. The girl kept her eyes on the middle of the room, though, as four of the instructors stood talking amongst themselves for a moment. One was the burly Axel, who was nodding along with something Sonya had to say before walking over to stand at one side of the room. The other new instructor, Madame Rouge, was wearing something between robes and a gown. She had her hair done up in an audacious roll and her fingers ended in metallic claws. Apparently she used them to play string instruments. Madame Rouge inclined her head to both Sonya and Black Lotus who stood staring at one another. ¡°An exhibition match,¡± Lillian breathed. ¡°I¡¯m very curious about the outcome,¡± Ollie said next to her. She glanced his way, his clothing had changed significantly from when she¡¯d first met him. He was wearing a dress shirt with an open collar and fitted slacks. Madame Rouge was extremely particular and wouldn¡¯t even tolerate his presence if he wasn¡¯t dressed up, but she¡¯d practically taken him on as a protege so he¡¯d been forced to shake things up. ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m a little worried for some reason,¡± Lillian said. ¡°They have a very strong karmic thread between them, a deep bond,¡± Ollie whispered, ¡°It goes both ways but it''s also tense, I saw it on accident a few days ago.¡± Lillian swallowed, That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried, I can see it too. Sonya and Black Lotus squared up against one another, standing face to face. Neither of them spoke as Sonya adjusted her gloves and tugged once at the suspenders holding up her pants. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. She was focused. Black Lotus was in her full hero gear, including her armor. She didn¡¯t have a practice sword out, nor did she have one of the simple metal ones. She was using her personal weapon. Sonya drew her knife out from behind her waist and spun it between her fingers, sliding back into her usual stance. ¡°No abilities will be used! Two hits for the match! Begin!¡± Axel barked. Black Lotus moved first, darting forward and bringing her weapon down at an angle. Sonya moved and brought her blade up and to the right, letting Black Lotus¡¯ sword slide against it. Black Lotus followed through and brought her weapon back with a swipe that exploded into a rapid combination of strikes. Three quick clangs and a scraping sound followed as Sonya blocked them and slipped back a few feet before stepping to the right and closing her eyes. Black Lotus¡¯ sword went down right where she was standing and Sonya snapped her hand out, grabbing her opponent by the wrist. She pivoted and turned, kicking out with that miraculous flexibility to strike Black Lotus in the side of the head. Black Lotus dipped low, dodging the kick before turning her weapon in her hand, twisting it to swing with just her wrist at Sonya¡¯s waist. Sonya glanced at the incoming blow and raised her eyebrows a little, a small, very small, smile rose on her lips. She released Black Lotus¡¯ hand and pirouetted towards her on tip-toe, one hand swept up over her head like a ballerina, the one that had been holding her knife. Lillian blinked, When did she change hands? The knife came up in a flash towards Black Lotus¡¯ chin and the woman took a step back, blocking once as Sonya dove into a series of strikes, aiming for vital points. Are they trying to kill one another? Lillian balked. A series of clangs rang out as Black Lotus moved onto the backfoot, only for Sonya to use her momentum dip and slide, darting underneath a fierce swing from Black Lotus and coming up to swipe at her shoulder. Black Lotus winced as the blade cut and she turned, snapping out a kick that caught Sonya in the waist and sent her back, stumbling. ¡°One hit each!¡± Madame Rogue shouted. ¡°Next for the match!¡± The gathered aspirants were whispering to one another, transfixed. ¡°She¡¯s been going easy on us,¡± Alex murmured, staring at Sonya. ¡°No kidding,¡± Greg grunted. ¡°I want to learn,¡± John murmured. Sonya was smiling, fully smiling, she grinned as she darted towards Black Lotus and their exchange grew even more ferocious. Sonya changed hands with her knife with quick swaps that were almost too fast to see. Lillian barely followed her as she danced, dipped, flipped and spun. Black Lotus countered with martial prowess, blocking, ducking, pivoting and striking where Sonya appeared. They moved around one another like they¡¯d seen each other fight their entire lives. Lillian felt like she could watch this for forever. Then it came, Sonya slipped up. She struck low to draw Black Lotus¡¯ guard with a feint but the warrior didn¡¯t fall for it. She swung her sword up and in the last moment, hesitated, not completing the strike that was aimed for Sonya¡¯s neck. Even a nick would have finished the match, but she still faltered. Sonya¡¯s smile fell to a scowl and she bore her teeth, snapping her head to the right and driving forward. Her foot hooked behind Black Lotus¡¯ and pushed her to the ground. She was on top of the world¡¯s number one with her knife pointed at her throat. Words were exchanged that Lillian couldn¡¯t hear and Sonya got to her feet in a huff. ¡°Match to Sonya Chernovna!¡± Axel shouted as Sonya stood, wiping her chin and breathing hard. She glanced down at Black Lotus and hesitated a moment before reaching down to help her to her feet. Everyone sat in silence, their mouths hanging open. A few mutters spread through the crowd. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± One kid asked. ¡°Did she hold back?¡± Alex asked, ¡°That¡¯s the number one.¡± ¡°Just a bit, at the end,¡± John muttered, ¡°But still hard throughout.¡± ¡°Holy shit,¡± Greg breathed. ¡°God damn,¡± Val said, ¡°Can someone be that fast without powers?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± John said as the whispers continued, no one moved as Sonya turned to look at everyone, her head held high. ¡°I hope this is a lesson for you all!¡± Sonya shouted, ¡°Never underestimate an opponent, no matter what. Anyone could be a deadly threat when you are working as a hero. Be mindful!¡± She said, her face flushed before forcing a smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go now,¡± She said, ¡°Be good while I¡¯m gone, and do well.¡± She turned away and started walking, stepping out of the dojo. Lillian watched her back, ¡°What did I just watch?¡± ¨C Chunhua stood in the center of the dojo, breathing hard, she watched Sonya¡¯s back and felt her heart sink. She closed her eyes and let Sonya¡¯s words sink in. And that, my dear, is why I turn you away. She clenched her fists and slid her sword back into her scabbard, her mind going back to that terrible day. The day she made the worst mistake of her life. I know. Chapter 100 It was only a few days after Vegas. Firestorm¡¯s private funeral had been the day before, the public ceremony sending him and the other heroes who fought in Vegas off had been that morning. Chunhua remembered only bits of it, her mind was still elsewhere, still on those little moments during the fight. She¡¯d tried to focus, she really had, grief was such a complicated thing. All she wanted was to figure out where it had all gone wrong, how she could make it up to them, to him. She¡¯d only distantly heard of him before then, met him at the palace, shook his hand and spoke a few words. Sonya had said a few words. She¡¯d listened to the heartache, to the passion, to the drive to see the world become a better place. She couldn¡¯t figure it out. She couldn¡¯t rationalize it. Her mind told her that she was wrong, but her heart told her that she needed to confront her. She needed to know, she needed to hear those words from her lips. That was why she was standing there at ASTA headquarters, right in front of the metal doors that lead into the CEOs offices. She clenched her fists and swallowed before tapping the button to open them. Handmaiden looked up from her desk and made eye contact. ¡°Is she in?¡± Chunhua asked. ¡°She is, you can go inside,¡± Handmaiden said with a slight nod. ¡°Thanks,¡± Chunhua said and walked past her. She glanced down at the woman as she passed, there were signs that Handmaiden had been crying recently. Her hands were trembling. The woman looked up and met her gaze but said nothing. Chunhua nodded to her as the doors to Sonya¡¯s office opened. She stepped inside and heard them hiss shut behind her. Ahead of her, Sonya was sitting at her desk, staring at a screen with a small frown on her lips. She looked tired, withdrawn, weary. ¡°We¡¯re alone,¡± She said aloud. ¡°We are,¡± Sonya said, not looking up at her. ¡°You¡¯ve soundproofed this room,¡± Chunhua said. ¡°I have,¡± Sonya replied, her mechanical eyes flicking up to look at Chunhua. There it was again, that hint of softness, of vulnerability, How could this person possibly be Ishtar? Chunhua bit her lip, ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°I figured,¡± Sonya said with a small smile and leaned back in her seat. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± Chunhua stepped forward, ¡°Are you Ishtar?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Sonya said without missing a beat, she didn¡¯t blink, she didn¡¯t flinch, she didn¡¯t even shrug. She simply stared back at Chunhua with all the frankness of someone who had named off their favorite color. Chunhua felt her chest tighten even as something else boiled up inside of her. Confusion. Anger. Fury. She bore her teeth, ¡°Are you fucking with me?¡± She demanded. ¡°No,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I am Ishtar. The creator of villains. I orchestrated Hero Day. I manipulated Feng Hyunh into suppressing An Set¡¯s personality until he broke. I am at fault for Vegas, and for Firestorm¡¯s death, ultimately,¡± Sonya confessed. She left her hands in her lap, her eyes unblinking as she looked straight into Chunhua¡¯s. Chunhua stepped back, reeling as if she¡¯d been punched. She felt sick. Horrified. This was the person that everyone called the Voice of the Hero Movement? She ran her fingers through her hair, her chest heaving as she paced left and right. ¡°Wh- why? Why are you just answering like that?¡± Chunhua demanded, ¡°What could possibly possess you to-¡± ¡°No one will believe you,¡± Sonya said flatly, a sad smile on her face. ¡°No one. After everything I¡¯ve done in the public eye, it would be easier to bring down a mountain with a spoon.¡± Chunhua didn¡¯t miss that smile, she stormed forward and slammed her fist into Sonya¡¯s desk, ¡°Why? Why do all of this? I don¡¯t understand!¡± Chunha demanded, ¡°How could you? Firestorm trusted you until the end!¡± She gripped at her own chest, ¡°I believed everything you said!¡± ¡°As you should, don¡¯t you remember? I¡¯m incapable of lying,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°My ability makes me choke when I lie. I physically can¡¯t. It¡¯s just one of the prices I¡¯m paying to get what I want. I also have a mild compulsion to respond immediately to direct questions, interesting,¡± She said, trying to look thoughtful, but it was there again. That tremble in her lips, Sonya¡¯s fingers were shaking, her shoulders were too. ¡°What do you want?¡± Chunhua practically shouted, ¡°What could you possibly want out of all of this- this- this evil!¡± Sonya tilted her head and looked up into her face, ¡°To save the world. To bring humanity into the future, even if it¡¯s kicking and screaming.¡± ¡°From what?!¡± Chunhua demanded, ¡°The monsters? I can handle them! Let me handle them!¡± She would do it, she would forget all about all of this if Sonya just let her do it. She¡¯d done so much for the world already, Chunhua could bury this and forget about it if she just stuck to being Sonya and not that monster. ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Sonya said. ¡°I¡¯ll do the dirty work, you kill the monsters. Isn¡¯t that convenient?¡± Chunhua scowled, she wasn¡¯t answering her at all, she was just saying things to derail the conversation, to move away from the point, ¡°Stop messing around! Answer me clearly!¡± She shouted, grabbing the woman by the tie. ¡°No,¡± Sonya said, her voice going a bit steely. Chunhua pulled back a bit, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®No¡¯? I could be recording this, you know, you¡¯ve already damned yourself.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, I have technopathy, you didn¡¯t even bring a phone in here,¡± Sonya said sadly, ¡°You¡¯re sweet.¡± Chunhua pulled her hand away in disgust, ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t answer that either,¡± Sonya said. ¡°Damn it Sonya! Make it make sense!¡± She roared, pulling the woman to her feet. She was a bit heavier than Chunhua had expected from her small frame, but still not an issue to lift. She pushed her up against the wall, ¡°I could bring you in. I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°I own Europe, half of congress, every gang in the country,¡± Sonya said, trying to look smug even as her body shook beneath Chunha¡¯s hands. ¡°Then why are you shaking?¡± Chunhua pressed, getting in the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you doing this? What¡¯s the real reason?¡± Sonya looked away, ¡°Don¡¯t push me anymore,¡± Sonya said, her voice small, ¡°Please. Just go.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°You are the worst criminal in the world, do you understand that? You triggered an incident that killed thousands of people. Firestorm. Other heroes. You nearly caused a dungeon break. They are going to pass laws about mythics fighting because of-¡± She froze, her eyes going wide. She felt a chill rush up her spine and she looked at Sonya¡¯s face. Her eyes still turned away, her lips curled down in a shaky frown. ¡°You wanted that? What the hell do you know?¡± ¡°...Chunhua please, just stop, you got what you wanted, just leave me alone, I didn¡¯t want this conversation to play out like this,¡± Sonya pleaded, shrinking even more beneath Chunhua¡¯s grip, ¡°I can¡¯t say anything else. You can¡¯t know. It¡¯ll ruin you and who you¡¯re supposed to be.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ruin me? Chunhua grabbed onto the words, ¡°Who am I supposed to be?¡± She shook Sonya, ¡°Sonya I have to understand! I have to know! I need to know why you¡¯re doing this!¡± ¡°Get off!¡± Sonya cried out and with a push shoved Chunhua across the room. Chunhua hit the wall and landed on the ground, dazed for a moment. She shook her head as Sonya brushed herself off, straightening her coat, she looked down at her hands before looking up at Chunhua with pain in her face. Something red leaked down from the plates around her eyes, ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t ask me again, I¡¯m begging you,¡± She croaked. ¡°Just go away.¡± Chunhua pushed herself to her feet, clenching her fists, ¡°I will not! You need to tell me what the hell is going on! Can you see the future or something? Are all of your powers lies? What do I have to do with it?¡± She couldn¡¯t let it go, not after so many died because of this woman¡¯s schemes. She stormed forward, ¡°Make me understand!¡± She repeated. Sonya¡¯s lips trembled as agony washed across her face, ¡°Stop,¡± She begged. ¡°I won¡¯t stop until I know! I¡¯m a hero! I swore to protect the people of the world from people like you!¡± She roared, ¡°And I¡¯m going to do that by getting the truth out of you, right here, right now!¡± Sonya¡¯s expression went through a series of emotions, fear, sadness, grief, anger, then rage. More red streaks dripped down from her eyes and she pushed forward, looking Chunhua in the eyes. A flicker of fear and surprise leaped into Chunhua¡¯s chest as she was pushed backwards. ¡°You want to know that bad?¡± Sonya croaked, ¡°You want to know so badly that you risk ruining everything? You want to know so badly that you¡¯re willing to give anything up, is that it? Is that what you want, Lian Chunhua?¡± She demanded, bearing her teeth, ¡°Say it.¡± Chunhua searched her face, she¡¯d never seen such palpable grief and rage even on a victim of a disaster. She didn¡¯t falter though, ¡°Yes.¡± Sonya barked out a laugh, ¡°Damn it,¡± She spat, ¡°Give me your fucking hand.¡± Without thinking, Chunhua held it out and Sonya snatched it up, ¡°You will know, but you will never be able to tell anyone!¡± She snarled, ¡°You will know, and until the day I say otherwise, you will never, ever, step into a room alone with me again! Do you hear me?¡± She snarled, her voice shaking. ¡°AGREE!¡± Chunhua¡¯s mouth moved before her mind could catch up, her heart catching in her chest. ¡°Yes,¡± It was barely a whisper, but then a charge raced up her arm. ¡°The deal is made,¡± Sonya snapped and grabbed Chunhua by her shirt, she looked her in the eyes, ¡°You asked for this, don¡¯t forget!¡± She bit out and pulled Chunhua down to her level. Their lips met, and Chunhua¡¯s world became a sea of visions. Chunhua saw the flash, she saw chaos, she saw the world right after that terrible day. It was different though. There was no ASTA Corporation, there was no Sonya, it was lawless for a while. She walked through a life she didn¡¯t recognize, saw a dark haired young woman in a mirror with familiar mechanical eyes. She watched from afar as New York City exploded, fire and violence spreading as a dungeon erupted sending monsters far and wide. She watched through the young woman¡¯s eyes as she picked up a knife to defend herself and a middle aged woman who had cared for her. What? Chunhua watched as the young woman struggled, marched through the debris with only her eyes as her tools. She watched her bleed and break, find others with powers, heal, rest, and go back to struggling. She watched the first heroes appear and evacuate those who had survived the dungeon break. She saw the young woman register as a scout, wanting nothing less than to help and support the heroes who saved her. She watched the woman monitor the ruins of New York. She saw¡­ Me? But¡­ Everything was wrong. Everything was different. It was a different life. She felt the young woman¡¯s feelings, the immediate attraction, the playful banter. Those words, ¡°I have a name, use it.¡± I said it first? She saw as the young woman was informed that she was assigned to Chunhua¡¯s unit. The frustration over having her life controlled like that. Yet there was something else. She watched as she herself courted the young woman, visiting often, apologizing, teasing, talking, laughing. She watched the day she went into¡­ Is that the Vegas Dungeon? She thought, I went in. She felt the young woman¡¯s heartache, the realization of just how deeply she¡¯d fallen in love. How much she just wanted to see Chunhua¡¯s face again, safe and sound. She saw her own face again, smiling, if a bit bruised and bloody. The young woman fretted over her while Chunhua just laughed. They kissed. They made love. They held one another. Everything felt like a dream after that. She watched herself rise higher and higher as a hero while the young woman stood at her side, never straying far, always there to support with everything she could give. They sparred, strategized, the young woman became an adept knife fighter, a talented scout, and¡­ ¡°Sonya, will you marry me?¡± Chunhua watched herself get down on a knee. ¡°Yes!¡± Make it stop. The whirlwind romance grew even deeper. Chunhua fought harder. She went into epic dungeons. Heroic dungeons. The young woman would go in first, braver than any hero, she would map every inch out if only to make sure Chunhua got out safe and sound. She watched from afar as she went into danger again and again. The young woman always had faith, always believed, always held to the hero¡¯s code. She stood when the dungeon pylons flashed. She taught the next generation of scouts. She grieved when her comrades died. She held Chunhua when hers did as well. Please make it stop. They were summoned, to a meeting of Mythics. She saw a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He spoke pretty words that made Chunhua¡¯s heart and guts twist. Evil words. No, the heroes will turn on eachother. If that many mythics fight then- War. War broke out. She watched as cities fell. She saw the moment when the young woman picked up her phone and saw that a safehouse filled with the loved ones of heroes was annihilated. She heard the young woman curse An Set and grieve in Chunhua¡¯s arms. Marta¡¯s dead? The war got worse. Dungeons burst. Then she looked down at her own face. Pale with death. I died. ¡°OTIS!¡± The name screamed into the sky with all the grief in the world, all the rage and hatred and agony of someone who had lost everything, their entire world, their heart, their mind, shattered. She watched the final moments of earth as the young woman wandered through the ruins, she saw her watch the man who had started it all die beneath her. She heard her own voice, smelled her own scent, then the box appeared. ¡°Let hope out, and try again.¡± The day of the flash, a blind woman waking in a panic. Realization, determination, a new power at her fingertips. A goal. Stop it from ever happening. Prevent the heroes from turning on one another. Give everything for earth, throw it all away if it means stopping the apocalypse. Become hated, reviled, grieve alone. She watched as that young woman marched through the coming months. Building a new life, facing new challenges, raising new allies, scheming, plotting, committing acts that made her crack a little more each time. Yet she didn¡¯t turn away, she didn¡¯t stop. She experienced every thought, every consideration, every moment until she saw her own face again on the television and broke a little more inside. No more. She saw herself at the Palace. The flirtation that sent agony through every fiber of her being. The playful words. She watched Feng Hyunh fall to her death and savored it. She watched that yong woman step out of the dungeon and put on that helmet. She fought herself, she knew every move, of course she did. She¡¯d lived a life with her. Loved her. She knew Chunhua¡¯s every tell, every trick, every move before she made it. She felt her heart break a little more each time. Yet she held onto the hope that Chunhua would become the hero she was meant to be. That she would be the one. I want you to do it, in the end, if it¡¯s you, it¡¯ll be okay. A slap across her face brought her back to reality. She stumbled back and hit the ground, tears streaming out of her eyes as the office swam back into view. She felt sick. She looked up at Sonya, leaning against the table, only seconds had passed and that same rage-filled grief was still in her eyes. Her heart creaked at it, shame screaming in her mind. What could she possibly say? ¡°Sonya, I-¡± ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Sonya, please.¡± ¡°GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!¡± Sonya roared, the table cracking and shattering beneath her grip, pieces clattering to the ground with a bang. ¡°Just. Leave me. I don¡¯t want to look at you,¡± She said and turned away. Chunhua felt hollow as she got to her feet. For all the times she¡¯d called herself a hero, it felt like a joke. She glanced back at the real hero one last time before she went to the door, it slid open with that same hiss that she barely heard. She stepped numbly into the merry atrium, the ASTA jingle playing above her and looked at Handmaiden, ¡°Did you know?¡± Handmaiden searched her haunted face before nodding. ¡°She showed me after Vegas,¡± Handmaiden said, ¡°I suggest you leave.¡± Chunhua nodded, ¡°Yeah,¡± She said softly, ¡°I-¡± She started but her words fell before she could say anything. All she could think to do was walk away. Chapter 101 He sat atop the building watching them mill about down below. He liked it up here, the angle was good, and it let him watch the things as they scurried about. He shifted a bit, resting his arm on his knee and frowning a little. This whole thing wasn¡¯t going how he¡¯d expected, but the walkthrough was perfect. It had to be. He designed it after all. That idiot Pandora had given him a blank check when he¡¯d opened the box, she wanted him to bring humanity into a ¡®bright¡¯ and ¡®prosperous¡¯ future. His lips twisted, What a joke. Humanity has one destiny and I¡¯m going to get them there, one way or another. He spotted Sonya Chernovna walking out with several armed guards and her ever-present bodyguard, Handmaiden. It was a shame that Handmaiden was so devoted to Sonya, he would have loved to have her all to himself. He sighed and with a thought pulled up his guide. The progress bar was still low, he didn¡¯t understand why. He had proven to Sonya that he had a Mythic-tier ability that was perfect for fighting Ishtar. He had passed the stupid interview, well, sort of. His smile widened as he glanced towards the other feature of his beloved power. Designed by himself, named by himself. He snorted, Like a lie detector power would have any effect on me. Still, I have to admit, she¡¯s a challenging boss. I hate social mechanics. He thought darkly, But my grand ¡®rise to power¡¯ story arc is already planned. She¡¯ll let me join up with ASTA, eventually. He paused and tilted his head. When did I start thinking of Chernovna as a person and not a thing? He tilted his head again and frowned, Odd. She isn¡¯t that interesting. He glanced down at her again and watched as she shook hands with a few of the aspirants, taking extra care with a pair of them. One was the girl-thing Cassiopeia Hanks, she was pretty and coincidentally was related to one of his future targets for recruitment. Convenient. But the guide warned him not to bring her sister up near her for some reason. Stupid thing. He frowned and glanced at the other NPC. Lilian Landrey, she had spirit and a good character personality so I was interested before her power manifested on the bus. He narrowed his eyes. Something¡¯s not right with her powers, they¡¯re¡­ weird. Fragmented? No. Restrained? He rubbed his chin, Yeah that¡¯s it. It¡¯s like she¡¯s running around with training weights on her ability. Why? He glanced at his guide again, Can I just kill her and get her out of the way? She¡¯s taking up Sonya¡¯s focus. Tch. Fine. Dumb thing, won¡¯t even give me alternatives. This was supposed to be easy, damn that Ishtar bitch. He chewed his thumbnail. The worst part is nothing comes up when I try to do a search on her. It doesn¡¯t make sense, does she not exist? That¡¯s impossible, she tried to blow me up! He got to his feet and the guide vanished, he made his way over to the door leading down into the common building and held his hand over the doorknob. Cheat, Unlock. He thought and the door clicked. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him. He took a breath and smelled the food cooked by the things and wrinkled his nose. He would make some for himself later. For now, he needed to plan how he was going to impress Sonya more. He couldn¡¯t overdo it, he had to play this just right. He paused and a smile crept onto his face. Or, something incredible. That dungeon coming up might be an interesting twist. What if I¡­ ¨C Sonya twirled in place and set her hands on her hips, ¡°Marta, do we have everything?¡± She asked. Her stoic bodyguard nodded as the security team that Sonya had brought with her carried over a few more things out of earshot. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, just waiting for the portal from Euclidia.¡± Sonya let out a sigh and stretched her arms over her head, striking a bit of a pose, ¡°Finally,¡± She whined, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for a while now.¡± Marta raised an eyebrow, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell. Might it have something to do with a very remorseful but very annoying puppy that¡¯s been following you around for the past few months?¡± Marta asked, tilting her head. Sonya frowned and lowered her arms, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who suggested not bringing it up?¡± Marta shrugged and looked away, ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Sonya narrowed her eyes, ¡°Liar, you watched the duel, didn¡¯t you?¡± She huffed and crossed her arms, ¡°I am looking forward to seeing the city,¡± She clenched her jaw as she tried to say ¡®that¡¯s all¡¯ and resisted the tell of her throat clenching through the attempted lie. Marta gave her a deadpan look and Sonya turned away on her heel, tilting her head up, ¡°Just let me have this, please?¡± She sensed Marta¡¯s gentle smile behind her and knew that she was just trying to be supportive but Sonya had set her mind on the matter. Especially after that duel. Her heart sank a little. Even a little nick on the neck would have been enough to start moving in the right direction. Something. Some kind of follow through. She was so close. I was so happy for a moment there. She glanced at Marta, She must have seen, nosy little... Sonya thought bitterly before letting out a sharp breath and slapping herself on the cheeks with both hands. Nope! We¡¯re going to Europe! Out of mind! Out of mind! Nope nope nope! She turned back to Marta and shoved a hand in her pocket before reaching up to straighten her tie and pull the sunglasses out of her coat pocket. She flicked them open with a flourish and slid them on, grinning. ¡°This is going to be a fun trip, mark my words, Marta!¡± Marta gave her another heartwarming smile and walked over to give Sonya a one-armed hug, ¡°Of course, you deserve it.¡± Sonya pressed her lips together and looked away, shrinking a little in the embrace, ¡°Marta, people are watching.¡± She said in the coyest shy-girl voice she could manage.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Marta pulled away and scowled, ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible,¡± Marta chided her. Sonya grinned and opened her mouth for another witty retort when the ground trembled behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the smooth gray stone of Euclidia¡¯s portal rising up from the ground. The archway rose up and up until it was a good eight feet tall. A moment later the space in the center of the arch bent and twisted, collapsing in on itself and flickering with images of a strange place beyond. The Backrooms. Finally it settled and she could smell the air of the Netherlands wash through before a dark public square came into view, seamlessly starting where the path at her feet ended in the archway. Hell, she could even see people walking by. Sonya raised her eyebrows, Damn, mine aren¡¯t this good. I got shown up by the original it seems. She smirked, Guess I need more practice. Behind her, Marta nodded to the security team who went through first. All of them wore the insignia of the ASTA corporation rather than the Pandora Committee and carried anti-monster munitions in their ASTA brand firearms. They quickly spread out on the other side of the portal and started assessing their surroundings before Marta went in next. The guards and Marta carried the majority of the luggage before setting it down beside the portal. Sonya just had her suitcase. She gripped it before glancing back at the common building. Some of the aspirants were waving, she waved back at them. Next to them she spotted Amos and Colin who nodded at her. They¡¯re going to have fun, she thought before her attention went to the dojo. She stood there at the entrance, just watching, she didn¡¯t wave but she did meet her eyes. Sonya took a deep breath and looked away, Seeing me off like that¡­ idiot. She thought and turned back to the portal, raising her head high and stepping towards it. ¡°Onwards too¡­¡± She stepped through. ¡°...Europe!¡± She declared and the archway began to descend into the ground behind her. She took a deep inhalation of the fresh air of The Hague and glanced over at Marta who was giving her a dubious look, ¡°The only way to travel, am I right?¡± She asked with a laugh and rolled her shoulders. She looked down at the portal as it finished descending into the ground and felt relief wash through her. It tingled and stung a little, a tension in her chest she had forgotten about unraveled and her shoulders went slack. She threw her head back and let out a noisy groan. ¡°Finally! Free at last!¡± She whined and threw her hands up into the air, ¡°Hello Netherlands! Sonya Chernovna is here!¡± Marta sighed, ¡°Sonya, it''s the middle of the night here.¡± Sonya grinned at her and glanced around, ¡°Yeah? But there are still people out!¡± She laughed and slipped past her, peering at some of the tourists and locals who were walking around. A few stopped to stare. ¡°Ooh, she¡¯s cute,¡± Sonya grinned lecherously and straightened her tie, flicking her sunglasses up and turning up the glow of her eyes just a little bit for aesthetics, ¡°Marta, if you¡¯ll excuse me I¡¯ll be-¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Marta grunted and grabbed Sonya under the arms. ¡°Hey!¡± Sonya protested, kicking her feet. ¡°You¡¯ve been here less than a minute and you¡¯re already on the prowl,¡± Marta grumbled, ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Let me go and stop being unfairly tall?¡± Sonya asked, glancing over her shoulder at Marta with an impish smile. Marta returned the smile with a dark grin of her own, ¡°Not going to happen.¡± Sonya went deadweight and whined, ¡°But why?¡± She pouted. ¡°Because the committee vehicle will be here in a few moments and I don¡¯t want to let you out of my sight. Also, you have someone waiting for you over there and I doubt you want to look silly in front of her,¡± Marta said patiently and glanced in a direction Sonya hadn¡¯t looked yet. Sonya turned her head slowly and followed her gaze. Her limp limbs went even more slack when she saw the pair standing near a flower display, the sea glittering in the moonlight behind them. Sonya nodded slowly and Marta let her down. ¡°Thanks,¡± Sonya said a little stiffly. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± Marta teased. Sonya squinted at her and opened her mouth only for her throat to clench a little. She scowled at the woman who grinned at her. ¡°Totally nervous,¡± Marta said and pat her back. ¡°Go on.¡± Sonya straightened herself up a bit more and gave Marta one more look before nodding and walking over. She felt some nerves in her gut as she did, pulling her hair back a bit and turning down the glow on her eyes to a less intimidating, ¡®hey you wanna go somewhere more comfortable?¡¯ glow. She crossed the distance and stopped in front of the pair. The middle aged woman to her right inclined her head. ¡°Miss Chernovna, it¡¯s wonderful to see you,¡± Bernetta Lucci said pleasantly. Sonya smiled at her, ¡°Bernetta, how are things? Did you enjoy meeting our mutual friend in Vegas?¡± She asked. ¡°It was a very pleasant visit, I got to see the memorial garden as well, your people did a wonderful job,¡± Bernetta said. Sonya smiled, ¡°Good to hear,¡± Confirmation that the club is doing well with it¡¯s expansion, anyway, I¡¯d rather not think about that place if I have to. She thought before turning to the other person standing there. Pretty as a button wearing her slightly longer hair up in a bun and a stylish blouse and shirred pant combo. Mikayla was smiling at her with a glitter in her eyes with all the gentle warmth in the world. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful here,¡± Mikayla said with a glowing smile, ¡°Thank you for inviting us.¡± Sonya couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore, ¡°You look fabulous!¡± Sonya said delightedly, coming in for a chaste hug before pulling back and looking her over. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, how¡¯ve you been?¡± She asked. Mikyala laughed, ¡°I¡¯m fine! Better than fine, I see you¡¯re wearing my earrings,¡± She pointed out, tilting her head and squinting at the side of Sonya¡¯s head. ¡°Oh you noticed?¡± Sonya said, ¡°I might have been keeping an eye on your collection.¡± Mikayla¡¯s smile faltered a little and she tilted her head, her eyes holding concern in them, ¡°How are you, Sonya, really?¡± Sonya shrank a bit beneath that gaze but recovered, ¡°I¡¯m better, some things have been troubling but,¡± She reached up and rubbed her neck, ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot about myself after we broke up,¡± She admitted, ¡°A lot. I have a partner!¡± Sonya said enthusiastically, ¡°I also realized that I have a bit of a problem with monogamy,¡± She added, scratching her nose, ¡°Which she¡¯s fine with. We, we¡¯re doing good. We had that talk I should have had with-¡± She trailed off, and looked down, letting her hands fall away from Mikayla¡¯s arms, ¡°-with you.¡± A pair of arms wrapped around her and gave her a big squeeze, ¡°I¡¯m so, so proud of you,¡± She said into Sonya¡¯s shoulder before pulling back and looking at her with tears glittering in her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m relieved. Are you going to have a little fun while you¡¯re here?¡± Sonya rubbed her nose, ¡°That¡¯s the hope,¡± Sonya said with a wicked grin, ¡°I might have almost gotten myself in trouble at the hero training camp.¡± ¡°Sonya!¡± Mikayla gasped. Sonya laughed, ¡°Easy! I¡¯ve already gotten the third degree from Marta and Carla,¡± Sonya said with a wave of her hands, ¡°I¡¯m behaving!¡± Mikayla gave her a dubious look before breaking into a smile, ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad,¡± She said before glancing past Sonya, ¡°Looks like your ride is here.¡± Sonya glanced over her shoulder and groaned, ¡°A motorcade, really?¡± She whined as seven dark vehicles drove up to the square, drawing even more attention than the handful of armed guards, ASTA CEO, and the famous hero Handmaiden. People were starting to pull out phones and cameras, a few pointing in the direction of Mikayla and Bernetta. Sonya frowned and glanced at Marta who nodded. She turned back to Mikayla, ¡°Want to go see the new Pandora Committee headquarters?¡± She asked. Mikayla blinked, ¡°Um¡­ is that allowed?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll smooth out the details when we get there,¡± Sonya chirped and grabbed her hand, ¡°C¡¯mon, let''s get away from here!¡± She laughed and dragged a flabbergasted Mikayla towards the middle car of the motorcade. As she did she passed Marta and gave her a look, ¡°Keep an eye out.¡± I will not allow another Florence. Chapter 102 Sonya made a face, pursing her lips and squinting at the masked guard sitting across from her in the secure vehicle. The guard shifted a bit under her stare as she crossed her arms. He shifted again and the guard next to him looked away. The momentary look of betrayal in the first guard¡¯s shoulders was very telling. He cleared his throat as Sonya crossed her legs and gave him a frown. Next to her, Marta also shifted a bit in her seat. ¡°Is someone going to explain to me why I can¡¯t sit with my guests?¡± Sonya huffed. The first guard looked at his comrade again who looked away even more pointedly. Marta restrained a smile next to Sonya. Sonya could feel her trembling a little with barely concealed laughter. The CEO crossed her arms and tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯m waiting,¡± She pouted. The guard cleared his throat, ¡°W-we didn¡¯t have their clearance, ma¡¯am, and there needs to be at least two of us in a vehicle with you at-¡± Sonya stared at him, ¡°Speaking of vehicles, a motorcade? Really?¡± The guard flinched and basically threw his head at his comrade for help. Marta cleared her throat and reached over to squeeze Sonya¡¯s arm, she turned, her lips trembling as she restrained her laughter, ¡°Sonya, go easy on them, they¡¯re just doing their job.¡± Huffing a little, Sonya sighed and slumped a bit in her seat, ¡°Fine, fine, yeah you guys did the right thing. I guess. Would have been more fun with them with me and the motorcade during the day, though,¡± Sonya muttered and crossed her arms petulantly, ¡°What good¡¯s a motorcade if nobody¡¯s watching?¡± Marta laughed, ¡°You know that¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sonya grumbled and then sighed, sitting up a bit and smiling at the two guards, ¡°Alright, teasing aside,¡± She glanced between the two men and their names appeared over their heads. A quick connection to the ASTA company database pulled up the relevant information. It was hard to keep track of everyone who worked for her as much as she would like to memorize every one of their lives. She turned to the first, ¡°How¡¯s your son doing, Carlos?¡± The first guard, Carlos, stared at her for a moment, ¡°Um¡­ great! He¡¯s starting football this year.¡± She smiled, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, how old is he?¡± ¡°Nine, ma¡¯am, almost ten,¡± He said, his shoulders relaxing a little. ¡°Almost ten!¡± Sonya whistled, ¡°I bet he¡¯s excited. Does he need anything, equipment? I¡¯m not a big sports girl myself so I don¡¯t know everything about it.¡± The guard rubbed his neck, ¡°Y-you pay me more than enough to cover it all, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°You just let me know if you need anything,¡± She said and turned to the other guard who had been avoiding the confrontation, ¡°And what about you, Liam? Got any plans? I saw you put in for vacation time soon.¡± Liam cleared his throat, ¡°I¡¯m getting Married, going to Maui with her,¡± He said, looking significantly more animated. ¡°My wife saw the uh¡­¡± He trailed off. Sonya barked out a laugh, ¡°The Maui photoshoot cover? It¡¯s beautiful there, good for you. I know a wonderful beach house, actually,¡± Sonya said and tilted her head, ¡°Check your email during your next break, dear. You get those tickets, I¡¯ll hook you up with the same view she saw.¡± The guard slumped in his seat, ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am,¡± He mumbled. Sonya leaned forward and pat his knee, ¡°You¡¯re protecting me, it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± ¨C The motorcade arrived at the gates to the Pandora Committee headquarters not long after that and some suits hurried over to open the doors for her. She laughed as she stepped out of the car, ¡°I¡¯ll come see a game! It sounds fun, Carlos,¡± She said and took the hand of one of the men who were waiting for her outside, ¡°Thank you,¡± She slipped onto the ground and stepped away as Marta made her way out and glanced around, watching their surroundings for a moment while the other two got out of the opposite side and did a quick sweep before meeting back up at her. She took their hands, ¡°Thank you both, I¡¯ll see you after the meet-and-greet.¡± ¡°It was great meeting you, ma¡¯am,¡± Liam said with Carlos nodding emphatically next to him. Sonya winked at them and glanced past before holding out a hand, ¡°There she is.¡± Mikayla walked over and took Sonya¡¯s hand for a moment before smirking and allowing a little distance. Sonya chuckled, ¡°How was the drive? Sorry about that, rules and everything.¡± ¡°You hire some very kind people,¡± Mikayla said with a small smile, ¡°They were nice.¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°Good,¡± She glanced up at Bernetta who joined them, ¡°So! Let¡¯s go see what all the excitement is about, mm? Marta, badges?¡± Marta stepped up and held out a thin metal box. She opened it and inside were two metal plates attached to lanyards. Sonya picked hers up and pressed her thumb against it. The metal flickered for a moment before brightening and revealing a picture of her face, her name, her ability¡¯s tier, and the words ¡®Pandora Committee Official¡¯ above ¡®ASTA Corporate CEO¡¯. Sonya plucked the lanyard up and slipped it around her neck. ¡°They¡¯re for bypassing certain security checks, tied to biometrics and a few other things,¡± Sonya explained to a confused Mikayla. ¡°Very secure,¡± Mikayla said thoughtfully. Bernetta nodded, ¡°Pandora Headquarters is one of the most secure government buildings in the world,¡± The woman explained, ¡°With villains on the rise, it goes without saying that their officials have passes for entry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sonya said and frowned a little, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to go through security normally but I can push it along a little bit, stick with me ladies!¡± Sonya said and turned on her heel, marching up to the gates where a man in a suit was holding a portable RTE in one hand and a phone in the other. He held the phone up to Sonya and Marta¡¯s badges before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re clear, welcome to Headquarters, Miss Chernovna, Handmaiden,¡± The man said before turning to the other two, ¡°Please hold this device, it will check to see if you have an ability and what tier. Also-¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine, just check their RTA reading,¡± Sonya interrupted. The man glanced her way, ¡°Right. Please accept the device.¡± A quick check showed that neither of them had abilities, after that there was just a cursory metal detector wand scan and the gates opened for the four of them to enter. Sonya straightened her tie as she walked in, taking in the elegant garden path that stretched out towards the large regal looking building ahead of her. Flowers lined the paths broken up by green grass. Lights were positioned to give the place a magical feel. Near the beginning of the path, a marble statue stood bearing a achingly familiar face. Hi, Nick, Sonya thought sadly and started walking only to pause when she saw a sign at the head of the path. She grimaced, ¡°...oh no.¡± Marta snorted behind her and even Mikayla giggled a little, ¡°The Sonya Chernovna Path of Legends?¡± Mikayla read aloud, sending a chill up Sonya¡¯s spine from pure embarrassment.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Sonya groaned, ¡°They didn¡¯t have to name it after me. I just paid for it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what normally happens?¡± Bernetta pointed out. ¡°On request!¡± Sonya whined. Marta pat Sonya¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Just endure,¡± She chuckled as Sonya shot her a dirty look. Traitor. Sonya grumbled before making her way past the god awful sign and to the statue of her lost friend. She looked up at it, the bright eyes and the gentle smile. They did a good job. She thought before looking down at the dedication. FIRESTORM, BURNED BRIGHTER THAN ANY BEFORE HIM, INSPIRED A GENERATION. HERO OF THE BATTLE OF VEGAS. Sonya¡¯s lips trembled a little as she knelt down and put her hand on the sign, ¡°I kept my promise, didn¡¯t I?¡± She said with a heavy heart, running her fingers over the words, ¡°And I¡¯ll keep doing it.¡± ¡°He was a good man,¡± Marta said. ¡°One of the best,¡± Sonya said and got to her feet. ¡°He had a crush on you,¡± Marta teased, which drew Mikalya¡¯s raised eyebrows. Sonya rolled her eyes, ¡°Oh, why did you have to bring that up? I¡¯m no blind! Of course I knew, poor thing,¡± She said with a small laugh, ¡°That goofy man,¡± She shook her head, ¡°Anyway!¡± Sonya barked, striking a pose, ¡°We¡¯ve got politicians to meet.¡± Sonya led the others down the path that had plenty of spots waiting for statues of future heroes like Firestorm. She admired the beauty of the place, but she appreciated something a little more. A private joke just for herself. This place, this spot, this was where Otis would have built Avalon in the future. Just another little snub to the arrogant bastard. The thought alone brought a smile to her face as she imagined the look on his stupid blonde- Wait. She frowned, I remember his face? She blinked and nearly glanced over her shoulder, Hold on, the other aspirants have mentioned him in conversation too. What changed? Before she could think any harder on the sudden revelation a voice called out to her from the steps leading to the building. She looked up to see the Chairman standing there with a glass of champagne in his hand and a big smile on his face. She brightened for his benefit, ¡°Chairman!¡± She elated, walking up to him and holding out her harms to bring him into an embrace, ¡°How are you dear?¡± He returned the hug with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m well, Sonya! Good to see you.¡± She tilted her head and smiled at him, Not for much longer. Your time¡¯s almost up, I think. I was impressed that you had the political strength to stick around, even with me vouching for you. It doesn¡¯t matter, though, I¡¯ve got a replacement finally prepared. ¡°Thank you,¡± She said sweetly, ¡°Oh! You know Marta of course, but let me introduce Bernetta Lucci of the Lucci fashion company and her head designer, Mikayla Summer!¡± Sonya said, stepping to the side for the two women. ¡°Charmed!¡± The Chairman guffawed, shaking both of their hands, ¡°My wife is actually wearing your clothes, Miss Summer. She¡¯ll be excited to hear that I met you. I also understand that you designed the International Team¡¯s gear, you are a master of your craft.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Mikalya flushed, ¡°Thank you!¡± Sonya glanced at Bernetta who looked immensely proud of her protege. She turned to the Chairman, ¡°I wanted them to see the place before they went back to where they were staying.¡± ¡°Pishposh!¡± The Chairman blustered, ¡°They¡¯re more than welcome inside! Come in!¡± He turned and boisterously lead the quartet through the doors into the enormous brightly lit atrium of the building. Marble walls and floor greeted them. Sonya glanced down at the expensive carpet and raised an eyebrow. They certainly went overboard with decorating. Politicians. She exchanged a look with Marta as they went further inside. There were dozens of people there all drinking, talking, and shaking hands. The pre-party to break the ice before the big meeting over the next few days. ¡°Sonya Chernovna in the flesh!¡± A voice called out to her and she glanced to the left to see a pair of men in suits approaching her. The man on the left had tan skin and perfect black hair to match his immaculate goatee. The man on the right was a dirty blonde who radiated smugness in a way that reminded her of her worst enemy. ¡°Brent Marion and Adam Frask! We finally meet in person!¡± Sonya enthused before glancing at Mikayla and Bernetta with a wink, ¡°I guess it¡¯s right to business, ladies, enjoy the refreshments,¡± She murmured. Mikayla chuckled and waved her off while Marta fell into step with Sonya. ¡°How are things at Marion and Forge?¡± She asked, shaking the two men¡¯s hands. They gripped hard, she just grinned and returned a firm grip of her own as she glanced at their names. Both awakened, huh? Analyze. Fascinating. Wasted on them. ¡°Have a good look?¡± Brent asked with a grin, reaching up to pull back his blonde hair and look down at her. Next to him, Adam grinned as well. ¡°Well, they¡¯re certainly interesting. I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t working as heroes,¡± Sonya said honestly, ¡°A bit of a waste, if you ask me.¡± Brent frowned, ¡°I make much more of a difference providing for heroes.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°Why would I think anything else?¡± She teased before turning to Adam, ¡°Thank you for lending Axel to the camp, Adam, that was very kind of you. I know he¡¯s one of your biggest assets.¡± Adam inclined his head, ¡°It was nothing. Forge wants to see the next generation grow.¡± Sonya smiled at him, ¡°I think we¡¯ll get along famously.¡± Brent frowned harder, ¡°Um.¡± ¡°Miss Chernovna!¡± Another voice called out to her, she glanced in the direction of the voice and smiled before turning back to the two men. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more later, boys,¡± She said and walked away with Brent fuming behind her. That was fun, she thought to herself while Marta maintained her perfect stoicism next to her. Now you wear the mask, Sonya thought and gave her a small smile. Marta just winked back at her. Next were a few representatives of various countries, most of the conversation was small talk, though until a representative from Italy raised a point, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that Miss Mint isn¡¯t here,¡± He said, glancing around, ¡°You two are usually thick as thieves.¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°Well! Carla takes the work of the Committee very seriously, she¡¯s overseeing the East Coast Aspirant Camp right now and wishes she could be here,¡± Sonya said honestly, ¡°The next generation is her priority, though.¡± ¡°Very admirable,¡± One representative said. ¡°I really should reach out to her at some point, it would be good to make contact,¡± Another said. ¡°With her managing North America she¡¯s come a long way,¡± A third added. Sonya kept her pleasant poker face, ¡°She is certainly worth getting to know,¡± Sonya chimed in, ¡°I have a lot of faith in her and what she can do for the Committee.¡± ¡°Well said,¡± Another representative chimed in, Sonya eyed his massive mustache as it wriggled, it made her think of a caterpillar and was immensely distracting. ¡°I hear the two of you are married? How interesting!¡± Sonya barked out a laugh, ¡°Something like that,¡± Sonya said, cupping her face and looking coy as best she can, ¡°Work comes first, of course, and we take our jobs very seriously.¡± ¡°Oho! I see! Apologies for jumping to conclusions, the rumor mill is a scary place,¡± The official grunted, straightening his tie. Save me from this small talk, Sonya whined as she smiled back at him as another face strode forward that took her a little by surprise. A pair of red eyes locked with hers and she froze. She returned the stare of the well dressed tan-skinned man who adjusted his tie and smiled at her from a safe distance. Far enough away to avoid a handshake. Marta shifted and Sonya gave her a sharp look to hold back. ¡°I hear you¡¯re building a new headquarters, how is that going?¡± Astaroth, future Herald of Otis said as every murderous impulse Sonya had fired off in her brain. ¡°Lucien DuCast, by the way. Though I imagine you already know that with those fancy eyes of yours.¡± She reigned it in, ¡°Mister DuCast! It¡¯s going well, thank you!¡± Sonya said with all the sweetness she could muster for the beast in human flesh, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were joining us tonight, what is a hero like yourself doing here?¡± And how do you know about my new building, you bastard? I took pains to have it constructed under layers of shell companies. He grinned, ¡°Security for the French Representative. I¡¯m leaving in the morning, though, duty calls, being an Assistant Guildmaster is very busy work,¡± He said dramatically, ¡°But, I saw your pretty face and just had to say hello.¡± She returned his grin with one of her own, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be the last time we meet. Thank you for coming by to say hello.¡± He winked at her and turned away, returning to the side of his charge. Sonya restrained a shudder as she stared at his back. Sick bastard. She thought before turning back to the other representatives, ¡°Now, where were we?¡± Chapter 103 Sonya was relieved that Astaroth decided not to make a second appearance in her circles of conversation for the rest of the night. He was still ever present, still a constant awareness at the back of her mind, but she managed to at least push him to the periphery. She couldn¡¯t kill him here as much as she wanted to. She had her priorities and it was good enough knowing where he currently stood in the world. Her knowledge of his early years before becoming a Herald was fuzzy at best at any rate. She did have Marta keep a close eye on him, though. She had other things to worry about, after all; ¡°Do you have any policy proposals for tomorrow, Miss Chernovna?¡± The representative from China asked, shaking her hand briefly. His power wasn¡¯t anything to write home about. She inclined her head, ¡°I have a few things in mind, Mister Ma,¡± Sonya said with a small smile, ¡°I do want to make sure that things are progressing properly with the Dharan project, after all.¡± The thin, balding man raised an eyebrow, ¡°That can¡¯t be all,¡± He said leadingly. You¡¯re going to have to try harder than that. She thought with a coy smile, ¡°Perhaps a discussion for later,¡± She offered as she pulled her hand away and sipped at her drink. Ugh, wine, I¡¯m so sick of wine. Every party it¡¯s wine or spirits. I need to hit a club after this or something, they¡¯ve gotta have soda or something sweeter. ¡°Do you like it, by the way? I contributed many of the drinks,¡± Mister Ma asked, eager to ingratiate himself. She knew of China¡¯s desire to poach her from the United States, not that she was loyal to the country in any real respect. New York was just convenient. Still, they were a little overbearing about it. She studied the drink with her senses, grumbling inwardly at using her powers for pedantic things, but was fortunately interrupted by another person who approached. She glanced in the woman¡¯s direction and narrowed her eyes a fraction. Her lips curled upward and she turned her gaze back to Mister Ma, ¡°Forgive me, it looks like I have someone I need to catch up with a bit, Mister Ma,¡± She said and turned, walking towards the woman waiting expectantly to the side. Mister Ma opened his mouth but Marta put herself between him and Sonya. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sonya muttered before brightening at the pretty face in front of her. Dark hair fell down in curls around slender shoulders and a pretty neckline accented by jeweled earrings. Dark eyes stared into hers. ¡°Representative Ileva,¡± Sonya said politely, canting her head to the right, ¡°You look lovely.¡± ¡°Chernovna,¡± The woman said, locking eyes with Sonya, ¡°I wanted to speak with you about a private matter.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow and looked the woman up and down, before staring her right back in the eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t tie up women I just met unless they ask nicely.¡± The woman¡¯s nostrils flared a little and she cleared her throat, shifting a bit under Sonya¡¯s luminous stare, ¡°A family matter.¡± Sonya¡¯s expression shifted a bit but she kept her thoughts still, ¡°Not much to say, is there?¡± The woman glanced around once before speaking, ¡°You were a target of Grelen¡¯s Education Policies, he isn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I know what happened when I was little, I¡¯m not stupid, Representative,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°I also know that the man who instituted them and the policies themselves are already abolished by the current Kremlin,¡± Sonya added. She looked down at the wine, it seemed a bit more sour than before, ¡°I don¡¯t have any attachment to specific people in my homeland, if that¡¯s what you are getting at.¡± ¡°I simply wanted to express to you that the Kremlin wants to build a better relationship with ASTA, and that mending that bridge would be a good place to start,¡± The woman said. Sonya shot a glance towards the Chairman, At least they didn¡¯t send an obvious honey pot. She thought before looking at Ileva, ¡°Consider the matter well and truly behind me. I have no relationship with my parents and don¡¯t care for one. They have new names and new lives, let them enjoy it quietly,¡± Sonya said with all the pleasantness she could muster for a part of her life she cared very little about, ¡°The Kremlin doesn¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m here to support all heroes and Earth as a whole.¡± ¡°I am relieved, then,¡± The woman said with a perfect smile, ¡°Perhaps we can talk a bit more at length as the conference proceeds?¡± ¡°I think that would be a marvelous idea,¡± Sonya said with an easy grin and held out her hand, ¡°Please, Call me Sonya from now on.¡± The woman took it and they shook briefly, ¡°Polina then.¡± ¨C The rest of the party was a cyclical dance of politicking and conversations that Sonya spent most of her time listening to. She tried a few times to approach Mikayla and Bernetta to check on them but the Chairman had taken it upon himself to show her guests around with all the pageantry he could muster. It was fun enough just to watch how Bernetta eased comfortably into everything while poor Mikalya just stared in awe at nearly everything. More importantly, the less time I spend around them while here, the less of a hassle they¡¯ll get from parties interest in me in the future. ¡°You¡¯re in your element,¡± Marta said as things began to wind down. She stood at Sonya¡¯s right, surveying the room and casting small stares at anyone who approached to give her charge a little breathing room. ¡°Hardly,¡± Sonya grunted and glared down at her drink, ¡°I¡¯d rather be out having fun. I hope there are a few good clubs open this late.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Marta said, ¡°Just get the politics over with and enjoy the rest of the week. The conference is only for a few days.¡± Sonya clicked her tongue, ¡°Yeah I know. What¡¯s he doing?¡± ¡°Hovering with his charge and the Representative from Australia,¡± Marta said, ¡°He looks so different,¡± She added, leaving out ¡®from the memories¡¯.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Sonya glanced up in Astaroth¡¯s direction, ¡°Mm, not in his prime yet,¡± Sonya muttered and squeezed her glass a little, The faint creak of the glass shifting a bit beneath her fingers drew Marta¡¯s attention and her hand rested on Sonya¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just surprised. Changed the whole mood for me.¡± ¡°Some people are leaving,¡± Marta pointed out, ¡°Maybe get out of here, get the ladies to the hotel, and go find yourself a club to lounge in?¡± Sonya leaned back against her dear friend¡¯s hand, ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¨C Mikayla and Bernetta were only too happy to comply with Marta¡¯s suggestion when they approached the pair, happy to be free of the boisterous Chairman. Sonya led them out of the building before getting them back to their hotel. She didn¡¯t expect to see them much more until after the conference itself, but it was nice to know that they were getting a proper vacation without much in the way of real excitement. She owed Mikayla that much at least. After the two women retired, Sonya and Marta found themselves on the sidewalk outside a late-night club on the streets of The Hague. ¡°A speakeasy, really?¡± Sonya murmured. ¡°Turns out there¡¯s not much in the way of legitimate nightlife here,¡± Marta pointed out. ¡°Especially not to my tastes,¡± Sonya grunted, ¡°Okay then. Are you coming in?¡± Marta gave her an incredulous look and Sonya laughed, ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll ¡®slip¡¯ back to the hotel when I¡¯m done. Go rest.¡± Marta inclined her head and bowed a little, ¡°Have a wonderful evening, miss.¡± Sonya gave her friend a smile and slipped up to the door, knocking twice before flashing a slip of paper with the phrase they¡¯d managed to dig up with a bare minimum of effort. They weren¡¯t trying very hard to keep it under wraps if you had a bit of money to throw around. She smiled as the door opened and was led down into a comfortable lobby by the innocuous man in a suit. Another door opened for her and music flooded into her ears along with the pleasant scents of night-club life. She took a deep breath and savored it before sliding inside. The club itself was spacious, the basement of the building above having been completely remodeled from its original state. Wood floors and cool lighting gave it a relaxed vibe. Off to the right was a long bar with a few bartenders working while on the left was a small expanse of tables where people sat and spoke in quiet tones. A stage near the back had a single young man sitting on a stool playing guitar. She swept her gaze over the room checking names and raised an eyebrow. Interesting. She turned away from the tables and walked to the bar, slipping onto a stool and glanced up at the pretty brunette bartender standing behind it. The young woman turned to her with a bright smile and paused, catching herself as she locked eyes with Sonya. Sonya looked up into her face, resting her chin on her palm. ¡°Something sweet and bubbly,¡± Sonya said and winked at her. The bartender cleared her throat and turned away hurriedly, going to prepare something. That¡¯s more like it. She let herself relax and listened to the music, going as far as closing her eyes as her senses expanded around her. She could feel the woman mixing the drink a few feet away, the way the air moved, the scents of the combined ingredients. She caught little spots of heat throughout the room, places where passion was reaching a breaking point. She sensed movement as people got up to go wherever the night would take them. She opened her eyes and looked up into that pretty face again as a stylish glass was filled with pinkish white fizzy liquid. ¡°Night Queen Fizz,¡± The bartender said. Sonya glanced at it and then up at her with a raised eyebrow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you perfect?¡± She asked playfully and the bartender moved forward only to step back a bit as someone moved in to sit next to Sonya. Sonya had felt him approaching but had pointlessly hoped that she would get a few moments of blasted peace. She should have left when she saw his name. ¡°Scotch,¡± The man grunted. The bartender frowned a little but obliged, pouring a glass and setting it down for him before stepping away. Sonya looked down at her drink and sipped at it, not looking up at him, it was delicious, peaches and lemon. She¡¯d have to come back here later. ¡°Martin Fuller. What is the ex-Chief Inspector for Pandora¡¯s North America branch doing in a place like this?¡± ¡°I figured you¡¯d show up here eventually, it¡¯s your kind of place,¡± He grunted next to her, picking up his glass and taking a long sip. ¡°Drinking again?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± He said and set the glass down. ¡°Your partner in the NYPD would be disappointed,¡± Sonya said. ¡°Sure would,¡± Martin grumbled, ¡°Ironsides would be too.¡± ¡°Then stop,¡± Sonya said casually, sipping her drink again and savoring the sweet-tart fizz, ¡°I can set you up with treatment or someone to talk to. Perhaps we can talk about your troubles.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you, I want to talk to her,¡± Martin growled. Sonya set her glass down with a click and glanced in his direction. He looked down at her from his greater height. His cheeks were sunken, his hair was even more of a mess than usual, his beard was patched in places and his whole demeanor was a bit on the feral side. His eyes, though, his eyes were strong. A bright burnished gold that blazed like lamplights beneath his hooded brows. He stared at her with all the hate and barely restrained violence of a hungry, desperate wolf. She snorted at him and looked back at her drink, ¡°Signed it did you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t give me much of a choice,¡± He growled back and took another swig of his drink. ¡°You always have a choice, sometimes you just don¡¯t realize the choice is there,¡± Sonya said evenly, ¡°People should be more careful of what they say. I¡¯ve heard that faeries can strike deals without the other party even realizing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a myth, but I know better,¡± He grunted, leaning against the counter in front of him, ¡°Now bring her out.¡± Sonya took a long sip at her drink, ¡°You¡¯re spoiling my evening.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t very much care,¡± Martin said. ¡°No, you do not,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate you referring to her as a separate person.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she?¡± Martin hissed. Sonya shot him a hard look, ¡°Watch yourself, Fuller, I don¡¯t have a lot of patience these days.¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Oh, struck a nerve, did I?¡± She sighed and gestured politely to the young bartender who hurried over to her. She reached out, ¡°I¡¯d like to pay, please,¡± Sonya said and the young woman frowned a bit, ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to worry about cutie, your drink was fabulous. I¡¯ll be coming back once the atmosphere is a bit better, when do you work next?¡± ¡°...tomorrow night?¡± The bartender said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Noe.¡± ¡°Noe, adorable,¡± Sonya said and took the small device the girl handed her. She pulled out the phone she used for her public life and after a moment stepped away from the counter having dropped a sizeable tip. ¡°See you tomorrow, Noe,¡± Sonya said and glanced at Martin, ¡°Let¡¯s talk, killjoy.¡± He frowned and turned, nodding to one of the doors near the stage, ¡°They have rooms to stay in back there.¡± Sonya¡¯s nose wrinkled, ¡°You do understand what those are for, right?¡± She asked. He gave her a deadpan look and she rolled her eyes, ¡°Fine,¡± She followed him back through the door and down a dark hallway before he opened one of the doors with a key. Her lip twitched, ¡°You¡¯re staying here?¡± He said nothing as they stepped inside, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it while she took a look around the unkempt space. There were notebooks everywhere, maps, diagrams, photos, he was tracking everything she was doing. She glanced his way and raised an eyebrow, ¡°All you need is a kooky website,¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°Truth is out there.¡± ¡°Let me talk to her,¡± He growled. Sonya frowned again, ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± He stepped forward, his eyes blazing with golden light, ¡°Now!¡± He bellowed. She didn¡¯t flinch, she didn¡¯t even blink, she just returned his stare before sighing. Her fingers twitched as her arms went a little slack and she closed her eyes. She listened to the ticking inside of her head, let it all wash away, she pulled the mask up in her mind and slowly let it slide into place as a coldness washed through her. TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK Ishtar opened her eyes and looked at Martin from across the room, her eyes narrowed, ¡°Detective.¡± Chapter 104 She looked the same. Everything about her was the same. He knew, though, he knew she was a different person. Martin scowled at the monster that stood across from him. Those pink eyes of hers glowed a bit brighter, her posture seemed relaxed but he could practically feel her body coil like a serpent ready to strike. The pressure came next, the weight of Ishtar¡¯s gaze pushing down on him as luminous digital eyes appeared in the room, flickering to life and staring down at him in judgment. He forced his way through the instinctual animal terror that raced up his spine and into his brain. This is a predator. This is a killer. This is a person fully capable of bringing this entire city down around her without a blink or breaking sweat. This is a person without qualms or any sort of restraints. ¡°Ishtar,¡± He growled. ¡°What can I do for you, detective?¡± She said that word again with derision in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not a detective anymore,¡± He said sourly. ¡°So I heard,¡± Ishtar hissed, a series of panels of light appearing behind her in the form of free-floating steps. She took a few steps back and sat down on the last one, the rest vanishing as she crossed her legs and looked down at him from above. ¡°Couldn¡¯t handle the pressure after signing away your principles. Stepped down with honors even though you felt nothing but disgrace. Fitting for a washed up old cop like you.¡± He bore his teeth, ¡°I¡¯d ask you why you¡¯re doing all this, but you can¡¯t hide anything from me anymore,¡± He said, ¡°Not with the Gaze of Mimir.¡± Ishtar tilted her head up a little and raised her eyebrows, ¡°My, you really lucked out didn¡¯t you?¡± He ignored her and let his gaze burn. His vision in one eye dimmed as everything that was Ishtar, that was Sonya Chernovna, burned through his retinas and into his brain. Nothing could be hidden from his gaze even if his deal with her prevented him from speaking it to the world. He would know the truth, the whole truth and- Fire. He stumbled back. Death. He shook his head and gripped his skull. Grief. ¡°What the-¡± He gasped, clutching at his head, ¡°What the hell are-¡± He tried to squeeze his eyes shut, to cut off the power, but the die had already been cast. Truth was his whether he wanted it or not. He reeled and slammed his back against the door as visions of nightmares swam in his head, truths, wretched truths, when it all finally past he just lay there against the wall and caught his breath, sweat dripping down his face. ¡°Stare into the abyss and all that,¡± Ishtar said casually, checking her nails, ¡°Enjoy the show?¡± His eyes flicked back to her, ¡°I get it now,¡± He growled and forced himself to stand up straight again. She frowned and gave him a disappointed look, ¡°Of course you do, is that all?¡± She asked, clearly growing bored of the conversation, ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit,¡± He bit out, stepping forward through the soupy air as his body screamed against him to not approach the living breathing source of death standing in front of him. ¡°I can¡¯t kill you,¡± He bit out, working up every single nerve he had to keep staring her in the eyes even as his knees trembled and his palms sweat, ¡°I can¡¯t fight you. Not myself. I can¡¯t win on my own. I only have these two eyes and this wasted body of mine.¡± She raised her eyebrows, her attention coming fully on him, ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll find a way. I don¡¯t care how noble, you are a murderer, a psychopath, and a villain. Worse than a villain. Supervillain suits you well,¡± He snorted, ¡°Nah, that isn¡¯t even fitting enough anymore is it? After you basically orchestrated Vegas and then gave a god damn speech at Firestorm¡¯s funeral!¡± He shouted. ¡°For what? A fake peace? A balancing act born out of the promise of mutually assured destruction all to get back at some punk kid?¡± Her lips thinned, ¡°That ¡®kid¡¯-¡± ¡°I know who he is!¡± He barked and pointed at his eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll bring him down, not you! I¡¯ll bring you down and the rest of your disgusting cabal, I swear it.¡± She tilted her head to the right and blades of light appeared around her, ¡°I could kill you now, you know? Be done with you as an interloper.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t,¡± He said with a grin. ¡°Because you¡¯re just as crazy as he is. You want an opponent, you want someone who will bring you down in the end so you can heroically die knowing that you did the world a favor,¡± He spat, ¡°Fuck you. I¡¯ll see to it that you spend the rest of your life in a box, reminded every day of the crimes you committed.¡± In a flash of movement Ishtar was in front of him, floating, her eyes boring down on him. He felt his heart lock up and his breath catch in his throat. Fear was everything, but he wouldn¡¯t back down, couldn¡¯t back down from the monster standing in front of him. Not if he called himself a proper human being still. He clenched his fists and stared back into those cruel mechanical eyes as the worlds most hated supervillain stared down at him with naught but malice. ¡°I¡¯ll find like minded people, people you¡¯ve hurt, heroes who know. Bringing down your public image is basically impossible at this point, but there are people out there who will stand up to you, the real you,¡± He said, ¡°People who aren¡¯t swayed by your puppet ¡®Pandora Committee¡¯.¡± Her lip twitched, ¡°I like your drive, Detective,¡± She said coldly. ¡°Figured you would,¡± He shot back. ¡°I wish more people were like you. Maybe humanity would have had a shot last time around,¡± She said, still not leaving his personal space. ¡°We¡¯ll get it right this time, on our own, thanks,¡± He grunted. ¡°Sure you will,¡± Ishtar snorted and floated away, landing on the ground with her back to him. She glanced over her shoulder, ¡°Astaroth is in the city. He¡¯s guarding the French Representative for Pandora.¡± He narrowed his eyes. Astaroth. From what the Gaze of Mimir had told him, Astaroth was a lunatic who would help bring the world to ruin. A slaver who treated humans like cattle and fed them to his mindless demon pets as treats. Ishtar was bad, one of the worst, but at least her intentions were ¡®noble¡¯; he could trust she wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to cause harm just for fun. Astaroth on the other hand¡­ His stomach twisted and his scowl deepened, ¡°Why did you tell me that?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Because you won¡¯t be able to leave it alone, knowing he¡¯s here,¡± Ishtar said with a chuckle, ¡°I have no intention of causing trouble during my visit, Detective, I¡¯ll meet with the committee and go back home. That¡¯s my plan anyway. What are you going to do?¡± He clenched his fists, ¡°You¡¯re manipulating me.¡± ¡°Of course I am,¡± Ishtar laughed, ¡°It¡¯s working, isn¡¯t it?¡± He spat and looked away, ¡°This isn¡¯t over, I will find like-minded people, I will bring you down. I refuse to do any favors for you. I¡¯ll figure out how to get the truth out on my own.¡± Ishtar waved a hand and a pane of white light appeared next to her, the center of the pane distended and twisted until it turned into a deep dark hole. She glanced his way and smiled at him, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it, good luck, Detective,¡± She said and stepped inside. It closed behind her and her presence vanished from the room. He felt every muscle in his body sag as he collapsed, his hands on the ground as sweat dripped every pore in his body. He heaved, coughing and shuddering as all that terror he¡¯d pushed away caught up to him. His knees trembled every time he tried to get to his feet. Eventually he just gave up and fell onto his side, coughing and shaking. ¡°M-monster. I¡¯ll stop you. I swear it.¡± But first¡­ I¡¯ll build a case against Astaroth. ¨C Ishtar stepped through the portal and into the hotel room, a smile on her face despite the confrontation. She¡¯d enjoyed herself a little bit. His power is fascinating. It¡¯s too bad he¡¯s discredited himself so thoroughly. Even so, he has some fire in his belly, he might actually be able to pull something off with the right push. For now I¡¯ll have him go play with Astaroth. That will help in more ways than one, she thought as she stalked past the bed where Marta was sleeping. She walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. ¡°Now, I think it¡¯s time we had a candid conversation, don¡¯t you agree?¡± She asked and turned to the mirror. Sonya stared back at her in the mirror and frowned, ¡°I¡¯m getting worse.¡± ¡°We are getting worse,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°There¡¯s no point in dawdling about the point anymore, Sonya dear.¡± Sonya looked away, her expression pained. ¡°Sonya,¡± Ishtar said and rest her hands on the counter, looking into the mirror, ¡°Darling listen to me, please, I swore to you that I would never go against you, I exist to protect you, to help you get where you wanted to be. I gave you my word, between us, you know what that means,¡± Ishtar implored the young woman, ¡°I can¡¯t lie to you, to anyone.¡± Sonya turned and looked back at her in the mirror, ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t want to hear what you have to say.¡± ¡°One of us has to say it,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Since I¡¯m the bad guy, allow me.¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°You¡¯re not the bad guy,¡± She said uncomfortably, ¡°You¡¯re more like¡­¡± ¡°A security blanket? A mask?¡± Ishtar chuckled, ¡°We¡¯re way past that, dear.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still the same person!¡± Sonya protested, ¡°I- This isn¡¯t- We¡¯re-¡± ¡°You can take the mask off at any time, you¡¯re just talking to yourself with two different perspectives, yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°This brain of ours is very impressive, isn¡¯t it? To be both fragmented and whole at the same time?¡± Sonya went silent again. ¡°Take the mask off if you want me to be quiet that badly,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I¡¯m here to do whatever you want, to support whatever you want. You and I both know that I am the only person who you¡¯re going to listen to when it comes to the tough stuff,¡± Ishtar pointed out firmly, ¡°Marta will tease but she doesn¡¯t see herself as having a right to call you out. The rest? They worship you.¡± Sonya looked away, ¡°Just¡­ say what you¡¯ve got to say.¡± ¡°You¡¯re tired, and you¡¯ve only just begun,¡± Ishtar said softly and pulled herself up to sit on the bathroom counter, leaning her head against the glass of the mirror. Sonya¡¯s head shifted in her reflection, and it felt a little like they were leaning against one another,, ¡°You have to stop pretending that you haven¡¯t changed. You aren¡¯t the Sonya from before. You belong here now.¡± Sonya sat up in the reflection and glared at her, ¡°I am not from this timeline!¡± She snarled, ¡°I can¡¯t belong here, I know too much, I¡¯ve seen¡­¡± She trailed off, ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much. I can¡¯t let myself just do that. Not after everyone else died. Why do I get to live again, try again, when everyone else-¡± Ishtar clicked her tongue, ¡°Really?¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Of all the pathetic things to say, after what you¡¯ve sacrificed of your own soul and mind, after what they died for?¡± Ishtar growled, ¡°You¡¯re going to sit there and wallow in survivor''s guilt? You? The most impressive woman in the world? I¡¯m honestly a little disgusted with you right now, Sonya.¡± Sonya flinched and looked down, ¡°I-¡± ¡°Sonya, you cannot function here if you¡¯re stuck in the past!¡± Ishtar barked, ¡°Listen to me, please, I¡¯m trying to help you. You can¡¯t expect this world to be the same as the last one, it isn¡¯t anymore. You¡¯ve already changed things. The world is different. Events are different. People are different.¡± Sonya leaned back against the glass again, it was warm this time. She was silent, her face contemplative instead of petulant. Ishtar supposed that was a start at least.¡°Then what should I do?¡± Sonya asked in a small voice. ¡°Reconcile yourself with your new life,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Otherwise,¡± She pointed between the mirror and herself, ¡°This? This is going to keep getting worse. I will not allow you to fade away, Sonya. This isn¡¯t my life, I¡¯m just a mask. That¡¯s how it should be.¡± Sonya sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡± Ishtar gave her a sidelong look and raised an expectant eyebrow. ¡°Are you telling me to forgive Chunhua? After what she did? After how-¡± Sonya paused and frowned. ¡°After she was a different person than the previous timeline and met you under different circumstances and hadn¡¯t had time to become the person you knew?¡± Ishtar asked pointedly, ¡°It¡¯s a start I suppose.¡± Sonya clicked her tongue, ¡°I can¡¯t just do that,¡± She crossed her arms and flushed. ¡°I¡¯m not saying sleep with her!¡± Ishtar laughed, ¡°Heavens no. You¡¯re different people now, both of you,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°It¡¯s time you started accepting that she isn¡¯t going to do what you want her to do just because of some idealized image you have in your head. And you cannot live as the Sonya from that time either. You aren¡¯t. Stop it, if for no one else then for Marta who is worried sick.¡± Those words seemed to hit harder than the others, Sonya slipped a bit on the counter and played with her fingers, guilt on her face, ¡°I know,¡± She murmured, ¡°Will I stop seeing you in the mirror as much, if I can do that?¡± Sonya asked quietly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that for the best?¡± Ishtar asked. Sonya lowered her head a bit more and smiled a little, ¡°So, until it''s over, I¡¯m allowed to be happy?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re allowed to be happy, you foolish girl,¡± Ishtar said before adding slyly, ¡°Maybe if you¡¯re a bit less grumpy all the time I can have a bit more fun with my role too. I am you after all and all that baggage is just a pain to lug around.¡± Sonya sniffed and laughed, ¡°You¡¯re so mean.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m the villain.¡± Sonya slipped off the counter and set her feet on the ground, glancing over her shoulder as a small, small amount of weight slipped off of it. For the first time in a long time she saw her own face looking back at her and not those cruel eyes. Even so, she smiled at herself, ¡°Thank you,¡± She said, ¡°I needed that.¡± She took a much needed shower after that before heading into the bedroom. She crawled into her bed, exhausted, but lighter than she¡¯d been in a long, long time. Behind her, she didn¡¯t see Marta¡¯s teary-eyed smile. Side-Story: Camp 1 The pair stood in front of the door, the others sitting behind them and watching. There were a few screens on the walls for the audience to watch the pair¡¯s progress. Next to the door, the beefy dude with dog tags, Axel, stood with his arms crossed. He was one of the new hero instructors that had arrived over the past few days. He reached up and adjusted his sunglasses with a grin. ¡°You two ready?¡± He asked with a grunt, ¡°Happy with your choice of partner?¡± Greg rolled his neck and rubbed it a bit with his hand. Next to him, John stood as stiff as a board, shoulders rigid and eyes straight forward. His hands moved, though, a long training knife in his hand. He¡¯d switched from bouncing between butterfly knife and switchblade after some extra attention from Miss Chernovna. Greg tilted his head and glanced at his partner who nodded in his usual sullen way. Greg smirked and looked up at Axel, ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± Axel tilted his head up and looked down at them, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, best time is three minutes so far. Clear the room of hostiles, today¡¯s theme is villains and human criminals. There¡¯s a volunteer ¡®villain¡¯ inside. Keep the killing blows to a minimum. You¡¯re heroes, don¡¯t forget,¡± He crossed his arms and turned his eyes to the small crowd of aspirants sitting behind them. ¡°You lot can watch on the screens.¡± Greg licked the inside of his lip and rubbed his thumb over his palm, tugging a bit on his fingers and flexing them. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Woo! Get ¡®em Gravitic!¡± A voice called out from behind them. He rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder with a smirk at the girl with blue highlights sitting near the front of the crowd, gloved fist in the air. He raised his fist as well and winked before bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet. He¡¯d seen Lillian do it a few times to get pumped up. ¡°You first?¡± John asked. Greg glanced at him, ¡°I¡¯ll set ¡®em up for you.¡± ¡°Shortest time then,¡± John nodded with a twitch of his lip, his version of a smile. Axel looked between the two of them, ¡°Back up that confidence,¡± He turned and tapped a button on the panel behind him, ¡°Fifteen seconds till the door opens.¡± Greg and John stepped forward and stood at the door. John twirled his knife and shifted his stance to provide a side angle of himself. Greg¡¯s right palm began to glow and he entered a crouch, ready to dash. Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ The door snapped open with a hiss. Greg darted forward first, his eyes combing the room in a few moments. He was one of the two more observant members of the Nashville crew and he took the details in quickly. Fifteen odd doll-like figures stood in the room holding airsoft guns. They looked like store mannequins wearing clothes. They were all stationed in various spots with large boxes scattered around to provide cover. The good news was it was all one room with one big wall behind him. He grinned and slapped his palm against the wall to his right. ¡°Surprise!¡± He murmured. Gravity shifted, the wall he touched became the sky as the doorframe behind him remained open, protecting him from his own ability. In an instant mannequins and boxes went flying towards the far end of the room. Normally this would be the part where the shouts of confusion started but it was more just a series of loud thuds and crashes as boxes and baddies hit the wall. From behind him, John darted into the room with his knife at the ready. His entire body leaning forward at an impossible angle as he picked up speed. John hopped into the air and caught the gravity push of Greg¡¯s ability like a tailwind, letting it hurl him across the room. Greg quickly knelt down and slapped his right then left palm to the ground with a few heartbeats between each slap. The first sent gravity up from the ground, giving John a little lift, the second normalized gravity in the room. The result of all three slaps was John turning into a bullet from above aimed at the tangled mess of enemies on the other side of the room.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The set-up took only a few seconds and after that Greg was already back on the move, darting to the right and towards the side of the room where the majority of the boxes had been. Ahead of him, John crashed into the first of the rising mannequins with a kick before an elbow drove into another¡¯s head. The enemies scrambled to their feet with increasing urgency as John turned into a blur, blocking attacks with bats and bladed weapons with his dagger while he delivered disabling blows to joints and heads with his body. Greg whipped his head around, Right, where¡¯s the- A large shape hurtled in his direction and his eyes widened. Fuck! He dove for the ground and rolled before getting back to his feet, ¡°John, it¡¯s Alex!¡± He turned to face his attacker with hands held out as the masked ¡®villain¡¯ snapped his leg back like a rubber band. He could plainly see fangs in the mouth beneath the mask and scales were forming along the skin of his friend¡¯s neck. Alex popped his neck left and right and grinned, his powerful muscles growing larger as he started forward at a slow trot. He¡¯d positioned himself between Greg and John. John was busy with finishing off the Mannequins, it wouldn¡¯t take him long, but it would take him longer than Greg liked. Still, he had options. ¡°Whatcha gonna do now, hero?¡± Alex barked with a laugh, bearing his arms forward with fingers outstretched as he charged. He was nearly a head taller now. Greg kept the surprise on his face for a moment longer as Alex picked up speed before tilting his head with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s been figuring out new tricks,¡± Greg chuckled, and took a breath. He toned down the glow on his left hand and then slapped his chest. Alex, ahead of him, blinked behind his mask in confusion for a moment before he started accelerating even more. ¡°Woah!¡± Alex gasped as Greg slapped himself in the chest with his right hand and stepped to the side. Alex hurtled past him and Greg darted backwards, moving to get back with John who had just knocked out his last Mannequin with a swift kick to the ¡®ribs¡¯ before turning to glance at Greg. ¡°Good work.¡± John muttered. ¡°Thanks,¡± Greg said and rubbed his shoulder, his body ached from being the center of gravity for a few seconds. He was still getting used to doing it to himself and he didn¡¯t plan on doing it often in real situations until his body could take it better. He took a few more steps back so that John was in front of him, ¡°He¡¯s all yours, Mister Happy..¡± John gave him a deadpan look before looking back at Alex and twirling his knife between his fingers. Alex was back on his feet after colliding with the wall with all of his weight and force, he flexed his arm and and turned to face the two. John shifted a bit in his stance, ¡°Strong.¡± ¡°Very,¡± Greg grumbled, ¡°Borderline-fuckin-heroic.¡± ¡°Kick his ass anyway?¡± John muttered. ¡°Of course,¡± Greg chuckled and hopped back playfully to one of the crates facing their opponent and hopped on top of it, he slapped his right hand down on the surface and gravity erupted from it, pushing out towards John and Alex. John darted forward, his light body taking advantage of the ¡®falling¡¯ while Alex jumped into the air to land on the wall behind him, looking up at John as he hurtled ¡®down¡¯ at him. John turned into a pinwheel, twisting his body into a falling axe kick aimed at the center of Alex¡¯s head. Alex grinned and opened his mouth, his jaw widening to fit John¡¯s entire leg if it had to. Greg snorted and slapped his left hand down on the box, John suddenly falling towards him for a moment. Alex grunted as he was lifted while John kicked off the floor as Greg reversed gravity again, the result made Greg burst into laughter. Alex landed back on the ground on his butt as his jaw snapped shut so he could change which limb he was increasing. Meanwhile, John landed behind him and whipped his knife out to press against Alex¡¯s neck. ¡°Finish.¡± Alex groaned, ¡°Ah fine!¡± He grumbled and threw his hands up. John looked ¡®up¡¯ at Greg and nodded, perspective was weird when you could selectively change gravity based on surface area. Greg disabled his ability and the two landed on the ground properly, hopping off the wall and onto the floor. Greg slipped off the box and landed on his feet, rubbing his hands together. A buzzer went off over his head. ¡°Not bad, boys!¡± Axel¡¯s voice came in over the intercom, ¡°The new time to beat is one minute, fifteen seconds.¡± Greg threw his fists up in the air, ¡°Woo hoo!¡± He cheered, ¡°Yes!¡± Alex and John came over to join him, Greg reached out and clapped Alex on the shoulder. ¡°Scales look good, bud.¡± Alex smirked, ¡°Been a while since we tussled, you look happy.¡± Greg grinned, ¡°Well yeah, I just scored myself a date tonight.¡± Side-Story: Camp 2 The Dojo only had a few people in it today, with the classes becoming more and more varied, aspirants were starting to prioritize different classes. Alex himself had gone to the rescue field just the previous day. It was harrowing but rewarding in its own way. It was too bad they couldn¡¯t have live subjects to rescue but he understood the logic. Those creepy forge-tech dummy mannequin-things still gave a good response based on the situation. He¡¯d done alright, not great, but it was a good enough score that he didn¡¯t get chewed out like a few who had managed to break one of them during their return trip through the ¡®disaster zone¡¯. Fine motor control was his weakness and he was very much aware of it. His body was ridiculously flexible and strong, but that came with its own problems. Precision was hard and that was why he was here. With Miss Chernovna gone for the week, Black Lotus had shifted from conditioning drills to hand-to-hand combat while the guy from Forge, Axel, handled the drills in her place. Alex sat on the ground and looked up at the pair that was currently dueling in the center of the room, John had never missed a hand-to-hand lesson. He was obsessed with getting ¡®as good or better¡¯ than Miss Chernovna when it came to knife fighting. Alex had never seen the guy that motivated in all the years he¡¯d known him. He didn¡¯t notice himself zone out a little as he thought back about his grim-faced friend going through the motions every day but an elbow to the side brought him back. He glanced to the right and Lillian raised her eyebrows at him, ¡°You good?¡± She asked. ¡°Me? Yeah, why?¡± He asked only for her to give an urgent glance towards the center of the room. He slowly turned his head and saw Black Lotus staring right at him. ¡°Are you going to join me, Mister Ellis?¡± Ah crap, zoned out, he reached up and scratched his head, hopping to his feet and brushing himself off before walking past a returning John, ¡°Good work out there.¡± ¡°Not enough,¡± John muttered but nodded gratefully anyway. ¡°Crazy guy,¡± Alex chuckled and came to a stop in front of Black Lotus who stared at him hard. ¡°I understand you want to work on fine motor control with your ability active,¡± She asked, brandishing her training weapon to her side as if ready to deliver a killing blow. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moment to prepare.¡± Alex cleared his throat a little, there was still that level of awkwardness that came from pulling his ability out in front of people. It wasn¡¯t pretty like Snow¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t ¡®cool¡¯ like Greg¡¯s, it was thankfully not as bad as Val¡¯s but still, it was rough to look at in his opinion. Then again, his first day of awakening hadn¡¯t been fabulous and the hunger that came with it wasn¡¯t something he was proud of. Yet, thanks to a few words from Miss Chernovna it had all changed for him, perspective wise. They¡¯d been almost silly, but it had hit him deeply. ¡°Heroes make sacrifices, Mister Ellis, and if all you¡¯ve gotta do is have an aching belly and some itchy scales, then what¡¯s that over saving lives?¡± He tensed and clenched his fists. It''s just hunger, not a big deal. He thought as his fangs began to grow in his jaw, his teeth changing shape in his head as the itch of the scales forming on his skin spread across his arms and along his neck and chest, covering vital spots and limbs. He felt his eyes grow denser and his field of view increase as his pupils turned to slits. He let out a slow, controlled breath and braced himself. Then the hunger hit, an ache that spread through his guts, a need to consume, a need to devour, a need to- It¡¯s just hunger, an achy belly, no big deal. He reminded himself and exhaled again, flexing his fingers before looking up at Black Lotus and nodding. ¡°Alright,¡± He said with a shaky voice. It was the first time he¡¯d done this in front of so many people. Only the Nashville crew knew about his real look.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him change before, that¡¯s badass,¡± One voice said behind him. ¡°Are those scales? How hard are they?¡± Another chimed in. ¡°Peak Epic, damn,¡± A third added and he felt the nerves about his appearance evaporate. He¡¯d forgotten that he was around other hero aspirants now, not civilians scared of their own goddamn shadow. Not around classmates who screamed and ran away. Not around that disgusted cop that thought he was a monster on that first day. He took another breath and exhaled, raising his fists in a boxing posture as he fixed Black Lotus with a stare. ¡°Ready.¡± She looked at him for several moments before her lip twitched upward with a small smile and she nodded with approval, ¡°Yes, you are.¡± She whipped her training sword up at him in a sharp angle and he darted forward and to the right, the blow clacking off the scales of his shoulder. His feet hit the ground and the weight caused the flexible floor to bend down beneath him but he kept moving, darting low to try to snap out with quick viper-like punches that Black Lotus blocked with a shift of her arm. He visualized a snake striking at just the right moment, coiled, prepared, and fast. His skin tingled beneath his scales and he twisted his body, his malleable bones moving with him as another strike came within inches of his throat. He whipped back like a rubber band, snapping forward as soon as she finished the strike. She hadn¡¯t even taken so much as a step since the beginning of the fight, not even entering a battle posture. He snapped his arm out again as her blade finished its arc, his arm extending to strike her in the shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and took a single step back, the blow going past her. She whipped her weapon up to strike him in the arm but the training blade just bounced off scales. He felt the impact, but it spread across the scales like a buffer. He grinned at her and snapped his arm back, trying to catch the edge on a scale. She pulled her weapon away and entered a proper stance. ¡°You¡¯re improving,¡± She said. He grinned, ¡°I¡¯m just getting started!¡± He barked and dove in, fists up. He whipped out a kick and it extended towards her. She brought her weapon up to deflect the kick only for his leg to start to bend the wrong way around her torso. She raised an eyebrow and dropped low, sliding out of his attempt to coil her. He clicked his tongue and pulled his leg back, he wasn¡¯t going to waste energy letting the attack finish if it wasn¡¯t going to succeed. He brought it back up and raised his knee, standing on one foot and watched her as she shifted to the right. ¡°Patient, like a serpent,¡± Black Lotus commented. ¡°Miss Chernovna says to embrace what your power means, vibe with it, if I¡¯m gonna be a snake, might as well act like one while I¡¯m fighting,¡± He said with a grin. Black Lotus¡¯ eyebrows rose as her lip twitched, ¡°She¡¯s working on that with you already,¡± She said thoughtfully, ¡°Only a month in. I suppose I should take this more seriously, then.¡± And drew her weapon up to the side of her head, her eyes fixed on him. ¡°Don¡¯t blink, aspirant.¡± She moved so freaking fast, he barely managed to get out of the way when she was suddenly behind him. He turned and raised his arms again, blocking a far more forceful blow that fortunately didn¡¯t get through his scales. He dropped low and swept his leg out, stretching it to deal with her footing. She just hopped over it and snapped out a kick towards his head. He growled and threw his head forward, scales up, and took the kick. He reached up and tried to grab at her ankle only for her to spin and launch off of him like a springboard. She landed and darted forward again, her attacks coming in faster, blow after blow rained down on him as he pivoted and blocked as fast as he could. In the end, though, he found himself on his ass with the point of a sword at his nose. ¡°Excellent start, Mister Ellis,¡± She said and reached out to help him up. He grabbed her hand and she tugged him up without any effort. Shit she¡¯s strong. I weigh almost five hundred pounds like this. He thought, dazed, and let out a breath as he settled on his feet. The scales began to retract and the muscle on his arms shrank. He exhaled completely and the hunger that he¡¯d barely noticed during the fight grumbled at him. He was going to eat his weight in grub when he got back to the common area. He looked up at her and grinned, ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± She nodded at him and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Chapter 105 Sonya woke the next morning feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. Her eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath of the smell of freshly made coffee, rolling over onto her side and seeing¡­ no one. She tilted her head and sat up, racking her brain as she tried to remember who she¡¯d slept with the previous night. Then it came back to her and she let out a sharp laugh, flopping back onto her pillow and letting out a delighted sound as she stretched out her legs. It was like a fog had lifted a little, it was still there, but she felt clear. She let out a relaxed sigh and glanced down at Marta who was standing at the foot of her bed. ¡°Morning!¡± Sonya chirped. Marta gave her a pleased smile, ¡°Morning to you too, how¡¯d you sleep, all on your own?¡± Sonya sat up and grinned before hopping off the bed with a flourish, ¡°Better than I have in a long time!¡± She declared and struck a pose before raising her arm and frowning, ¡°Marta? Shower free?¡± She asked. ¡°I finished about an hour ago,¡± Marta laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Sonya said quickly and fled to the restroom. As she walked in she stopped at the sink and hesitated for a moment, resting her hand on the counter and remembering. She turned and looked at the mirror and saw her own smiling face looking back at her. There was a twinkle in her reflections eye, she was still there, but¡­ No mask. She sighed with relief, No mask. How long has it been since I¡¯ve seen my own face in the mirror? She thought and looked herself over, checking her jaw and running her fingers up her pale skinned face. Like a porcelain doll. A knock came to the door and she jumped. ¡°Sonya? Do you need any help getting ready?¡± Sonya looked up at her reflection and grinned, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve got it today!¡± She said merrily and made for the shower, casting one look back at herself, ¡°Thanks again, I¡¯m glad I can count on you,¡± She said with a wink. ¨C Marta sat on the bed in her gown and glanced down at her phone, smiling a little at the selfie that Barry sent her from his mission in the pacific. He was grinning ear to ear, wearing a silly poka-dot vacation shirt and his hair swept back. A couple of his boys were in the background with what looked like heavy duty construction equipment atop a large boat. She tapped a quick message back to him, He shot back. She responded. Sonya threw open the door and stepped out of the bathroom with a grin on her face. Vibrant pink lipstick just how she likes it, a little bit of eyeliner and some pink shading around the eyes. Her hair hung down straight, all the stress curls long gone. She¡¯d even done up her nails, hands and feet. She cast a smug grin over at Marta who turned to give her an appraising look, relief washing over her seeing her dear friend finally able to care for herself again. ¡°Full battle paint!¡± Marta laughed, ¡°Looking good,¡± She chuckled and set her phone down, ¡°Barry says hi and sends his best.¡± Sonya gave Marta a coy grin, ¡°Sexting, this early? Marta!¡± She teased. Marta switched to her most offended frown as she shoved her phone a little bit more under herself, ¡°Sonya! Get your mind out of the gutter!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t put it anywhere else!¡± She laughed and walked by the television, hitting the button as she snatched up her clothes that Marta had laid on the bed. She started throwing on her white shirt as the news came on, pulling her tie around her neck. Marta rolled her eyes and got to her feet, walking over and giving her a hand, ¡°I can do it!¡± ¡°You have never been able to tie a tie, good days or bad, Sonya Chernovna,¡± Marta quipped and got to work as Sonya huffed and puffed up her cheeks. ¡°We¡¯re here at the Headquarters of the Pandora Committee at The Hague, Netherlands. In just a few hours the first session of the fully organized Pandora Committee will be held in this recently completed building. As you can see behind me, the promenade is beautiful and standing prominently is a statue of the Hero of Vegas, Firestorm,¡± The reporter said and Marta glanced up to see Sonya smiling at the TV. First time I¡¯ve seen you smile first when he was mentioned in a long time too. She thought as the reporter moved on down the promenade. ¡°Representatives from every member nation of the United Nations will be in attendance as well as several representatives of the new Hero Support industry from across the world. First among them is Sonya Chernovna, the Voice of the Hero Movement and CEO of the ASTA Corporation. She is slated to deliver a speech about the first round of Aspirant Hero Training Camps that have been underway worldwide since just over a month ago,¡± The reporter continued. ¡°Still remember your speech?¡± Marta asked, glancing up at the side of the woman¡¯s head. ¡°Course I do,¡± Sonya said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m gonna make a few adjustments, though. Fit the mood a bit better.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything silly,¡± Marta warned. Sonya cast a sidelong look at her and winked, ¡°Me? Silly?¡± Marta frowned, ¡°Sonya, this is going to be internationally televised.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Sonya said with a nod as Marta finished buttoning up her shirt for her. Sonya glanced down and raised an eyebrow before shrugging and grabbing the rest of her stuff, plopping down next to Marta as the television continued. ¡°Among the topics today will be rise of Supervillains and the widespread increase in villain activity across the globe. Discussion will likely lean in the direction of the self-proclaimed First Supervillain, Ishtar, and her relationship to the growing number of organized villain groups. Notably the Darksiders who-¡± Sonya¡¯s personal phone rang and they both glanced down at it with raised eyebrows. Sonya snorted, ¡°Forgot to take my cybernetic phone off silent,¡± She laughed and picked it up, ¡°Charon! Darling! How are you? Sorry about that, busy night,¡± She tilted her head and leaned back a bit, ¡°Oho? No dear, I¡¯m not worried about them. Thank you though. Oh it¡¯s no trouble, you were just adhering to the contract, I can¡¯t fault you there. Thank you for the heads up again,¡± She laughed, ¡°Oh you¡¯re terrible, kisses!¡± She hung up and set it down. ¡°Darksiders are using gear bought from Charon or rather, me, to ¡®attack¡¯ the Pandora Session today.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Marta frowned, ¡°Really? Aren¡¯t they-¡± ¡°Stupid?¡± Sonya asked with a laugh, ¡°I don¡¯t know how some of them remember to breathe in the morning,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I-¡± Her phone rang again and she grinned at it, ¡°Oh here we go, this is going to be good.¡± ¡°Chief Bruno!¡± Sonya answered, ¡°Yes? I see,¡± Sonya was grinning ear to ear as Marta watched her friend put on the best serious act she could, ¡°And what¡¯s being done? Good. I expected nothing less from you all. Good work, thank you again, Chief,¡± She hung up the phone and tossed it down, ¡°And that was the Chief of Security for the region, they already know,¡± Sonya snorted and burst into laughter, ¡°Those idiots are going to owe me so much money!¡± She chortled and kicked her feet. Marta shook her head, It¡¯s good to have you back. Sonya hopped up as the television kept going and grabbed her heels, ¡°Several international leaders have voiced their outrage at the attacks by the group which communicates predominantly on message boards throughout the dark web.¡± ¡°They could at least invest in a secure communications system, don¡¯t you sell those to villains?¡± Marta asked, glancing at Sonya as she pulled her heels on and threaded the straps. ¡°Mm? Yeah,¡± Sonya said, glancing up at the television, ¡°Apparently they¡¯re big on the whole message board thing, they¡¯re a rogue offshoot of another group that used to be pretty all right a decade ago, they got kicked out for being crazies and terrorists,¡± Sonya said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t these people been rounded up already?¡± Marta asked. Sonya shrugged, ¡°Free speech? Technically only a percentage of these idiots actually do anything, just whine and talk about it,,¡± Sonya said and got to her feet, straightening herself up and grabbing her coat, throwing it on over her white shirt before striking a fresh pose, ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Fabulous,¡± Marta said with a smile. After all her friend had been through, after the memories she¡¯d been shown, after the struggle for the past year to get back on her feet, after everything. Seeing that glee and light was more refreshing than any balm. ¡°Shall we go?¡± She asked. ¡°We shall!¡± Sonya declared and they made their way to the door. ¨C Sonya held her head high as they walked through the grand atrium of the Pandora Headquarters and to the massive doors that lead to the Committee chamber. She shook hands with a few more people and even managed to greet the French Representative who was blessedly free of Astaroth, now accompanied by another young man who was far less skeevy in her opinion. As per the regulation, the bodyguards would have to stay outside the room until the session was over. Sonya snorted a little at that thought as she pat Marta on the arm and left her at the door, walking down the steps into the recessed room and towards the long desk where she would sit with others from the support industry. The entirety of the leadership of the Hero Culture gathered in one room and the worst supervillain in the world is locked in there with them. Something funny about that, she snickered and skipped the last few steps before sweeping into her seat and crossing her legs. Adam Frask approached her first, sitting down next to her and inclining his head, ¡°Miss Chernovna, you look lovely this morning.¡± She beamed at him, ¡°Adam! Thank you dear, you¡¯re looking roguishly handsome as ever.¡± She shook his hand and winked, ¡°How are things with those fancy dolls of yours?¡± He puffed out his lips and leaned back, ¡°Hit a few snags, actually, wish I had your man Amos to help. The second generation Forge Dolls are still years off unless we figure out what¡¯s going wrong.¡± She hummed a bit and tilted her head, ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal, let Amos pick up what he can from their bodies, not their brains, and I¡¯ll let you borrow him for a while. Consider it a trade,¡± Sonya said and held out her hand again. He raised his eyebrows and rubbed his chin, ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say, on-and-off six months, I can¡¯t lose him too, you know. He comes by on occasion and helps your boys work out the issues and then comes home,¡± Sonya offered. Adam grinned, ¡°Deal,¡± He said and shook her hand, ¡°We¡¯ll talk more later.¡± She smirked, ¡°Of course!¡± Brent was the next to arrive, descending the steps and casting Sonya a small frumpy look, she raised her eyebrows at him as they stared one another down before she brandished a winning smile, ¡°Brent.¡± ¡°Sonya.¡± She pressed her lips together, ¡°I was a little hard on you last night,¡± She said and tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. It¡¯s been a long couple of weeks.¡± He paused and blinked, staring at her in surprise, ¡°Uh, thank you,¡± He said and cleared his throat, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been so hostile about your ability. It must come in handy.¡± ¡°It really does,¡± Sonya said with a laugh, ¡°Thank you, dear. Truce?¡± He shrugged and settled into his seat a bit more comfortably, ¡°Truce,¡± He agreed and they shook hands. He crossed his arms afterward and glanced at the Chairman who was talking to a few representatives before things got underway, ¡°How is Madame Rouge doing?¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s wonderful, a bit tough but that¡¯s to be expected from a woman like her. She¡¯s got her eyes on one of my endorsees, been on top of him constantly to improve his ability. Fierce one for such a proper lady,¡± Sonya commented. Brent chuckled, ¡°Certainly, she comes from a big manufacturing family. Money, but hard people,¡± He said with a nod, looking thoughtful for a moment, ¡°She was going to take over the family business before the flash and developed her abilities. Terrifying powers. I¡¯ve never seen hounds behave themselves until her.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it once before, a very eccentric friend,¡± She admitted, thinking of Charon. ¡°You¡¯ll have to introduce me, those kinds of abilities are rare and valuable. Monsters can make quite the useful commodity if maintained and turned on their own,¡± He said as he turned to face the raised podium where the Chairman was making his final preparations. I know how you feel about monsters, she thought, smuggling them through Russia last year. It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re just a jerk and not an evil man. I really want to kick you around for it. Oh well, such is life. She turned as well and set her hands in her lap, smiling at the Chairman as the microphone came on. ¡°Welcome, Leaders and Representatives of our new Heroic Age. Today marks the first annual meeting of the Pandora Committee. As is right and proper I want to thank those who made today possible. The people of various nations who came together to build this building, the nations that signed the Pandora Accord, and the people who helped start the movement as a whole,¡± He gave a small nod in Sonya¡¯s direction. Sonya waved at him before settling in. His eyes swept the room, ¡°All national representatives are present, this committee also recognizes the presence of the eighteen heads of the various support organizations from across the globe. They are here representing the interests of the guilds they sponsor and the organizations that make what we do possible. According to our charter, they are here in a capacity to provide advice and submit proposals only.¡± He said aloud, ¡°With that, may the first Grand Pandora Committee begin.¡± There was a round of applause as he stood there, nodding to everyone in turn before he cleared his throat, ¡°Our first order of business as agreed in our charter is the discussion of exigent threats to humanity and society as a whole and the declaration of the ten most wanted villains in the world,¡± He paused, ¡°Of course, it goes without saying that a special place has been reserved for the spot of public enemy number one, separate from the top ten,¡± He said grimly. There was a chorus of murmurs throughout the room and Sonya leaned back to enjoy the show. Behind the Chairman a screen slid down and flickered to life before revealing footage of her eye opening over Vegas and her descent in a column of light. The images flickered and were grainy. It was clear to everyone who it was, though. The image shifted to an artist''s rendition of herself in her full regalia and helmet. ¡°We have no close up images of the Supervillain, Ishtar,¡± The Chairman said gravely, ¡°We do have this image based on all descriptions provided,¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°For the crimes of High Villainy, Murder, Terrorism, Organized Crime, Supporting Villain Activity, and others listed above me,¡± He recited, reading from the prompt, ¡°With this Committee¡¯s approval, I hereby declare the Villain Ishtar Public Enemy Number One, and the most wanted person on this planet we call Earth, may I hear the Ayes?¡± The resounding approval was deafening. Sonya just smiled as she added her own private, ¡°Aye.¡± Chapter 106 The vote was unanimous and so obviously predetermined that Sonya nearly burst into laughter, she controlled herself, though. Enjoying the moment of hitting the top of everyone¡¯s lists with a single vote. She leaned back into her seat, shifting her shoulders a bit to get more comfortable and crossed her legs. From her spot off to the left and facing the podium where the Chairman stood, she savored it, the feeling that, in a weird way, the world acknowledged her for what she was doing, even if it didn¡¯t know why. She was pretty sure this wasn¡¯t the sense of belonging that Ishtar had intended her to feel, but it certainly was a way to look at it. As the momentary noise died down, the Chairman moved on to the proper list; ¡°There are ten individuals that have been designated as the ten most wanted villains on the planet after the one who is believed responsible for assisting the majority of them, Ishtar,¡± The Chairman rumbled, again reading from a prompt in front of him before turning again to getsure at the screen, ¡°These ten individuals are first; The Supervillain known as The Companion,¡± A grainy picture of an armored woman in a gown with a veil over her face appeared on the screen at the top left. ¡°Little is known about her abilities, but she is the personal attendant and attache of Ishtar and likely knows all of her secrets. While she has not overtly committed any crimes, the international ballot released to you all succinctly agreed she is a high priority for arrest, as the information she could provide could be vital to her master¡¯s arrest,¡± The Chairman continued and there were nods of approval throughout the audience. Sonya nodded along as well, it was a rational approach. If they can¡¯t get her, get Marta. Not that they ever will, she thought, I¡¯ll make sure of it. ¡°Next is the far more widely known Supervillain, Kingshark,¡± The chairman declared and an image of a massive gray skinned monster that looked vaguely like a man appeared on the screen, causing a stir among the representatives. The monster appeared to be grabbing the front end of an ocean liner and lifting it up. Sonya leaned forward opened her mouth in amused interest, ¡°Oho?¡± ¡°Kingshark operates as a subordinate of Ishtar but managees his own international criminal empire. He focuses on street-level gangs and youth, bringing them in under his wing. His reach spans most nations of the planet with a connection to a body of water and has committed dozens of maritime crimes since his rise to power,¡± The Chairman explained, ¡°More importantly, it is believed that he actually ¡®rents out¡¯ his gangs and soldiers to other villains for profit.¡± Wow, they are well informed, good work, good work! She chuckled inwardly, resting her chin on her palm and watching with increasing interest as the picture turned to a blank image with the word ¡®BLACKRAZOR¡¯ over it. She restrained another snicker and tilted her head, maintaining her poker face as murmurs spread. ¡°Blackrazor, number three, is a Peak-Mythic Assassin working under Ishtar. His name was discovered after extensive investigation though his connections and activities remain unknown. He is personally guilty of murdering a Mythic-Tier hero and is suspected to be involved in any number of murders across the planet, his face is unknown,¡± The Chairman said gravely as he looked across the crowd before continuing. ¡°Fourth is a supervillain of an unknown name that has been active in recent times, carrying out terrorist attacks across the planet,¡± The Chairman said before gesturing to a picture of a bolt of lightning that ended with the shape of a woman, fires were burning around her, ¡°This woman has not publicly revealed her name or purpose and attacks with ferocious impunity, she has caused billions of dollars in damage and ended hundreds of lives in her attacks.¡± Kerauna, Sonya thought, There was no way you wouldn¡¯t make it on the list. Wild thing. The Chairman rest his hands on the podium, ¡°These four make up the first notable supervillains of our new era and are widely known through most of our member countries in one way or another, I now open the floor to the representatives to propose additions to this list.¡± ¡°The Representative of Australia asks to speak,¡± A voice rang out. The Chairman nodded, ¡°The Committee recognizes the Representative from Australia, Mister Carey.¡± Mister Carey got to his feet, a perfect mop of blonde hair slicked to the side as he adjusted his jacket, ¡°Australia would like to propose to add the Supervillain Blight to the list of Pandora¡¯s most wanted. He has been active in the south pacific for some time now and has committed numerous acts of ecological terrorism,¡± He said firmly. ¡°New Zealand supports the proposal!¡± ¡°Philippines supports the proposal!¡± ¡°Indonesia supports the proposal!¡± ¡°Japan supports the proposal!¡± The Chairman cleared his throat, ¡°Five votes for proposal, does the Committee consent?¡± He asked and a few more major nations joined in, leading many others to finally chime in with their approval. With that, the Supervillain Blight was added to the list. Sonya tilted her head. We''ve not met yet, guess that needs to change, she thought with some amusement, I should congratulate him, maybe he¡¯d like some flowers. After that, four more supervillains were added to the list and their names reorganized in levels of importance of arrest according to the Committee; THE COMPANION KINGSHARK BLACKRAZOR [unknown Lightning-based Light-touched] SPICE KING EREBUS BLIGHT QUEEN AUGUST PASSAGE DRASTIC The four were all mostly isolated to their own countries, Sonya had done business with the Spice King before but the others were relatively new names though from the sounds of it they hadn¡¯t been lazy. August was apparently turning people into gold and leaving their petrified corpses behind as she pilfered jewelry from homes. Passage was leaving text on walls that would trigger into hallucinations that caused mass panic for hours at a time. Drastic had burned down several small towns in South America and was believed to be a literal dragon. I don¡¯t remember someone with a dragon power like that back in the previous timeline, things really have changed, She thought, rubbing her chin as the representative from America stepped up to speak. She glanced his way thoughtfully. She was pretty sure she was aware of all the supervillains in- ¡°The United States would like to submit the woman known as Liberty as the tenth spot,¡± The man said. Sonya blinked, surprised but not unhappy about the turn of events, she was a little curious though. How are you going to pull this off? She thought, Officially she hasn¡¯t committed any known crimes, she just runs a cult, which isn¡¯t illegal¡­ technically. ¡°Liberty is the active head of a cult originating in the southern United States that has begun to spread internationally,¡± The man said, ¡°It is believed she gains strength from every additional member added to her cult, though the full details of her ability are unknown. What is known is that she is getting stronger by the day and is a serious threat to international security if she is allowed to remain as simply an unlicensed, likely Mythic, light-touched.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ah¡­ going the ¡®we all should be worried¡¯ route, not bad, but not great, I would have tried that if I thought it would work, Sonya thought and glanced up at the Chairman who was searching the room for additional votes in favor. Japan chimed in but that wasn¡¯t really all that surprising. She considered firing off a few texts to her ¡®friends¡¯ around the room but decided against it. There was no need to push her hand on the scale just yet. She had her own plans for Liberty. ¡°I am afraid the motion remains unsupported, Mister Harman, do you perhaps have another suggestion?¡± The Chairman asked. Mister Harman nodded, ¡°As a matter of fact I do,¡± he said, ¡°I would like to propose Masque, the leader of the Darksiders. I think we are all aware of their activities, while brash, they are widespread and they are escalating rapidly. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they do something to belong on this list anyway. I think we can all agree that they need to be prioritized.¡± A rumbling of approval moved through the crowd of politicians and Sonya relaxed in her seat. That¡¯s more along the lines of my expectations, did he suggest Liberty to soften everyone up? She glanced at Harman, Maybe he and I need to get to know one another a little better, she thought as she noted the small hint of a smile on his face as he sat down and shook hands with the Japanese Representative to his left. The Chairman glanced around one last time before grabbing a gavel and banging it, ¡°The full motion is passed, the ten most wanted villains of the Pandora Committee have been confirmed. They are now the highest priority targets of the world¡¯s heroes after their duties of preventing dungeon breaks,¡± The Chairman declared, ¡°The matter is settled.¡± A round of applause followed and the Chairman moved on, ¡°I would personally like to open a matter, if the Committee would have it,¡± He said and no one voiced their disapproval, ¡°While this woman ¡®Liberty¡¯ may not be an exigent threat, she certainly commands enough pause to investigate. The Pandora Committee should send an investigative team to confirm Representative Harman¡¯s concerns,¡± He suggested. Harman was the first to raise his hand, ¡°The United States supports.¡± Several other nations followed before Sonya raised her hand, ¡°The ASTA Corporation urges a favorable vote on this matter,¡± She said, voicing her opinion for the first time during the committee. ¡°Forge Tactical agrees,¡± Adam chimed in next to her, raising his hand. Brent glanced at the two and huffed out a breath, ¡°Marion Heroics agrees.¡± That of course resulted in a tidal wave of other support corporations jumping on the bandwagon. After that, more nations chimed in and a majority was reached. The Chairman banged his gavel, ¡°The motion passes, an investigative team will be sent to the territory of the Light-Touched, Liberty, to assess her threat level.¡± Sonya grinned, Perfect, that¡¯s more like it, a little political pressure goes a long way. She glanced towards Adam and gave him a wink of thanks before nodding at Brent who gave her a begrudging nod in return. The major American support companies are a unified front for now. People will follow our lead. After the Liberty proposal, more topics came up as the hours dragged on. While it had been pretty cut and dry in the beginning, they started moving into grayer areas as the topics grew more complicated. The Dharan Project was one hotly debated topic. Some groups wanted to wall off the Dharan area and turn it into a restricted zone for the time being while others wanted to begin pushing in and reclaiming territory. The arguments continued until a general consensus of walls and towers manned by hero-led military groups was agreed upon. It¡¯s New York all over again. I remember standing on one of those towers. As the proposals came to an end, the Chairman moved on, ¡°Now on to brighter things,¡± The jovial man said, dabbing his brow. He¡¯d been standing there for hours, ¡°As you are all aware, the Aspirant Camps are now a month in. Miss Chernovna of the ASTA Corporation personally stayed at the East Coast camp for the first month and has a few words for us. Please come to the podium, Miss Chernovna.¡± Sonya smiled at him and got to her feet, ¡°Thank you, Chairman,¡± She said.and walked around Adam and Brent before descending the steps and making her way over to the stairs leading up to the podium. She met face to face with the Chairman and shook his hand briefly, giving him a peck on the cheek before turning to the assembled Representatives. She looked out over the crowd of those gathered, while some of them were there for their own gain, there were many who truly believed in what they were doing. She¡¯d heard it in their voices as they debated, listening to their passion. It was real. This was real. This world was real. She was really here. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reaching out to grab onto the podium and cracked a grin, ¡°We all aspire for greatness,¡± She said with a small chuckle, a few of the men in the crowd joined her but most stayed deadpan. Amos texted her almost immediately. She kept a straight face and tilted her head, ¡°A little humor is good for you, you know? Especially in times like these. It helps lift you up, brighten your day, and give you that extra bit of strength to move forward,¡± She said, ¡°I have never seen so many young men and women with so much good humor in their hearts in my life, so much drive to be more, to grow into the shoes of those who came before them. To live up to legends.¡± ¡°I have seen in one month a young man struggling with the visceral appearance of his ability overcome his misgivings with a little help from the support companies. He will be a force to be reckoned with one day,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I met a young man who wanted to stand up and help people, even if they were frightened of him. A man with a power some might find frightful but with a tremendous heart,¡± She smiled brightly, ¡°He wears his scales proudly now.¡± ¡°I have seen a young man who can clear a room with a touch, his sharp mind and keen eye will take him to the top within a few years, of this I have no doubt in my mind. His awareness of his comrades needs is second to none,¡± She continued, ¡°I have seen with my own eyes a troubled young man who¡¯s actions led him to harm others with his ability throw himself with every ounce of strength he had into becoming a man who could not only make up for his sins, but help people heal and strengthen those around him.¡± She tilted her head, her smile growing thoughtful, ¡°I saw a young woman who couldn¡¯t speak change minds as she turned a field of grass into a winter wonderland in one moment and a field of glittering gemstones in the next,¡± She continued, ¡°I have met the everyman,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Someone who¡¯s power is to simply be talented,¡± She looked at the audience, ¡°You know what he said to me when I asked why he wanted to be a hero instead of becoming a very wealthy man?¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°It just makes sense,¡± She said with a gruff tone, ¡°That¡¯s it, nothing else,¡± She laughed, ¡°These young people are heroes already, just amazing,¡± She said, ¡°So much potential,¡± She looked down at her hands, ¡°I met a young woman who¡¯s power had just awoken on the bus heading to the camp. She was scared because the first manifestation seemed unsuited for the role of a hero,¡± Sonya paused and swept her gaze over the crowd, ¡°That young woman in the firestorm jacket is one of the top aspirants now, dueling regularly with the incomparable Black Lotus.¡± Sonya raised her head with pride, ¡°Those are the kinds of young people in those training camps, those are the kinds of heroes we want to raise up and support in the future. The camps are not just a good idea, or a great idea, they¡¯re just the start. In the future I believe there should be established schools like these, a permanent place where these people with such enormous hearts and spirits can step up and join the ranks of those willing to serve and protect humanity.¡± She grinned, ¡°A friend of mine once said, ¡®Earth, Strive for better¡¯.¡± She looked over the crowd, ¡°These young people are doing just that, and I for one can¡¯t wait to see what they become.¡± Harman stood first, then Adam and Brent, then the rest of the representatives gathered began rising and clapping as she descended the stairs, a smile on her face and blooming even more brightly in her heart. The applause continued until she reached her seat and made her way to sit down only to slip as the ground shook a bit under her feet. She blinked and looked up, confused as the ground shook again. ¡°What the-¡± Brent grunted, hopping to his feet. A third shudder and sirens began to go off over their heads, Sonya whipped her head around and grabbed her phone, she hit the speed dial, ¡°Marta? What¡¯s happening?¡± She shouted as phones began to ring around her. ¡°Explosions inside the building, ma¡¯am, security is moving to investigate, stay put!¡± Marta responded as another blast shook the ground and Sonya grabbed onto her chair, ¡°I¡¯m right outside. I won¡¯t let anyone in.¡± Sonya clicked her tongue, Why now? She growled inwardly as another call came in, ¡°Switching to Amos, be careful Marta!¡± She said hurriedly before switching the call over, ¡°Amos, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The lab¡¯s been bombed!¡± Amos shouted, ¡°Four of our buildings across the states, there¡¯s bombs going off all over the place!¡± Sonya¡¯s heart nearly sank, she gripped onto the chair and took a deep breath. She had to stay calm, now was not the time to slip back. She set her jaw, ¡°Who was inside?¡± ¡°I have most of Da-som¡¯s team here but a lot of our interns and other employees were there, it¡¯s bad Sonya,¡± Amos said as more shouts rang up around her, angry voices. ¡°Who the fuck-¡± The screen that had displayed the top ten villains fizzled and static filled the air. Sonya whipped her head up to look at the screen, ¡°I think I might have an idea,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯ll call you back, Amos,¡± She said as a dark smile spread across her face. She would not let this bitch see her frown. Not in a million years. On the screen, a pair of cruel blue eyes glowed, looking down on them and framed by long yellow-blonde hair. The woman wore a full suit of medieval armor, her gauntlet covered hands set in front of her as she broke into a sneer. Sonya looked right into the woman''s eyes and clenched her fist, her grin widening, ¡°Liberty. Now you¡¯ve done it.¡± Chapter 107 Liberty threaded her fingers together in front of her chest as she stared down at the Pandora Committee from the screen above them. Her luminous blue eyes twinkled with barely contained malice as she sneered at them in disgust. Sonya looked up into those eyes of hers and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little vindicated. The woman had graduated straight to how she was as a fully realized Herald years in advance. Or perhaps she had always been this way. It didn¡¯t matter really, it was clear who was responsible for the bombings. Sonya asked Amos as she steadied herself a little more. After Astaroth had made his comment the other day she wanted to make sure. Amos said, Sonya closed her eyes and let her heart go out to the men and women who were working there and to the memories made in that place, good and bad. It was the birthplace of ASTA and it was gone now. She said and glanced at Adam and Brent who were scowling at their phones. She looked up at Liberty again as the woman waited patiently for everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°First the American Government steps onto my land without permission,¡± Liberty said without preamble, her lip twitching, ¡°Then some heroes come poking around uninvited,¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°And now, on international television, you call the members of my movement cultists and formally order heroes to trespass into my territory,¡± She announced with a snarl, ¡°Disgusting, petty, stupid, and blind,¡± She said coldly, ¡°It seems I was right to prepare for today.¡± The Chairman steadied himself on the podium, ¡°Are you Liberty?¡± He demanded. ¡°The people of the world cry out for Liberty, and I am here,¡± The woman said, looking down at him without blinking. ¡°You¡¯re taking responsibility for these bombings?¡± He demanded. ¡°I and the people who placed them,¡± She confirmed, ¡°Someone had to build your shrine to self-importance, you people never consider the masses, do you? Just cattle as far as you¡¯re concerned,¡± She squared her shoulders, ¡°This is a reprisal, you and the nations of this world have no right to put restraints on the light-given powers blessed upon its people, nor do you have any right to curtail our movement.¡± Sonya looked into the woman¡¯s eyes, She doesn¡¯t really believe a word she¡¯s saying. Bitch, Sonya thought as she called Marta with her internal phone. <¡°Marta, what¡¯s it look like out there?¡±> She asked, keeping her mouth shut. ¡°Not good, fires everywhere, security is in shambles. We¡¯re moving as fast as we can to get things under control. There¡¯s a lot of us heroes here but we¡¯ve got holes now,¡± Marta said hastily, ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted.¡± The Chairman stood a bit straighter, ¡°Liberty, this Committee must demand that you pull back and cease any further attacks. You are risking a war with your faction, do you understand the consequences of that?¡± He insisted. The woman¡¯s expression hardened a little, ¡°Do I seem like I care?¡± ¡°You are a mythic, are you not? There are laws about-¡± He began. ¡°I don¡¯t bend to your laws,¡± Liberty replied. ¡°If a war breaks out we will be forced to deploy Mythic heroes against you, Mythics fighting Mythics in the open could trigger another Vegas, or worse!¡± He barked, ¡°You put not only yourself in danger, but your people, and all the innocents in the region!¡± Sonya glanced at the back of the Chairman¡¯s head. He was saying the right things, of course, fighting Liberty that openly in a territory that was hard to manage because of her presence was just asking for a dungeon break, or several. Of course, She narrowed her eyes at the woman staring down at them, That¡¯s exactly the point, isn¡¯t it, Liberty? She thought and grit her teeth as her grin widened. This wouldn¡¯t be enjoyable if it wasn¡¯t hard. Come on, say it. ¡°That¡¯s not my problem,¡± Liberty said callously, ¡°You should consider that before entering my territory, because there will be further reprisals if you do not,¡± She leaned forward, ¡°Mark my words, Chairman. I am not the only Mythic in the movement.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± The Chairman growled. ¡°I am justified, I am Liberty!¡± She barked back, ¡°And I have more than impudent politicians and self-important heroes as my reasons,¡± She turned her head and looked straight at Sonya. Sonya returned her stare with a straight face. ¡°I believe you have taken something that belongs to me, Sonya Chernovna. Return my property, if you don''t mind?¡± Sonya clenched her fists, letting the rage boil beneath her skin as she kept her tone even, ¡°That young woman is a human being, an adult, and has every right to choose what she does with her life,¡± Sonya said as she looked Liberty in the eyes, ¡°She made the decision to undergo hero training, I merely provided transportation after she escaped. I will see to it that she remains protected and out of your reach. You will not abuse her again.¡± Liberty snorted, ¡°Surprising, but I believe you, If she left on her own, she¡¯ll choose to come back on her own. She knows her place is at my side, seeing the consequences of her actions will remind her,.¡± Liberty said, ¡°What she had here was a beautiful thing, heir to my legacy when my time is up. I¡¯ll keep it between sisters, then,¡± She said dismissively, ¡°Besides, you have your own problems now I suspect.¡± She turned her eyes to the rest of the committee, ¡°This is your final warning, stay off my land or there will be further consequences, Liberty will prevail,¡± She growled and the feed cut. Shouts rang out at the screen and more than a few Representatives demanded an immediate retaliatory strike against Liberty. The Chairman looked around frantically, trying to figure out a way to calm everyone down. Sonya exhaled and pulled her hair back over her ear before walking down the steps and back to the podium. She gently pushed the Chairman aside and cleared her throat before grabbing the microphone, ¡°Enough!¡± She barked as the building continued to shake. Many of them fell silent and looked at her as she swept her gaze over the audience. ¡°You are leaders not children, act like it. She wants a reprisal,¡± She said, ¡°There are twelve active dungeons in that area, one of them is rare,¡± Sonya warned. ¡°If even one of those dungeons goes up it could trigger a chain reaction that could end in millions dead,¡± She straightened her back, ¡°Yes, a response is necessary! She has killed thousands of people today without a doubt, and will continue to act with impunity until she is punished, however-¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The building shook again and the lights flickered, ¡°However! We are an organization that exists to protect mankind, not damn it! We will not be cowed into a mistake by a madwoman! I propose a full embargo on her cult and an international ban of all members of that organization, a proposal to the UN to freeze all of her assets, and to open discussions about further action until she is arrested!¡± She glanced up at the door as Marta tried to call her. Not now, not yet. The Chairman quickly hurried to her side, ¡°I second the Proposal! Do we have three more votes to bring it to a full vote?¡± The lights flickered again as Harman, who had fallen from his seat, got to his feet, ¡°The United States approves!¡± ¡°Japan approves of the measure!¡± The man next to Harman shouted. ¡°Australia approves of the measure!¡± ¡°The United Kingdom approves of the measure!¡± ¡°Saudi Arabia approves of the measure!¡± ¡°Brazil approves of the measure!¡± More and more enraged voices rang out in approval of a full embargo to cripple Liberty¡¯s cult and isolate it completely as the building shook around them. Sonya restrained a smile and inclined her head to the men and women gathered as she accepted the call from Marta on her personal phone. ¡°What-¡± ¡°Darksiders!¡± Marta barked, ¡°Those idiots are taking advantage of the chaos! They¡¯re in the building!¡± Sonya didn¡¯t hesitate, she turned to the Chairman, ¡°Villains are in the building, security is holding them back but we need to get the representatives out, now. The building can¡¯t take much more anyway, we¡¯ve done what we can.¡± He nodded, ¡°This meeting is adjourned, the matter is settled, there will be consequences for today,¡± He commanded, ¡°All Representatives, please proceed calmly to the secure exits to the left and right of the stage!¡± The representatives hurried down the steps as Sonya shot a glance up at the doors, they trembled once, then twice, she glanced over to Adam and Brent, ¡°Do one of you have a knife?¡± She shouted as they made their way to the exit. Brent looked up at her in confusion as she loosened her tie and glared at the door, ¡°What? There were metal detectors at the-¡± Adam reached into his coat and pulled a knife from a strapped pouch before tossing it to her, she caught it and spun it between her fingers, ¡°It¡¯s carbon fiber, monster bone edge!¡± He said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a gun, otherwise I¡¯d stay myself!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do,¡± She said and glanced at the Chairman, ¡°You need to go, sir.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± He asked, ¡°What-¡± ¡°I am the hand to hand instructor for the camp, remember?¡± She said with a smile and hopped off the podium to face the doors from the base of the stairs, ¡°I can handle myself, go,¡± She said and brandished the knife, pulling back into a stance as the doors shook again. She sensed the man hurry down the stairs and towards the exit. Another pair of footsteps hurried up to her side, though, and she glanced over, ¡°Really?¡± She asked, surprised. Brent glared at her, ¡°Like I¡¯m going to let a tiny woman watch my back,¡± He grunted, looking away, ¡°You really know how to fight?¡± She smiled, Liar, she thought, ¡°Of course I do, girl¡¯s gotta stay in shape somehow,¡± She joked and popped her neck, unbuttoning her jacket. ¡°Funny way of staying in shape,¡± He growled and clenched his fist before throwing it out with a commanding gesture, ¡°Stand guard at my gates!¡± He barked and a light not unlike Marta¡¯s bloomed into life at his right. A seven foot tall woman stepped out next to him, clad in gleaming armor and wielding a spear in her hand. She wore a helmet over the upper half of her head. The valkyrie stepped out in front of the two of them and brandished her spear as the doors crashed open with a resounding bang. The first thing Sonya heard was laughter and then the sounds of guns firing into the ceiling. Over a dozen men in masks came racing into the chambers as the Valkyrie charged them. The laughter turned to shouts of confusion as the titanic woman swept her spear across the group of men who had stumbled into a room they thought was filled with unarmed civilians. A few of the masked men lunged at the Valkyrie from the sides, weapons in their hands as they tried to tackle her to the ground. She tossed one off while picking up another and slamming him to the ground with terrible force. Sonya¡¯s eyes shifted left and right, more were coming in. I don¡¯t think they suspected that their plan would actually work. Probably wouldn¡¯t have without Liberty stirring up her own chaos. She¡¯d never work with them, Sonya shook her head, A god damned coincidence, what a fine mess. <¡±Marta where are you? The doors are open.¡±> She called. <¡±At the -rggh! Doors, they¡¯ve got a tough one with them, I¡¯ll deal with him quickly,¡±> Marta barked back and there was a brief flash of light from the atrium and a loud crash. <¡±He just keeps getting up!¡±> ¡°There¡¯s Chernovna!¡± One of the villains shouted. ¡°Haha! She stayed! Nice! Grab her!¡± Another shouted. ¡°Masque wants the pearly bitch in one piece, don¡¯t hurt her too bad!¡± A third barked. Brent glanced her way, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re popular.¡± Sonya smirked, ¡°So it would seem,¡± She said and twirled her knife as the Valkyrie hurled one man all the way across the room, leaving him dead in a crater in the wall. I wonder how compatible it is with Baldur¡¯s Body, she thought with amusement as another idea occurred to her. She latched onto something one of the villains said, Masque wants me? Oh? She grinned impishly, Oh no, a personal meeting with the head of the Darksiders? How scary! <¡±Marta, keep things busy, it looks like they want me alive to meet with their boss. Isn¡¯t that terrible?¡¯> She chuckled through the call. There was a long pause, <¡±Oh absolutely awful, ma¡¯am, it would certainly be a serious matter if you were kidnapped,¡±> Marta said sarcastically. <¡±Put on a good show for me dear, will you?¡±> Sonya quipped as the first of the villains who managed to get past the Valkyrie charged at her. She kneed him in the gut and brought her elbow down on his head. He hit the ground hard. <¡±As you wish.¡±> Marta said and another noisy bang rang out. Sonya glanced at Brent and restrained a snicker, it was best for him not to get swept up in all this. He was a bit of a prick but he¡¯d done the right thing and stayed behind anyway. Maybe there was some hope for him after all. ¡°You should go, your companion is flagging already.¡± Brent looked at his Valkyrie that had half a dozen men hanging from its arms and legs now, trying desperately to pull it to the ground. The building shook again and he looked at her, tense for a moment before finally speaking his mind, ¡°Wh-what about you?¡± ¡°My bodyguards the mythic that fought An Set at Vegas,¡± Sonya said with a shrug, ¡°She¡¯ll be here shortly.¡± To punctuate her statement, a man went flying through the doors and collided with the screen that Liberty had been on. Brent looked up at the crushed screen and then down at Sonya before nodding reluctantly, ¡°Fine, just, don¡¯t die or anything, alright?¡± He griped, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Hilda with you!¡± He shouted and ran for the secure exit, throwing it open and racing through. It shut behind him and Sonya popped her neck again. ¡°Well now, I guess I can¡¯t make it easy for you all, right?¡± She said playfully as she tossed the knife up and down in her hand, more villains started to crowd around her. She bore her teeth in a wicked smile and let a little tiny bit of bloodlust out, ¡°Who¡¯s first, dearies?¡± Interlude: The Deal A few months before the incident in The Hague, Charon leaned back on his couch in the private box overlooking his club. He slipped a cigar into his mouth and lit it with a black flame from his fingertip, he took a drag and exhaled, his graying skin vanishing behind the cloud for a moment as he leaned forward. He ran his fingers along the small pile of blue coins sitting on the table in front of them. Each and every one of them had a flexible value based on the the overall value of the new underworld market that he had built. Apparently it was some kind of trick that Ishtar and Mephisto cooked up with their contracts, he didn¡¯t quite get it, nor did he care. They more than served their purpose. He rubbed one between his fingers as he glanced out at the open area of the club. Men and women, villains of all races and backgrounds were here, coming from across the globe to do business with the Ferryman, the great middleman himself. He snorted and twirled his cane between his fingers. He watched a couple newcomers walk over to the bar and felt the faint trigger of his puppet standing there react and go through its usual pre-programmed motions, simple conversation topics. He didn¡¯t have to split his attention as long as they kept it straight forward. Even so, it was fun to listen in. He smirked and cast a bit of his mind into the puppet, listening in for a few minutes before immediately becoming bored and pulling back out. Another far more interesting flicker in his mind drew his attention and he shifted his perspective, looking through the eyes of the guard standing at the VIP entrance. A slight figure in a black coat, black skirt and black pantyhose strutted down the hall and out of the guard¡¯s vision. He sat up in his seat even more and sent a few orders for refreshments. In a matter of minutes a small spread of simple snacks was set on his table as well as a noxiously alcoholic drink for himself and a colorful drink in a tall glass filled with bubbles for his pretty guest. He relaxed and straightened his embroidered jacket before getting to his feet and turning with a smooth motion, a practiced wicked smile on his face joined a conductor¡¯s bow, the skull on his cane pointed out, ¡°Mephisto, gorgeous as ever. Welcome to the Styx.¡± A pair of glowing red eyes were the first things he saw as the brown haired man stepped out. A pretty slightly-pale face adorned with mascara and lipstick smiled at him ruefully and raised a perfect eyebrow, ¡°All this set out for little old me?¡± The effeminate villain asked, sweeping forward and holding out a hand. Charon took it and put a kiss on the knuckle of Ishtar¡¯s Dealmaker, ¡°You¡¯re too kind. Technocrat might get jealous,¡± The devilish creature said with his usual half-purr before his eyes flashed dangerously. ¡°Not wise.¡± Charon pulled his hand away and stood up straight, ¡°You¡¯re right, of course, I wouldn¡¯t dream of pissing that guy off!¡± He chuckled, ¡°Had your favorite drink made, at least.¡± Mephisto snorted and walked past him, picking up the colorful drink and taking a sip. He let out a delighted half-sigh half-squeal of delight and slipped into a comfortable chair to the right of Charon¡¯s couch. ¡°A Wildebeest, now I know you want something!¡± Mephisto tittered out a laugh and crossed his legs languidly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bite, what was so big that you needed me to come personally? I¡¯m a busy man. You have endorsed contracts, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re not out already are you?¡± Charon held up his hands as he sat down, ¡°Nothing like that, I promise,¡± He said with a nervous grin, ¡°I got someone wanting to come make a deal, a big name, but not a member of the New Underworld yet,¡± He added quickly, ¡°Masque of the Darksiders needs gear, he says he has something big planned.¡± Mephisto stopped half way through a sip and looked his way, ¡°Masque? Coming here? Today?¡± Charon grinned at him, ¡°Yeaaaah,¡± He chuckled, ¡°Figured you¡¯d like to sit in.¡± Mephisto took a long sip from his drink and set it down, settling into the comfortable chair, ¡°Why Charon, it isn¡¯t even my birthday,¡± The dealmaker said with a dark smile. It wasn¡¯t long after that when the man of the hour arrived. He came in through the front door like all the newcomers with a half dozen of his masked thugs surrounding him. Charon peeked through the perspective of his bartender as the masked man approached, his white mask with that twisted smile giving off a strange heat to it. He assumed full control of the bartender and set the glass it was cleaning down, ¡°Masque?¡± He asked through the bartender. ¡°Yeah,¡± Masque said gravely, stopping at the counter and leaning on it. He was huge and way more fit than the goons around him. ¡°Where¡¯s your boss?¡± He smirked a little through the puppet as a rumble of laughter passed through the patrons of the Styx, many of them glancing the Supervillain¡¯s way. Masque frowned and looked around, standing up straight, ¡°What¡¯s the meme?¡± He asked, ¡°What am I missing?¡± Bartender-Charon tilted his head forward and looked Masque square in the eyes, ¡°I am the boss,¡± He said as the guards at the door also spoke with his voice, ¡°I am here,¡± The waitstaff turned as one and looked at Masque, ¡°And here,¡± The bounty board host looked his way, ¡°I am everywhere, and the only people allowed to use their powers in the Styx are those I approve of. Tone it down or shut it off, Mister Masque. My only warning,¡± Came dozens of voices in concert, dozens of pairs of eyes all staring at him as one. ¡°You¡¯re in the Ferryman¡¯s territory now.¡± Masque turned around and looked at all of the puppets staring at him as well as the patrons who were staring at him expectantly. There were several understandings at the Styx. The Ferryman provided protection, a link to Ishtar, bounties, money, and supplies. He was the beating heart of the growing society of Villains. The Styx was neutral ground and everyone agreed, no one fucked with the Ferryman. Talking back was an easy way to get enemies sitting seats away from another to work together for a singular goal. Punish the prick. Masque, fortunately, seemed able to at least read the room well enough to know better than to do anything stupid. The heat coming off of his body lessened significantly though his mask stayed on his face. Charon smiled through the bartender as the rest of his puppets went back to what they were doing, ¡°Appreciate it,¡± Charon said, ¡°Now, come on up. Follow that one,¡± He added and pointed to a puppet standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to the raised area where the VIPs sat and the doors to his private box beyond. ¡°Leave your boys down here.¡± A minute later and Charon looked up from his couch to see the masked man walk into the private space. He grinned at the pause in Masque¡¯s steps when he laid eyes on Charon. Everyone reacted like that the first time, he sneered, ¡°Masque, welcome!¡± He gestured to the refreshed spread, ¡°Got some snacks, do you drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks¡± Masque grunted before looking at Mephisto, ¡°Who¡¯s this? I thought this was a private meeting.¡± ¡°It is!¡± Charon said and gestured to the beauty next to him, ¡°This is Mephisto, Ishtar¡¯s personal dealmaker and the one who creates the paper the contracts go on. For someone as illustrious as you, I figured having him present to oversee the deal and make sure all your bases were covered would be the least I could do.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Mephisto smirked at Masque, ¡°Charmed.¡± Masque stared at Mephisto, ¡°¡®Him?¡¯¡± He repeated, clearly confused for a moment before pausing and then nodding. Something in his posture shifted and his chest puffed out, ¡°I¡¯m glad you saw fit to invite him, then, well met, Mephisto,¡± He said, forcing his voice a bit lower. Charon repressed a snicker and kept his lips steady as Mephisto raised an eyebrow, ¡°Right¡­ so, why don¡¯t you have a seat and tell us about this scheme of yours. See if it¡¯s worthy of a deal with the wish-granting queen. I should reiterate that I¡¯m just the middleman here, I work with Ishtar but not strictly for her,¡± He said, ¡°We all clear?¡± ¡°Crystal,¡± Mephisto said with a smug smile. ¡°Understood,¡± Masque grunted and sat down on the other chair, opposite Mephisto. ¡°So here¡¯s the thing, those losers at the Pandora Committee have been building this fancy-ass new headquarters in the Netherlands for a while. They got a meeting coming up and apparently the voice of the heroes is going to be there herself, that bitch with an ego, Sonya Chernovna,¡± He began with a sneer in his tone, ¡°My boys and I want to crash the party, wreck shit, and take Chernovna,¡± He flexed his fingers, ¡°My power can make any one I see as attractive compliant,¡± He said, ¡°Among other things,¡± He added quickly, ¡°I¡¯m gonna make her mine, then I¡¯m gonna use her to control the Pandora Committee.¡± Charon leaned back in his seat, keeping a straight face as he slowly turned his head to a wide eyed Mephisto. Mephisto¡¯s lips were pressed tightly together, trembling slightly. His hands were clenched tight and if Charon didn¡¯t know him, he¡¯d think he was about to explode with anger. Quite the contrary, though. Mephisto glanced his way with his eyes nearly sparkling with delight. They both shared the same thought, These idiots want to kidnap Ishtar while she¡¯s visiting one of her most beloved pet projects? Oh this is going to be good. Mephisto let out a breath, ¡°Well! That is ambitious,¡± He said and rest his chin on his palm, ¡°You have enough people to handle it, I take it?¡± ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t need any of your loner thugs,¡± Masque grunted. ¡°So gear and logistics, anything else?¡± Mephisto asked, writing down a few notes. ¡°Logistics?¡± Masque asked. ¡°Gotta get you and your boys there without the authorities noticing, and you need to house them,¡± Mephisto said, ¡°Buy out a hotel for you for a while, that¡¯ll work, right?¡± Charon squeezed his jaw shut to prevent himself from laughing, he cleared his throat and chimed in, already picking up on Mephisto¡¯s angle, ¡°Flying would be quick but risky, The Hague is on the water, maybe a couple boats?¡± Mephisto nodded, ¡°Good thinking, you¡¯ll need communication equipment of course, Ishtar can provide state-of-the-art tech ripped right off of the stuff the support companies are making,¡± He paused and forced a genuine smile, ¡°I have no doubt in my mind she¡¯ll find your scheme worth supporting for her ends.¡± Masque leaned back and nodded, ¡°I figured she¡¯d be the type to see sense.¡± Charon looked away and cleared his throat again, Fucking idiot. ¡°Now let¡¯s talk gear,¡± Mephisto continued, ¡°Guns, armor?¡± ¡°Enough for at least five hundred guys,¡± Masque said with a grave nod, ¡°I¡¯m bringing a big portion of my group with me.¡± ¡°A couple extra over that then,¡± Charon chimed in, getting a smirk from Mephisto, ¡°No gear is perfectly reliable, best to be prepared for something not working properly, one can only guarantee quality so much.¡± Mephisto¡¯s eyebrows rose, ¡°R-right!¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯ll add that in,¡± He scribbled something down then glanced up at Masque, ¡°How about hardware? Computers, Monitors? You guys like those right? Gotta keep track of the mission in your war room.¡± Masque leaned forward at the phrase ¡®war room¡¯, ¡°Yeah, plenty of ¡®em, make the room look impressive when they drag her in.¡± Charon would have cried from holding back his laughter if he was even able to cry with dead tear-ducts, he leaned forward, ¡°In that case you should get a desk too, big custom hardwood number, friggin sell it.¡± Mephisto raised his notepad up to cover his face for a moment to hide his expression while Masque turned to look at him with a serious nod, ¡°Good idea, I need all the supplies I can get for this. Something to keep her from using that power of hers too, last thing I want is her touching me somehow and learning my power,¡± He grunted. Mephisto lowered his notepad and cleared his throat, waving his hand next to his neck, ¡°It¡¯s a bit warm,¡± He said with a huff, ¡°Anyway, I have a suggestion. Ishtar is rolling out a new product. A copy of the power binders that ASTA is making. They¡¯re expensive, but this is a loan and as long as you succeed, you don¡¯t have to pay us back. Pushing the goals of villains forward is everything to Ishtar.¡± ¡°Oh we¡¯ll succeed alright,¡± Masque grunted, ¡°With all this support, we¡¯ll make it happen. I want a meeting with Ishtar once it¡¯s all over. So we can talk business,¡± He added darkly. Mephisto coughed and wrote something down, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get your chance to meet with her sooner than you think. This is a very interesting scheme.¡± Masque nodded and crossed his arms, ¡°Good. I also want you guys to keep the details to yourselves, can you put that in there?¡± Charon looked away and clutched at his cane while Mephisto wrote a few more things down, ¡°Sure,¡± Mephisto said, ¡°A non-disclosure to last until the day of the event, how does that sound? I¡¯d like to be able to discuss it with her after your success.¡± The idiot crossed his arms for a moment and thought before nodding, ¡°Fair enough, what else is there?¡± ¡°Just matter of payment,¡± Mephisto said and glanced at Charon, ¡°You usually handle this part.¡± ¡°The debt is conditional,¡± Charon said gravely, ¡°Should you succeed, Ishtar forgives all debts and you are invited as a VIP of the Styx among other perks,¡± Charon said, ¡°If you fail, the debt falls fully on the debtor or debtors with an ability handling most of the financial transfers,¡± He explained with a wave of his hand, ¡°Any further debt after all assets are liquidated must be worked off, one way or another,¡± He rest his hand on his cane and leaned forward, eyes glowing with malice, ¡°So the question is, who is signing the dotted line?¡± Masque stared back at him for several seconds before clearing his throat, ¡°The Darksiders are one collective, a single entity that makes things happen as a whole. We share the load so the organization will sign as a whole,¡± Masque said. ¡°I see!¡± Mephisto said as Charon got quickly to his feet, walking away for a moment as he forced himself to calm down, his ribs were hurting now. ¡°Well I have everything written down, you can look it over and sign,¡± Mephisto continued as Charon leaned against the wall for a moment, holding back bone cracking fits of laughter. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Masque asked. ¡°Probably just a private conversation through one of his puppets, no big deal,¡± Mephisto said, his voice cracking a little, ¡°Here it is.¡± Charon looked back over his shoulder and watched Masque read over the lengthy document before snatching a pen out of Mephisto¡¯s hand and signing it, ¡°There.¡± Mephisto glanced up and met Charon¡¯s eyes, ¡°It was a pleasure working with you, Masque. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing your scheme play out live on tv,¡± He said with a small smile. A few minutes later and some minor details cleared up, Charon stood at the window looking down into the Styx and watched Masque and his boys leave the way they came. Behind him, Mephisto shifted in his seat, ¡°Is he gone?¡± The effeminate man said. Charon nodded, trembling, and rest his hands against the window, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s-¡± He snorted, ¡°He¡¯s g-gone.¡± ¡°G-good,¡± Mephisto snickered, ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡± The both of them burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Charon sank down against the window to sit on the floor while Mephisto grabbed his sides and kicked his feet in the chair. The two of them kept laughing until they were exhausted on the ground. Charon let out a heavy sigh and stared at the ceiling, ¡°This is gonna be good.¡± Chapter 108 Chunhua stared at the television as the scene progressed. The words on the bottom simply said ¡®Attack on Grand Pandora Committee: Liberty and Darksider connection?¡¯. Sonya said something to the Chairman and he hurried down from the podium, barking at the other representatives. She watched Sonya turn and shout at one of the other businessmen who sat on the committee as honorary representatives. The man pulled a goddamn knife out of his coat and tossed it to her before hurrying through the door. Chunhua gritted her teeth, On television? Everyone¡¯s watching you crazy girl! She thought. One of the other businessmen stepped up with her and with his power they began to defend the hall as the remaining politicians fled. Chunhua¡¯s fists clenched even tighter as the man began to retreat. From the camera angle she could see Handmaiden giving it her all in the atrium, fighting off dozens of masked lunatics at once. How they¡¯d managed to bring a small army into The Hague was beyond her but- she paused. The glowing creation of the businessman collapsed into sparkling light and the masked thugs turned towards Sonya. She can¡¯t fight at full strength like that, not while the cameras are running. She knows they¡¯re running. Come on, come on, cut out! Chunhua chewed her lip as the men began to surround Sonya. Then she saw it, the small dark smile on the woman¡¯s lips. You want this? What are you planning? Sonya, damn it! She was on the edge when the feed finally cut out. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chunhua barked, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning but- damn it! I can¡¯t just see that and not do anything! She growled, turning on her heel and grabbing her earpiece from the counter. Radio and phone signals were banned in the Green Bank location, but the mana communications network helmed by ASTA and Dr. Carter was not only legal, it was extremely effective. ¡°Molly!¡± She said quickly, racing the locker she¡¯d set up in her room. ¡°I need a portal to The Hague, yesterday!¡± Molly''s voice came in quickly, ¡°I¡¯m on it! Running the numbers as fast as I can!¡± ¡°Hurry, please,¡± Chunhua said as she threw on her robes, tying her sash tight and snatching up her weapon. ¡°The courtyard.¡± ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Molly said hastily. ¡°I¡¯ll get you in as close as I can, but what about the Vegas Act? You could get in a whole-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it!¡± Chunhua grunted, putting her armor on. ¡°Is it ready?¡± ¡°Almost!¡± Molly said, ¡°Got it! Archway is coming up in the Green Bank courtyard.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Chunhua shouted and raced out the door. Several of the aspirants were standing in the hall outside of the instructors rooms with concern on their faces. ¡°Go back to your dorms and stay put!¡± She said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m heading there now. Everything will be fine,¡± She met a pair of orange eyes that stared back at her, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone is safe, I promise.¡± The aspirants parted and she charged through, Damn it, Sonya. You make these people love you so much and then go off and do something that dangerous where they can see it? Are you out of your mind? She snarled, Why are you even doing things like this to yourself? Haven¡¯t you suffered enough already? Damn it, you¡¯re going to get yourself killed one of these- She paused at the door, the night just beyond it, the words coming back to her from that terrible day. From the memories shoved into her mind. ¡°I want you to do it, in the end, if it¡¯s you, it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Chunhua gasped, That¡¯s what you want? That¡¯s what this is all about? She threw the door open in a rage. You think for one minute that I would ever do something like that to someone like you, you really are out of your mind! No wonder you didn¡¯t want to share the truth with me, She bit out inwardly as she stalked towards the portal. You stupid girl. Stupid, stupid, stupid, what, do you think you can just die and leave everyone you helped behind? You think you can just disappear like you don¡¯t even belon- Chunhua stopped again and brought her palm to her face, ¡°I¡¯m an idiot!¡± ¡°Chuchu are you okay? Is the portal not there?¡± Molly called through the earpiece. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Just pissed off,¡± she grunted and made her way towards the opening that showed a brightly lit city on the other side. I am going to give you a piece of my mind when I see you, Sonya! Just you wait! ¨C You know, in retrospect, having these on the menu as items that could be sold to potential villains was probably a bad idea, Sonya thought as she lay in the back seat of a swiftly moving vehicle. Her entire body felt numb and heavy, she couldn¡¯t see, and her thoughts were coming in slower than she would have liked. The power restricting cuffs were certainly doing their job, she was pleased with the craftsmanship. Amos really knew what he was doing. It was a good thing they at least looked like knock-offs otherwise some even bigger questions would have to be raised by the authorities if they ever caught a villain with a set. She let out a sigh, Not that it¡¯s a problem, really. She thought, Did these idiots really not put together that my company made the original version of these things? That I might not have a, you know, contingency plan for this sort of situation? ¡°Shut up back there! Crazy bitch,¡± One of the villains somewhere ahead of her shouted. She rolled onto her back heavily, ¡°But I¡¯m hungry!¡± She whined, she was feeling a little peckish, she¡¯d missed lunch after all, ¡°Do you guys have any snacks? Maybe some Cola?¡± ¡°How the hell did she kill five of us before-¡± Another started. ¡°Shut up!¡± The first roared, ¡°God damn it! Fuckin¡¯ psycho with a knife!¡± ¡°Aww, didn¡¯t like my dance did you?¡± Sonya teased with a grin as she tried to lift her arms. Her muscles screamed in protest as her largely cybernetic body fought to move without any energy flowing properly through it. ¡°Somethin¡¯s up with her, it¡¯s like she can¡¯t move or something, did you hit her too hard?¡± One of them grumbled. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine!¡± The first growled again, ¡°Just the cuffs messing her up or something, I dunno.¡± Sonya wanted so badly to roll her eyes, ¡°So when do I get to meet the big boss?¡± She asked, glad that at least her jaw still worked well enough. ¡°Is he handsome? Or is it actually a girl, I like girls, did you know that?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t shut up!¡± The second complained. ¡°Because she knows we can¡¯t beat on her,¡± The first snarled, ¡°Shut it back there already, god! Masque will see you when he¡¯s damn good and ready, got it? Crazy woman.¡± ¡°You know, I get the feeling you guys don¡¯t get a lot of dates,¡± Sonya said as she finally managed to get the cuffs near her lips. She was sweating, but she¡¯d managed at least, the new version of the cuffs really worked. She was going to have to reward Amos somehow. ¡°Need some advice?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The two men fumed in front of her as she gently lowered her jaw to the activation panel of the cuff, she pushed down on it for three seconds, released, then three more seconds. ¡°Voice authorization, peaches,¡± She murmured and released the activation panel. ¡°What was that?¡± The first, grouchy one, growled. ¡°It¡¯s my safe word,¡± She teased. ¡°Oh my god!¡± The man groaned, ¡°Do we have a gag or something for her?¡± Sonya snickered as she felt strength slowly begin to return to her body. Her eyes reactivated and she quickly turned the glow back down to nothing to maintain the illusion. She lay there, pretending to be blind and crippled while taking a quick look around. They were in a van of some kind, Really? A van? Come on, how cliche can you be? She thought irritably. At least try to have some style when kidnapping me, I¡¯m a CEO for heaven¡¯s sake! She continued to annoy them for the rest of the drive, poking fun at their love lives and lack thereof while asking questions about their daily hygiene habits and whether or not their mothers knew where they were and if their basements would be okay without them. By the time they arrived at their destination, the first one was practically purple in the face. She couldn¡¯t stop laughing about it, wriggling and kicking her feet while they pulled her out. She made sure to keep her head slung forward as if she couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Man she¡¯s heavy!¡± The second one groaned as he threw her over his shoulder. ¡°Did you just call me fat?¡± Sonya protested as she scanned the room with her senses and peripheral vision, ¡°See, this is why you can¡¯t get a date! You have to be a bit more flattering, at least. Goodness.¡± They were in a parking garage, based on what her connection to the network told her they were somewhere in the eastern part of The Hague underneath a hotel. It wasn¡¯t the fanciest hotel in the world and after a quick search found that it had been entirely sold out for almost two weeks. They just camped here? Oh come on, Sonya thought as one of them hustled over with a cloth in his hand. She tried not to stare at it in disgust. Please don¡¯t, that¡¯s so gross. ¡°Got a gag!¡± He shouted and she groaned as he reached for her mouth. ¡°Boys! Quit wasting time, and put that thing down, it¡¯s disgusting!¡± A third voice joined them, a heavy accent on it. Welsh perhaps? She wasn¡¯t really sure, but she was grateful nevertheless, ¡°Masque wants to talk to her, not watch her get sick on the floor.¡± ¡°Sorry Grimman,¡± One said, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t shut up though.¡± ¡°Have you not seen her on tv? She never shuts up,¡± ¡®Grimman¡¯ said as he approached and grabbed her by her hair to tilt her head up. She looked right into his face while doing her best to look around blindly, he had a thickset face with dark hair growing out of his jawline, his eyes were dark and brutish and his hair was combed back so tightly she wondered if his mood was from a headache. ¡°Eyes are off, cuffs are working, good.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t even see your pretty face to thank you?¡± She asked cutely, ¡°You saved me from a terrible fate, what if he put that gross thing in my mouth? Whatever it was.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re funny, huh?¡± Grimman growled. ¡°I consider myself to be hilarious,¡± Sonya teased, ¡°So,¡± She said excitedly, ¡°What¡¯s he like, the big boss of the Darksiders? I hear he wears a mask.¡± He let go of her hair and stepped away, ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± ¡°Right,¡± The man carrying her grumbled and they began walking. She kept her head still as she took in her surroundings. They made their way to an elevator before they began their ascent, the four of them standing awkwardly in the elevator. She glanced at the panel and it looked like they were going to the top floor. Floor six. Don¡¯t tell me. She groaned inwardly as she hummed to herself. She kept her little performance up the entire time, content with just hanging out on the moron¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So¡­¡± Sonya trailed off and a few groans came out, ¡°No teasing this time, genuine question,¡± She said, ¡°Grimman right? Interesting name, guess you¡¯ve got yourself an ability, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can deliver neurological shocks to people, knock them out if they get too yappy,¡± Grimman said, ¡°So why don¡¯t you watch your mouth?¡± Sonya shrugged, ¡°Alright, fine, sheesh, no need to get touchy.¡± The door to the elevator opened and she was carried down a hall filled with masked men standing at every doorway. Well, at least they¡¯re trying to look organized. She thought, I can¡¯t wait to see the contract for this scheme. I wonder how much money they offered up to me in case the plan failed. Aren¡¯t I nice? Letting them go without paying if they pull it off? She snickered as they arrived at a door and she stared at the number, her stomach churning from enough cringe to make her sick. Sixth floor, room sixty six. Oh my god they¡¯re so lame. Nevermind, I¡¯m killing all of these idiots as soon as I¡¯m done with their boss. ¡°Room six sixty six,¡± Grimman said proudly. ¡°Ooooh,¡± Sonya patronized him. He snarled and knocked on the door, ¡°Masque, we¡¯re here!¡± He barked. The door opened in front of her and she quickly took in the room. It was dimly lit save for over a dozen screens that provided minimal illumination along the walls. All of the screens were occupied by masked men who were hurriedly typing on forums, chat rooms, and performing a variety of tasks. Her attention shifted to the back of the room where a man was sitting behind a desk that, based on how the carpet was disturbed, they¡¯d dragged in just to make him look impressive. He wore a white mask with a twisted red smile on it and a black hat on his head. He wore all black and was shockingly fit. ¡°Sonya Chernovna,¡± The man growled from behind the mask, ¡°Finally.¡± They sat her down on the ground in front of the desk and she pretended to look around in confusion, ¡°Masque?¡± She called, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t see your pretty face, dear.¡± A pair of heavy footsteps announced him getting to his feet and he lumbered around the desk, walking over to her. She looked down to ¡®follow the sound¡¯ before looking up at him. He had to be a good six and a half feet tall. Whatever they¡¯re feeding you, feed the others, please. She thought, ¡°Ah, is that you there? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have any light in these eyes right now,¡± She said misleadingly before holding out her hand, ¡°Sonya Chernovna, mister Masque.¡± To her surprise he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Oh? Well that works, Analyze. What, seriously? This guy? Well it''s mine now. She pulled her hand away and shook her head as she felt warmth wash over her skin, her HUD warned her that her body temperature was rising and she clamped down on it with every ounce of will she had. She stumbled back and shook her head, ¡°That wasn¡¯t very nice,¡± She gasped. ¡°Yeah well, I would prefer it if you were compliant,¡± He growled. ¡°I have questions that I want answered.¡± ¡°Could have just asked,¡± Sonya said, ¡°How about a deal? You answer a few for me and I¡¯ll answer yours.¡± ¡°You have questions for me?¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Sure, why not, while I¡¯m waiting for my ability to do it¡¯s thing.¡± Have you not developed your ability at all? She thought before asking, ¡°Why become a villain?¡± She asked, ¡°Why do all of this? What¡¯s the point?¡± She asked as she took another step away from him, her back landing against Grimman¡¯s chest. She pulled away from him as she drew on her imperiousness, not for her enemies this time, but for herself. She crushed the effects going on in her body with a force of will and felt her body temperature drop. ¡°Because fuck the world,¡± He grunted, ¡°Because I have power so I have every right to use it. It¡¯s not complicated, lady, doesn¡¯t have to be. Villains use their powers freely, sounds like a good thing to me. Ishtar was right on the money though that bitch doesn¡¯t know her place. She should have joined up with me a long time ago.¡± She went still, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± She asked. ¡°That¡¯s your reason, because you feel like it? No greater goals in mind, nothing to accomplish with being a villain?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, nothing,¡± He snarled, ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever we want! That¡¯s good enough isn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough,¡± Sonya sighed and pulled the bindings apart with a flick of her wrist, the metal clattering to the floor. She turned her eyes back on and popped her neck, ¡°Shut up, please,¡± She said as she looked up at the idiot in the grinning mask. He froze, ¡°Huh? What happened to the-¡± ¡°Kerauna,¡± Sonya sighed, ¡°Kill him,¡± She said, and with a terrible bang the ceiling exploded. Chapter 109 The cataclysm of light and heat that ripped through the ceiling of the top floor of the hotel released enough force to crack and shatter all of the screens in the room. The lights went out, flames immediately caught on the beds that had been shunted over to the walls. The darksiders that weren¡¯t immediately shunted into unconsciousness by the flash of electrical energy screamed. Sonya didn¡¯t move an inch, her chin up, her expression firm, her hair fluttering behind her as sunlight shone down through the hole and the vision of carnage beneath the pillar of light. Kera, short off-gray hair up in a punky style over her yellow eyes stuck out her pierced tongue and grinned with a wild expression. She glanced to the left, the right, then at Sonya. Her eyebrows shot up as if she were surprised to see her there, she wasn¡¯t, she was just a little off. She straightened her spiked leather jacket and took a dainty step back before sweeping into a dramatic bow. ¡°I¡¯m here as called, Mistress,¡± She said with a snicker before glancing down at her feet and standing up straight. The burned and near-vaporized carbon chunk that was Masques¡¯ corpse lay before her. She barked out a laugh, ¡°Ew! He looks like a twice-roasted burger!¡± She grabbed her sides and laughed a little more, ¡°Gross!¡± Sonya smirked and turned her head, the electricity in the air was throwing off her senses a little bit. She should probably check on the other one. I almost forgot about dear Grimman. A hand appeared in front of her face and her eyes went wide. Fingers wrapped around her head and clamped down on skin. She stared through them into the frenzied, terrified face of Grimman. She opened her mouth just as Kera sprung into action. Too late. A terrible pulse erupted inside of her brain, a shock going up and down her spine as her brain trembled and sparked in her head. Her open mouth expression turned into a brief scream, and her world went dark. ¨C From an outsider looking in, Sonya just went limp in his hand. In the dark room with only the single pillar of light from the sun above and the few flames that burned on fire-retardant sheets, she just hung there in his hand as he panted. Kera stood, stunned, her eyes wide. She took a step forward only to freeze as the temperature in the air dropped. Her tense shoulders relaxed and she took a step back, waiting patiently as the body hanging from Grimman¡¯s grip twitched once. Grimman barked out a laugh, ¡°G-got her! I-¡± A petite hand snapped up and wrapped around his wrist. Pink light bloomed between his fingers and the pale woman¡¯s mouth parted into a terrible, wicked smile. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°H-how are you still awake?¡± He gasped, trying to pull his hand away only to find it locked in her grip. He pivoted, trying to throw her off as she squeezed down, harder, harder, bone crunched, he screamed as he was driven to his knees. The playfully wicked smile of the woman staring down at him as he gurgled and shrieked, scraping at her fingers with his nails. She tilted her head and squeezed again, his arm bending and snapping. She let go and wiped her palm off before glancing at Kera who tensed, she smiled beatifically at her; ¡°Your timing is wonderful as always, Kera dear!¡± She said, ¡°Good work.¡± ¨C Ishtar was not just awake, she was fully in control. That idiot had knocked poor Sonya out. She¡¯d gotten cocky, for a moment, with Kera¡¯s arrival. Still so much to learn, but that was okay. She understood. It felt good to be on the top of her game again. She smiled brightly, it felt really good not to have all that extra weight weighing down on her. She didn¡¯t think there was ever a time that she both had the reins and was in a good mood. Finally, a chance to have a little fun of my own. She looked down at the blubbering man at her feet, Now what to do with the man who hurt my dear Sonya? Her smile widened, ¡°Oh right!¡± She laughed, ¡°Kera dear!¡± She turned brightly, ¡°His powers are electrical, aren¡¯t they?¡± Kera was watching her from the side with a grin on her face when her eyes widened, she bounced on her feet, ¡°Oh! Oh! Can I? Can I really?¡± Ishtar took a sashay step back and gestured at the crippled man, ¡°Be my guest, dear, enjoy your meal.¡± Kera lunged, ¡°Yum yum! Come home to momma!¡± She cackled and landed on the man. She dug her fingers into his chest and electricity danced between them, first light blue, then yellow, then a pale white that bloomed into a glow. He screamed and convulsed as Ishtar glanced around the room, several of the Darksiders were getting to their feet and staring at her with horror in their eyes. Ishtar glanced back lazily at Kera as she continued her feast. The others watching in silence as the screaming slowly stopped. Kera got to her feet and licked her lips, ¡°Delish, thanks boss.¡± Ishtar smiled at her, ¡°The witnesses next, please,¡± She said and reached up to check her tie, Oh it¡¯s loose. She thought as Kera turned into a living lightning bolt with a shriek of laughter. Screams broke out that were immediately silenced as the singular bolt of lightning ricocheted between them, bouncing around the room and leaving carbonized hunks in her wake. She slid to a stop in front of Ishtar and saluted. Ishtar fixed her tie and checked her cufflinks. All out of sorts, they really were too rough with her, poor dear. ¡°Hallway,¡± She said as she turned her wrist over, and walked to the door, opening it. Kera turned back into a bolt of lightning and lanced out as the two men who were guarding the door dashed away, likely realizing that the action inside wasn¡¯t a positive thing for their side. Sonya stepped out into the hallway after her and fussed with her cufflink. Hm¡­ still a little loose. She thought as light bulbs flashed and exploded, a cascade of ricocheting bolts of lightning spread down the hallway in a wave, killing and incinerating one masked man after another. She glanced up, ¡°Careful around the elevator, dear!¡± Ishtar called. Kera returned to human form long enough to respond, her hand around a darksider¡¯s throat, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± She called back. Such a good girl, Ishtar thought with a smile before brushing herself off. The wicked bolt of lightning launched past her face towards the other end of the room and more screams rung out as Ishtar turned to walk in that direction, lightning bouncing around her in a protective halo as it occasionally shot forth to slay another darksider that dared breathe in her presence. She held her head high, smile wide, as she approached the elevator and stopped. She stared at the button that was dim and the faint smoke that was coming out of it as Kera landed next to her.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Kera?¡± Ishtar asked patiently, ¡°What did I tell you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ don¡¯t burn out the elevator?¡± Kera said with a nervous grin. Ishtar kicked a carbonized body out of her way and turned to put her hands on her hips, ¡°Kera! Now we have to walk down the stairs!¡± She chastised the woman. Kera held up her hands, ¡°Sorry Mistress!¡± Ishtar straightened up a little and let out a patient sigh, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± She said with a wave of her hand before tapping the woman on the nose, ¡°You were just having fun, weren¡¯t you? How long has it been since you played?¡± Kera tilted her head and counted on her fingers for a moment, ¡°Guessin¡¯ two weeks?¡± Kera said. ¡°Two weeks!¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°Poor thing, all cooped up,¡± She turned and started walking towards the door to the stairs, ¡°Have you tried doing laps? Just to burn a little energy.¡± She asked as she pushed the doors open and stepped into the bare staircase. All chipped white paint and grimy floors. Ishtar wrinkled her nose, No place for Sonya at all. How could those ingrates possibly think it would be appropriate to bring her here? I should kill every single one of them. .¡±So¡­¡± Kera trailed off next to her, clearly having similar thoughts, ¡°What about the other floors? I¡¯m guessin¡¯ more of those guys are camped out down there?¡± Ishtar glanced her way and shrugged, ¡°Wipe them out.¡± Kera broke into a wide grin and her body crackled durning once more into a living bolt of lightning. For a moment it had a vague humanoid shape as it stood next to her, crackling and twitching before it launched forward towards the rail leading down the stairs and through the door to the fifth floor. Ishtar brushed her hair back and straightened it up a little as she continued her descent, one floor at a time. By the time she was halfway to the fourth floor, Kera was done with the fifth, bolting out the door and winding down to the fourth floor door with eager gusto. Ishtar hummed to herself as she reached up while pulling Hands of the Healer out of her warehouse, she touched her own head and felt the energy wash over her brain. Double checking, she thought to herself. Still out though, silly girl. I¡¯ll take care of things while you¡¯re sleeping, don¡¯t you worry about a thing. You should probably wake up soon, though. I really don¡¯t like being the only one present. She thought, arriving at the third floor and moving on. Didn¡¯t we just have a conversation about this? She rolled her eyes, Oh well, I guess it¡¯s not your fault this time. Kera zipped past her again and she checked her wrists as the sounds of men screaming rang out from just a little ahead of her. Regalia? She pursed her lips, The helmet gets really hot though, she thought and crossed her arms, tilting her head, Why hasn¡¯t Sonya asked Amos to fix that? Oh right, subconscious acts of self-destructive and self-abusive behavior. Note to self, Sonya, fix the damn helmet! She thought as she set a reminder for the evening with a note from herself to Sonya in the HUD. ¡®...with love, Ishtar.¡¯ That should do, She descended to just beneath the second floor and came to a stop at the door. Kera zipped in next to her and stopped as well, ¡°Lots of ¡®em on the second floor, all done!¡± She said with a cheery laugh, ¡°Haven¡¯t had this much fun in ages!¡± Ishtar smiled approvingly at her, ¡°Atta girl,¡± She said before resting her fingers on the door. ¡°Hold back a bit for me, would you? The darksiders are already dealt with on the other side of this door it seems.¡± ¡°Huh? Aight, I guess,¡± Kera pouted and clasped her hands behind her head lazily while Ishtar opened the door,, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you wear your mask, though?¡± Ishtar let out a fae-like laugh at Kera¡¯s petulant behavior, ¡°You¡¯re so cute! It¡¯s fine, there¡¯s only one person out there.¡± She crowed, her voice like tinkling glass as the door flung open. She stepped outside and smiled at the sole individual standing in the lobby, her head tilting to the right. ¡°Little Black Lotus, you¡¯re far away from where you should be,¡± Ishtar said with a grin. Black Lotus stood across from her, her eyes narrowed, ¡°Ishtar, right?¡± She asked with an edge in her tone, ¡°What happened to Sonya?¡± ¡°One of the guards got a little handsy and accidentally knocked her out, she¡¯ll be awake soon and I¡¯ll surrender control,¡± Ishtar said with a grin, raising a small eyebrow, ¡°You got here fast.¡± Black Lotus scowled, ¡°So you really did split,¡± She sighed. ¡°Just a little,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, we had a long talk about why that¡¯s a bad thing, dear. Honestly, she¡¯s never been better. Getting away helped.¡± Black Lotus looked like she¡¯d been struck, she looked away with a frown, ¡°She¡­ I want to talk to her, not you,¡± She said finally looking back at Ishtar. Ishtar raised an eyebrow, ¡°You know, someone said the same thing to her recently,¡± She tilted her head, ¡°Want to dance a little while we wait?¡± Black Lotus narrowed her eyes, ¡°Dance? What do you mea-¡± ¡°Kera,¡± Ishtar said and held out her hand. The woman behind her turned into lightning and launched herself at Ishtar before allowing herself to be caught in the supervillain¡¯s hand. Ishtar marveled at the feeling. Kera controlled herself enough not to hurt her while still being a fully contained rod of electricity. She twirled the transformed woman between her fingers before pointing her at Black Lotus, ¡°Allow me to introduce Kerauna, the master bolt,¡± Ishtar said with a sneer, ¡°May we have this dance, little Hero?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wearing your mask,¡± Black Lotus grunted even as she got down into a fighting stance, drawing her sword. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°Oh, I suppose this could draw some attention,¡± She pursed her lips and then brightened, ¡°Oh, I have an idea!¡± She laughed and reached into her warehouse before pulling out the Masque of Oberon. She raised her hand to her face and pulled down, following the instincts of the ability. ¡°That idiot Masque had no creativity, no concept of what his ability could do. Now it¡¯s in good hands.¡± A white mask with a twisted smile formed over her face as her white clothes turned black, her hair turning the color of night and appearing shorter. The ground at their feet shuddered and shifted strangely, hallucinations spreading off of her in a wave, bolt of lightning in hand, she struck a pose, ¡°What do you think? Black Lotus vs Masque, the leader of the Darksiders! Another addition to your legend! Now-¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead already?¡± Black Lotus asked, cutting her off. ¡°That sick sack of meat? Yes,¡± Ishtar said. Black Lotus frowned, ¡°Did you kill him, or did she?¡± Ishtar tilted her head behind the mask, ¡°Talk talk talk,¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°There¡¯s no time for that kind of thing in a fight!¡± She declared, ¡°Defend yourself, hero!¡± In an instant they met, Ishtar bringing Kera down over her head in an overhand swing while Black Lotus let out a misty breath as her fingers seemed to change color. She whipped her weapon up and blocked, lightning dancing around them. She¡¯s stopping the flow of electricity through her hands. Good! She broke the lock and spun around with a laugh, dancing on her toe before swinging horizontally. Black Lotus blocked with a swipe of her own and Ishtar just bounced off the blow, changing the direction of her spin and delivering another thunderous blow. Dance with me hero! Ishtar thought, Dance with me till it¡¯s time for bed and I fall asleep in your arms! Chapter 110 Chunhua darted out of the way, rolling to the side as Ishtar let out another merry laugh and whipped the person-turned weapon at her. Was it a whip or a staff? It seemed to behave like both at times. One moment she would be twirling it to block blows from Chunhua¡¯s sword and the next she would be lashing out to strike with it at a distance. She slid back a few feet across the ground of the lobby and held her weapon up horizontally, the ribbon of lightning wrapping it around it, flying in the face of all logic and physical sense. She grit her teeth and pulled back, bringing her weapon down in a sharp stroke before dashing forward. Come on! Wake up! She sped along the ground, zipping to the left and right and tracing a path of destruction across the tiles behind her as she accelerated. Ishtar twirled in her black suit and let out a laugh as Chunhua swung, a ripple of pink light sweeping across the space in front of her, cutting through everything in its path. The next moment Ishtar was in the air, palm resting on one end of the lightning bolt while the other pressed down into the ground. Chunhua felt the resistance as her blade dug into the weapon before a jolt tried to strike her in the chest. She darted back and swung at the jolt, deflecting it towards the ground. The exchange took less than a second, She¡¯s so damn agile. Chunhua growled as Ishtar¡¯s hand slipped down around the end of the pole. She grabbed hold as she bent in her handstand, turning it into a descent towards Chunhua as she whipped the bolt forward with a laugh. The hero huffed, stepping to the side with a near saunter, her head tilted left as little sparks sent her hairs on end. She glared down at Ishtar who looked up at her from her descending strike. Chunhua snapped her foot out and kicked her in the side, sending her skipping across the ground and into a wall. She turned to face the small crater that flickered with the white light of Ishtar¡¯s hard-light barriers. The woman lay in the hole as if it were a throne, her arms up and her head tilted to the right as she stared out at Chunhua. Chunhua stalked forward with her weapon at the ready, ¡°Satisfied yet?¡± Chunhua demanded. Rubble tumbled out of the hole as Ishtar got to her feet, still wearing the get up to look like Masque. Chunhua heard her comm buzz and frowned a little, Ignore it. She thought as the woman got to her feet and brushed herself off. She held out her hand and her ¡®weapon¡¯ jumped back into it. ¡°Hardly,¡± Ishtar said before tilting her head, ¡°That was a good kick though. You aren¡¯t holding back today.¡± Chunhua scowled, ¡°More where that came from.¡± Ishtar paused and tilted her head, ¡°You figured something out.¡± ¡°I figured out that she needs a good punch in the face as much as I do,¡± Chunhua growled. Ishtar tilted her head back and looked down at her, ¡°Really now? Well don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you hurt her easily!¡± Ishtar snarled and kicked off the ground laughing wildly, the whip of lightning snapping out in an arc around Chunhua. Chunhua pivoted and spun, kicking it up a notch as she swept attacks around her in a spiral pattern. Cyclone of Rose Blooms! She ground out, each strike crackling against an attempted lash of the electricity that tried to come at her from every angle. She spun, faster, I have to go faster! Faster! She pushed herself, gritting her teeth as the world turned into a blur. Her body moved almost on instinct, practiced motions that would have taken heartbeats happening in a tenth of the time. Her muscles burned as she opened her mouth in a silent scream of defiance. More! I need more strength! ¡°Does she even need you anymore?¡± Ishtar asked as she struck from all angles, ¡°After what you did? Do you even deserve it to be her friend let alone anything else? To have her confidence? Are you that arrogant? I promised to protect her! I promised to back her up! I promised to support her! What more does she need?¡± Ishtar demanded over the howling crackles and clashes between them. Chunhua clicked her tongue and twisted around, snapping a kick out again and catching Ishtar in the chest as she darted around her again. The Supervillain went flying and landed on the ground, using her lightning bolt to stab into the ground and slow herself. ¡°If you have time to talk, you could be fighting harder.¡± Ishtar stood up straight and whipped the false-dark hair back, ¡°Caught me.¡± Chunhua stalked forward, ¡°Thank you,¡± She said. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For watching over her, for supporting her, for putting on this act for her,¡± She said, ¡°I am arrogant, I am selfish, extremely selfish,¡± She and got back into a fighting posture, blade raised at the side of her head, ¡°Because I refuse to let her destroy herself in the end.¡± Ishtar stood up straighter and looked down at her, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, you know. She has a long road ahead of her before I can finally disappear. I¡¯m looking forward to it, yes, but until that happens,¡± She tilted her head forward and glared through the holes in the mask, ¡°I will be watching.¡± Chunhua pursed her lips together, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect any less from you.¡± She bit out, ¡°Come, Villain.¡± ¡°Defend yourself, Hero!¡± Ishtar howled and threw herself forward, gripping onto her bolt of lightning like a quarterstaff. She brought it up and blocked Chunhua¡¯s first blow. Then the second that came from below. Up, down, down, right, uppercut, swipe upper right to left, throat cut, leg shot, clack! Clack! Clack! Bzzzrraaapp! She kept moving, faster and faster as the scent of petals bloomed around her, as a glow rose off her skin, as light bloomed in her eyes. She bore her teeth as their movements became too fast to see, a ripple of pink petals smashing against purple lightning. Ishtar got a lucky hit in on Chunhua¡¯s wrist and Chunhua¡¯s weapon fell out of her hand. She drove a blow up into Chunhua¡¯s chin and the hero just threw her head back forward with a snarl. Chunhua hardened her hands with mana, blocking the bolt with her bare skin. She ignored the singe and tingle that went up her arm as she sent elbow shots into Ishtar¡¯s shoulder and arm, she hit again and again, landing pinpoint blows on joints. She noticed Ishtar¡¯s grip slip on the bolt of lightning and the villain threw her hand back, casting the bolt aside that turned back into the gray-haired woman and landed against the wall, dazed. Ishtar behind the masque roared and drew her fist back, bringing it forward to crash against Chunhua¡¯s good shoulder. Chunhua threw her knee up to catch the woman in the chin but she slapped both hands down and pushed into a handspring, tossing herself into the air. Chunhua wasn¡¯t going to be fooled this time. She snatched her hand up and grabbed Ishtar by the wrist, bringing her back down to the ground with force. Ishtar landed like a cat, legs parted and planting on the ground to absorb the force. She twisted her arm in Chunhua¡¯s grip and grabbed onto her as well, blades of light forming around her free hand. She gestured and sent them hurtling towards Chunhua who frowned and planted her feet before pulling back with all her might, yanking Ishtar into the trajectory of her own attack.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Ishtar let go and raised one arm to block, a barrier appearing between herself and the barrage of hard-light blades. She corkscrewed in the air before snapping out and wrapping her leg around Chunhua¡¯s neck, laughing and throwing herself backwards as Chunhua reached up to dislodge her. Chunhua felt herself hurtle through the air before she saw the ground coming for her again. The hero frowned and glanced up quickly at the grinning Ishtar before reaching and pushing her thumb into a spot on the villain¡¯s thigh a hand''s length from her pelvis. Ishtar let out a gasp and quickly released her. Chunhua rolled forward and hopped to her feet as Ishtar landed a distance away from her, flexing her leg and rubbing it, ¡°That was naughty,¡± Ishtar quipped. ¡°I know all of her weaknesses,¡± Chunhua bit out, ¡°And I¡¯ll use them if I have to.¡± ¡°Pervert,¡± Ishtar laughed, ¡°I like it! Good!¡± The two squared off for their next round as sirens approached. Chunhua glanced to her right, breathing hard, ¡°Surprised it took so long.¡± Ishtar flipped her hair back, ¡°They¡¯ve been a little busy, the Darksiders made quite the mess,¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°Idiots unworthy of the name Villain,¡± She looked in Chunhua¡¯s direction, ¡°One more round then.¡± ¡°That your call to make?¡± Chunhua asked defiantly. Ishtar laughed, ¡°I am the queen here.¡± Chunhua scowled and set herself into her stance before darting forward, she put everything she had into the next combination. A flush of petal blossoms dancing off her fingertips as she threw herself forward, ¡°ISHTAR!¡± She bellowed. ¡°BLACK LOTUS!¡± Ishtar cried out, her fist pulled back. They neared one another in an instant and without warning the Masque costume faded away, the white mask bursting into shards and scattering into the air. Ishtar smiled softly, ¡°I guess that¡¯s it for now, do what you need to do, little Hero. I¡¯m counting on you,¡± She said as her eyes dimmed a little, her fist already moving forward. Chunhua felt her instinctive hesitation kick in as Sonya smiled at her. Resolve came next and she frowned. ¡°SONYA! YOU BETTER CLENCH THOSE TEETH!¡± She bellowed as Sonya¡¯s fist dug into her jaw, her own fist colliding with Sonya¡¯s nose. Sonya fully came to, her eyes widening as a fist dug into her face and sent her rocketing back towards the wall of the lobby. Sonya hit the wall with a crash and slumped down to the ground. Her body twitched for a moment and she tilted her head up, wide eyed as Chunhua landed on her feet, rubbing her jaw with her hand. ¡°You¡­ followed through?¡± She asked, bewildered. Chunhua stormed forward and grabbed her by her shirt, ¡°Only ¡®cause you deserved it! Idiot!¡± She snarled and pulled the woman up to look her in the eyes, ¡°I am not going to kill you, never! I wouldn¡¯t have done it before you gave me those memories and I certainly won¡¯t now. I don¡¯t know what kind of idea you have in your head, but I am a Hero! I will do it the right way if I am going to put a stop to Ishtar!¡± She bellowed and eased her grip a little. Sonya¡¯s eyes widened as Chunhua continued her tirade, ¡°I¡¯m not that Chunhua! I am me! You are you! Not the Sonya before, you¡¯re a new person and god fucking damn it you¡¯re allowed to live!¡± She swore, shaking Sonya softly, ¡°Damn it, you stupid, stupid, fucking stupid, god damn it,¡± She rambled and glared at Sonya, ¡°How dare you expect that of me? How dare you put me in that position? What if I found out later? What if you left me behind to live with that?¡± She shouted. ¡°How could you do that to me and everyone else you¡¯ve helped and saved? Of all the things you¡¯ve done. That has to be the most cruel, Sonya Chernovna.¡± Sonya trembled, she tried to look away but she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes off of Chunhua¡¯s face. A red streak ran down her cheek as a little went down from her nose from the punch, ¡°It¡¯s not fair, why are you both so mean?¡± She croaked. Chunhua frowned, Ishtar said the same thing, didn¡¯t she? That¡¯s what she meant by she was counting on me. Chunhua released her grip on the woman, ¡°Yeah, you belong here. So quit fucking around and save the world already, you dumbass.¡± The sirens were getting louder now, Chunhua glanced towards the doors, fortunately the crowd that had gathered was so far out that they couldn¡¯t see anything from this angle. She looked down at Sonya and felt a hand rest against her chest. Sonya looked up at her with a smile, ¡°Chunhua,¡± She whispered, ¡°I won¡¯t let you or this world down, I promise.¡± Chunhua opened her mouth but Sonya was already acting. She glanced at the one called Kerauna, ¡°Kera dear, cause a bit more trouble then flee, claim that you were working for the darksiders and that you got bored of them. You are escaping Black Lotus, understood?¡± Kera nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± She said quickly. Sonya looked up at Chunhua, ¡°I need a few more bruises, then knock me out,¡± Chunhua recoiled a little but Sonya gave her a firm look, ¡°Do it. Hero. You have a role to play now.¡± Chunhua sighed and raised her fist, shaking her head, ¡°You asked for it.¡± ¨C A bolt of lightning ripped out of the building before landing amidst the crowd outside of the hotel, the civilians scattered as the gray haired wild woman slid across the ground with a sneer on her face. She stood up with a mad slouch to her shoulders, canting her head crazily to the right, ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Darksiders, bunch of limp-dicks and chauvies,¡± She spat on the ground and wiped her lip, ¡°Then you fuckin¡¯ show up and ruin more of my fun. Sword bitch,¡± She growled and raised the finger to Black Lotus as she strode out, a white garbed woman in her arms. ¡°Kerauna, if you keep fighting here you could trigger a dungeon break,¡± Black Lotus shouted with that dignified voice of hers, ¡°Isn¡¯t killing Masque enough for you?¡± Kera threw her head back with a laugh, ¡°Not nearly enough! I¡¯ll carbonize all those bitches in the darksiders for crossing me. Just you wait,¡± She said with a few steps back. The security team that had arrived on the scene watched gobsmacked as Black Lotus strode forward with the CEO of ASTA cradled in her arms and a glare in her eyes. Meanwhile, the number four most wanted Villain, now finally identified as Kerauna, retreated slowly, glancing at the security teams and the approaching heroes. She clicked her tongue, ¡°Tch, whatever, this was getting boring anyway,¡± She spat and with a laugh turned into a bolt of lightning and launched into the sky, joining the clouds with a clap of thunder before racing away faster than the eye could follow. Black Lotus stumbled as the security team raced over to her, ¡°Ma¡¯am are you alright? Why are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility,¡± She said, gently lowering the unconscious Sonya Chernovna to the ground, ¡°She needs medical attention. The building is the base of the Darksiders. Kerauna already killed all of them including their leader, I was too late to stop her. They may have left something behind, though,¡± She said hurriedly, ¡°Move! Before any further evidence is lost!¡± They quickly snapped a salute and raced inside as a healer hero raced up to assist Black Lotus and the woman on the ground. Shortly afterwards, Handmaiden arrived on the scene. She and Black Lotus exchanged brief looks before the brown-haired maid bowed to the martial artist, ¡°Thank you,¡± She said. ¡°Just playing my role,¡± Black Lotus said with a smile and pat Sonya on the shoulder as the chaos of emergency, pandora committee, and law enforcement personnel swarmed around them in a cacophony of noise. Inside the building, the security team found every single camera burned out and shattered by intense surges of electricity, the horrifying sight of the well over a hundred darksider thugs left crisp on the ground, the nearly vaporized corpse of Masque, and a single cell phone that still functioned enough to get access to the forums that the Darksiders used to communicate. By the end of the day, the sudden extermination of the Darksiders, Black Lotus¡¯ daring rescue of the ASTA CEO, and Kerauna¡¯s flight from Black Lotus¡¯ glare was all that was on the news, Liberty¡¯s tantrum slowly being overshadowed ¨C He stomped through the bushes, checking his compass again. It had to be around here somewhere. There weren¡¯t many opportunities like this. The troublesome instructors were gone, including that Black Lotus thing that kept her eyes on him all the time she was around. Which was annoyingly a lot. He frowned to himself as he listened to the radio. Liberty, that idiot, my guide said she was supposed to be a good ally. Why is everything going wrong? He clicked his tongue. It¡¯s that Ishtar¡¯s fault somehow, I know it. He shifted his jaw left and right, Hm¡­ maybe I can use this. What if I kill the Liberty bitch myself? He thought as he stumbled into the clearing he was looking for. ¡°Aha,¡± He laughed, ¡°Found it.¡± Ahead of him, two totem-like pylons rose into the air, a portal rippling between them. His smile turned cold, his eyes glowed, and he rubbed his hands together. ¡°Now, let''s see what adjustments I can make,¡± He hissed and stalked over. Chapter 111 The television hissed to life and a dark haired man with comb-over hair appeared on the screen, to his right, scenes from outside the Pandora Committee building during the attack play out, masked Darksiders running through a hole in the protective outer wall and into the gardens. It cuts to recovery crews working and then a group of civilians tirelessly cleaning off the statue of Firestorm that was defaced during the attack. ¡°...with more reactions from across the globe. Fierce condemnation of the actions of the villain group, Darksiders, has led to calls for more enforcement and further expansion of the hero training programs to increase numbers.¡± The man gestured to the image and it changed to a grizzled looking man with a thick white beard and stony eyes, ¡°Some experts including Criminal History Professor Darvel Cox at Oxford University have pointed out that the Darksiders are a new and reckless criminal organization built from a rogue element of a previous era and it is unsurprising that there was infighting between them and a powerful hired element,¡± The reporter continued, ¡°With the dawn of a new kind of criminal, some upheaval is expected and the Professor cautions against widening regulation and enforcement too quickly as it could strengthen the arguments of individuals like Liberty.¡± The reporter turned to face the screen more directly, ¡°It has been twenty-four hours since the events in The Hague and the Pandora Committee has only issued a few statements, one public statement has caused some controversy worldwide,¡± The reporter said and the screen cut to an image of the Chairman standing grim faced in front of a podium. ¡°While her actions were admirable and in line with the calling of a hero, the Vegas Act is an internationally recognized law regarding the activities of Mythic-Tier light-touched outside of dungeons. The Hero Black Lotus has been put on a temporary suspension for the next month-¡± The screen cut back to the reporter again, ¡°As a result of the decision, protests have broken out across the United States, East Asia, in particular China, and Europe,¡± Images appear in a window next to him of people walking down the street with signs held up saying ¡®We need Mythics out of Dungeons!¡¯ and ¡®She did nothing wrong!¡¯ among other things. The reporter shifted a bit in his seat, ¡°The Pandora Committee has stated that the suspension is a light punishment and is looking forward to Black Lotus returning to her work.¡± He grew serious, ¡°In other news, tensions are high in the Southern United States and several other countries with branches of Liberty¡¯s cult,¡± The reporter said, ¡°The US National Guard has been moved to various points across the Southern US and armed with post-pandora munitions. Communities are split in the region over Liberty¡¯s actions with some praising her reprisal against government oversight while others are openly condemning her violent approach,¡± The reporter frowned a little, ¡°Some groups across the planet claiming that the flash was ¡®divine¡¯ are voicing their approval of Liberty.¡± ¡°The Pandora Committee and the United Nations has responded swiftly to the growing tensions,¡± He trailed off and the screen changed again to an image of a balding older man standing at a podium in a huge room with the words ¡®United Nations responds to Liberty¡¯ at the bottom of the screen. The old man leaned forward, ¡°The UN has agreed unanimously to sanctions against Liberty and her Organization. I have confirmation that the Pandora Committee has completed a remote ballot and added her to the top ten most wanted Villains list, putting her at the number one spot. Her actions will not go uncontested, but this will be handled properly and in a way befitting of a civilized society.¡± The reporter returned to the screen, ¡°In addition, the before-unknown electrical villain now known as Kerauna has been updated on the top villain list. You can see a dossier on all known villains on the Pandora Committee website,¡± The screen flickered and another face appeared, a young woman with her brown hair styled up, ¡°With the Darksiders now scattered many of their members have begun surrendering to the authorities. Some have been reported as saying they are seeking asylum from Ishtar for a debt incurred by the failed plot,¡± The woman said. She gestured to one side of the screen and the screen shifted to a grim faced man with black hair graying on the temples as a reporter approaches him, ¡°Hero Sapporo! What are your comments on the debt incurred by the Darksiders to Ishtar?¡± The reporter asked hastily. Sapporo scowled and shook his head, ¡°If there was any more need for evidence that the woman is supporting villains indiscriminately, this is it,¡± He said sourly, ¡°Arming the mad is the peak of madness, now enough questions,¡± He added gruffly before turning away. The woman returned to the screen, ¡°While Hero Sapporo¡¯s comments are resonating, other groups have begun to ask who will fill the power vacuum left by the large and very public Darksiders organization,¡± The woman went on, ¡°In Hero Sapporo¡¯s own country, a certain group has made very public their own thoughts;¡± She said and the screen cut away again to show a group of men and women wearing white masks and white robes. One among them is standing in front of a crowd of people, ¡°The Light of Dawn changed the world and Ishtar is its prophet. Our leader believes that the villains of Earth should bend the knee before her eye gazes upon the planet again and another city is brought to ruin! Our leader has foreseen the gaze of our true savior opening wide once more!¡± The woman reappeared, ¡°The religious group based in-¡± The television cut out and Sonya let out a groan, flopping back onto the bed and rubbing her head, ¡°An actual cult?¡± She whined as she rolled around on her bed. ¡°Gross, gross gross gross!¡± She complained before stopping on her chest and staring with frustration at her pillow, ¡°I¡¯m so bored,¡± She sighed and rest her chin on her palms, kicking her feet in her pajamas and launching some of the sheets off of her bed, ¡°Stupid idiots postponing the Committee, it was just a bombing!¡± She grumbled and flopped to her side, ¡°Not that big a deal, just patch the walls and get on with it. I wanna run around The Hague some more.¡± She rolled onto her back, ¡°And now I¡¯m talking to myself. Better than talking to you, right?¡± She said aloud before pausing, making a deadpan face, and sighing, ¡°And now I have, great.¡± She sat up and peered into her reflection in a photograph of herself and Carla standing on a beach together, ¡°Hello?¡± She called out, squinting at the reflection that squinted back at her before raising its eyebrow and shaking its head. ¡°Fine, I know it¡¯s not healthy, just could use some friggin conversation here.¡± The reflection shrugged at her and turned away before it returned to being her own reflection again. She huffed out a breath and crossed her arms, ¡°Rude,¡± she muttered. At least let me take advantage of being a little crazy if I¡¯m gonna be this way, sheesh. She sensed a presence approaching her bedroom door and perked up, catching the scent of perfume on the air. She scrambled to gather up her sheets she¡¯d kicked off during her tantrum and pull them into some semblance of order. She was about half-way back into a restful looking sitting position when the door opened and Carla cleared her throat from the doorway. She turned slowly before smiling at the woman, ¡°Hey there,¡± She said as innocently as she could. Carla rolled her eyes, ¡°Just can¡¯t sit still, can you?¡± She asked and walked further into the room, shutting the door behind her. Sonya picked up on some voices a bit further out and glanced up at Carla with a raised eyebrow, ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one restless, looks like most of the camp wants to check on you. Haven¡¯t the foggiest idea why, what with you being a perpetual tease for the entire first month,¡± She said with her arms crossed.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Sonya deflated a little, ¡°...yeah, I deserve that,¡± She said with a sigh and rest her chin on her palm for a moment, ¡°Bad way to outlet,¡± She murmured, I really gotta be better about that, they¡¯re my students for heaven¡¯s sake, this isn¡¯t one of Marta¡¯s animes! ¡°No kidding, but it seems there¡¯s no harm done, you didn¡¯t go too far,¡± Carla said and sat down on the bed before tilting her head and looking at Sonya¡¯s shirt, ¡°The glitter-soda shirt, again?¡± Sonya brightened, ¡°Of course!¡± She said, leaning back and posing a bit for Carla¡¯s benefit, ¡°It¡¯s nostalgic, I think of your cute face when I¡¯m wearing it.¡± Carla pursed her lips, ¡°Flatterer,¡± She said and leaned forward a little, ¡°It needs to be cleaned, wear something different or else,¡± She reached up and tapped Sonya¡¯s nose before getting up. Sonya blinked, ¡°Where¡¯d that come from?¡± She asked, grinning ear to ear. ¡°I learned from the best,¡± Carla said and walked to the door, ¡°Are you alright enough to have a few visitors, in all seriousness?¡± Carla asked, turning back to face her. Sonya was half way through tearing off her shirt to grab another when she poked her head up and had to wriggle herself the rest of the way out to look at Carla. Her heart skipped a beat, ¡°Really?¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± Carla crossed her arms, ¡°One, you¡¯ve got more than just the aspirants wanting to check on you,¡± She said, holding up a finger, ¡°Two, you have to promise to stay in bed for at least the next two days and relax. You may not think much of it, but what happened was a lot for any person,¡± Carla said, ¡°You seem like you¡¯re on the mend, mentally, and I¡¯m not letting you backtrack.¡± Sonya¡¯s lip trembled a little and she let her shoulders relax, she felt heat rise to her face and she scratched at her nose, ¡°Using my weakness against me isn¡¯t fair,¡± She said and then took a deep breath, she sighed and looked back at Carla, ¡°I promise not to get out of bed for more than a few minutes for the next two days and I promise to relax while I¡¯m here, minimum activity. Just me, the tv, and my phone.¡± Carla nodded, ¡°Maybe you can get a little work done that doesn¡¯t involve knives and explosions while you¡¯re here,¡± She chuckled and then turned away. ¡°Are you okay with her coming in too?¡± Sonya slipped on another shirt, this one said ¡®Snack Time¡¯. She pulled her knees up to her chest as Carla glanced over her shoulder at her. Sonya hugged her knees and pressed her nose between them for a moment as she stared at her feet. Need to redo my nails again, she thought absently as she mulled through the sudden mixture of feelings. She looked up and took another breath, exhaling and letting out the unease. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. She can come in alone too so we can talk a little.¡± Carla¡¯s smile grew even wider, ¡°Good, I¡¯ll send her in, you won¡¯t have long, the hounds are clawing at the gates. Poor Marta can only hold them at bay for so long.¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°Better keep it short then!¡± She said and eased back onto her pillow, I have a lot I want to say, but I think it can wait. I have something in mind, later though. Carla left and Sonya could hear the distant conversation clearly as the door shut to the suite she was staying in at the camp. A moment later there was the sound of heavy and hesitant footsteps followed by a knock at the door, ¡°Come in, Chunhua,¡± Sonya said and sat up a little. The door opened and Chunhua stepped inside. She wasn¡¯t in her usual gi, just a white polo shirt and thick dark denim jeans tucked into boots. Sonya felt a little nostalgic at the look. Very nostalgic. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, ¡°You dress like that for my benefit?¡± She asked with a smirk. Chunhua scratched her neck, ¡°Maybe, thank you for letting me in.¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°You punch like a truck.¡± The hero crossed her arms and tilted her head, her dark eyes glittering a little, ¡°You can take it. That was a one-time thing, though. Don¡¯t make me have to do that again.¡± Sonya crossed her arms in return, ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna keep holding back on me during spars are you? The hounds out there are gonna want to see a rematch after I laid you flat before I left.¡± ¡°Laid me flat?¡± Chunhua blurted before pressing her lips together. She crossed her arms, ¡°Fine. Point taken.¡± Sonya barked with a laugh before relaxing, ¡°No more holding back, Chunhua, and you can come visit whenever you want.¡± Chunhua sighed, ¡°What I said stands,¡± She said firmly, ¡°And I¡¯m still mad about it but-¡± Sonya pursed her lips and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the heavy stuff later, can we just start with being able to breathe around one another?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± Chunhua said with a smile, ¡°Now I should stop hogging you, you have ravenous aspirants who want to make sure their favorite combat instructor is okay.¡± Sonya chuckled, ¡°Yeah, send those miscreants in,¡± She paused and looked up at Chunhua as she started to turn away, ¡°Hey,¡± She said and the woman paused to look back at her, she tapped her nose, ¡°Thanks again, I deserved that one, really.¡± ¡°Just keep your promise,¡± Chunhua said with a small smile and walked out the door. ¡°I will,¡± Sonya said after her and straightened herself up a bit more, fussing with her hair and straightening out her sheets just a bit more as she heard the door open and a few happy voices ring out. She smirked and shook her head as the sound of many pairs of feet rumbled into the small suite and down the hall towards her room. She rest her chin on her palm and put on her most iconic smug smile as the first couple of faces poked their way in. A pair of orange eyes met hers and a tuft of green on a sea of black launched across the room before she was pulled into a tight hug. ¡°Oof! Hi there Miss Landrey!¡± She laughed and returned the hug. She pulled back and looked her over, ¡°You¡¯re looking stronger every day!¡± She said as Lillian stepped back and beamed at her. ¡°We¡¯re so glad you¡¯re okay,¡± She said as more faces flooded in, a good number of the girls, Cass, the entire Nashville team, and then one figure pushed their way through the crowd and poked his flustered head out under Lillian¡¯s arm. Ollie frowned at her with red eyes, ¡°You scared the hell out of me, Ma¡¯am,¡± The young man said angrily and she reached out to take his hand and pull him into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ollie,¡± She said and stroked the back of his head before looking up at the others, all those smiling faces. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry to you all, for a lot of things, I was a little um¡­ much last month,¡± She said and let him go, ¡°I had a lot on my mind and I went overboard.¡± ¡°We could tell,¡± One of the girls laughed, ¡°You¡¯re fine!¡± Sonya cleared her throat, ¡°Anyway! I¡¯ll be fine, see? No terrorist bombing is going to get the better of me!¡± She declared and flexed her petite arm, ¡°See?¡± She drew a few laughs and grinned before resting her hands in her lap, ¡°I¡¯ll be back with you guys next week, so no change in schedule,¡± She said, ¡°When I do, you better be ready. Because if you thought I was tough before, you haven¡¯t seen anything yet!¡± The aspirants let out groans and she laughed, ¡°Oh don¡¯t complain now! You asked for it, being so damn sweet. How can I not do my best for you?¡± She asked with a tilt of her head. The aspirants laughed and started talking amongst themselves, visibly relieved. She looked up at their faces, briefly meeting Cassiopeia¡¯s gaze before taking it all in. All these people that came to see her, that she¡¯d helped, guided, taught, even if it had been for just a month so far. She had touched their lives. Chunhua¡¯s words hit her a bit harder in that moment; ¡°How could you do that to me and everyone else you¡¯ve helped and saved? Of all the things you¡¯ve done. That has to be the most cruel, Sonya Chernovna.¡± Sonya smiled, I think you might be right. Chapter 112 As the aspirants filed in and out of Sonya¡¯s room to give her their best wishes, Lillian made her way into the hallway. She was beyond relieved that Sonya was okay. Better than okay from the looks of it. She¡¯d noticed the atmosphere in the room when she¡¯d come in after miss Black Lotus had been in there. It was far more relaxed. Whatever had happened, at least some of the air was clear. She could only hope that things in the camp would be even better than before because of it. She smiled to herself and scratched at the back of her head, wandering down the hall until she spotted Black Lotus walking out of the building towards the dojo. She looked down at her arm and flexed it, gold flames rushing through her veins and up into her knuckles, they ignited for a moment before she put them out with a simple exhale of breath. She looked back up at Black Lotus¡¯ retreating form. Something was changing, something was different, she could feel it building up but she couldn¡¯t figure out what to do next. She frowned and hesitated, She¡¯s on suspension, though, will she even talk to me about training? She pressed her lips together and bounced on the balls of her feet. C¡¯mon Lillian, she¡¯s not a scary person, just ask. Worse she can do is say no. She landed on her feet and squeezed her fists tight. Okay, you can do this, she¡¯s in a good mood, right? Lillian reminded herself before reaching up to straighten the collar of her letterman and let out a breath. No biggie, She took a step forward and the next thing she knew she was out the door, breaking into a jog before suddenly sliding to a stop in front of the Dojo. Black Lotus was standing a few feet inside the entryway with a bottle of water in her hand and a mixed expression of amusement and concern in her face, her eyebrow raised high. ¡°Miss Landrey? Is everything okay? You ran all the way here,¡± She said and glanced past her towards the entrance of the common area with a momentary frown before looking back at her, ¡°Nothing seems off,¡± She said absently and took a sip of her drink, watching Lillian catch her breath out of the corner of her eye. Lillian was leaning on her knees, she¡¯d crossed the distance in what felt like a heartbeat. She had always been fast, really fast, she was a runner after all. But that distance in a few seconds was¡­ wow. She wheezed and blinked a few times before looking up at Black Lotus from her spot, ¡°Wanted to catch up,¡± She breathed, ¡°Had a question,¡± She stood up straight, ¡°If that¡¯s okay.¡± Black Lotus chuckled, putting the bottle down, ¡°Catch your breath first, young lady, is that your first time enhancing your body like that?¡± Lillian furrowed her brows, ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, I think? Is that normal?¡± She asked with a frown, the rational part of her brain finally catching up with what she¡¯d just done. She turned and looked back at the doors of the common area before looking back at Black Lotus, ¡°Woah.¡± Black Lotus shook her head and laughed, ¡°¡®Woah¡¯, as good a reaction as one might expect,¡± She said and walked towards the center of the dojo, ¡°Sit with me?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, teacher,¡± Lillian said quickly and hurried over, plopping down in a lotus posture in front of Black Lotus who looked up at her expectantly after a moment, her head tilted, Lillian swallowed and set her hands on her knees, ¡°Uh¡­¡± She started then frowned before rearticulating her words, ¡°I feel like something¡¯s building,¡± She said and put her hand on her abdomen and then drew it up to her chest, ¡°It¡¯s like a pressure or something. I¡¯ve been doing as you asked every day and it feels like it¡¯s not going anywhere anymore. I¡¯m right at the edge of something and I just can¡¯t get past it. Like¡­¡± ¡°A wall?¡± Black Lotus asked, tilting her head. ¡°Is something emotionally troubling you?¡± She asked. Lillian sat up straighter and flushed a little, clearing her throat, ¡°N-no, honestly that front couldn¡¯t be better, honestly,¡± She said and reached up to play with the green streak in her hair. It felt different from the rest of her hair, like a feather rather than actual hair. ¡°Still, I feel like I can¡¯t progress any further doing what I¡¯ve been doing, I¡¯ve been working out, practicing with my broadsword, I¡¯ve memorized all the forms you taught me and I even¡­¡± She trailed off. Her teacher leaned forward, ¡°Even what?¡± Lillian hopped to her feet, ¡°It¡¯s easier to show you, uh,¡± She turned around and spotted the practice broadsword that was kept in the dojo for her. She hustled over to it and snatched it up before hurrying back and holding it in a standard guard pose. Her legs parted parallel to her shoulders and her back straight, the hilt of her sword at an angle from her waist pointing away from her. She shifted her neck to the right and concentrated on the instincts screaming in her blood, the golden fire in her veins, the internal energy pushed out from her heart again and into her meridians. They felt tight, restricted, but the energy flowed through them. It didn¡¯t feel like how her teacher felt when they were close by, like a constant churning sensation. She had to draw it out. She let out a breath and let the instincts guide her before taking a strong step forward and instead of a quick and sharp blow like Black Lotus had taught, she entered into a powerful swing that brought her weapon across her field of vision in a brutally clean line. Took another step forward, her footfalls heavy, and used the momentum of the swing to curve down and back up into a diagonal uppercut. That swing came with a bit of golden flame trailing behind it. She took another step and delivered a third powerful swing downwards, the flames were like a stream now. She stopped and let out a breath, panting a little from going all out for a few seconds. She looked back at Black Lotus, ¡°It just came to me.¡± ¡°Unique instinctive forms for your choice of weapon,¡± Black Lotus said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. ¡°I guess?¡± Lillian said and looked down at the weapon, catching the blade in her free hand, ¡°The- The broadsword is heavy and long, if I had a hand guard or something I could hold the blade during blocks,¡± She said thoughtfully, just rattling off the things that had been bouncing around in her head for a while, ¡°The pommel is tough too, I could use that,¡± She tilted her head and twisted it, pointing it outward, ¡°The crossguard too, it has potential,¡± She said and narrowed her eyes, ¡°I just feel it but¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Not quite there yet,¡± Black Lotus nodded, ¡°And how do you feel about mana and internal energy?¡± She asked thoughtfully. Lillian frowned and sat down heavily, resting her broadsword on her shoulder as she flexed her fingers, ¡°I feel mana in the air, it was like a buzz before but now it feels like, I dunno, just untapped uh¡­¡± She scratched her head, ¡°Potency, potency, that¡¯s the word. Like not power really, but the potential for power. It feels alive but not, it¡¯s not moving under its own will, like clouds.¡± ¡°Like clouds?¡± Black Lotus asked, smiling a bit to herself, ¡°As in the carter radar reports?¡± Lillian shook her head, not noticing her teacher¡¯s grin, ¡°No, no, not like that, I feel like I should be able to grab onto it. Like it¡¯s right in front of me,¡± She clenched her fist, ¡°Mana, Internal Energy, they can hurt and heal, they can do anything, it¡¯s more than I could have ever imagined. I just feel like there¡¯s a fundamental something that I¡¯m just not getting,¡± She looked up at Black Lotus desperately, ¡°What am I missing? What don¡¯t I get?¡± Black Lotus raised an eyebrow, ¡°I can¡¯t spoon feed that to you,¡± She said patiently, ¡°I can suggest that you spend a little time thinking hard about the flash, Miss Landrey, Lillian,¡± She continued and pat her knees, ¡°Meditate on it, deeply meditate, let your thoughts wander on the possibilities and I think you might just find your answer. You are so close to something I experienced,¡± She said gently, looking nostalgic for a moment, ¡°Don¡¯t force it, take your time, and let it happen. Inspiration might come when you least expect it.¡± Lillian searched her teachers face but the woman kept her expression carefully controlled, she wasn¡¯t getting any more out of her. She smiled, ¡°Thanks teacher,¡± She said and bowed her head before glancing up with one eye and a hesitant smile, ¡°So¡­ about our sessions?¡± Black Lotus barked out a genuine laugh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I am technically suspended. I can offer you advice but I can¡¯t act as a formal teacher at the camp for the next month. I¡¯m just staying here to rest, it''s been a while since I did that, I think,¡± She said thoughtfully before glancing at Lillian, ¡°Even I hit walls every now and then,¡± She said with a smirk before raising her hand to wave a dismissal, ¡°Now go on, think about what we talked about and give those ideas of yours a chance,¡± She said, ¡°Just do what feels right, you have good instincts and a good heart, use it.¡± Lillian got to her feet and bowed at the waist, ¡°Thank you again, teacher,¡± She said with a big smile and hurried off to put away her broadsword and dart back to the common area. ¨C Chunhua watched her pupil go with a bit of pride in her heart, ¡°So close to your first breakthrough in enlightenment,¡± She said and let out a sigh, ¡°So strong too,¡± She glanced up at the spot where she¡¯d been swinging her sword, She¡¯s marching towards the peak of Rare in no-time flat. Once she breaks through and starts cycling, she¡¯ll reach the peak of Rare without a doubt, Chunhua thought before frowning and glancing at the opening, Yet I can feel like that¡¯s only the beginning. Her first step. What on Earth have you created, Sonya? Was this an effort to replace me? To do what I won¡¯t? She rest her hands in her lap, Now that you know you have people to live for, what does that mean for her? She let out a breath and reached up to place a hand over her heart, My heart demon is easing, I feel stronger already. I¡¯ve been so weak and I¡¯ve fallen behind, I could barely keep up with Ishtar. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Sapporo could take me out at half power. She took a centering breath and exhaled, tilting her head back and humming herself into meditation and smiled. That wild girl, coming in here and getting me all pumped up. I want to get stronger too. Maybe it''s time I started chasing my second breakthrough. She let her mind wander, feeling the mana teeming in the air around her and began drawing it into her body. She drank deeply this time, not the short bursts to use simple strikes like the ones at The Hague. She gathered her power as her meditation deepened, I wonder¡­ will her voice sound different¡­ to me? ¨C Lillian pat her shoulder and rolled it a little as she walked into the common area, most of the others were all situated in their usual spots and she quickly found her group. She waved once at Jessica and Luke who nodded at her and even met Cassiopeia¡¯s eyes. She looked tired but a bit more pleasant than usual. Wait, isn¡¯t she¡­ She shook off the thoughts, who she was related to didn¡¯t matter one whit, she was her own person. She smiled at the blonde who gave a tired half-smile back and returned to reading something on a tablet. Lillian shrugged and stopped next to the others at their cluster of couches. ¡°Feelin¡¯ better Ollie?¡± She asked with a grin, putting her hands on her hips. Ollie looked up from his usual mind-bending mass of notes and actually put his pen down, ¡°I am, thank you. Sorry about that display,¡± He rubbed his hands together, ¡°Miss Chernovna stuck her neck out for me and after the speech at the Committee,¡± He trailed off as the other members of the Nashville team went quiet for a moment. ¡°I still feel kinda giddy, thinking about it,¡± Alex said and rubbed his nose with a stupid smile, ¡°Wears his scales with pride, you¡¯re damn right I do.¡± Val clenched his fists, his colorful eyes glowing a bright red for a moment and broke into a savage grin, ¡°I¡¯m so amped up I can¡¯t sit still. I just need my gear, it¡¯s gonna be done by the end of the week apparently,¡± He said and literally hopped to his feet, ¡°I¡¯m gonna run some friggin laps,¡± He said and darted out the door like a bullet. Greg laughed and rubbed his nose, ¡°Y¡¯know, I heard that Euclidia¡¯s looking for heroes with a knack for logistics to train up after the main course,¡± He said, ¡°I might ask Miss Chernovna about going to the UK,¡± He said before glancing towards one particular black-and-blue haired girl who was talking with her friends off to the side, ¡°Y¡¯know, maybe, I mean,¡± He said hesitantly. John bit into his sandwich, ¡°Emotional,¡± He mumbled after chewing, ¡°Did not sleep well.¡± They all looked at him blankly before Lillian caught herself and glanced around, ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Snow?¡± Greg looked up and tilted his head, ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t she attached to you at the hip?¡± He asked with a chuckle before wincing at her frown, ¡°Uh¡­¡± He glanced around, ¡°Honestly, no, she¡¯s usually either down in the lab or going straight to one of her other courses,¡± He scratched his head and glanced at Alex, ¡°You?¡± Alex blinked and looked up from mumbling something to his fists, ¡°Huh? Snow? Oh yeah I saw her go around the back of the common building. Figured she just needed some alone time, it¡¯s pretty crowded here sometimes and she ain¡¯t a social butterfly,¡± Alex said with a shrug. Lillian nodded now feeling even more worried, ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be back!¡± She said and quickly darted away. Is she okay? Lillian thought, hopping over the rails of the planetary diorama and shooting past it like a rocket. She landed at the doors leading out back and pushed out, glancing around quickly. She took a few steps forward then stopped, turning around to glance at the small alcove just to the right of the door. There, sitting in the grass, with her hood up and her legs pulled tightly to her chest, was Snow. A pair of pearlescent eyes looked up at her, a few tears in them, but they were accompanied by a smile. ¡°There you are,¡± She breathed and walked over, ¡°I was looking for you.¡± Chapter 113 Lillian stood over Snow, a momentary silence passing between the two of them. She stepped forward and knelt down, sitting across from her. Snow reached up and wiped her eyes, sniffing and looking away with a reddened face. Lillian tilted her head and tried to catch her gaze, ¡°Hey,¡± She murmured, ¡°Snow, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked. Snow reached up and pulled her hood down a little more, pulling her knees to her chest with one arm while she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Lillian sat patiently as the girl typed out a message. She typed the message, then frowned and deleted it. She typed something else and made a frustrated face before erasing it again and throwing her head back in a show of frustration. She slumped a little bit where she was sitting before looking up at Lillian helplessly. Lillian just opened her arms and shifted back a bit to make room on her lap. Snow¡¯s expression softened and she slipped up, sitting in Lillian¡¯s lap and resting her head under her chin. Lillian reached up and stroked her head; Even Snow doesn¡¯t know what to say. Whatever it is it must be serious. Snow tapped away at her phone again, but this time it looked like she wasn¡¯t using the texting app. Lillian glanced down and then felt the air shift a little as Snow tensed in her lap. Lillian tilted her head, worried, ¡°Snow what¡¯s going on?¡± Just as she asked, a two-dimensional image appeared in the air in front of her. It flickered for a moment and seemed to collapse into itself before becoming legible. It was an image of Dr. Carter standing with his arms crossed, his expression was a little uncomfortable. He raised an eyebrow, ¡°We¡¯re recording?,¡± He sighed and scratched the back of his head, clicking his tongue before pausing and looking somewhere to the left of the camera, ¡°Are you really sure about this?¡± He winced at whatever reaction he got and shrugged, ¡°Alright fine.¡± Where¡¯s the sound coming from? Lillian thought before glancing down and noting that it was coming from Snow¡¯s phone. I see. She looked back up and kept watching. Dr. Carter crossed his arms, ¡°Alright, so let''s go over it again. Now I want to remind you for the millionth time that this is theoretical stuff, okay? Untested, what you¡¯re doing is volunteering to be a guinea pig. You really get that, right? You understand how friggin crazy-¡± He winced again, the dark circles under his eyes twitching once before he slumped his shoulders, ¡°Alright, alright! Damn,¡± He cleared his throat and looked at the camera. ¡°A lot of our discussions down here have been about your ability and how it seems to interact with technology, specifically devices with computers in them.¡± He crossed his arms, ¡°What seems to be happening with your ability is you are using a computerized device as the focus for processing what basically amounts to a controlled interaction with light, sound, and some brainwaves,¡± He said and waved his hand, ¡°That controlled interaction follows a prompt or some sort of logical expression that you put into your device,¡± He continued, ¡°Problem is, your phone can only handle so much which explains the inconsistency and because of your injury your brain is struggling with the act of interpreting sound waves, I¡¯m guessing a traumatic response but-¡± He hesitated, ¡°Hey! I¡¯m just being honest!¡± He said, holding up his hands. Lillian glanced down at Snow who nodded at the image. She wasn¡¯t going to explain until the end, then. He coughed into his fist, ¡°Anyway! Somebody overheard Dr. Da-Som and I talking about his little pet project and got hung up on it,¡± He said with a frown before rolling his eyes, ¡°The long and short is that he¡¯s been working on a foundational piece of hardware for future cybernetic prosthetics. It¡¯s based on a thorough examination of Miss Chernovna¡¯s prosthetic eyes,¡± He said and glanced to the right for a moment before grumbling to himself and looking back at the camera, ¡°With my help he¡¯s designed and built a processing terminal that goes into the back of the head and attaches to the brain,¡± He pointed at the base of his neck. He pursed his lips and shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s complete,¡± He trailed off, ¡°Technically it¡¯s ready for testing,¡± He frowned and crossed his arms, ¡°You are not going to let up are you?¡± He groaned and shook his head, ¡°And you want to put it in your head and use it as your new hardware to make your power work, that sum it up? You know it¡¯ll require surgery, right?¡± He put his hands on his hips and his nostrils flared, ¡°What did you think would happen? I just zap it into your-¡± The image vanished and Snow settled back against Lillian¡¯s chest. Lilian stared at the spot where the image had been for a moment. Snow shivered a little bit in her lap and Lillian wrapped her arms around her, taking a deep breath and releasing the soothing radiance of her ability. The young woman in her lap settled and leaned in closer, clinging to her shirt. ¡°Second thoughts?¡± She asked only for Snow to shake her head vigorously. Lillian paused and went over the recording again, ¡°...the surgery?¡± There was a pause and then Snow nodded. She started tapping into her phone for a moment while Lillian held her. When she was done she gently pushed against Lillian¡¯s arm and slipped out of her grip. The petite girl stood up and took a few steps back, leaning against the wall. Lillian smiled up at her, she was so pretty but her eyes were so sad. She felt her heart creak a little as the girl stared at her screen again, her thumb hanging over it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me,¡± Lillian said. Snow glanced at her and set her lips in a thin line before letting out a breath through her nostrils. She frowned and hit the screen with her thumb, pulling back to press herself against the wall. Multiple messages appeared. Now that she¡¯d heard Dr. Carter¡¯s explanation, she could see how each letter was a little different in font and each bubble was maybe a few shades a different color or slightly shaped differently. Why hadn¡¯t I noticed before? <¡±When I was little, before they put me into the system, I lived with my dad,¡±> Snow began, <¡±He was a drunk and blew all his money on women, but he had me to deal with. Apparently I was loud and bothered his guests.¡±> Snow crossed her arms and shrank a bit more into her hood as the messages kept coming. Lillian got to her feet, reading them with wide eyes. <¡±He did things to me to keep me quiet at night,¡±> The next message said and Lillian looked up at Snow, the girl was running her fingers along a thin scar on her neck, looking down at the ground. <¡±Used drugs too, to put me under so I¡¯d sleep a lot.¡±> Lillian clenched her fists as Snow looked down and tugged at the hem of her hoodie, squeezing it in a death grip. <¡±I know that Dr. Carter and Dr. Da-Som are good guys, they¡¯re so nice to me, but I¡¯m scared of going under again. The last time I went under I woke up in foster care,¡±> She added and reached up to tug on the short white and black hair on her head, <¡±They kept me like this till I was old enough to leave. I¡¯m so scared Lil. But I want it so bad, if it works, I might be able to talk again. Even if it''s just with my power.¡±>Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Lillian felt a whole litany of emotions in that moment. Rage at Snow¡¯s father, anger at the family that kept the abuse going, pride in Snow for still having the courage to want something like this despite how scary it was, and relief because there was something she could do to help. She let out a breath and rubbed the back of her neck as Snow looked up at her with those big pearlescent eyes. She straightened her shoulders and set her jaw, ¡°Well, can I sit in with you?¡± She asked bluntly, ¡°Hold your hand?¡± Snow¡¯s eyes went glassy, she sniffed, tears flooding down her cheeks, her expression turning from confusion to relief to grief to joy to frustration to sadness to happiness all in a matter of moments. Her arms fell to her sides and she just bawled, her mouth open in a silent wail as the tears flowed. Lillian walked over and pulled her up into her arms, petite hands clinging to her shirt, back shaking, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there with you, okay? It¡¯ll be alright,¡± Lillian said, ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡± ¨C Sonya frowned and crossed her arms in her bed, narrowing her eyes at the two men standing in front of her, ¡°You want to what?¡± She asked, a bit of testiness getting into her tone. She felt this time she was fully justified in sounding a little pissed off about what the two men had explained to her. She looked between the two of them and her prosthetics swirled and clicked in her head as she examined every microexpression. Amos winced under her glare and Da-Som had his head hung down to his chest. She scowled and tilted her head, ¡°You want to try explaining that to me again, boys?¡± She asked. Amos tried to crack a joke, ¡°Y¡¯know this isn¡¯t really the place for a board meeting,¡± He laughed nervously, ¡°Maybe we should-¡± ¡°I made a promise to Carla to stay right where I am, so guess what I¡¯m doing?¡± She retorted, ¡°And after what I just heard, you two are going nowhere until I get more details. Explain.¡± Amos held up his hands, ¡°Lo-Look, Sonya, I don¡¯t want to do anything. Snow overheard Da-som and I talking shop about the simulated technopathy patch,¡± He explained, ¡°He¡¯s been working hard on it, ya know? So we did a bit of shop talk while the girl was working on her own project and she hopped on it.¡± Da-Som shifted on his feet, ¡°I may have been a little overexcited about her interest, ma¡¯am, and overshared,¡± He said sullenly. ¡°After that, Snow wouldn¡¯t shut up about it, she figured it was the perfect solution to her problems. At first I thought that she was using her phone as a crutch but I really think she¡¯s kicking her illusions through a processor. That¡¯s why they seem to have a digital nature to them,¡± Amos explained quickly, ¡°Look as far as she knows it¡¯s just a platform for building new prosthetics.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s the intended purpose,¡± Da-Som quickly added. ¡°But it¡¯s far more than that,¡± Sonya growled, ¡°You guys are attempting to simulate a light-touched power, do you comprehend how risky that is? On top of that, you¡¯re going to put it in a girl¡¯s head!¡± She said with a frown, ¡°A girl under my protection!¡± The door opened to Da-Som¡¯s left and Carla stepped in with two mugs. ¡°Sonya, they wouldn¡¯t be asking if they didn¡¯t think it was worth pursuing, give them a chance,¡± Carla said gently even as she shot the two men a look. She walked over and extended a steaming mug filled with marshmallows to Sonya. Sonya gave her a brilliant smile and sipped at it, taking a deep breath while Carla settled in next to her, leaning against her shoulder. ¡°At least I hope they thought it through before coming in at this time of night,¡± Carla added with an equally petulant frown. Sonya rubbed her head and forced herself to relax before looking between the two of them with concern, ¡°Guys, you¡¯re working on this when you should be resting,¡± She said with a frown, ¡°Da-som you barely escaped a bombing that killed a significant portion of your staff. I don¡¯t even know how you¡¯re functioning. The same goes for you, Amos.¡± ¡°The work takes my mind off of it,¡± Amos said with a frown, ¡°A lot has changed because of that day, a whole lot.¡± Sonya leaned forward and caught his eyes, holding his gaze, ¡°Does that sound familiar to you now that you¡¯ve said it out loud?¡± She asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you do what I did. You¡¯re alive and you deserve some rest, Amos. You too Da-Som, you need to process what happened before you do anything this serious.¡± Sonya sipped at her cocoa while the two men looked at one another and nodded, ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll give her a chance to reconsider,¡± Amos said to Da-som, ¡°I kept warning her that it was dangerous.¡± Sonya looked between the two of them before glancing at Carla who just sipped quietly, observing them in silence. She turned to them fully, ¡°How fixated on this is Snow?¡± ¡°Extremely,¡± Amos said with a frown, crossing his arms, ¡°She¡¯s convinced this is what she needs to realize herself as a hero. She¡¯s already voiced her intentions to sign with ASTA too,¡± He said, ¡°I still stand on it being risky, what with the equipment we¡¯re working with here at the camp.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s your primary hangup?¡± Amos shrugged, ¡°Between Da-som and I, if we had top of the line equipment the chances of at least getting through the surgery are ninety-five percent,¡± He said with a small bit of smugness, ¡°We just haven¡¯t put one of these things in someone¡¯s head yet,¡± He pointed out, ¡°Theoretically it¡¯ll replicate the same signals and functions that my brain releases when I use technopathy or what your brain uses when your eyes are operating. It should work but there¡¯s a chance it¡¯ll do fuck all and the whole venture will have been pointless.¡± ¡°What are the odds?¡± Carla cut in, finally joining in. Sonya glanced at her and Carla just gently gave her a nudge with her shoulder, ¡°Of it actually working?¡± Amos scratched his messy hair, ¡°Eh, fifty fifty if I¡¯m being generous, more like thirty percent,¡± He said with a frown, ¡°Everythings in the right place and the simulated lab tests worked great but this is real life.¡± Sonya nodded and cleared her throat, ¡°Nurse, is it alright if I make a few business calls?¡± She asked, sitting up straight with her eyes closed in a dignified pose. A small smirk on her face. Carla huffed out a breath and sat up straight as well, joining her, ¡°I suppose I could allow it. Don¡¯t go overboard.¡± Sonya peeked an eye open and caught Amos gaping at her, she smirked at him, ¡°I¡¯ll make your equipment happen, Amos. You both get some rest and make sure you¡¯re at the top of your game when it gets set up,¡± She said, ¡°I want you to take good care of that young woman, she is precious, and not just to me.¡± Amos and Da-Som stood up a bit straighter and nodded quickly, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± She took another sip of her cocoa, ¡°Now get the hell out of my bedroom, please? You¡¯re interrupting my evening!¡± She barked and the two looked at one another, Amos grinned and they raced out. She clicked her tongue and watched the door shut behind them. She sipped her cocoa again and relaxed, ¡°Man this is so good.¡± Chapter 114 The room was cold, so cold. The floor was hard, grainy, and stung her feet with the faint slick ice that clung to its surface. Gray stone stretched up to the ceiling, looming, unbending, it felt like it was staring. A gentle shift in the foundation of the building sent a rattle through the chains hanging from the ceiling of the windless room. The cold bit and chewed at skin, it clawed at bone, stinging and sending fingertips itching. Little tremors shuddered up the spine. Every sound sent a shock of alertness through the mind. There was no sleep, no comfort, no peace in this place. Days could go by without even knowing, starvation the only clue about the length of time. The rattling chains distracted the mind and bent thought away from keeping count of minutes and seconds. Cass shook, her shoulders heaving with every trembling breath. She¡¯d awakened here again. Of course she had. She clutched at her arms and dug her pained fingers into the slowly chilling skin, her head falling forward as her filthy mess of golden hair hung around her head. Was it all a dream? Awakening? Breaking through the camp while my sister was away? The camp? Ishtar? Her lip trembled and she bit down on it, drawing blood as she frantically tried to straighten up her expression. Of course, it was a fever dream, what else could it have been. There¡¯s no escape. The heavy thud of boots stopped in front of her. She jolted and shook harder, her heart going a mile a minute. She could feel her blood pounding in her ears and her veins, her flight-or-fight crushed into powder in an instant. She looked from her scarred and frigid bare feet to the pair of boots standing in front of her. Unarmored, her sister¡¯s favorite hiking boots. She shook, her fingers twitching around her legs as her eyes went up higher. Thick cargo pants affixed with a heavy belt that was loaded with pouches and a pair of knives on each side. Then a simple white tank-top clung to a chiseled torso. She hesitated at her neckline, fear and revulsion screaming in her mind. Terror scraped at the inside of her brain, clawing out like an insect to writhe and scream in her skull. Her breathing quickened, her skin got colder, the tears froze on her cheeks as white tufts of breath came out in a staccato. She cast her eyes up to meet the pair of blue, glowing, cold eyes of her sister. Thick blonde hair styled to the side over her expressionless face. No wrinkled scowl of disgust, not for Cass. No, Cass got to see her real face. Utterly unfeeling. Cass forced a wide, bloody smile onto her face for her sister¡¯s benefit even as she trembled, ¡°Hi Stella,¡± She mumbled uncomfortably. ¡°You left,¡± Stella said, it was neither an accusation nor a question, it was a simple statement of unbendable fact. It broached no argument, no contest, and no excuses. Cass¡¯s pupils shrank and her chest heaved again, the cold hurt so much worse. She squeezed her legs to her chest harder, ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am,¡± She said, not daring for a moment to look away. ¡°I ran away.¡± ¡°Coward,¡± Stella said, ¡°I went through the ceremony too when I was your age, what makes you so different?¡± She demanded, ¡°Why do you get to run away?¡± Cass opened her mouth but found herself in the air, her eyes wide, her hands reaching for her throat. She hadn¡¯t even seen or felt the millisecond it took for Stella to reach down and wrap her steel-cable grip around Cass¡¯ neck. Cass choked, reaching up and gripping at her sister¡¯s fingers. She kicked her legs as the woman continued to squeeze, her expression never changing as Cass felt the life slowly squeezed out of her. Her eyes rolled up, she tried to breathe, tried to beg for some measure of mercy. Anything to live just a little bit longer. Help. ¨C Cass woke with a start, sitting up in her bed and breathing hard, sweat stinging her eyes and clinging to every inch of skin on her body. She coughed, her stomach churned and she staggered out of her bunk, stumbling down the path between the beds as she covered her mouth in a desperate scramble. The next thing she knew she was standing in the bathroom with her hands on either side of the sink, coughing. She stared up at her face, thinner than her sisters, petite, her long hair was straighter and her eyes were more sunken. She coughed again and rest her head against the mirror. ¡°Damn it,¡± She panted, turning and resting her back against the wall and reaching up into her hair. She slid down and caught her breath on the bathroom floor. She reached up and slowly tugged on her hair, playing with it to try to calm herself down. I¡¯m still here, I¡¯m still here, it was a dream. I¡¯m still here. She reminded herself before glancing up at the door out of the bathroom. Her lips pressed together in a line. I need to see her, just to help me calm down. Just a little. That¡¯s okay, right? She staggered shakily to her feet and walked out the door like a woman possessed, her eyes turned right and looked down the hallway towards the instructor¡¯s suites. She wandered down and made her way to the first door, stopping in front of it. She rest her head against it and stood there. Ishtar. She thought wearily as her mind went back to her escape. Her awakening. Mistress Ishtar called it Mighty Asterion. The hammer in her hands. The strength. She¡¯d been hanging in the room when it came, her sister had gone to another compound at the time. Her body was rejuvenated, the instincts driving her rage forward. Before she¡¯d known it she was out of the compound. The only thing that had given her any concept of where to go was the little flyers she¡¯d been given about getting work as a hero, seeing the world. The little notes that came with them, offering her a place if she managed to get away. Despite her escape, her body had been terribly beaten, bloody, and bruised. She¡¯d endured it with her power but as the effects ended she found herself closer to death than she¡¯d ever been before. She¡¯d escaped, though, she would have been happy dying like that. It would have been fine, but fate had other plans. She reached up and touched the door. Ishtar had found her, one of her spies in the compound had told her about Cass¡¯ escape. She¡¯d healed her, cleaned her, clothed her, was comforting, kind, but not without her strictness. Cass knew she was clingy, she knew she was desperate to be close, to feel that sense of security. She understood that Ishtar was putting up with it, that she was imposing, but- The door opened and she glanced down a little into the eyes of Sonya looking up at her. Her hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised. There was a bit of sweat on her brow and her throat looked tense, ¡°Cass? What are you doing out here at this time of night?¡± She asked before glancing around, ¡°You¡¯ve been standing outside for the past ten minutes, come in if you¡¯re going to come in.¡± Cass froze at the door as Sonya turned around and walked inside, her movements a little stiff. She rubbed her shoulder and closed the door behind her, ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± She asked hesitantly.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Sonya glanced over her shoulder and plucked a bottle of water off the counter, ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine,¡± She said and sipped the water, ¡°Just thirsty, had to get out of bed to grab some,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Forgot to put in a bit about the necessities,¡± She mumbled to herself as she took another sip, ¡°Are you here to make your report?¡± She asked. Cass¡¯ eyebrows shot up, Oh right, I was supposed to report in once she got back, I forgot! Stupid! She must be ang- ¡°I¡¯m not mad that you waited, thank you for being patient, Cass,¡± Sonya said softly before gesturing to the couch, ¡°You need to sit?¡± Cass shuddered but nodded, walking over and sitting on the plush surface. She pulled on her hair and looked down at her knees. In front of her, Sonya tilted her head and set her bottle down, ¡°Okay, what¡¯s wrong? You look terrible.¡± ¡°Another nightmare,¡± Cass admitted, sullen, ¡°The same one.¡± Sonya nodded slowly, ¡°I see,¡± She said and walked over, sitting down next to her. She shook her head and patted her lap, ¡°Just for a moment, okay?¡± Cass nodded and fell sideways into Sonya¡¯s lap. The woman stroked her hair and looked down at her, ¡°Better?¡± Cass nodded again as gentle fingers ran rapturously through her hair. She tried to settle, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down as the woman¡¯s glowing eyes watched her. Cass looked up at her for a moment before looking away, ¡°I patrolled the grounds as you asked and followed Marc if he behaved suspiciously,¡± Cass finally said, ¡°As you asked.¡± ¡°And?¡± Sonya murmured, taking a sip from her water. ¡°The day it happened,¡± She tensed, remembering the momentary terror that came with seeing her savior on screen surrounded by violence. She tugged at her fingers and bit her lip. It had taken a lot of soothing from Colin to get her to calm down, it wasn¡¯t like she could go help without a portal anyway, ¡°Three of her people tried to sneak in through the north woods, I killed them and disposed of the bodies as instructed,¡± Cass murmured. ¡°Did they have abilities?¡± Sonya asked, starting to braid Cass¡¯ hair. ¡°Yes, at least rare, one epic probably. I handled them quickly, minimum noise,¡± Cass said with a sigh, her shoulders relaxing a bit more. ¡°Mm,¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°And what about Marc?¡± ¡°I followed him to the dungeon the camp is maintaining,¡± She said and frowned, ¡°He touched it for a little while and seemed to interact with the symbols on the pylons but didn¡¯t do anything else, didn¡¯t even go in,¡± She said thoughtfully, ¡°Then he left.¡± Sonya looked troubled for a moment but didn¡¯t say anything. Cass opened her mouth again when Sonya tilted her head and her eyes focused and unfocused. Cass had noticed that happened when she got a call from someone with her abilities. ¡°Yes?¡± Sonya said to whomever was on the other end, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± She said with a laugh then frowned, hard, ¡°You found some? Deal with them and double security at the new location. Vet everyone again and thoroughly,¡± She said with a clipped tone, murder in her voice. She paused at whatever the response was, ¡°Thank you, Blackrazor,¡± She said and turned her attention back to Cass. ¡°You said he touched the pylons?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Cass murmured as Sonya resumed stroking her hair. It was so nice. ¡°Well done,¡± Sonya praised her and Cass felt a glow in her chest, ¡°Stick to the plan for now. Keep an eye on him but never, never engage. If there is one order I want you to follow without question, it¡¯s that one,¡± Sonya said, ¡°He is far more dangerous than he looks.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Cass repeated. Sonya leaned back and her seat, huffing out a breath, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get back to the bed soon,¡± She said thoughtfully. Cass sat up, putting her hands on the couch and looking up at Sonya, ¡°Can I stay here? Please?¡± She begged, ¡°I just want to sleep through the night, I promise, I¡¯ll leave before-¡± Sonya held up a finger and looked Cass in the eyes, ¡°It¡¯s three in the morning, you aren¡¯t getting up in two hours as tired as you are,¡± She corrected her before smiling a little sadly at her, ¡°Cass, I can indulge some of your unique interpretation of sisterhood while wearing my mask,¡± She said patiently, ¡°I can let you rest your head in my lap and be as good a big sister as I can for you,¡± She leaned forward and put a tiny kiss on Cass¡¯ forehead, ¡°But I need to draw the line now and then. Eventually, when you¡¯re truly free, when you have closure. You¡¯ll understand,¡± She said and stroked the side of Cass¡¯ head. Cass¡¯ eyes fell and her lip trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just so different with you around, ma¡¯am. I feel¡­ light and my arms don¡¯t hurt, and I don¡¯t shake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s called happy,¡± Sonya said with a small laugh and pulled her hand away, ¡°I hope you can find other ways to be happy than just me, you do know that there are other people here you can meet and bond with, right?¡± She asked. Cass bit her lip, ¡°But-¡± Sonya tapped her nose, ¡°I¡¯ve seen that grumpy face of yours when I talk to them, they¡¯re my students too, don¡¯t be greedy,¡± Sonya said with a wag of her finger, ¡°Give it a chance, talk to them, I know it might be hard to find things to talk about.¡± Cass glanced towards the door and imagined interacting with the other aspirants. She felt like a confused teenager and not a grown woman. She clenched her hands together. Even she could tell that Sonya thought what she was doing was silly. She closed her eyes and sighed, ¡°What if they ask me about my sister?¡± Cass asked. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°First, that would be rude and you should tell them that,¡± Sonya said with a chuckle, ¡°Second, just be honest that she¡¯s awful, that she was awful to you and you don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Sonya said before hesitating and leaning back against the couch, ¡°Cass, about your sister, actually. What she did, it changes things a little.¡± Cass looked over and blinked, ¡°Huh?¡± Sonya pursed her lips before resting her arm on the armrest, tapping her manicured fingers, ¡°The likelihood of a confrontation with Liberty versus Heroes is getting increasingly likely and with her bringing you up at the press conference and asking me directly,¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°You will be watched a bit more carefully by some of those connected with the Committee. There are quite a number that won¡¯t trust you until your sister is dealt with.¡± Cass blinked and worked through it, sitting up straighter, ¡°W-wait, but if heroes confront her, the rule say-¡± ¡°No killing, right,¡± Sonya said flatly. ¡°And if you somehow get involved in the fight and are seen killing your sister, you can bet that not being a hero anymore will be the least of your worries.¡± Cass clenched her fists, panic rising, ¡°N-no! She has to-¡± Sonya held her finger up to her lips, ¡°I know, Cassiopeia, I know what needs to happen. I have some ideas but they are going to take some work. For now focus on the camp and work towards graduating. I made sure to fudge the results of your questionnaire and set the groundwork for you to come to the New York guild once all¡¯s said and done. Your performance so far is great, but you need to work on your social interaction. Being a hero is a social job. Make friends.¡± Cass let out a relieved breath, of course Sonya, Ishtar, would already have a plan. She nodded slowly, ¡°Whatever you ask, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya huffed out a breath through her nostrils and gave her a sad smile, she looked a little disappointed but didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she just reached up and pinched Cass¡¯ cheek before pointing to the door, ¡°Go to bed.¡± Cass got to her feet and bowed once, ¡°Thank you for¡­ everything,¡± She said after a pause and hurried out, back into the hall. ¨C Sonya watched the girl go and waited till the door shut before letting out a relieved breath and getting to her feet. Her legs were already moving towards the small hall and the room before she could even think about it. The compulsion was strong. She could push it off long enough to take care of necessities but she¡¯d lingered too long in the living room. At least it didn¡¯t hurt or choke her. She glanced back over her shoulder at the door and shook her head, ¡°Poor thing. Hang in there,¡± She murmured before slipping through the door and back into the bedroom. Side-Story: Barrys Gang 1 Five men stood together on the deck of the yacht, scratching their heads. They stared down into the water with perturbed looks on their faces. From left to right, Stitches scratched at his short beard and squinted into the water, tilting his head a little to the right. His dark hair soaked by the rain that had passed over just an hour before. Haus crossed his arms, the tan man sniffing once and turning his head slowly to look towards his right. His faintly glowing red eyes narrowed a bit. Wake scratched his neck, shifting a bit on his feet awkwardly and cleared his throat. Trigger exhaled through his lips, making a popping sound and bounced a bit on the balls of his feet. At the end of the line, the much taller Barry coughed into his fist and put his hands on his hips. ¡°So uh, and that¡¯s how it happened,¡± He said awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯d say a job well done, right?¡± The four others looked over at him incredulously before looking down into the water below. They looked back up at him and each made an exaggerated face of disgust, disbelief, and utter confusion. He pointedly ignored them, rubbing at his chin as he squinted into the surf for a moment. ¡°Hmm, I wonder what we should do with them now that I think of it.¡± Trigger threw his hands up into the air and walked away for a moment. Wake crouched down and laughed. Stitches rubbed his hands over his face while Haus pat his shoulder consolingly. Barry kept ignoring them as he mulled it all over. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of us know how to drive one of these things. Or really need them with me and Bubs around,¡± He said thoughtfully. He didn¡¯t even blink when Trigger landed on his shoulders and wrapped his hands around Barry¡¯s impossibly thick neck from behind, trying to strangle him. ¡°Could always ask the boss for Amos.¡± On his shoulders, Trigger pulled a hammer out of his tool belt and it started to glow a bit. He reared back with it for a moment before getting a look from Wake and letting out a sigh. The hammer stopped glowing and he put it back. Barry crossed his arms and tilted his head, ¡°Maybe give ¡®em a cool paint job.¡± Trigger whipped his head in Wake¡¯s direction, gesturing frantically at Barry. Wake just shook his head and waved his hands placatingly. Trigger threw his head back in a silent groan and hopped off of Barry¡¯s back, walking over and crossing his arms before looking back into the water again, ¡°You stole two nuclear submarines, and your first thought is to give them a snappy paint job?¡± He asked, glancing up at his boss. ¡°Flames,¡± Barry said with a toothy grin. ¡°They¡¯re submarines!¡± Trigger shouted, throwing his hands up again. ¡°Blue flames,¡± Barry corrected, his expression brightening. Wake fell back, laughing and kicked his feet. Trigger turned around and started kicking at him, ¡°What¡¯s so goddamn funny you walkin¡¯ health advisory! Get back here!¡± He barked as Wake teleported away, reappearing on the bridge of the yacht and continuing to laugh. Trigger turned and pulled a tennis ball out of a small sack on his waist only for stitches to grab his arm. He glanced over at the guy who shook his head with a weary smile and sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t want to glue him back together, huh?¡± He said. Stitches nodded and shrugged, turning back to the view of the two nuclear submarines lined up next to one another just a few meters beneath the water next to the yacht. ¡°Guess the only thing we can do is call for Amos,¡± Trigger said with a sigh. Barry nodded, ¡°Ayep, that¡¯s my thought,¡± He said and paused for a moment. He seemed to go a little pale for a few heartbeats before he cleared his throat, ¡°Hey uh¡­ Trigger, can you do me a favor, my friend?¡± Trigger glanced at him and squinted, ¡°What is it¡­ boss?¡± ¡°Would you uh¡­¡± He trailed off, ¡°Mind calling the boss and asking for Amos to visit, I gotta go check on the Commodore and his fleet. Thanks bro! Later!¡± He said quickly before diving right into the water and vanishing into the depths.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Stitches and Haus both stared into the water after him for a moment before looking up at Trigger. Somewhere in the background, Wake was howling with laughter, the faint clanks of him punching a wall in his mirth carrying over them. Trigger stood stiffly, fists clenched, his face red, his eyes squeezed shut as he wrestled with the urge to blow everything and everyone up around him. Maybe just the boat, that would convert nicely into a few million sticks of dynamite worth. He sighed when he remembered he¡¯d have to be standing next to it when it went off. He paused and considered it anyway then scratched his head, ¡°Wake!¡± He shouted as he turned from the railing, ¡°Where¡¯s the damn Ishtar line?¡± He shouted as the man kept laughing, ¡°Quit your gobblin¡¯ or I¡¯m gonna cut off your food for a week!¡± He barked. ¨C Eight figures now stood on the side of the boat, all of them leaning over the railing and staring down into the water where the subs were sitting quietly, untouched. ¡°Is there¡­ anyone inside?¡± Marta asked, brushing her hair back nervously. Amos rest his elbows on the rails and let out a sigh, ¡°Not detecting anybody with my drones, looks like they all abandoned ship at some point. You let them go Barry?¡± He asked, glancing over at the big man who stood in the middle of their gathering with a very annoyed looking Sonya. He had a small red bump on his head. Barry looked sullenly down at his feet, ¡°Didn¡¯t see any need ta kill ¡®em. Just figured I¡¯d bring ¡®em back. Y¡¯know, maybe the boss could use ¡®em.¡± Sonya had been standing in silence for a long while, ever since they arrived. Barry, Amos, Marta, and the others had done the most talking. She finally clicked her tongue and squinted at him, ¡°And, what, pray tell, do you expect me to do with two United States Navy Nuclear Submarines?¡± She started, rounding on him and putting her hands on her hips as she stared up at him. He was many times her size but he still shrank a little when she stared. ¡°Here it comes,¡± Amos chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re Nuclear Submarines! Barry!¡± She rambled, ¡°That doesn¡¯t just mean they have nuclear reactors, they do! But that¡¯s not the point! They¡¯ve got rockets on ¡®em, Barry! Nukes! Do I look like a nuclear power to you? Huh? What am I gonna do with nukes? I¡¯m a supervillain, not a crotchety third world dictator!¡± She threw her hands up and scratched at her head before letting out a sigh and looking back at Amos. ¡°Is there anything we can do with the bombs? I hate those things.¡± ¡°Could probably repurpose most of it, the materials could be used for a bunch of stuff,¡± He said thoughtfully, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t wanna keep one? Trophy?¡± She leveled him with a deadpan stare, ¡°With the United States looking everywhere for their precious ships and nukes?¡± She growled then glanced over at the four men who were laughing at Barry¡¯s comeuppance. She put her hands on her hips, ¡°And what were you guys doing while he was off galavanting and picking a fight with the Navy? Haven¡¯t you heard the Amercian phrase ¡®Don¡¯t touch our boats?¡¯¡± She demanded. They looked at one another and all looked away or in any direction other than directly at her. She rubbed her temples and looked back at Amos, ¡°Can we really repurpose the missiles?¡± She asked, ¡°I want those things gone. If not through you, then find a dirty nuclear rep to pawn them off to and have them decommissioned. I don¡¯t want them connected to me, got it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can handle it, ¡± He said, ¡°Gotta get my drones over here for a day or two and work my way through the ships. Disable the self-destruct and everything,¡± He huffed, ¡°Should be able to have them running in a week with my operating system rather than the shit one they¡¯ve got installed.¡± Sonya held up a hand, ¡°You can get them running?¡± She asked seriously. Amos scratched his neck, ¡°Uh, sure? Why not?¡± He said with a shrug as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Sonya brightened, ¡°Oh! I figured we had a pair of explosive golf trophies on our hands!¡± She turned to Barry and slapped his arm, ¡°Atta boy! Well done big guy! I¡¯m still gonna let you have it for going off the reservation but good catch!¡± She said merrily, the small threat thrown in there making him pale a little as she wandered over to the rail and looked over at them. ¡°Kinda ugly, don¡¯t you think? I¡¯ve never seen a sub up close. Guess that goes with the whole ¡®stealthy¡¯ thing.¡± Trigger and Wake looked at one another and then at Barry. They both shook their heads urgently but the big guy just squared his shoulders and walked over to lean next to her. ¡°Yeah, I was thinkin¡¯ a paint job! Some flames maybe?¡± He said thoughtfully. Sonya pursed her lips, ¡°Hum, gonna have to be blue flames then,¡± She said and Trigger groaned. Side-Story: Colin 2 The lurker prowled across the top of the building. It had eaten well that night. The creature it had hunted was succulent, tasty, the faint flicker of mana within making the meal all the more nourishing. It would grow stronger with each kill, wiser, every correct decision another step towards something more than it could comprehend. It was a predator and this dusty, dry, unforgiving land of stone buildings and metal beasts was its domain. It had existed for weeks now, the days of mindlessness a blur to its ever sharpening mind. It had been cautious, avoiding the powerful creatures that wielded strange forces its primitive mind could barely comprehend. Now it had a pack, six hounds to do its bidding. Soon more would join. It only had to survive. A scent caught its nostrils, a sweet scent. It raised its head from within the metal cylinder it had found as its new home. Once filled with water, it was now a lair for it and its pack to rest in comfortable seclusion. Here they would recover after every hunt and grow strong as the lifegiving mana in the air slowly strengthened them, healed their wounds, and aided in changing delicious flesh into something more. It clambered to its feet, its body healthy and hale, and glanced at the pack that raised their heads to acknowledge its dominance. With a gesture and a growl it commanded them, it was time to hunt again. Out through the opening on the roof while the others slipped through the hole it had carved in the bottom. It alighted atop the cylinder and looked down over the vast land beyond. The tall structures were dusted with the sand of the desert beyond it. It sniffed the air again, there, that sweet scent. An alien one to it, not once in its life had it smelled such an odor. Yet beneath the scent was another, tantalizing, a deep well of mana that cried out to it, begging to be consumed. This feast alone could give it such power if only it could have a taste. Perhaps, perhaps it could become more than a mere lurker. Something greater. It leaped from the top of its lair and alighted on the building in utter silence, a violation of natural laws as its lumbering bulk left not even a crack in the ground. It moved forward and peered over the side of the building. There, walking alone in the darkened street, a single creature with a brown mane. It wore black and carried naught but a box of some kind hanging from its right hand. The lurker tilted its head and sniffed again. Oh that smell, delicious. It ached to taste it, to feast, it needed to more than anything in the world. It was a compulsion, an instinct. It glanced at its pack and nodded to them. They would bring the feast to it so that it would not have to risk its own life. Their lips pulled back in hungry snarls before they threw themselves off the side, heedless, their simple minds nothing compared to its growing wisdom. They did not understand danger or risk, not like it did. They alighted on the ground behind the creature with barks and snarls, dashing forward to secure its prize while it stepped back to return to its lair. ¡°Sit.¡± The one word was like a command from the heavens above, from within the very core of its being, the word resonated and gripped at something so deep and primal that it could not begin to resist. It, like the others, sat down on the ground. It¡¯s simple mind tried to process it, tried to understand, tried to conceive of what was gripping so tightly at the very deepest parts of its being. Yet the lurker was still a beast, even in its growing wisdom, it did not know. It roared in defiance and pushed itself back to its feet, a command to the others to rise again and kill the small thing that hid its threat so easily. It clambered to the side once more and looked down and a pair of red eyes met it. ¡°Break.¡± The lurker did not understand how it died. ¨C Mephisto brushed his hair back and glanced at the twisted corpses of the hounds that had tried to surround him. Every limb had been snapped and bent the wrong way, their heads pulled to the sides and their jaws cracked open, their eyes had burst and their skin had been turned against flesh, partially peeled. He sniffed and shrugged before glancing down at his watch. Barely a few seconds but still a mild inconvenience on his schedule. He shifted his grip on his briefcase and took a few powered steps forward, crossing a few blocks in as many heartbeats. He moved like a ghost, seeming to disappear and reappear with each step, from an outsider his body looked as if it twitched with each landing.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Back on schedule, He thought and resumed his casual walk. He didn¡¯t stop walking until he arrived at the office building he was looking for. A pair of guards armed with guns stood outside and immediately turned their weapons on him as he approached. He brandished his best smile when he drew near, ¡°I¡¯m here to see the Spice King,¡± Mephisto said with a small curtsey, ¡°He¡¯s expecting me.¡± The two men glanced at one another before pointing their guns at him again. Mephisto¡¯s smile grew wider as he changed languages, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. Your boss would be very upset if you died, I imagine.¡± They froze and Mephisto smiled wider, ¡°Tell your boss the dealmaker is here.¡± One of them got on his radio and said a few quick words, he tensed and then nodded before stepping aside, quickly opening the doors for Mephisto. The villain winked at him before stepping through, ¡°Thank you, handsome,¡± He said and proceeded inside. Unlike the rather bland exterior, the interior was a place of luxury. Gardens maintained through water pumps and solar lamps built into the light fixtures above made it look like paradise. With the blue ceiling it was hard to even differentiate it from the outside. Ahead of him a gold elevator opened and a man hurried out, he wore a crisp suit and appeared to be in his late teens at best. Perhaps even younger than little Blackrazor. Mephisto stopped and waited for the young man to approach, ¡°Master Mephisto, my father is expecting you,¡± He said quickly, bowing once. Mephisto¡¯s lip twitched, ¡°Which one are you?¡± ¡°Saleh, Master Mephisto.¡± ¡°The youngest, you just came of age, did you awaken?¡± Mephisto asked, walking past him towards the elevator. ¡°I did, Master Mephisto. Heroic, my father is quite proud,¡± The young man said, falling into step with him. ¡°He wanted me to see you, your father is such a fun man,¡± Mephisto quipped as they entered the elevator, ¡°Your brothers must be jealous.¡± Saleh cleared his throat, ¡°They have their own concerns, Master Mephisto.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they do, are there still twenty six of you?¡± Mephisto asked as the elevator rose. ¡°Twenty four, Master Mephisto,¡± Saleh said with a solemn tone, ¡°Such is the way of things in our family.¡± ¡°Far be it from me to judge how a man raises his sons,¡± Mephisto tittered out a laugh as the door opened and they stepped out into what was basically a throne room. A single path stretched out ahead of them made of marble and decorative columns lined it. Between the columns and facing inward were twenty three young men of various ages that looked towards Mephisto with various expressions. Some open disgust, others hatred, a few curiosity. Two, though, had very different looks. One to the left of the throne showed open lust, and to the right showed nothing at all. Only eyes of steel. ¡°Your eldest brother might be hard to beat,¡± Mephisto murmured as the young man moved quickly to stand in line with the others. He turned his attention to the throne and the mountainous man sitting on it. The Spice King was young, he looked not much older than his sons. Black hair worn almost wet on his head curled in just the right ways and matched his thick black beard well. He had a broad chest and powerful arms that looked as if they could crack cinder blocks with a gesture. His skin glittered slightly, powdered with gold no doubt. He broke out into a wide smile as the dark figure stepped out into his glittering golden domain. ¡°The Great Dealmaker of Ishtar returns!¡± He barked, opening his arms wide, ¡°Welcome, Mephisto.¡± Mephisto went into a low, playful bow before flicking his head up to make eye contact with the man, ¡°Mistress Isthar sends her warmest greetings to the Spice King.¡± ¡°The God-Queen of Villains is a magnanimous one, sending her best all this way,¡± The Spice King said, sitting back down, ¡°I have a feast and a decadent room prepared for you, as always.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Mephisto said before standing up straight, ¡°Before all the fun and games, why don¡¯t we get to business?¡± The golden-skinned man leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees, ¡°Yes. I have a few things in mind that I¡¯m sure she will be interested in.¡± Side-Story: Shuta 1 Reinforced heels clicked against the marble floor as three men stormed down the halls of that sacred place. The sound resonated through the space, warning any who were thinking of stepping out to think twice. Two guards walked at either side of a man in a suit and tie. They both wore white robes fitted with hoods, sheer black masks lined with polished steel covered their heads. He himself wore no such mask, preferring a simple silver-and-black metal hanpo designed to look like the sneer of a demon. His long black hair hung down his back, a single white streak tied with silver bands hanging over his shoulder and across his chest. A chime rang in his ear and he touched his earpiece. ¡°On my way,¡± He growled, dark eyes narrowed. That man was back yet again. He came more and more often these days. He came to the sacred doors and stood there, shouting his fury at the sacred temple and demanding an audience. Every time he was sent away. He was a troublesome person who didn¡¯t know how to keep his nose out of business that did not concern him, that was above him. Shuta strode down the hall as the guards on either side of him readied their weapons while he clutched at the saya of his own tool of death. A weapon he had earned in the dungeon. His head tilted forward as they drew closer to the front door of the temple, his lips forming a thin line. ¡°Do not engage unless threatened,¡± He hissed and the two masked men nodded. Shuta pushed the doors open and stepped out into the beautiful courtyard. White flowers bloomed in a green garden dotted with small ponds. The solitary stone pathway leading to the outer gates was empty save for a solitary figure that stood on the wrong side of the gates. Shuta clicked his tongue, Despoiler, how dare you. He crossed the distance quickly, the neatly cut lawn nothing but a blur in his periphery as he stalked indignantly towards the man who dared stand there with impunity. He came to a stop only a few meters away, tilting his head up and looking the hulking man in the eyes. Tanned skin, tattoos showing beneath a suit that was just a little too tight. Graying hair on his head and an unforgiving stare, ¡°Hero Sapporo,¡± Shuta said, keeping his tone as steady as he could even as rage boiled beneath his skin. The international hero offered him no greeting. He only scowled. ¡°You are trespassing in a sacred place, leave now,¡± Shuta clipped out into the silence between them. Sapporo tilted his head up and looked down at Shuta, ¡°Kato Shuta. Your organization openly worships a wanted criminal and praises her actions,¡± He said stoically, ¡°The only reason I am not leveling this building in search of your so-called leader right this instant is that officially you have not committed any acts of villainy and my own shortening patience.¡± Shuta took a step forward and tilted his head, looking into the man¡¯s face, ¡°You have no right to enter this place, you have been banned from the premises and a formal request put forward to the Pandora Committee demanding that you cease this harassment,¡± He said, ¡°Again, I ask you to leave. The people here want to be left alone and I will protect them from you.¡± Sapporo raised an eyebrow, ¡°A request that was denied, a ban that was countered,¡± The big man growled, ¡°You are villains, I have no doubt, and I will defend this nation from the infection of Ishtar¡¯s followers. We have suspicions that she has already made contact and it will be confirmed.¡± ¡°The savior has made no such contact,¡± Shuta insisted, ¡°Now begone.¡± Sapporo¡¯s eyes glowed for a moment and he leaned forward, ¡°Savior?¡± He growled, his voice dropping a full octave, ¡°Move me, then, I will see your leader. She has to answer for poisoning the minds of Japanese people.¡± ¡°We have a right to practice our faith-¡± Shuta began but a faint wave of power cut him off. He clenched his hand around his weapon and steadied himself as Sapporo seemed to grow just a fraction bigger before his eyes. Sweat poured down his back, the mighty mythic and warrior that had faced the beast An Set in single combat loomed over him with a pitiless stare. Shuta felt his guts turn to ice and could sense his men trembling behind him. He set his jaw anyway and firmed every ounce of resolve he could, ¡°-until you have proof. You may not come in. Even if I die I will not allow you to pass.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. All Shuta could see for a moment was a pair of glowing eyes and smelled the faint scent of alcohol in the air. It burned his nose, even through the mask, ¡°You worship a mass-murderer and terrorist. Step aside.¡± ¡°No,¡± Shuta bit out even as he felt his knuckles creak around his weapon, a madness inching into his mind, telling him to lash out, strike first. He shook his head and glowered at the man before leaping back and striking his two guards in the back of the neck. The two men who were on the verge of drawing their weapons crumpled to the ground, ¡°I will not strike first.¡± Sapporo straightened and the pressure vanished as if it had never been there. The sweat on Shuta¡¯s brow increased and he felt his muscles tremble under the strain they had been put under, ¡°You put our homeland in danger,¡± Sapporo growled, ¡°Unforgivable. I will return again and again until your leader sees me. They cannot escape justice even if the law protects them, for now,¡± He snarled and turned away, ¡°I will be watching.¡± With that the mighty hero vanished, leaping into the sky with such force that the air had to rush to replace the space he had vacated. Shuta coughed and watched after him before looking down at the two men who were starting to get to their feet. They rubbed the back of their heads and looked up at him, ¡°Your fear almost pushed you to strike first,¡± He explained and turned away, marching towards the doors, ¡°I did what I had to do.¡± They hurried to follow him, offering apologies that he barely heard. He was fuming. It was a dirty trick the man had tried to use on them. He knew nothing about what happened in this place, what it¡¯s true purpose was. Nor would he ever know if Shuta had his say in it. He passed by those who had awakened with the flash, their bodies altered by physiological abilities, their minds struggling under the weight of their new powers, their lives changed forever. Families had turned them out before abilities had become normalized, jobs lost, livelihoods destroyed in accidents. From mundane to even heroic, they hid under his protection. If that makes me a villain, so be it. He thought bitterly as he made his way through the halls to the elevator. He summoned it and gestured for the guards to take their positions on either side, ¡°Call security and-¡± He paused when a chime came to his ear again and he frowned, ¡°-Understood,¡± He murmured and glanced at them, ¡°Nevermind, just remain here.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± They both said in unison as the elevator opened and he stepped inside. Moments later he was deep beneath the ground, clean wallpaper, wood, and stone floors replaced by metal halls. He rounded a corner, passing beneath security cameras that followed him until he arrived at a large circular door. There was a pause before the door opened and he strode quickly inside, passing through a faint cloud of smoke before dropping to a knee, his hair falling over his head, ¡°Lady Setsuna,¡± He rasped, ¡°I am here.¡± ¡°At look me, dear,¡± A gentle voice called out to him. He looked up and into the center of the room. There, sitting on a dais, was an enormous circular cushion surrounded by nearly-transparent silk drapes. A silhouette hid behind it, that of a woman sitting and looking down at him. He couldn¡¯t see her face, but he could feel the gentle smile. He returned it from beneath his mask before his expression fell a little, ¡°He-¡± ¡°Unimportant,¡± She corrected him, ¡°He gone is, well did you, you thank, little Shuta.¡± His lip twitched and he had the sudden urge to rub his neck a little. He held his posture at one knee, though, his fist on the ground until she gestured for him to stand. He rose and when she gestured for him to approach he did without question. She reached through the drapes and delicate hand extended to touch his cheek, ¡°Busy soon, be he will, not worry, ease at, ease at,¡± She whispered. He let out a breath and nodded, relaxing his shoulders, ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°A vision soon comes,¡± She said, ¡°Listen.¡± He nodded again, ¡°I am here.¡± She pulled her hand away and rest her hands in her lap. For a moment there was stillness as her head lulled back behind the curtains. Then the smoke in the air began to gather, a cloudy mist that clung to his nose and made him feel a little dizzy. He shook it off and concentrated, not daring to miss a single word as a sound like a death rattle escaped his mother¡¯s lips. Kato Setsuna, the Oracle, the leader of Hope¡¯s Disciples, spoke, her voice echoed in the room with a powerful resonance. Every word was spoken with a different tone, a different accent, a different voice, yet not a single syllable could be lost: ¡°The terrible pendragon grows mighty, the seas shall boil with the madness of a king, storms fall from above and the shadows dance. The enemy at last is revealed, reveling in the praise of the ignorant. The hammer of vengeance falls. The Savior¡¯s mask is consumed, forever changed. Her eye shall open, her wrath will fill the sky. We will see her soon, in this place, behind the mask of an enemy.¡± Chapter 115 The wind whipped past his head. It buffeted against his body, the ear-breaking sound held at bay by the head gear. His eyes opened wide, the clouds were getting closer, he could see them just ahead. His body accelerated, faster, faster, he could go just a little faster. Just to the edge of ¡®launch¡¯. Just before ¡®stage one¡¯. The air started to compress in front of his face, a ripple forming at the edge of the bubble of air that was taking shape around his body. Heat that should have been scorching his skin was dispersed into his surroundings. The clouds were right here. A wall that seemed so very solid. Impact. A rumbling. Whiteness. An endless sea of pure blue greeted him on the other side. ¡°WOOO HOOO!¡± Val shouted into the mouth guard, throwing his fists into the air and stabilizing as he came to a rapid stop. Something in the gear attached to his body shifted with the abrupt halt and he felt it spread the force across his body, counterbalancing before releasing it as a blast of air in all directions. Explosive force continued to rush out of the base of his feet as he stood in place, above the clouds, above the world, above everything for just a few moments. He tilted his head back and soaked it all in. He wished he could feel the sun, but it was a small price to pay. A faint buzz sounded in his ear and a voice came in over the headgear, ¡°That¡¯s seven thousand feet, Val, how¡¯d it feel flying through a cloud?¡± Dr. Carter asked. Val spun around and looked across the sea of blue and white, ¡°That was fucking amazing!¡± He laughed and did a flip once in the air, nearly losing balance and stabilizing himself. ¡°Woah.¡± A second voice chimed in with a laugh, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! Just try not to go overboard with the crazy stuff until you do some more practice closer to the ground, mm?¡± Miss Chernovna chimed in. He chuckled, ¡°R-right, got it,¡± He snickered and glanced up above his head towards another set of clouds, ¡°My max altitude is eight thousand right now, right?¡± He asked. ¡°Best I could do,¡± Dr. Carter said, ¡°Even then it''s a bit fuzzy, you¡¯re best staying there. Push it too hard and the headgear might crack. You¡¯ll lose consciousness really quickly after that.¡± Val clenched his fists, ¡°What about landing? How much can it take?¡± He asked. There was a pause, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t suggest a full speed landing right now,¡± Miss Chernovna said, ¡°As amusing as that sounds. Come in slow.¡± Val clicked his tongue, ¡°I got a better idea,¡± He said and angled his body down and felt the openings in his limbs begin to heat up again. The heat spread out, not burning his skin but instead being absorbed by the gear set up around each spot. The rocket booster-like funnels started to glow just a little as the pressure built, he took a deep breath and with one last grunt he pushed, Launch! He ordered his ability, starting the cycle of his power over again. The opening in his back flared, palms, elbows, feet, ankles, they all screamed to life as he turned into a bullet heading straight for the ground. ¡°Oh jeez,¡± Amos muttered into his ear, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Val laughed, ¡°Gotta put it through its paces somehow!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t end up a smear, you punk, that gear took a lot of work to make!¡± Amos grumbled. Val passed through the clouds again, coming out the other end and looking over the wide green grassland dotted with gray buildings that was the Green Bank location. He could see the remains of the old telescope dish and the simulated battlefields. It looked like Axel was teaching another rescue course. He spotted a few duels going on at the conditioning fields, they were being observed by Madame Rouge if he had to guess, since Black Lotus was suspended. More instructors were showing up every day now, the first month of Orientation was over. It¡¯s time for the real shit, Val thought before clenching his armored fist, Just in time. He hurtled towards the ground, closer and closer to the designated red mark that had been left out for him as a landing spot. ¡°You¡¯re pushing it,¡± Amos warned, ¡°The compensator I put in there can only take so much.¡± ¡°It handled my stop going up!¡± Val challenged. ¡°Yeah but now you have gravity to contend with,¡± Amos pointed out, ¡°Slow down a bit.¡± Val clicked his tongue but ultimately agreed, ¡°Alright,¡± He grunted and altered his trajectory to less a direct descent and more a corkscrew, coming down at a looping angle as he threw his hands out to counter the force released by his feet. He was still coming in really fast, but it would slowly reduce until- he whipped his body around mid flight and shoved his feet out, putting a bit more force out through the openings there. He felt the shift in his gear again as the compensator endured most of the force generated by the abrupt stop. He hung there as the force was released as another compressed blast of air before finally landing on the ground. A series of whoops and shouts sounded out from nearby. He turned and reached up to pull the visor out of the way of his eyes, red hair sticking to his face a bit. He turned and grinned as his friends practically charged him, then his eyes went wide as they picked up speed. ¡°Oh shi-¡± Lillian, Greg, and Alex bowled him over without an ounce of hesitation, tackling him to the ground. John, Snow, and Ollie walked up behind them. John shoved his hands in his pockets as Val looked his way and nodded, his placid straight-lined expression curving upwards a full three millimeters. He let out a laugh and fell back onto his back as the others badgered him with questions. ¡°That was so cool!¡± Lillian laughed, beaming down at him. ¡°Dude, what was it like?¡± Alex pressed, ¡°All the way up there, going through a fuckin¡¯ cloud! Shit that was amazing!¡± ¡°You feel better, bud?¡± Greg added, pulling off of him. Val just lay flat on his back and stared up at the sky for a moment before looking down at his friends again, ¡°It was better than I could ever describe. Up there, in the clouds, was so¡­ freeing,¡± He said and clenched his fist in front of his face before opening it to look at the dark hole that had been disguised by the gloves to look like a rocket booster, ¡°Makes it all worth it.¡± The three aggressors looked at one another and grinned before hopping up and pulling him to his feet. He gasped as Alex and Greg picked him up before they helped Lillian throw him onto her shoulders. ¡°All hail the rocket man!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°His first launch and return! Complete success.¡± Greg laughed.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Eat your heart out, Husk!¡± Lillian chimed in as she paraded him around. <¡±You guys are idiots,¡±> Snow said through that text window thing of hers. Val had a hard time reading it because the others kept jostling him around. ¡°I think it¡¯s sweet,¡± Ollie said with a big smile, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you happy, Val.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± John grunted with a nod, his voice sounding a tiny bit shaky. Everyone looked at him again and he cleared his throat, ¡°What?¡± He asked, his expression going utterly deadpan again. ¡°Could have gone easier,¡± A voice called out and Val looked over with everyone else to see Amos walking over, scratching at his messy brown hair. He had one hand in the pocket of his labcoat and was grinning despite his words, ¡°Not bad, Val, good flying.¡± Next to Amos, Sonya walked over in a delicate looking sundress and wide-brimmed hat. She smiled at them all before looking up at Val, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked. Val looked at her face for a moment, setting his jaw a bit. He pat Lillian¡¯s shoulder and she picked him up before setting him down. He landed heavily and marveled for a heartbeat at how strong Lillian was getting. He took a few steps forward before clapping his hands to his sides and bowing fully at the waist, ¡°I cannot thank you both enough!¡± He shouted at the ground, ¡°Thank you so much for making this dream of mine come true! I¡¯ll use it well!¡± Amos snorted, ¡°C¡¯mon man, it¡¯s just a prototype.¡± ¡°Amos, be nice,¡± Sonya chided him before Val heard a few light steps walk over to him. He felt a small hand land on his armored shoulder and looked up, Sonya looked down at him with a brilliant smile, ¡°Just become a good hero for me, then, work hard.¡± He stood up straight and cleared his throat, ¡°Right!¡± He barked before clenching his fists and looking down at them, ¡°Man, I can do all the stuff I¡¯ve been practicing outside now!¡± He laughed and bounced back a few feet. ¡°You guys thought my tricks during the spar were crazy, just you wait!¡± He kicked off the ground with a short rocket boost and flipped backwards. One hand released a shot of force and he was facing the opposite direction. In an instant he was facing away from where he was and coming down with a rocket propelled kick from above. He hit the ground and grass, dirt, and dust flew up before he stood and marveled at the tiny crater he¡¯d made. He punched his palm and looked over his shoulder at everyone, ¡°You¡¯ve got yourselves a high mobility striker.¡± Sonya cupped her cheek and chuckled, ¡°I imagine an excellent rescue specialist too.¡± She tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment before glancing at John, ¡°Oh, John, about what we talked about, I spoke with Blue-¡± A crack of thunder shattered the sky, the earth shook, and everyone turned to face it. ¨C Sonya moved fast, putting herself between the sound and the aspirants while Amos reached up to grab his wrist. She looked up at the sky where a dark cloud had formed in the midst of the nearly clear sky above a spot deep in the woods. From it, a stream of lightning was pouring down relentlessly over a single spot. She blinked and frowned before dialing out mentally. <¡±Yo! Wassup boss?¡±> Kera¡¯s voice came through. <¡±Kera dear, where are you right now?¡±> Sonya asked. <¡±Eatin¡¯ sausage.¡±> Kera quipped back, <¡±Wassup?¡±> Sonya made a deadpan face, <¡±I didn¡¯t ask for the gory details, I asked where you are.¡±> <¡±Hey! You¡¯re the dirty one, we¡¯re still in Germany!¡±> Kera chimed back. Sonya rolled her eyes and stood up straight, <¡±Right, of course, nevermind.¡±> Sonya grunted and hung up. I wouldn¡¯t have assumed if that wasn¡¯t half of what you talked about, Kera. She thought with a shake of her head before crossing her arms and glancing at Amos, shaking her head a little bit. He nodded and tapped his temple twice. A moment later a small stream of metal objects swarmed into the air as the Aspirants began to calm down behind them. ¡°It¡¯s just coming down,¡± Lillian breathed. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s like rain,¡± Alex murmured, ¡°The hell is that? Some kind of weird monster?¡± ¡°That would mean a dungeon break is coming soon and I doubt the instructors would allow the dungeon they¡¯re maintaining here to get that bad,¡± Ollie pointed out. Amos narrowed his eyes, ¡°It looks like¡­¡± He frowned, ¡°...Black Lotus?¡± He blurted and stood up straight, ¡°She¡¯s just sitting there getting hit by it.¡± Sonya blinked and raised her eyebrows, ¡°Pull your drones back and leave it be,¡± She said and glanced back at the Aspirants, more of them were starting to gather as well as a few instructors who stopped to watch the show with them. Another crack of thunder sounded and the lightning intensified, there were a few shouts of confusion, Sonya raised her voice, ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Sonya called, ¡°Hero Black Lotus is undergoing a special personal training right now, she¡¯s working hard, so you all go back and work hard as well!¡± She urged them before shooting Amos a glance. <¡±Call Marta and have her go stand guard near Chunhua, she can¡¯t defend herself in that state,¡±> She said through their technopathic connection. <¡±On it,¡±> Amos acknowledged. Sonya turned back when a single voice chimed in, ¡°A heavenly tribulation,¡± Ollie said aloud, ¡°Is that what that is?¡± Sonya glanced his way, Little smarty pants, She opened her mouth to give an indecisive answer but closed it, glancing back at the lightning. She¡¯d only seen it once during her past life but she knew it all too well. This one wasn¡¯t as intense as the one she saw back then, though. Second breakthrough? She raised her eyebrow a little, Does that mean she fought me as Ishtar with only her first breakthrough? She smirked, That cheeky little¡­ ¡°What does that mean?¡± Lillian asked behind Sonya.. Sonya resisted the urge to flinch. Oh great. I hope it doesn¡¯t scare her, that boy talks a little too much sometimes. Ollie cleared his throat while most of the aspirants dispersed, fortunately they were satisfied enough with Sonya¡¯s response. ¡°I¡¯ve had a theory for a while that Miss Black Lotus¡¯ abilities are based on popular cultivation stories, a lot of abilities out there seem to be grounded in myths, legends, and well known tales,¡± Ollie said and straightened his glasses, ¡°A heavenly tribulation happens when one of those individuals has a break-through in their powers and achieved another level of enlightenment. Heaven challenges them, or something to that effect, and they have to endure until the end of the tribulation.¡± Sonya looked back to watch Lillian and felt her mouth drop open a bit, the girl looked elated! Lillian bounced on the balls of her feet, ¡°She did it? That¡¯s great!¡± Lillian barked, overjoyed. She turned and looked at the seemingly unending rain of lightning on that point in the forest and clenched her fists, ¡°So I will too-¡± She mumbled and squeezed her hands tight, ¡°It¡¯s amazing! It¡¯s like the world is responding to her. Like-¡± She blinked, standing up a bit straighter and frowning a little, ¡°Huh.¡± Sonya narrowed her eyes, ¡°Everything okay, Lillian?¡± Lillian scratched her head as her friends looked at her with concern. The girl blinked a few times and looked at the ground and then up at the sky, ¡°I uh¡­¡± She scratched her head again and furrowed her brow before clearing her throat and spinning around abruptly to look at Val, ¡°N-not gonna let some lightning steal your thunder, buddy!¡± She laughed and clapped him on the shoulders. Val tilted his head at her, a little confused. ¡°You kidding? Why would I give a shit?¡± He asked her. She barked out a laugh as Sonya watched her carefully, ¡°Right! Right! Hey, guys? I gotta go um¡­ sit for a minute. I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Lillian said hurriedly. Snow gave her a look and Lillian broke into a wide smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine, promise!¡± She laughed before darting away at full speed. Sonya didn¡¯t miss the serious expression that washed over Lillian''s face. She watched her go and crossed her arms. What on earth did that girl just realize? She glanced at the lightning where Chunhua was. She saw the streak of light that was Marta heading towards it. What do you both know that¡¯s so profound? She shook her head ruefully and turned to look at the remaining aspirants, ¡°Well! Lillian ran off before I could make my announcement!¡± She said with a laugh and the others turned to her with grins on their faces, ¡°First, congratulations on your new suit, Mister Kinton.¡± Val shot her a thumbs up. ¡°Next,¡± She threw her arms out, ¡°I made a special deal with the PC for a little down time for a day with you all!¡± She announced before slipping into a dramatic pause. She grinned impishly at them, looking at their faces before bouncing into an excited pose. ¡°We¡¯re going to the beach in a few days!¡± Chapter 116 Lillian rushed through the camp, past the dojo, past the common building. She wasn¡¯t even sure where she was going, it was like something in her just wanted to go somewhere. It didn¡¯t make sense, but it didn¡¯t have to make sense. She let the feeling carry her away as her mind reeled and spun, her thoughts a jumbled mess trying to splice back together only to come unwound and the process repeat. Her head hurt, her chest hurt, her muscles burned, her mind screamed at her as the dots connected in her brain. They couldn¡¯t see it, not the way I could see it, Lillian thought as her legs worked. She hopped over an obstacle that she barely noticed, she grabbed onto a tree limb and swung forward, accelerating. They couldn¡¯t feel it the way I felt it. She felt the homing instinct, whatever it was, ease as she slid to a stop. Only then did she look around. She was standing among the trees, the gentle sounds of nature all around her. She whipped her head around, there was a creek nearby, a little trickle of water adding to the noise. A bird sang above her head and she looked up at it. It looked down at her and their eyes met. I could see it, really see it, the clouds of mana gathering over teacher. I could see them sparking, I could feel the process. It wasn¡¯t artificial, it wasn¡¯t like when someone used their abilities. It was¡­ Her heart pounded and her head hurt again, she gripped at her skull and shook her head. That doesn¡¯t make any sense! She thought, It¡¯s insane. It¡¯s completely insane! She looked back up at the bird, it had been joined by another that stood next to it and watched her intently. She shook her head and looked down at her feet. Mana is strong in the air here. Big concentration, almost enough to make a monster. She furrowed her brows, How do I know that? She sat down in the lotus position, her hands on her knees. She had to clear this up in her head, it was swirling in her mind and demanding attention. She only hoped, she only prayed, that it didn¡¯t take too long. Snow¡¯s waiting for me, it¡¯s tonight. I can¡¯t be late. She took a deep breath, all the way, filling her lungs and tried to clear her mind. She pushed the clutter away. Only the facts. She took another deep breath. What do I know? What do I see? What do I feel? She closed her eyes and let her head hang back, power slipped out from her heart as the golden flame worked its way out through her meridians. She felt it go from one point to another, following the channels that teacher had helped her clear. She clenched her fists, I saw it. I saw what happened with teacher¡¯s tribulation. I saw the clouds. I could physically see them. She exhaled, a long breath coming out of her. She couldn¡¯t see the golden flames that leaped from her lips. She breathed in again and flames drew up into her nostrils. What did teacher say? Think about the flash? She let the memories flow, The flash happened, light across the world. Powers awakened, then monsters appeared. She thought, tilting her head a little and frowning. Monsters didn¡¯t happen right away, right, I remember, it took a minute or two for it to start. She thought, Powers happened almost immediately, people were hit with the flash and they just changed. She opened and closed her hands, another exhale of golden flame, another inhale of golden flame. She could hear the birdsong nearby and let her head roll a bit on her shoulders, Animals don¡¯t have abilities. How does mana differentiate? Does it? No that¡¯s not the point. Humans differentiate, she thought firmly and felt movement in her chest. It''s not because we¡¯re special or anything, not because of any ¡®humans are special¡¯ bullshit. No, it¡¯s just natural for us. We can handle mana, we¡¯re built for it. Her heart rate increased and she felt the movement inside of her chest increase. The mana was moving slowly through her body, it felt like it was pulling inward, moving in a steady churning motion. She clenched her fists tightly, she could see the clouds, visualize them, feel them. We¡¯re built for it, but why are we built for it? Why are our abilities so recognizable? It doesn¡¯t make any sense but it has to make sense, it has to be the answer because there¡¯s only one rational explanation. She took another breath and a rush of flames entered her nostrils, she exhaled and a ring of gold formed around her. Mana is natural. The mana in the air kept gathering around her, she could feel its potential for action, for change. It could become anything, a monster, fuel, even a dungeon. It practically sizzled against her skin even as it ran over her like water caught in a whirlpool. It responded to her presence. It¡¯s a part of nature. The world responds to it as if it should have been there all along. The flow intensified, the tightness in her meridians and channels eased. Mana has always, will always, and shall always, exist. It was just locked away somehow. Put away? She furrowed her brow. Her mind was moving slowly through the thoughts now, like a lecture to herself. A calm breath eased out of her chest and the golden ring around her intensified in brightness. Humans adapted to it. It¡¯s in our blood. Our genes. We¡¯ve always been built for it. It was here on earth before us and it will be here long after us. She reached out for the mana again, a more intimate understanding of it guiding her mind. It was as natural to the world as the air she breathed. It wasn¡¯t something to be afraid of. Now she could feel her mental grip on it growing stronger. She felt her fingers clench even tighter in her lap. Lillian tugged on the mana around her, gritting her teeth and pulling with all of her might. Come to me! Come to me! Come on! I know it¡¯s possible, I¡¯ve seen teacher do it, felt her do it! I can do it too, I know I can! She clenched her fists tight as the heat inside of her body increased manyfold. She coughed but held on even as something slid down her lip. Hang on, Landrey! She told herself, Breathe! One more deep breath, and it moved. She felt the flow of mana around her pull in, press against her skin, and slide into her body. She felt it enter her meridians before igniting against the golden flames that permeated her everything. She felt something ache under her skin, she felt her muscles grind, she felt her bones itch. She felt a searing pain around her neck and felt her hair catch fire. Everything was a mixture of pain and exhilaration. She felt her very cells drink in the power that was entering her body for the first time. There was nothing inside of Pandora¡¯s Box, that¡¯s what teacher learned, the world hasn¡¯t changed at all. It¡¯s been fixed. Like a freakin¡¯ valve, opening the box just turned it back on! Was the box even real? The loss of mana was a wrongness that had been corrected, Earth had been incomplete until the day of the flash. Hollow. Now it was whole. That was the profound truth. Something that ordinary people could never accept, something that even her mind had been rattled by, but she didn¡¯t understand fully what that meant. What the implications were. Only that it was an unbending fact. That she could accept. But why? Her brain jolted, and her eyes flew open. A shock of orange light streaming out of them as her blood vessels glowed beneath her skin. Her head was thrown back as her mind expanded, wisdom touching her thoughts and opening her up. She saw things, flashes, images, a time before. Then stars. A pair of all-gold eyes opened in the void and stared down at her. She looked up into a smiling face filled with tears. You? Your ability? Is that it? A hand brushed her cheek. What happened to you? Why did you do it? I don¡¯t understand, everything¡¯s still so confusing. What is-This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The vision ended in a rush, everything crashing down into her body in an instant. She let out a gasp and fell forward, gagging. A splash of terrible smelling black stuff came up, it coated her body, it stung her eyes. She retched and fell onto her side to the chime of birdsong around her. Golden flames spread out around her, dancing on the ground but not leaving a single burn behind. It spread across her skin as her vision swam. She tilted her head and looked up weakly at the dozens of birds looking down at her, watching over her. Hawks, songbirds, all kinds stood guard as she felt her consciousness wane. She grit her teeth, ¡°Get a fucking hold of yourself!¡± She barked and pushed herself up off the ground. She looked up at the sky and saw that it had begun to change colors. She looked down at herself, filthy, but also more than she¡¯d ever been before. She could feel the mana converting into internal energy inside of her body. She could feel it moving slowly, agonizingly slowly, but it was rotating, just like the whirlwind in her teacher. She cleared her throat and spat out another glob of whatever the hell had come out of her, ¡°Snow¡¯s waiting for me,¡± She grunted and pushed herself shakily to her feet, maddening truths bouncing around in her head. She looked around, ¡°How do I get back?¡± She breathed, ¡°I can¡¯t remember how-¡± A screech sounded above her and she looked up at a hawk that stared at her intently. She stared back and it took flight, dipping low for a moment and banking around her before darting off in one direction. She blinked at the fleeing bird before grinning. She bounced on the balls of her feet, ¡°I don¡¯t get it but lead the way!¡± She laughed and charged after it, ¡°I¡¯m coming Snow!¡± ¨C Snow looked down at herself, the gown was just enough to cover her. It was cold. She reached up and rubbed her narrow arms. Her guts did another flip and she took a centering breath, digging her nails into flesh that had barely seen daylight. She shifted her feet on the table while the doctors moved this way and that. She was surrounded by more equipment than she¡¯d ever seen before in her entire life. There were machines of all shapes and sizes, brought through one of those archway portals. The lab techs were all walking around checking on things. Dr. Da-Som was off to the side, flexing his fingers as a green glow rose off of them. She rubbed her arms. She¡¯s late. Dr. Carter seemed to be thinking the same thing. He walked over and put his hands on his hips, a look of concern on his face, ¡°You okay?¡± He asked, handing her a tablet with the agreement they¡¯d spoken about earlier. She gave him a frown before looking down at it, she gave it a once over. Just as she remembered, she signed it and passed it back to him with a huff before looking away. She didn¡¯t have her phone on her right now and it was still so hard to pull an illusion together with just her thoughts. She formed a simple image in her mind of a thumbs up. Dr. Carter nodded and rubbed his neck, ¡°You wanna keep waiting? She¡¯s-¡± Snow frowned at him and with an effort of will changed the thumbs up to a glare, She¡¯ll be here! Snow insisted even if he couldn¡¯t hear her, he could read her face well enough. She felt a shake run up her spine as another chill from the cold air in the room washed over her. That¡¯s all it is, just cold, and maybe some nerves. I¡¯m just nervous. That¡¯s normal, right? She thought, rubbing her arms. That idiot, she¡¯s so late, where is she? Damn it. She got all dozy eyed and darted off to who knows where, Lily you dummy. She squeezed her arms tightly, I need you here, I don¡¯t know if I can do this- BANG! The doors to the lab swung open with a crash, the two doctors and their lab techs all looked up in surprise at a very haggard looking Lillian standing in the doorway. She looked like she¡¯d just run through a waterfall or something. Her clothes were completely soaked through and there were a few black stains on her shirt and tube top. She was panting, wide eyed, as her gaze darted around the room. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± She barked, ¡°Sorry!¡± She turned her eyes towards Snow and their eyes met. Are her eyes brighter now? Even more orange before, wow, Snow thought numbly, Are those tattoos around her neck? She squinted at the haggard woman, there were indeed some kind of green markings on her throat that branched out like petals or feathers. They moved and shifted on her skin like they were alive. She pushed the thoughts aside, more immediate concerns taking over. She sat up a bit straighter and scowled, crossing her arms. Where the hell have you been? Why are you soaked? Are you okay? Lillian walked over, wiping her upper lip off only for a towel to get thrown at her from the side and land on her head. Lillian jerked and grabbed at it before looking over at an impatient Dr. Carter, he had a pair of blue lensed goggles around his neck now and had another tech with him, a dark haired man with an intense stare, ¡°You¡¯re tracking water into my lab, and you¡¯re late,¡± He said with a scowl, ¡°You reek too. You¡¯re lucky one of my techs has a sterilizing ability or I¡¯d have your head," He said testily. Lillian shrank a little as she brought the towel to her face to dab it while one of the techs let out a sigh and started waving his hands around the room. Snow watched her with amusement, she couldn¡¯t stay mad, whatever had happened had clearly worked. She seemed¡­ different. Not just the tattoos. Her skin had a bit of a warmth to it, her eyes brighter, her hair a little shinier, her face ¡­ Snow flushed and cleared her throat before looking away for a moment. She settled her wildly fluttering heart before looking back and instead pinched her nose. She really does smell bad. Lillian blinked, ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± Snow scowled at her, How can you not smell yourself? It''s rancid! Lillian got the meaning of her stare well enough, she grinned a little and scratched her head, ¡°I¡¯ve been running for the past hour, didn¡¯t have time to stop and show-¡± ¡°Hold still please,¡± A grumpy young man said and held his hands out towards Lillian. Snow watched Lillian turn to look at the tech only to get blasted in the face with a wave of light-blue wind. Snow burst into silent laughter as her girlfriend¡¯s face rippled, her hair flew back and her eyes fluttered at the sudden burst of air. The tech drew his hand down across Lillian¡¯s body before stepping back. Snow sniffed the air again, all gone. Lillian blinked and looked down at herself, baffled, before looking up at the tech, ¡°Hey thanks!¡± She said brightly, ¡°That was awesome!¡± Snow relaxed, the worries gone thanks to Lily¡¯s antics. She smiled up at the taller girl who looked back at her nervously. Lily¡¯s expression shifted to a big grin and she walked over before sitting down in the chair next to the table that had been set out for her. ¡°I promised I¡¯d be here,¡± She said, looking Snow in the eyes, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I¡¯m late.¡± Snow felt her chest tighten and she reached out to touch Lillian¡¯s cheek, she smiled before making a pinching gesture with her free hand. Just a little, it¡¯s fine. She slid her hand down and into the bigger hand belonging to the tough young woman she¡¯d spied on during the bus ride. That immediate physical attraction, it had been overwhelming. At first it had just been a craving, a purely physical one. Wanting to get close, to touch, to feel. To lay eyes on someone that was just her type, she¡¯d never experienced that before until the bus ride. Then it became a little more than that. The intense sense of comfort that she gave off was relieving for her, it eased the stress that seemed to be Snow¡¯s entire life. That first night when she¡¯d put her head in Lillian¡¯s lap she¡¯d felt more at ease than she¡¯d ever had before. Then it only got worse after that, or better, depending on how she looked at it. Every single day after the morning that Lillian had fixed her hood, she was constantly on her mind. At first it was just wary thoughts, annoying ones. What¡¯s she doing? How are her classes going? Is she bored? Is she busy? Then it became, I hope she¡¯s eating enough, she¡¯s working really hard. When she had the thought; I can¡¯t wait till dinner. I want to see her. She knew then that she¡¯d utterly and totally fallen. She¡¯d spent a week just watching her from afar, checking, hoping she¡¯s okay with all the effort she was putting in with Black Lotus. Then Miss Chernovna tricked me, that jerk. She grinned at Lillian who had no idea what she was thinking. Lillian just smiled back at her with all the warmth of those golden flames of hers. I owe that bully for it, though, it was the kindest prank I¡¯ve ever been a victim of. Dr. Carter approached them from the side, ¡°We¡¯re all set, unless you¡¯ve got more chaos to stir up?¡± He asked Lillian. Lily scratched the back of her head, ¡°Heh, sorry. No, I¡¯ll be good.¡± The man nodded, ¡°Alright,¡± He said and nodded to Snow, ¡°Just relax.¡± Snow watched him step away before turning to lay down on the table. A few more nerves worked their way up her stomach, her fingers trembled, the image of angry drunken eyes surfaced in her mind. Then a heat raced through every inch of her body in an invisible wave. She blinked and looked at Lillian, stunned. No flames, no effort, no concentration. Lily just smiled at her, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Snow squeezed her hand as the fear just washed away. She lay down and Dr. Da-som walked over, his hands alight with pure green light. Over her, the lights hummed and something pink flickered out of existence. She paid it no mind, instead she just savored the warm hand holding hers. Yes you are, and after this, I¡¯ll be there for you too. Chapter 117 The balcony of the common building was nice and quiet. A gentle breeze washed over the distant trees and across her face as she sat behind the railing, looking out over the grass and the other buildings that made up the training grounds. She could have eaten downstairs, with the others, and frankly she wasn¡¯t even supposed to be up here. The only entrance to the balcony was the one through the sponsors hallway and only aspirants going in for an interview should be going through it. She didn¡¯t really care at the moment, though, she just wanted a little time to think. Lillian took another piece of brisket off her plate and handed it to the hawk that sat next to her. It pulled it carefully from her fingers before eating in silence. She smiled at it and popped a piece into her own mouth, chewing quietly as another breeze ran through her hair. She¡¯s still in surgery, it¡¯s been hours, She thought. Dr. Carter had seen her out after Snow had gone under for the operation. She had wanted to hang out outside the lab but Miss Chernovna had swung by and insisted that she get something to eat and clear her head a little. She was grateful, there was still so much to think about. So much that she was still digesting from her enlightenment, her vision. She took another bite of her food and let out a breath before glancing at the hawk that eyed her patiently. ¡°Thanks again for the help earlier,¡± She said. It inclined its head and she got the feeling that it was saying something along the lines of; ¡®Well, it goes without saying that I would help¡¯. Her lip twitched, Now I¡¯m imagining stuff. She shifted a bit on the ground and leaned back, resting her arm on her knee and glancing towards the spot where her teacher had been undergoing the tribulation. The lightning was long gone but she hadn¡¯t seen her. She scratched at her neck a little then paused, a tingle moved through the air behind her. She lowered her hand as the feeling from it registered in her senses. She smiled and went back to her meal, plucking another piece up and handing it to her bird friend. ¡°Hello, Teacher.¡± Black Lotus walked in next to her and sat down, ¡°You¡¯ve made a new friend.¡± Lillian glanced at the hawk, ¡°Seems so, no idea why but he helped me find my way back after-¡± ¡°After you ran off to go through your first stage of enlightenment,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°I heard that you saw my tribulation and bolted shortly afterward.¡± Lillian turned to Black Lotus and looked up at her. The woman was more serene than before, her dark eyes seemed even deeper and her smile easier. She didn¡¯t seem much different physically, a little more toned, her face a little more defined, her hair just a bit longer. It was the energy moving inside of her, though, that was dramatically different. Where there had been a steady if fast-moving whirlpool, now it was beginning to move through her body in a distinctive pattern, following her meridians and moving towards a centerpoint at her waist. ¡°Did you see her?¡± Lillian asked. Black Lotus nodded, ¡°We spoke.¡± The Lillian of just a week before would have jumped in and probed how to get to that point faster, now, now she knew better. It took time, and she could already feel that there was something off with her ability. She was approaching a much more difficult cliff and she had only just achieved the first stage. It would be some time before her second. She nodded slowly and looked back out over the trees, ¡°Sometimes I can see it, mana.¡± ¡°See it? Visually?¡± Black Lotus asked. Lillian nodded, ¡°Sounds like that¡¯s not something that comes with your ability?¡± Her teacher shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯d want that or not,¡± She said ruefully. ¡°It¡¯s hard to turn on,¡± Lillian admitted, ¡°But when it is, I can tell when a place is primed for a monster. I just feel it in my gut.¡± Black Lotus went silent for a moment before reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small sphere and held it out to Lillian, ¡°Can you hold this for me for a moment?¡± She asked. Lillian tilted her head and took it, ¡°An RTE? You think something¡¯s up with my ability?¡± ¡°I suspect your ability is a bit different from others,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°It¡¯s not even been two years since the flash, we understand so little about abilities, but a general rule seems to be that Abilities do not change tier except under extreme circumstances,¡± She explained as she pulled a phone out next, tapping the screen a few times. ¡°Extreme circumstances?¡± Lillian asked, confused. ¡°Are you familiar with Ishtar?¡± Black Lotus answered with her own question. Lillian frowned and looked down at her plate, her stomach twisted a bit at the taboo name, ¡°Who isn¡¯t?¡± She snorted, ¡°What does she have to do with it?¡± ¡°Ishtar claims to be able to awaken the abilities in people or even give them out, it¡¯s not exactly common knowledge but it¡¯s also not hard to hear about it,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°More specifically, she can do it in exchange for payment or services. That is information that the Pandora Committee is keeping closer to its chest, the only reason I¡¯m discussing it with you is your situation.¡± Lillian tensed and looked down at the RTE in her hands, she looked up at Black Lotus and felt her heart sink a little, ¡°You think-¡± ¡°I think? No, you wouldn¡¯t make a deal with someone like her,¡± Black Lotus said with a shake of her head, ¡°I was instructed to make regular reports about high potential aspirants and when your situation came up I was asked to observe and test you with an RTE if you began exhibiting more and more functionality,¡± She exhaled, ¡°Your ability has the functionality of a mythic, Lillian, but you still feel like a rare to me.¡± Lillian squeezed the ball a little, ¡°So if I read higher than rare, it¡¯ll be suspicious?¡± ¡°Not so black and white,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Let¡¯s just have a look. This is a Pandora Committee phone, it¡¯ll record the result and send it back regardless of what happens so I can¡¯t tamper with it,¡± She warned Lillian before placing a hand on her shoulder, ¡°We need to do this before I resume training you.¡± Lillian nodded, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Black Lotus nodded and tapped the phone. The sphere in Lillian¡¯s hand began to glow, first a dull gray light, then white, then green, then blue, a strong brilliant blue. It glowed brighter before flickering purple and blue several times. Finally it rolled back to blue and settled. Lillian watched it with a mixture of awe and concern, ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Her teacher let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Rare but it¡¯s trying to encroach on Epic. A function of your ability then. Thank goodness.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Lillian looked up at her, wide eyed, ¡°So I¡¯m okay? I never met, I mean, I-¡± She stammered before her teacher chuckled and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. ¡°I¡¯ll put it in the report, you¡¯re going to be fine, Lillian. You have a very unique ability, that¡¯s all. Be proud of it, develop it, and figure out what it takes to move on to the next level. If anyone can, it¡¯s you,¡± She said with a smile. Lillian flushed and looked down at her plate again before glancing at her new bird friend, ¡°Thanks, teach-¡± She glanced back at her teacher and saw the woman relax before plucking out a white bottle out of her coat. She pulled a cork out and drank a sip before letting out a sigh. ¡°Are you drinking?¡± Lillian blurted. ¡°Second stage was a lot to take in compared to first,¡± Her teacher chuckled and sipped again. Lillian shook her head with a laugh and looked back out over the grass again as the two sat in a comfortable silence. They sat for nearly half an hour before her teacher sat up and tilted her head, her eyes fixed on a spot out in the trees. She slid to her feet with a grunt before patting Lillian on the back of the head, ¡°Make sure to sleep tonight,¡± She said before hopping onto the railing, ¡°I¡¯m going to stretch my legs.¡± Lillian didn¡¯t believe that for a moment but she wasn¡¯t going to push the issue, she just nodded, ¡°Right,¡± She said and Black Lotus was gone. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her, I thought there was no signal, what the heck? She pulled her phone out and looked at it. Every muscle in Lillian¡¯s body relaxed and she fell back onto the surface of the balcony, staring at the words on her phone with a big smile on her face, ¡°Thank goodness.¡± ¡ª Sonya shifted on her feet in the undergrowth, the trees above her head. She checked her personal watch, she could have used her HUD but it was good to keep up normal habits. Right on time a message from mephisto came through and she focused on it. It popped open in her vision. She smiled, She took a few steps and leaned against the pylon of the dungeon, resting her head against it and crossing her arms as she put out a call. As it rang she glanced up at Marta who was standing stoically off to the side. Their eyes met and they exchanged a smile before the other end picked up. <¡°Kingshark here!¡±> Barry grunted on the other end. <¡°How are things?¡±> She asked. <¡±Almost done with this one, then we¡¯ll move on to the next. Had a few military ships swing by and try to check us out yesterday. No big deal, I took care of it,¡±> He said, <¡±How¡¯s she doing?¡±> Sonya glanced surreptitiously at her bodyguard who raised her eyebrow at her with a knowing stare. <¡±Statuesque and observant as always.¡±> <¡±Give her a big ol¡¯ kiss for me,¡±> Barry joked. Sonya barked out a laugh, drawing a frown from Marta, <¡±I¡¯m pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t appreciate it from me.¡±> Sonya chuckled, <¡±I¡¯ll give her the message, though.¡±> Barry laughed, <¡±That works, thanks boss.¡±> Sonya tilted her head, <¡±What about the rest?¡±> She asked a bit more seriously. There was a pause, <¡±I¡¯ve got people in every country she does, we¡¯ve got our eyes on them. I set up a few ¡®incidents¡¯ to force some of her people into a fight. You were right, her followers are enhanced somehow. As strong as uncommon or even low rare. All physical improvements though.¡±> Sonya nodded, <¡±As expected, her light-touched followers will be more difficult to get a measure for. Their abilities will be amplified by her ability. Don¡¯t waste men on them right now.¡±> <¡±Got it,¡±> He grunted, <¡±It¡¯ll take a while but we¡¯ll be ready when the time comes. Blackrazor¡¯s people are a big help and its nice having Charon for getting my people around.¡±> Sonya grinned, <¡±Those taxis are nice aren¡¯t they?> <¡±Damn right they are, I use them all the time,¡±> He laughed. <¡±Jealous, I didn¡¯t get to enjoy it while I was in The Hague. Too many eyes,¡±> Sonya grumbled as she felt fast movement in the air ahead of her. She glanced up and smirked, <¡±We¡¯ll talk more later, I¡¯ve been meaning to reward you for your work, be safe.¡±> <¡±Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? The Lord of the Deeps is out at sea, here, I¡¯m invincible.¡±> He laughed and cut the call. <¡±Looking forward to that present, later boss.¡±> She shook her head and pushed off the dungeon pylon, stepping out into the middle of the clearing as Marta moved to stand next to her. She tilted her head towards her beloved friend, ¡°Barry told me to give you a big ol¡¯ smooch,¡± She snickered. ¡°That idiot,¡± Marta chuckled, ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Sonya smiled as Chunhua burst through the trees and landed ahead of them. She was still dressed down but had her sheathed sword in one hand. She glanced around for a moment and frowned, ¡°Sonya? What are you doing out here? Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Glad you could make it, figured you¡¯d come if you sensed us near the dungeon,¡± Sonya quipped before gesturing towards the rippling portal, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Chunhua raised an eyebrow and read Sonya¡¯s expression before nodding, she walked past her without hesitation and went straight through the water-like surface of the portal. Sonya pursed her lips and exchanged a look with Marta. The both of them shrugged before they went through as well. The next thing Sonya felt was the tug of her everything as she was pulled from one place to another before stepping out into an almost identical forest. Unlike the real one, the area with the portal was formed of trees grown so thickly together they formed a near complete circle. An opening on one side just wide enough for three people to walk side by side was the only exit. Sonya stepped out and brushed off her arms before glancing up at Chunhua who was standing off to the side, watching the opening, ¡°Did you clear out the first wave?¡± She asked. ¡°Marta did just a bit ago,¡± Sonya said before frowning, ¡°We need to talk about this dungeon.¡± Chunhua nodded, ¡°Fill me in.¡± Sonya crossed her arms and quickly explained what Cass had reported to her. Chunhua nodded along and glanced around thoughtfully, ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel much different.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that bastard did, but he did something to it, I¡¯m worried about the aspirants, I¡¯m going to start taking them in here soon for the scouting classes, then there¡¯s the final exam we need to consider,¡± She let out a breath, ¡°It¡¯s best if we have a look around.¡± Chunhua nodded, ¡°Good idea,¡± She said before raising an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s not all though, is it? You never go somewhere with only one purpose.¡± Sonya smirked, ¡°Well, after you moved on to your second stage I got motivated to get stronger myself,¡± She said and rested her hands on her hips, ¡°Figured I¡¯d invite you to my little merger party.¡± Chunhua blinked and her eyes went wide, ¡°Here? You¡¯re going to do that here?¡± She paused and scowled, ¡°You¡¯re going to overdo it, aren¡¯t you? I have your memories, you realize, I know exactly how painful it is.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s a good thing you and Marta are here!¡± Sonya barked out a laugh, ¡°You can keep an eye on me, because it¡¯s happening.¡± Marta crossed her arms and stared at Chunhua, ¡°She¡¯s putting a lot of trust in you being here,¡± Marta said defensively, ¡°You could-¡± Chunhua frowned further, ¡°But why? You¡¯re already power-¡± ¡°Because it isn¡¯t enough,¡± Sonya said flatly, her expression going hard. She glanced at the portal behind them and clenched her fists, ¡°Not for him,¡± She looked sidelong at Chunhua, ¡°My memories are a lot to go through, and some of it may be a blur for you, but for me it¡¯s all crystal clear. That buffoon may be a bumbling idiot now, but he¡¯s an invincible bumbling idiot,¡± She said and ran her fingers through her hair, ¡°Natural Selection should have done its job with him a long time ago, but it didn¡¯t,¡± She said, ¡°He barely understands how whatever his power is works.¡± She paused and she looked at Chunhua, ¡°But, even an idiot can adapt and learn if he lives long enough.¡± Side-Story: Side Quests 1 The camp was abuzz, as always, everyone was talking about the big trip. Apparently the Chernovna woman was going to be taking them to the beach the next day. He wasn¡¯t fond of the beach, but it was a good enough way to get some air he supposed. He had been stuck here for four weeks, going through the motions and following the instructions set before him. Play nice with others, make a few friends, smile, impress with his ability but don¡¯t overdo it. Hold back, save the good stuff for later. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling, though, that something just wasn¡¯t right. It didn¡¯t feel like the story was wholly his anymore. Like the tone had shifted, the message had changed, yet the guide refused to update every time he tried to shake things up. He changed the phrasing, changed the context, changed everything he could to get the damn thing to show him more of what he needed to do. It was troubling and frustrating. How could he be the hero if he wasn¡¯t the center of attention? Yet again, the guide urged him to be patient, so he was-to a degree. There was nothing wrong with a few little side-quests, after all. He glanced at the blonde girl, the one that had followed him for the past few days. He narrowed his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure who she was working for but he had a few thoughts. First of all, her profile came up blank just like Ishtars. Her power was strange too, it wasn¡¯t one line but three. How, he wasn¡¯t sure, nor did he really care. After all, it gave him some clues to work with. If Ishtar was blank, and she was blank, and according to the rumors among the other aspirants, Ishtar could grant powers to people. Then it only stood to reason that this Cass girl was working for her. So she has spies here, probably in the other camps too. I¡¯ll hold on to that little tidbit, I think. He thought as he walked down the path, putting on his smile and saying his greetings. Each time it made him feel a little sick to his stomach. He had to admit, though, that these things were more interesting than he had originally expected. It was almost like a few of them were actual people, more than just the mindless NPCs that populated this tiresome world. Sonya Chernovna was one of them. No, she was a person, definitely a person. She had a mind of her own, a real one, and he could see something cunning behind her games and playful attitude. She¡¯s like me, playing the world around her fingers. I like her. He thought to himself as he glanced at the guide to his left. It appeared again like a page off the internet, a walkthrough of the current stage of his story. He frowned at it with displeasure, The guide is supposed to tell me everything, but it only tells me what I need to know to get to the next stage. If I want more, I need to do more myself. He had never considered going outside of the bounds of his guide, acting out a sub-plot to build his power. Side quests are all about power leveling, after all, He thought with some amusement. I can¡¯t believe I had never thought about it. Of course it''s necessary. But what on earth to do? He mused, crossing his hands behind his back and glancing out towards the field again. An Set is dead, Liberty is a fool, and I am starting to suspect that the original seven I had planned on recruiting aren¡¯t going to be worth my time. Colin was stolen from under my nose by Sonya, but she is just a smart person. She wants the best, I don¡¯t begrudge her that. He ground his teeth, But Craig and my future henchman, killing them, Ishtar, you know something and I do not like it, not at all. He frowned and closed his eyes, he wanted to lash out right then and there. Carve a beautiful furrow through the gathered aspirants and leave their corpses for the crows. No, they¡¯ll die eventually, not today. I am the hero after all. They should love me, adore me, worship me. He smiled to himself, basking in the moment of visualizing the day when he would finally bring the world crashing down. That moment of despair. He savored the thought until something crashed into him. He turned his body with it, blinking a few times and frowning. Who the hell has the audacity to take me out of my musings? He thought with a snarl, turning to look at the head of brown hair that sat on the ground before him. His lip twitched, Oh, the criminal.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The thing that had been wandering behind the perverse woman from Chicago for the past few weeks was scrambling to pick up a notebook and scattered notes. He looked down at one sheet of paper beneath his feet and his lip twitched, he knelt down and picked it up, brushing it off before examining it. Observations on the other heroes in camp. Their likes, their dislikes. He is cataloging everyone. His lip twitched; How amusing, is he trying to make friends too? This is more information than is available in my guide at least. The thing with glasses looked up at him and adjusted them, ¡°O-oh there it is!¡± The thing said before pausing and looking up at him. ¡°Marc Mallory?¡± The thing paused and it¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°O-oh my.¡± He felt it, the sensation of a power touching him. Just like the power that Miss Chernovna had to suss out the names of powers. He had activated his Immunity Cheat, of course, before shaking the woman¡¯s hand. I was lax, He thought with a frown as whatever this thing¡¯s ability was saw through him for a moment. He shut it down by activating the cheat before quickly pulling up the thing¡¯s profile. Ollie Anders, Karmic Threads, he paused, Karmic Threads? And he¡¯s exploring details about others. Oho? What are you up to? ¡°What did you see?¡± He asked. ¡°So many threads,¡± Ollie said breathlessly, ¡°Powerful ones, thousands of them, hundreds of thousands,¡± He blinked a few times, ¡°W-who are you?¡± ¡°Marc Mallory, you said it yourself,¡± Otis said with a smile, ¡°And you¡¯re Ollie Anders, the boy who got himself in a bit of trouble, right?¡± Ollie frowned, ¡°I-I suppose.¡± Otis raised an eyebrow and something changed in the walkthrough. He glanced at it and his eyebrows rose. It can evolve, wonderful. Side-quests, how novel. He held out the slip of paper, ¡°Ollie, I¡¯m not judging you. We all have skeletons in our closet, don¡¯t we?¡± He said brightly with a big smile playing on his face, ¡°Nothing to be ashamed of!¡± He held out his hand, ¡°I¡¯ve been rather rude, haven¡¯t I, I didn¡¯t apologize for getting in your way.¡± Ollie reached up and took his hand, getting to his feet, ¡°I should have been paying attention. Sorry, Marc.¡± ¡°No trouble at all!¡± Otis said with a smile, ¡°Those are some interesting notes you have there, any on me?¡± Ollie scratched his nose, ¡°A bit, you¡¯re hard to track down and read. Your ability is very impressive, though. I¡¯ve only seen it once and-¡± He started before clearing his throat, ¡°-Promised miss Rouge I wouldn¡¯t ramble at people anymore. Gotta get better at it, talking to people.¡± Otis laughed, ¡°You and me both!¡± He said, glancing off towards the field, ¡°Between you and me, Miss Chernovna is considering signing me if I can get a bit better with the whole socializing thing. It¡¯s a challenge I¡¯m afraid,¡± He sighed dramatically, ¡°But something I need to do if I want to achieve my dream.¡± ¡°Killing Ishtar?¡± Ollie asked. Otis glanced his way and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Heroes don¡¯t kill.¡± Ollie swallowed and looked Otis dead in the eyes, ¡°But you¡¯re going to do it anyway.¡± Otis turned fully to face him, ¡°What makes you say that?¡± He asked. ¡°My gut and your¡­ threads. You¡¯ve killed people before,¡± Ollie said in a low voice before holding up his hands, ¡°I-I won¡¯t tell anybody! I mean,¡± He rubbed his neck, ¡°We all have skeletons,¡± He said with a frown and looked away. ¡°You had your reasons, right? You wouldn¡¯t kill somebody just because. I have this theory that abilities weren¡¯t distributed haphazardly. Not for the awakened,¡± Ollie said, ¡°Gilgamesh was the first hero in our myths. He was also a good man, if a bit prideful. You have what it takes to be like him, if my theory is right. So it only makes sense¡­¡± Otis was a little taken aback, Oh. I like him. He has a way with words. That power of his too, it could be very useful. Very, very useful. Maybe I should try looking for opportunities more often. There might be more real people on this world than I thought. Ollie cleared his throat, ¡°Rambling again, s-¡± ¡°I would be thrilled to hear more,¡± Otis interrupted him. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your theories,¡± Otis said with a cold smile, ¡°How about we talk over some food?¡± Chapter 118 Sonya and Chunhua held one another¡¯s gaze. A silence stretching out between the two of them. Chunhua¡¯s expression fell for a moment before she closed her eyes and sighed. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head, ¡°You really don¡¯t take half measures,¡± She muttered and looked up at her. She smiled, though the expression was one with a bit of pain in it, concern. She scratched the back of her head and looked over at Marta, ¡°Do we have what we need in case something happens?¡± She asked, ¡°I¡¯d rather not have Miss Savior here bleed out on the ground of a dungeon.¡± Marta¡¯s stoicism broke for a heartbeat at Chunhua¡¯s words and she returned the smile, ¡°Miss Chernovna will be fine, have faith in her, she¡¯s come a long way from the first time.¡± Sonya on the other hand was standing off to the side looking for a place to sit down. She stretched her back all the way into an arch and rolled her shoulders, ¡°Sure, sure, still gonna hurt like a bitch though,¡± She grumbled before plopping herself onto the ground, ¡°First thing I¡¯m going to do is merge together a few powers in my warehouse ahead of cramming them into my core ability.¡± ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Chunhua said, crossing her arms, ¡°You gave me almost all of your memories, but you left out the name of your core ability. It changed again, didn¡¯t it?¡± Sonya looked up at her and pursed her lips. She cleared her throat and looked away, heat rising to her cheeks and burning at her ears. She rested her hands in her lap and twiddled her fingers a little, ¡°So I left a few things out, not that big a deal,¡± She trailed off. Chunhua tilted her head and Sonya returned her stare. Now that Chunhua wasn¡¯t being all mopey Sonya felt squirmy under her gaze. It was annoying. She pushed the feeling down and pressed her hands down against her feet. ¡°It¡¯s just-¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, the name is extremely arrogant, she was really proud of it at first but after saying it out loud in front of me she got like this,¡± Marta teased, giving Sonya a smug side-eye. Sonya crossed her arms, Traitor, she grumbled inwardly, squinting at her. Chunhua laughed, ¡°Okay now I have to know,¡± She said and walked over. She stood over Sonya and looked down at her. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to tell me?¡± Sonya¡¯s gut twisted and she clenched her ankles, looking straight up into Chunhua¡¯s eyes. She felt her entire body tremble for a moment and not in a bad way. She cleared her throat and looked away quickly, ¡°D-don¡¯t do that,¡± She breathed, squeezing her ankles tighter, ¡°Please? I don¡¯t think we¡¯re anywhere near there yet,¡± She said, ¡°D-don¡¯t look at me like that, from that angle, I can¡¯t deal with it,¡± She said hastily, fumbling over her words. She reached up and played with her hair before catching herself, ¡°I-I¡¯m not mad! I¡¯ll tell you, just uh¡­ just don¡¯t?¡± She murmured. Chunhua practically jumped ten feet backwards before sliding to a stop, blinking furiously. Marta held her hand over her mouth and looked away. Sonya glanced up at her, red-faced, and saw the small grin under Marta¡¯s hand. She grumbled and twined her fingers together before exhaling hard. She looked up at a red-faced Chunhua who seemed to realize exactly what she had done. The world''s number one hero scratched her nose and cleared her throat, ¡°R-right I should have known better, sorry.¡± Sonya huffed and crossed her arms, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just-¡± She blurted before moving on quickly, ¡°My core ability is Deus Ex Machina. God from the Machine.¡± Chunhua mouthed the words for a moment before tilting her head, ¡°The literary element?¡± Sonya nodded in response and Chunhua pursed her lips, ¡°Does it do something different from¡­ oh what was it¡­ Cyber-punk?¡± Sonya rubbed her fingers, ¡°Cyber-punk was more like a receptacle. It didn¡¯t add any specific instincts on its own,¡± She said, ¡°I could cram compatible powers into it pretty easily but that''s all it was good for,¡± Sonya explained, ¡°The new version is so, so much more,¡± She said and trailed off, examining her hands, ¡°I instinctively know that it works hand in hand with Broker¡¯s functions, seamlessly. It also has some weird functions to deal with personal narrative. I tried testing it on Lillian Landrey and Ollie Anders but I haven¡¯t seen any impact, don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing it right.¡± ¡°Personal narrative?¡± Chunhua asked. Sonya shrugged, ¡°No friggin clue,¡± she sighed, ¡°It¡¯s a very vague understanding, anyway, the most important feature of the ability right now is that it has a stupid amount of efficiency when merging in new abilities and a better understanding of how I should merge them, like a feeling in my gut. I haven¡¯t tested it though.¡± Chunhua frowned, ¡°Why not?¡± Sonya gave her an even stare, ¡°I haven¡¯t been in the right headspace to endure a merger, Chunhua, for a while.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Chunhua cleared her throat and rubbed her arms, ¡°Sorry.¡± Sonya sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± She said with a wave of her hand, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it be. I¡¯m going to get started. Keep an eye on me, will you?¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Chunhua said, squaring her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll also keep an eye on the passage.¡± Marta moved quickly to stand behind Sonya at a small distance, ¡°And I will be right here for you.¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°Thank you, both of you,¡± she took a deep, deep breath and exhaled, ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Merger, Access Warehouse. She fell back into her own mind and saw her warehouse stretch out in front of her. It was filled with countless common and uncommon abilities, over a thousand mundane abilities, and the many others that she had collected over nearly two years of handshakes. She wandered the mental passages for a moment, browsing the shelves as she experienced it for the first time in a very long time. Her eyes fell shut and she let her head roll back, her hands falling to her sides. She grabbed the first two she wanted to try to cram together. Proceed. In her mind''s eye she stood in her warehouse with two glowing disks in her hands. Both were a vibrant purple. She watched as the two drifted from her palms before pressing against one another. There was a flash and fortunately, no pain. Not until she merged them into her primary ability, anyway. She watched the two lights meld into one until a new red-colored disk appeared in her hand. She let out a breath, it was a success. A pure flight ability and based on the color it was heroic. She smirked to herself and drew out the next pair. This one might be a bit weird, but I¡¯m really curious to see what happens and frankly I¡¯ve hated using Share the Path every time I¡¯ve used it. I¡¯d rather put it to more practical use. I don¡¯t want the temptation to dump my past on anyone else ever again. She thought as her attention momentarily drifted to Chunhua, Just a little longer, I have things I want to say.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sonya raised her eyebrows a little, Now that¡¯s interesting. Okay, proceed! The purple and green disks slammed together without much prompting, flashing to life and burning brightly for a moment. Sonya could almost feel her fingers tingle as the abilities molded together, their core elements, functionality, layering on top of one another to create something greater than the sum of its parts. When the light faded a red disk floated above her palm. She stared at it, surprised, Heroic? I figured at best a peak epic. What the hell does that do? She wondered, touching it briefly and pulling it out of her warehouse and into herself. She felt the instincts wash into her and felt more confused than anything else. Her instinct was just to watch people do things and she would understand what they did. That¡¯s still a little vague, I¡¯ll have to use it to properly get it I guess. I¡¯ll be merging it into Deus Ex Machina anyway so it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯ll probably change again. She set her second red disk aside before pulling out the two colored abilities she had. She was about to begin working with them when a message came up. Sonya frowned, What? Do I need the other colors? Alright I guess, I¡¯ll hold off. She pulled out two others and set them aside, she wasn¡¯t going to merge them with anything ahead of time, she had a good feeling about bringing them in as is. They were Storage Space, which she should have done much earlier. She¡¯d been using it for brief periods at a time rather than keeping it on all the time. And she also pulled out Digital Illusions. I have a good feeling about that one in particular. Next she grabbed three abilities from her warehouse and pulled them out, she¡¯d be cramming all three together at the same time. It was also a bit risky since she could lose access to a feature she really liked but on the flip-side if the compatibilities were good she could come out with a really nice payout. She was about to begin when another ability whipped its way out of her warehouse of its own accord. A mundane light-gray disk that spun at the center of the three. The fuck? She frowned at it and touched it, Perfect Coffee? She chuckled a little, Why? She glanced around the warehouse and squinted at it only for a pair of pink eyes to stare back at her for a heartbeat. She blinked and relaxed, Oh okay, not the power acting up, just me being crazy. That¡¯s a relief. She snorted at the absurd thought as the compatibility rating popped up. ¡°Okay what the fuck!¡± She barked vocally this time, she sensed Marta and Chunhua react before she tilted her head and shut her mouth. What the hell do you know that I don¡¯t? She waited and got, of course, nothing out of Ishtar, Bully. Fine. Proceed. Four abilities crashed into one another like magnets that had been held apart. A blinding flash filled the warehouse as colors shifted and bloomed. Her fingers quaked and stung for a moment before a new disk remained behind. A brilliant orange. No fucking way. She would have whooped if she didn¡¯t expect to startle her guardians. She instead chuckled a little to herself, Mythic. Beautiful. She thought and set it to the side with the others she planned on pulling in. She rubbed her hands together, So much backlog! She thought greedily, really getting into the whole thing. It has been way too long since I last did this. This is fun! She thought and pulled out the next two that she wanted to merge. I really liked your ability Brent. She hesitated a little and cleared her throat, speaking with her eyes closed, ¡°Marta, are you sure about that power I offered you?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯d rather you have it, Sonya, I¡¯ll feel better if you do,¡± Marta said behind her. ¡°But I just got a swank healing power,¡± Sonya joked, ¡°I could live without it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Sonya, I¡¯m a one woman army already,¡± Marta said proudly. Sonya chuckled, ¡°Fine fine, you win.¡± Fun as you are, you¡¯re bad for me, she thought as she looked at the disk symbolizing Duplicate floating over her palm. She got the sense that Ishtar would approve of her decision too. She glanced at the compatibility message. She pursed her lips, Interesting, I wonder how that¡¯ll work. Proceed. The two disks crashed into one another and flashed, light blooming once more before a new orange disk was left behind. She read the name again, Unbound? So it¡¯ll become something else once combined with Deus Ex, then, I get it. She nodded along as she pushed it aside and grabbed one last pair. This one she had been thinking about for a while. Her gut told her that this would be the most interesting combination of the lot. She practically rubbed her hands together with glee as two orange disks appeared in her hands. She grinned, I want nothing to do with that power of yours, Masque. Might as well put it to good use. Lets see what happens when you combine the ruler of plants with the king of the fae. She thought with amusement. It had been a long time since she acquired Sylvan Monarch and she had only used it once to any real effect. It was a useful power to be sure, but it was better used as part of a merger. Another perfect, huh? Makes sense that they would match up well. She thought and nodded, Proceed. FWOOM! Light erupted from the point of impact, force pushing out from Sonya¡¯s body so forcefully it became physical. She heard a pair of gasps as the two women standing guard over her nearly toppled over from the short-lived burst. Sonya¡¯s hands ached, her body quaking for a moment as her warehouse shuddered under the weight of what she had made. Disks ripped from the walls of her warehouse too fast for her to see, pulled in by the hungry thing forming in her palm. Light bloomed and condensed before revealing an orange disk. It was different from the others. Not a solid color. It was cracked, its surface tearing apart at the seams. Golden light shone out of it as yellow sparks leaped off its surface. Sonya marveled at how it literally felt heavy despite not touching her metaphorical skin. Woah. Chapter 119 Sonya marveled at the disk floating in her hand, it was beautiful, but also a little scary. That golden glow looked a little familiar too. She¡¯d seen it once before, though not in this state. Like it was on the cusp of becoming something so very much more. She cradled the sparking and twitching disk for a moment before gently putting it to the side with the others in her warehouse. She looked them over one more time, Gravitic Flight, Adomopathy, Storage Space, Digital Illusions, Nectar and Ambrosia, Unbound Legion, and the beautiful Visage of Titania. All of them promised to be potent improvements to her arsenal and her gut told her she was grossly underestimating them. She let out a breath and opened her eyes for a moment, though, glancing up to Chunhua who was standing back at the passage into the main part of the dungeon. The woman glanced back at her and raised her eyebrow, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± She asked. ¡°Just finished making the abilities,¡± Sonya said thoughtfully, taking a quick breather to mentally steel herself for what came next. ¡°Going back in,¡± She said gravely, ¡°Going to take my time with this. If I start to¡­ you know. Just be close. I¡¯ll survive it,¡± She said as she glanced back at Marta who nodded seriously. ¡°Be careful,¡± Marta said. Sonya nodded and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve got a plan.¡± Sonya closed her eyes and went back into her warehouse before picking the one most likely to help her through the rest of the process, Nectar and Ambrosia. She¡¯d had Hands of the Healer and Grace for a long time and had, admittedly, been unwise in not merging in a healing power sooner. Not that Hands of the Healer was an option anymore. She smirked as the ability became active and the instincts started to bubble to the surface. She pushed them aside, the ability might be changed by the merger so it was best to just wait to suss it out afterwards. Merger. Medium, so it¡¯s unlikely to be improved by the merger. That¡¯s okay, Proceed. First came the faint tingling, she knew it well. She braced herself as the tingling intensified. First in her muscles before seeping into her veins. She jerked as the sensation turned into pain and she let out a shuddering breath, planting her hands on her knees and gritting her teeth. She faintly heard voices around her as the pain grew more and more intense. It felt like her blood was on fire, no, molten. She reached up and clutched at her heart, coughing out a breath as her head toppled forward to the ground. She planted her hand on the soil and felt someone run towards her. She threw up her hand irritably and waved whomever it was away. ¡°I can-¡± She grunted, ¡°I can do this,¡± She gasped, rolling onto her side and kicking out her feet as the molten feeling rushed up to her brain before going back down into her stomach. It felt like the worst acid reflux she¡¯d ever experienced in her entire life. She wanted to puke. Throw it all up. She knew it wouldn¡¯t help, though. No relief came for one of the longest minutes of her life until finally it subsided. She wheezed and gasped, coughing as her body relaxed. ¡°Fuck me sideways!¡± She swore, ¡°God damn that hurts!¡± She stared at the message on her HUD. ¡°Full integration, didn¡¯t alter it at all,¡± She wheezed, satisfied with her prediction while resting her head on the soothing earth for a moment. She let the instincts rise up into her mind this time, feeling out the function of the new ability. Her eyebrows rose and she sat up abruptly, ¡°Seriously?¡± She laughed and winced at her aching muscles, ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Sonya?¡± Marta asked, ¡°Are you-¡± Sonya held up her hands, ¡°Hold on, hold on,¡± She said and held out her palm, she exhaled and small particles of light began to gather over it. They coalesced into a small sphere that popped like a bubble, a tiny ¡®bloop¡¯ sound accompanying it. Out of the bubble, a humble strawberry appeared. She turned it over in her hands, it looked perfect in every way. Bright red, brilliant green stem, perfectly spaced seeds. She glanced up at Marta and grinned at her, ¡°Bottoms up!¡± She snickered and popped it into her mouth. She let out a squeal of delight as it exploded with flavor. More importantly, the pain immediately began to subside. She groaned, ¡°Oh that¡¯s the stuff.¡± Chunhua couldn¡¯t help herself and walked over to join them. ¡°What kind of power is that?¡± Sonya glanced up at the woman, ¡°Mm? Hey Chunhua, want me to shave off a few years for ya? Piece of cake,¡± She cackled out a laugh and a literal piece of chocolate cake appeared in her hand. Chunhua frowned at her, ¡°Excuse me?¡± She blurted, looking at the cake with surprise. ¡°Nectar and Ambrosia,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Food that heals, cures, or even grants youth and vitality if I want,¡± She said and with a gesture the cake vanished from her hand. She pursed her lips, ¡°Downside is I have to, you know, eat it.¡± The two women looked at one another before Marta let out a huge sigh, ¡°Of course your healing ability would have a drawback like that¡± She said before raising an eyebrow, ¡°How are you supposed to use it with your helmet on?¡± Sonya pursed her lips and gave her a smug smile. Marta returned her stare with a growing frown as Sonya worked her mouth a little before sticking her tongue out, a little blueberry sitting on it. She winked and pulled her tongue back in before starting to chew. ¡°Easy peasy,¡± she began before letting out another delighted sound, ¡°Man that tastes good. Want some?¡± She asked, holding up a bag of chips, waggling her eyebrows, ¡°Ambrosia, zero calories, all the flavor!¡± Marta gave her a deadpan look, ¡°You are going to abuse that,¡± She grumbled while Chunhua walked over and slipped her hand into the bag. ¡°Chunhua!¡± She blurted as the hero popped an original flavored chip into her mouth. Her eyes widened, ¡°Oh wow, that is good!¡± She gasped. Marta rubbed the bridge of her nose, ¡°You¡¯re encouraging this?¡± She grumbled only to freeze at the sound of a soda can opening. She pulled her hand from her face and looked down at Sonya again who was bringing the can to her lips. Sonya blinked innocently at her, ¡°What? Ambrosia and Nectar.¡± Marta sighed, ¡°Can you move on to the next one¡¯s please?¡± She asked and gave Chunhua who was now holding a full bag of chips in her hand and chewing slowly a glare. Chunhua shrugged and walked back to the spot where she¡¯d been standing guard and continued munching away while Sonya just shrugged. Marta always got so testy about her snacking. These snacks were actually good for her! She paused, Well no, not really, zero calories literally means zero calories, besides healing me they won¡¯t actually feed me. I should be careful not to get caught up in that. She warned herself before sipping at the can again and sighing, Tasty as hell though. She closed her eyes and got back to it before Marta had a conniption, she still had six more to go after all. She pulled Digital Illusions out of her warehouse and primed the merger. Let''s get the unchanged ones done with next. Could get something nice out of this. Proceed. As the merger started she continued to sip at her drink. It was a weird feeling. She could sense the changes taking place, the sensations going through her body as the circuitry in her head was rearranged, but it didn¡¯t hurt. It was more like a really aggravating itch that she couldn¡¯t scratch. She clicked her tongue at the feeling but otherwise let it pass and exhaled when it finally ended. She opened her eyes for a moment and tilted her head. Interesting, She thought before flexing her fingers. The instincts for it and hard light are kind of bleeding into one another. Just like how hard light and non-euclidian work well together. I wonder¡­ She trailed off as she flexed the new instinctual muscle, putting a little concentration into it. Light gathered in front of her before collapsing. Oh that¡¯s way harder, she thought before trying a simpler task. The light gathered again before condensing into a humble white plastic plate. She reached out and touched it. It really feels like plastic, but it¡¯s just hard light and the illusions playing tricks on my senses. Definitely going to have to practice this. She proceeded to create a pile of cookies on the plate and grinned to herself before closing her eyes again, ignoring the groan from Marta. She moved on to the next one, pulling out Storage Space. Alright old reliable, time to make it official. Proceed. She thought before immediately taking another sip of her drink. She drank deeply as the sensations intensified. This time there was a little more pain than before, the merger doing a lot more work than she had expected it to for its tier. She closed her eyes and scrunched her nose as what was basically a really intense caffeine headache washed over her. Nausea came next and she grimaced before relief came. She coughed and wiped her lips, grumbling, Guess Nectar and Ambrosia isn¡¯t all powerful for ongoing sensation. Good to know. Eh? ¡°Hey uh, can somebody toss me a stick or something?¡± She called out as she opened her eyes. She immediately sensed an object coming her way and snapped her arm back to catch it. She glanced down at the piece of wood in her hand, ¡°Thank you,¡± She chirped before twirling it between her fingers and concentrating. ¡°And bye bye,¡± She said as the stick started to turn blue and literally crumbled into tiny little blue cubes in her hand before they too dissolved into motes of light. ¡°Okay and¡­¡± She squinted at her HUD, ¡°...is there a folder for it?¡± She muttered, ¡°There!¡± She laughed out loud as a small folder appeared in her vision with a single ¡®file¡¯ in it titled ¡®Stick¡¯. She focused and it reformed in her hand. ¡°Oh I am going to enjoy having this ability,¡± She snickered before tossing the stick away. Gonna have to figure out its limits as soon as possible. Wonder if I can store a car. That would be funny.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She rolled her shoulders and set down the empty can, grabbing one of her cookies and shoving into her mouth as she pulled out her next pick. She got ready to bite down, Proceed. This time it wasn¡¯t an itch or a burn, but a slicing sensation inside of her head. She immediately bit down as soon as she felt it and started chewing the cookie. That proved to be a smart move. The slicing feeling only intensified after that and her vision started to blur as even her eyes began to undergo changes. She blinked a few times and shook her head, vertigo followed and she nearly fell back. She threw her hands backwards and caught herself as the slicing feeling began to go through the rest of her body, attacking her muscles and ligaments. I thought it was an observational power! She winced and snatched up another cookie, shoving it into her mouth and sighing with relief as the pain eased. When it finally stopped she flopped back onto her back and groaned. ¡°Ouch.¡± She stared at the words as her two guardians walked over to check on her. ¡°Miss Chernovna?¡± Marta whispered, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sonya pressed her lips together, ¡°Power altered things I wasn¡¯t expecting it to,¡± She grumbled. ¡°What was it?¡± Chunhua asked. ¡°Adomopathy,¡± Sonya said and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she pulled the instincts out. She actually gave them a hard assessment this time, concentrating on them, ¡°I observe and learn. I can replicate movements that are within my ability to replicate.¡± Chunhua stared at her for a moment before taking a few steps back, ¡°Let¡¯s see it,¡± She said immediately and pulled out her sword. Marta frowned but Sonya got up and got to her feet, grinning. Chunhua took a stance and performed a few quick but powerful swings. Sonya watched and felt her muscles twitch beneath her skin as the lenses in her head clicked and twisted rapidly. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°One more time,¡± Chunhua nodded and performed the movements. Sonya nodded, ¡°Got it, I think,¡± Chunhua sheathed her weapon and was about to walk it over to Sonya when Sonya held up a hand with a grin, ¡°I got this,¡± Hard Light and Augmented Reality Projection activated in tandem and a sword not very different from Chunhuas appeared in her hand. She tapped her temple at the look on Chunhua¡¯s face, ¡°Everything¡¯s working together,¡± She said before taking a step back and entering the same stance Chunhua had been in. She took a step forward and swung, up once, down, and then a thrust. Chunhua crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, ¡°Perfect form but oddly clinical somehow, I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡± Sonya nodded and dismissed the hard light weapon, ¡°Difference in body type probably,¡± Sonya said, ¡°My body¡¯s doing the best it can.¡± Chunhua nodded, ¡°Makes sense. Still, a very potent ability. Would be useful for analyzing an opponent''s fighting style and sussing out counters.¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, she pursed her lips and thought about it. She¡¯s right. I¡¯m happy with my martial fighting style as it is, I¡¯ve always preferred knives, but this could really come in handy for learning someone¡¯s technique quickly and bypassing it. She gave Chunhua a big smile, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Chunhua¡¯s chest puffed out a bit as Sonya sat down, ¡°Glad I can finally be of some help.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, I¡¯m just happy I can talk to you comfortably again, She thought before sitting back down, snatching up another cookie and giving Marta a sidelong look. ¡°Going back in.¡± ¡°How many more?¡± Marta asked, frowning, ¡°You seem fine but I¡¯m getting nervous.¡± ¡°Three,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Two might be big ones, I¡¯ll warn you.¡± Marta nodded and rested her hands over her lap, ¡°Very well.¡± She popped another cookie in her mouth and settled it between her teeth. Time for Gravitic Flight. Her heart soared a bit at the idea, Real flight, not just walking around on glowing platforms, even if the dramatic effect is pretty nice. Okay, really nice. Still it would be good to fall back on. She rambled inwardly as the confirmations popped up. Proceed! She bit down on the cookie just as she felt an all over ache. It subsided for a moment before coming back with a raging fury. She grunted as the ache spread from her brain to every limb in her body and finally to her skin. It burned for a while even as she downed another two ambrosia cookies and she coughed once as the pain reached her heart. Directional was magical, she realized. It''s reacting to Heavenly Jade- She was cut off as the pain intensified again and she doubled over, coughing up a small splatter of red onto the ground. Okay this one¡¯s intense. She dug her fingers into the soil beneath her as the pain rose and finally, mercifully, fell. She exhaled, panting a bit as she fell back onto her rear, looking up at the canopy of the dungeon¡¯s forest. She wiped her lip, ¡°Phew,¡± She sighed before pulling up the instincts. So it lost the area of effect that Greg has and I can¡¯t exert as much instantaneous force as Val. However, she trailed off as she willed herself into the air. At first a few inches, then a few feet. She bobbed over the ground and let her legs hang down beneath her. She twirled once and let out a laugh, ¡°This is great!¡± She cheered, ¡°I can-¡± She kicked her foot and went rocketing into the wall of trees around the clearing, crashing into one and leaving a nice divot in the wood where she struck. She slid back down onto the ground. ¡°Okay, definitely going to need practice.¡± Marta barked out a laugh, ¡°Careful!¡± She chuckled and walked over, holding out a hand. Sonya took it gratefully and got to her feet, brushing herself off, ¡°I can fly, Marta.¡± ¡°Yes you can,¡± Marta smiled at her and led her back over to the spot where she was working. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°The ability I was going to give you,¡± Sonya said thoughtfully before glancing over at Chunhua, ¡°This is going to be a big one probably. I might pass out even with the ambrosia.¡± Chunhua who was smiling at her antics went stiff and nodded with a serious look, ¡°Understood, we¡¯ll catch you if it happens.¡± Sonya gave her a grateful smile before sitting back down. She waved her hand and the cookies disappeared, ¡°The drink worked better,¡± She muttered and conjured up another can of nectar soda, cracking it open as she closed her eyes. Okay, let¡¯s do this. Perfect? How is it more compatible than a technological ability? Well it did say it was guaranteed to change. She wondered before shrugging, Proceed, I guess. She thought as she began to sip at the drink, she felt the nectar wash into her and its power spread through her body only for¡­ nothing to happen at first. She just sat there for almost a minute before she felt anything at all. She blinked a few times until a gentle warmth blossomed in her chest, in her heart, before simply subsiding with a wave of relaxing heat. She looked down at herself for a moment. Her clothes were covered in dirt and a few splatters of red. She squinted at her chest before crossing her arms, Well that was anticlimactic. Deus Ex is what? She thought with surprise, Oh shit! She started chugging the soda as her heart felt like it exploded in her chest. When she came to, she was fortunately still sitting up, though her chin felt wet. She reached up and wiped her jaw irritably as once again her guardians were staring at her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up wearily at Marta who just sighed with relief. Sonya just groaned and turned her head, spitting out a glob of blood and cleared her throat. ¡°Yup, that sucked,¡± She muttered before checking her HUD. She narrowed her eyes, I don¡¯t like that name, she thought gruffly as the instincts started to roll in. Her shoulders tensed as she chewed her lip. She looked up at Marta and then at Chunhua before clearing her throat. She got shakily to her feet and waved at them to back up a little before holding out her hand and narrowing her eyes. She felt her heart thump, the power rising beneath her skin as the words came unbidden from her lips, ¡°Bring woe to those who slander me, march, agent of the heavens,¡± She said, her voice grave. She snapped out of the momentary trance as Marta and Chunhua gave her a bit more distance. Her hand fell to her side and a narrow band of light spread up in the air to her right as if the air itself was being cut in half. It opened, and something strode out. It looked female, whatever it was, it wore a gown that stretched down to sandaled feet. Its face concealed behind a veil that hung over its nose. Its eyes gleamed with white light and its skin was like marble. In its hand was a sword that curved in at a point and shone as if it were made of silver. Its hair was bound in silver wire that forced it into curls before falling down into marble-white dreadlocks. It stood at attention, staring Chunhua down for a moment before it turned its eyes on Sonya. It had to be at least seven feet tall, like the valkyrie. Yet the aura was far more imposing, stoic, and tyrannical. Sonya felt her mouth go a little dry before she squared her shoulders and returned its stare. ¡°That¡¯s enough, return from where you came,¡± She commanded. It brought its sword up to its chest and inclined its head with reverence, its eyes falling shut before it dissolved into scattering motes of light. When it was finally gone she let out a breath and sat back down, ¡°Holy shit.¡± Marta and Chunhua ran up to her, ¡°What on earth was that thing? I thought it was supposed to be a valkyrie!¡± Marta blurted. ¡°Was that supposed to be that ability I saw on television? You got it from Brent, the CEO of Marion, right?¡± Chunhua asked before glancing at the spot it had stood, ¡°My god.¡± Sonya nodded slowly, ¡°It¡¯s peak mythic now, Heavenly Legion. I hate the name,¡± She said sourly as she drew her knees up to her chest. All she could think about was Otis and his mad grab for divinity. ¡°It fits Ishtar though,¡± Marta said. Sonya¡¯s lip twitched but she couldn¡¯t help but smile a little bit, it was freaking cool. ¡°Yeah, yeah it does,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to get used to it, though. That one uh¡­ agent,¡± She said, waving her hand at the spot where it¡¯d stood, ¡°Was just the start. The name is Heavenly Legion after all.¡± ¡°Do you want to stop?¡± Chunhua asked, ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot already.¡± Sonya shook her head, ¡°Just one more. I¡¯m not backing down now.¡± Chunhua and Marta exchanged a look before they nodded and stepped away. Sonya summoned up one more can of nectar soda as she closed her eyes and pulled the last ability out of her warehouse. She cleared her throat and cracked the can open, bringing it to her lips as the messages appeared in her HUD. For an ability that seemed to be almost unstable when she¡¯d created it, it was a fairly mundane reaction from Broker. She frowned, My guts telling me I need to go for it, though even while every ounce of logic is warning me otherwise. She crushed the fear with a scowl. I haven¡¯t come this far to back away from something like this. I need power for what¡¯s to come. Bring it on. She took another deep breath and started to chug the nectar. Proceed. There was no itch. There was no pain. There was no confusion. There was no loss of consciousness. There was only a surge as the world around her was blanketed in light. Chapter 120 Lily threw the bag over her shoulder, tugging a bit on the strap to make sure it was secure. She scratched at her neck and looked around her bunk, making sure she hadn¡¯t missed anything. Over the past four weeks the space had evolved from a place where she crashed after a long day of training into a real home for herself, so to speak. One of the girls had an ability that was able to shape raw materials like wood and concrete. The result was the girl¡¯s side of the residence area turning into a cluster of little open apartments with bits of furniture and places to put personal belongings all over the place. She reached out and tapped the picture of her mom and dad, grinning at it a little, ¡°You are going to lose your minds when you see me,¡± She chuckled nervously and rubbed her neck again. She could feel the faintly glowing tattoo shift a bit across her skin. She hadn¡¯t noticed it at all and thought it was just a bug or something at first. Then she¡¯d come back to the hall after her talk with Black Lotus. When she¡¯d come in, she¡¯d come face to face with Cassiopeia. To her shock the girl didn¡¯t scowl at her at all, just complimented her new tattoo and went straight to bed. The subsequent mad dash to the bathroom and following mild panic attack had winded down into a fitful sleep allowed only by Dr. Carter¡¯s kind report that Snow was doing just fine. She let out a heavy sigh and glanced over her shoulder. ¡°You girls have everything?¡± She called. The others looked up from their bags while a few threw a few more things in. After a few more drop outs over the past week there were now only sixteen of them. Every seven days things just seemed to get harder and harder. Still, the others were really hanging in there. They were at the half-way point, apparently. With the final two weeks dedicated to the push towards licensure and exams. She glanced around at the various confident faces as Jessica popped up from her own frantic packing, she¡¯d slept in. ¡°Good to go, Dorm Captain!¡± She saluted with a grin. Lillian went deadpan, ¡°Dorm what?¡± The other girls snapped their own snickering salutes and she scanned their faces, ¡°You guys are ridiculous,¡± She muttered before looking towards the only person who hadn¡¯t joined in on the merriment. Cass was quietly folding an extra set of clothes and putting them neatly into the small bag she would take with her overnight. ¡°You got everything Cass?¡± Lillian hazarded, drawing a few surprised looks from the others. It was a bit of a risk, the girl didn¡¯t seem to like conversation much and familiarity even less. Cass looked up at her and a complicated expression washed over her face before she seemed to force herself to relax. She scratched at her yellow-blonde hair and cracked a half-grin, ¡°Sure, yeah, almost done uh¡­¡± She glanced at the others, ¡°...Dorm Captain?¡± She said as if she wasn¡¯t sure about what she was saying. Lillian blanched and turned her head slowly towards the others who stared at her with gleams in their eyes and big grins, Jessica was the one who spoke up first, ¡°It¡¯s unanimous!¡± She laughed before picking up her bag and walking past patting Lillian on the shoulder. ¡°Congratulations on the election, Dorm Captain,¡± She snickered as the others walked past her. Lillian watched them go with confusion, scratching her head. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± She called after the giggling mass. She sighed and rolled her eyes before turning to look back at Cass who was zipping her own bag with a smirk on her face. She seemed to notice Lillian¡¯s stare and went back to her usual stoic frown. Lillian tilted her head, ¡°You know, a smile looks good on you,¡± She said, ¡°Whatever¡¯s going on, you deserve to be happier,¡± She added and started to turn away. ¡°Um!¡± Came the immediate response. Lillian turned back to see Cass standing there with a grimace on her face. She looked down at her feet then up at the ceiling before reaching up and scratching at her head with both hands. She groaned and let out a big sigh before relaxing and letting her shoulders fall a bit, ¡°I uh¡­¡± She started, ¡°I want to apologize for being kinda-okay-very, mean, to you, and well¡­¡± She gestured helplessly, ¡°Everybody.¡± Lillian blinked, not sure what to say. Cass cleared her throat, ¡°I had a talk with someone important to me and they told me I need to do better, with everyone, I mean,¡± She rubbed her arms, ¡°Locking everyone else out isn¡¯t going to make me¡­ better,¡± She sniffed, ¡°Just kinda hard, you know,¡± She muttered and rolled her eyes before pulling back her hair, ¡°My abusive sister the number one most wanted villain on earth after Ishtar thing,¡± She rambled, ¡°Kinda puts a bit of a damper on ¡®making friends¡¯,¡± She turned a little red in the cheeks and cleared her throat, continuing to talk as Lillian set her bag down and walked towards her, ¡°Jus-just went through a lot and then there was the whole running away from home thing, and then getting registered which was hard without paperwork and-¡± Lillian pulled her into a hug and gave her a squeeze. Cass¡¯ head dropped and she just went quiet for a minute as a hand pat her on the back of the head. ¡°Apology accepted, take your time,¡± Lillian said and pulled back, looking at the blue eyed girl, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the beach, yeah?¡± Cass stared back at her in confusion for a moment, her lips trembled, then she broke into a wobbly smile, ¡°Sure!¡± The two made their way out as someone¡¯s phone or something flashed pink in the corner of the room. Lillian glanced over at Cass who managed to set her stoic flat expression back on her face as they walked out into the hallway. She¡¯s been through a lot, and that took a lot of courage to get out. Still probably gonna take a while before she opens up to everyone completely, but, good for her. She glanced down the hall towards the instructors residences, I wonder if you did something again, you scheming bleeding heart. She thought with a smile before they made their way out towards the common area and the doors beyond. ¡°Where¡¯s that Snow girl, by the way?¡± Cass asked as they reached the doors. Lillian sighed, ¡°Resting in the lab,¡± She said, ¡°I dunno if she¡¯s going to be coming with us. I hope so, though.¡± They pushed out into the open air and Lillian spotted the crowd of nearly forty aspirants and a few of the instructors that had opted to come along. Cass glanced her way, ¡°You two are close.¡± ¡°Very,¡± Lillian agreed, ¡°She¡¯s done more for me than she realizes,¡± She said as they drew closer to the crowd. The red-headed mess of Val¡¯s hair was the first to turn in their direction and he poked his head out between Alex and Greg who were crowded up with John. Val cracked a grin and pushed through, waving at them. ¡°They all have.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Support, huh?¡± Cass said thoughtfully. ¡°Not what I¡¯m used to.¡± Lillian pat her shoulder as her friends hustled over, ¡°Get used to it, you¡¯re stuck with us now after all that back in the dorm.¡± Cass whipped her head in her direction, ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ladies Dorm Captain and the Constellation herself!¡± Alex barked out as they got closer, a bit of a laugh in his voice. Lillian went deadpan, ¡°You too?¡± He snorted, ¡°Hahaha! Oh man that¡¯s too good, you got suckered. You¡¯re in charge over there now as far as the others are concerned.¡± She clicked her tongue, ¡°Have the guys elected a Dorm Captain?¡± She asked and narrowed her eyes, ¡°Because I¡¯d like to suggest one.¡± Alex blinked at her and threw up his hands, ¡°Woah woah, easy-¡± She glanced at John and raised her eyebrow with a smirk. John nodded with his usual flat expression, ¡°Acceptable,¡± He said and turned on his heel before marching back towards the other guys who were talking and laughing in the courtyard. Alex was about to turn to stop him when Greg threw an arm over his shoulder. ¡°Woah there, you can¡¯t turn down such an auspicious nomination from Black Lotus¡¯ apprentice!¡± He said with a sardonic grin. Alex withered under his friend¡¯s grin before searching for any sort of out from the conversation. He looked around a bit before focusing on Cass, ¡°Hey! You- uh- you look nice?¡± He managed only to get a punch in the ribs from Greg. ¡°What? She does!¡± Alex blurted, waving his hands frantically as Greg laughed at him. That¡¯s when a new sound, an alien sound, came out over their bickering. It was a laugh, a bright, pretty, resonant laugh. Lillian, Greg, Alex, and several others all looked at the source as Cassiopeia gripped her sides and bent over half-way. She laughed for a few more seconds before standing up straight and wiping a tear from her eye, ¡°You guys are funny,¡± She chuckled before clearing her throat and brushing her hair back before walking past them like a little princess, yellow-gold hair flowing behind her. ¡°See you at the beach.¡± The trio standing there just stared after her, jaws open, they looked back at one another. ¡°What just happened?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Was she always that uh¡­ amazing?¡± Alex added. Lillian threw her hands up, ¡°I dunno!¡± She defended herself, ¡°She¡¯s just opening up! What¡¯s the big deal?¡± She rambled as the two boys got closer and closer, inspecting her face before turning back and watching Cass join the other girls. Alex muttered something and Greg elbowed him, the two of them started to tussle all over again as Lillian kept her eyes on yet another soul made just a bit brighter by this place. She smiled to herself. That was when a head of white hair popped out next to hers, ¡°Hello!¡± A sing-song chirp broke her out of her reverie and she spun around, nearly crashing into the wrestling duo behind her. ¡°Woah!¡± Lillian blurted before stopping to look at Sonya and her small entourage. The petite Sonya was dressed in a long baggy t-shirt that said ¡®Party Time¡¯ in elaborate pink calligraphy and a white linen sarong that hung down to her ankles along with a pair of white beach sandals to show off her glittering pink toenails. She wore a baseball cap on her head with the ASTA logo that she tipped in Lillian¡¯s direction. ¡°Hi!¡± She chuckled before elbowing the woman on her right, ¡°Get a look at this girl, like she¡¯s seen a ghost or something.¡± Marta glanced at Sonya, her hand on her hip. She was wearing a black sarong and black tank-top bikini with small white frills that made it look a bit maid-themed. She brushed her brown hair back, ¡°Think she was expecting someone else, don¡¯t you, ma¡¯am?¡± Sonya tapped her chin thoughtfully, ¡°Hmm! I think you¡¯re right, who on earth could it be, though?¡± She said thoughtfully, turning her head to the woman on her left. ¡°Carla, any thoughts?¡± The Pandora Committee administrator adjusted her thick glasses as she brushed out her white floral sundress. In the sunlight, the gemstone on her platinum choker gleamed even brighter. She made an equally thoughtful face. ¡°I daresay I can¡¯t think of anyone, how troubling! Forgive me, Miss Chernovna,¡± She said and turned slightly to offer a slight bow to the CEO who huffed out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Oh, what a state of affairs!¡± She said and rest the back of her palm on her forehead, ¡°Would it not be that a hero could swoop in and bring us enlightenment!¡± Lillian¡¯s face had gone completely deadpan at this point as her orange gaze turned over to the fourth person in the group. Standing off next to Marta with her muscular arms crossed over a sporty bikini that showed off her abs, Black Lotus shook her head of black hair, ¡°Hmm¡­ Quite the conundrum indeed,¡± She said heavily before her head shot up and she turned to Sonya, resting her hands on her denim-clad hips, ¡°You know, I think she might have expected young Snow!¡± Black Lotus offered. ¡°The two seem quite close and I have noticed some eyes exchanged here and there.¡± Lillian went bright red at her teacher¡¯s teasing. ¡°U-um.¡± Sonya¡¯s pink eyes went wide and she slapped her fist into her palm, ¡°Oh! You¡¯re right!¡± She grinned in Lillian¡¯s direction, ¡°Is miss Snow who you were hoping surprised you a moment ago?¡± She asked with a snicker, waggling her eyebrows. They¡¯re messing with me, Lillian sighed and scratched her head, ¡°Yeah, I was hoping to see her. How¡¯s she doing?¡± That seemed to be exactly what Sonya and Marta specifically wanted to hear, the two broke into frankly wicked looking grins that looked more like crescent moons than natural facial expressions. They glanced at one another and their eyes twinkled. Sonya was the first to speak, she dramatically brought her hand to her heart, ¡°Well, of course, after two of my people unintentionally got her involved in their little project, I had to take responsibility,¡± She said, ¡°And with such a dramatic thing happening, we needed to help miss Snow make a few adjustments, wouldn¡¯t you agree, Marta?¡± Marta stuck her nose up in the air, ¡°Some of my best stylist work yet.¡± Lillian¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°Wait- is she?¡± Sonya tittered out a laugh, ¡°Allow your local fairy queen to grant your wish, dear aspirant,¡± She said and at the same time as Marta, stepped to the side and swept her hands out, the two making a big show of the reveal. Lillian barely noticed them waving their hands dramatically. She didn¡¯t see anything else. She just saw a pair of pearlescent eyes glimmering a rainbow of colors at her from just a few feet behind the quartet of women. Her hair was white as snow on top and shaped into a cute little pixie cut. The trimmed sides and back were black. Even so, when the light shifted just slightly Lillian could see the static-like glimmer in her hair. A button nose was a little red over a pair of lips painted with just a bit of black lipstick to give them a gray tone that set them off perfectly against pale skin. She wore a mostly black choker blouse, no sleeves, white flowers running down the front before stopping at a pair of fitted blue jeans and a pair of shiny black shoes. ¡°Wow,¡± Lillian breathed. Snow shifted on her feet, reaching up to play a bit with her hair, she swallowed and looked up at Lillian for a moment before opening her mouth. Lillian froze as a faint static filled the air, then a small soft voice entered her ears. ¡°Hi, Lily.¡± Chapter 121 Sonya smiled at the young couple as Lillian broke into a brief dash before scooping Snow up into her arms. She thumbed her nose and walked past, chuckling to herself and patting Chunhua on the arm, ¡°Thanks for playing along,¡± She said as she winked at Alex and Greg who were both staring at the pair, dumbstruck. Chunhua shrugged a little while Marta and Carla caught up. ¡°It was fun,¡± She said with a grin, ¡°Getting involved in your antics for once.¡± Carla sidled up with Sonya and Sonya opened her arm for her lover to slide it in. The two walked together while Marta, smiling to herself, took her position at the rear, hands over her lap as always. Carla glanced back over her shoulder at the pair who were talking to one another with bright eyes and bits of beautiful laughter while Alex and Greg scrambled to join them, ¡°Were those her first words?¡± She asked. ¡°Since becoming mute?¡± Sonya asked, ¡°Yes. She didn¡¯t say a word besides offering commentary with her text illusions while we were getting her set up,¡± Sonya said with a small smirk, ¡°Saving them for her, how cute.¡± ¡°The clothes?¡± Carla asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t go out shopping in the middle of the night, did you?¡± Sonya pointed to herself, feigning offense before snorting and shaking her head, ¡°Oh no, they¡¯re mine actually. Marta is stellar with a needle and had them fitted in no time flat. Did her hair too.¡± Chunhua glanced back at Marta appraisingly, ¡°Impressive.¡± Marta raised her head with a bit of pride and smirked at Chunhua, ¡°Only to be expected of Miss Chernovna¡¯s personal caretaker and bodyguard. I couldn¡¯t call myself such if I wasn¡¯t capable of this,¡± She said smugly only to get a snort from Chunhua. She narrowed her eyes as the woman turned away and laughed, ¡°What? What¡¯s so funny?¡± Chunhua kept laughing, ¡°Would you happen to consider yourself ¡®one hell of a maid¡¯?¡± She asked, putting a little emphasis on the phrase. Sonya raised her eyebrows while Carla looked confused. The two looked back at Marta who blinked a few times, opened her mouth, closed it, blinked a few more times and then went starry eyed. She hustled over to Chunhua with a delighted smile, ¡°How many episodes?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read it,¡± Chunhua said with a small laugh, ¡°When I was in high school.¡± Marta nearly squealed with delight, drawing a few looks but she couldn¡¯t care less. The two immediately broke into conversation while Sonya ushered a confused Carla away. ¡°There¡¯s two of them now,¡± Sonya said and rolled her eyes, ¡°Oh boy,¡± She said with a shake of her head. Carla pursed her lips, ¡°Marta¡¯s little addiction?¡± Sonya nodded gravely, ¡°The same.¡± Carla nodded and squeezed Sonya¡¯s arm, going quiet for a moment before glancing at her, ¡°We¡¯re really going back to that beach?¡± She asked with a small smile, pressing up a bit closer. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Why not?¡± She let out a gasp, ¡°Miss Mint! Are you thinking of something unprofessional?¡± She said, scandalized, ¡°Now that is quite unbecoming for someone of your position!¡± Carla did her best to repress a smirk, ¡°Miss Chernovna, we are not on business, we can let our hair down a little while enjoying the beach,¡± She said with a refined tilt to her voice, looking up and closing her eyes. Sonya glanced at her collar, ¡°I¡¯ll let your hair down in a-¡± A throat cleared behind the two of them and they looked back to see Chunhua and Marta both scowling at them with their eyebrows raised. Sonya shut her mouth and looked away. Buzz kills. No fun! She grumbled inwardly before huffing and throwing her hair back, marching towards the crowd, ¡°Miss Mint! Let us away from these killjoys!¡± She announced, dragging a red-faced Carla along with her. Several of the aspirants and a few instructors glanced their way. Sonya brightened and waved, ¡°Hello!¡± She called, ¡°Excited?¡± There was a chorus of agreement that greeted her as she came to a stop. Axel stepped forward from the pack of boys and extended a hand, ¡°Miss Chernovna! It¡¯s been a while!¡± She pat Carla¡¯s arm and pulled herself free, extending a hand and shaking his. ¡°We¡¯ve both been very busy! I hear you¡¯re doing a fabulous job in the field combat courses.¡± Analyze. He smirked at her from behind his sunglasses, he was at least a foot and a half taller than her so she had to peer up a bit. He squeezed her hand back and nodded, ¡°You¡¯re not half bad either, took Black Lotus to task in that spar.¡± She released his hand. He can¡¯t resist, can he? That¡¯s brand loyalty for you. She let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders, ¡°She was obviously holding back quite a bit, but it was still a good match.¡± ¡°Would you mind doing me the honor of going a few rounds?¡± He said with a toothy grin. She looked him in the eyes, ¡°After the beach I¡¯ll show you what it really means to be a knife fighter, Axel.¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Man you got guts! I like you!¡± ¡°Enough to come over to the ASTA side perhaps?¡± She said with fluttering eyelashes. He snickered and shook his head, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m with Forge, thanks for the offer though, Miss Chernovna.¡± She shrugged, ¡°Had to try,¡± She said before turning to the rest gathered. She noted that Madame Rouge was decidedly not present. Figures, the woman can¡¯t go a day without wearing makeup. She¡¯d lose her mind on the beach, around water? Heaven forbid. She thought wryly before stepping forward, ¡°Everyone! This is your reward for all your hard work and struggles. I know you¡¯ve been through a lot coming here. The training is not easy, and some of your friends have already left us,¡± She said, holding out her arms. To her left, Chunhua tapped her earpiece and muttered something, ¡°So a little rest and relaxation is in order before we hop into the second half and really get down to business,¡± She turned to Carla, ¡°Miss Mint?¡± Carla stepped forward and adjusted her glasses, ¡°You already know the camp rules, they apply here. There are some things to be aware of. We will still be in the United States, so those laws are going to apply while we¡¯re at the beach,¡± She squinted at the crowd before turning her eyes on one young man in particular, ¡°Luke, I¡¯m talking to you.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The fair haired young man held up his hands, ¡°We¡¯ll be good!¡± She huffed, ¡°Sure you will,¡± She shook her head. ¡°Wait! Why does that matter?¡± Another voice called out, ¡°Where are we going?¡± The ground behind the group shuddered once and Sonya sensed four more presences walking up behind her. She rest her hands on her hips as the archway began to rise up from the ground. The stone structure took shape and the light within bent, then distorted inward before forming a tunnel. It bowed and twisted until collapsing into a scene far removed from their mountainous and woody surroundings. A beautiful beach stretched out beyond the portal with blue waves and palm trees. Those present all stared in wonder for a moment, then Sonya decided to chime in, ¡°Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to my private beach house in Maui!¡± A bunch of eyes turned back to her, even Axel looked at her surprised, ¡°W-wait, from the photoshoot? That beach house?¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°Thank you for buying the special edition issue, Axel,¡± She teased and walked past him as everyone stared. Carla and Marta moved to catch up. She sensed Chunhua shake her head a little before following along as well. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you all,¡± Sonya said loudly to the stunned group as she neared the portal, ¡°But I¡¯m going to the beach!¡± She stepped through as a cheer rose up on the other side, feeling the sand give way beneath her feet. She glanced back at Marta before anyone else followed them, ¡°Go have fun, dear.¡± Marta bowed, ¡°Thank you for making the arrangements,¡± She said with a warm smile. Sonya winked at her before materializing a pair of big sunglasses and slipping them on, ¡°You earned it.¡± ¨C Lillian burst out of the water and took a deep breath, her hair sticking to the back of her head. She turned just in time for Alex to come rocketing in her direction, propelled by a spinning swing from Val. Her eyes went wide and she dove to the side, diving under the water again before popping back up, ¡°Watch it you morons!¡± She shouted, ¡°You¡¯re gonna take somebody¡¯s head-¡± She paused and blinked, watching Alex skip across the water like a stone another hundred feet before flopping into the water. A peal of laughter from Val and Greg behind her told her that they weren¡¯t aiming at her. Alex resurfaced, spluttering and shook his hair out before throwing his fists up into the air, ¡°That had to be two hundred feet, right?¡± He whooped and fell back into the water. ¡°Only one eighty!¡± The small voice of Snow came to their ears. They glanced over at Snow sitting at the edge of the water with her feet in it, watching with a smirk on her face, ¡°Try harder! Throw him again!¡± Alex resurfaced, ¡°It¡¯s weird hearing you under-¡± He froze when he saw the leers from Val and Greg. ¡°Oh shit!¡± He gasped and started running. Lillian laughed and trudged her way to the edge, plopping down in the sand next to Snow. Snow rest her arms on her legs and watched the boys make fools of themselves before leaning over and resting her head on Lillian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°Still getting used to it, timings a little off,¡± Snow said, her words coming out just a second out of sync with her lip movements, ¡°I¡¯m getting there.¡± ¡°Kind of like one of those old dubbed shows,¡± Lillian joked. Snow squinted up at her, ¡°Idiot,¡± She said petulantly, ¡°Dumb, stupid, dummy, dum dum.¡± Lillian laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m teasing,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m so glad I get to hear your voice,¡± She murmured as Alex went flying past them, again, screaming the entire time. Snow leaned forward and cupped her hands over her lips, ¡°Two twenty!¡± She shouted, projecting her illusory voice. ¡°Go for two fifty next! Get ¡®em!¡± Lillian couldn¡¯t help herself, she just laughed. ¨C John stood beneath the tree, the shade was adequate though the temperature was more than he was used to. The humidity was also quite high. Even so, the breeze coming in from the north was sufficient to cool his body. His eyes fixed on the water. He was cognizant of the fact that with his ability he was more than capable of swimming and swimming well. Yet an oddly irrational part of his mind warned him against the water. There were fish in the water. There were other things in the water. There was a noisy splash and Alex popped out of the water again, throwing his fists up into the air and howling. Like them. He thought. He cast his gaze over the rest of the expansive beach. Young men and women were out at play. A volleyball net had been set up, people were diving and splashing. Laughter everywhere. He crossed his arms and let out a breath. Perhaps relaxation is healthy. ¡°Not a big swimmer?¡± A voice popped up behind him. He blinked and rotated his body, who on earth had snuck up on him? He paused when he saw Miss Chernovna approach, sipping at what clearly was a fast food drink cup. Where had she gotten it? Did she just keep them at her beach house? She shifted those mechanical eyes and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re overanalyzing again,¡± She said, ¡°Bad for conversation.¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Apologies. Ma¡¯am.¡± She stood next to him beneath the tree, she was an inch shorter than himself but she cast a wide shadow wherever she went. It was eerie. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to tell you,¡± She began, ¡°I spoke with Bluestar about what we had talked about.¡± He turned her way, ¡°Good news?¡± ¡°She¡¯s willing to give you a shot,¡± She said with a shrug, ¡°It¡¯s up to you if you impress her. I only fund the ASTA Guild, I don¡¯t make decisions for her, especially when it comes to giving heroes dual responsibilities.¡± He nodded, ¡°I see,¡± He said flatly, ¡°Surpass expectations, then.¡± He fell silent for a moment, watching the others have fun as the CEO slurped her drink next to him. She gave him another sidelong glance, ¡°John?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡± He mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the surf. ¡°Don¡¯t make me order you to go have fun,¡± She said and turned away, walking across the beach and waved back at him, ¡°I might start rethinking things! I like a lively office!¡± He felt his lips twitch, an expression forming. A small microscopic downward tilt as his stomach twisted. He swallowed hard and looked back at the retreating figure that stopped to greet the mythic boy who made him uneasy. He let his arms fall to his sides and after glancing around a bit, let out a heavy sigh. ¡°...I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± He mumbled, and stepped out of the blessed shade. She¡¯s scary. ¨C ¡°Miss Chernovna! You look wonderful today, is that a new swimsuit?¡± Otis asked, grinning ear to ear as he approached her. She glanced at him and with every ounce of strength and self control she had she returned his smile. He extended a hand to her and she took it, her abilities providing her with enough physiological control not to shudder in revulsion as his hand touched hers. Try again? Analyze. Her lip twitched, ¡°Why yes it is!¡± She said brightly, ¡°Thank you for noticing Marc.¡± ¡°Certainly, I try to stay abreast of such things,¡± He said with a small grin before releasing her hand and looking out over the beach, ¡°This is very nice.¡± ¡°Yes it is,¡± She said, keeping up the act and looking out over the water. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been doing better with socializing.¡± He frowned a little, ¡°It is¡­ difficult, but I am managing,¡± He said with a small nod, ¡°I don¡¯t want to let you down, Miss Chernovna. You said that was what I was lacking in order to be considered, so that is what I will improve on.¡± Sonya sipped at her drink, resisting the urge to refill it next to him. She glanced his way and took a small gamble, ¡°What¡¯s got you so fixated on joining team ASTA anyway? You could join the International Team with your ability alone.¡± He tilted his head and crossed his arms, ¡°That¡¯s the ultimate goal, yes,¡± He said, ¡°But something tells me that I need to work my way up with ASTA first,¡± He admitted, ¡°A true hero has to start somewhere, right? Work their way up and rise to the occasion when it matters. Make their legend from scratch. I like stories like that.¡± ¡°You like stories, do you?¡± She asked, committing his words to memory. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m rather fond of Greek myths. Like Odysseus,¡± He chuckled, ¡°Are you familiar?¡± Something about the way he said it sent a chill up her spine, ¡°I am,¡± She said, ¡°Lost at sea after Troy, had many adventures along the way home. Do you see yourself as Odysseus?¡± He smirked, ¡°Something like that, I have my own story to tell, though, a goal.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She asked. He turned his head and looked up at her with those cold blue eyes, ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Ishtar down and become the world''s greatest hero, ma¡¯am.¡± He paused and looked back out to the sea with that cold smile she remembered from his dying day, ¡°Then, who knows? Might start my own team, Seven guys should do, I like that number.¡± Chapter 122 Greg crept forward, slowly moving across the carefully trimmed grass. His fingers brushed against the surface, his powers set to as low as possible. Just enough to reduce the sound of impacts from footsteps and ease the pressure on the grass itself. It was great practice, really, he should honestly do it more often. Just maybe not in this particular context. His gut twisted nervously again and he glanced back at the others, ¡°This is a really, really bad idea, did I mention that earlier? I feel like I haven¡¯t said that yet,¡± He whispered urgently. Behind him, in a line, were Alex, John, Lily, Snow, Cass, Val, and Ollie. The whole crew plus the new addition that Lily had insisted on bringing along with them. Apparently Cass was cool now, she was pretty and laughed nice but Greg really wasn¡¯t sure about it. Alex was practically vibrating with excitement, John was as deadpan as ever despite the mild sweat on his brow, Lily looked apprehensive and curious, Snow as just as eager as Alex. Cass and Val were keeping an eye out rather than showing any emotion about their current course of action while Ollie stared at their destination with bated breath. ¡°Dude, don¡¯t chicken out now,¡± Alex grunted, ¡°We¡¯re so close!¡± Greg smiled widely at him, his eyes wide with barely restrained stress, ¡°Then you lead the way, into Sonya Chernovna¡¯s beach house. The Sonya Chernovna, who sells guns and military hardware.¡± ¡°I doubt she has weaponized security, for the beach house,¡± Ollie pointed out, keeping his voice low with everyone else, ¡°Definitely has some kind of advanced security, though.¡± Greg pointed to Ollie, ¡°See? Smart guy! Listen to him!¡± The moment after he said that, two forms darted past him. He barely had a moment to react before whirling around to see short black hair and long blonde hair darting towards the small hedge that lined the outer island-side patio of the beach house. A moment later the two figures leaped into the air, almost in unison. They flipped, bending backwards in mid leap before pivoting into a perfect landing on the other side. Lily glanced over at Cass and shot her a thumbs up, the blond girl rolling her ams and smirking at the others with a raised eyebrow. Greg chewed his lip. ¡°I¡¯d let her bend me like that,¡± A small voice echoed in his head. He and the others left behind all turned towards Snow who stared back at them blankly, ¡°What?¡± She asked, ¡°I would.¡± ¡°T M I, Snowcone,¡± Alex grunted and entered a track-runners posture. Greg groaned, ¡°I guess we¡¯re doing this,¡± He muttered as a hand clapped onto his shoulder. He looked back to see John inches from his face, his deadpan expression broken only by a nearly curved smile. For John, the look was practically psychotic. He darted past Greg who hurriedly slapped his hand to the ground and reversed gravity even more, the others in hot pursuit. John sailed over the hedge, Snow launched herself before letting herself float until Lily caught her, Ollie, to Greg¡¯s surprise, threw himself into a front handspring and used the gravity to hurl himself past the defensive plants. Val just hopped over, no effort. The next thing Greg knew, he was standing on the other side as well, rubbing his head and looking around, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re doing this,¡± He murmured, still trying to keep his voice low. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we didn¡¯t do it sooner!¡± Alex laughed and Greg held up his hands desperately to try to get his friend to quiet down. It was no use, ¡°Ho-lee-shit! This is it! Sonya Chernovna¡¯s beach house, where she has all those wild parties. Supermodels, heroes, the rich and powerful,¡± He said with a too-wide grin. ¡°Can you imagine all the cool stuff that¡¯s probably here? We gotta check it out, right?¡± ¡°Hey, she didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t go,¡± Lily said, shrugging, ¡°Besides, if there''s an obstacle, I hop over it. It¡¯s kind of my thing.¡± ¡°Hell yeah! Parkour girl gets it!¡± Alex barked, clenching his fists. ¡°Parkour girl?¡± Lily asked, squinting at him. ¡°I wanted to see it too,¡± Cass said, looking up at the building. ¡°How she lives in her downtime.¡± ¡°You know¡­ most of us are going to sign with ASTA right? Won¡¯t we get in trouble?¡± Greg tried one last futile time to speak up for reason. Val scratched his head and walked past him, ¡°Just don¡¯t touch anything or do anything stupid and you got nothin¡¯ to worry about, it¡¯s Alex we should all be concerned about.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Alex blanched. Ollie nodded, walking with Val, Cass and Snow close behind. Snow stuck her tongue out at Greg as Ollie glanced back, ¡°This is a chance of a lifetime, I am to take it, personally. It could give me some insights about my future sponsor. The only person who would actually cause any real trouble is Alex.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Alex growled. Lily sighed and nodded before patting Greg on the shoulder, ¡°See, nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on Alex and everything will be okay,¡± She said and made her way towards the door leading into the building with the others. Greg let out a sigh, there was no way he was talking them out of it, might as well just roll with it. He rubbed his neck and glanced up at Alex who made eye contact with him. Alex¡¯s nostrils flared, ¡°I-I¡¯ll show you guys!¡± He barked and marched past them. ¡°I¡¯m going in first!¡± Snow raised a hand, ¡°Oh no,¡± She said, her artificial voice deadpan, ¡°Don¡¯t do it. You could set something off,¡± She added, taking no steps to stop him. Val snickered as Ollie stopped a few paces behind Alex who grabbed a hold of the handle. He tugged once and it opened without any resistance. There was a long pause as everyone stared at him and the spot where the door had been shut. Nothing happened. They all stared stupidly at the opening leading into the darkened interior for a few seconds, even Cass¡¯ expression had gone comically flat. They looked at one another for a moment, then back at the door where Alex had already disappeared inside. Their eyes widened and they raced in after him, scrambling through the entry and onto a narrow path of what looked like hardwood floor. The moment they stepped on it, the floor glowed a little beneath their feet, casting just enough light around them to provide personal visibility. They could see one another and a few feet in front of their faces but that was about it. Greg tapped his foot against the floor and ran the tip of his shoe over the wood, it slid right over the seam between the two pieces, not even a bump. His lips formed a line, ¡°The floor is a screen,¡± He said.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The others glanced down at their feet and tapped against it themselves, the floor seeming to glow around their feet where they stepped but it was some sort of elaborate illusion created by the screens that made up the entire floor. ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± Lily murmured. Cass looked up and sniffed the air, ¡°Do you smell that?¡± She murmured. The others sniffed before Ollie spoke up, ¡°Fresh air? But I don¡¯t see any openings in the walls.¡± ¡°There are some vents on the sides of the room,¡± Snow¡¯s voice joined in, filling their ears for a moment. She rest her hands on her hips and looked around the room, ¡°It¡¯s way too dark in here,¡± She said, ¡°Can¡¯t connect to the network so I guess the only option is¡­¡± Greg paused, resting his hand on a rail that appeared to follow the narrow path that formed a square around the large room, he glanced at Snow and got a bad feeling, ¡°W-wait!¡± ¡°Lights!¡± She broadcasted, making the sound audible to anyone and anything that could hear. Immediately their entire world changed around them. The almost pitch darkness of the central room of the beach house exploded with light and color. Around them the sheer walls became a perfect mirror of the outside. Greg blinked against the sudden change in lighting before whipping his head to the left as he heard shouting. He froze. He could see the other aspirants playing volleyball in the distance. He looked up, there was the sky, a few stray clouds drifting overhead. He could hear the trees rustling as a breeze washed over him. ¡°She turned the entire room into a screen to project whatever she wants,¡± Cass said breathlessly, turning in place, ¡°There¡¯s even a breeze. Do you feel that?¡± ¡°Woah,¡± John breathed. ¡°No kidding,¡± Alex murmured before letting out a gasp, ¡°Dude, look in the middle of the room!¡± They all turned as one to see what the path that wrapped around the room overlooked. There was a living-room and lounge in the center, slightly recessed, necessitating one to step down a bit to enter. Inside were a number of couches and chairs spread out in a comfortable fashion, they looked a little out of place with the ¡®grass¡¯ and ¡®sand¡¯ beneath them. Yet the little comforts weren¡¯t what garnered their attention. A large half-pillar hung from the ceiling to hang about ten feet above the ground. Numerous flat panels adorned the upper half of its surface. Greg frowned when he saw one move a bit. He took a step to the left and one of the panels tilted to point in his direction. ¡°What is that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°They look like directional speakers,¡± Ollie said, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen them in articles before.¡± They all drew a little closer, Greg unable to help himself with his curiosity. He stepped into the recessed lounge and the pillar immediately reacted. Part of the pillar shifted and popped open revealing what looked like a C-shaped rail that projected out of the side. The rail split in half and began to move in a circle around the lower half of the column, some kind of silver fabric following behind it. It only stopped when it returned to its starting point, meeting its other half again. The silver screen stretching just a little to form a seamless connection with itself. A moment later the screen came to life and Greg was immediately blasted with the world news. ¡°Two navy subs were lost today when-¡± He covered his ears, it wasn¡¯t loud, but it was so clear it was jarring. He took a step to the right and it followed him, ¡°-a strike team is being assembled but without a clear location to investigate the Pandora-¡± He pressed his hands against his ears again. ¡°Snow! Can you shut it off?¡± He shouted, ¡°Please!¡± A few painful seconds later, the voice of the reporter stopped ringing in his ears. He let out a groan and allowed his arms to fall to his sides before glancing at everyone else, ¡°That was-¡± He paused when he met their eyes, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything,¡± Val said, scratching his head, ¡°You okay dude?¡± ¡°I heard an anime theme song,¡± Ollie murmured, ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt someone¡¯s playlist.¡± ¡°I heard a football game,¡± Alex added. They all looked at one another then up at the flat panels that were still shifting to point in their direction, ¡°I think we should move on,¡± Greg murmured, ¡°Or better yet, leave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be difficult,¡± Cass said flatly. He turned and fixed her with a stare only for her to gesture over her shoulder at the pristine scene of the outside behind her. An uninterrupted view. Not even a door handle to break the illusion. He stared at the wall where the door should be, trying to figure out where the door could possibly start or end. ¡°I think we¡¯re out of luck as far as going out the way we came is concerned.¡± ¡°Why the hell would she make the door handle vanish?¡± Greg complained. ¡°Aesthetics?¡± Lily said, shrugging off to the side while she and Snow patted the sides of one of the couches experimentally. They looked at one another and nodded before hopping onto the couch, Lily stretching out and Snow relaxing on top of her. ¡°It feels like a water bed, but less wobbly,¡± She sighed, ¡°Oh that¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a hall over here!¡± Alex called, ¡°Splits off!¡± ¡°Stairs, a sub level,¡± John murmured on the other side of the room. Alex looked up at Greg and grinned. Greg closed his eyes tightly and sighed, ¡°You have got to be¡­¡± He frowned, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a look around since we¡¯re here already. Just be careful! Everyone pair off! I¡¯ll go with Alex, keep you out of trouble.¡± Greg grunted. Alex shrugged, ¡°Right, right, fine. Whatever. I¡¯m taking the left hall.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll hold down the fort!¡± Lily called, waving at them from her comfortable spot. Snow looked like she was already dozing off. ¡°With Val,¡± John muttered, walking over to stand next to his friend. ¡°Works for me, we¡¯ll take the right hall,¡± Val said, punching the air a few times, ¡°She¡¯s gotta have a game room around here somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with Cass downstairs then,¡± Ollie added, glancing over at the girl who gave him a sideways look. She shrugged and nodded, ¡°Sounds reasonable, you have a good eye,¡± She said primly and made towards the stairs John had pointed out. The three groups went their separate ways, each proceeding into a portion of the mysterious place that they had thought was nothing more than a simple beach house. Greg couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy about the whole thing. No alarms had gone off as far as he knew, and there was no visible way out until they at least found the front door. Yet that uneasiness began to give way to something else, hungry curiosity. Just the living room alone was enough to clue him in on what Sonya Chernovna was really using it for, a testing ground, and he was very interested in what other marvels she was playing with. Despite his misgivings, he followed Alex into the hall leading out of the living room and back into the darkness. ¡ª Sonya huffed out a small laugh as she lounged on the beach, reclining on a long chair and sipping at a smoothie. An actual smoothie this time. Her big sunglasses reflected the sun beating down on her stark-white skin. Her frilly pink bikini shimmered a little as she shifted, glancing over to the woman laying on the beach chair next to her, ¡°Have some intruders in the beach house,¡± She snickered as a message came through in her HUD. She opened it and smiled at the selfie of Marta and Barry¡¯s smiling faces on a boat with the water behind them. They¡¯re so cute. Carla glanced her way, tilting her own sunglasses down a bit. While Sonya had gone for revealing, Carla had gone for a bit more modesty. The one piece she wore was a bit transparent down the middle, giving a slight low-cut look but it was also accompanied by a sheer skirt that went down to just above her knees. ¡°Will that be a problem?¡± She asked. Sonya snorted, ¡°Heaven¡¯s no,¡± She said, waving a hand. She didn¡¯t keep anything of real importance there, nothing related to Ishtar anyway. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised that Cass and Lily decided to participate in some home invasion.¡± ¡°They¡¯re basically college students,¡± Carla pointed out, ¡°Of course they¡¯re going to get into trouble,¡± She shook her head, ¡°That place is Amos¡¯ current playground, right? Testing stuff out to put in your new house?¡± She asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Sonya said, reclining back on her chair, a smug smile playing on her lips, ¡°This should be interesting.¡± Side-Story: House of Wonders I Greg hurried after Alex as he disappeared into the hallway. It was disorienting. The walls in the hallway were set up to meld with the walls of the living room, giving it the illusion that the hallway didn¡¯t even exist unless one was standing right next to it and saw where the opening was. Ahead of him he could see where the illusion finally broke, the hallway splitting into two dark paths that went left and right. He stopped just as he started to turn left and glanced back over his shoulder at John and Val who were taking their time at the entrance to their own path. ¡°You guys be careful,¡± He said. Val grinned at him and shrugged, ¡°Nothin¡¯ I can¡¯t handle.¡± He frowned but shrugged, ¡°Alright, suit yourself, John, watch him?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± John said flatly before turning to walk with Val who gave the deadpan young man a petulant look. Greg shook his head and scratched his neck, looking back down his own hallway and spotting Alex standing a few feet in, waiting for him. He let out a sigh and sauntered after him, looking around. Unlike the walls of the living room and the illusory hallway, this space was remarkably normal. Wallpaper and wooden molding near the floor. He squinted up at the lightbulbs that remained dark over his head, ¡°See a light switch?¡± He asked. Alex shook his head, ¡°Nope,¡± He grunted and scratched his chest, frowning a little as he looked down the dark path, ¡°Hey, Greg?¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Greg hummed, walking up next to him and squinting down the path himself. He held up his hand and it glowed a little, providing some small amount of light. Down the path he could see a single door before the path curved to the left. He glanced over at his friend who looked thoughtful, a bit of a frown playing on his face, ¡°You good Alex?¡± ¡°Am I really that much trouble?¡± Alex muttered. Greg raised an eyebrow, blinking at him a few times before his shoulders fell. ¡°The ribbing get to ya, man?¡± He asked. ¡°A little,¡± Alex grunted uncomfortably, ¡°One at a time it¡¯s funny but-¡± He trailed off and leaned against the wall, ¡°-everybody?¡± Greg glanced back down the other dark hall, Val and John had already disappeared. He crossed his arms and looked back at Alex, ¡°I think taking a breath before you leap would be a good idea,¡± He said honestly, ¡°Not that the others are much better. You¡¯re just louder,¡± He laughed and reached over to pat his friend on the shoulder, ¡°Look at Lily, she jumped first to get into this place. You got nothin¡¯ to worry about. I¡¯d trust you with my life any day,¡± He said and started walking, ¡°Now are we gonna check this place out or not? We¡¯ve already broken in, might as well, right?¡± It took a few seconds for Alex to catch up to him, but the blonde was grinning ear to ear, ¡°So what¡¯s first? Check this room out?¡± He asked, nodding to the single door in this part of the path. The both of them stopped and Greg shrugged, reaching for the handle and turning it. It opened easily and he pushed it open, peering inside. He froze and frowned, ¡°Uh¡­¡± Alex swallowed next to him, ¡°...creepy.¡± The long room was one big mirror, every wall reflective in a way that made it seem endless. The ceiling had a slight domed quality to it with angled mirrors and what looked like strips of LEDs running between them. There were several stools set up throughout the room, a few chairs, and finally the most unsettling part of the whole space. What looked like one of those combat dolls that Forge produced. It stood stiffly at the far end of the room from the door, its faceless gaze looking out towards the opposite end. They glanced at one another, frowned, then immediately raised their fists. Two drops and Greg threw out scissors while Alex threw out paper. Alex groaned, ¡°Oh man¡­¡± He muttered and slowly walked into the space. Something must have detected him because the strips between the mirrors in the ceiling lit up, brightening the area in a cheery white light with the occasional pink thrown in to add a faint amount of color. Greg watched Alex continue to walk inside before following him, both of them keeping their eyes on the doll. For a moment nothing happened, then the doll stepped forward and they both tensed. It stopped in front of them and a monotone voice crackled out from somewhere in its chest, ¡°Occasion?¡± It asked. They looked at one another for a moment, ¡°Uh¡­¡± Greg started before Alex immediately cut in, it looked like he¡¯d figured it out. ¡°Party,¡± Alex said. ¡°Formal or casual?¡± It clarified. ¡°Casual,¡± Alex added. Greg turned to look at Alex, ¡°Are you serious?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s her dressing room,¡± Alex chuckled, ¡°Just-¡± He went silent and stared at the doll, his mouth falling open. Greg narrowed his eyes at his expression before turning to look at the doll and immediately mirroring it. From somewhere in the walls or ceiling, Greg couldn¡¯t figure it out, something was projecting onto the surface of the doll. The combination of projections somehow managed to create what he could only describe as a god damn hologram. Standing there, the doll was wearing a sleeveless pink blouse with a neatly folded collar and floral pattern, a pair of white jeans and a pair of white heels with pink bows. It shifted its stance a bit to simulate standing on the heels as a white ponytail appeared on its head, matching Miss Chernovna¡¯s hair. ¡°Woah,¡± Greg breathed. ¡°No kidding,¡± Alex murmured. ¡°The articles are within drawers seven, four, and nine,¡± The doll said and three lights bloomed within the mirrored walls. ¡°Would you like to make adjustments, ma¡¯am?¡± Alex cleared his throat, ¡°Uh¡­ n-no that¡¯s fine, thank you.¡± The Doll went still, ¡°Understood,¡± It said and just stood there. Greg and Alex looked at one another before looking at one of the lights on the walls. They swallowed and Alex shook his head, ¡°I am not going through her clothes,¡± He said flatly. ¡°As badass as hidden drawers behind mirrors are.¡± Greg let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Same, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± He turned to the doll, ¡°Uhh¡­ thank you? That¡¯s enough for now.¡± The doll just nodded, turned on its heel, and marched back to where it had been standing. The projection of clothing slipping off of its body before it turned back to its original pose and going very still. The two young men swallowed hard and quickly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind them. ¡°Bro,¡± Alex breathed. ¡°That was still a combat doll, right?¡± Greg filled in, ¡°It didn¡¯t look like the others, what was it made out of?¡± ¡°Bro,¡± Alex reiterated. ¡°For dress up?¡± They looked at one another and then towards the point in the hallway where it turned to the left. Greg cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. He wasn¡¯t going to step away from this now. He marched down the hall and this time it was Alex who came after him. They rounded the corner and saw four more doors. Three along the right and one at the end of the hallway. Greg walked up to the first one and examined the door. There was a simple sign hanging from a nail in the door that said ¡®Marta¡¯ in simple black calligraphy. His hand immediately jerked away from the handle and he glanced back at Alex. ¡°Yeah¡­ no.¡± They moved down to the next two doors. The first was blank while the third had a similar sign to the first but was written in pink lettering with little splashes of glitter and smiles. It said ¡®Sonya¡¯. ¡°Miss Chernovna¡¯s room,¡± He murmured and reached out to touch the door. At least put my hand on it, right? He immediately regretted the impulse, something he couldn¡¯t see reacted and he felt a charge run up his arm. He gasped, pulling his hand away and cradling it a little. He looked down at his fingertips, ¡°Ouch, ouch ouch,¡± He gasped, ¡°What the hell?¡± Alex hurried over and they both looked at his fingers, light burns graced his fingertips, ¡°Is that a freaking force field?¡± Alex asked, scaling up his hand and reaching out to touch the door himself. Is hand was pushed back and he glanced down at his hand. It wasn¡¯t burned but a little smoke rose up off of his scaled fingers. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the middle room,¡± Greg murmured and the two moved away from the personal room, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go in anyway,¡± He admitted, ¡°Just wanted to say I touched the door.¡± Alex snorted, ¡°Getting into it at least.¡± Greg rolled his eyes and pushed the middle door open, no sparks or charges or danger came as they poked their heads inside. It was just a bedroom, luxurious with a bit of a beach theme to it. Some ocean decor and a wide comfortable bed. The only unusual thing was a small flat tablet on the wall next to the door. The two boys looked at one another before Alex tapped the screen. It lit up and showed all sorts of details about the room. ¡°Temperature, humidity,¡± Greg murmured. ¡°Bed controls, sound level, what the hell?¡± Alex murmured and touched the sound level selection, a bar appeared with the marker set in the middle. They looked at one another again and Alex pulled the bar all the way down to zero. Immediately there was a faint hiss in the walls followed by utter and complete silence. Not just silence with the background noise that came with ambient sound, but real silence. Greg could hear his own heartbeat, every breath, every shift of his feet, every- ¡°Oh fuck no, turn it back,¡± He gasped, the sound of his own voice grating a little on his ears, ¡°Hurry!¡± Alex didn¡¯t have to be told twice, he turned it back to the middle setting and after another hiss the sound level in the room normalized. ¡°Everything in this place is freaky as hell,¡± Alex muttered, shaking his head and immediately making for the door. The two stepped out into the hallway one more time before looking to the only remaining door. ¡°What do you think?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Bathroom I bet,¡± Alex said. ¡°Probably,¡± Greg agreed and the two made their way over, wondering what kind of marvels hid in the bathroom. Some sort of super high-tech shower? Maybe a full-room drying system? He wasn¡¯t even sure anymore. He reached for the doorknob and thankfully nothing shocked him. That was when he saw something glow beneath his fingers. He pulled his hand away and saw a faint glowing copy of his handprint. The next thing he heard was an angry buzz and something rushed up from his feet and through his body. His muscles locked, his entire body going rigid. Next to him, Alex tensed as well. It didn¡¯t hurt, but it wasn¡¯t pleasant either. He tried to move, tried to shift his body, tried to do anything but move his jaw.. Nothing. He closed his eyes and hoped that the effect would just pass when a small light shone down on them from above, a sphere floated in the air and a tittering and very familiar laugh came out of it. ¡°Have fun, boys?¡± Sonya¡¯s voice called down to them. ¡°Uhh¡­ Alex?¡± Greg sighed, grateful that his jaw at least still worked. ¡°Yeah Greg?¡± Alex asked from his own frozen position. ¡°I think we¡¯re in trouble.¡± Side-Story: House of Wonders II Val shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked in the dark, leaving the brightly lit pseudo hallway behind them. He glanced over his shoulder only once to see Greg and Alex making their way towards the first door they saw. Val reached down and scratched at his elbow, sniffing a little and glancing over at John. Among their little circle of friends, he was closest to John. The guy¡¯s stoic silence was something he was used to so he didn¡¯t mind the flat expression on his face even as he returned Val¡¯s glance. Val looked past him at the walls before glancing at the wall closest to him, he reached out and ran his fingers along it, ¡°Everything¡¯s mismatched in this place,¡± He muttered, ¡°Fuckin¡¯ weird.¡± ¡°Testing new ideas,¡± John muttered as they neared the first door on their left which turned out to be a pair of double doors. There was another ahead of them before the hallway turned sharply to the right, wrapping around the building. Val glanced at him, ¡°She¡¯s using her own summer house for prototyping?¡± He asked, then pursed his lips before raising his eyebrows, ¡°Yeah, sounds like her. Bet all this stuff is made by Dr. Carter. He hooked me and Snow up after all,¡± He said, flexing his arms. They couldn¡¯t be seen with the hoodie he was wearing for their little ¡®incursion¡¯ but the underplates for his gear were still affixed to his skin to conceal and protect the physiological parts of his ability. They were light and small enough that they could be worn under clothing. He turned to the doors and tilted his head, ¡°Way out you think?¡± ¡°No, kitchen probably,¡± John muttered, he gestured to the hall they¡¯d come from, ¡°Large opening for easy traffic, close to the entry to the common area.¡± Val shrugged, He¡¯s talkative today. He thought and pushed the doors open. They swung out easily and revealed exactly what John had predicted. A spacious and well lit kitchen. He tilted his head and listened for the sound of artificial lighting as he stepped inside, scanning the windows that looked out towards the garden that wrapped around the rear exterior of the building. He could see the path leading out towards the thick trees beyond. Val walked over to the glass and ran his fingers across it before tapping his nails against it. It made a dull sound almost like plastic. ¡°Something unusual?¡± John grunted, walking past him to examine the counters for a moment before beelining in another direction. ¡°It¡¯s some kinda reinforced glass,¡± Val said thoughtfully, ¡°I dunno, it''s weird.¡± ¡°Everything here is,¡± John mumbled and Val turned to see him holding a kitchen knife. It was an off-white color and had the ASTA logo on the handle, ¡°Monster bone.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Val murmured and walked over. John handed it to him and he turned it over in his grip, ¡°I¡¯ve never touched monster bone before, this is sick man,¡± He said, marveling at the texture of it. It was oddly smooth and felt denser than bone. To be fair, I¡¯ve only ever handled chicken bones, he thought. He glanced up from the knife, ¡°Anything else interesting?¡± ¡°Visibly, no,¡± John said and turned in a stiff circle, ¡°Standard service kitchen, if well equipped. Anything interesting is well hidden.¡± Val shrugged, ¡°Well I¡¯m not gonna waste time in here then,¡± He grunted as he walked back out into the hall, scratching his head, ¡°Though you¡¯d think there¡¯d be more staff.¡± ¡°Handmaiden? She is a maid,¡± John commented as he joined him, the pair glancing at the next door. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Val said thoughtfully, ¡°All I can think of is her throwing people on TV at the Hague incident,¡± Val pointed out and started walking towards the door. ¡°Dining room you think?¡± ¡°Mm,¡± John grunted and pushed the door open, they slipped inside and froze. While the kitchen had been pretty standard for all intents and purposes, the dining room was anything but. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Val blurted as he stepped out onto what amounted to a balcony with stairs going down and to the left. Across from him was a fish tank that hung from the ceiling, stretching out across the entire room and supported by metal supports that went through the water before affixing themselves to the walls and ceiling. There had to be hundreds of fish inside, all provided gentle illumination from skylights that fed in from above. He gaped as he walked down the stairs, looking up at what felt like the ocean above his head. ¡°Woah¡­¡± He breathed. ¡°Yes,¡± John agreed, his own words coming out a little breathy too. They looked at one another before glancing around the open space beneath the fish, illuminated with the ripples of water from above. The room was large and given its location stretched out beneath the soil outside. There were over a dozen tables set up with chairs and plenty of space for other activities. A shadow darted over Val¡¯s head and he looked up quickly to see something metallic and silver move through the water, it stopped near a gathering of fish before expelling a cloud of flakes and darting away again. ¡°Robotic fish keepers,¡± Val muttered. ¡°Bar,¡± John murmured. Val turned to John who was pointing towards a long, fully equipped bar built into the wall beneath where the balcony had overlooked. The bottles were all sitting on top of black shelves with white rings around their bases. Occasionally a little flicker of light would flash through the bottles giving it an appealing effect. Val grinned and hurried over, sliding up to it and slapping his hands down on the counter, ¡°Oh man, Luke¡¯s gonna love this!¡± He laughed and leaned over the counter. He was about to reach out when John grabbed him and pulled him back. Val opened his mouth to protest when he noticed a floating sphere drift down from the ceiling of the bar, it rotated and flashed a faint red light as John pulled Val back around the corner and to the stairs. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Val whispered, ¡°Security?¡± ¡°Likely,¡± John murmured, ¡°We should move on.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Val agreed. They both hurried up the steps and out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. They glanced to their left, down the hall where two more rooms remained. Val smirked, one run in with security wasn¡¯t enough to chase him away. Not when he hadn¡¯t seen the real prize. He hustled down the hall towards the next room, John close behind, and pushed the door open. He took one look at the interior and threw his fists up, only a look from John silencing the whoop that nearly escaped his lips. The walls were just like those in the living room, except these had a pink flame in them, steadily flickering and glowing around the perimeter of the space giving a bit of an eerie ambiance. To the left side of the room was a long heavy-looking table that¡¯s entire surface was slowly pulsing with a very faint pink glow, like it was on standby or something. Surrounding the table had to be at least ten bookcases filled with books, boardgames, and other things. One full bookshelf was lined entirely with neat rows of small plastic boxes filled with dice. The right side was by far more appealing. Separated from the table with a long rug was a ring of sofas like the ones in the living room facing the wall. There was no sign of anything besides the Sofas but he wasn¡¯t fooled for a moment. He grinned and hustled over, John going over to the board games to inspect them. Val crouched and ran his hands along the lower part of the wall right in front of the sofas, pushing here and there, ¡°Cmon, there¡¯s gotta be a-¡± He heard a click and grinned, ¡°Yes!¡± A very faint seam in the wall appeared as it popped open, revealing a drawer that slid out. Inside was a treasure trove of gaming controllers from any number of consoles and brands, old and new. Some of the older ones had been fitted with some sort of black spike where their cords should be. He picked one up and turned it over in his hands, it had a funky shape to it but there was a clear start button. He got to his feet and took a few steps back, pushing the button. The drawer retracted at his feet and the pink flames in front of him went dark. The next thing he saw was a familiar logo across the entire wall, ¡°Holy, fucking, shit,¡± He breathed, turning from the screen and looking around, ¡°I need snacks, oh man,¡± He murmured as the sound of hooves came from all around him followed by piano. He spotted a cluster of cabinets, one looking like a refrigerator, resting against the wall to the left of the door they¡¯d come in through. String instruments started playing and some kind of flute. He raced over and reached for the fridge only to see a flashing red light glinting down at him from above it. Another sphere! He gasped and turned, ¡°Joh-¡± The sound like a zipper being pulled quickly interrupted him followed by the feeling of his entire body getting bound up in thin black strands of something. He spun, startled, and fell right on his face only to hear a similar sound ring out a second later as John came running. He tried to pull himself free, but whatever the black stuff was, it didn¡¯t budge an inch. A light shone down above him from the sphere and he squinted at it. ¡°Ah damn it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t mess up my save data, Val,¡± Sonya¡¯s amused voice came from the sphere, ¡°Your exploration time is up, boys.¡± Side-Story: House of Wonders III Just like the entrance to the hallway, the stairwell was hidden in plain sight by the walls simulating the outside. It would have been much easier to see if they had been deactivated, but Ollie figured that this was kind of the point. Navigating this place required an understanding of it. More importantly, most of what he had already seen in the living room alone was clearly experimental. He considered his thoughts on Sonya Chernovna¡¯s inner circle, the people working with and around her. She was very close with her lead scientist so it would be no surprise to him if she let Dr. Carter turn her home into a playground. He glanced at the hallway that the other four had gone through, The stuff above ground is probably mundane if not a little more advanced than what we¡¯re used to. He looked down the stairs. The interesting stuff is down here, he thought with a small smile. A movement nearby caught his attention and pulled him out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked up into the piercing blue eyes of Cassiopea Hanks. The blonde girl was looking at him with a bit of mild concern, her head tilted a bit to the left as she crossed her arms. It wasn¡¯t a judgy look, more like she was uncomfortable. ¡°You um¡­¡± She started and cleared her throat before shaking her head, she turned away and went down the stairs, ¡°...just finish pondering whatever and lets go,¡± She said hastily. He blinked and watched her descend, I think¡­ she was about to say something rude, He glanced back at the couch where Lily and Snow were relaxing. Lily clearly had no interest in sneaking through the place now that she¡¯d found a place to lay her head and Snow was attached to her at the hip. His lips thinned, Lily said that Cassiopeia was trying to open up. Maybe she¡¯s also trying to be more careful with her words too. He blinked, Oh, she was going to call me out about standing there quietly and grinning to myself. He felt a bit of heat rise to his ears, Oh that¡¯s embarrassing. He thought and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he started down the stairs. He resisted the urge to get lost in thought again, taking a deep breath and clearing his mind like Madame Rouge had taught him. Sometimes an empty head was good for seeing things objectively. Get rid of preconceptions, biases, everything else, just breathe and see things for what they are. He thought as he exhaled only to stop when he nearly ran into Cassiopeia¡¯s back. ¡°Oh! Sorry!¡± He gasped, taking a step back before freezing in place. ¡°Oh.¡± Cass didn¡¯t look back at him, ¡°Yeah, my thoughts too,¡± She murmured as they looked into the large square room, about the same size as the room above. Instead of pretty walls made of illuminated screens, the walls were made of an off-white metal that gleamed a bit against the very simple lights that lined the ceiling. The metallic walls were affixed with numerous weapons, mostly knives, held within protective glass casings. There were three exits leading out of the room, each of them had doors made of the same metal of the walls and looked like they were designed to open into the walls rather than swing. ¡°This is where she trains.¡± ¡°I knew she took it seriously but¡­¡± Ollie trailed off as he stepped into the room. He looked down at his feet, ¡°The floor feels strange,¡± He said. Cass stepped onto it with him before frowning as well, ¡°I don¡¯t- wait,¡± She tilted her head, ¡°It feels solid but there¡¯s something wrong.¡± He tapped his foot against the floor and it sounded like a normal floor. He glanced at Cass and then raised his foot high before bringing it down hard, stomping on the floor. Immediately the floor gave way like a fluid, cushioning the impact. He gasped and pulled his foot out of the small impression he had made and it simply resumed its original shape, ¡°What the heck is this stuff?¡± He gasped, looking at Cass who shook her head. She stomped her foot as well and the same thing happened, she grinned. ¡°Could you imagine sparring in here?¡± She said eagerly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even feel the falls.¡± ¡°The walls are still made of metal,¡± Ollie pointed out, walking over to one of them only to feel himself run into something that he couldn¡¯t see that stuck out a few inches from the wall. He blinked and pushed against it and it again felt solid like the floor, a lot like the floor. He pulled his fist back and punched the wall and it gave way a little. ¡°The walls are coated in it too!¡± He gasped, ¡°It¡¯s just transparent!¡± He paused and looked down at the floor, ¡°No, the floor is dyed.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Knives are just for decoration then,¡± Cass murmured thoughtfully and sauntered past him. She glanced over her shoulder, ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing else in here, coming?¡± They approached the door to the left of the entrance and after a moment it slid open of its own accord, revealing a dark room. They glanced at one another before the lights in the room began to come on of their own accord. Inside was a spacious office. Ollie froze as he stepped inside, taking it all in. I think I¡¯m underestimating how serious this woman is, just a bit. Ollie thought. The room was circular with a desk in the dead center. The desk was flat and spartan and made of the same reinforced white material as the walls. There was nothing on the desk but a small glass dome containing a mana crystal that looked like it had exploded from the inside while somehow staying whole. He wanted to walk over and check it out, but he had other concerns. The walls were screens like the room above, but they weren¡¯t showing generic world news and sports. There were feeds from across the planet monitoring villain reports, hero progress, there was a live feed from Dharan, numerous financial trackers, a whole portion of the wall was dedicated to a dozen different news sources. Last but not least there was a map of the world showing the current carter radar readings including dungeon locations. ¡°She¡¯s keeping an eye on the entire globe,¡± He breathed, ¡°She said she was dedicated to helping humanity and heroes but this is¡­ incredible.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Cass said happily, walking further in and turning around on her heel, ¡°This is just¡­ breathtaking,¡± He swallowed a bit at her enthusiasm before walking towards the desk, going to check out the odd-looking crystal. Cass glanced his way, ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. This place is special.¡± He pulled his hand away from the object and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning forward to look at it. It looks like lattices, little hairline pathways throughout the crystal. They¡¯re all connecting. What is this thing? He wondered. He pulled out a small notebook and wrote a few things down about the object before shoving it back in his pocket and glancing over at Cass again. She was watching one of the screens. He looked past her and saw the scowl of Liberty. The blonde woman was in a full suit of armor and shouting something from a podium. There were dozens of people wearing mismatched clothing beneath her, all raising their fists. He saw Cass¡¯ shoulders tense, the girls body shaking a little bit. This isn¡¯t good for her, he thought and hurried over. He tried to get her attention but her eyes were fixed on the screen. ¡°Cassiopeia?¡± He called, ¡°Um! We should-¡± Nothing. Her eyes were glazed over with a mixture of hate and terror. He sighed, Damn it. He thought and grabbed her by her hand and started to pull. A moment later they were back in the common area. It was only then that Cass jerked and looked down at him. He was huffing, hard, resting his hands on his knees, ¡°You are so strong,¡± He wheezed, ¡°Goodness!¡± He panted, glancing up at her. He paused, his eyes going a little wide. She had so many threads coming out of her, some of them thicker than others. There was a black thread that went off into the distance and was as thick as a bridge cable. There was another that looked like it was made of silver. He¡¯d seen one like it before. Coming out of Sonya Chernovna. What- Cass immediately grabbed him by the arms, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She gasped, ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you did I?¡± She asked, panicked, looking him over. ¡°I blacked out and you were- are you- did I?¡± He held up his hands, pulling out of her grip and forcibly canceling his power. Now was not the time to be thinking about karmic threads. He waved her hands away, ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine! See? No injuries, just a little worn out from dragging you out of the room,¡± He laughed, ¡°I¡¯m okay, miss Cassiopeia. I was just a little worried because of what you saw, it looked like it affected you quite a bit.¡± She stared at him, confused, then blinked a few times and cleared her throat. She looked away and pulled back her hair, crossing her arms. ¡°You guys are too nice, you know that? First Lily, now you. There''s a thing called self preservation, you know?¡± She huffed before looking down at her feet, ¡°Thank you for doing that.¡± He scratched the back of his head, ¡°From what I¡¯ve learned, a good hero has a bit of a hard time with the whole survival instinct thing,¡± He pointed out before scratching his nose, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She turned back to say something when abruptly the floor began to liquefy beneath their feet. They looked down, wide eyed, ¡°What the-¡± Just as the words came out the floor re-solidified, encasing their feet in hard material. ¡°Oh no.¡± A faint hum caught his ears and he looked up to see a sphere floating over their heads, a red light flashing on one side. ¡°And you two are the last, shouldn¡¯t have sit still,¡± Sonya¡¯s sing-song voice called down to them, ¡°Time¡¯s up, time to pay the piper, you little sneaks!¡± Chapter 123 Sonya slurped at her drink, leaning against the rail of the patio outside of her beach house. She watched the aspirants enjoy themselves as the sun continued to move further and further down. She wished she could have joined them in the water herself but a single thought back to the last time she attempted to jump into the water made her pause and frown. She sipped irritably at her drink as the slightly taller woman next to her glanced over and gave her a teasing look. ¡°Thinking back to the cannonball?¡± Carla asked quietly, holding her hand over her mouth to hide her grin. Sonya slurped a bit louder while Carla snickered, narrowing her eyes as a bit of red rose to her ears. It turned out that adding so much density to her muscles, brain, bones, everything, with a new total of twenty-two sub abilities in Deus Ex Machina made her weigh quite a bit more than the average young lady of her height and build. The obvious result of still moving normally despite this, leaping into the air, and coming down at speed, meant that the splash had been rather dramatic. Her eyebrow twitched as the memory of the blank stares of her close friends watching her from the beach came back. They¡¯d been soaked by the fallout. She huffed and cracked a grin, Okay it was pretty funny, she thought with a snicker and leaned forward against the railing. ¡°It''s about what¡­ five now, right?¡± She murmured thoughtfully. Of course she had the time on her HUD, but she couldn¡¯t just know the time perfectly off the top of her head,¡± She set her cup down and brushed her hair back, checking her wrist watch, ¡°Mhm, five on the dot,¡± She said, ¡°Look at that,¡± She glanced over at Carla, ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve had enough time to think about their actions?¡± Carla inclined her head, ¡°Miss Chernovna, I think you¡¯re being most lenient.¡± Sonya turned to face her, ¡°Aw, you flatter me,¡± She said and reached up to play with Carla¡¯s hair, ¡°Would you like to make them wait a little longer¡­?¡± She trailed off as her lip twitched. Carla¡¯s did the same and they both trembled from repressed laughter. She cleared her throat, ¡°H-how about until nightfall?¡± She grabbed her sides, ¡°W-we could¨C¡± She burst into laughter, ¡°Oh I can¡¯t do it,¡± She laughed and waved her hands, ¡°Enough, enough!¡± She and Carla turned around to rest their backs on the railing, Sonya snatching up her cup. The two of them looked at the group lined up against the exterior of her beach house in narrow black restraints. Eight aspirants who had gotten it into their heads that they wanted one more childish hurrah before becoming full heroes. They just so happened to all be people she was signing on with ASTA as well. Not a coincidence, she thought. She couldn¡¯t blame them, she honestly would have done the same thing. Which was why a three hour time-out was the extent of their punishment. She grinned at them and tilted her head, ¡°Was it worth it?¡± She asked playfully as she held out her hand to Carla who dutifully handed her the remote for the restraints Amos had designed. She hit the button and they came loose. Black ropes of pseudo-plastic fell down around the feet around the eight young adults. She scanned their faces. John was as placid as always. Greg looked world weary. Alex couldn¡¯t stop grinning. Ollie looked ashamed. Val smirked and shrugged. Lily and Snow were still flushed from the compromising way they¡¯d been caught. Then there was Cassiopeia, her little Taurus. She was smiling. She¡¯d had fun despite the punishment that had come afterward. Sonya met her eyes and gave her a warm smile of her own before looking over the others, she stopped at John, ¡°Good to see you went and had some fun, John. Next time try not to get into trouble while doing it, okay?¡± She suggested. ¡°Mm,¡± John nodded before blinking and correcting himself, ¡°Was worthwhile, it was a beautiful kitchen.¡± ¡°You liked it?¡± Sonya asked, ¡°Good! Then you can work in the kitchen tonight with the rest of the staff to help prepare for dinner.¡± John nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya cupped her chin, ¡°What about the rest of you, did you enjoy exploring Dr. Carter¡¯s little playground?¡± She asked with a grin. ¡°Speaking of which, who¡¯s idea was this?¡± ¡°Mine,¡± Val said holding up his hand, ¡°I got the others in on it and we dragged Greg in,¡± He said and rubbed his neck. Sonya nodded, ¡°Thank you for that, Val. I appreciate it,¡± She said with a smile, ¡°Please join John in the kitchen tonight.¡± Val grinned awkwardly, ¡°That¡¯s fair, yes ma¡¯am.¡± She tilted her head and looked over at Cass, ¡°You joined them?¡± She asked with amusement. Cass brightened a little, ¡°I overheard them talking about it and well,¡± She squeezed her hands together, ¡°It sounded like fun, and a challenge, and I wanted to see so I just went for it,¡± She flushed and looked down at her hands. ¡°It was fun, I like them.¡± The others looked at Cass with surprise, Lily and Ollie the only two that gave her a more normal smile. Sonya felt a little relief wash over her, ¡°Good,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Very good. You still have to work in the kitchen tonight though.¡± Cass stuck her tongue out a little and scratched her head, ¡°Got it.¡± She glanced at Ollie and raised her eyebrow, ¡°You join those three, Ollie. I hope it satisfied your curiosity.¡± Ollie looked a bit despondent, ¡°I got so swept up¡­ it- I just-¡± He stammered, ¡°It was so exciting.¡± She had a feeling it was like that, curiosity was his single driving force and he was prone to getting excited and getting carried away. It was in his nature, so she didn¡¯t begrudge him, but she did think he needed to learn a little restraint. She let out a breath and moved on to Alex and Greg, ¡°Now for Alex, I assume you were the first to hop on the bandwagon with Val? You¡¯re one hell of a hype man.¡± Alex grinned, ¡°What can I say? It was worth it, damn that place is so freakin¡¯ cool!¡± He barked out a laugh and leaned back a bit, ¡°I¡¯m mad jealous. I¡¯d love to see it again when everythings done.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a prototype for my new house,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯ll invite you if you get your license,¡± Sonya added with a smirk before tilting her head, ¡°You¡¯re still in trouble though. Beach cleaning.¡± He saluted quickly, ¡°You got it!¡± ¡°Good,¡± She laughed and looked over at Greg, ¡°Stand up for yourself more,¡± She said flatly, ¡°You want to be a logistics specialist and a leader, don¡¯t you?¡± She asked, ¡°Sometimes that requires being firm.¡± He let out a breath and squared his shoulders, looking up at her and meeting her eyes, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I will.¡± ¡°Beach Cleaning,¡± Sonya said and he nodded. She turned finally to the red-faced Snow and Lily. Neither of them could meet her eyes for a moment so she waited until they squirreled up their nerves and looked back at her. She smirked and held her hand up over her mouth to restrain a bit of laughter, ¡°Girls I-¡± She snorted, ¡°I want to say you¡¯ve been punished enough,¡± She started and snickered again getting a few odd looks from the others, ¡°B-but, I¡¯m gonna need you two to do some beach cleaning. Understood?¡± They both lowered their heads, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± They said in unison. It sounded like Snow was getting a little better with her voice timing, at least. Sonya put her hands on her hips. ¡°Alright, you little sneaks are dismissed. You¡¯ve got an hour to breathe before I put you to work,¡± She said and waved them off before glancing at Greg, ¡°Your lady friend was looking for you. I suggest you track her down and explain where you¡¯ve been.¡± His eyes bulged and he darted off, ¡°Thank you Miss Chernovna!¡± He called back as he hustled out towards the beach. His action seemed to open the flood gates and they all split up, going their separate ways to get a little more fun out of the afternoon before they had to work off their earlier mischief. Sonya watched them go before glancing at Cassiopeia who stayed behind. ¡°They¡¯re good people,¡± Sonya said. ¡°They are,¡± Cass nodded and frowned, ¡°I¡¯m sad.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°That you missed out on a month with them?¡± Sonya asked. Cass¡¯ shoulders fell, ¡°Yeah,¡± She said quietly before looking back at Sonya, ¡°I saw my sister on the screen in your office, I froze. I can¡¯t even think when I see her, if it wasn¡¯t for Ollie pulling me away I don¡¯t know what I would have done. I practically blacked out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not time for you to face her,¡± Sonya said flatly, checking her surroundings with her senses to make sure no one was listening in, ¡°It¡¯s only been a month. You can¡¯t be expected to make that kind of break-through in so little time. You need to find your own strength and courage, your own reason to fight that can give you the will to stand on your own two feet,¡± Sonya said and looked towards the retreating distant figures, ¡°People you can trust to have your back, for example.¡± ¡°I¡¯d feel better with-¡± Cass started but Sonya held up a hand to forestall her, ¡°-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sonya shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s ready for you, but you aren¡¯t ready for it,¡± Sonya said, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you¡¯re ready.¡± Cass nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be patient,¡± She said with a breath before looking up at the beach, ¡°I¡¯m worried about Ollie, I barely know him, but I saw him talking with that man, they¡¯ve been talking a lot recently,¡± She rubbed her arms, ¡°He helped me.¡± Sonya¡¯s lip twitched and rose into a bit of a smile. She glanced towards the beach herself, ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on it as well. You just focus on being a good friend to him, he¡¯s a smart guy, I have a feeling you don¡¯t need to worry about him too much,¡± Sonya said and tilted her head, ¡°Believe it or not, out of all the aspirants at the camp, that young man is one I have a particularly good feeling about.¡± Cass rubbed her arms, ¡°If you say so, I just-¡± She mumbled. Sonya smiled at the poor thing, she developed attachments so quickly. It was a strength and a curse. Sonya rest her hand on her hip to give off a stronger air of confidence, smirking a little. She flipped her hair and winked, ¡°Call it instinct.¡± ¨C Ollie deviated from the path, his mind a swirl of thoughts. There was so much hidden beneath the surface back in the beach house. He twisted his fingers together, There was so much there but I still feel guilty, I bent Miss Chernovna¡¯s trust. That was wrong of me, but it was so exciting! He thought breathlessly before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his notepad to check his notes. He ran his fingers over the notes and flipped it open, reading carefully. Some of it was so small, little details, little considerations. Lines that didn¡¯t connect. He felt like he was looking at a massive puzzle and was only holding a tenth of the whole thing. He glanced over his shoulder, She didn¡¯t say a thing, he thought. Miss Mint was right there and she didn¡¯t say a thing either. I¡¯m on probation. One slip up. I got carried away. That should have been it for me. One infraction and I would have gone back to prison. He bit his lip, Neither of them said a word. He cleared his throat and closed his notes as he heard footsteps coming through the trees. He stopped and looked towards the source, spotting a pair of glowing blue eyes gleaming from within the trees. That was when he stepped out. Ollie reactivated his power. He¡¯d told no-one, only Madame Rouge knew, but his ability could remember those it touched. It wasn¡¯t something that had come to him right away, but a month of practice and studying his power had brought the function out. He looked at the man before him and saw hundreds of blood-red threads. Murders. He controlled his face, maintaining as timid an exterior as he could. His eyes shifted only microscopically to look down at the man''s feet and saw the thick black thread going down into the earth. Enmity, with the whole world. There was another thick black thread as well, pointing back at the beach house. Miss Chernovna. It¡¯s strange, how does he seem so obsessed with earning her favor when their karmic thread is black? He met the man¡¯s eyes. Marc swept back his blonde hair and smiled, ¡°Ollie! How was your little adventure?¡± Ollie brightened, ¡°It was very informative, Mister Mallory!¡± He said and cleared his throat, ¡°I-I mean, Marc,¡± He changed the phrasing when he caught a bit of a stare from Marc. Marc seemed pleased with his shift to submission. ¡°Do tell,¡± Marc said with an eager grin. Ollie pulled out his notes, all misleadingly useful information. All the good stuff was in his head where it belonged. He handed the notepad over. Marc flipped it open and started to read, his smile widening even more. ¡°I really think we¡¯re going to make a good team, Ollie.¡± ¡°Call me Riot, sir,¡± Ollie said. I¡¯ll get close to him. I want to be an investigator after all. Once I get my license I¡¯ll be off probation, after that, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to figure this guy out. His gut twisted a little, I just hope I don¡¯t do something I can¡¯t take back in the process. Marc raised an eyebrow, ¡°And you can call me Otis.¡± ¨C Sonya stood in her office beneath the beach house, glancing thoughtfully at the map of the world that had the carter radar readings on it. The clouds of mana moving over the world were thinning out in places while thickening in others. It was starting to look more and more like an all-over coverage of the planet. There were still places that were nearly devoid of the ambient energy. Will it simply form an even coat one day? She thought, I don¡¯t think that happened by the time things ended last time around, maybe it was because of all the dungeon breaks. She huffed and dismissed the morbid thought. She shifted her eyes and looked at the dot in the northwest United States. Chunhua will be going to Seattle after the aspirants graduate, she pursed her lips, we need to talk before then. Her expression eased into a smile, Though I suppose I can say a little tonight, might be fun to embarrass her a little. She huffed out a breath and walked over to the desk, running her fingers over the domed crystal. She felt it pull a bit of mana out of her body and the air and a vague sense of connection to it washed over her. She moved to her seat and relaxed as the dense network of fractals within the crystal flashed and flickered, lights traveling through them so fast an ordinary eye couldn¡¯t see it. A moment later, the air was filled with even more screens. It was a new kind of computer, synchronized with her mana signature and mind. Denser than any type before it and the foundation for a whole new field of technology. Amos¡¯ greatest creation to date and the culmination of his study of pandora-based materials and mana. Unfortunately the prototype was next to impossible for a normal human mind to utilize. She smiled smugly, Good thing I¡¯m not normal. She waved her hand and everything was organized in front of her; detailed notes on the aspirants at every camp, their abilities, dreams, experience, skills and what companies were signing them. She¡¯d snatched up quite a few for herself. New abilities for the warehouse, she thought and leaned back in her seat, resting her chin on her knuckles with a small smile. ¡°So many heroes born in just ten weeks, even with a low graduation rate,¡± She murmured, The population of heroes at this time in the previous timeline was barely a tenth of this. More heroes means more dungeons and monsters dealt with in less time. More importantly it leaves some to engage with villains to maintain a rivalry between the groups. She hummed, Though I might have to pump up the number of villains soon. The results have exceeded my expectations. Things are going well. She narrowed her eyes, I should expect problems soon. Can never be too careful. She steepled her fingers and mentally dismissed the images before pulling up a single projection floating in front of her like a screen. Liberty and all her notes on the woman, What are you planning, Liberty? What¡¯s your next move? Another projection appeared of Otis, And you, you were so incompetent when you were young, weren¡¯t you? What changed? When? How? You aren¡¯t the man I remember, not yet. Her gut twisted a little, You will be, though. I can feel it. I¡¯m running out of excuses not to sign him. I¡¯ll need to do it soon otherwise it will look suspicious. Right now you¡¯re in the palm of my hand, grow up well, you bastard. She thought with a small grin before dismissing the images. She stretched, scratched her neck and gestured casually with her hand, a portal appearing to her left. Two presences stepped out and she glanced over to see Marta and Barry standing there in vacationing clothes. She smiled at them brightly and turned, slipping off her chair and hopping to her feet with a chuckle, ¡°How¡¯s South China?¡± She asked, pulling Festival of Dionysus out of her warehouse. ¡°It¡¯s been lovely, Sonya, thank you,¡± Marta said with a chuckle, reaching up to put a hand on Barry¡¯s arm. ¡°Damn good day, had a nice dinner on the ocean, looking forward to the rest,¡± Barry said with a chuckle, ¡°But we got business, don¡¯t we, boss?¡± Sonya grinned, ¡°That we do, you¡¯ve worked hard Barry, and now it¡¯s time for your reward,¡± She said holding out her hand, ¡°I have a feeling it¡¯ll be a doozy, so let''s talk sanctions so you can ease into it.¡± He took her hand, ¡°Alright, lay it on me boss.¡± ¨C Sonya stepped out of the beach house into the dimming light. The aspirants and other instructors were already gathering around a fire pit they¡¯d been working together to make. She brushed her hair back over her ear and relaxed, ¡°Marshmallows sound great right now.¡± Chapter 124 The walk across the sand was short, but in that time Sonya had a lot to think about. She thought about the aspirants, about how far they¡¯d all come in such a short time. The kind of effect this place had on people. The hard work they¡¯d put in. She thought about the people she knew, she¡¯d affected, and the people she¡¯d killed. She thought about the past and the future, where she came from and where she was going. She thought about Carla who fell into step next to her as she walked. She thought about Chunhua who walked over towards the fire pit from the far side, sending her an easy smile. I¡¯ve come a long way too, she thought before glancing at her watch, seeing her reflection in the surface. But I still have more to overcome. She exhaled and relaxed her shoulders as Carla hurried to set down a towel for the two of them to sit on. She glanced at the woman and reached out to touch the pink diamond hanging from her choker-collar. She smiled at it and then flicked her eyes up at Carla¡¯s face, winking once before sitting down and leaning back a bit on her hands to relax. Carla sat next to her and leaned in close, her arm pressed against Sonya¡¯s. Chunhua sat a respectful distance away, not wanting to interfere in the moment. A few of her students sat down near her and she turned to talk with them. Sonya looked past her to the coast where Greg, Alex, Lily, and Snow were running around picking up the last of the trash. Snow snatched up a can from the ground and jumped up and down, Alex spun and opened his bag and the girl tossed it in. Lily threw up her arms and all four let out a howl. Sonya giggled, she would have done the same, honestly. The quartet of troublemakers walked back over, setting the bag of garbage filled with what they¡¯d found near a small station that had been set out to provide refreshments throughout the day. Sonya watched them talk with Axel who was standing behind the counter before she turned her head the opposite direction. Rows of tents stretched out facing the sea. Some were coming out of their tents, probably having enjoyed a nap in the beautiful weather. She tilted her head and kissed Carla¡¯s temple as Lily walked over before sitting forward a little bit, ¡°Lily!¡± She called. The girl turned and Sonya smirked at her before gesturing to the fire pit filled with wood. It was dug deep to create a large flame while still not obscuring the eyes of everyone present. A pair of holes were dug on each side to provide the flame oxygen. ¡°Can you do the honors?¡± She asked as more and more aspirants came over and started sitting down in a ring around the pit. The sun was nearly set at this point and several of them were watching the colors on the horizon. Lily pointed to herself, surprised, and Sonya nodded. Lily brightened and looked at Chunhua excitedly who gave her a thumbs up. More aspirants noisily sat down as Lily rubbed her hands together and took in a deep breath. Sonya spotted Greg and Jessica sit down together, Greg looking a little tired. They were talking when both froze and looked at Lily. Everyone went silent as darkness washed over the beach. Gold flames appeared in the air and rushed into Lilys mouth and nose with each breath as the young hero drew in power for a moment. The glimmering flames were hypnotic. Lily held her breath and then with a grin she leaned forward and exhaled. Gold flames billowing from her mouth and onto the pile of wood. The wood immediately caught and the moment it did a wash of warmth and comfort washed over Sonya and everyone else present. Little aches and pains from throughout the day vanished in moments, tired eyes were invigorated, smiles spread on faces, and even hearts were eased. Everyone clapped as the young woman who had come in afraid of what others would think of her ability turned in a circle, startled. Sonya and Carla clapped as well until Lily managed to pull herself together enough to hurry over to where Snow had set down a towel and they sat together. The other instructors arrived before finally another group showed up from behind Sonya. John and the cooking team walked in and brought with them delights. Sweet drinks, cocoa, marshmallows for those who wanted them, ingredients for smores, little sausages, chili, nachos, grilled fruits and baked potatoes, all sorts of things were distributed amongst the campers. People laughed and talked, they ate, some snatched up little poles that had been set aside for roasting the marshmallows. They extended and retracted quickly, another toy of Amos¡¯ that he¡¯d made for them as a gift. Laughter rose and fell, and for a little while these young men and women who Sonya knew would endure so much in the future as heroes, had real peace. Carla rest her head on Sonya¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You should say a few words,¡± She said. Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Me? You¡¯re the Pandora lady.¡± Carla snorted, ¡°Pandora lady, come on, you¡¯re the Voice.¡± Sonya huffed and shook her head, smiling, ¡°Alright, alright,¡± She chuckled and kissed the woman¡¯s head again before getting to her feet. A few looked her way and she raised her soda can, the little straw in it shaking a bit. Some whispers followed her gesture and everyone around the fire fell silent, ¡°I want to raise a toast with this soda can of all things,¡± She laughed and was joined by most of those present. She scanned the faces of the young men and women, even Marc was there which surprised her a little. ¡°To you,¡± She said to them, ¡°To all of you.¡± She let out a breath and looked down at herself, ¡°You know, doing a speech like this doesn¡¯t have the same impact when I¡¯m in a bikini,¡± She said sarcastically, getting some more laughter. She shrugged, ¡°Free eye candy I guess,¡± She said and smiled at them all, her eyes going soft as she dimmed the lights on them a little, the laughter subsided as her jovial expression eased a little more to something close to motherly warmth, ¡°All of you, in a time like this, when everything seems so scary and uncertain. When taking a job as a soldier would frankly be safer,¡± She looked at the can for a moment and then at the fire. ¡°You chose to do the hard thing. You chose to take the tough path. You chose to be the people standing between the weak and the monsters of the world,¡± She said looking at everyone there, ¡°You decided to become heroes,¡± She said, ¡°Sure, the money¡¯s pretty good,¡± She chuckled softly, ¡°A little bit of fame might be nice,¡± She added, ¡°But¡­ It is not an easy job. You are putting your lives on the line for others every day when you¡¯re out there. It can be thankless, hard, scary. You¡¯ll face dangers no one could even imagine,¡± She looked at the can again, ¡°And you chose that, to do that, for other people. So that they don¡¯t have to,¡± She smiled at them all, ¡°That is incredible,¡± She said breathlessly. ¡°Firestorm once told me that a hero is the one who moves first, no matter the danger,¡± She said with a bit of a tremble, ¡°He was a knucklehead you know, goofed off all the time in the office. I had to yell at him a couple times,¡± She said sadly, ¡°I know what he would say about you all,¡± She looked them all over as their eyes were fixed on her, ¡°You moved first.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She held the can up, ¡°To all of you! And to your legends!¡± A cheer rose up, a few wiped their eyes, everyone raised their cups and cans and even a few just lifted their snacks. Sonya watched them all for a moment before going back to sit down with Carla. ¡°How was that?¡± She asked and got a hug around her neck in return. She laughed and patted Carla¡¯s back, the woman trembling a little, ¡°Oh don¡¯t cry, you silly thing.¡± One of the boys stood up and raised his cup, ¡°To Miss Chernovna, I heard she threw one hell of a fit to make the camps happen!¡± Sonya looked up, ¡°Hey now! It wasn¡¯t a fit!¡± A round of laughter followed the guy¡¯s toast and there was another round of raised food items. Sonya shook her head, ¡°Idiots.¡± A little time of pleasant merriment followed that before things wound down to a more relaxed level. Everyone stayed, talking, until one of the girls leaned forward and spoke up, ¡°Miss Chernovna! I have a question.¡± Sonya, who was in the middle of flirting, turned and glanced at the girl. ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± ¡°What are the mythic heroes like?¡± The girl asked, ¡°Are their powers really based on legends?¡± Several people fell silent as they all looked at Sonya. Sonya blinked and sat up a bit more, tilting her head, ¡°Well, you have a couple mythics sitting here, you know,¡± She asked with a smirk, ¡°Why not ask them? Though I think you¡¯re pretty well aware that it¡¯s impolite to ask the name of someone¡¯s ability.¡± The girls eyes widened and she looked around, Sonya glanced over to Chunhua but it was Otis of all people who spoke up first, ¡°Some,¡± He said frankly, ¡°Are based on legends. Mine is an example,¡± He added with a wide smile, reclining where he sat and popping a grape into his mouth, Sonya raised an eyebrow, where had he gotten it? She didn¡¯t remember bringing grapes. ¡°Crown of Gilgamesh. I have no reason to hide it.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Alex called getting an elbow from Val who was chilling next to him with John. Sonya exchanged a look with Chunhua who shrugged as Otis began speaking again, ¡°King Gilgamesh was one of the first recorded mythological heroes, some say the first,¡± He said proudly, ¡°His story is the Epic of Gilgamesh and it tells his tale and that of his friend Enkidu who the gods of his time sent to kill him before they became comrades,¡± Otis explained and gestured, ¡°He defies the gods, especially Ishtar,¡± He added with a grin, ¡°And when she sends the Bull of Heaven after him, he and Enkidu slay it.¡± Sonya glanced at Cass who kept a straight face throughout the entire thing before looking back at the hateful young man. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more to the story, that¡¯s just the beginning isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked. Otis frowned, ¡°Well, yes, but I think that¡¯s relevant enough,¡± He grinned, ¡°The ancient heroes are amazing.¡± ¡°What other legends do you know?¡± A guy sitting next to Otis asked, Sonya watched his body language. He was definitely friendly with the disgusting person. Otis glanced her way and she kept her expression controlled. Showing off your friends, I see. She thought. ¡°I know the Odyssey pretty well,¡± Otis said before quickly adding, ¡°If the rest of you are interested,¡± The others around the fire glanced at one another and shrugged, some leaning forward. Otis grinned, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give the summary, since it¡¯s a long story.¡± Otis spends the better part of fifteen minutes spinning his tale, glorifying the character and waxing on about his brilliance and how smart heroes like Odysseus are the best kind. He does tell the story fairly well, which isn¡¯t surprising given how obsessed he is. He takes extra time to dive into the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus. Sonya¡¯s lip twitches a bit and she exchanges another look with Chunhua. After his comments the other day she had figured that his name originated from the legend, but that confirmed it for her. His ego was incredible but she¡¯d noticed something as he told the tale. He didn¡¯t understand it at all. ¡°...and he is finally reunited with Penelope,¡± Otis finished his rambling, his hand over his heart as he sat back down. There was some scattered clapping as Sonya shifted in her seat. ¡°What does the story mean to you?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s the story about an incredible hero, what more is there to tell?¡± He responded with his own question. She leaned back, ¡°The heroic stories were parables, their purpose was to teach something and explain something through stories,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Some of them were a bit harder to understand than others. Take Gilgamesh for example, ultimately his story was about the futility of seeking eternal life and how one man with too much power can bring woe to those around him.¡± Otis frowned and looked distant for a moment before glancing at her again, ¡°Then what do you think the Odyssey is about?¡± He asked, crossing his arms. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of messages in it,¡± Sonya said thoughtfully, ¡°First and foremost, it¡¯s about a man struggling to live in a world of gods,¡± She let out a breath, ¡°The greek gods were always given human-like traits but they always seemed to be the worst of us for some reason. Violent, arbitrary, unforgiving,¡± She said, ¡°Prone to disturbing but often poetic punishments,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Poseidon seems to completely lack the capacity to forgive, no matter how much Odysseus suffers throughout the story. No matter how much his men suffer.¡± She glanced at Chunhua and their eyes met, ¡°Humans have the capacity to forgive, to reconcile, and to start anew,¡± She said with a small smile, drawing a bit of a flush from the woman who smiled back. She looked back at Otis, ¡°Humans are capable of incredible good and are wonderfully resilient,¡± She said, ¡°Sure, we mess up, a lot. Humans can be terrible too, but we stick with it don¡¯t we?¡± She exhaled, ¡°Despite Poseidon''s cruelty, Odysseus proves that a human with a little help, can survive a sea turned against him. It¡¯s about perseverance. I like to think that means that together, humans don¡¯t need the gods, that we¡¯re capable of standing on our own,¡± She looked down at her hands and looked up at him again, meeting his eyes, ¡°That humans are amazing.¡± There was more she could have said, about hospitality, about loyalty, about growing as a person and being changed by one¡¯s experiences, but based on his shocked expression, she¡¯d said enough. She wasn¡¯t sure about the effect she¡¯d had but it felt really good to put him in his place. Silence fell over the gathered campers for a few moments as everyone reflected. It was finally broken by Lillian who let out a breath, ¡°Wow, I need to read that at some point,¡± She said before grinning, ¡°Anybody else? This is kinda cool. Talking about the old legends in a new age of heroes. Right?¡± Some scattered voices of agreement joined her, ¡°We¡¯re the next Odysseuses!¡± Alex barked out a laugh, ¡°Hot damn, gotta find me a Penelope,¡± He added, getting a rolling wave of laughter as his reward. Chunhua raised her hand, ¡°I have one,¡± She said, ¡°I heard it recently,¡± Everyone went silent again and Sonya looked at Chunhua with a raised eyebrow. Chunhua swept her gaze over the crowd for a moment. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not very good at telling stories, not like Mister Mallory or Miss Chernovna,¡± She said and rubbed her neck grinning a little awkwardly. She let out a breath and squared her shoulders, ¡°I heard it from a friend, I¡¯m a little hazy on all the names so I¡¯ll make them up if you don¡¯t mind,¡± She scratched her nose and got some chuckles from the crowd. Sonya tensed, What are you doing? Chunhua let out a breath, ¡°This is a story about a girl who had an amazing teacher,¡± Chunhua began, and Sonya relaxed a little bit. Don¡¯t scare me like that! She gave Chunhua a petulant look. The woman smirked at her, Oh you did that on purpose! Chunhua grinned, ¡°Let¡¯s call her Penny,¡± She said and took another deep breath before focusing on the story, ¡°Her teacher, Iris, was very special. Powerful. And had many students just like Penny, and those students had a very important job¡­¡± Chapter 125 The air that morning was hot but soothing. She sat up in her bed, the sheets falling down her shoulders as she cast her eyes about her simple room. A humble desk carved of wood from far away, a chair with it. To the right of the desk was a small shelf that was stacked with a variety of written materials. A few tablets, some scrolls from home, and a roll of wooden strips bound together by ropes. She slid to her feet and grabbed her gown, sliding it on and glancing out the window. Beyond it was a view of the gardens, many terraces going down filled with flowing water and beautiful trees and flowers. Beyond it was the desert, an expanse of unbroken sand that stretched to the horizon. She stopped at the window for a moment and admired the view, resting her hand in the opening and leaned her head out to take a breath of air. ¡°I like it here,¡± She murmured, ¡°It¡¯s quieter than home.¡± A knock came to her door and she turned, blinking furiously and reaching up to check herself. Her blonde hair fell in rivulets around her shoulders and she quickly reached for a long needle on the small table where her gown had been, ¡°A moment!¡± She called. A gruff voice responded with a laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting too long.¡± She perked up, half way through binding her hair up, ¡°Father?¡± She called. ¡°Were you expecting someone else this early in the morning?¡± He asked testily. She broke into a wide smile and hurried to the door, her hair half done. She threw it open with delight and looked up into the grizzled face that looked down at her. A pair of orange eyes burned as hot as the sun behind a mess of black hair that hung loosely to cover the wounds on his tan face. He was big, muscular, powerful, even with the false leg that he leaned on. The golden metal creaked a bit as he shifted in his stance. To anyone else in the world he seemed so scary, but to her, he was just her beloved father. The most impressive person in the world in her mind. She reached up and took his face in her hands, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She laughed, ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± Her father swept her up in his arms and gave her a hug, having to kneel down a bit so she didn¡¯t hang loosely in his grip. ¡°I came to witness,¡± He said, ¡°I wanted to be here in person for it.¡± Her eyes widened, ¡°You came all the way from Olympus to see me?¡± She gasped, leaning back a bit and looking him over, ¡°Won¡¯t grandfather be upset?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here too,¡± He said with a chuckle and caught the confused look on her face, ¡°You know him, he wouldn¡¯t miss an opportunity to get away from home for a little while.¡± She snorted and he set her down, ¡°Let me finish getting dressed. The ceremony isn¡¯t for a little while,¡± She said quickly, turning to the room. ¡°Of course,¡± He nodded, ¡°And Pandora?¡± He called. She turned to look up into his face, ¡°Yes Father?¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± It wasn¡¯t long after that she was walking arm in arm with her father through the halls of the grand palace. The staff walked by and bowed before quickly hurrying back to their duties. It felt so strange getting such deference from them, even now. She knew most of it was due to her parentage, but she couldn¡¯t help but think about her simple life before all of this. A life as a normal girl. Not a poor life, she never wanted for anything. Except to know the man that was now walking with her out into the sunlight. Ahead of her another man stood, he somehow looked younger than her father even though she knew that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. He had off-gray hair that seemed to glimmer with violet and wore white robes under light golden armor. He was speaking animatedly with another man with dark curly hair and tan skin who wore much looser clothing, closer to what the locals wore but far more refined and expensive. Silk from the east. As they drew in closer the two men turned from their conversation and cleared their throats. They¡¯re talking about something inappropriate, I bet, she thought mutely before catching the gray-haired man¡¯s glimmering violet eyes. They flashed and almost sparked as he grinned at her and she quickly bowed to him, ¡°Lord Zeus,¡± She intoned before bowing to the other man next, ¡°Your majesty.¡± Lord Zeus threw out his arms in delight, ¡°Pandora! There she is!¡± He barked out a laugh and walked forward, glancing over at her father, ¡°Hephaestus.¡± ¡°Father,¡± Her father said with a nod. Lord Zeus grinned, ¡°Gilgamesh here was just telling me all about these gardens and some of the exciting things that happen in them,¡± He chuckled, ¡°They have some incredible parties here. I should send Dionysus some time!¡± ¡°I believe that might be considered an act of war from some perspectives,¡± Prince Gilgamesh said as he walked over to join them, putting his hand on his hip before grinning cockily, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to anger my mother, would you?¡± Lord Zeus balked and glanced in Gilgamesh¡¯s direction, ¡°You make it sound like that boy would bring the whole palace down!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he?¡± Gilgamesh countered. ¡°Enough, enough,¡± He laughed and waved a hand before turning his attention to Pandora. His eyes bored down at her and she shifted a bit on her feet, he never looked at her like he did the others in the palace. He¡¯d often seem dismissive, but for her he reserved a gaze of intense attention, ¡°We¡¯re getting distracted from the person of the hour,¡± He said and tilted his head a bit. Pandora shifted on her feet again under his stare and she felt her father get a bit closer. ¡°Gilgamesh, please,¡± Hephaestus warned the man. ¡°Hmm?¡± Gilgamesh hummed, glancing up at her father, he blinked a few times before seeming to realize something, ¡°Ah! Of course,¡± He cleared his throat and took a step back, resting his hands on his hips, ¡°Pandora!¡± He said with significantly more gravitas than before. His good humor evaporated, ¡°Your presence is requested in the throne room. Do not be late!¡± He commanded.. She quickly bowed, ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± He nodded before turning away and vanishing into a flash of golden light, the air seemed to weigh significantly less on her shoulders and she let out a breath, she hadn¡¯t even noticed the pressure until he was gone. A few meters away her grandfather scratched at his chin, looking curiously at the spot where Gilgamesh disappeared and then back at Pandora, ¡°I wonder what he wanted with you. It seemed important, whatever he was going to say.¡± Her father gave his father a deadpan look, ¡°The same thing you want wherever you go, father,¡± He said with a grunt, drawing a flush from Pandora who cleared her throat and looked away. Zeus balked, ¡°He¡¯s older than I am!¡± He protested.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Never stopped you,¡± Hephaestus jabbed. Zeus cleared his throat, ¡°Well, either way,¡± He waved his hand to dismiss the conversation before he dug himself a hole. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing this. An Arbiter hasn¡¯t been anointed in a while, and for Olympus!¡± Pandora cleared her throat, ¡°I don¡¯t know where she¡¯ll send me, Lord Zeus,¡± She said hesitantly. He huffed, ¡°Of course she¡¯ll send you home, it is only logical!¡± ¡°There is already an arbiter on Olympus,¡± Hephaestus pointed out, though he sounded a little sad in saying so. Zeus crossed his arms, ¡°Athena doesn¡¯t count! She¡¯s part of the court now!¡± ¡°My sister would be upset to hear you say that,¡± Hephaestus said, ¡°She¡¯s rather proud of her role.¡± Pandora just stood there, trying to follow the conversation. Their lives were so beyond her. The great ones of Olympus were so distant in her mind. The battles they fought for the sake of the world in the mystic places, beyond the world and through those terrifying portals. Everything they thought about was simply in another realm. Her grandfather was hundreds of years old, perhaps even a thousand. She had barely lived two decades, and nearly a quarter of that time had been isolated here at the grand palace. Farther away from danger than anyone could possibly be. ¡°...how did things go with Thor?¡± Her father asked, his words drawing her out of her thoughts. ¡°About as well as you can expect,¡± Zeus said with a shake of his head, ¡°The man is beyond stubborn, but he agreed to help. I should be able to speak with Odin soon. Damn their manic bureaucracy,¡± Zeus spat. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you live in a place detached from the world,¡± Hephaestus chuckled, ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have moved into that mystic place. It¡¯s having an effect on them, I¡¯m certain. Loki has become strange.¡± Pandora cleared her throat, ¡°Should¡­ should I be hearing this?¡± She asked. The two men swiveled to look in her direction, looking a bit startled. Zeus cleared his throat, ¡°Probably not,¡± He said uncomfortably, ¡°Please keep what you heard to yourself, young lady.¡± She felt her heart skip a little, nerves going up her spine. She bowed, ¡°Yes, Lord Zeus.¡± The duo glanced at one another and Hephaestus put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°We should head to the throne room. The Queen is waiting,¡± He said comfortingly before glancing at his father, ¡°Shall we?¡± Zeus hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh, ¡°Very well, I wanted to see this but to be honest I didn¡¯t want to see her,¡± He grumbled and started to walk, Pandora and Hephaestus moving to join him. He scratched at his chin, there was a little stubble there. Pandora wondered if he was thinking about growing his beard back. He used to have a thick one but had opted to remain clean shaven after he had regained some youth. Apparently grandmother hated it. ¡°That woman always makes me nervous.¡± ¡°She was your arbiter, I read about it,¡± Pandora said thoughtfully. Zeus grimaced, ¡°She was,¡± He confirmed with a grunt, ¡°Not exactly a pleasant memory.¡± Pandora looked to him, confused, ¡°But she¡¯s so kind.¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°To you! Oh, that woman hated me.¡± ¡°I wonder why,¡± Hephaestus grumbled, getting a petulant look from his father as they followed the path around the palace. It would have been simple for the two men to just vanish and reappear at the entrance, they each had their ways of moving quickly, but they were kind enough to walk Pandora to the gates where the guards stood. A pair of unfeeling marble statues stood in their path, looking down on them from their great heights. They did not speak, rather, they simply pushed the doors open and allowed them inside. Just as they entered another person was leaving. The trio didn¡¯t stop their walk as the pale, dark haired man from the east walked past them. He cast them a cautious look, his slitted eyes burning for a moment before he moved on. She could feel the mana rippling off of him like a heat haze that only vanished when the doors shut behind them. Zeus and Hephaestus exchanged a look, ¡°What¡¯s the snake doing here?¡± Hephaestus asked. ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t that damn monkey,¡± Zeus grunted, ¡°We would have never made it to the throne room with that buffoon talking our ears off.¡± Pandora chose to ignore their whispers this time, glancing up towards the top of the stairs where the second pair of doors waited in the impressive palace. Around them was a grand space made entirely of blue stone, it glimmered in the lights that hovered in the air around them. The scent of flowers permeated everything, the gardens outside a pale imitation to the grandeur of the interior. She¡¯d grown used to it, though, and didn¡¯t stop to marvel. Instead she held out her hand and exhaled, feeling the mana in the air gather as a small cube the size of a fruit appeared in her hand. She opened it and drew out a tiny lotus that appeared to be made entirely of a single gemstone. She closed the box and affixed the lotus to her hair. Her father glanced at her, ¡°A gift? Why do you keep it in your box?¡± ¡°It is alive,¡± Pandora said quietly, steeling her nerve as they began their ascent, ¡°It would wilt if I didn¡¯t. She gave it to me.¡± ¡°A precious thing then,¡± Her father said with a grave nod. Zeus just rolled his eyes and continued up the stairs alongside them. They arrived at the second pair of gates and the guards once more pushed the doors open to reveal the throne room. A field of lapis blue hung above them and along the walls while greenery stretched across the entirety of the space. It seemed like they were outside in the sunlight, a bright sphere glowing in the air above them. Ahead, a high seat made of gold waited. Gilgamesh stood to the right of it, but Pandora¡¯s eyes were fixed on the woman sitting on the throne. She had black hair that curled like Gilgamesh, her tan skin gleamed beautifully against the assortment of golden jewelry that hung on her person. She was tall, regal, and just looking at her made one feel small. Tattoos across her body gleamed with golden light and swam as if fish in the sea, moving constantly. She wore a black gown adorned with golden plates that affixed it to her body. Yet it was her eyes that were the most arresting, they burned with golden light, flames in her head rather than mortal eyes. ¡°Zeus,¡± The queen spoke and the air shuddered. ¡°Queen Ishtar,¡± Zeus said as they drew near. ¡°Still cavorting rather than doing your duties?¡± She asked. ¡°I am who I am,¡± He said unflinchingly, staring back at her. ¡°I cannot change my nature. I am a King now, and I serve my role as best I can.¡± Ishtar narrowed her eyes, ¡°I certainly hope so,¡± She said before turning her eyes to Pandora. ¡°Hello, my student.¡± Pandora dropped to a knee, ¡°Teacher.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving me soon,¡± Ishtar murmured, ¡°You will be missed by more than myself.¡± ¡°If only I could stay by your side forever,¡± Pandora said before looking up, ¡°You¡¯ve taught me so much. How to see, how to understand, how to teach, how to guide the next generation. The great ones that I shepherd will be so only because of your wisdom.¡± ¡°And to think you mouthed off to me the first time we met,¡± Ishtar laughed. Pandora blushed a little and cleared her throat. The Queen leaned forward, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. I have seen what you become, what you will do with your gift, and what you will do with mine,¡± She said before extending her hand, ¡°You will live a hard life, but one day you will be remembered for the good you do for the entire world. I cannot praise you enough.¡± Pandora choked, tears welling in her eyes, ¡°Thank you, my Queen,¡± She croaked as she got to her feet. She walked past her father and grandfather, past Gilgamesh who inclined his head, and up the dais. She reached out and took the woman¡¯s hand. ¡°I, Pandora, daughter of Hephaestus, son of Zeus, will be your arbiter. Just like my brothers and sisters, your students, I will guide those who are destined for greatness and serve this world with everything I am.¡± The great one¡¯s hand tightened and she smiled with a little bit of sorrow in her eyes, ¡°The Pact is made. Be strong, Arbiter Pandora.¡± ¨C ¡°...and so the young arbiter began her story. It¡¯s late, and that¡¯s all I have for now,¡± Chunhua pointed out, checking her watch as the Aspirants all blinked, drawn out of the story abruptly and letting out a few groans. She held up her hands, ¡°Maybe some other time,¡± She said before glancing at Sonya who was giving her an odd look. Chunhua had been careful not to use the real names, of course, and had changed a bit more, in her own version. The core was still there. Hopefully, with time, the people that needed to would understand it. She let out a breath and got to her feet, stretching her arms before putting her hands on her hips. She may still be suspended but that didn¡¯t change how she was going to handle things, ¡°Aspirants! Lights out!¡± She barked and they all quickly followed suit, their day on the beach coming to an end. Chapter 126 Sonya sat back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. The story that Chunhua had told was strange, she didn¡¯t recognize any of the characters in it but her gut told her that it was important somehow. It was like Chunhua was trying to explain something without explaining it. She rubbed her chin, Did it have something to do with her vision after ascending to the next stage of her ability? Was the Penny character Pandora? She scratched her neck and sighed. She just didn¡¯t have enough information and she wasn¡¯t about to go down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Her lip curled into a small smile, Speaking of which. She waved her hand and the monitors floating around the room condensed and shifted about again, ¡°Show me Martin Fuller. Breakdown of his current movements based on existing intelligence, notable transactions, and any quotes that have been recorded and are worth listening to,¡± She said aloud and the screens flickered again. In an instant numerous camera images of Martin showed up in her field of view, different angles, all of them watching as he made his way from place to place. His yellow eyes gleaming in each image. Her lip twitched, Between Amos, The Night Society, Charon, and Kingsharks men, I can keep an eye on you. It¡¯s a huge investment for one man, but I think it¡¯s worth it. She watched him walk down an alley in one video and glance up at the camera, a frown on his face. Do you know I¡¯m watching? She thought with amusement before chuckling a little, What¡¯re you gonna do about it detective? She crossed her legs and held out her hand, a can of soda appearing in it. She cracked it open and sipped, No worthwhile quotes. He¡¯s being careful to avoid recording devices somehow. Her eyebrow rose, Or he¡¯s not saying much, which wouldn¡¯t surprise me honestly. She snorted and sipped her drink. She glanced down at it and glanced around. She knew no one was there but she just wanted to make sure Carla didn¡¯t sneak up and tease her about the next part. A hard light straw appeared in the can. She sipped through it and leaned forward, Transactions, flights¡­ already in Paris! Good for you! She set the can down, I¡¯m curious what will happen when you lay eyes on him for the first time, Detective, she thought smugly. Good luck! I¡¯m counting on you. That was when something happened on one of the feeds and she leaned forward, the straw slipping out of her lips as she squinted only to lean back with a laugh, ¡°You little fucker!¡± She cackled and kicked her feet, ¡°Someone thinks he¡¯s a comedian. Alright, game on.¡± ¨C Martin glanced up at the camera and frowned. Every time he saw one he had a feeling that she was able to see him somehow. It was an indirect feeling usually, like it was saving a recording. This time, though, his eyes told him otherwise. He stopped in front of the camera and stared into it, tilting his head and fishing through his pockets for what he¡¯d prepared for this exact moment. A few seconds later he pulled out a business card with the words ¡®Enjoying the show, ASTArte?¡¯. He grinned at the camera and shoved the card back into his pocket, walking away.. To think she used a damn pun for the acronym of her company¡¯s name. How has no one else noticed it? He scoffed. Making his way around a corner and into an alley. His eyes narrowed and he felt the heat building in them for a moment before the world was illuminated before him. He shuffled through the degeneracy that took place in the alley, the befoulment, the sadness, the sickness, until he found what he was looking for. A single man stood next to the wall, he was thin but athletic, his smile a bit coy. He wore a suit despite his surroundings and seemed utterly unbothered by the filth. He reached out and pushed in one of the bricks and the wall opened up for him. Martin blinked and his vision returned to normal, he turned his eyes from the alley itself to the point on the wall the image had indicated. He walked over to it and frowned, it looked completely indistinct from the rest of the wall. He reached up and pressed his fingers against it and without hesitation it depressed, sliding into the wall before clicking once. The wall soundlessly slid down in front of him, revealing a stairwell going down. His eyes narrowed and he clicked his tongue when no lights came on. Typical. He fished through his pockets before pulling out a lighter and glaring at it. He glanced down the passage, I could use my eyes. He considered what Chernovna had said during an interview once. That she and her team ¡®theorized¡¯ that powers were like a muscle, they need to be worked to be strengthened. It annoys me that I need to take advice from her, but it¡¯ll do. He thought as he stepped into the darkness, his eyes lighting up and the space before him covered with a yellow-gold hue. He could see clearly despite it. As he did he felt something in the air to his right and glanced over, his lips curling downward. ¡°You¡¯re nosy,¡± He grunted to the floating pink digital-looking eye. The eye flickered and turned into a face that laughed impishly at him before vanishing. He clicked his tongue, Crazy bitch. He grumbled and continued down the stairs. Her range is monstrous, though I suppose as long as she has a general idea of where something is, she can pinpoint. She used the field of view of the camera and then followed me. I need to be more cautious. He thought grimly as he found the base of the stairs. A tunnel stretched out in front of him with a small stream of water going down the way on his left. He reached up and adjusted his hat, stalking forward. I should have brought a weapon. As an ordinary citizen it was far harder to get a weapon past customs and France was on high alert after what happened in The Hague. He felt that presence again and spun around, shoving his hand into his pocket and grabbing the first thing he felt. He tossed it at the pink floating eye that was now following him, ¡°Would you quit following me you goddamn voyeur!¡± He barked, annoyed, and threw his lighter through the eye. It vanished and he huffed, grumbling irritably as a splash echoed in the tunnel. He blinked and looked at his hand and then at the water, watching his lighter float by. He stared at it for several seconds before letting out a sigh and reaching up to scratch his scruffy chin, ¡°Let her annoy me, damn it. I can practically hear her laughing at me.¡± ¨C Sonya leaned forward across her desk, slapping her fist down on it and laughing. She held onto the desk, trying to support herself as she watched Martin mourn his lighter. She sniffed and leaned back as a chime rang out in her office. She glanced up and reached out with her senses, feeling Carla on the other side, ¡°Welp, guess it¡¯s time for bed!¡± She snickered and slipped out of her chair, waving her hand over the crystal and deactivating it, ¡°I¡¯ll check on you later, have fun in the sewers, detective,¡± She snickered.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¨C He felt her presence completely vanish this time and let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Finally,¡± He grumbled and rubbed his neck, ¡°Makes my damn skin crawl,¡± He muttered before pausing and glancing down the passage. He saw no movement. He let out a breath, I got loud. Looks like there are no guards, I doubt they¡¯d be expecting anyone to just stumble on this place that easily. He glanced again over his shoulder at the spot where her eye had been floating. Did she notice that I sensed her? He chastised himself and flexed his fingers, feeling the senses in his body react to even the smallest movements around him. It was maddening at times. If I drink more it¡¯ll cut it down, but look where being drunk gets me. He grumbled. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was an ability of its own or if it was something else. He was still figuring it out and had only realized how intense they¡¯d become recently. If it was an ability, it didn¡¯t come with an instinct of its own. Instead, it provided him with something far more valuable. Clear and complete understanding of Gaze of Mimir. Not just the bare minimum instinct a normal person started with, every nook and cranny of the power. Fat lot of good it does me when my state of mind and the one most compatible with the power are so damn far apart, he thought irritably. Even so, he clenched his fist, I can never let that woman touch my hand. Thanks to the Gaze I know how her powers work and why she wanted to shake my hand so badly. He clicked his tongue, Gaze of Mimir would be bad enough in her hands, but instincts that could let her perfectly understand her powers? He shuddered and started walking, I feel like I¡¯m walking around with a nuclear football. He focused on the path in front of him, pushing the grim thoughts aside. His brow furrowed as he made his way down the passage, glancing around to get more detail on his surroundings. It¡¯s an old sewer, out of use from the look of it. Just after Haussman¡¯s refurbishment, then, lots of opportunities to build an entryway like this around then. Hardly any oversight. He rubbed his neck again and paused, feeling the hairs on his neck stand on end. He frowned and turned to the right, glancing over the wall. Another? He took a few steps back and searched the history of the wall, the various shadows that walked past it. He ignored them, the flickering shapes, until finally he saw that man again. He was standing in front of the wall and saying something. Then the door opened. Martin tilted his head and squinted, walking around to get a better look at the man¡¯s face. Damn if I can¡¯t hear what he¡¯s saying. Still not synchronized enough with the eyes. He thought irritably and watched the man¡¯s lips. Give me something¡­ come on¡­ he squinted, pushing a bit more into the eyes as he tried again to relax his mind, pushing the wandering thoughts away as best he could. L¡¯humanite est betail. Martin¡¯s shoulders tensed, a wave of nausea running up his throat. He glanced at the wall again and swallowed hard, the very thought of repeating those words- he grit his teeth and shook his head. Whatever it takes. He thought before stepping into the spot where the man had stood and clearing his throat, ¡°L¡¯humanite est betail,¡± He said aloud, doing his best approximation of a french accent. It wasn¡¯t great but it wasn¡¯t terrible either. High School French was good for something at least, he chuckled as the a small chime rang out, the sound of a digital lock disengaging before the wall slid down revealing a new passage. He stalked forward, moving more cautiously. The hairs on his neck were still standing on end, every sense in his body told him danger was nearby. He dipped low, pulling his hat down a bit to ease the glow of his eyes. He slipped forward into a short hallway with two offshooting passages going left and right. He pressed against the right wall and peered into that passage before turning his head left into the other. He stopped and squinted, A body? He thought, spotting the legs poking into the left passage from the side. He glanced back down the right passage before quickly moving to the side of the body, keeping his senses on high alert. Danger was close, but it looks like luck is smiling on me. He thought as he pulled the gun off the belt of the dead man. He examined the man for a moment but only got a name and cursory information. He¡¯d have to concentrate hard to get more and given the state of his nerves he didn¡¯t have that kind of time. He checked the magazine, full. He glanced at the body again, the pool of blood originating from the man¡¯s neck. Knife, one cut, very fast. He thought as he whipped the gun up and pointed it behind his own head. The next second a knife hesitated just an inch from his jugular, ¡°I¡¯m not much of a fighter,¡± He grumbled, ¡°So I¡¯d appreciate it if we just talked.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not one of the slavers,¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice, a bit hoarse, smoker? No. Singer. There was a rhythm to her words. Her accent was¡­ Australian? What was she doing here? His senses told him she was still dangerous even with the gun in her face and the knife at bay. ¡°Who are you?¡± She demanded. He didn¡¯t look back at her, ¡°A disgraced detective,¡± He said honestly. ¡°You got a lot of nerve coming down into the belly of the beast, ¡®detective¡¯,¡± She growled, ¡°You¡¯re also dead weight as far as I¡¯m concerned if you can¡¯t fight. Gimme a reason to keep you alive. You¡¯ve got ten-¡± ¡°Mythic. Ocular power. See the truth of what¡¯s before me.¡± He cut her off. ¡°-seconds¡­¡± She trailed off, the danger in the air slipping immediately, ¡°You¡¯re not lying?¡± ¡°Can I turn around?¡± He asked. She pulled her knife away from his neck and took a step back. He rose, slowly, and lowered his new weapon before turning to face her. He reached up and tilted his hat a bit, giving her a cursory look. She had red hair that was cut short, freckles across her nose and a pair of luminous green eyes. He paid little attention to her figure beyond the compression shirt and the cargo pants held up by a combat belt. His eyes told him the rest, ¡°Addison Kelly, combat veteran, served in TAG, awakened and left the military after accidentally-¡± He held up a hand, ¡°Enough, that¡¯s enough, I believe you,¡± She said cooly. ¡°Fine,¡± He grunted and shoved his new gun into his pocket. He glanced down the path behind her, ¡°I¡¯m looking into the man who owns this place.¡± ¡°You know who owns it?¡± She asked, incredulously. ¡°Superficially,¡± He grumbled, ¡°I won¡¯t know for certain until I lay eyes on him myself.¡± She frowned, ¡°Better than me, I¡¯ve been following disappearances and human traffickers, it led me here.¡± He scowled, He¡¯s already started, then. Damn it. How many people has he- He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He opened his mouth to say something and then a face popped up in his mind. He closed his mouth and rubbed the bridge of his nose, ¡°I¡¯m moving on,¡± He grunted and started walking past her. ¡°Hold it,¡± She bit out, slapping the wall and blocking him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we-¡± ¡°Team up?¡± He interrupted her again, looking her square in the eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t do partners anymore,¡± He said with a sigh and dipped under her arm, ¡°But if you happen to follow me, I can¡¯t do a damn thing about it.¡± Side Story - Vigilantes I The tunnel continued on for over an hour, gradually sloping downwards into the Parisian depths. Martin kept his eyes on the path, his ability granting him clarity despite the growing darkness. Despite the cool atmosphere and relative quiet, the experience was anything but pleasant. The further he moved along, more and more signs of something terrible happening in the bowls of Paris became evident. He stopped at another half-dried puddle of blood and crouched down next to it, the clarity in his vision swapping out for more detail. The images were confused and muddled, fragmented, but he knew enough. It belonged to a tourist, a backpacker just starting out on their journey across Europe. He let out a heavy sigh and scratched his chin. He knew the young mans name, where he¡¯d come from, everything up until he had made the foolish decision to seek ¡®satisfaction¡¯ in a back alley. From there, everything became a blur of violence and unconsciousness marred by an overlaying current of mana that made getting the full truth difficult. There wasn¡¯t enough here to draw from. He needed to find a body, from that, he could see everything. He got to his feet and turned from the puddle of blood in time to see a pair of glowing green eyes looking back at him. ¡°Still following me?¡± He grunted, turning away after holding the woman¡¯s gaze for a few moments. ¡°I¡¯m just going the same way you are,¡± Addison said while not actually moving an inch until he started walking himself. ¡°You could have gone ahead,¡± He pointed out. ¡°You can see where to step without falling over,¡± She countered, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I stand behind the bloodhound?¡± He huffed and shook his head, ¡°Do what you want,¡± He said irritably as his vision switched back over to seeing the world clearly. The path lay before him in colored relief, no shadows interfering with his line of sight. He resumed his solitary march, pretending that the nosy woman wasn¡¯t following him as he went over what little information he had in his mind. For someone with Mimir¡¯s Eyes I seem to be lacking a great deal of knowledge. He thought grumpily, I know why he does what he does, or at least what Ishtar believes he does. Her experiences are subjective, though, I won¡¯t know for sure until I lay eyes on him myself. Why is he doing this? How does his ability work? Something with demons but- He glanced back at the blood splotch on the ground, Human Sacrifice? I haven¡¯t heard of an ability that necessitated that. He frowned, Abilities have drawbacks and downsides sometimes, costs, very rarely in mythics though. He scratched at his neck before pausing and squinting down the path. He frowned and drew the gun from his pocket before throwing his hand out to the left. Addison bumped into him and was about to bark out a question when he held his hand up over her mouth, ¡°Shh,¡± He hissed. He glanced down at the gun and checked the ammunition, it was cheaply made, but it was tipped with monster bone. Enough to do some damage. He scoffed, he almost missed ASTA Quality equipment in that moment. He turned his attention up to what he¡¯d seen lurking in the shadows, watching them. It was the size of a chimpanzee but terribly thin, with too-long forearms and a squat, flat faced head. It had no nose, rather just a hole like on a skull. It had long serrated teeth designed for grasping and ripping. Those teeth were revealed by the knowing sneer of a creature that believed itself invisible. If I switch to truth, I¡¯ll lose sight of it, He thought, I¡¯ll have to trust my instincts. He pivoted and aimed a little to the right of the creature and fired. The single gunshot rang out, causing Addison to step back warily. The noise was enough to startle the creature as well and it quickly dislodged itself from where it had been hiding, darting to its right. Right into the line of fire. A hole formed in the side of its misshapen head and it dropped to the ground with a thud. Silenced forever. He waited for it to dissolve like a manifested creature he¡¯d seen from another light-touched ability. Nothing. It remained.Stolen story; please report. It¡¯s real. Like a true monster. He clicked his tongue. ¡°The fuck Martin?¡± Addison demanded. ¡°Demon,¡± He grunted and moved ahead, stopping next to the corpse. He crouched and switched his vision over, opening himself up to the truth about the beast. He immediately recoiled and staggered back, falling ass-first onto the ground before pushing away from it. He felt nausea run up his throat before he coughed and forced it down, slamming his fist onto the ground. ¡°Damn it!¡± She was right to goad me to come here. Damn that woman! He snarled as he caught his breath. Addison wasn¡¯t far behind. She stopped next to him and glanced down at the corpse. Her glowing green eyes narrowed before she looked back at him, ¡°How bad?¡± She asked. ¡°You should go home, Major,¡± He said and coughed. He scowled, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, ¡°You¡¯re out of your league.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m here till I¡¯m done, now what did you see?¡± He glared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh, ¡°They¡¯re eating people,¡± He said, ¡°Slowly. Hacking off bits at a time and keeping them alive,¡± He added, his glowing eyes dimming a bit as he looked down the path again. ¡°It isn¡¯t pretty.¡± She stiffened then squared her shoulders, ¡°Why?¡± She demanded. He got to his feet and brushed himself off, ¡°Anguish influences the meat somehow for them,¡± He said, ¡°They subsist on it and mana, they¡¯re born from it,¡± He continued as he started marching his way down the passage again, his gun at the ready. There were going to be more, he knew it. He glanced back at her as she moved to catch up, ¡°And no, before you ask, there wasn¡¯t a dungeon break down here.¡± ¡°Then how? The only monsters that form without a dungeon present are-¡± ¡°Hounds and Lurkers, I know,¡± He interrupted her, ¡°They aren¡¯t your ordinary monsters. They¡¯re the end result of a mythic-tier ability. One that makes permanent entities that need to be fed,¡± He paused and let out a sigh, ¡°If you¡¯re going to keep following me, I need to know, can you handle yourself in a fight?¡± She fell into step next to him and scowled in his direction, ¡°I was a Major in TAG, you tell me.¡± He returned her scowl with a thousand-yard stare, ¡°So?¡± He grunted, ¡°I¡¯m talking abilities and monsters, not people,¡± He spat. ¡°I can¡¯t fight worth shit but if you¡¯re gonna follow me around you might as well make yourself useful,¡± She glanced back over her shoulder at the demon he killed. He scoffed, ¡°Lucky shot.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn everything about me with those eyes of yours?¡± She asked after a long pause. ¡°I was trying to be polite,¡± He grumbled, ¡°Only looked into your personal history. Apparently it¡¯s rude to ask someone the name of their ability,¡± He added with a shrug, ¡°So are you worth anything in a fight or not?¡± She returned his stare for a moment before letting out a sigh and reaching into her shirt, she pulled on a thin chain that he hadn¡¯t noticed before and revealed a ring hanging around her neck. It was a simple silver band with a large emerald gleaming on it. The emerald released a faint pulse as she rubbed her thumb over it. The next moment she held up her hand and a flickering green spark appeared over her palm. ¡°I can do a lot of things, but I¡¯m best at doing damage,¡± She said harshly before tapping her temple, ¡°Got spells in my head that I can cast, it¡¯s a bit of a pain to cast anything other than the offensive ones though.¡± ¡°Bluestar has an ability like yours, the Guildmaster of the ASTA Guild,¡± He said, ¡°She¡¯s talented with defensive magic, apparently.¡± She huffed and clenched her fist, the spark vanishing, ¡°Tell her I¡¯m green with envy,¡± She quipped before looking past him, ¡°Satisfied?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do,¡± He said with a shrug and started walking again. He paused for a moment before letting out a breath, Dammit. ¡°Sorry about the whole looking into your past thing,¡± He said, ¡°That was-¡± ¡°I get it,¡± She waved it off, ¡°I¡¯m more interested in what you¡¯re even doing here. Chasing after disappeared people and stumbling into some kind of demon-related conspiracy or whatever,¡± She said, checking her belt absently and running her hand over the handle of her gun, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone with your power be out there sussing out big villains? Couldn¡¯t you find Ishtar?¡± He froze mid step, his shoulders tensing. He opened his mouth but it had gone dry. His throat clenched and he felt every cell in his body force him into immobility. He closed his eyes and took a thin breath before turning to stare at her, hard. He tried again to speak but nothing came. She returned his stare and a number of emotions washed over her face. Confusion, thoughtfulness, realization, and then horror. ¡°You already did!¡± Chapter 127 It was the day after she¡¯d watched Martin. Sonya stepped through one of her portals and into the quiet interior of her office. The lights came on of their own accord as she strode over to her desk. The wall-screen came on line and the feeds immediately appeared, spreading around her. She barely paid any attention to it, her astral eyes already forming on the ceiling and observing. If something important came up she¡¯d divert her attention but she doubted it. Besides, she had more important things to concern herself with. She sat down on her desk and yawned, the dial tone in her head ringing over twice before the other side picked up. <¡°Mistress?¡±> Blackrazor answered. She smiled, <¡±Blackrazor! How are things, dear?¡±> She asked. <¡±Productive, mistress. We¡¯ve completed the selective purge and replenishment of workers at the new headquarters. We are currently just a few days behind schedule,¡±> Blackrazor said in his usual mild tone. <¡±We have completed a full and thorough investigation and have removed one hundred and thirty-four high yield explosives hidden throughout the site.¡±> She tilted her head and pursed her lips, <¡±Does that include the exterior buildings?¡±> She asked, her lip twitching a bit. <¡±Yes mistress, if we continue as is we will complete the main complex including the central building just a small deviation past the originally projected timeframe,¡±> He let out a sigh, <¡±Shameful.¡±> She laughed, <¡±Oh don¡¯t be such a grump about it. Do you need to hire more people to catch up?¡±> She asked. <¡±That would certainly be helpful, but I doubt simply throwing more manpower at the problem will fix it. We may very well have to accept the delay,¡±> Blackrazor admitted flatly. She clicked her tongue, <¡±It is what it is, then,¡±> She sighed and rubbed her neck, <¡±Damn that Liberty, she¡¯s like an infection and she knows where headquarters is going to be. I might need you to at least maintain high alert until construction is done,¡±> She said, unhappy with having to do so, that was a lot of night-society agents and security forces left standing around at headquarters rather than moving about throughout the rest of the world for her. She could be tracking more people than just Martin, not that she needed to really, nor wanted to, but it would be nice to have the option available. <¡±Nothing will touch your new home,¡±> Blackrazor said with all certainty. She smiled, <¡±I appreciate you,¡±> She said, <¡±How¡¯s Kera?¡±> <¡±Still obsessed with fruit, erratic, but efficient when doing her job, calm and content when we are simply socializing, I personally don¡¯t understand it,¡±> Blackrazor grumbled. She raised an eyebrow, <¡±...fruit?¡±> <¡±Dates, in particular, mistress,¡±> Blackrazor said. Sonya let out a groan, she threw herself back on the desk and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to resist the urge to grind her teeth. She threw her hand up, <¡±Blackrazor, dear, could you do me a favor and use that nice phone I got for you to look up what the ¡®social¡¯ definition of a ¡®date¡¯ is? Please? For me? Really quick?¡±> She said exasperatedly. <¡±I promise it might help.¡±> There was a long, very long, uncomfortably long, pause. <¡±Ah. I see,¡±> Blackrazor mumbled. <¡±I appear to have made an unnecessary purchase.¡±> She squinted, <¡±The hell did you buy?¡±> <¡±A date farm in Egypt, I assumed it would make Kerauna happy,¡±> He said with a heavy sigh, <¡±I appear to have wasted my efforts.¡±> Sonya snorted, relaxing a little. He was as dense as a neutron star but it seemed that he at least had good instincts. He just needed to redirect them a little, <¡±When you can, call Companion and talk to her about the situation, alright? Back to business. How are our spies in Liberty¡¯s territory?¡±> <¡±Understood,¡±> He paused before speaking, <¡±We have been fortunate, two of my agents in her territory were compromised but managed to escape. A third was beginning to behave erratically and I had him extracted. We are getting a steady stream of intelligence but I still do not have anyone close enough to her to do any real damage.¡±> She exhaled, <¡±Just keep an eye on her and send me a write up on what you¡¯ve learned,¡±> She said as she glanced towards the screen, Liberty was standing at a podium again, shouting, <¡±I want to know everything. We¡¯re getting closer and closer to our goal.¡±> ¨C Liberty stepped down from the balcony and through the doors. Her expression darkening as she passed the two guards who bowed quickly before shutting the doors behind her. She reached up and adjusted the armor on her shoulders, the fit was off again. She scowled and stormed past a trio of women in robes who quickly dropped to their knees and pressed their heads against the ground. She ignored them too, her metal heels clacking against the hard floor beneath her. This is taking too long, she thought, those wretches aren¡¯t working hard enough, after all I¡¯ve given them. Ungrateful. She growled. The men I sent to investigate the camp where my sister is staying never returned, dead probably since I haven¡¯t heard anything about it. Wise, the bombs in their guts would have gone off if they had said anything stupid, She thought as she rounded a corner. A young man with dark hair was leaning against the wall right at the edge. He glanced up at her and smiled, holding his hand over his heart and inclining his head. She shot him a hard look for a moment before looking back down the path, ¡°Philip,¡± She grunted, ¡°Your sister is moving slowly.¡± Philip shrugged as he turned to walk alongside her, ¡°She always uses indirect methods, she¡¯ll do her job,¡± He said blandly, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. It glistened a little as it seemed to harden a little on his head, ¡°She¡¯s probably waiting for the right moment.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Either kill Cassiopeia or drag her back here, one or the other, it is not complicated,¡± Liberty snapped, ¡°Remind your sister that my patience is not endless,¡± She said with a huff, ¡°If I must send troops to the camp myself, I cannot promise her survival.¡± Philip snorted, ¡°If she dies like that, then she wasn¡¯t worth raising,¡± He said with a shrug, ¡°She¡¯s a professional, ma¡¯am,¡± He paused and then glanced her way, ¡°Actually, if you do end up doing that, I¡¯d like to go myself,¡± He said with a sneer. She glanced his way, ¡°Absolutely not, I want you here. I have others from the round table that I will send in that event,¡± She said as they came to a stop in front of a door, a wave of heat radiated from it and she noticed how he stepped away a bit, reaching for his hair again, ¡°Leave me,¡± She commanded. He quickly bowed and turned away, hustling as far away as he could without actually running. She pushed the door open and a bloom of heat crashed into her, she clicked her tongue and stalked inside, shutting the door behind her, ¡°Taylor!¡± She barked. ¡°I want to talk!¡± The room before her wasn¡¯t like the spartan concrete of the rest of the main compound. The walls were entirely made of dark metal and an orange luminescence spread radiantly through a gray haze that hung in the room. The sound of metal crashing against metal came from every direction, making it hard to discern which way one was looking. The heat bubbled the air, oppressive and nearly lethal to most, she ignored it as if it were just a particularly warm summer day as she marched through the haze, ¡°Graham Taylor!¡± She barked again, ¡°Show yourself!¡± A low ¡®tsk¡¯ ripped through the air and the haze evaporated in an instant, taking the heat with it. The room became visible and she took in the sight of weapons hanging from the walls. All of them magnificent works of art. She shifted her view past them towards the thin man sitting at a bench in nothing but a white tanktop and off-tan cargo pants. He was leaning over an anvil made entirely of dark, crystalline stone. His glowing orange eyes burned behind his glasses as he looked at her, the small elastic strap holding them to his head looking a little droopy in the heat. He sat up straight and ran his fingers through his cropped orange-brown hair. ¡°Liberty, please come in, I wasn¡¯t busy or anything,¡± He clipped dryly, ¡°I told you to call me Craftsman.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call you whatever I please,¡± She snarled and stalked towards him as she reached up and unclasped the buckles of her shoulder armor. She tossed it to his feet, ¡°They¡¯ve stopped fitting again.¡± He sneered at her, ¡°Perhaps you should lay off the treats during your ¡®rituals¡¯?¡± She stepped towards him, her head tilted and he flicked his wrist, a gun appearing in his hand. The weapon was made of the same dark crystal as his anvil. He trained it on her just as her fingers reached his throat. The two stared at one another for a few heartbeats, neither moving before she pulled her hand away, ¡°Watch your mouth, Craftsman.¡± ¡°Keep giving me materials and I¡¯ll think about it, Liberty,¡± He said with a grin before glancing down at her armor, ¡°Your body is increasing in size and mass with your ability?¡± He asked. ¡°It would appear so,¡± She said with a frown, ¡°What can be done?¡± She asked. He hummed to himself, turning the pauldron over in his hand as he considered. He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow, ¡°You could give me the name of your ability, you¡¯ve figured it out haven¡¯t you?¡± He said with a cold smile, ¡°Give me that and I can make you the perfect suit of armor, never have to get out of it again.¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°And allow you to start discerning possible weaknesses? I think not.¡± He crossed his arms, ¡°Suit yourself, but I¡¯m working for you now aren¡¯t I?¡± He said, gesturing around his workshop, ¡°As long as you keep me well stocked and funded I¡¯ve got no reason to turn on you,¡± He said, ¡°Besides, what would I do with that information? Kill you?¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Then who would run the cult? Your sister?¡± He laughed again and leaned forward, ¡°Look, you need me as much as I need you, lady. If you want to keep me around and get what you really need out of me, then you¡¯re gonna have to show a bit of trust.¡± Her lips curled in disgust, ¡°Trust you? You¡¯re a snake.¡± ¡°I am an inventor,¡± He corrected her, ¡°And an opportunist, there¡¯s a difference.¡± She scoffed, ¡°Hardly,¡± She crossed her arms and they stared one another down for several heartbeats. She rolled her eyes and looked away, turning her back on him for a moment as she mulled it over. ¡°Does it have to be visible on the armor?¡± She asked after a long moment, tapping her foot with growing irritation. ¡°You engrave the name of the ability onto the equipment you make, correct?¡± She asked. ¡°You noticed!¡± He said, ¡°Yeah, I do, but the name doesn¡¯t have to be visible. It could be on the inside if you want.¡± She rounded on him, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you do that for the men I sent to get fitted?¡± She demanded. He shrugged, ¡°They didn¡¯t ask,¡± He said with a sneer, ¡°Besides, it was a good opportunity to test whether or not there was a difference between high visibility placements and the lack thereof. Data, Liberty, data!¡± He beamed, ¡°Every piece of information gets me closer to a perfect understanding of this ability,¡± He said and gestured to the anvil and the hammer that appeared in his hand next. The dark metal hammer wreathed in gold strips glowed with a faint orange light that caused the temperature of the room to start rising. ¡°All you care about is testing your toys?¡± She demanded, ¡°Not the lives of the men wearing them?¡± He gave her an incredulous look, ¡°Like you actually care either?¡± He scoffed, ¡°You can delude everyone else but you don¡¯t have me fooled. Your blood is made of ice.¡± She popped her neck, ¡°I would endure a lot to rip your arms out of their sockets right now,¡± She growled before letting out a sigh and reaching up to run armored fingers through her hair. She glanced back at him again, ¡°Standard of Glorious Camelot,¡± She said after another few seconds of hesitation. He returned her stare for a moment before he actually gave her a half-respectable smile, ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so hard,¡± He said and gestured to the ground, ¡°Leave your armor and I¡¯ll have it done by the end of the week. Masterwork takes time.¡± She huffed and reached up to remove her breastplate, tossing it to the ground. She did the same with her gauntlets, revealing the compression shirt and her growing muscles. He stared at her for a moment, eyeing her arms, ¡°You¡¯re disgusting,¡± She spat. He wrinkled his nose, ¡°Please, physical interests are a distraction from science and creation,¡± He said, ¡°I extricated distractions from my body shortly after the flash,¡± He said and glanced down at his hammer, ¡°This is all I need to derive pleasure for myself,¡± he said, hefting it, ¡°I simply find the physiological changes from your ability fascinating. Arthurian in origin, very interesting,¡± He rubbed his chin, ¡°I wonder if Excalibur or Caliburn or whatever it¡¯s called is real, then.¡± ¡°No evidence so far,¡± She said as she removed the last of her armor, leaving it in a pile at his feet, ¡°If there is, I¡¯ll find it. It¡¯s mine.¡± He smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t want me to make a sword for you?¡± He asked. She turned away from him and stalked away, ¡°There¡¯s only one weapon worthy of me,¡± She said with a growl, ¡°Be honored enough you get to make my armor,¡± She added as she left, shutting the door behind her. She closed her eyes and ignored the fit of mad laughter that echoed through the door as she stepped into the hallway. Psychopath, she thought and made her way down the hall. As she walked one of the women walking down the hallway saw her in nothing but her compression shirt and slacks and hurried to her side, taking off her own shawl and presenting it to her without hesitation. Liberty stared at the offered cloth and resisted the urge to slap it away in disgust, ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you,¡± She growled instead, continuing past, ¡°I have clothes in my chambers,¡± She said, ¡°Send for the rest of the round table. I want them to meet me in an hour.¡± She paid no attention to the figure prostrating behind her and instead marched down the hall until she got to the stairs, going up and and up until she arrived at the floor set aside for her personal residence. She pushed through the double doors as her eyes began to glow again, One week until my armor is done. That¡¯s good enough. Philip¡¯s mole has one week until I mobilize against the East Coast Camp. Chapter 128 Sonya stepped out of her office, the metallic door hissing shut behind her as she traipsed over the cushy floor of her dojo. She¡¯d finished reading over the write up that Blackrazor had sent her, it was shorter than she had hoped, but that was to be expected. Liberty may have a very public presence but actual detail was hard to come by. She was apparently wearing new armor recently and had been equipping her men well. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, I should have told Blackrazor to push for one of his men to get into Liberty¡¯s headquarters yesterday, she thought and then scratched at her head, No, if it could have been done by now it would have. Ah, how is she vetting people? She grumbled before letting out a groan and turning left towards one of the other doors leading out of her dojo. The doors opened with a hiss and she smirked, Kind of a shame those punks didn¡¯t make it in here before I caught them. Poor Ollie, he would have been so excited, She chuckled inwardly. She stepped into the trophy hall, yawning a little. She¡¯d had to find a place to put the rewards from the various dungeons that she and her guild had managed to clear. Some of them weren¡¯t items that were of any use to her people, yet, so she wanted them safe. She passed by the odd doll from the goblin dungeon and the mace, the real one, not the one that was on display at the ASTA Guild Headquarters. She reached over and touched the glass around it, ¡°Hey Nick,¡± She said with a smile, ¡°Miss you buddy,¡± She rapped her knuckles on the glass before walking towards the next case, no label was on it, just like the others. She turned to the glass and stared at it for a moment, the bone knife inside gleamed oddly in the artificial light above her. It brought back memories, she watched Feng Hyunh fall to her death all over again and exhaled as a call came in. She glanced at her HUD, Mephisto? This should be good. <¡±Hey girl hey!¡±> She answered with a cheeky grin. <¡±Got somethin¡¯ for ya, ma¡¯am,¡±> Mephisto chirped back at her, a small chuckle in his voice, <¡±I¡¯m with the Spice King, he wants a word,¡±> She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, <¡±Oho, business call? Alright, put me on,¡±> She cleared her throat as she activated the voice filter for the call. She heard the phone on the other end shift to speaker mode and she relaxed. A part of her wanted to pull the mask on, but, maybe this time she could do it herself. <¡±Spice King! What a pleasant surprise,¡±> She said, leaning against the case that held the Vegas knife, <¡±What can I do for you?¡±> ¨C The silence was a balm, like a cool towel on the neck during a heat wave. It wasn¡¯t a complete silence, he could hear his own faint breathing, the sounds of the shifting in the walls, the faint adjustments to the ventilation to push air into the room. Those little sounds didn¡¯t bother him, it was like a symphony atop the blessed silence that soothed his soul even more. He rested his head against the hard wall behind him and closed his eyes, a small smile playing on his face. He savored it, the deafening silence that would not last forever. This is nice, I should kill the other inmates more often. He let out a pleasant sigh as the mild thought passed through him. He tapped his fingers against his thumbs, powerful, dense, taught muscle in his lithe arms tensed and flexed. He wanted to doze off, take a nap, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how long he had been in this room. Not that he cared. Every second was a treasure. If only there was a way to make it permanent. After all, all good things came to an end. He opened his eyes, a blue the color of glacial ice; almost white, glowed from his irises. The sole illumination in the room from his eyes was bright enough to reflect off the heavy metal door in front of him. The door shuddered and a panel slid on it. A pair of human eyes stared at him through the opening, they met his and quickly averted. ¡°Graff.¡± The guard grunted. ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± Graff clicked his tongue. He rolled his neck and looked away from the door, ¡°How many inmates do I need to kill to stay?¡± He asked. ¡°Kill too many and they¡¯ll put you in a hospital,¡± The guard chuckled, ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to do therapy and talk about your feelings.¡± Graff¡¯s nose wrinkled with disgust and he stared at the wall a bit longer. He rose slowly to his feet and walked over to the door, resting his head against it, ¡°Having trouble with a new kid?¡± He asked, tilting his head and slowly sliding his head down the metal till he was eye level with the guard. His gaze bored into the guard¡¯s, sweat immediately beading on the man¡¯s forehead. His smile curled up just a little bit, ¡°Well? Fill me in,¡± Graff mumbled, the volume of his voice never changing. The guard pulled away a bit, blinking a few times, ¡°Yeah, came in last week,¡± The guard mumbled, ¡°He¡¯s trying to rally the others for a break.¡± Graff frowned, ¡°It¡¯s not time for a break,¡± He said cooly, the door creaked and shuddered, the concrete beneath his feet rippled, the air grew tenser, heavier, every particle in the air seemed to stop for a moment before he let out another breath, ¡°Alright, put me in, coach.¡± The guard swallowed audibly before he moved to tap away at a keypad next to the door. He took a step back afterwards, the door hissing before it slid aside and exposed Graff to the light of the hall outside his solitary cell. He narrowed his eyes against the bright artificial lighting and stepped out slowly, reaching up to rub his neck and pop his shoulders a few more times. He looked up to the ceiling for a moment before sighing, ¡°It was nice while it lasted,¡± He muttered before looking down at the guard who was standing in front of him, shaking like a leaf, a metal suit case in his hands. He narrowed his eyes, ¡°Is that necessary?¡± He asked. The guard swallowed louder than before, ¡°While I¡¯m moving you back to your cell, I need to put these on you. You have a reputation for good behavior and what you did was technically in self-defense so-¡± He trailed off. Graff leaned forward, ¡°Say what you mean,¡± He growled, ¡°You need to look good in front of the inmates by having me in cuffs,¡± He held out his hands and looked the guard in the eye. His glowing pupils shrank a little as he spoke, ¡°Do it,¡± He growled, ¡°But if you turn them on, when they come off-and they will come off eventually-I will atomize every living thing in this building.¡± The guard shrank back an inch and nodded, wide eyed, before quickly opening the suitcase and pulling out the mana-restraining cuffs. He put them on Graff¡¯s wrists and spoke quickly, half-stumbling over his words, ¡°Suh-Special Category V-villain, Graff,¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Y-you are being transported to your personal cell after your solitary confinement stay for good be-behavior,¡± He managed and turned his head to look down the hall. Graff followed his gaze and snorted, a pair of men carrying assault weapons were standing at the other end, eyeing him like a wild animal. ¡°Special Category, that something new?¡± Graff asked, lazily turning towards the armed guards and walking ahead of the man behind him. He was pretty sure the guy was a leader of some kind but he couldn¡¯t care less about getting to know him. ¡°The Pandora Committee established a list of Supervillains who are considered extreme threats to society and the world,¡± The man said behind him, hurrying to follow, ¡°The special category was reserved for one person originally until some idiot leaked that you exist.¡± Graff raised his eyebrows and stopped in the path. He slowly turned his head and stared at the guard for several seconds. The man shrank again before he turned back towards the hallway and slowly made his way towards the door. His expression slipped back into a thin line. He turned without waiting for the guards and walked past them, out through the open door as they scrambled to move and flank him. He rolled his jaw left and right, staring forward as they moved through the secondary security hallway for the solitary confinement portion of the prison. A small platoon of guards stood at the other end this time, weapons trained on him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He clicked his tongue and glanced over his shoulder, ¡°Trying to make warden?¡± He rumbled. The man frowned, squaring his shoulders a little as he put on his best act, ¡°Not your problem, inmate.¡± Graff chuckled and looked back at the guards, ¡°Open up, I¡¯m going back to my cell. Wanna get caught up on my ¡®clips account,¡± He said, not stopping in his walk. The guards looked at one another hesitantly for a moment as the wanna-be warden waved his hands at them, hurrying to Graff¡¯s side and nodding briskly. They got the message and quickly moved to release the various locks on the large door ahead of him. He didn¡¯t stop walking and they barely managed to get it open when he reached it. He walked through and out into the hall where a half dozen inmates were walking past, heading to the common area. They froze as he walked past, the armed guards moving to take up positions around him. He didn¡¯t give them a second look, keeping his eyes fixed forward. The guards paraded him through the halls, taking a slightly round-about route all the way to his own cell in F-block, more popularly known as the VIP Block. Unlike the ordinary cells in the rest of the building, these had reinforced post-pandora glass for walls and were filled with the trappings of home. He even had a television with enough internet access to watch his shows. His lip twitched as they stopped in front of his cell and he glanced towards the cell to the left of his, a man in the cell had his face pressed against the glass and was staring at him. The guy was thin, gaunt even, with sunken eyes that burned with a faint red glow. ¡°Connor,¡± Graff said. ¡°Graff,¡± the man snickered, ¡°How ya been?¡± The guards started to remove his cuffs, ¡°Was enjoying the quiet till someone noisy showed up.¡± Connor laughed, ¡°Yeah, figured they¡¯d let you out when the new guy started slappin¡¯ tables with his dick,¡± He paused and met Graff¡¯s eyes, ¡°Calls himself an Elementalist.¡± Graff paused and raised his eyebrow, ¡°Actual elementalist?¡± He asked as the cuffs finished coming off. He rubbed his wrists and glanced at the guards who quickly got out of arm''s reach. One of them opened his cell and he stared at the door while waiting for Connor¡¯s response. Connor¡¯s expression went wild for a moment, his eyes bulging as he showed his teeth that had been shaved down into points, ¡°Wind user. Calls himself Gale Force,¡± Graff pressed his tongue against the inside of his lip and looked up at the ceiling, he huffed through his nostrils, ¡°And here I was almost looking forward to some TV,¡± Graff said with a small chuckle and turned on his heel. He looked straight down at the wanna-be warden, ¡°Where?¡± The warden¡¯s expression bounced between terror and delight, ¡°Enrichment Field A.¡± Graff pushed past him, ¡°Keep my cell in solitary open.¡± ¨C Graff stalked past the other inmates who took a moment to recognize him. Some of them were pulled out of the way by their friends and allies, whispers of warning spreading through the crowd. Everyone took note of his bare wrists, everyone knew, he didn¡¯t care. All he cared about was the son-of-a-bitch arrogant enough to call himself an elementalist. He couldn¡¯t care less if the guy was trying to make himself a big man on campus. The dick-measuring contest was beneath Graff. He didn¡¯t care if the guy wanted to cause a little trouble. He was even willing to overlook this idiot trying to break the schedule. ¡°A wind user calling themselves an elementalist,¡± He scoffed as an inmate raced to the doors and pushed one open for him to step through. He felt the sun against his skin for the first time in a long time and his flat expression turned into a frown, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± He stepped out and spotted a pair of familiar faces sitting at a table close to the doors and far away from the majority of the inmates. He turned in that direction, walking over with his hands in his pockets and stopped behind an enormous man who was hunched forward. ¡°Frankie,¡± Graff rumbled, reaching out and flicking the big man in the back. The big man jolted and sat up straight, turning around and pulling his fist back as if ready to flatten Graff. He blinked when he saw him and broke into a smile, ¡°It¡¯s Graff! Hey!¡± He laughed and turned on his seat, planting his feet. He was at least twice Graff¡¯s size. The ability he¡¯d awakened in a contract with Ishtar was some sort of growth related power or something. Graff really wasn¡¯t sure, but it¡¯d made him crazy strong. ¡°Hear we got a new guy,¡± Graff said, ¡°They brought me out to say hello.¡± Frankie frowned and glanced to his right towards a large gathering of men on the other side of the enrichment field. Graff glanced that way and spotted a black-haired guy sitting on a table. He was beefy but not overly so from what Graff could see. He shrugged and looked back at Frankie, before glancing around, ¡°Where¡¯s Wicker?¡± He asked. Frankie shifted on his feet and stepped to the right, revealing another inmate who was sitting at the table, hiding behind the bigger Frankie with his hands over his head. Graff narrowed his eyes and walked over, grabbing the guy by the scruff of his shirt and pulling his head out from under his hands. The kid¡¯s face was a fucking mess. Black eye, cuts, scars, and from the look of it his jaw was all messed up. Graff narrowed his eyes, ¡°Wick. The fuck happened to your face?¡± Wicker looked away sullenly, ¡°Nuffin.¡± Graff lifted him to his feet, spun him around and grabbed him by the shirt, ¡°I asked you a question, Wick,¡± Graff growled, ¡°The fuck happened to your face?¡± Wick turned his eyes slowly to look at Graff then shot his gaze towards the upstart standing on the table. Graff stood up a bit straighter and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Tried to stop him from rallying for a riot?¡± Graff asked. The kid shrugged and Graff dropped him back on his seat. He licked his lips and turned towards the guy in the distance. A massive hand landed on his shoulder and he glanced at it, frowning. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Charon¡¯s got a bounty on high-tier powers, living is worth more,¡± Frankie said quickly. ¡°Ishtar askin¡¯ for ¡®em specifically. Just heard about it today.¡± Graff narrowed his eyes, ¡°She doesn¡¯t give me orders,¡± he growled and pulled his shoulder away, ¡°Besides, it sounds like Charon will pay for corpses too.¡± He stalked across the field, the sun was starting to annoy him more and more. His temper rising as he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared flatly at the man who was now fully standing on the table. He was shouting something that Graff had no patience to even listen to. He grumbled and made his way forward, stopping in front of the crew of men that were all looking up at their new ringleader. One of them glanced back and went wide-eyed. He quickly shook the guy next to him and soon everyone was staring at Graff, the last to take notice was the ringleader himself. ¡°You Gale Force?¡± He called. A whip of wind slapped against his skin. He glanced down at his chest and then up at the guy who had already turned away. The others were still staring at him and one reached up to grab Gale Force¡¯s attention. The man frowned and looked back at Graff, his expression souring a bit. ¡°Get lost,¡± Gale Force said, ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Gale, that¡¯s Graff,¡± One of them hissed quickly. Gale raised an eyebrow and grinned, hopping off the table and pushing through his men. He spread his arms out, ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the so-called ¡®monster¡¯ Graff! You¡¯re shorter than I expected. I half figured you¡¯d be as big as that punk-ass Frankie, given how much everyone sucks your-¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Graff said and strode forward, fixing the guy with a stare. ¡°I was talking you-¡± Gale bit out, a gust of wind pressing against Graff. Graff just walked through it, unblinking, his ice-blue eyes glowing a little brighter as he drew nearer and nearer to the man. Gale concentrated and pushed harder, several of the men around him getting pushed away by the wind that was now bearing down on Graff. Graff just kept walking until he was standing over Gale. Graff¡¯s eyes were wide, his pupils small, his expression stony, he tilted his head, ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s about to happen,¡± He bit out, ¡°I¡¯m going to turn every other cell in your lungs into a razor sharp diamond. You¡¯re going to get to take one last breath. Then you¡¯re going to die,¡± He said and his arm whipped out without another word. His fingers pressed against the man¡¯s chest and he pushed him back a full step. The man held his ground, glaring at Graff before he took a breath and his eyes went wide, blood poured from his mouth in a gout and he dropped like a heavy sack. Graff swept his gaze over the others, not even looking at the fresh corpse, ¡°The break happens when the call goes out, no sooner,¡± He growled. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me with this bullshit again or I¡¯ll kill everyone involved.¡± He turned away and walked towards the exit, the guards already coming out. The wanna-be warden stopping in front of him, pale-faced. Graff smirked at the guy, ¡°Apparently Charon¡¯s paying for high-tier corpses,¡± He murmured, ¡°Get your money¡¯s worth,¡± He said and stalked past, holding his wrists out and waiting to be cuffed before getting dragged back off to Solitary. He tilted his head and glanced over at Frankie and Wick who were staring at him surprised. He grinned at them and looked up at the sky, ¡°Lookin¡¯ forward to my next nap, I have a feeling my next stint in solitary won¡¯t nearly be as long.¡± Chapter 129 Sonya tossed the knife up and down in her hand, turning it over between her fingers. She stared at it for a moment, admiring the white material. She hadn¡¯t brought it out of its case in a while. It was light and harder than anything that Amos had been able to make thusfar. The long blade was somewhere between a combat knife and a machete. She glanced up at the door leading out of her dojo and bounced a bit on the balls of her feet as she pulled up her hud and began putting in the settings for the doll that would come out of it. The other dolls in the test house were non-combat, used for more domestic purposes. The ones lined up behind that door on the other hand. She popped her neck as the door opened and a doll strutted out, walking with a very familiar gait. In its hand was a knife of its own. It adjusted its posture and stood casually, hand on its hip and knife pointed at her. The flexible machine waited until she raised her own weapon, adopting the same pose. They faced one another for a moment before she tilted forward, ready¨C A chime rang in her head and she groaned, ¡°Oh come on! I was just about to-¡± She blinked at the name and answered immediately after changing over her voice. <¡±Mister Earl! How are you sir?¡±> She asked, lowering her weapon and gesturing for the doll to leave. It bowed and turned back to walk into the room. <¡±Mistress Ishtar, thank you for taking my call.¡±> He said stiffly. Her lip twitched, <¡±Prichard, no need to be so formal, you¡¯re doing good work for me. How are things?¡±> She asked as she twirled the knife between her fingers. <¡±Craig Hart¡¯s company has been fully acquired by the new shell corporation. At first we considered liquidating his assets but to be honest there are some interesting things in his portfolio,¡±> Prichard said, sounding a bit more relaxed, <¡±You¡¯ll be pretty interested in some of it.¡±> She raised an eyebrow, <¡±Oh? Corporate transactions do move slowly don¡¯t they, what do you have for me?¡±> She asked, walking towards her office. The door opened with a hiss and she sent the mental command to pull up a recording of the Olympics on one of the sections of screen around the room. She sat on her desk as a file made it into her HUD. She opened it and scanned it briefly. <¡±What am I looking at?¡±> <¡±A filtered list of his properties, they make up about twenty percent of the holdings in various countries he¡¯s acquired over the years,¡±> He said, <¡±Still a pretty big list.¡±> Sonya raised an eyebrow, <¡±Your point? What¡¯s the filter?¡±> <¡±Mana hotspots,¡±> He said with a laugh, <¡±Zones at a high risk for dungeon formation.¡±> Sonya¡¯s eyebrows rose and a wicked smile stretched across her face, <¡±Jackpot.¡±> ¨C He walked down the hall, his cane striking the ground now and then. He didn¡¯t need it anymore, his control over his body had improved by leaps and bounds. Even so, he still liked it, it made him feel classy. He whistled a bit as he made his way along the path, twirling his cane between his fingers now and then as he passed paintings. Paintings of himself superimposed in a number of historical events, or just famous paintings. Was it a bit egotistical? Sure, he¡¯d admit to that. Was it also hilarious and really tied in this particular hallway¡¯s decor? Absolutely. He snickered a little to himself as he came to a stop in front of a pair of large double doors. He glanced back the way he¡¯d come, the high-ceiling of the dimly lit hallway giving it a cavernous feel. He reached out with his cane and rapped on it twice. A low growl answered him, deep enough to rattle the air a bit, and he brightened. He pushed the doors open and threw his hands open in greeting. ¡°Pavlov! Daddy¡¯s here!¡± He called out into the large, darkened chamber. Deep in the dark, a shadow shifted, and a glowing red eye opened. It was huge. Easily the size of a dinner plate. The eye swiveled unnaturally in the creature¡¯s head before pointing in his direction. He held his arms open as something big and terrible moved. Its massive bulk shifted in the shadows, a head larger than a riding lawnmower turned in his direction. A paw hit the ground and the floor shook once then again, and again, as the massive thing barreled toward him at full speed. Charon let out a laugh as the titanic dog crashed into him, bowling him over and licking his face with a tongue as wide as a welcome mat. He kept laughing as Pavlov licked his face, pawing the ground and pressing its nose against his head, huffing and sniffing now and then. ¡°Good boy! Who¡¯s a good boy!¡± He praised the mighty canine, the sole survivor of his initial group of zombies. Out-aging all of his zombies by half a year at the minimum. His rise to power hadn¡¯t been easy, but Pavlov had been his constant companion and ally. He scratched at the beasts fur as the zombified hound nuzzled him, overjoyed at his attention. He pat the side of its head, ¡°Alright buddy, let me up! Come on now!¡± It let out a growling ¡°Rowf!¡± of acknowledgement and pulled away, planting its rear on the ground and sitting up at attention. He had to crane his head back to look at it, even as he got up. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten big!¡± He laughed, ¡°You ready for your next meal?¡± The hound barked again and leaned forward, sniffing at him. ¡°You¡¯ve also gotten smarter again,¡± He pat the side of its nose, ¡°No I don¡¯t have it on me, buddy. It¡¯s coming. So don¡¯t eat the delivery guys, alright?¡± It squinted at him as if in consideration before huffing out a breath and barking again, sitting up straight and dignified. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d never eat one of my zombies by accident. Not once,¡± He said sarcastically. The hounds head drooped a little and he snickered, ¡°You¡¯re fine, it wasn¡¯t that big a deal, bud,¡± He said and looked the creature over. It still looked like a hound for all intents and purposes but it was so much larger than any hound he had ever heard of. More importantly, after it had reached six months in age he had felt that he could loosen some of the connections between himself and it and let it act more and more independently. It was different from programming his zombie puppets, coming up with recordings or interplays. No, Pavlov was special. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because it was a monster or if it was because of its age, but he could feel it growing smarter and smarter, drawing off its connection to him to essentially construct its own identity. The result of that and regular feedings? The biggest and bestest boy in the whole wide world, as far as I¡¯m concerned. He thought proudly as the doors behind him rattled. He sensed two of his zombies on the other side and they opened the doors at his whim. Pavlov growled once but he gave the dog a look and it settled. The two zombies in suits strode inside, dragging a corpse along with them. A dead-eyed man with a portion of his forearms carved out. Charon rubbed his own forearms and checked the fresh stitching. He was getting good at that. ¡°Got something special for you today, Pavvy,¡± Charon said as the two zombies dumped the corpse on the ground. He kicked it, ¡°This is a heroic-tier villain who crossed a new friend of ours,¡± He said with a chuckle and walked around the body before stepping away from it.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Pavlov sniffed the air and sent him a look. He shrugged at it, ¡°What?¡± He sneered a little and showed off his wrist, ¡°I just took a little bit.¡± The hound didn¡¯t need any more prompting, it stalked forward and snatched the remains of Gale Force into its mouth, chomping down with bone-crushing force before swallowing the body whole. A faint glow burned for a moment beneath the beasts skin and it let out a heavy breath, tossing its head left and right with a shiver of delight before barking again at him and wagging its tail. He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Don¡¯t get greedy,¡± He teased the massive canine. It let out a whine and he walked over, wrapping his arms around its snout, ¡°Oh you¡¯re so good! I can¡¯t give you anymore right now but I¡¯ll get you something tasty as soon as I can! Good boy!¡± A feeling went through him as he squeezed his companion. It huffed and glanced towards the doors. He paused as well and turned his head, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Seems we have a visitor,¡± He said gravely, ¡°Powerful one.¡± He pulled back and straightened his coat as he willed the zombies at the entrance of the Styx to invite their guest to the Large Parlor. He turned and walked out the door as the zombies that had brought the corpse opened them. Behind him, Pavlov lumbered forward, not stopping as it reached the doors and trotted out into the hallway that had been made more than big enough to fit its bulk. Charon made his way to the end before turning away from the smaller doors that lead into the main hallway of his home. Instead he turned left to another large pair of doors that opened again with just a thought. The two zombies on the other side stared blankly at him and Pavolv as they walked in. The Large Parlor was just that, a wide room with a high ceiling meant for greeting guests while Pavlov was available and giving the massive hound a place to walk around and do other things besides sleep and play in his room. The room consisted of a false glass ceiling with blue glass arches and lights set up behind them to make it look like daytime. A garden made entirely out of artificial plants and greenery was present. He¡¯d never considered himself much of a green thumb and wasn¡¯t going to risk killing a bunch of plants just to make something pretty. A small creek flowed through it using some of the water from the building¡¯s pipes. At the center was a gazebo made of white wood. He walked towards it with a smirk on his face as he spotted the figures waiting for him. Two zombie guards and someone sitting in a wheelchair. He rest his cane on his shoulder and stepped up, Pavlov looming behind him as he alighted on the floor of the gazebo. He cracked a toothy grin, ¡°And to whom do I owe the pleasure?¡± He said with a dark laugh, looking the person in front of him up and down. It was a bald old man, thin, tired, with gray mottled skin almost like a zombie¡¯s. He had haggard bags under his eyes and a cold expression. His eyes themselves, though, were full of vitality and barely restrained contempt. The old man was sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket over his knees. Thin hands with delicate claw-like fingers in his lap. The old man¡¯s lip twitched, ¡°Are you Ishtar¡¯s middleman?¡± He rasped. Pavlov growled and Charon held up a hand, grinning, ¡°I believe you¡¯re looking for Mephisto, in that case,¡± He said with a small bow, ¡°I am Charon. Ishtar and I have a partnership but I make my own business, thank you very much,¡± He corrected the old man before tilting his head and giving the man a vicious look, ¡°You still haven¡¯t introduced yourself, sir. That¡¯s rude. I don¡¯t like it when people do that. It makes me very disinclined to help them.¡± ¡°I am Blight,¡± The old man growled. Charon blinked and stood up a bit straighter, tilting his head to the left and right, ¡°You? You¡¯re Blight?¡± He blinked and reached into his pocket for his phone. He pulled it out and tapped away for a moment, mumbling to himself before he pulled up the Pandora¡¯s Most Wanted list. He selected Blight and a picture appeared of a frowning middle aged man with hair. He squinted at it, then up at the old man, then down again. He pursed his lips and held the picture up next to the old man¡¯s head. The old man frowned and Charon barked out a laugh, ¡°Well I¡¯ll be!¡± He snickered and put his phone away, ¡°You know some people frown upon posting up old pictures on your dating profile,¡± He said, waving his cane disapprovingly. ¡°I¡¯m forty two,¡± Blight rumbled. ¡°Eh?¡± Blight stared at him, ¡°My ability reverses damage on things,¡± He growled, ¡°The consequence is that my body suffers the repair as age and sickness instead. I have various forms of cancer and my body is withered and broken.¡± Charon raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Pavlov who snuffed once and sat down, staring at the old man. It didn¡¯t seem interested in eating him anymore. He turned his attention back to Blight, ¡°So you want healing from Ishtar? Get your youth back?¡± Blight¡¯s lip twitched, ¡°I have a scheme to propose for Ishtar. My youth is just a portion of the deal and wholly unnecessary, though it would expedite things.. It will take time to achieve what I want, more than a year or two at minimum, but I¡¯ve come to realize that I cannot achieve my ends without support.¡± Charon was impressed. This guy couldn¡¯t care less about his own body as long as it meant achieving his goals. He stood up straight and adjusted his tie, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m interested. Let¡¯s see if Ishtar would be too. Whatcha got for me?¡± Blight¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°There¡¯s a man I want to kill more than anything on this earth.¡± ¡°A single murder? I could just call up the night so-¡± The old man coughed, loudly, cutting him off. A cough that turned into a peal of wheezing laughter. Charon blinked and his lips dipped into a frown, ¡°You got a problem with the Night Society?¡± ¡°You are suggesting throwing pebbles at a mountainside,¡± The old man chortled cruelly, leaning back in his wheelchair, ¡°This person won¡¯t go down that easily.¡± ¡°Who are we talking about?¡± Charon asked. ¡°First Wind,¡± Blight snarled, clenching his fists, ¡°First Wind! That insidious wretched malcontent!¡± He slammed his fists on his wheelchair, ¡°He runs around destroying natural wonders and isolated pollution centers to test the strength of his abilities, then he blames it all on me!¡± He roared, his fingers popping and cracking under the pressure of his rage. ¡°I may have been an ecological activist at one time, but I stopped my activities after the flash!¡± He swore, spitting on the ground, ¡°I¡¯ve been going around restoring damaged natural sites! I was working on healing the great barrier reef!¡± The old man¡¯s rage was palpable, ¡°I heard you wrecked the reef,¡± Charon said. ¡°First Wind!¡± The old man nearly shrieked before slipping into a coughing fit, ¡°That piece of shit came in while I was working, took pictures of my ship, and then ravaged the reef with his ability! He picks isolated spots to practice and train. I¡¯ve been monitoring him. The damage to the redwoods in California was him too!¡± Charon pursed his lips and glanced back at Pavlov who was laying on his side and paying absolutely no attention at this point. Charon huffed through his nostrils. He was trying to look vaguely interested while he was actually extremely interested. Ishtar had made it a point to give him a list of names that she was explicitly interested in dealing with. Among that list was First Wind. Each and every one of them she wanted some sort of role in killing. He rubbed his neck with his cane, though, and tilted his head in thought. If he came across too eager then the man might make more demands than necessary. More importantly, this sounded like the kind of thing that Ishtar should address directly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He hummed, stepping away for a moment and starting to pace, ¡°Let¡¯s say I believe you. Do you have a plan? A higher goal than just killing this son of a bitch? Sounds like you can¡¯t go around healing the world forever,¡± Charon said, turning back to him, ¡°Ishtar likes long term plans too.¡± Blight stared at him for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m putting together a team and a possible successor. We have a few plans in mind to bring First Wind down, but again, it will take time,¡± He looked down at his hands, ¡°As for my other activities,¡± He trailed off for a moment before speaking, ¡°If she deigns to return my youth to me, I¡¯ll not only start healing the world again, I¡¯ll start attacking pollution centers again if she wants. I¡¯ll be the bad guy they made me out to be if that¡¯s what it takes to earn her favor.¡± Charon raised his eyebrows and smirked, ¡°You know what? I think we could do business,¡± He said and pulled out his phone again, ¡°Let me get in touch with Mephisto and you and the dealmaker himself can have a little talk. If everything goes well, I might be able to convince the Queen to make a visit. I¡¯m sure her direct intervention is much more potent than her age-reversing contracts.¡± The withered man let out a breath of relief and slumped in his seat, ¡°Consideration is all I ask,¡± He said with a sigh, ¡°Thank you, Charon.¡± ¡°Just doing my job, Blight. Regardless of whether or not you¡¯re actually guilty of your crimes, I consider it an honor to be hosting one of the top ten in my club. Shall I set you up with a room?¡± Charon asked, finishing a quick text message and sending it off. Blight smiled at him, ¡°That would be nice.¡± Side-Story: Side Quests 2 He stood in the midst of the trees and flexed his fingers, his eyes rolling up into his head. He rolled his neck, shifting once on his feet as he tasted the mana in the air. The words bounced around in his head. He let out a shaky breath. Why did it bother him so much? Was it because they came from someone he couldn¡¯t help but respect? There was a weight of truth to the words, it was like it was impossible for them to be a lie or something. The thought sent a chill up his spine and he grit his teeth. Humanity is resilient. He opened his eyes and they lit up with a blue glow as he took a few more shaky breaths. Humans don¡¯t need gods. He clenched his fists, ¡°It¡¯s not enough. I need to be more.¡± He thought, ¡°She just doesn¡¯t get it, she doesn¡¯t understand what a god is. What I could be to everyone,¡± His lip curled, ¡°Before the end.¡± He held out his hand and with a flex of his item cheat a golden sword appeared. It glowed brightly with an off-yellow light as he swung it about. ¡°A sword?¡± He scoffed and shoved it into the ground, leaving it there for a moment as he stalked back and forth and called up the crown he used to add to the illusion of his made-up power. ¡°A crown?¡± He clenched it in his fist and tossed it over to hang off of the hilt of the sword. ¡°A few item cheats, immunity, anonymity,¡± He spat, ¡°Maxing out my stats,¡± He rumbled, ¡°But are they really the max?¡± He held out his hands and activated the cheat, feeling strength rush through his body. He exhaled and mist boiled from his lips. His defenses, his self-regeneration, his health, his physical power. He glowered at his hands, ¡°Are they really enough?¡± He flexed his fingers and examined his hands, ¡°What if I¡­¡± He spat on the ground. ¡°...but I¡¯m perfect!¡± He declared, ¡°This power is perfect! It¡¯s supposed to be! Isn¡¯t it?¡± He ran his fingers through his hair, ¡°I haven¡¯t doubted myself until I heard her voice¡­¡± Ishtar. He spun on his heel and stopped, ¡°Odysseus had to struggle, humans are resilient after all,¡± He reasoned, ¡°He worked hard to reach the end of his story,¡± He muttered and looked over at the crown. He stared at it for a long time, thoughts bouncing around in his head as they tried to settle into something cohesive. He bore his teeth and tilted his head forward, his fists clenching tighter, blood dripping from them. He savored the pain for a moment, he let it give him focus, clarity, he took a deep breath. ¡°I need to struggle too, don¡¯t I? To be the hero of the story. Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± He murmured, ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He opened his palm and stared as the wounds began to close, his lip curling in disgust as blood dripped off of it and onto the ground. ¡°Humans don¡¯t need gods, mm? We¡¯ll see about that. I admire you, Miss Chernovna, but you¡¯re wrong there. I¡¯ll make humanity need me and then¡­¡± His scowl broke into a wide smile as he threw his head back with a giggle, ¡°...and then. I¡¯ll end the story forever,¡± He said, ¡°So I¡¯ll get stronger, I¡¯ll work hard. I¡¯ll ¡®train¡¯ myself. I¡¯ll increase my caps, I¡¯ll find new cheats, and¡­¡± He let his head fall to the left and his shoulders went a little slack as he stared into the trees around him, ¡°Since my first two planned Heralds turned out to be idiots, I¡¯ll have to replace them,¡± He said numbly as the rest of his body turned to follow his gaze, ¡°If I can¡¯t count on an existing character to serve my purposes, maybe I should make them myself? Yeah, I¡¯ll customize my party. That¡¯ll work¡­¡± He waved his hand and dismissed the sword and crown as he stalked into the trees, Ollie. Your power is useful to me. But if you think you can hide things from me, you¡¯re wrong. My eyes alone might not be able to see through your little act, but your profile speaks volumes. You¡¯re still loyal to Miss Chernovna over me. Those notes didn¡¯t tell me anything useful. Not really. He thought darkly as he moved through the trees, only the blue glow of his eyes visible to anyone else in the dark.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I need to keep an eye on him, figure out what his real weakness is, and pull on it. I can¡¯t let him slip out of my grip, so I¡¯ll have to take a carrot and stick approach. I¡¯ll break him if I have to. He growled only to stop as he sensed something nearby. He turned his head slowly and peered through the trees. There, hiding next to a large tree, he spotted a young woman crouched down with her hands clutched around one side of her head. She was on a phone. He narrowed his eyes and silently slipped through the brush, getting closer. What¡¯s this, what¡¯s this, what is this? He willed his guide to appear, a profile next to it. Jessica. The ice weapon thing. I remember her. Right, right. I never bothered to read her profile because she seemed so bor- oh? He stopped in his walk, Oh now this is juicy. He chuckled and his smile spread wider. He slipped into the brush and made his way forward, watching as she continued to murmur something on her little phone. An ASTA Phone? She¡¯d get caught if it was a normal phone, I suppose. Useful. He thought as she glanced around and put the phone away. She got to her feet and the next instant he had her by the throat, her body pressed up against the tree. He jammed his fingers against her abdomen like claws. ¡°Move and die,¡± He hissed, looking up at her with amusement on his face. She choked, her eyes going wide as she looked down at him, ¡°Ma-¡± ¡°Shhh, quiet, I need to grab something real quick,¡± He snickered and activated his item cheat, this time targeting a particular item rather than just making one. The next moment she let out a cry of pain and seized up, twitching in his grip as something bloody appeared in his hand. He laughed and crushed it in his palm before pressing his palm against her waist again. Another cheat and her body relaxed, her eyes rolling to the side. He let go of her and she fell to the ground at his feet. ¡°Wakey wakey little traitor,¡± He crowed, ¡°Come on now! Time to wake,¡± He reared his foot back, ¡°Up!¡± He kicked her in the ribs. She let out a croaking groan and coughed, her eyes going wide as she looked up at him and then pat down at her waist. He crouched, ¡°I took the bomb out,¡± He snickered, ¡°Did you know it was there?¡± He asked. She stared at him, horrified, ¡°N-no,¡± She stammered. ¡°Looks like Liberty doesn¡¯t trust you,¡± He hissed. Her eyes went wider, ¡°I d-don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± He snarled and grabbed her by the face, ¡°I know,¡± He laughed, ¡°Oh it feels good saying that. Eat shit Ishtar,¡± He cackled and tilted his head before pulling her close with his strength, he looked her in the eyes, ¡°Here is what¡¯s going to happen. You are going to keep acting as you have been. Keep reporting back. All normal. But you¡¯re going to tell me everything you know, everything you see, and everything you hear from home. You work for me now, little mole,¡± He whispered with a condescending tone, ¡°Do a good job for me and I¡¯ll make you into someone important in the future,¡± He was nose to nose with her now, ¡°Fail?¡± He looked her in the eyes, ¡°And I can make things hurt you didn¡¯t even know could hurt.¡± Yes, I¡¯ve been so caught up in this little act, playing the trainee hero, I forgot what my goal was. What I should be doing. I¡¯m so glad the side quests came up. He thought as a new one appeared, Jessica, the Herald, huh? Okay. Sounds fun! He chuckled as all the strength left her arms and eyes. There was a rustling in the trees behind him as he got to his feet and let go of her. He didn¡¯t turn his body back, just glanced over his shoulder. And there he is. Looks like he noticed a change in my threads or something. He must be able to turn it on without touching people. Sneaky little shit. He broke into a wide grin as Ollie peered through the leaves. ¡°M-marc?¡± Ollie called, ¡°That you over there?¡± Otis sneered behind his shoulder as he gestured sneakily for Jessica to get on her feet and make herself presentable. He turned his back to her, ¡°It¡¯s me, Ollie! Glad you swung by, though I¡¯m curious how you found me!¡± He laughed, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I was hoping to see you!¡± He said with his friendliest smile, ¡°We have a lot to talk about!¡± Chapter 130 Sonya tossed a piece of popcorn into the air from her spot as the show played on the screen above them. She watched the piece fall towards her only for a flash of brown hair to move in her way. Marta snatched it up with a quick bite before leaning back, licking her lips as she looked back up at the screen. Sonya gave her a petulant look before glancing back at the show. A pair of men were standing on the deck of a speedboat, one of them with a megaphone. They were saying something to the crew of another ship. One of the members of the other crew was a woman who burst into flowery cursing as she grabbed her guns. Sonya laughed, ¡°Wow she has a mouth on her,¡± Sonya snickered from Marta¡¯s lap. Her best friend looked down at her, ¡°What do you think so far?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, if a bit wild,¡± Sonya said, rolling over a bit to get a better look at the screen, ¡°This is set mostly in South China right?¡± Marta nodded, ¡°Yes, I love this show.¡± Sonya glanced at her, ¡°You know, I¡¯ve noticed you have a thing for action shows.¡± Marta pursed her lips, ¡°I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie in high school,¡± She admitted, ¡°Anything to get a thrill, discovered anime while at a hotel before base jumping.¡± Sonya tilted her head, ¡°You¡¯re serious? You never told me about that!¡± ¡°You never asked!¡± Marta laughed before looking up at a beautiful shot of the water, ¡°I wonder how Barry¡¯s doing,¡± She murmured as her lips curled up into a gentle smile. ¨C The feed flickered and hissed for a moment before it came to life. For a moment there was nothing on the screen but the vast sea and a little bit of the deck of a ship. The waves crashed and somewhere in the distance a bird called. The feed rustled a little as someone adjusted the position of the camera before a face leaned down to peer into the lens. Jaw as solid as steel, big dark eyes, and a mess of short hair, Barry Logan grinned with his signature sharp teeth at the lens before stepping back, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. ¡°Barry here! Sup, babe!¡± He said brightly, waving at the camera. ¡°Another video diary for ya to see when I get back!¡± He glanced over his shoulder, ¡°We¡¯re just about done with the frame!¡± He said and scratched the back of his head, he pursed his lips, ¡°The boss is one hell of a slave driver, y¡¯know? You tell her that next time you see her, got it?¡± He complained before chuckling and scratching at his chest, ¡°Construction¡¯s going well but we¡¯re starting to get attention from the other navies around here. Not as bad as the US Navy, they sent friggin subs after me, can you believe that?¡± He barked out a laugh, ¡°Not that it was a problem!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± He said, ¡°The radar jammers are all set up as well and we¡¯re pretty much done with that funky thing that Amos said we needed to put in. Something about satellites or whatever,¡± He scratched his head, ¡°Uh¡­ what else,¡± He mumbled a little to himself before brightening. ¡°Oh! Oh! Yeah I saw pirates! A speed boat came by the ship yesterday, haven¡¯t seen ¡®em since. I-¡± He was just about to continue speaking when another man walked into view wearing a t-shirt, ¡°Are you still doin¡¯ these things boss?¡± Wake asked, ¡°Trigger¡¯s lookin¡¯ for ya.¡± The boat rocked and the camera fell over, the feed cutting out. Barry turned and gave his subordinate a dangerous grin, he reached over and grabbed him by the head, ¡°You¡¯re interrupting!¡± He growled, giving the guy¡¯s head a little squeeze. ¡°I was recording a message for Marta, you got a problem?¡± Wake disappeared and reappeared just out of Barry¡¯s immediate reach, ¡°You can do your little love notes later, man! Come on!¡± He laughed, stepping back a few paces as Barry reached out again to try to grab him. Wake burst into little clouds of gray smoke before vanishing again and again as Barry kept trying. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re not fast enough to catch me! Not on your feet!¡± Wake laughed, his hands in his pockets as he darted away again and again. ¡°Cmere you little shit!¡± Barry barked, throwing himself towards Wake only to land face first on the deck. He scrambled to his feet and spun, Wake was gone. He huffed and scratched his head, ¡°He¡¯s gettin¡¯ faster. No smoke trails anymore either, no idea where he went,¡± He smirked and looked out towards the water, ¡°My boys are gettin¡¯ stronger too,¡± He thought ruefully before walking towards the edge of the deck. He¡¯d go see what Trigger wanted in a moment. He leaned against the rail and looked down into the depths. Beneath him, the Mariana Trench stretched down into the vastness of the sea. He hummed to himself and waited patiently until the water shifted a little, then a lot. Then an enormous shadow passed under the vessel. ¡°Good morning Commodore,¡± He chortled as the Sperm Whale darted out from beneath the ship and towards the trench, breaching for a moment before going back down beneath the water. Shortly after a series of black and white shapes darted down to follow it in formation. ¡°And there¡¯s your crew,¡± He said with a toothy grin before glancing around, ¡°But where is-¡± He paused when he saw a shape, smaller than the orcas that were obediently following their assigned leader, but just as terrifying to an ordinary person. He pushed off the rail and hopped onto the water, landing on the surface and crouching down. ¡°There you are, big guy.¡± He reached out as a white and gray snout poked out of the water. He reached down and placed his hand on the slick surface of the Great White¡¯s nose, ¡°Have anything tasty to eat, Red?¡± He asked, tilting his head to look into the ruby red eyes of the natural marvel. He felt the vibration between them, the momentary connection, and visualized a successful hunt of a tuna. He raised his eyebrows, ¡°Oho, big meal!¡± He laughed and stroked its nose again before letting out a low breath and closing his eyes, ¡°Wanna try again?¡± He murmured and concentrated, feeling the creature beneath him, every portion of its biology laid bare. He could feel its cells, its dna, everything that it was. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I am the Lord of the Depths, he thought to himself. He let his wild nature wash out into his instincts, his moments of stillness and his explosive anger, he felt the vastness and depths of his own soul for a moment as his head rolled back a bit and he bore his teeth to the sky. He could already feel the growing power of his new ability having an influence on his core power, how it touched his mind, made him see things differently. He knew that if Sonya hadn¡¯t used those sanctions on him to keep the powers separate until he was ready, he would have lost his gourd. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the shark, concentrating, teasing out the genetic history of the beast. He felt a tingle between them, a shift, a change, a monstrous welling up from within the shark that bubbled higher and higher until he pushed it back down. He guided it, directed it, spreading it through every cell. He was so close this time. This time he would do it, this time he would unlock- BANG! A gunshot rang out and he opened his eyes. Red retreated into the depths and he scowled, slowly turning his head towards the yacht where he and the boys were staying. He still felt the tingle, he wasn¡¯t even sure if it had worked or if it was another failure. At least Red didn¡¯t get hurt by the interruption from the looks of it, the small shadow of the shark diving down into the trench below. Barry rose to his feet and glanced past the yacht to the cargo ship trailing behind it where they kept the materials for their work. He frowned, ¡°Who the fuck-¡± He grumbled, marching across the water, ¡°-Is shootin guns at my ship?¡± He bellowed. He heard someone running across the deck of the yacht and glanced up to see Wake looking down at him, ¡°Who is it?¡± He barked. ¡°It¡¯s those pirates boss! They came back!¡± Wake shouted, ¡°They¡¯re firing warning shots at the cargo!¡± Kingshark rubbed his neck as his lip twitched, ¡°I was considering scaring them off, but they interrupted somethin¡¯ important,¡± He grumbled and started to walk on the water towards the cargo ship, ¡°Radio the ship, I¡¯ll handle it,¡± He said as the waves crashed around him. The sea began to stir, the ocean itself roiling in his presence. ¡°Trigger wanted to see me anyway,¡± He muttered, stalking forward with murder in his eyes. His sensitive ears heard the audible gulp from Wake before the young man teleported away to the radio station inside the yacht. His walk turned into a small jog, then a run directly at a wave that crested in front of him. He slammed into it and the gills on his neck opened. His skin turned a dark gray, his eyes grew wide and his pupils large. Extra lenses closed over them to protect them from the water. He felt his body growing larger and larger, the elastic water-proof cloth stretching with his increasing size as he turned into a torpedo in the ocean. He spun, pushing himself faster and faster, rocketing through the water and beneath the cargo ship. He spotted light and shapes and stopped in the water, opening his mouth and releasing a pulse of sound, he closed his eyes and let the return pulse hit him. Ten ships, no, eleven. He glanced up at the ten shadows above him before looking out across the vastness towards a far distant shadow. They brought a mother ship. He thought and looked up at the surface. With a rush he controlled the water around him and turned himself into a missile that shot into the air, his gills closed and he pivoted, landing on the deck of the Cargo ship. A few of his men turned and aimed weapons up at him in surprise before turning back to aim at the pirates. His second-lids opened and he swept his gaze over them while someone approached him from behind, ¡°They brought a goddamn frigate,¡± He grunted as Trigger fell into step next to him, ¡°Keep these idiots here till I get back,¡± He said before turning to the guy, ¡°Oh, did you want something?¡± Trigger shrugged looking up at him, ¡°Just wanted to let you know we were going to put the converters in tonight, might be a little delayed now.¡± Kingshark¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°You serious?¡± He spat on the ground, ¡°I¡¯m one step away from hangin¡¯ out in an underwater fortress in the Mariana Trench, the friggin dream of any supervillain, and I gotta wait because of these bozos?¡± He demanded. ¡°That fuckin¡¯ tears it!¡± He barked and marched towards the edge of the seat, ¡°Keep these guys busy! I¡¯m handlin¡¯ this personally now! The Commodore can play later!¡± He bellowed before hopping off the side of the ship and back into the water without another word. The sea expanded around him as he re-entered the water and he glanced to the right to see the massive shadow of the Commodore drifting closer. With a mental command he sent the beast back below for now, he¡¯d call on it if he needed. Instead, he turned his attention to the frigate that was just far enough away to be difficult to spot by the crew of the cargo ship. He called the water up around him and launched himself forward again, his skin darkening even more. His eyes turned a deep red, a faint glow beginning to blaze in them as he drew closer. Fuckin morons, don¡¯t know a bad idea when its right in front of them! He thought in a rage, the sea growing tumultuous above him. To anyone viewing from above the water, it looked like waves were forming of their own accord and spreading left and right along his path, forming a line of angry waves leading straight towards the large metal ship. In just a matter of moments he was on them, fingers outstretched and turning hard and bony. He slammed into the side of the vessel and dug his fingers into the hull, grabbing on as the ship shifted once with the impact. Barnacles began to spread from the point of impact, growing large before mutating. They twisted and grew, extending into terrible tentacles that extended up and out of the water as he climbed up the side. It didn¡¯t take long with his bulk, nearing twelve feet tall, he was large enough to cause the ship to tilt slightly as he broke the surface. Faces were looking down at him as he looked up, men in cloth masks staring down at him with wide eyes. He opened his mouth wide into a manic smile, ¡°Y¡¯all fucked up!¡± He bellowed as the tentacles breached the water and started grabbing screaming men. He climbed the side as more tentacles rose up around the ship, slamming down on the surface, crushing men and equipment. He hopped onto the deck as well and a gunshot rang out, automatic fire followed, the bullets bounced against his rubbery skin as he waded into the chaos. One man leaped off a platform, his arms turning into chains. He whipped them out to try to grab hold of him only for Kingshark to raise his arm and let the chain wrap around it. He sneered at the guy and pulled, dragging him over. The man let out a cry of fright as the supervillain opened his mouth and bit down on shoulder and spine, crushing bone before whipping his head and sending the bloody corpse hurtling off the side of the ship. He threw his arms out wide as more tentacles rose up, one man was grabbed by his torso and leg and torn in half. Another pirate was simply crushed when one slammed down on him. Another tentacle crashed through the hull in search of the engines. ¡°Kingshark is here, fuckers!¡± He bellowed, stomping forward and sweeping a hand forward to grab one man by the torso before bringing him down against the deck, pulverizing his chest. As he did, another gunshot rang out and he felt a pinch of pain as a bullet grazed his neck. That one actually hurt. He reached up and touched the spot, where that aching wound from Firestorm remained. His grin turned into a frown and he stood up straight, turning his head towards the bridge of the frigate. A man stood there with a rifle in hand, his eyes glowing. Kingshark tilted his head, the burning and chaotic deck of the ship a mad din around him. ¡°You must be the captain,¡± He rumbled and started his approach, blood dripping from his hand. Chapter 131 Kingshark lumbered forward, swaying left and right. Bullets grazed past his face and scraped over his arms and shoulders. One struck him in the arm and dug in an inch. He grunted and pushed it out of his body, the bone coated ammunition hitting the deck of the ship with a sad little thunk. Around him, mayhem continued. The crew of the ship desperately tried to fight off the tentacles that were now trying to crush the superstructure. One tentacle whipped up at a particularly aggressive man with a knife and speared him through the chest, yanking back and slapping down on his head, leaving a smear on the ground. Kingshark spat out a laugh while he kept walking towards the captain, he held his belly and shifted to a full-on chortle, ¡°Doughnut!¡± He barked out, ¡°Now I get it!¡± He snickered, a conversation with Marta coming to mind. He tilted his head and shifted it to the left a bit, directing one of his eyes at the man standing outside of the bridge, his rifle trained helplessly on the supervillain. ¡°You gonna keep shooting or do I gotta come up there?¡± He asked, showing his rows of teeth while he swatted his right arm out, folding a man in half with the blow and sending him hurtling into the ocean. He showed his neck a little and pointed at the spot where the first bullet hit, ¡°Sensitive, ya know? Don¡¯t like getting nicked there,¡± He paused in his step, faltering a little. His lips curled back, ¡°Nick,¡± He grumbled and reached up to rub the spot, ¡°Didn¡¯t get to finish where we left off,¡± He spat and started marching forward again, his footsteps now digging into the deck, ¡°Didn¡¯t get to finish, didn¡¯t get my fuckin¡¯ rematch!¡± He bellowed, the tentacles growing frantic, slapping against the hull, grabbing men and just throwing them. The man stared at him in confusion. Did he think Kingshark was crazy? Probably. Did Kingshark care? No. An impotent fury was boiling underneath his skin. He had sworn to have a rematch with Firestorm when the young man was stronger. He had assured himself that he¡¯d get his revenge for the wound on his neck that simply wouldn¡¯t heal. Something he knew was impossible now. Out of his reach forever. A dead man can¡¯t put up a fight. Fury blossomed into rage, his mass increasing again as he broke through to fifteen feet in height. He was at eye level with the man on the deck now. Mist began to boil out of his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m gonna bite your fuckin¡¯ head off, bitch boy.¡± The captain staggered back a step, the glow in his eyes faltering for a moment. He swore in his native tongue, Kingshark didn¡¯t know it, didn¡¯t care. The man raised his rifle again and Kingshark jerked his head to the left, barnacles spreading out at his feet and up the wall. A tentacle erupted from the surface and slapped the guy across the face before grabbing hold of the rifle and tearing it out of his hand. He tilted his head to the right and the weapon was brought back around, the stock of the rifle crashing into the side of the man¡¯s head before he could react. A noisy crack of wood against something very hard rang out. The man¡¯s head jerked to the side before he looked back at Kingshark over the cloth wrapped around his face. Something grew over his skin, it looked like scales. No, not quite. Before Kingshark could consider what he was looking at a bang sounded behind him and he felt a sudden pain through his chest and back. He glanced down, perturbed, and blinked at the harpoon sticking out of him. ¡°Huh,¡± He chuckled and looked up at the man, ¡°Guess I didn¡¯t kill all of-¡± He was cut off when the harpoon retracted, a jolt went through his body and he took a few scrambling steps back through the growing mist. ¡°Hey now!¡± He snarled and looked back over his shoulder, across the deck covered in flames, impermeable mist, and bodies. One of the harpoon guns was trained on him, a rope coming out of it. Standing behind it was a wild-eyed young man, the cloth of his mask torn to shreds. The youth frantically reached for the trigger to keep the retracting going. Kingshark snarled, ¡°Oh no ya don¡¯t!¡± Kingshark grabbed hold of the rope as the tentacles wrapped around the hull started to squeeze. ¡°Rude! I was gettin¡¯ ready for a monologue!¡± He bellowed and with a titanic pull yanked the harpoon gun, the bolts that affixed it to the ship, and the young man towards him. Before he could get ahold of the young man he felt something new dig into his back. Tiny blades that dug into his flesh and cleaved it. He roared in pain, his hand turning into a fist. There wasn¡¯t much left of harpoon-guy after the impact. A cry of fury rang in Kingsharks ear and he whipped his head in the direction of the man clinging to his back. His own mask had fallen open as well, revealing a flat snout that extended out from his head. His body was changing, thin, leathery little plates growing on his skin like scales. His eyes were glowing brighter as he dug his claws into Kingsharks flesh. He opened his mouth and revealed a set of razor sharp fangs. In that moment, the guy must have felt triumphant. There was an eager glee in his eyes. Kingshark could feel the scalding venom spreading through his body from the points where the claws dug into the meat of his back. The captain barked out a raspy laugh as the veins on Kingshark¡¯s neck began to turn dark even through the leathery skin of his transformed state. Kingshark just stared at the guy. Waiting until he began to notice that the supervillain hadn¡¯t so much as moved since the last member of his crew died. Around them the ship was on fire, the bulkhead creaking as the tentacles continued to work on crushing it. Where there wasn''t fire, mist filled the air and began billowing off the side of the ship. The laughter finally stopped when the first pufferfish spine poked its way out of Kingshark¡¯s jawline. More began to form. The huge man didn¡¯t so much as blink, staring back at the tiny ¡®human¡¯ on his shoulder while the minor alteration to his body purged the venom from his blood. It was quiet for a few heartbeats. The man was staring horrified at him. His body started to tremble and vibrate as his breathing grew rapid. Kingshark just stared at him. ¡°Is that it?¡± Kingshark growled. The captain squeaked and tried to pull is claws out of Kingshark¡¯s shoulder only to find himself stuck, the skin and flesh having already closed around the claws, preventing him from getting any leverage. ¡°Really? After all that wind up?¡± Kingshark growled, ¡°You ain¡¯t the boss, are ya? Is there another ship near here?¡± He asked and the man shouted something in his native tongue, shaking his head, ¡°You don¡¯t understand a fuckin¡¯ word I¡¯m sayin, do ya?¡± He grumbled and let out a sigh as desperate limbs frantically struggled to break free of Kingshark¡¯s body. The supervillain tilted his head back and opened his mouth fully, the mist going straight up out of his mouth into the air, creating a cloud that swallowed the ship whole.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Soon, even from this distance, the captain could only see Kingshark¡¯s glowing red eyes. ¡°Guess you¡¯ll do, for the first test,¡± Kingshark growled, his voice coming from everywhere. The panicking man whipped his head up, looking around, his chest heaving, a little whimper coming out of him. Then his entire body went rigid as a strange sound began to seep into the air. It was somewhere between chittering of vermin and the clicking cry of a dolphin, it echoed and bounced about, going high before dropping so low it sounded like heavy bass. The man seemed to be giving every ounce of strength he had not to turn his head, to look away, to not return Kingshark¡¯s stare. ¡°LoOK iNTo mY eYeS,¡± The words weren¡¯t from Kingshark¡¯s voice, it was as if the chittering, clicking, rumbling drone had a voice of its own. As if it could shape itself into something imitating spoken words. The droning intensified, a million bees buzzing in the captain¡¯s head. Claws scraping at his senses. Sweat dripped in streams down the side of his head as he slowly, slowly turned towards Kingshark. Their eyes met and blood began to pour from the man¡¯s nose, from his eyes, from his ears, he opened his mouth in a silent scream as he went wall-eyed. His entire body vibrating before jerking and going very, very still. ¡°Not bad,¡± Kingshark grunted and reached over his shoulder to pull the corpse off, tossing it to the deck of the ship with the other corpses. ¡°Didn¡¯t even have to go full size,¡± He rumbled as the ship creaked again, something groaned and snapped behind him as one of the tentacles finally crushed a portion of the bulkhead, bending it in half. In a cascade, the ship began to break down, more and more tentacles squeezing it like a soda can. He turned in the direction of the distant fighting between the speed boats and his crew. He stalked to the edge of the deck and stepped off, plunging through the cloudy mist and back into the water as the Ship bent in half and something inside exploded. The blessed depths spread out around him and he took a deep breath through his gills, savoring the coolness of it for a moment with closed eyes. He opened them and looked out across the water, opening his mouth and releasing another sonic chirp. He was about to count the number of speedboats remaining when he raised an eyebrow. The hell is- He cracked a grin. Oh. Well. Guess they won¡¯t be needing me. He chortled before blasting forward to get a good view of the coming show. ¨C Trigger clicked his tongue and pulled another pellet magazine from his belt, slipping it into his airsoft rifle. He grabbed an air canister next and popped it in as well. A bullet whizzed past him and he tilted his head a bit, shifting his jaw left and right. ¡°Boss sure is taking a while,¡± He said lazily before pointing the gun at one of the speedboats below that was trying to make a move on the side of the cargo ship. He aimed at one of the men who was waving an assault rifle around and pulled the trigger. A single pellet slammed into the man and exploded with the force of a stick of dynamite, blowing the man¡¯s torso off, the obliterated remains sloughing off into the water. To his right, relaxing against the reinforced wall that formed the outer rail of the cargo ship¡¯s deck, Wake lit a cigarette and glanced up at him. ¡°He¡¯s just having fun.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going back out?¡± Trigger asked, snapping off another shot before slipping back down to sit next to the guy. Around him, the rest of the crew, most of them with abilities in the areas of mundane to uncommon, used traditional weapons, firing off shots to keep the speedboats busy as were their orders. Wake shrugged and exhaled off to the side, ¡°They¡¯re shootin¡¯ at anything that gets too close, almost got them to shoot each other in a panic. They¡¯re wise to my shit,¡± He said with chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m givin¡¯ em a second to get focused on fighting our boys again before going back out there,¡± He added as he checked his gun, opening the magazine and checking it once. He slapped it back in when an explosion shook both of them. They blinked and looked at one another before glancing towards the direction of the sound, two crew members were on the ground, covering their heads, a faint blue light flickering on their skin. Behind them, smoke was rising from a wrecked portion of the reinforced wall. Trigger scowled, ¡°RPGs? Oh come on,¡± He groaned, ¡°They¡¯re gonna piss me off in a minute.¡± ¡°Least we got Haus with us,¡± Wake said absently, leaning back against the wall again, ¡°And Stitches.¡± As he spoke two men ran over to the guys who¡¯d been knocked down by the explosion, keeping their heads low. The first wore light clothes that had the clear look of post-pandora armoring, an off gray bone color making up most of his gear. He slid to a stop next to the two men and tapped their shoulders. The blue light that flickered became steady before he grabbed them and pulled them towards the second man who pinched his own finger and drew a glowing red thread out of it, he brought it down to their legs and started working on mending their wounds. Trigger pursed his lips, ¡°Still, this is getting tiresome,¡± He grunted and took a chance to poke his head over the wall for a moment, squinting down at the speedboats. It looked like they were adjusting their formation a bit to line up some shots. ¡°Getting ready for another run it looks like,¡± He said with a huff. ¡°I-¡± He paused and squinted, something big and dark moved beneath one of the speed boats. It couldn¡¯t be commodore, not big enough, but it wasn¡¯t an orca. It didn¡¯t look like the boss either, ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Wake hazarded a chance to look up as well, peering down with him, ¡°Uh¡­ I have no idea.¡± The two of them looked at one another as the big shape dove. ¡°I think it¡¯s gonna¡­¡± Trigger murmured. That was when the shadow came back up and all they could see was a cavernous mouth filled with teeth like a ring around one of the speedboats. Trigger hopped to his feet, ¡°Ho-holy shit!¡± He laughed just as the humongous shark breached the surface, its mouth clamping down on the speedboat and pulling it under in an instant. He threw his fists into the air with a whoop, ¡°He fuckin¡¯ did it! The boss did it!¡± He laughed as bits of speedboat and corpses floated to the surface with little splashes, another speedboat flipped as a powerful shape crashed into it from below. ¡°Is that Red?¡± Wake shouted, incredulous. ¡°He¡¯s Big Red now!¡± Trigger laughed, ¡°Look at that big guy go!¡± Whoops and shouts from the rest of the crew began to rise up as the great-white turned megalodon began its rampage. The attacking pirates scrambled to try to shoot into the water only to get knocked off their boats when a tail slapped to the side or the entire ship was pulled under by mighty teeth. One ship tried to peel away only for a huge wave to push it right back into the killing field. Trigger smirked, ¡°And now the boss is back.¡± Chapter 132 Even with the noise, it was strangely quiet. It was an odd thing to think, but Barry really couldn¡¯t help himself at that moment. He crossed his big arms and glanced out the ultra-thick window that looked out into the massive trench. A few sea critters that were able to handle the astounding pressures flitted by, blissfully unaware of what was transpiring on the other side of the glass. He took a deep breath, fresh air filling his lungs, and turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. He was standing in a large room made entirely of heavy metal. Over a dozen men were moving about here and there, moving boxes and working on the walls. Faint temporary lights glowed overhead. There were a few doors leading out, one large one that opened up opposite the window and led deeper into the slowly growing complex. On either side of the room there were additional doors that opened out into secondary passages. One of which would be to an elevator shaft that extended up to the ocean floor far above. They¡¯d be building a secondary outpost there once time permitted. For now, there were far more crucial things to cover. The main doors hissed open and a two men stepped inside, Trigger and Amos. Trigger was beaming, a long suitcase held in one hand and a skip to his step. He was talking light-heartedly with Amos as they approached. Amos glanced away from their discussion and looked up to meet Barry¡¯s gaze. His jolly look went a bit more serious before he cracked a grin, ¡°Like the view, Kingshark?¡± He asked. Barry raised an eyebrow and shrugged looking out into the water, ¡°It¡¯ll do, Technocrat,¡± He grunted as the younger man came to a stop in front of him. The both of them stared at one another for a few heartbeats. The air grew tenser, neither of them blinking, even Trigger took a full step back before Barry finally snorted and burst into laughter. He reached out and picked the scientist up for a moment and pulled him into a bear hug, ¡°It¡¯s freakin¡¯ amazing man! Damn!¡± He laughed, setting Amos down. Amos laughed and brushed himself off, ¡°I figured!¡± He said, ¡°Shall I show you around? You should probably have at least a basic idea of why you¡¯re able to breathe in here.¡± Barry gave him a nervous look, ¡°Half of what you say is gibberish to me, y¡¯know that, right?¡± Amos shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it at the kindergarten level.¡± Barry rolled his eyes, ¡°Thanks, man, thanks,¡± He chortled before glancing over at Trigger, ¡°Got you a new toy?¡± He asked, glancing down at the long box in his second-in-command¡¯s hands. Trigger broke into a wide grin, patting the box, ¡°New suitcase,¡± He said sarcastically before standing up a bit straighter, squaring his shoulders, ¡°Oh, and there might happen to be a new gun in there designed by Technocrat himself, on top of an additional reward from the big boss for putting up with your crazy ass.¡± Nearby, Amos snorted out a laugh and Barry crossed his arms, ¡°Hey now! I ain¡¯t that bad!¡± He paused and then grinned, ¡°What she give ya?¡± His second smirked, ¡°Mobility power according to the letter attached,¡± He pat his pocket, ¡°She sent something for Wake too. Didn¡¯t open his letter so no idea what he got.¡± The supervillain nodded sagely, ¡°She takes good care of her people, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he said, pleased, ¡°Welp! Go have fun with that, can¡¯t wait to see what you¡¯re capable of. Amos! If you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± He asked, gesturing grandly towards the doors that he and Trigger had just come from. Amos straightened dramatically and adjusted the goggles around his neck, ¡°It would be my pleasure!¡± ¨C Shortly after that they arrived in an enormous room that had been one of the first constructed throughout the growing subterranean facility. Unlike the room from before, this one was already lit with permanent lights, strips that extended across the room and provided a steady ambient glow that felt warm on the skin. The dark metal walls and floor had been covered in a white material that felt a little like something between marble and metal beneath Barry¡¯s feet. Large pipes jutted out of the walls in the rear of the room before feeding seawater into a pair of basins. It was after the basins that things started to get confusing, as far as Barry was concerned. There were various machines everywhere moving and pumping all sorts of things, including a bunch of large cylinders filled with some sort of odd, glowing algae. There were several more of them but they had some sort of covering on them. He narrowed his eyes at it and Amos gave him a sidelong look. ¡°This is the heart of your life support system, under tons and tons of rock and in the deepest part of your facility. The only access is through these doors and the intake pipes which probably have more lethal security measures than a federal vault,¡± He said with a proud puffing of his chest. ¡°You uh¡­ really outdid yourself, man,¡± Barry said, scratching his head and trying to make heads or tails of any of it. It just looked like a big mess to him. A really organized and neat mess. Everything was in rows but all of it was just¡­ ¡°What the hell does any of this do? What¡¯s with the tubes, is that algae, it looks odd?¡± He asked. Amos brightened, ¡°That, my friend, is a very unique strain of algae,¡± He said, walking over to one of the tanks and putting his hand on the glass surface. Barry walked over and peered inside, he could see something glowing in the interior that the gross plant was wrapped around. There were also light sources lining the lids of the tank, providing even more light. ¡°It produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and breathable oxygen.¡± Barry squinted at him, ¡°Ain¡¯t carbon dioxide toxic? I get that plants need it but why do you need so much of the stuff?¡± Amos nodded, ¡°Yes, but the co2 isn¡¯t for you,¡± He said with a chuckle and gestured at some of the tanks, ¡°You might notice that half of the tanks are covered at the moment. Like you said, plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce that breathable air. These tanks will switch between night and daylight modes and the carbon dioxide will be distributed accordingly on a rotation,¡± He explained, ¡°All of the excess breathable air is sent to the life support system to be stored in tanks or cycled into the building.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Barry raised an eyebrow, something about that didn¡¯t seem quite right. He scratched his head and wished for the millionth time that he hadn¡¯t skipped out on all that extra schooling. He squinted at Amos who grinned at him and waved for him to follow. They walked over to the two water basins filled with pure seawater. ¡°Seawater is amazing,¡± Amos said, ¡°It can be used for so much with the right equipment. The first thing this room does is desalinate it,¡± He gestured to a machine on the left, ¡°That¡¯s taking all the salt out, which can be stored and used,¡± He then gestured to another group of machines, ¡°Those are purifiers,¡± He said, ¡°Some of the salt-free water will be cleaned for drinking, showering, whatever,¡± He waved his hand and then turned to another set of machines on the other side of the room, ¡°Now those are special.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave me in suspense, doc,¡± Barry grumbled, growing increasingly lost. ¡°Those are water electrolysis machines,¡± Amos said, ¡°They¡¯re taking the desalinated water and breaking it down into oxygen and hydrogen. The interiors of the tanks are cold enough that the oxygen turns into a liquid form while the hydrogen gas is pumped out. It¡¯s being stored in cold tanks as liquid reserve fuel and will be used automatically if the tanks reach capacity,¡± He said, ¡°The liquid oxygen is used as a coolant or¡­¡± He grinned, ¡°It¡¯s returned to room temperature and given to the night tanks for the algae.¡± Barry made a face, ¡°It¡¯s all looping around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point!¡± Amos chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect system, still gotta maintain it. So some of your crew will be trained for it, but otherwise it¡¯ll provide more than enough water, air, fuel, and salt for you guys. We may have to empty out the salt at some point, since eventually it¡¯ll pile up,¡± He scratched his head, ¡°Maybe we can sell it, I dunno.¡± Barry took a deep breath and savored the taste of the air for a moment before nodding at Amos, ¡°Welp, it definitely works!¡± He laughed and clapped Amos on the back, ¡°You did a damn good job!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t just me, I oversaw it a little but we had a whole team on this project,¡± He said before looking a little sad, ¡°Lost some of them in the bombing.¡± Barry hesitated and lowered his hand, he looked towards the machines that were keeping his men alive so deep under the water and then back at Amos. He put his hand on the man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ll get her back for ¡®em, promise ya, brother,¡± He gave the younger man¡¯s shoulder a squeeze. It would have felt so strange calling him that, thinking about their relationship just over a year before, but now, well, he couldn¡¯t see Amos as anything else but a trusted friend. Someone he¡¯d raise hell for. He felt a twist of anger in his gut and let go of Amos¡¯ shoulder so he didn¡¯t hurt the smaller man. ¡°I¡¯ll make her pay,¡± He growled, clenching his fist. Amos glanced up at him, a little surprised for a moment, before relaxing into a smile. ¡°I know you will, Barry, thanks,¡± He said with a relieved sigh, ¡°Make it hurt, will ya?¡± Barry grinned, ¡°The boss gave me license to go wild when she pulls the trigger,¡± he said, ¡°And lets just say my definition of wild has evolved a bit,¡± He added, and didn¡¯t even try to hide the menace from his tone. ¡°C¡¯mon, I got somethin to show you now.¡± ¨C Barry watched as Amos crouched down on the side of the yacht. It took a while to get up here with the elevator still incomplete, but they were making do. Not far away, the cargo ship was steadily emptying of materials as the members of the crew were moving up and down from the surface. He gave Amos a moment to take in what he was seeing as another member of his crew walked over. The tall woman was taking a long drink of water from a bottle as she came to a stop at Barry¡¯s side. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± He asked. Bubs shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t complain, the bubbles I¡¯ve made will last a few more hours before I have to refresh ¡®em, so I¡¯m taking a break. The digging crew is finally all down there, by the way.¡± ¡°How many did we bring?¡± She tilted her head, scratching at her thick black hair, ¡°Sixteen mundane-to-uncommon shapers, six rares, and one pure elementalist as foreman,¡± She said with a huff, ¡°International team, thank fuck we have those earpieces or none of us would understand a damn thing the others say,¡± She glanced down at Amos, ¡°Wait, ain¡¯t he the guy who made ¡®em?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Barry said with a grin, ¡°Thank him later, he¡¯s having a moment.¡± Amos held his hand out over the water for a moment, Barry could tell he was practically holding his breath. After a few heartbeats a large shape drifted towards the surface and a small white hill broke through the water. He flinched only a little before relaxing and pressing his hand against the slick skin of the massive beast. Barry tilted his head and smirked, watching as a whole range of emotions washed over Amos¡¯ face. The scientist opened and closed his mouth before finally looking up at Barry. ¡°D-did you, Barry, did-did you do this?¡± He asked, trying to find words, he¡¯d been so eloquent earlier. ¡°Yeah,¡± Barry said with a smirk, ¡°Havin¡¯ some breakthroughs myself.¡± ¡°Y-you I mean- I- he- a-¡± He looked down at the creature again. ¡°It.¡± ¡°He,¡± Barry corrected, ¡°That¡¯s Big Red, he was a Great White when I found ¡®im, he¡¯s a Megalodon now.¡± Amos pulled his hand away and got to his feet, he marched up to Barry and grabbed him by his shirt, looking him dead in the eyes, ¡°You regressed a Great White shark into a Megalodon?¡± He demanded, his eyes somewhere between panic and excitement, ¡°You brought an extinct species back to life, on a whim?¡± Barry pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment, Bubs laughed next to him, pat his arm, and walked off. A bubble formed under her and she drifted off the yacht towards the cargo ship. Barry scratched his neck, ¡°Well now that you say it that way, it does sound way more impressive, don¡¯t it?¡± Amos ran his hands through his hair in exasperation, ¡°Y-you!¡± He closed his eyes and exhaled, ¡°So I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t what you wanted to tell me about? I doubt um¡­ ¡®Big Red¡¯ can make a trip onto land for what Sonya has planned.¡± Barry grinned and chuckled, he was about to open his mouth to speak when a sound shook the air. He blinked, not recognizing it for a heartbeat. An explosion? He looked towards the cargo ship, it looked fine. He looked towards the water, nothing in the base, he turned around- FWOOOSH! A column of water erupted from the sea on the opposite side of the yacht. The water sprayed over him and Amos, Amos spluttering and covering his head as he got down to a lower position. Barry just frowned, glaring towards the distant shape approaching them. His lip twitched, ¡°Ey, Amos, might wanna turn on that techno-power thingy of yours. We¡¯re about to have eyes on us,¡± He growled, his fingers twitching at his sides, ¡°You got that thing set up to block detection of the new base, right?¡± Amos, who was now sitting on the deck, looked up at him wide-eyed, ¡°Y-yeah? What¡¯s happening? I¡¯m not prepared for-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need t¡¯be prepared for shit, go into the yacht and stay there and stay safe, you¡¯re my guest,¡± Kingshark snarled, taking a few steps forward towards the other side of the Yacht, his skin turning gray and his body increasing in size. ¡°Let everyone know to get to safety, I got this.¡± ¡°Got wha- oh holy shit,¡± Amos stumbled before immediately running to the interior of the Yacht, ¡°On it!¡± What Amos saw, what Kingshark saw, was a naval destroyer heading straight towards them, cannons leveled. Just as Amos dipped inside the ship a dark shape raced towards Kingshark before coming to a stop in the air. He looked up at the drone and wrinkled his nose in disgust as the speakers on the device crackled to life. ¡°Supervillain Kingshark! You are to hereby surrender to the United States Navy and cease all operations in these waters. Comply immediately!¡± Kingshark scoffed and stared up at the little machine, ¡°Or what?¡± He snarled, and launched himself into the water. Break Reminder and Patreon Update Sonya: *pokes her head in* "Uhh... ahem!" *coughs into her hand* Sonya: "Hey guys! Nothin to see here! Just uh... hangin'' around," *scratches her head and makes popping sounds* Sonya: "Sooo... just gonna stand there? Okay, uhm... you guys play cards? No? Yes? Coool cool cool cool cool..." Sonya: "Yeah he left the door open, figures, writing something like this in the middle of the night."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Sonya: "Say, you think he''ll notice if I snatch some of the art he gens up for reference when he''s writing? He''s done pretty much every named character, pretty neat. I think he should do a wiki but noooooo, that''s too much wooooork." Sonya: *pulls out her phone* "Heh, yeah, you gotta see the one he did of the original Ishtar, phew, momma," *blinks and looks up* "Uh... I mean yeah I can show you guys if you''re interested. Let me know in the comments and I''ll see if I can''t sneak back out again while he''s not looking. If you''re not, that''s fine too. I figure some people aren''t really fans of that kind of stuff, y''know?" Broker: "Sonya? Where''d you go?" Sonya: "Aaand that''s my cue, gotta go! Toodles!" Cast Gallery Main Characters
Name: Sonya Chernovna / Ishtar (Current Timeline) Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Ishtar''s Inner Circle / ASTA Corporation Ability: Broker (Mythic) / Deus ex Machina (Mythic) Name: Sonya Chernovna / Farsight (Previous Timeline) Affiliation: Pandora Committee (Black Lotus'' Command Team) Ability: Cybernetic Eyes (Uncommon)
Name: Marc Mallory / Otis Affiliation: Himself Ability: The Man, The Myth, The Legend (Mythic?) Name: Lillian Landrey / No Hero Name Affiliation: Pandora Committee Ability: Unnamed Ability (Growth-Type)
Sonya''s Inner Circle
Name: Marta Daphne / Handmaiden / The Companion Affiliation: Sonya Chernovna Ability: Heroic Strength (Heroic), Baldur''s Body (Mythic), Man of Many Faces (Epic) Name: Amos Carter / Technocrat Affiliation: ASTA Corporation / Ishtar''s Inner Circle Ability: Genius-Level Intellect (Epic), Technopathy (Heroic)
Name: Barry Logan / Kingshark Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle Ability: Unnamed Ability - Merged from: Lord of the Depths (Mythic), Festival of Dionysus (Mythic) Name: Colin Matthews / Mephisto Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle Ability: Several Unnamed Physical Enhancement Abilities (Varies), Word of Power (Heroic)
Name: Cassiopeia Hanks / Taurus Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle / Pandora Committee Ability: Unnamed Abilities Name: Unknown / Veloce / Kerauna Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle Ability: Primal Lightning (Primal)
Name: Park Beyol / Blackrazor Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle Ability: Steelblood (Epic), Toxic Blood (Epic), Autarch of Shadows (Mythic) Name: Ozzie / Charon Affiliation: Ishtar''s Inner Circle / The Styx Ability: Patient Zero (Mythic), Graft (Epic), Various Grafted Abilities
The Heralds of Otis
Name: Phan Duong / An Set Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Himself (Current Timeline) Ability: The Great Eel (Mythic) Name: Estella Hanks / Liberty Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Herself (Current Timeline) Ability: Glorious Standard of Camelot (Mythic)
Name: Unknown / Qilin Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Pandora Committee (Current Timeline) Ability: Qilin (Mythic) Name: Unknown / Craftsman Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Liberty (Current Timeline) Ability: Unknown Crafting Ability (Mythic)
Name: Lucien DuCast / Astaroth Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Pandora Committee (Current Timeline) Ability: Unknown (Mythic) Name: Unknown / First Wind Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Pandora Committee (Current Timeline) Ability: Unknown (Mythic)
Name: Unknown / Majordomo Affiliation: The Heralds (Previous Timeline) / Unknown (Current Timeline) Ability: Unknown (Mythic)
The Pandora Committee
Name: Carla Mint The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Sonya Chernovna Ability: Unawakened Name: Logan Williams / Bandit Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Team Firestorm Ability: Dark Bowman (Heroic)
Name: Jessica Wright / Bluestar Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Team Firestorm Ability: Azure Sorceress (Heroic) Name: Nick Adders / Firestorm Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Team Firestorm Ability: Firestorm (Heroic)
Name: Larry Ellis / Lifesaver Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Team Firestorm Ability: Grace (Heroic) Name: Alex Owens / BLF Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Nashville Crew Ability: Titanboa (Epic)
Name: Summer Finch / Snow Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Nashville Crew Ability: Digital Illusions (Epic) Name: John Nattery / No Hero Name Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Nashville Crew Ability: Everyman (Epic)
Name: Ollie Anders / Riot Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Otis'' Inner Circle Ability: Karmic Threads (Heroic) Name: Jessica Wayne / No Hero Name Affiliation: Pandora Committed Ability: Frozen Armory (Epic)
Name: Val Kinton / Pyrolisis Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Nashville Crew Ability: Rocketman (Epic) Name: Greg Wilt / No Hero Name Affiliation: Pandora Committee / Nashville Crew Ability: Directional (Epic)
Name: Lian Chunhua / Black Lotus Affiliation: Pandora Committee Ability: Lord of Jianghu (Mythic) Name: Hayashi Goro / Sapporo Affiliation: Pandora Committee Ability: Festival of Dionysus (Mythic)
Name: Molly Hepburn / Euclidia Affiliation: Pandora Committee Ability: Non-Euclidiean (Mythic)
Villains
Name: Feng Hyunh Affiliation: Herself / Heralds of Otis (Previous Timeline) Ability: Amethyst Sorceress (Heroic), Heavenly Jade Heart (Mythic) Name: Unknown / Graff Affiliation: Himself Ability: Unknown (Mythic)
Name: Unknown / Spice King Erebus Affiliation: Himself Ability: Unknown (Mythic) Name: Saleh Affiliation: Spice King Erebus Ability: Unknown (Unknown)
Vigilantes
Name: Martin Fuller Affiliation: Vigilantes / Pandora Committee (Previously) Ability: Gaze of Mimir (Mythic) Name: Addison Kelly Affiliation: Vigilantes / Australian TAG (Previously) Ability: Emerald Sorceress (Heroic)
The True History
Name: Pandora Affiliation: Olympus / The Arbiters Ability: Pandora''s Box (Unknown) Name: Zeus Affiliation: Olympus Ability: Unknown
Name: Hephaestus Affiliation: Olympus Ability: Unknown Name: Gilgamesh Affiliation: Uruk Ability: Unknown
Name: Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte Affiliation: Uruk, The Arbiters Ability: Unknown Name: ''The Serpent'' / Yamato no Orochi Affiliation: Himself Ability: Unknown
Chapter 133 Modern firearms weren¡¯t a problem, not for his men, they had ways of protecting themselves against hand-held guns. He had a good crew, and the lieutenants were more than capable of handling the bog-standard light-touched that wanted to pick a fight. They could take care of themselves, up until they faced something like this. What could an ordinary person do against a naval destroyer with its cannons pointed in their direction? What could the average light-touched do? Isolated, on the water, on very sinkable ships. Amos wasn¡¯t average, of course, but he hadn¡¯t come expecting a fight. He¡¯d come to do the final direction for getting the Mariana Base up and running. He was set to return to that hero camp in just a day or so once the members of his team settled in. Neither of them said it, neither of them had to say it, but there was an unspoken understanding: Amos was under Kingshark¡¯s protection. The entire crew was under his protection. And these fuckers just fired a cannon at them! Kingshark snarled as he pushed through the water, moving faster, faster, faster. He opened his mouth and released a click of sound. Everything around him came into perspective. Big Red and the Commodore were waiting in the wings, ready to move if they needed to. They were good against light vessels, but a goddamn destroyer? No. They¡¯d have to hang back. Amos looked like he was already moving the yacht and the cargo ship was trying to pull around to give the battleship its profile. It wouldn¡¯t help much but it would do a little to mitigate damage. Kingshark¡¯s lips peeled back as he drew the water around himself, carrying himself forward like a torpedo. The pirates were pests. The navy was a threat. Pests were swatted, used to test out new things. Threats on the other hand? Threats were crushed. As Kingshark opened his mouth he felt his chest begin to rumble soundlessly. His eyes lit up, a red glow suffusing them. His thick leathery scales turned darker and darker. Above him, in the open air, for everyone to hear, the sea groaned. ¨C The whispers came first. Captain Oswald of the USS Barclay peered through his binoculars, frowning a little when he lowered them. The bastard jumped in. He glanced down at the young man sitting next to him. A seasoned radar technician. The tech¡¯s hands were a blur as he made adjustments, shifting the radar to look for smaller objects rather than large ones. It reduced the significant range of the radar, but not by much. The captain glanced at the screen and saw a ripple appear that swept across the visible area, washing over their ship and the two enemy vessels. ¡°What was that?¡± He asked. ¡°Radar ping, Captain,¡± The tech said, ¡°Came from something that shouldn¡¯t be big enough to do that.¡± The Captain glanced over his shoulder at the communications station, ¡°We recording everything?¡± ¡°Yes Captain,¡± The tech at the station said, ¡°Streaming it all back.¡± ¡°Good,¡± The captain nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll get what intel we can on him, secure their ships, and find out what they were looking for down there.¡± ¡°I still think they¡¯re building something,¡± A voice spoke up from the side. The Captain glanced over irritably towards the stuffy looking man with the Pandora pin on his lapel. He didn¡¯t like that this guy had basically swept in and tried to take over his ship. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the pirates didn¡¯t get us more intelligence, couldn¡¯t see a thing through all that mist,¡± The Pandora suit said, adjusting his tie and looking just a little bored. Behind him, a muscular man with dark eyes stared the Captain down. Apparently he was a new member of the international team who specialized in sea combat. Harrow or something, I can¡¯t remember. He doesn¡¯t talk much. The captain thought as he frowned at the pushy man, ¡°I still don¡¯t appreciate you using locals as bait,¡± He snarled, ¡°This is a Navy Operation, not some-¡± Brian¡­ The voice was so soft. He blinked and turned around, frowning at the radar tech, ¡°Did you say something?¡± He asked. The radar tech looked equally confused at him, ¡°I heard somethin-¡± Let¡¯s play! The voice was a childs now. The Captain shook his head, he felt heavy all of a sudden. He rubbed his nose and shook his head again and reached to grab hold of the tech''s shoulder. The young man felt rigid, he glanced down at the guy¡¯s face. He was pale as a sheet, trembling. The Captain gave him a rough shake, ¡°Come out of it! What¡¯s happening down there?¡± He demanded, squinting at the screen. It flickered and blinked, dots appearing and then disappearing all over the place. ¡°Finch!¡± He shouted at the Tech. ¡°Mist spotted off the bow!¡± One man on the bridge called. ¡°It¡¯s spreading around the base of the ship.¡± I¡¯ll be there soon. That soft voice again, his wife''s voice? He blinked again and shook his head before turning to the crewman, ¡°I want armed men around the-¡± ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Came a voice that the Captain didn¡¯t immediately recognize. He turned in its direction and saw that Harrow had stepped up, his expression grim as he stared out over the deck of the ship. Oswald followed his gaze and felt his blood run cold. Mist had filled the sea around the ship, creeping across the water that had fallen terribly still. In fact, the entire ocean looked like a sea of glass. He watched the mist start to climb up the sides of the ship, creeping like moss. His men were already on the deck, backing away from the mist with their weapons raised. ¡°Engineering just called, we¡¯re losing speed!¡± Another officer called. Oswald whipped his head in their direction, ¡°What? What do you mean losing speed?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t explain it, Captain, it¡¯s like the propeller isn¡¯t moving the water!¡± The officer said quickly, ¡°We¡¯re slowing down!¡± ¡°His hydrokinesis has advanced again,¡± The Pandora Committee suit said with a scoff, ¡°Damn monster.¡± The Captain spun on his heel and marched towards the man, past the hulking hero, and grabbed him by his pretty little suit, he tugged him to his feet and got in his face, ¡°Are you going to explain that or keep acting like some two-bit-¡± He trailed off as he noticed the sweat beading on the man¡¯s brow. He narrowed his eyes and let the man go. ¡°Elaborate,¡± He growled.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We know Kingshark¡¯s ability has a hydrokinetic function, he can manipulate water. We¡¯ve seen him use it as a weapon a few times, projecting and controlling it, but never to this¡­ scale,¡± The suit said hesitantly, glancing towards Harrow, ¡°I suspect he is manipulating the water around the propellers, preventing them from pushing it, leaving us stuck.¡± Come out! Let¡¯s play outside! A child''s voice again, his son. He shook off the wave of weakness again and watched as the suit grew pale as well, ¡°You¡¯re hearing it too?¡± He demanded. ¡°Voices, yes, family, friends,¡± The suit said before glancing at Harrow again, ¡°Can you handle him?¡± Harrow unbuttoned his shirt and started to march towards the door leading out of the bridge, ¡°Leave it to me. The sea is mine, not his,¡± He grunted and made his way out, the door shutting behind him. Oswald looked away from the suit and towards the deck. Mist was now at ankle height for his crew. He turned to the communication¡¯s officer. ¡°Give the order to pull every man back off the deck, this isn¡¯t our fight anymore,¡± He growled, ¡°Send a distress signal back to the fleet. Let them know we might need backup,¡± There was a pause, no response, he frowned, ¡°Officer Adams! I gave you an order!¡± He barked and marched over to the man, ¡°Officer Adams did you not-¡± He grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back. Mad eyes looked up at him joined with a terrified smile, tears ran down Officer Adam¡¯s cheeks, ¡°Momma said not to talk to strangers, Captain, momma said, momma said, momma-¡± Oswald reared back and punched the poor guy, knocking him out cold. He snatched up the headset that the unconscious man was wearing and put it on his head. Only static came back to him. He pushed the chair aside and began turning the dial to the fleet frequency, crackling and static burned in his ears as mist began to pour out of the seams around the screen. Something popped and the screen went dead. He tossed the headset down, ¡°Damn it!¡± He snarled, reaching for the intercom. I¡¯ll just order the cannons from here and blow that ship to kingdom come, at least we¡¯ll stop whatever it is he¡¯s planning! Honey, why are you so busy on your vacation? That soft voice again, warm in his head, he blinked a few times and tried to shake it off. Honey, you need to rest more. How often do we get to spend time together? His hand flinched away from the intercom. He tried to reach for it again but it felt like a delicate hand was pulling his own away from it. Every instinct in his brain screamed at him to resist, to act, to do anything, to give the order to fire. He felt something wet stream down his face and looked down at the teardrop on his boot. Mist was boiling around it. He could hear a voice somewhere, where? Who was talking to him about work during his vacation? He needed to focus on his wife, after all. He needed to go outside and play with his son. He heard a bellow somewhere nearby but it barely mattered. Someone grabbed him by the arm and he looked to see that strange man in the suit. What was his name? He was saying something. He felt a hand strike his face but it was just¡­ numb. ¡°Captain, get a hold of yourself! Give the order to fire!¡± The Suit bellowed at him, shaking him. Oswald swayed back and forth with the movement and shook his head, ¡°But my wife said not to work while I¡¯m on vacation,¡± He said numbly, glancing towards the door where Harrow had gone out, ¡°I need to go play with my son, do it yourself,¡± He murmured and turned away, My son, I need to go play with my son. He thought as he reached for the door. There was a click behind him, then a bang. ¨C What the hell was happening? There wasn¡¯t any intel on Kingshark having mind influencing powers! Grant gripped the side of his head and staggered, reaching into his pocket and quickly pulling out an earpiece. The whispers were growing louder now, more insistent. He bit down hard on his lip, hard enough to draw blood. Focus! He demanded of himself, Focus damn it! He snarled, shoving the earpiece into his ear and tapping it a few times. A buzzing keen ripped through his head and he coughed as sensation rushed through his body. He gasped and staggered backwards, dropping the gun in his hand. He looked down at the corpse of the captain, then at the bodies of the other officers on the bridge. He hadn¡¯t even realized he was doing it! He reached up and tugged at his hair, wide-eyed. ¡°What the hell?¡± He touched the earpiece again, ¡°Oh my god!¡± The earpiece had been intended to be used on others in an effort to scramble a mind-control ability, using it on oneself was inadvisable. His instincts had saved his mind. He felt nausea run up his throat and turned away from the bodies. The ship shook. He raced towards the window looking out the front of the bridge. Harrow was standing on top of one of the cannons, his body changing, growing in size. He¡¯d been selected for this purpose, someone who could fight other sea-based light-touched. The very first nautical mythic on the record besides Kingshark himself. The man grew larger and larger as Grant held on. The ship shuddered again, bucking and tossing even in the still sea. The mist was up to his waist now. A chime rang out behind him and he took a step back, glancing at the radar monitor splattered with human blood. There was a mark indicating the ship and something much much bigger beneath it. He looked out towards the deck, ¡°We¡¯re going to die,¡± He breathed, and reached for his ear. ¨C Harrow felt his body expand, his eyes fell shut as his arms split apart into tendrils that grew and grew and grew. His mass increasing exponentially with each passing moment. He felt his body surrender to the new shape, the concept of separateness between his extremities vanishing into the sea of strength and power that was his mythological form. He felt his tentacles stretch across the deck and slip down towards the water. His powerful maw filled with teeth and clutching tendrils grinding against the metal of the ship beneath him. He was the king of the ocean, the Kraken. He opened his eyes and took the world in, the whispers from the mist were gone but it still clouded his vision. He drew his barbed tentacles back and swept them out across the ship, readying himself for the fight to come. His body was immune to water, utterly hydrophobic and nearly indestructible. He¡¯d been tested against artillery shells and even a punch from Sapporo himself. He could handle this. He would be the first international hero to take down one of the- The sea boiled. The ship shook. A shape rose from the depths. It kept rising. Bigger. Bigger. Bigger. The mist gathering over the ship and clouding his view. It rose and rose until it towered over the ship, over him, even with his own tremendous bulk he felt so small looking up into those two red eyes that glowed down at him with nothing but malice. He could barely make out its shape, vaguely humanoid with dark gray skin. Long tendrils stretched from its shoulders and face, whipping out and twitching like a living beard. Its dome-like head tilted forward just a fraction to meet his eyes. A low groan washed over the ship, a rumbling discordant sound that pressed into Harrow¡¯s mind and clawed at his insides. It was like insects skittering over his brain. The beast, the monster opened its mouth and revealed rows upon rows of ever-moving razor sharp teeth. It was like looking into a blender. He felt his tentacles retract almost on instinct, his body coiling in on itself in an effort to flee, every cell in his body panicked, screaming to retreat from the nightmare given flesh. No! I have to fight it! It¡¯s an illusion! It¡¯s- A hand reached out and grabbed hold of his body. It¡¯s real. He was lifted into the air, tons of weight handled like a child. He whipped his tentacles, trying to dig barbs into flesh that repelled them like dull knives. His mind tried to comprehend what he was looking at, tried to give sense to the shape as the mist parted. He was pulled closer and closer. He struggled, twisted, thrashing wildly but eventually all he could see was a pair of red eyes gleaming against white mist and blackness. A voice entered his mind, deep, rumbling, like the sound of crashing water. I AM THE KING OF THE SEA, LITTLE MAN, AND YOU WILL OBEY. Side-Story: Camp 3 Lillian crouched among the trees with the others, aspirants who were considering taking on the role of scout. They crowded over the map they had made so far. Stealth wasn¡¯t exactly her thing, but she¡¯d gotten used to sneaking around a little bit as she worked with the other scouts. While she probably wouldn¡¯t end up taking the scouting role in the future, it was good to have a strong understanding of what went into it, at least in her opinion. She ran her fingers over the digital map and tapped a spot where the path in the trees opened up, ¡°Another camp over there I¡¯m guessing,¡± She said thoughtfully as the others glanced up at her. She rubbed her chin and glanced up for a moment, feeling the air again. The mana was steady as always if a bit odd. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it though. ¡°The instructors have been culling the dungeon, right?¡± One of the others asked. She glanced down at the young man across from her. He had a backpack on his shoulder and metallic gauntlets that shifted a little like liquid when he adjusted his crouch, ¡°Yeah,¡± She said with a nod, ¡°We should be good for a while.¡± The other scouts around her nodded and they got to their feet, slipping through the trees towards the spot she¡¯d indicated. A good amount of the foliage in the dungeon was far too dense for passage but there were portions that were loose enough that they could creep through if they were careful. She had a suspicion that these spots were actually areas that monsters would be lying in wait so she¡¯d marked them as such and the others didn¡¯t argue her points. She stepped over a dry patch of leaves and pointed down at it, the others following her example as they made their way through. A dense cloud of mana popped into her senses, just at the edge, and she slowed down a little. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed the hilt of the sword on her back, adjusting her posture to move sideways as they tried to reduce the amount of sound they were making. Faint light shone through small openings in the canopy over them, flickers that washed over their skin. She licked her lips and drew in a bit more. We haven¡¯t seen any monsters since we started, the culling was just recently. She thought, Maybe this one hid? She narrowed her eyes and turned to gesture towards the others to move deeper towards the denser trees and hang back a little. She hopped into the limbs and kicked off with a silent movement, landing on one limb after another before alighting on a tree just at the edge. She crouched and pressed herself against the trunk, peering through the leaves at the path outside. The grass, dirt, and soil stretched out about a dozen feet before stopping at the trees at the other side of the route through the dungeons forest. Where is it? She thought, concentrating on the feeling she got from whatever it was. Then it stepped into view and she raised her hand to her mouth to hold back a sharp intake of breath. The creature looked vaguely humanoid, it even had a face, but that¡¯s where the similarities ended. It was tall, nearly seven feet, and had overlong arms that stretched down to the knees on its stretched, eerily thin legs. Its skin was somewhere between flesh and bark, stretched tightly against muscle and bone. Its long neck was wide and misshapen, stretching out all the way to its shoulders as it tapered out. It had long hair made of leafy vines that hung down to its lower back..It¡¯s face, though, was the eeriest part. It had dark slits where its eyes should be, green embers burning inside. Its nose seemed overly stiff and rigid and its mouth was shut in a permanent frown. It turned its head slightly and she caught sight of long tapered ears. Is¡­ is that an elf? She thought, There¡¯s no way. It turned its head again and looked into the trees she was hiding in. She held her breath and forced her legs into stillness. The creature flexed its fingers before turning away, marching slowly back the way it had come in slow, steady steps. She let out a slow breath and hopped backwards, landing on one tree limb after another as she reversed course to where the others were waiting. She hopped down, ¡°There¡¯s a monster patrolling the path towards the open area,¡± She said quickly.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. One of the girls brightened and pulled out her tablet, ¡°Details, please!¡± She said quickly, ¡°Whatever we can learn, the better.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll sound insane, but I¡¯ll try,¡± Lily said with a nod and did her best to describe the thing she saw. The more she explained, the more horrified the others started to look. A few of them exchanged glances with one another before swallowing hard. When she was done she let out a breath and searched their faces. Worry, fear, anxiety. Her lip twitched, This is bad. She thought, That thing was terrifying, how are we supposed to scout when everyone¡¯s so scared. She scratched the back of her head, Teacher would give them an earful for chickening out. She paused, What would Firestorm do? She could use her aura to ease their discomfort. No, not now. They need something real to lean on. She exhaled, We¡¯re heroes, right? ¡°What we¡¯re doing is dangerous,¡± She started, getting their attention. ¡°We all knew that going in,¡± She put her hands back on her hips and tilted her chin up a bit, cracking a wide smile, ¡°What? You guys scared of a couple monsters when there are supervillains out in the world?¡± She chuckled and rubbed her nose, ¡°Sure, it¡¯s easy for me to say, I¡¯m strong,¡± She flexed her arm, ¡°But so are you guys. We¡¯re freakin¡¯ powerhouses and what we¡¯re doing is going to help keep our teams safe, yeah? Somethin¡¯ to be proud of,¡± She looked each of them in the eyes, ¡°Some monster isn¡¯t gonna get in our way!¡± The others started to relax, a few of them smiling. One of the guys slapped the other on the chest and said something in a low voice, the both of them laughed and the atmosphere eased even more. ¡°We should take it slow,¡± One of the guys said, ¡°Observe and record. If there¡¯s only one and it looks like an easy target, take it out so we can get a full map undisturbed.¡± The others nodded, ¡°Right,¡± The girl with the tablet said, ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle! Let¡¯s go!¡± A chorus of agreement followed and the procession through the trees resumed. Lily watched them go for a moment, smiling to herself. She reached up and put her hand on the hilt of her sword, And I¡¯ve got your backs. Don¡¯t you worry while I¡¯m here. They crossed the short distance in just a few minutes before arriving at the break in the trees where the path started. Lily checked again and this time didn¡¯t see the creature. She nodded to the others and they quickly checked to see if there were any traversable spots in the treeline leading towards the open area but found nothing but a wall of wood. They settled on taking the path proper, following it between the trees all the way to the point where the path opened up into an enormous open space. They all stopped and stared, awestruck. ¡°Woah,¡± Someone breathed. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily mumbled. They¡¯d expected a campsite or some kind of small village, instead they stared upon an old ruin. A single massive ziggurat made up the center of the space with dozens of small stone buildings surrounding it at various distances. They were all made of a dark gray stone and covered in thick moss that hung at places. The architecture was strange, it jutted out at odd angles in places, making it look like the corners of the buildings were spiked. No, like they¡¯re in the process of growing. Lily thought. Weird. She scanned the area in front of her once, frowning a little, ¡°I don¡¯t sense it,¡± She mumbled, ¡°Where did it go?¡± She turned her attention in a full circle, her awareness drifting backwards in a wave going in both directions. Her eyes shot open and she whirled around. Everything seemed to slow down for her, her heart beating a mile a minute, she kicked off the ground and launched herself at the girl with the tablet who was taking notes at the rear. The girl barely had time to look up as Lily flew past her, bringing her sword down in a fierce arc, gold flames following it in a trail. Just a few feet behind her, the misshapen creature let out a pained gurgle, arching its back to look up at the sky before collapsing to the ground. She stood up straight and let out a sharp breath. She turned to look at the shocked faces of the others, especially the ghostly pale face of the tablet girl, What was her name? Nina, right, Nina. She slung her sword onto her shoulder and grinned, ¡°Where were we?¡± Chapter 134 Sonya stood on top of the small platform overlooking the blasted and ruined field. It was about a hundred meters in length going down the side of the mountain that the camp had been built on. The treeline framed it on three sides, making it seem like an open bowl. She reached up and adjusted her sunglasses as a small group made their way up towards the top. Faint flashes of purple light indicated Greg''s movements. A pair of bangs followed and Val burst through a wall, Alex immediately behind him with three combat dolls on his back. They''d been modified, of course, to track any ¡®injuries¡¯ or ¡®stresses¡¯ from the rescue. ¡°They''re doing better,¡± She said absently. Next to her, Axel crossed his arms and frowned a little, ¡°Marginally,¡± He said, ¡°But it¡¯s a stark improvement from the first time. They¡¯¡¯ll pass on this round, mostly thanks to their support,¡± He pointed out, ¡°Greg and Jessica make a good team.¡± As soon as he said it, a trio of light blue darts hurtled out of the opening that had been made by Val, digging into the three dolls that had risen up out of the soil to confront them. Val moved quickly to dispatch while Jessica soared overhead, she landed and shifted forward a bit, almost stumbling on her landing but turned it quickly into a run as she made headway for the others. Sonya tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, An injury? Nothing obvious. She thought as she pulled up the girls dossier. Most of the details weren¡¯t exactly impressive. Girl from southern mississippi, bit of an outcast at school, most of her background checked out. Frankly, she¡¯d overlooked it a little, only giving a brief once over once she heard that the girl was interested in Greg. While Jessica was impressive in some ways, Greg was the real star. His mind was excellent for logistics and his abilities had room to grow. She¡¯d even put him on a very short list of investment candidates if the opportunity arose to do so. She very much wanted to send him to the United Kingdom to get direct instruction under Euclidia. Now that she looked harder, though, the background was more than just a little bland. It was vanilla. It was like the backstory of every single bog-standard young-adult romance protagonist. Moderately happy home with standoffish father, good grades, popular physically but with a social rapport that set her on the outskirts. Humble, low-key, a few scattered achievements in her background from school. Swim team captain? Sonya narrowed her eyes and glanced at the girls movements. She moved like someone who¡¯d done rotc like herself, drills training, and not for a couple of weeks either. Sonya¡¯s lips thinned a little as the group crossed the finish line. ¡°You guys finally made it to the end, no red signals from the dolls. You pass!¡± Axel barked down at them. The four threw their fists up in the air and cheered. Sonya leaned against the railing and forced a smile, ¡°Congratulations!¡± She called before glancing towards Jessica, ¡°Miss Wayne, have you decided on who you¡¯re going to be signing with yet?¡± She asked. Jessica glanced up from where she was clasping hands with the others, smiling, ¡°No ma¡¯am! Still feeling it out! Want me to come for an interview?¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll reach out,¡± She said. I can use it as an opportunity to interrogate her, after my visit with the Spice King of course. She thought idly before glancing towards Axel, ¡°She seems to have an injury,¡± Sonya said under her breath, ¡°Make sure she gets to the clinic,¡± He nodded at her and she brightened beaming at them all, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you guys, keep it up! And don¡¯t forget to support your teammates that joined the scouting team when they get back. They¡¯ve got it rough!¡± They all nodded as she waved and turned, hands crossed behind her back as she made a quick call, <¡±Marta?¡±> Martas voice came through a moment later, <¡±Yes ma¡¯am?¡±> <¡±I noticed something off about Jessica Wayne¡¯s background. It¡¯s very generic. I suspect it might be falsified. She also hasn¡¯t even attempted to sign with anyone yet.¡±> She clicked her tongue, <¡±She¡¯s suspicious and from Mississippi, it could just be conjecture but I want you to keep an eye on her, have Amos give her background a hard look later.¡±> She said quickly. <¡±I¡¯ll be away for the next few days so you¡¯ll have to do all this as me. I-¡±> She was about to elaborate when Marta cut her off, <¡±Sonya, I¡¯ve got it handled. Anything comes up, I''ll let you know. You¡¯re only a portal away, after all.¡±> Sonya let out a breath and smirked to herself, she knew she was probably worrying for nothing but her gut told her to be cautious regardless. She huffed out a breath, <¡±Fine fine, do you want me to bring you back any souvenirs?¡±> She asked, changing the subject, <¡±I¡¯m sure the spice king will be happy to oblige me! He¡¯s always been very generous.¡±> There was a pause, <¡±Oh! Oh! Get me a dessert platter, just a sampler of sweets if you can. I want to try everything! Something for Barry, too. He likes dark coffee. I¡¯m sure Amos already put an order in?¡±> She said and Sonya let out a small laugh, <¡±Figures he did, always a step ahead. Is that okay?¡±> <¡±You¡¯re being so cheap!¡±> Sonya laughed, <¡±I¡¯ll get a few outfits for you too, that¡¯s what you really want, toodles!¡±> She said and cut the call before Marta could protest. It didn¡¯t take her overly long to get back to the common building and when she arrived she made sure to check in on a few of the others. Sonya stopped behind the circle of couches where Lily and her little group liked to congregate and found her and Snow sitting together while John dealt a few cards over lunch. Cass was sitting there as well, cross legged and holding some cards in her hands. She looked nervous. Sonya smiled impishly and leaned forward next to Lily¡¯s head before delivering her usual greeting; ¡°Hi! Whatcha doin?¡± Lily nearly threw her cards into the air while Snow burst into laughter. John looked up at her in confusion for a moment while Cass gave her a world weary smile, ¡°Playing cards, ma¡¯am, Poker, I¡¯ve never played.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Lily looked up at her, wide eyed, ¡°Miss Chernovna! Will you please stop doing that?¡± She begged. ¡°Stop making it so funny!¡± Sonya shot back with a laugh before standing up straight, ¡°You lot better not be betting on those cards!¡± Cass blinked, startled, ¡°You can do that?¡± Sonya went deadpan and stared at the other three, ¡°You didn¡¯t explain that part to her?¡± ¡°Easing her in,¡± John grunted, ¡°We aren¡¯t betting money,¡± He paused and met her eyes. She gave him a wry smirk and he went just a little wide eyed for a moment, showing a rare instance of self reflection. He plucked one of the bags of chips that he had piled up next to him and held it up, ¡°Chips.¡± Sonya sputtered out a laugh, ¡°Chips for chips! Oh that¡¯s adorable! Carry on then!¡± She laughed and started walking before glancing over her shoulder, ¡°Make sure to congratulate your friends, they passed the rescue test just a few minutes ago,¡± She said before making her way out of the room, waving off their shouts for clarification. A few minutes later she was outside of her residence at the camp. She glanced to the right and saw Chunhua heading out of her own space, adjusting her outfit a little. They met one another''s eyes for a moment. Chunhua searched her face before firming her expression and nodding, ¡°Be safe,¡± She said. ¡°I will,¡± Sonya said with a smile and pushed into the room. Inside, she glanced back at the door and let out a breath. She almost regretted using up Duplicate at that moment, but decided it was for the best. Marta would make a good enough double for her and creating an illusory copy didn¡¯t do her much good even if she could observe with Astral Eye and act through it. Her combined abilities couldn¡¯t create a perfect double that would stand up to absolute scrutiny. She exhaled, more importantly it was better for her health if she didn¡¯t make any more copies. She glanced in the mirror and her reflection smiled a little in approval. She turned away and ran her fingers through her hair, walking to the bedroom. She pushed the door open and spotted Carla sitting on the bed. She smiled up at Sonya, ¡°Sneaking out?¡± She asked. ¡°I figured you¡¯d be waiting,¡± Sonya teased back. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything crazy,¡± Carla said simply before getting to her feet and pulling Sonya into a hug. Sonya returned the gesture, resting her head on Carla¡¯s shoulder for a moment. She let out a breath before pulling back and smirking, ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I¡¯m me,¡± She chuckled as she tapped the diamond on Carla¡¯s collar, a panel of light appeared behind her and distorted, ¡°I¡¯ll be back,,¡± She said, and took a step backwards. ¨C Sonya stepped back into the elegant room, immediately feeling the difference in the atmosphere from the tepid Appalachian mountain air to the dry heat of the desert night. She glanced quietly towards the window the beautiful curtains drawn over crystal clear glass. No light shone through. She huffed out a breath and examined her surroundings. A single large bed sat in the rear of the room plush with cushions and silk sheets. The walls were painted an adobe color to give it a more ¡®exotic¡¯ feel. She didn¡¯t need it, but it was appreciated. She ran her fingers over the expensive wood furniture as her senses picked up someone approaching the sole door leading out of the room. She glanced towards it and smiled, speaking before they knocked, ¡°Come on in, Mephisto.¡± The door opened quickly and shut, the pretty dealmaker slipping inside. He was wearing his usual black suit and skirt, his red eyes gleaming behind his perfect brown hair. He grinned, ¡°Glad to have you, boss.¡± She rest her hands on her hips, ¡°This better be worth my time, he was pretty vague in the initial conversation.¡± He nodded, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s got a full scheme prepared for you now and wants to talk as soon as you¡¯re ready,¡± He said, flipping his hair, ¡°We¡¯ve written up a base contract but I¡¯m happy to make adjustments if you like.¡± She raised an eyebrow, ¡°It must be big to demand my personal involvement. Do you know why he needs me personally to intervene?¡± She asked. ¡°Broker,¡± He said flatly. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know the name, of course, but he needs your more direct deal making ability. He seems to be under the impression that my paper contracts don¡¯t carry as much weight as the person themselves being involved.¡± She chuckled, ¡°He¡¯s wrong,¡± She said before closing her eyes and taking a deep, deep breath. She exhaled through her nostrils and centered herself. She pulled up her hud and her aptly named ¡®things¡¯ folder. She smirked to herself at the ¡®.thing¡¯ files, Amos hated that she¡¯d started using that for the items she digitized. She pulled her helmet out as she put her normal outfit in. Her head glowed blue for a moment before she stood before Mephisto, her armor forming on her body. She felt her arms go slack as the sensation of being in the helmet overcame her. Her mind relaxed, her soul eased, and everything felt¡­ right. She tilted her head down and met his gaze, ¡°But I suppose I can extract payment for my direct intervention anyway, Lead the way,¡± Ishtar said, the voice modulator kicking in. He gave a prompt bow, ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± A few moments later they stepped out of the elevator and into the grandiose hall of the Spice King. The columns in a line and twenty one young men standing between them. They all had stoic expressions on their faces, doing everything they could to keep their temper. At the end another pair stood at either side of the throne. Both of them looked wary. They eyed Ishtar with caution as she strode down the hall, her head tilted up to look at the youthful man relaxing on his throne. She threw her arms out in greeting, ¡°Erebus!¡± She tittered out, ¡°Youth suits you!¡± The big man got to his feet and marched down the stairs, ¡°Ishtar!¡± He bellowed and broke into laughter, ¡°Regal as always!¡± They embraced briefly before she stepped back and spun around to look over his sons, ¡°You¡¯re one short! Last I heard it was twenty-four!¡± She said thoughtfully, tapping the side of her helmet. The young men all went very still under her attention and she huffed out a cruel laugh, floating into the air and drifting past them, checking one face at a time, ¡°Was someone naughty?¡± She teased, ¡°Was it you?¡± She asked, ¡°Or was it you?¡± She stopped at the youngest of them. Mephisto had informed her that the youngest son had talent and a strong ability. The young man stiffened but didn¡¯t speak, keeping his eyes forward. She turned in the air and drifted towards the Spice King, lounging on her back, ¡°Tight lipped! Good sons,¡± She said with an approving nod. He gave her a curious look, ¡°Your powers continue to grow.¡± ¡°I like to spoil myself every now and then,¡± She said as she pretended to check her fingernails. She turned her head to look into his eyes, ¡°You should see the scary ones I picked up,¡± She quipped. He raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing them in action very soon.¡± ¡°Yes, about that,¡± Ishtar rasped and tilted her body, landing on her feet. The next moment a pressure washed over the room, a few of the young men simply staggered while one just fell face first to the ground, ¡°You called me all the way out here and I would like a better explanation as to why. I¡¯m a busy woman, Erebus, and I prefer clarity. The only reason I bothered was because I like you. So give me the details.¡± He stood strong, unlike his sons, and he made a point to notice which ones faltered most under her oppressive aura. He grinned wildly at her, ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less,¡± He said with a low growl, ¡°I have taken pains to make sure the quarry is already here in the area. We just need to lure her into a trap and take what I need. That¡¯s where I need you.¡± She tilted her head, ¡°Who?¡± She demanded. ¡°Queen August,¡± He said with distaste, ¡°She squanders her power,¡± He clenched his fist in front of his face and met her eyes, ¡°I want to employ the Queen of Villains to strip August of her powers and give them to me. I¡¯ll put them to much better use.¡± Chapter 135 The atmosphere in the room shifted when he made his declaration, Ishtar tilted her head to the right as if to examine him. She hummed thoughtfully and lifted herself off the ground again, floating as she crossed her legs and drifted overhead, she tapped the chin of her helmet as she gave it her full consideration. She didn¡¯t have a problem with doing it, frankly she found the whole idea amusing. What was troubling was that neither she nor Sonya had ever actually tried to use a deal to strip someone of their ability. She closed her eyes and searched her instincts related to Broker. It had been a while, if she was being honest with herself, and one thing she noticed was that the details were barely any different than the first time. Sure, there were the inclusions of how to use the subsidiary features, like investment, merger, and sanction. But otherwise it simply gave her the baseline as always, how to make a binding deal. In fairness, she and Sonya should have explored this a bit more, but the way it worked for them so far had been enough. She thought for a few more seconds, her mind whirring through ways to figure out whether or not she could do the thing he was requesting. She couldn''t actually test it, there was no one to test it on. More importantly, showing such ignorance was a very bad play in front of an intelligent man like Erebus. Then it hit her. Why not just try to say so? ¡°I have the ability to strip a person''s powers and deliver them to you,¡± Ishtar said aloud, pausing for a moment after she said it. Oh, so I guess I can, Broker didn¡¯t choke me out. Interesting. She was unable state factual falsehoods, while that obviously didn¡¯t apply to things she didn¡¯t know about she had the instincts of Broker. They were limited, but if she didn¡¯t have the ability to do it right then and there, it would be a lie. It was a leap of logic, sure, but it was confirmation enough for her about her own powers. She snickered a little behind her mask and floated back down, drifting towards the Spice King. She tilted her head, ¡°The question is,¡± She continued, ¡°What are my services worth to you? This isn¡¯t an ordinary support deal. I¡¯m not throwing supplies at you and letting you do your own thing,¡± She waved a finger, ¡°No, I¡¯m taking direct action, I¡¯ll be present, and that means a chance of me getting more involved if necessary.¡± He kept his head forward as she slowly drifted in orbit around him, lounging on her side. He cleared his throat, ¡°I have plans for that ability once it¡¯s mine.¡± Ishtar shifted and her head popped out next to his, ¡°Oh? And what might those be?¡± She asked with excitement, ¡°Details, Erebus, details!¡± Around him, his sons shifted uncomfortably. Several of them were still getting to their feet after the harrowing ordeal of feeling her presence wash over them. Her lips twitched behind her mask, pathetic, she hadn¡¯t even brought the visage out fully. Just a little taste was enough to knock them on their backs. Erebus cleared his throat and reached into his sleeve, he plucked out a blue coin, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you do it, but you ascribe value to these coins of yours. The value fluctuates wildly,¡± He said as he twirled the coin between his fingers. She drifted back and shifted her head a little towards Mephisto before looking back at Erebus and giving him a small nod. He smiled a little, ¡°Villains like using these coins to pay for just about anything these days in the underworld, I like it too,¡± He said with a smirk, ¡°However, would it not be better if they were a standard currency, with backing? A more reliable value?¡± Ishtar narrowed her eyes behind her helmet and drifted down to the ground again, walking past him and crossing her arms. She tilted her head, ¡°You want to be the villain bank? Back Charon¡¯s little currency with gold.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± He said and raised his head up, ¡°Of course that would involve me holding on to the lions share of actual wealth, a matter of trust,¡± He said with a smirk, ¡°And easy funding to ensure that my own faction grows out here,¡± He trailed off. ¡°You¡¯re putting me in a position to protect you if something comes up, though,¡± Ishtar said with a tittering laugh, ¡°Since it would be in my interest to protect the gold that is backing the underworld¡¯s currency,¡± She tilted her head, ¡°The backing for the ferryman¡¯s coins is valuable to me, but we¡¯re back at square one again, aren¡¯t we? My protection and you getting to use all of this to build your faction? Where is my profit?¡± She asked and waved her hand, a stool appearing behind her, first as a hard light construct before she wrapped it in an illusory wood skin. She sat down and crossed her legs, ¡°So far, you come out on top with me just getting more stability, come on now, what are you hiding?¡± She asked with a laugh, ¡°Quit playing coy, dear.¡± The Spice King rubbed his chin for a moment, nodding, ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right,¡± He said thoughtfully before he glanced up at her and his eyes glinted. ¡°There is a rumor that you have associates among world leaders in North America and Europe,¡± He began and paused when she tilted her head towards him in warning, he held up his hands, ¡°Only vague details! But all signs point to it,¡± She relaxed a little and he continued, ¡°I would like to head up your group in this part of the world. Semi-independently of course. I¡¯ll do all the footwork in gathering the useful parties for you and host them.¡± She crossed her arms, ¡°Okay, go on.¡± He held up a finger and then a second, ¡°Second, we will of course consider ourselves allies of your organization and of the greater underworld led by Charon,¡± He said with a grin, ¡°We can come and assist when called upon.¡± Having access to his people and to more resources in the middle east would be beneficial for her, ¡°That goes both ways, don''t try to play me Erebus,¡± she cautioned, ¡°I am assisting you in acquiring potentially limitless wealth, so long as you manage it,¡± She said with a dismissive wave, ¡°Try again.¡± The Spice King frowned for a moment and rubbed his chin, ¡°I concede the point,¡± He said, ¡°A share of the dungeons harvested by my organization, crystals, ores, monster materials, and rewards for clearing.¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere,¡± She said, ¡°Fifty percent.¡± He chewed his lip, ¡°Thirty.¡± ¡°Forty,¡± She countered. ¡°Done,¡± He nodded as his sons shifted around a bit, he cast them all a scathing look. ¡°I¡¯ll include some of the rewards we¡¯ve already acquired as an upfront payment,¡± He added, ¡°My sons have been doing well for themselves, they even managed to clear an Epic dungeon with the help of my footsoldiers in the region. The trophies are yours,¡± He added with a magnanimous bow. Ishtar tilted her head for a moment and considered it, An Epic dungeon already? Black Lotus will be sad. That girl needs to catch up. ¡°Acceptable,¡± She added, ¡°But not enough. An alliance is good, the payments are good, but I need to see commitment from you, Erebus,¡± She hissed and slipped off the stool, it vanished behind her. She stepped towards him and looked him in the eyes, ¡°What part of yourself are you willing to give up for this? I can tell it''s important to you, the first step in a larger plan perhaps?¡± She asked. He held his ground but she enjoyed watching a bead of sweat on his brow. ¡°I-¡± ¡°You called me out here, now you know the consequences. There¡¯s a reason I deal through Mephisto. My time is valuable, and if things get interesting during this scheme of yours you may see first hand just what you¡¯re paying for,¡± She added, her presence growing heavy in the room again, ¡°Show me that you¡¯re worthy of that name of yours.¡± He cleared his throat and took a step back, he glanced at the young men lining the room; ¡°I¡¯d give any one of my sons-¡± She was about to wave it off, rejecting it out of hand. The idea revolted her. However, there was an option to consider. One where she could test his resolve and show perhaps a little mercy. ¡°Saleh¡¯s ability,¡± She finally said.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She didn¡¯t know what it was, of course, but that didn¡¯t really matter, did it? He gaped at her, wide eyed, he looked at his youngest son for a moment and swallowed. He looked at her and a flash of pain crossed his face. He clenched his fists and nodded in silence. She clapped her hands together in delight and turned to the young man, ¡°We¡¯ll settle up on that first,¡± She said and held out her hand, ¡°Come here, boy.¡± The young man looked to his father in horror only to receive a grim nod in response. The boy looked crestfallen for a moment before he walked towards Ishtar. She tilted her head a little, ¡°It won¡¯t hurt,¡± She promised, ¡°Give me your hand.¡± With a heavy breath Saleh put his hand in hers. Analyze. She held back a gasp, The Earth analogue to Firestorm! Oh, I know just who to give you to. When she¡¯s ready, of course. ¡°All done!¡± She chuckled and pulled her hand away, flexing her fingers as she pulled it from her warehouse. Saleh blinked, ¡°Huh? But-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to keep it,¡± She said dismissively, ¡°I just want to try it out!¡± She cackled and with a flex of will caused the ground to shake. The building trembled for a moment before it settled and she put it back in her warehouse. She turned back to a dumbstruck Erebus, ¡°You pass,¡± She said, ¡°Mephisto?¡± He immediately swept in and stood between them, clapping his hands together with delight. ¡°I think it¡¯s a wonderful agreement! The underworld gets stronger as a whole and everyone gets richer! My mistress is satisfied with the Spice King¡¯s commitment to his cause and will receive due payment!¡± He said playfully before glancing towards the Spice King, ¡°I hope those treasure from the dungeon are worth my Mistress¡¯ time?¡± He asked. The Spice King stared at her for a long time before he let out a snort, then a laugh, running his fingers through his hair and visibly relaxing. ¡°You truly are the Queen of Villains, Madame Ishtar,¡± He said with a grin, ¡°The epic reward will most assuredly be to your liking, thank you for showing my son mercy,¡± He added with an inclination of his head. ¡°If it¡¯s all the same I¡¯ll keep the details of the epic reward to myself for now. Until the scheme reaches its conclusion.¡± Ishtar barked out a laugh, ¡°Fair enough! I really enjoy making deals with you, Erebus, you¡¯re such a generous man.¡± ¡°I am getting infinite wealth out of this deal!¡± He laughed in response, ¡°Whatever I throw at you in exchange is paltry as far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± he paused, ¡°Even so, I appreciate you accepting what I did offer, Madame Ishtar, and being so kind as to not make any overtures on that woman¡¯s ability for yourself.¡± No problem, Analyze will work just fine for my purposes, She thought smugly, ¡°Of course! I will make certain that her power becomes yours. My purpose is to support the villains of the world,¡± She declared, raising her hand to her heart, ¡°I want to see to it that you grow up nicely.¡± ¡°A magnanimous queen!¡± Erebus laughed, throwing his head back. She joined him in her own jolly laugh before they looked down at one another. He glanced over at Mephisto, ¡°The contract, then?¡± He asked. She chuckled and walked towards him, ¡°Oh no, you get the royal treatment, Erebus,¡± She said wryly. She paused before turning her head towards his sons, ¡°Leave us.¡± She commanded. They looked to their father for a moment before he scowled at them, ¡°You heard Ishtar!¡± He barked, ¡°Leave us!¡± The young men glanced among themselves before all nodding and quickly making their way out of the room. In a short time it was only Ishtar, Mephisto, and Erebus. She extended her hand to him with a shrug. Erebus glanced down at her hand and blinked a few times before reaching out and taking it. In an instant the full details of their agreement filled her hud. She gripped his hand. Finally, I¡¯ve been curious about his ability. It has to be mythic, of course, but even Mephisto has said he hasn¡¯t had a chance to see it in action. She thought at high speed, her brain processing the use of her ability at high speed. Analyze. She forced herself not to react but instead moved on with the deal quickly, ¡°It¡¯s a deal, Erebus,¡± She said and ordered her ability to proceed. A very faint charge ran up her arm for a moment, it was one of her more complicated deals and it seemed that she was able to feel it as a result. He glanced down at his hand and furrowed his brow, pulling his fingers away and examining them for a moment before glancing at her. ¡°You are the true source of Mephisto¡¯s dealmaking ability, the endorsements,¡± He said bluntly, ¡°His true powers lay elsewhere. This is how you are able to acquire so many powers. Fascinating.¡± Ishtar chuckled, ¡°Very astute!¡± She said, ¡°I suggest you don¡¯t divulge that information,¡± She added warningly. He barked out a laugh, ¡°We are allies now! I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± He agreed before waving his hands. He lowered them and looked at her plainly, ¡°Thank you for sending my sons away, I imagine you would have killed them if they had come to the same conclusion as myself. Or overheard me.¡± Ishtar didn¡¯t even hesitate, ¡°Yes, I would have, and you would have been powerless, I¡¯m afraid.¡± He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, ¡°You have my gratitude,¡± He said and inclined his head before glancing past her at the door, ¡°Saleh! Come in here boy!¡± He barked. A moment later the young man hurried inside. There was pride on Erebus¡¯ face, and relief. The young man looked hesitantly at his father before standing next to him. He reached out and clapped his hand on his son¡¯s shoulder before nodding to Ishtar, ¡°Now that the deal has been struck, we are off to the planning phase. I would have Saleh here for this, since he will be participating,¡± He said brightly before ruffling the young man¡¯s hair. He looked like he was about to pull the boy into a hug. Saleh politely endured it, only fussing with straightening it after his father turned his attention back to Ishtar. Ishtar shrugged and shifted on her feet, crossing her arms and inclining his head to him to begin explaining the plan. ¡°I have gathered a strike force of villains from across the region who have agreed to support me and my vision for the area,¡± He said with a smirk, ¡°Many of them come from groups that oppose one another but have tired of ceaseless fighting,¡± He nodded to Saleh, ¡°I¡¯ll have my young prince lead them.¡± ¡°Prince?¡± Ishtar asked, glancing at the boy before exchanging a look with Mephisto, ¡°He¡¯s your youngest.¡± ¡°And most powerful,¡± Erebus said as his eyes lingered on his son, he paused for a moment and then glanced at Ishtar, ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss another deal with you after this is over. If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± He said gravely. She glanced at the boy and the way he clung to his son, Ah. I see. ¡°Very well, continue explaining your plan for now.¡± ¡°As I said earlier, I¡¯ve taken pains to ensure that woman comes here. You may already know this, but she is obsessed with diamonds and gemstones,¡± He said, ¡°And has no personal feelings towards precious metals. She murders wealthy collectors with her ability, turning them into solid gold before abandoning their corpses. She could be using her ability to enrich herself, or anything else, but she is like a woman possessed.¡± Ishtar shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s likely she was a serial killer before the flash,¡± She said offhandedly, waving a dismissive palm at the topic, ¡°Pandora Sickness on top of it would make anyone do something stupid and foolish. I¡¯ve encountered a few like that myself,¡± She said and got a snicker from Mephisto. She grinned behind her helmet, ¡°So you placed the bait, sowed some rumors in the underworld and kept an eye out.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Erebus said, ¡°She¡¯s in the country right now. Apparently she has had enough presence of mind to use her ability to hire a few protectors.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s where your little strike team comes in. You lure her into the target location, destroy her allies, and leave her helpless. After that, what? You goad her into exchanging her life for her ability? Seems a bit tame for you,¡± Ishtar pointed out, ¡°Where¡¯s the flair?¡± He pat his belly and laughed, ¡°You¡¯re one of a kind, Ishtar!¡± He chortled, ¡°I¡¯ve submitted an anonymous tip to the Pandora Committee that she is here. It¡¯s a bit late and they¡¯re lagging about a day behind her,¡± He smirked, ¡°She¡¯ll have heroes on their way behind her, us in front of her, cornered with no way out except cutting a deal.¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°You called the Pandora Committee here?¡± She asked, ¡°With me present?¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Can you not handle them?¡± She stared at him for several heartbeats, her eyes narrowing more and more, ¡°What is your real aim out here in this region, Erebus?¡± She asked, ¡°Self enrichment, is that really it?¡± He hesitated, genuinely hesitated, for a moment before looking towards his son, ¡°Our corner of the world has been torn by war for far too long,¡± He said, ¡°Constant upheaval, religious war, madness,¡± He snarled and looked at her, ¡°You are a woman who understands order, I can tell, so I believe you will understand me when I say that the only way for the fighting to end is when a victor is declared.¡± He growled, ¡°My goals are a long way away, but this is the first step to securing the future of what you call the Middle East, my family, and my place in history,¡± He said with a dramatic flourish, spreading his arms wide. ¡°Who better to do it than me?¡± Arrogant, driven, greedy, filled with malice for his enemies, capable of doing whatever is necessary and fully willing to embrace cruelty. A man with a vision, a clear goal, and the means and intellect to get there. Evil to the core, but someone I can respect. She smiled behind her mask. At last, a proper villain shows his face. ¡°Erebus the Conqueror, it has a ring to it!¡± She barked out a laugh, her cruel rasp carrying through the hall, ¡°Let the heroes come! I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± Chapter 136 Ishtar watched as Saleh and Mephisto left the great hall, leaving her alone with Erebus. She rest her hand on a pillar before glancing towards him. The old man turned young by one of her paper contracts watched the door shut and lingered for a moment. She crossed her arms and leaned against the pillar lazily as complicated emotions warred on his face. She glanced back at the door again, ¡°You love that boy,¡± She said finally, ¡°I¡¯m a little sorry that I tested you with him. That must have been difficult for him, his father selling him like that.¡± Erebus looked down at his hands for a moment and clenched them into fists, he glanced back at Ishtar and met her eyes, ¡°A cruel mercy,¡± He admitted, ¡°Part of me almost wishes you had taken his ability. Then I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him so much. I could hide him away, forget about him, pretend that he wasn¡¯t worth my time,¡± He said before lowering his hands and letting out a sigh. ¡°He is my young Prince, though, he will inherit the family over his brothers. Of that I have little doubt.¡± Ishtar stepped away from the pillar and turned to face him, ¡°You wanted to make a deal concerning the boy? His future I imagine? Do you want me to look out for him or something?¡± Erebus shook his head, ¡°Your alliance with the family is enough in that respect,¡± He said, ¡°No, I have higher concerns,¡± He looked her in the eyes, ¡°I am not a fool, Ishtar, youth comes at a price and it belies immortality. I am fully capable of death, it will come for me one of these days. Just like any person. I suspect even yourself.¡± Ishtar huffed out a small laugh, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He snorted and shook his head, ¡°I wish I had your confidence,¡± He crossed his arms behind his back. It was good to see him let his guard down a little now that there wasn¡¯t an audience. Only the two of them. He turned away and walked towards his throne, resting his hand on the rail leading up to it for a moment. He glanced back at her, ¡°If you can strip powers, I wonder,¡± He said after a long pause, ¡°Can you transfer them upon a condition?¡± She put her hands on her hips, ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it, if I¡¯m being genuine,¡± She admitted, ¡°Would you like to be my case study, Erebus?¡± She asked with a touch of humor in her tone. She had an odd feeling about the direction of the conversation. She knew what he was getting at and her instincts had mixed reactions. The little ¡®voice¡¯ belonging to Broker seemed almost jubilant while her own villainous instincts recoiled. It was a mixed feeling that she didn¡¯t quite understand. Her lips formed a thin line and she pushed the instincts down forcefully. ¡°Yes,¡± He said flatly. She narrowed her eyes behind the mask, ¡°Be specific.¡± He walked towards her, ¡°My wish is that when my time is up, my ability and that of Augusts, should we acquire it, be transferred to the boy as part of his inheritance.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to officiate a will for you?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes,¡± He confirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t do anything for free, Erebus,¡± She said coldly, tilting her head to the right. ¡°What is this worth to you? No tests this time. I must extract a payment in exchange for my services. It is how it works.¡± He chuckled, ¡°I¡¯d sell my soul for my son.¡± It was Ishtar¡¯s turn to be blunt, ¡°That can be arranged.¡± He looked up at her, his eyes going wide for a moment. He searched her mask for a moment, her stance, the way her fingers flexed and the way she leaned towards him just a little. She watched his eyes as the wheels turned in his head and he closed them for a moment. ¡°Will payment upon delivery suffice?¡± He asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was truly dealing with the devil herself. I figured you for a very powerful villain but¡­¡± ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Ishtar said, extending her own. He looked at her for a moment before nodding, he took her hand. ¡°Let me see¡­¡± Ishtar¡¯s hand twitched a little, Fascinating. It responded so readily. I knew I could take souls as payment but this¡­ why was it so natural? It even suggested a way to ensure that the abilities weren¡¯t lost if something happened to Saleh. Why? Is it trying to preserve them for some reason? She wondered for a split second, considering the possible reasons but not settling on anything concrete, only that it felt eerily right to do this for Erebus. Have I been underestimating the capabilities of Broker? She looked up at him, ¡°I can make it happen,¡± She said after a pause. ¡°Then please,¡± He said with a nod, ¡°Let us not waste time. I have a dinner party planned.¡± Yes, insure the inheritance and proceed. There wasn¡¯t a charge between them this time, no spark up her arm, no sensation of tingling. Rather it felt like a warmth passed between her and the man. It caught her momentarily off guard and she pulled her hand away, concealing the momentary frazzling with playful steps and a wave of her hand, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± He looked at his hand for a moment then back at the door, ¡°I felt it. A connection with him, for a moment, it was so strange,¡± He let out a relieved sigh, ¡°With this my legacy is secure,¡± He took a moment to bow to Ishtar, ¡°Thank you, Queen of the Villains.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± ¨CTaken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. When the Spice King had said that he had a dinner party planned, she didn¡¯t know that she¡¯d be invited. It was a little annoying seeing as she normally wore a helmet that didn¡¯t allow her to eat anything. There were options she could pursue, of course, and she took advantage of one of them while she stood in the bedroom that had been set aside for her. Mephisto paced quietly off to the side, rubbing his chin as he thought over what she¡¯d told him about her second deal with Erebus. ¡°You said the ability reacted differently? No charge?¡± He murmured, walking past the television as the news rambled on about local updates. Ishtar took off her helmet. It still felt strange to feel the air on her skin. For so long she had been barely more than a state of mind for Sonya, but now she was fully realized, an identity of her own. Not that I want to be, stupid girl, She thought as she glared down at her reflection in the helmet. The small smile that the tiny reflection sent her way set her heart at ease, she was doing this for her. She could carry the burden a little longer until she was ready. She sighed, ¡°No, no charge, warmth instead,¡± She said and he glanced her way, ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange seeing you without your mask,¡± He said, ¡°Not Sonya I mean but, you.¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°We are one and the same,¡± She said warningly, ¡°Don¡¯t separate us in your mind. It¡¯s not good for her.¡± He paused and cleared his throat, ¡°R-right,¡± He chuckled a little, ¡°You know, you act like a big sister.¡± Ishtar blinked at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow. She felt something on her face that was unusual, a sense of warmth. She chuckled once and then cleared her throat and looked away, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± She said before raising her hand to her face to hide the small smile that bloomed there. She used her illusory ability to create a false helmet around her head and experimentally reached through it to touch her own face. It was easy enough to maintain and would conceal her identity while she ate. When she looked back at him he was grinning at her. ¡°Big Sis Ishtar?¡± He said cutely, blinking long lashes at her. She snorted, ¡°And you kiss Amos with that mouth?¡± She said with mock disgust. ¡°Every chance I get!¡± He laughed. She snickered before tilting her head thoughtfully as she walked for the door, ¡°When was the last time I gave you a vacation?¡± ¡°You gave me a week for the nobel prize ceremony,¡± He pointed out, walking alongside her. ¡°Oh yes,¡± She said with a nod, ¡°Take another one after we¡¯re done here. Drag that man of yours off somewhere nice. He needs a break too, I think,¡± She said as he moved to open the door for her, ¡°How about the Alps? They¡¯re quite beautiful.¡± ¡°Not a fan of the cold,¡± He said with a playful bow. She smirked at him and lifted herself a few inches off the ground, drifting forward instead of walking. This new flight power was delightful. ¡°Oh? How about a tropical island getaway?¡± She asked, drifting backwards before reclining in the air as they moved down the hall. ¡°I¡¯m not staying at your place,¡± He teased, ¡°I know what you do there.¡± ¡°The guest bedroom is fine!¡± She shot back. ¡°I was thinking New Zealand actually,¡± He said with a dark smile. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s not a vacation if you¡¯re working, Mephisto.¡± ¡°If I happen to run into anyone worth making a deal with during my vacation, it¡¯d just be a happy accident!¡± He said with a laugh and dramatic shrug, ¡°Not my fault!¡± Ishtar rolled her eyes, ¡°Very well, New Zealand is your next travel destination, you have two weeks with your darling to do whatever your black little heart desires,¡± She said as they reached the elevator. He stopped next to it and hit the button to call it before sweeping down into a dramatic bow, ¡°Your wish is my command, oh Queen.¡± They stood there for a long while as the elevator came up, both in utter silence until neither could hold it any longer. They burst into raucous laughter as the elevator opened. Ishtar hanging upside down in the air and Mephisto leaning against the wall as young Saleh stared at the two of them in confusion. ¡°Oh that was the cringiest thing I¡¯ve ever heard you say!¡± She cackled, ¡°Damn it Mephisto!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! The opening was right there!¡± He wheezed before glancing up and clearing his throat. ¡°Oh! Saleh! Come up to get us?¡± Ishtar turned to look at the boy for a moment and he looked back at her with some hesitance in his eyes. He¡¯s scared of me. Of course he is. She remained silent as she shifted back to a right-side-up stance in the air and drifted towards him a bit, landing in the elevator as Mephisto joined them. ¡°Yes,¡± Saleh said after a breath, ¡°Master Mephisto, Mistress Ishtar. My father is expecting you,¡± He said before pausing and looking at Ishtar, ¡°We are having dinner.¡± Ishtar reached up and slid her hand through the illusion of her helmet, ¡°Not a problem, dear,¡± She said before crossing her arms behind her back and tilting her head, ¡°You have a good father, did you know that?¡± ¡°He raised me well,¡± Saleh said hesitantly, ¡°Mistress Ishtar.¡± She cracked a grin, ¡°We¡¯ll go with that,¡± She said as the elevator doors shut. ¨C Back in the room, the television continued to play. The reporter shifted in his seat and gestured to the right as an image of a young man with brown hair in a floral shirt posed next to a Pandora Committee prisoner transportation vehicle. ¡°In international news, the Hero First Wind has made another grand showing for himself, securing six dungeons for his guild and assisting in the arrest of over twenty uncommon-to-epic tier villains in the past month. While there has been some question about the collateral damage resulting in his activities, a spokesperson for First Wind stated that the results have far outweighed the alleged costs.¡± A number of scenes played out on the screen with the young man standing next to several portals one after another and shaking hands with another man in a black suit wearing a Pandora Committee pin. More images came of First Wind posing with fans, taking selfies and waving as he got out of a limousine. A clip then played from a liquor commercial with First Wind sitting on a beach with a brand-name bottle in his hand and a mysterious smile on his face. He took a sip and pulled down his sunglasses. The logo appeared joined by his smooth voice, ¡°Smithford, for the Good Days.¡± ¡°First Wind has already signed with the Langrey Corporation based out of Sidney and through them has landed several advertising roles as his reputation continues to grow,¡± The reporter continued, ¡°Langrey has put out a statement in regards to their support for First Wind, quote: ¡®First Wind has the potential to be one of the most powerful and influential heroes in the world and it is our privilege to support him as he grows. His ongoing battle against the Supervillain Blight is just one of the many arenas that we will back him in and we are looking forward to seeing his rise to international status.¡¯ end quote.¡± The reporter cleared his throat and continued, ¡°First Wind is rumored to be on the short list of heroes expected to get an invitation to the International Team soon, and it is likely that he is already being given probationary assignments,¡± The reporter went on before gesturing to the right again as another face appeared. This time a young chinese woman with dark hair in a green cheongsam. She was standing stoically on a wall overlooking a horde of monsters. The caption at the bottom read, ¡®Qilin in Dharan¡¯. There was a pause and then the woman gestured, almost lazily. A ripple ripped out from her and the creatures began stumbling into one another, tripping, falling and crashing into the ground. She gestured again and several men and women leaped off the wall wielding weapons and abilities, their bodies glowing faintly. The woman herself didn¡¯t move, but instead watched from afar with a bored look on her face. They crashed into the stumbling and confused tide of monsters before the screen cut out and the reporter reappeared. ¡°Across the ocean from First Wind¡¯s activities, the Hero Qilin has been sent from China to the front lines in Dharan to assist in the growing effort to suppress the fallout from the dungeon break.¡± Chapter 137 The elevator ride took them down past the level where the ¡®throne room¡¯ was. Ishtar relaxed against the wall as her eyes went a little unfocused. It wasn¡¯t a long trip, but it gave her a little time to go over some things. Most importantly she hadn¡¯t missed that Sonya hadn¡¯t sat down to talk with Chunhua properly yet. Still avoiding it, silly girl. She huffed out a small chuckle, drawing a look from Saleh. She ignored it and switched her thoughts to Erebus¡¯ plan. It was solid enough but there were many variables. If the Pandora Committee sent out an international hero to the scene she would have to get directly involved. She doubted that whatever goons he managed to hire were up to the task. I could be wrong, of course, I hope this dinner party includes them. That would make things a little easier, She mused. She reached up to rub her shoulder a little before turning her head lazily towards Mephisto. I should have dragged a briefing out of him before we went down, but I suppose there were other things to discuss. She thought absently before looking back at Saleh, Bahamut, Midas, and Earthwarden. He¡¯d become very powerful with his father¡¯s passing. Is he really up to the task, though? Or is it just a father¡¯s rose-tinted lenses? She flexed her fingers, I suppose we¡¯ll find out. The elevator opened and they stepped out into yet another floor of the office building turned mansion. There were signs here and there that this had once been a cubicle space. The way the tiles sat on the floor and the overall positioning of the lights in the ceiling. Otherwise, though, it took on the look of a grand ballroom of sorts. Decorations were set up around the perimeter of the room while the center was occupied by a single long table. There were seven people already at the table. Only one of them Ishtar immediately recognized as Erebus who sat at the far head. He got to his feet as she, Saleh, and Mephisto entered. ¡°Ishtar! Welcome. Please take the far seat from myself,¡± He said with an inclination of his head towards the other head of the table. ¡°Son, join me?¡± He gestured to a chair to his left. She smiled behind her mask as she gracefully strode towards the table as all eyes fell on her. A few eyes narrowed while two went wide. She stopped behind her chair and rested her hand on it as Mephisto slipped into his own chair to her immediate right. There was some mixed murmuring that she heard as clear as day. Mostly along the lines of ¡°She¡¯s actually real?¡± ¡°I thought the PC made her up.¡± She smirked to herself and moved to sit down herself when one of them clicked his tongue. She glanced up and met his eyes. The dark haired man was two seats away on her left, his hairy hands gripped around a metal cup. He stared hard at her, a frown on his face. ¡°So the so-called queen finally shows her face,¡± He snorted and shrugged, ¡°Oh wait, you¡¯re wearing a friggin mask, how the hell are you supposed to eat with that thing on?¡± He asked, the water in his cup starting to boil. She slipped into her seat calmly, crossing her legs and leaning back, ¡°This one¡¯s an illusion,¡± She said plainly and reached into it to tap her own chin, ¡°I can eat just fine, thank you mister¡­?¡± She trailed off invitingly. ¡°Scald, but you can keep calling me Mister. I didn¡¯t pick you to be in charge and I sure as hell ain¡¯t taking orders from you, everybody knows you got Charon in your pocket and the whole ¡®underworld¡¯ you set up is just a fucked-¡± She blocked him out as she glanced into her hud lazily, looking him up. It took a few moments to track some information down but it was valuable. He was someone who¡¯d caused trouble in the Styx before and got kicked out. Killed another guest. ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± He demanded. She glanced up at Erebus who kept his composure though his eyes looked furious. She shrugged at him and he blinked once before letting out a sigh. Ishtar pointed at him and a hole formed in his head, a brief flicker of light streaking through the room between them. The man fell back in his seat and then slumped to the ground, dead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I brought so much trouble to your dinner, Erebus,¡± She said with a sigh, resting her hands in her lap. ¡°None at all,¡± Erebus grunted with a small nod, ¡°Apologies for the inhospitality from my guest,¡± He said and leaned back in his chair. He glanced to his right and gestured, a pair of men hurried over and picked up the corpse before dragging it away. ¡°Really doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll just redistribute his budgeted portion of the reward to the others, if that¡¯s alright with you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a habit of it,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°It¡¯s a good way to get your men to kill one another,¡± She said with a sigh and looked at the remaining five assembled villains, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do something so stupid, would you?¡± She asked pleasantly. ¡°Ruin your employer''s plan for a bit of extra money?¡± There was a round of quick denials and shaken heads. She chuckled behind her mask, ¡°Wonderful! Why don¡¯t we do introductions then, dears?¡± She asked and clapped her hands together, ¡°I¡¯ll start!¡± She raised her hand to her heart, ¡°I am Ishtar, I have many abilities so there¡¯s no point in spelling them all out,¡± She said before gesturing to Mephisto. Might as well do some window shopping for abilities. Mephisto sneered at them from his seat, ¡°Mephisto, Ishtar¡¯s dealmaker and agent. My words have power.¡± Next to Mephisto a thin man leaning on a rather long curved sword glanced her way and inclined his head. A bead of sweat dripped down from his ash-blonde hair, ¡°Cross,¡± He said coldly, ¡°I am a blade dancer. I move fast.¡± Already have it. To Cross¡¯ right was the most obvious attempt at replicating the western trope of gunslingers that she¡¯d ever seen. Dark shirt with a red bandana around his neck, a cowboy hat, double belts, the works. He scratched at his thick beard and grinned a metallic smile, ¡°Grave,¡± He said with a gravelly voice, ¡°I got big iron,¡± He said and pat the revolver on his hip. Next to him, Saleh shifted a little uncomfortably. I hate guns, not interested. To her immediate left was an older looking man with cold eyes. He had the look of a monk about him, bald head and dark robes that looked like they¡¯d been orange once. The feel of death hung around him. He inclined his head towards Ishtar with deference, ¡°Guru,¡± He said with a cruel smile, ¡°I possess a mind for war.¡± A variation of enhanced intellect intended for combat, perhaps? That¡¯s worth analyzing.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Finally, past the empty seat where Scald had been, was a woman in combat gear. She had a respirator mask on, and was eyeing Ishtar eagerly. Her violet dyed hair was pulled back into a frayed ponytail and Ishtar¡¯s senses picked up the scent of gunpowder and the feeling of barely restrained violence. ¡°Broadside!¡± The woman said eagerly, getting to her feet, she slapped her hands on the table, ¡°I hear you¡¯re tough! Are you? Can we test it? I haven¡¯t shot anything I can¡¯t blow up-¡± ¡°Broadside,¡± Guru said gently before slowly turning his head in her direction, ¡°The woman just killed an epic-tier with a gesture, perhaps don¡¯t suggest fighting her, at least until you know more?¡± He turned back and smiled at Ishtar, showing his teeth, ¡°Forgive my partner, she finds challenges thrilling.¡± Ishtar tittered out a laugh, ¡°No trouble at all! I just don¡¯t approve of unnecessary antagonism during a friendly meeting, Scald was out of line and would have been more nuisance than asset. This team is better with his departure,¡± She said gently, ¡°You of all people should understand the need to establish order and deal with cancerous elements?¡± Guru nodded, ¡°Indeed. I appreciate your approach, madame.¡± She grinned at him, she¡¯d have to find an excuse to speak with him privately and shake his hand. Doing it at the table would seem a little off. Time and place. She tilted her head towards Erebus who was already in the midst of gesturing towards the various attendants who had entered the room during introductions. Food and drinks were brought out, large plates filled with food laden with spice and texture. Her stomach ached for a moment, she had forgotten to eat. Sonya loves snacking, but I prefer big meals like this, She thought. There was something about big fancy meals that just appealed to her. It¡¯s the villain in me, I suppose, she thought with a small chuckle before glancing up at the table as everyone looked ready to eat. A thought crossed her mind and she clapped her hands once, ¡°Before we eat! I have a little game I¡¯d like to play and a gift for new acquaintances. It involves food so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°You like games?¡± Grave asked dubiously as Broadside leaned forward eagerly. Guru gave her an assessing look while Cross just frowned and looked longingly at his plate. ¡°Love them,¡± She said mischievously before waving her hand in front of her. Eight objects appeared. Four peaches and four large strawberries. ¡°There are four of you here, each of you gets to pick one. Either a Peach or a Strawberry. Think of it as a way for me to learn about you.¡± ¡°Not normal fruit then,¡± Guru murmured. ¡°Peaches?¡± Broadside said, ¡°Ooh like those magic peaches in that one legend thing¡­¡± She trailed off when everyone stared at her, ¡°What? I read!¡± Cross eyed the fruits, ¡°What do they do?¡± He asked. Ishtar reassessed her opinion of Broadside again as she gestured to the strawberries, ¡°Each of the Strawberries possess powerful healing properties. I put quite a bit of oomph into them,¡± She said dramatically, ¡°Each could bring a human back from the brink of death.¡± ¡°A back-up plan for the fight ahead, eh?¡± Grave chuckled and flicked his hat up a bit, leaning forward, ¡°The others?¡± ¡°The peaches will restore ten years of youth,¡± Ishtar said softly, running her finger over one of the peaches, ¡°No drawbacks, no catch,¡± She added and tilted her head and looked between the four of them, ¡°As long as you survive the fight against August, the villains she hired, and the potential interference of outside forces like heroes,¡± She added with a short glance towards Erebus who rubbed his chin, grinning at the spectacle. Their gazes met and he raised his eyebrows approvingly before slipping back in his seat and pouring himself some wine. He handed a glass to his son who watched with interest, having experienced one of her ¡®tests¡¯ himself. The four of them looked at one another for a moment as she stood there, hands out like a showman. Grave whistled and leaned back in his seat, ¡°What¡¯s to stop us from taking both?¡± ¡°One will disappear when the other is taken, and of course I¡¯ll kill anyone who does anything stupid,¡± She said merrily, ¡°That work for you?¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°A test of courage,¡± Cross muttered, ¡°Are we brave enough to take the peaches? Confident that we will survive the morrow?¡± ¡°A question of arrogance,¡± Guru murmured, ¡°Ten years means very little to me.¡± Broadside shrugged her shoulders, ¡°One of those peaches would put me back under age,¡± She said with a heavy sigh, ¡°Not interested in going through that shit again. Who knows? If I¡¯m not an adult anymore would I lose my abilities? Not a gamble I¡¯m willin¡¯ to take.¡± This will also help me decide on who I¡¯ll focus on helping if it becomes troublesome, Ishtar thought to herself, ¡°It seems most of you already have decided,¡± She said, ¡°Cross?¡± ¡°Peach,¡± He said gravely and took one, a strawberry disappeared. ¡°Peach!¡± Grave grunted and she tossed it over to him. ¡°Strawberry,¡± Guru murmured. ¡°Strawberry,¡± Broadside said with a wave of her hand. The fruits were gone now, ¡°I¡¯d suggest waiting to indulge yourselves until after dinner, gentlemen, get some privacy,¡± Ishtar said as Grave brought the fruit to his mouth, ¡°Just in case,¡± He lowered the fruit, considered it for a moment, and then nodded, slipping it into his coat. ¡°Very interesting!¡± Erebus barked out, ¡°I enjoyed that a great deal. Tells a lot about a person, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ishtar nodded and sat back down, ¡°I learned a great deal about the people you hired today. I¡¯m impressed, honestly. It¡¯s a solid group,¡± She said and picked up her fork, ¡°I imagine that your son will be playing the lead defensive role?¡± ¡°Yes, mistress Ishtar,¡± Saleh spoke up, inclining his head, ¡°My ability is suited for creating defenses.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not all there is to it, but it¡¯ll suffice for what¡¯s coming. We have more than enough attack power here,¡± She said with a pleasant wave as the others started to dig in. Broadside stuffed her face a little, chewing fast and swallowing, ¡°So are you gonna be out on the front with us?¡± She asked Ishtar eagerly, ¡°I wanna see what you can do!¡± Ishtar laughed and glanced at Erebus, ¡°The Spice King paid for my services but besides my ultimate role he hasn¡¯t specified, I¡¯m at your disposal to the end of this scheme, what would you like?¡± She asked casually, plucking a piece of perfectly cooked meat from the plate and popping it into her mouth through the illusion. ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if you took an observational and support role, involve yourself only if you have to. While you are powerful, if by some happenstance someone sees you, more than just some punk heroes from the Pandora Committee might be sent in. They have a powerful teleporter at their disposal and that could cause trouble if things got out of hand,¡± He said flatly, ¡°I want the heroes to threaten August, not us.¡± Ishtar shrugged, ¡°You heard him, if it comes down to it, I¡¯ll play.¡± ¡°Light spears from the sky? Eye beams? I heard you could call lightning too!¡± Broadside said eagerly, ¡°What would you do? I love these abilities and I always want to hear about them, I asked the others about theirs and-¡± She paused when Ishtar gave her a look and she shrank a little bit, ¡°I uh¡­¡± Ishtar held her gaze for a long moment, letting the pressure hang for a bit before bursting into laughter, ¡°You¡¯re an adorable one! I like you. No, nothing so flashy this time, I have a new trick I want to try out,¡± She said as she took a sip of her wine. It was delicious. ¡°I recently acquired a pocket army and would love to see what they¡¯re capable of,¡± She waved her fork at Broadside playfully, ¡°Look forward to it. It¡¯ll be their debut.¡± Chapter 138 The stage for the performance was set up. A gallery where some of the finest articles of jewelry and precious gemstones would be on display for those around the world to see. Apparently Sonya had been sent an invitation as well, but she couldn¡¯t care less about things like that. Not unless she could use it to spoil someone else. Her idea of luxury was a bit different. Ishtar personally found it perplexing, and wondered for a time if that was just another way she was deviating from Sonya. Their personalities becoming more and more distinct. She frowned a little at the thought as she settled into the building just across from the gallery, her legs crossed and her eyes shut. She took a deep breath and with a flex of will expanded her perspective. Her eyes opened. The world came into view. She was everywhere in the area. In every hall of the gallery. In every street around it. Behind her two men stood. The first was Mephisto. He hadn¡¯t agreed to participate in the action and had opted to stay behind as her bodyguard. The second was Guru, who moved to sit across from her when she gestured. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand to silence him, allowing the information to feed into her mind. Her enhanced brain processed it into data. Every angle, every corner, every surface became part of a greater picture that she painstakingly pieced together. She cupped her hands and held them out, hard light filling them like water before she parted her fingers and it spilled out onto the ground. It splattered and burst, expanding and taking shape until a three dimensional representation of the area blossomed into being between the two of them. Little blips of light hang throughout the space. They flickered for a moment before taking on colors, little lines stretched from them and took the shape of words, indicating the identity of each person present. Even the wealthy visitors were named, scattered about the space. Allies were blue, neutrals were green, there were no red dots just yet. ¡°Done,¡± She said with a raspy breath, resting her hand in her lap as the dots moved around from place to place. She opened her eyes and looked to Guru, ¡°Your assessment?¡± The old man regarded the illusion for a moment, his expression unchanged even as his pupils dilated a little. She smirked when he cleared his throat and reached for the microphone on his ear, ¡°Young Master Saleh, if you would move to the parlor please, along the east wall.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Came Saleh¡¯s voice over the comms. ¡°Broadside, I would have you with the young master. That is where the most valuable items are,¡± He said. ¡°Gotcha!¡± Broadside chirped. ¡°Grave, take the northern hallway,¡± He said calmly, ¡°And Cross please stay mobile between the two areas.¡± The two men both gave their affirmative before the old man looked up at her, ¡°Not a lot of men for a trap,¡± He admitted. ¡°If I have to get involved I will,¡± Ishtar said simply, ¡°I¡¯m almost hoping the situation comes up.¡± ¡°Do you think it will?¡± He asked, ¡°You seem to be able to see all.¡± ¡°I can see much,¡± She corrected him, ¡°And I see the Pandora Committee arriving ahead of schedule,¡± She chuckled as she waved her hand and an illusory screen appeared in the air next to her with a view of an aircraft flying through the air. The Pandora Committee logo was on the side. She gestured again and an image of a woman getting out of a limousine appeared, she had almost mauve hair done up in a complex bun glittering with gemstones, each finger wrapped in a decadent ring. Behind her limo, another vehicle stopped and two men and two women stepped out, moving to form up around her. Before them, five red dots appeared as she let out a cruel laugh, ¡°The pieces are on the table, strategist! What will you do?¡± Show me how special that power of yours is, before I make it mine. ¨C ¡°They are on the approach,¡± Guru¡¯s voice came through Grave''s earpiece. He popped a stick of cinnamon into his mouth and started to chew, wrinkling his nose a little as he moved a bit more down the hallway. ¡°They are coming through the main entrance. They¡¯ll make for the parlor first. Grave, please make for the side. Cross, follow behind but at a delay. Ishtar has identified two of them from public records.¡± Grave grinned, it was nice to have real intel and backup. ¡°Who we got?¡± He asked. ¡°The blonde woman is Mantra, a psychic, she uses telekinesis and other abilities. She¡¯s a flayer, enjoys skinning people and is talented at reflecting bullets. If you can, put her down first,¡± Guru said, ¡°You¡¯ll need to be in the next section ahead of you in about forty seconds to get a good shot with sufficient surprise.¡± ¡°The other?¡± Grave grunted, picking up his pace a little as he made his way past ugly ass paintings and the smell of rich people. Cloying perfume and cologne that made them all seem more like mannequins in his head than real living things. ¡°Pike, is the black haired youth, he can create a spear out of nothing and has powerful movement abilities, leaping specifically. Poor choice for an indoor battle,¡± Guru chuckled, ¡°He should be your next target. Ishtar insists we keep this battle as short as possible, the heroes are a bit early.¡± Grave clicked his tongue, ¡°We still locking down? All these rich pigs in here are gonna get in the way once the fighting starts.¡± A raspy voice joined the conversation, hearing it over the comm, in his head, it sent chills down his spine, ¡°They¡¯re expendable, nothing more than flies on piles of shit. If they get in your way, clear the path,¡± Ishtar hissed. He clenched his gun and tilted his hat forward as he stepped out into the room that had been designated his destination. Just as he rounded the corner he raised his weapon and aimed, it took a fragment of a second for him to see the five people stepping through the doors. He didn¡¯t even hear the buzz go off indicating that the lockdown of the building was starting. He found the woman with blonde hair and pulled the trigger, he poured force into the shot, demanded his aim be true, willed the bullet through anything that would stop it. A cavity formed in the woman¡¯s chest in the next second as blood sprayed against the wall. She dropped to the ground and the other three reacted immediately. A white haired man with glasses quickly put his hand on the fancy woman¡¯s shoulder and pushed her towards the parlor. A woman with spiked black hair turned to face grave but kept moving backwards, covering the first two. She brought her fingers to her lips and let out a whistle as he chanced a shot in her direction. The bullet exploded in mid air.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Before he had a chance to do anything else a face was in front of him, glowing eyes boring down into his own as a spear lifted and came down. A sonorous clang rang out and Grave rolled back just in time to see Cross holding Pike off. ¡°Pursue!¡± He barked back before pushing the spear wielder back and getting into a fighting stance. Grave spat, ¡°Fuck that!¡± He growled and got to his feet, ¡°Ain¡¯t you ever played games before? Spear beats sword!¡± He snarled, ¡°But it don¡¯t be gun!¡± He aimed at Pike who hopped backwards only to travel over ten feet. ¡°Jump power, eh? Gamer too.¡± ¡°Speak normally!¡± Cross rumbled and angled his weapon forward. Grave ignored him and fired a few shots, Pike spun his weapon and blocked the first two before pulling his body out of the way of the third. Grave took a step to the side and reloaded, watching the man carefully. ¡°Long story short, he¡¯s tough.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Cross growled, and readied himself. ¨C Saleh¡¯s foot twitched a little as shouts began to ring out throughout the building. He ignored them as best he could, but it was still trying. One wealthy man from europe rushed him and started demanding things, he just pushed him away. The idea of killing the man just to get him to buzz off seemed a bit much. He pressed his lips together, But Ishtar said so. He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nostrils as gunshots echoed. Father said to listen to her advice, he frowned, But Father- He shook his head, Father must have known it was a test. Right? Merry whistling brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced down at the woman who was sitting down against the wall next to him. She had pulled her respirator off and was checking her face in a small hand mirror. He gave her an incredulous look as Guru¡¯s voice came through. ¡°They¡¯re in the main hall heading towards the parlor now.¡± She snapped it shut, ¡°How do I look?¡± She asked. He blinked at her, ¡°Uh¡­ fine? Is that important?¡± She huffed, ¡°Of course it is! That Grave guy is already kinda hot, I can¡¯t imagine what he¡¯ll look like with ten years shaved off. Not gonna miss a good chance when I see one,¡± She said with a smirk. He just stared at her then glanced at the hallway meaningfully, ¡°Are you serious right now?¡± He asked. She laughed, ¡°Oh hon,¡± She said and pressed her hand against the wall, ¡°They¡¯re in my killing field already,¡± She said with a wild grin and turned to it, ¡°Hope that August lady can handle it otherwise I might get in a little trouble for this,¡± She snickered, ¡°I wanted to try this on Ishtar but oh well,¡± She sighed and tapped her mic, ¡°Lighting up the hallway Guru ol buddy!¡± ¡°The target should survive, go ahead,¡± Guru said bluntly. ¡°What are you-¡± He was cut off when he saw a portion of the wall in the hall between the parlor and the main entrance open. It was a solid object but it just opened! He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as Broadside started laughing, he heard sounds like the shifting of metal and then a shout. She turned to him and waved at him, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wall please! Box ¡®em in!¡± She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, ¡°Think a little, kid!¡± Their plan finally dawned on him and he whirled towards the hall, her laughter growing louder and wilder as he threw his hands out and then down. He straightened his stance and clenched his fists. In a single motion and step he pulled his hands up and to his chest in a rigid motion. The ground at the threshold of the parlor shifted and then shot up into the air as a solid wall, boxing in the passage. A final laugh escaped Broadside''s lips before loud bangs shook the building, cannonfire. BOOM! BOOMBOOM BOOM! The building kept shaking as more and more shots were fired off, even the stone wall he had created began to crack and shudder before it finally went still. Civilians shouted and screamed from where they hid here and there. He stared in horror at the space as yet another gunshot went off in the distance. His heart raced. Battles in dungeons were simple, monsters were straightforward and the few that could use some manner of ¡®ability¡¯ were few and far between. Knowing that there was a person out there that could turn any surface into a hidden cannon was¡­ terrifying. ¡°August lives,¡± Guru said, ¡°As does the sound user but she is wounded, be ready.¡± ¡°Where are Cross and Grave?¡± Saleh asked. ¡°Cross is dead,¡± Guru said, ¡°Grave is on his way.¡± Before Saleh could ask more a keening sound came from behind the busted wall. He felt something trying to tear his wall apart. He resisted it at first, pushing back and holding his ground with clenched fists. He felt the power on the other end intensify. Behind him, Broadside got up and brushed off her hands, walking over to a statue stationed across from the entryway and leaned against it with an outstretched hand. Across the hall, a bloody and irritable looking Grave stalked out, pistol in hand. He pointed it at the opening with a frown. Even though there are three of us, she¡¯s insisting on pushing through. Why? He chewed his lip, What even is a Mythic? My father is one but I have never seen the scope of his power. He clenched his fists, Are the three of us enough? The wall shattered before he could get in his last thought and he pushed his arms forward and then up, shaping the ground beneath him into small bricks that he fired in the direction of the new opening. The statue broadside was touching opened and several small guns poked out of it before opening fire as well. Grave pulled his trigger six times before lowering his weapon, his eyes glowing orange-red beneath his hat. All the while, that keening sound rang out, the bricks vaporized, the cannonballs were pulverized, and the bullets barely made it through. There was a squelching sound and a figure with dark hair stepped out, one arm hanging and another held up to her lips. She had a hole in her leg and blood spilled down onto the ground as she staggered forward. Saleh flexed his arms and twisted his body, pivoting and pulling to the right just as she whistled again, whipping her head left to right. Grave was sent hurtling backwards, the statue next to Broadside exploded and peppered her with debris. Saleh felt his arm itch for a moment as he tried to finish his motion, his left hand tore apart at the fingers before being turned into naught but red mist at the elbow. He let out a scream and threw his body into the motion anyway, agony burning through his mind. A piece of wall lurched out and crushed the woman¡¯s head as he fell to his knees. ¡°My arm!¡± He screamed, falling to his side as the pain grew worse and worse, his brain catching up with the injury. He clutched at it desperately as he tried to open his eyes through the tears. A hand grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to the wall, before he knew what was happening he felt something get shoved into his mouth, fingers holding it shut, it was sweet. He bit down on instinct and felt the pain wash away followed by a strange, sickening sensation as something began to grow on his stump. He blinked through the shock and tears and looked up to see Broadsides crouched over him with a grin. ¡°Oops!¡± She laughed as the sound of popping ice spread across the floor. They both looked and saw the floor start to turn to gold, spreading out like a creeping infection. ¡°Gotta move!¡± She shouted and grabbed him again, pulling him to his feet as she slapped a few glass cases filled with jewelry. She reached up and touched her microphone, ¡°Her support¡¯s toast Guru! What¡¯s next?¡± She called. For a moment, all Saleh heard was empty static before an angry, bone chilling growl rumbled into his ears. ¡°First Wind.¡± That was when the wind started to blow, shaking the metal sheets that had fallen down with the lockdown. Side-Story: Saleh 1 It all happened far too quickly for Saleh to wrap his head around. One moment August was walking out of the hallway, the next all hell broke loose. The wind blew so hard it was impossible to hear anything. He could see portions of the metal sheets that had come down as part of the lockdown shudder and bend beneath the force of the wind. Based on Ishtar¡¯s words, it must be someone called ¡®First Wind¡¯, he personally hadn¡¯t heard of them but if he had to guess they were a hero and a threatening one at that. That meant they were out of time. They either secured August now or they all went down. He chewed his lip and pulled himself free of Broadside who was still holding him by the arm, giving her a sidelong look. She stuck her tongue out at him and he noticed something strange about her eyes, they were crosshairs. How had he not noticed that before? Was it only when her powers were active? He shook his head and focused on the person standing in the middle of the room. August stood like a statue, her hands over her lap and her almost bored expression shifting only to look at them and Grave who was getting to his feet on the other side. Broadside placed her hand on the wall slowly. Saleh shifted his foot to the right and clenched his fists. Grave slid one last bullet into his revolver. RRRRRMMBBBHHHH Like a starting shot, the building shook again and everyone moved at once. Saleh gritted his teeth and opened his right hand, throwing his arm up and clenching his fist. The ground beneath the woman shook and shot upward from all directions, blocks of stone slamming into her body to attempt to restrain her. The wall along his and Broadside¡¯s side of the room opened and cannon barrels poked out before shifting and aiming. One at a time they fired, like they were on the side of an old battleship. Each slug slamming into the woman and kicking up dust and debris. Six shots from Grave¡¯s gun joined in on the attack, peppering the cloudy spot where August stood. Saleh didn¡¯t wait, he had felt the restraints he¡¯d made get obliterated by the onslaught. He reached out to grab onto the earth beneath her again and it¡­ resisted? No, it moved against him. ¡°She¡¯s attacking!¡± He shouted and dove to the right just in time for a long rod of gold to lance through the air, nearly scratching the side of his face. He tumbled and got to his feet and shot a look back at Broadside who was hopping back one step at a time, chuckling as spikes of gold erupted from the ground in an attempt to impale her. Broadside laughed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know she could do that!¡± Saleh turned his attention from her, breathing hard, the blood pumping in his veins and stepped easily to the right as a spike prepared to form beneath him. You¡¯re going to have to try harder than that, I can feel everything beneath me. He thought grimly. He needed to calm down, focus, if he was going to achieve his father¡¯s goal. So far the trap had been largely successful, only one loss compared to a full wipe out for August¡¯s side. The only problem was that August was a mythic and had clearly never left enough witnesses alive to give any hint as to what she was really capable of. He tapped his earpiece, ¡°Guru?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, young master,¡± Guru said a little shakily, ¡°Madame Ishtar is handling the heroes outside, focus on your task.¡± ¡°Could use some advice,¡± Saleh clipped, stepping to the side again as another spike formed. A cannon shot rang out nearby and the cloud of debris and smoke surrounding August became thicker. Somehow the mythic was resisting their attacks. He felt through the ground again and hesitated when he felt a change in the makeup of the floor beneath him, it was spreading again. He clicked his tongue, ¡°She¡¯s changing the floor again!¡± He shouted into the comm, the winds and gunfire too loud to get his voice out. ¡°She hasn¡¯t moved, I see a victory but it depends on your abilities young master. All I can do is put you in the right place and-¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Saleh barked back. ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Got my fuckin¡¯ boot!¡± Grave barked back over the earpiece, ¡°Bullets ain¡¯t doing shit.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still attacking and I hit her with an anti material round!¡± Broadside cackled, ¡°This is awesome!¡± Saleh grit his teeth and glanced down at his feet, he took a few steps back away from the gold spreading across the ground before looking up quickly as another one of those spears shot through the air towards him. He frowned a little, wondering how he could feel something that was in the air as he sidestepped it and hopped onto one of the display cases, crouching and placing his hand on the surface. Glass was hard to sense things through because of how refined it was but in the end it was still silicon and quartz. He felt the movements again, the shifting, the presence of the woman on the other side. It was like he could feel her entire body. His brows furrowed but before he could give it any more thought the winds picked up again, the building shook so hard that a portion of the ceiling started to crumble inwards. He felt something else, something that tingled against his skin. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a faint glow coming from the windows. What is that? He thought as his instincts screamed at him to get away from whatever the creepy radiation was. If he touched it, August would kill him. He clicked his tongue and looked around for the others as gold continued to spread across the floor. He paused, What am I doing? He hissed to himself and took a deep, steadying breath. I can see them just fine. He thought as he spread his awareness not just towards the mythic, but throughout the room. There was Broadside, hanging from the side of a statue mounted to the floor, she was firing cannon blasts from the base of the statue and laughing uproariously. His senses picked up on a half-barefoot Grave as well, taking a few steps away from the windows and walking steadily away from the spreading gold as he kept taking shots in the mythic¡¯s direction. His bullets seemed endless. He took another breath, Calm down, think, there has to be a solution. He thought as he glanced down towards the gold spreading on the floor. He narrowed his eyes and felt for the seemingly invincible mythic again. It can¡¯t be that easy, can it? He thought, his senses spreading up from the ground and through her body. It wasn¡¯t like sensing the general shape of his hired-on allies and their positions. It was like I can feel every single- ¡°God damn it I¡¯m an idiot!¡± He swore into the comms before slapping both hands down on the display case he¡¯d perched himself on. This better work! ¡°Young master Saleh?¡± Guru called, ¡°Is everything-¡± ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ve got this!¡± Saleh growled, Depends on my abilities, huh? He grit his teeth and pushed, working his powers like a muscle at its limit. Metals are just a part of earth, just another material the ground is made of. Gold is no different, just pure. He felt his mind creak a little bit under the pressure as he tugged against something that felt close and distant at the same time. He pushed his will through the glass, the floor, the gold, and he grabbed on with all his might. You will not move. He thought firmly. You will not move! He pressed his fingers through the glass, the material parting for him. Hold still! The sounds of crashing and the floor shifting with the creation of gold weapons and projectiles stopped. Somewhere distantly he heard a voice in his ear but his mind was entirely occupied with holding on for dear life as the presence on the other end of his attention struggled against his grip. No, you are metal. You are mine. Another shout over his comm, he shook his head and redoubled his focus. He had to be rigid. Unbending. Unyielding. You are a statue! He commanded, A statue! He felt one of the teeth in his mouth crack a little under the strain when he finally felt the resistance begin to wane and then it just stopped. He kept his grip on it as a hand alighted on his shoulder. He blinked and suddenly noticed just how much every muscle in his body hurt, his jaw hurt, and his upper lip felt wet. He looked up to see an eerie black mask looking down at him, two blazing pink eyes meeting his. ¡°You did well, little villain,¡± Ishtar rasped as a pale white glow gleamed from her palm, ¡°Let¡¯s get her out of here.¡± Chapter 139 The aircraft streaked through the dry air, pockets of human life streaking by. Three of the four heroes on the ship sat together in relative silence, their eyes focused, their jaws set, their minds on what they needed to do. According to the anonymous tip, Queen August was going to be attacking a private gallery show of jewelry and rare gemstones in the middle east. She had arrived in Syria before moving south-east before pivoting straight for Iran. They¡¯d hoped to catch her along the way but had inevitably been forced to change tactics, aiming for the small city on the border of Iran and Pakistan where the show was being held. ¡°Still seems a little iffy to me that it would be held there,¡± Breach said, rubbing his neck a little and scowling. He leaned back in his light gear, ASTA had made it specifically to work with his phasing ability. He glanced to the right and frowned at the new guy. ¡°You seem relaxed.¡± Luca had found one of the benches in the aircraft to be the most comfortable of them all and had strapped himself in, laying down on it and admiring the blandness of the ceiling. He grinned a little to himself, his eyes closed behind his sunglasses. It had taken forever for him to get to this point but he was finally here. Finally on his first probationary mission with the International Team. He didn¡¯t let that kill his vibe, though, there was something to be said about maintaining a consistent demeanor even when not in the ¡®public¡¯ eye. Not that these eggs get it, sour bunch. He thought and his lip twitched. Heh, Sour eggs. He chuckled again and glanced down at the guy who¡¯d called him out, tilting his sunglasses down a little, ¡°Hey are you scrambled or over easy?¡± He asked with a snicker. Breach gave him a baffled look before turning to the hero sitting next to him. Fontaine, their group healer, sighed and shook his head, his ponytail bobbing a little bit. Breach¡¯s eyes fluttered with momentary annoyance before a new voice spoke up. ¡°He¡¯s calling you an egg, or rather a clown,¡± the woman sitting a bit apart from the rest of them said. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was frowning at the floor. Her gear seemed to be tailored to her body and made of some kind of tight fitting fabric that could stretch easily. Unlike the off-white of Fontaine and Breach¡¯s gear, it had been dyed and stylized to a rather vicious looking grey-red color scheme. She looked up, her glowing red eyes turning towards First Wind, ¡°Could you please not antagonize the support team?¡± Protean asked, ¡°This is your first mission and I¡¯m monitoring you.¡± He snorted and sat up, resting his arms on his knees. He sniffed the air, Gunpowder and Blood, nice. ¡°Then keep watchin,¡± He said, ¡°Cuz Imma get to work if you don¡¯t mind,¡± He said and unclasped his restraints. ¡°Pardon? We¡¯re not at the target location yet, we¡¯re at least five minutes out, sit-¡± She began but he was already walking to the rear of the aircraft. He slapped the button to open the ramp and fresh air washed over him. He closed his eyes and took it all in, the rapid winds, the dry heat, the strength of the sky in this place. ¡°First Wind! We aren¡¯t at the target location!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, I am,¡± He said with a glance over his shoulder and a smarmy grin, Losers. He thought before turning around and falling backwards off the craft. There was a shout as he fell through the air, his floral shirt flapping about him, his chest exposed to the sunlight. He sneered a little, ¡°Let¡¯s fuckin¡¯ go,¡± He hissed and embraced the wind. Everchanging. Unstoppable. The air pressure above him decreased while the air pressure beneath him skyrocketed. With a shift and a flip he was standing in the air. He altered the air pressure in front of him next, dropping it to next to nothing before increasing the pressure behind himself steadily. Faster, faster, faster, he pushed himself along before stabilizing the air pressure above him and turning into a rocket that shot across the terrain beneath him. Just up ahead was the city. He paid no attention to the buildings, he followed the air, that smell. Blood. He could hear it now too, sirens and shouting. It was faint on the aircraft but now it was getting delightfully close. He barked out a laugh as he neared his destination, ¡°Someone¡¯s having a good time!¡± He shouted and slid to a stop, rising up above the city and looking down at the large solitary building. It was gaudily built with all those weird modern shapes to it, cops had formed up around it and were moving civilians away. His lip twitched and he raked his eyes over it, Iron sidings, lockdown huh? Civvies are trapped inside then, no big, this whole gallery show thing sounds shady as fuck. Might as well bring the whole building down on ¡®em and save the trouble. She¡¯s definitely inside. He held out his hands and got to work. Urging the wind through the city streets. Sand and bits of trash began to bounce about as he pivoted and pulled, dragging the wind about slowly, turning it as he adjusted the air pressure and temperature. Good thing I practiced! He thought merrily, This power is hard to control. He clenched his fists and began pulling harder, more wildly, C¡¯mon baby, gimme a tornado! Let''s go! Tornado in the desert! He barked out a wild laugh, Come on, come on, come on! Party time people! That was when he saw it, the first hint of something bigger going on. Something glowed on the side of the building. He paused and tilted his head, squinting a little. His powers didn¡¯t come with long range vision so it was hard to make it out. Then the glow began to spread. Not in a ¡®bathing the area in light¡¯ kind of way, but more signs of it spreading throughout the area. Streaks of pale white light that gave him an odd feeling. The light was crawling up buildings like- Vines? Roots? He squinted again and lowered himself towards the ground. The fuck is this? This ain¡¯t gold. As he drew closer he could make it out a bit better, ignoring the shouts of the police that were aimed at him. They were definitely roots of some kind made almost entirely out of that eerie white light. He scoffed and held up his hands again to clear it out as the first root reached the top of a building. It touched the air and bloomed into a flower, beautiful, almost awe inspiring. Flecks of light rose up from the flower like pollen that spread out and touched other objects and the roots began to spread on them as well. He raised an eyebrow and the wind began to pick up around his body, pushing away some of the pollen as more and more of the stuff was released into the air.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Nice trick but it won¡¯t-¡± He started and froze, narrowing his eyes. Something felt very wrong. His instincts were screaming at him. His ability was screaming at him. The light was intensifying on the flowers, spreading, truly blanketing the place. He hopped back as the light washed over him. He pushed for the sky and¡­ fell? He blinked and hit the ground stumbling back a few paces. He looked at his hands in confusion for a moment and flicked his wrist, wind coiled around it. He tried to adjust the air pressure around his body again but nothing happened. One of my ability¡¯s functions was cut off. He realized and looked up at the glowing plants, That shit is bad news. He grinned, ¡°Aight, challenge accepted!¡± He laughed and began working the wind harder. He turned and began wrapping the building in a tight band of wind, the air current ripping around it so quickly it was starting to become visible. While he did, he began pushing the wind around the buildings where the vines were going, trying to peel them off. Metal rattled and paint chipped as casually increased the pressure. Even without true pressure control, there were other ways to make his tornado happen. He exhaled and the temperature began to drop on the ground, the cool air pressing hard against the heated metal and stone of the building. Metal began to bend and peel, the reinforced plates twisting beneath the force of the wind. ¡°Open up! Let me in!¡± He sing-songed before he sensed a change in the area, a shift in air pressure that reminded him of those neat portals Euclidia could make. He turned his head, ¡°Huh? What¡¯s she doing? This is my-¡± He stopped and stared. A tall rectangle of light began to form in the air across from him. He glanced towards the cops who¡¯d been pushed out of his mind for now. They were all looking at the strange boxes in confusion as well. This isn¡¯t Euclidia. He realized and cut off the wind cycling around the gallery before adjusting his sunglasses and smirking a bit, ¡°I¡¯m waiting,¡± He said aloud, ¡°Come on! Show yourself already! I-¡± The first one stepped out and for the first time in his life, in a long, long time, even before he¡¯d gained his powers and felt this sense of invincibility, he felt his blood get a little cold. It wasn¡¯t a person that stepped out of the portal. It was a seven foot tall statue of marble. Its burning eyes smoldered over a humorless mouth covered by a transparent silk veil. It had ¡®hair¡¯ that despite clearly also being made of marble seemed flexible. It was muscular, regal, and had a feeling of cruelty about it- No, tyranny. He thought as he took a step back to observe. It stepped fully into the world and brandished a long, curved, wicked looking sword. ¡°THIS IS A MANDATE.¡± A unfeeling voice came from the statue, the words were both outside and inside his head, he heard it in his native spanish and in maori. ¡°THE HEAVENS HAVE ORDERED YOUR DEATH, HERO FIRST WIND.¡± First Wind pointed at himself and laughed, he gestured at the big thing as it started marching towards him and wrapped its arm in a tight coil of wind. He wrenched his hand to the right and down, snapping it. The limb went slack for a moment as the statue continued its approach before immediately snapping back into place. ¡°Oho! Tough!¡± He laughed as gunshots rang out. Bullets pinging uselessly off the statue. That was when another stepped out, and then another, and then another. One of the statues turned towards the police, ¡°INTERFERENCE WILL RESULT IN DEATH,¡± the statue growled and lifted a fucking car before hurling it at the police who desperately scattered. More gunshots rang out, the police hurrying to make a new perimeter. One of the cops even charged forward, light glowing beneath his uniform as he lunged only for the light to flicker out as he drew near the statue that had thrown the car. His raised fist hesitated, his power weakened by the light. The statue grabbed him by the head and drove it a foot into the concrete before stepping over him and marching towards the police. He clicked his tongue and ignored it, focusing on the three that were now marching in his direction. So they want to play rough, huh? He threw his hands down before swaying and pulling them up, the wind that he had been gathering around the city to peel off those annoying plants changed direction. He pulled his hands together, clasping them hard as the wind slammed into the three approaching figures. They crashed into one another in a tangle of limbs and he hurled them into the air just as a body flew past him. He turned his attention back to the single statue and the cops. It raised its weapon and brought it down on the car they were standing behind, cleaving it in half and pulling one piece out of the way to get to them. He clicked his tongue and glanced up as he picked up on something in the air, ¡°Fun¡¯s over I guess,¡± He muttered and glanced up at the Pandora aircraft shifting its wings and entering a hovering posture. That was when he saw what had happened to the three statues he¡¯d thrown. They landed on panels of hard light and quickly extricated themselves from one another before turning their attention to the aircraft. Wait. Hard light? He whipped his head around, No way. She¡¯s here? He grinned wildly, ¡°She¡¯s here! Hell yes!¡± He laughed, ¡°Sorry Protean! Fun time ain¡¯t over yet!¡± He howled and cut loose as more of the statues began to march out of the portal, the brutal things marching towards him as the screams of men desperately fighting the solitary statue fell on deaf ears. He raised his hands high and called on the wind. Even if air pressure wasn¡¯t in his playbook right now, he could just bring a fucking hurricane down and eliminate any witnesses. He clenched his fist and called on all of the wind he could, pulling from all around him, forcing the air through the entire city to move faster and faster. ¡°Come on out Ishtar!¡± He shouted, ¡°I¡¯mma make a name for myself today!¡± He bellowed. Buildings shook, men screamed, the world creaked, and an explosion sounded overhead. He didn¡¯t care even as one of the statue things fell to the ground and got back up, badly burned but still mobile. It turned its eyes on him and he grinned at it. It lowered its weapon and tilted its head, an odd posture for such a rigid thing. Then its eyes changed color, turning into a blazing hot pink. ¡°Next time, perhaps, First Wind. I¡¯ve got what I came for,¡± Came a raspy voice. He blinked, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Farewell, little hero. Perhaps focus on the job in the future?¡± It mocked him before it bowed its head and dissolved into motes of light. First Wind¡¯s eyes went wide as more motes of light rose into the air. He felt his air pressure feature return and he spun towards the gallery. ¡°Oh you gotta be kidding me,¡± He laughed and wrenched one of the metal panels off the glass wall before twisting his hand and ripping the glass out. He darted inside and found nothing but corpses. Gold was splattered everywhere, the floor, the ceiling, golden bullets, golden rocks, golden people, but there was no sign of Queen August. He licked his lips, ¡°She delayed me,¡± He mused, Just like Vegas and Black Lotus, huh? She doesn¡¯t like direct fights. Noted. ¡°First Wind!¡± Protean called out behind him, ¡°What happened here? What the hell were those things? Breach is hurt, Fontaine¡¯s looking after him.¡± He glanced over his shoulder and grinned, tilting his sunglasses down, ¡°I just fought Ishtar apparently,¡± He said with a laugh. Chapter 140 Erebus sat in his throne room, chin resting on his knuckles as he stared into space. The stage for his scheme had been more than far enough away to keep any sense of the action far away from him and his own. That was the plan, after all. Why make a move and set yourself up to fail afterwards? Ultimately, every plan needed a favorable end, and that included ensuring that one got away with what one intended to do. His eyes narrowed and he glanced towards the small monitor that had been installed on the arm of his throne. Reports had stopped about the action, apparently the heroes were in control of the area now. ¡°First Wind, huh?¡± He murmured to himself, staring at the face on the screen, He¡¯s very powerful. He thought grimly before turning to another recording. Marble statues stepping out of portals and laying waste to the police, cleaving vehicles in two, crushing one light touched man like he was an insect. Then the confrontation with First Wind, how they marched forward on him with merciless focus. The glowing plants that made his skin crawl, just seeing them put his instincts on edge, warned him to never tarry close. Ishtar. He thought to himself. Just what manner of being did I sell my soul to? Does she really have the ability to retain such a thing? Is the soul real? He glanced up patiently as the air rippled a few feet away from the base of his throne. A line of white light appeared that opened into a large rectangle before the interior distorted and emptied, seeming to dive into a distant place. His lip twitched, Her teleportation power. He thought as his son stepped through, looking tired but very much alive. ¡°Saleh,¡± Erebus said with a nod, ¡°Well done.¡± Saleh glanced up at his father and nodded once before Guru, Broadside, and Grave stepped through. Mephisto came next with a jaunty strut and a smirk on his pretty face. The portal closed a moment later. Erebus frowned, ¡°Where are Ishtar and August?¡± He asked. Mephisto grinned, ¡°My mistress wanted a private word,¡± He said with a flamboyant bow, ¡°It¡¯ll be just a moment, Spice King.¡± Erebus narrowed his eyes, What is she up to? ¨C The old bank vault was as good a place as any. In fact it was a little poetic if Ishtar had to say so herself. She sat down on the table and crossed her legs, resting her hands on the surface and relaxing a bit. She looked down at the figure on her knees in front of her, restrained by glowing vines and guarded by two agents of the Heavenly Legion. The two statues held their blades at the woman¡¯s neck, ¡°Not much of a talker, are you, Queen August?¡± She asked in that blood curdling rasp of hers. Queen August was pretty, beautiful even, no regal was a better word for it. She had a mature countenance about her, a hint of age creasing the corners of her mouth. Her near-purple red hair had fallen out of the beehive bun on the top of her head and now was strewn messily about her face. Her eyes glowed an eerie molten gold, darker than the bright color Ishtar associated with other people, closer to orange. A result of her ability. The woman scoffed, ¡°I do not speak to the dead, Ishtar.¡± ¡°Mind games can be a useful tool in a fight, you know? Talking to a foe allows you to push them to make mistakes, lower their guard, open up,¡± Ishtar pointed out with a chuckle. She shifted in her seat and uncrossed her legs languidly, recrossing them the other way and letting out a longing sigh, ¡°It¡¯s too bad that I prefer to keep to the background. I would love to go a few rounds with the heroes now and then,¡± She clicked her tongue and waved a coy hand, ¡°Oh you know how it is, don¡¯t you? It must be tough being famous!¡± August narrowed her eyes, ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡± Ishtar pointed at herself, ¡°Me? Oh, dear, it¡¯s not about what I want, not really. Not this time I¡¯m afraid. You see, the Spice King made a deal with me and now we¡¯re going to uphold it,¡± She said and leaned forward, ¡°He wants your power in exchange for your life.¡± The woman paled, ¡°Wh-what? My ability? It¡¯s mine!¡± She snarled, struggling against the glowing vines that only squeezed down a little harder, forcing her to become still again. One of the statues grabbed her by the back of the head and fixed her gaze on Ishtar, ¡°It is how I will bathe in the jewels of the world, they all belong to me! They¡¯re mine! I deserve it! It¡¯s owed to me!¡± She spat, trying to pull her head away from the iron grip of the legionnaire. ¡°I don¡¯t need your backstory, August,¡± Ishtar said with a wave of her hand, ¡°Either way, your story as a villain ends here.¡± August narrowed her eyes, ¡°Then just kill me. I¡¯d rather die than-¡± Ishtar clicked her tongue and waggled a finger in the air, ¡°Your survival is indeed part of the deal he¡¯s offering. He will spare your life,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°But if you refuse we aren¡¯t going to kill you,¡± She said, ¡°No. I am going to make sure that you end up in the hands of the Heroes wearing power restraining cuffs. You will be defenseless and they will take you away and lock you up for a very, very long time,¡± Ishtar said coldly, ¡°Far away from your precious jewels, far away from anything beautiful and shiny. Alone in a cage until your dying day, no doubt.¡± The villain¡¯s shoulder¡¯s drooped and her eyes went wide. Real panic filling them as her pupils shrank, Yes. Now you see the reality. ¡°You either surrender your power, Erebus spares you, you find a way to return home to what you¡¯ve already stolen,¡± She flexed her power and her glove receded into her body momentarily, revealing her bare glittering skin, ¡°Or these will be the last sparkles you ever see as the Pandora Committee puts you into a hole from which there is no escaping,¡± Ishtar hissed, ¡°And trust me, I can make that happen. I am fully capable of pulling the right strings to have a cage built just for you, drab and lifeless.¡± Ishtar tilted her head and watched as the woman¡¯s breathing grew rapid, her chest heaving as she tugged and pulled against her bindings. She screamed, struggled, flailed, tried anything to move but it was no use. The woman¡¯s eyes flicked down to Ishtar¡¯s hand, staring hungrily, she gnashed her teeth, screamed again and wept. ¡°It¡¯s not fair! It¡¯s not fair! I just wanted what was mine! Why can¡¯t I have it? Give it to me! Those are mine too! Is the rest of you so beautiful? Mine!¡± She shrieked as Ishtar held up her hand and the glove returned to it, ¡°No! Don¡¯t go away!¡± She pleaded, ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this to me, I¡¯m begging you!¡±Stolen story; please report. Ishtar slipped off the table, ¡°That isn¡¯t an option, August,¡± Ishtar said and walked towards her. She took her chin and looked straight into her face, ¡°A deal has been made, I do not break my promises, give up. It¡¯s over. Agree to the deal and Erebus will not kill you. You can try your hardest to go home. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡± August croaked once, looking up at Ishtar with tears in her eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll let me go back?¡± She asked pitifully. ¡°He will,¡± Ishtar said. The woman¡¯s lips trembled and Ishtar saw something inside her break, ¡°I accept,¡± She whimpered, ¡°Please, no more.¡± Ishtar nodded and held out her hand, the woman¡¯s bindings loosened enough that she could move her own hand. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Analyze. Ishtar smirked behind her mask, ¡°Good girl¡­¡± Proceed. A flash of white light erupted between them, the flaring light turning and bending in the air before seeping into August¡¯s skin. Her veins flared, visible beneath her skin as the woman screamed in pain. She thrashed, foaming at the mouth as the agony took her. Ishtar held her grip until the woman went limp, breathing hard. Ishtar pulled her hand away and stepped a few paces back before floating to the table in the room, alighting on it and crossing her legs. ¡°Once more a mere mortal. How the mighty fall. You put up a good fight, but your ability was wasted on you, August.¡± The woman stirred a bit as the bindings fell away, the white vines retracting into the ground. Ishtar flexed her fingers a little and waited for the woman to wake up, ¡°Powerless¡­¡± The woman moaned, coughing onto the floor as the last of the vines retracted and she fell onto her face. She looked diminished, her skin grayer, her hair dimmer, the vibrancy gone. She pushed herself up to her knees and looked up at Ishtar, ¡°M-may I go now?¡± She asked, ¡°Please?¡± Ishtar wrinkled her nose, ¡°You really are pathetic,¡± the supervillain said coldly, ¡°How you could even think to call yourself a supervillain is beyond me. How the Pandora Committee could ever consider you a threat only tells me that they have a long way to go before I¡¯m satisfied,¡± She snarled before gesturing once with her hand. The two statues grabbed the woman by the arms and dragged her across the floor. She was too weak to even protest as they hefted her up to eye level with Ishtar¡¯s mask. She grabbed the woman by the chin, ¡°You saw my portals right, August?¡± She asked, ¡°Can you tell me where home is?¡± August¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Y-yes! I did!¡± She said hurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s in the Alps! I-I have coordinates written down so I can give them to pilots if necessary,¡± She added and reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Ishtar took it from her and set it aside, ¡°You¡¯re going to send me home? That¡¯s why you asked, right?¡± Idiot. Coward. Nothing without her powers. No spine. She was so arrogant and proud when she could kill someone with a look. Now, Her lips curved down into a frown, Now look at her. Ishtar scoffed and let her go, ¡°Hold her,¡± She said as the woman hit the ground. It took half a second to process before August scrambled away and pinned herself against the vault door. ¡°Wait! You said that you¡¯d spare my life if I gave up my power! You promised!¡± She shouted, ¡°You said you don¡¯t break promises!¡± ¡°I said that Erebus would spare your life,¡± Ishtar said and stepped off the table again, walking towards her, ¡°I said that he would offer you a way home. You heard things today that damned you, I¡¯m afraid,¡± She continued as the statues grabbed the woman by the arms and pinned her against the wall, ¡°I made no such promises of my own. You were simply too gullible and desperate to think my words through,¡± Ishtar continued and grabbed the woman by the face, ¡°You gave me the location of your home. What more use do I have for you? If I let you go now, you could very well talk about what you experienced today. My abilities, the nature of my dealmaking power,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°The moment I opened my mouth you were doomed.¡± Ishtar pulled Will of Midas out of her warehouse as the woman thrashed against the door. ¡°You will serve better as a warning to others,¡± Ishtar said quietly, ¡°Your reckless use of your ability, your wastefulness, your arrogance, no higher purpose to pursue. You weren¡¯t a villain, you were a wild animal.¡± ¡°Please! No-¡± The woman¡¯s face stiffened as it began to take on a gilded hue, it spread across her body as a look of anguish and terror was frozen in time. In a matter of seconds, she was nothing but a statue. Dead. Ishtar pulled her hand away and walked over to the table, picking up the phone. She concentrated on it and it turned on, the screen flickering and changing several times before she got the information she needed. She waved her hand and a portal opened to her left, ¡°Go. Deal with any security then locate and consolidate anything of value.¡± She commanded the two legionnaires. ¡°Once you are done, maintain watch until I can visit to retrieve it all.¡± The marble statues inclined their heads before marching towards the portal and disappearing through it. Ishtar glanced down at the phone and pressed her thumb against it, the circuitry sparked and smoked before it began to crack and fizzle out. She crushed it in her hand for good measure and dropped it onto the ground. She turned back to the statue of August, ¡°So disappointing,¡± She said quietly before gesturing and creating another portal, ¡°I wonder if it would look better at Erebus¡¯ place or in the Styx? Might have more of an impact in the latter I think¡­¡± She paused at the portal, ¡°I should probably make a statement on the matter. It¡¯s been a while since the world heard my voice,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Pretty sure First Wind has already told everyone I¡¯m lurking around. Why bother hiding it? May as well take advantage of the situation.¡± <¡±Technocrat.¡±> There was a pause before Amos¡¯ voice came through, <¡±Yes, Ishtar?¡±> <¡±I¡¯d like to use that fancy new broadcasting toy you whipped up the other day.¡±> <¡±Really? Hell yes! Just warning you the broadcast time is pretty short, then it¡¯ll fizz out and I¡¯ll have to rebuild it.¡±> Amos said excitedly. <¡±That¡¯s fine, connect me.¡±> ¨C Across the United States and Europe televisions froze before a face appeared on them. The symbol of a glowing pink eye burning on a black screen. At the Pandora Committee, the chairman sat up in his seat wide eyed as the image appeared on every screen in the command center. Shouts rang out, men and women scurrying about to figure out where the signal was coming from. All the while the old man clenched his fists and glared at that all seeing eye. He slammed his fist on his desk as reports quickly came in that the signal couldn¡¯t be shut down. The loud bang drew the attention of everyone in the room. He nodded to the screen and everyone slowly sat down to wait as the hissing and crackling faded. There was silence for a heartbeat before a cold, rasping voice echoed out from behind that symbol. ¡°I am Ishtar.¡± Chapter 141 Lily hustled down the hall, she¡¯d been reminded multiple times not to use her physical abilities inside the common building. She cursed a little under her breath, Damn it, if Luke hadn¡¯t put his storage room half-way across the building this wouldn¡¯t have taken so long! She grouched, rounding the corner into the main common area before darting to the left towards the planetary diorama and the stairs leading down. She took two steps at a time, careful not to drop her cargo, before landing and racing past the gym. Just two doors down from the gym where she¡¯d awakened her full abilities for the first time was a viewing room. She pushed through the door and into the room where nearly everyone at the camp had gathered in the small theater. She slid to a stop as a few people poked their heads up and held up their hands. She dug into the bag under her arm and started tossing things quickly at them before turning to Miss Chernovna who gratefully took a can and popped it open, taking a sip as she stared at the screen. All done, Lily hopped over the rear seat and landed between Snow and Alex. ¡°What I miss?¡± She asked breathlessly, handing her a can of cola and passing the bag to Alex who dug through. Snow glanced at her with wide eyes and cracked open her can and shook her head, ¡°Nothing yet, they¡¯re still looking around the building.¡± ¡°What about those statue things?¡± She asked, ¡°Any more show up?¡± Snow shook her head and Lily looked up at the screen. The reporter was sitting at a table with footage of the gallery building that had been attacked to his right. It was huge on the screen and one could see the smoke billowing from the building as well as from the cop cars that had been crushed and cut in half by the statues. Fortunately it looked like the bodies had been cleared away. Her gut twisted and she clenched her fists as the reporter raised his finger to his ear and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve just received a report from the field that the first responding hero, First Wind, interacted briefly with one of the walking statues,¡± The reporter said, ¡°According to First Wind, they are in some way connected to the elusive Supervillain Ishtar.¡± A few of the students sat up, she spotted Marc literally get to his feet near the front of the room. The reporter straightened himself up and frowned at the screen. ¡°We would like to remind our viewers that while the Pandora Committee has declared the individual calling themselves Ishtar as the highest priority villain in the world, there is very little evidence or information available concerning this person¡¯s existence and that the prevailing theory is that ¡®Ishtar¡¯ is-¡± The screen cut out and voices rose in the room for a moment. Axel held up his hands and reached for the remote in his pocket just as the screen started to hiss and crackle with static. ¡°What the hell?¡± Lily murmured, leaning forward. The static cleared and a symbol appeared on the screen. It was a stylized eye made to look like it was made of digitized lines and code. It glowed pink, flashing in and out for a few heartbeats as everyone went very quiet. Lily felt a small hand grab hers and she squeezed it as the pulsing increased. It stopped and everyone held their breath until a cruel voice came out of the speakers around them. It rasped and hissed, popping and crackling. It sounded like a knife being drawn down across a bloody hunk of ice, slick and terrible. ¡°I am Ishtar.¡± The image blurred and the singular eye disappeared for a moment before a figure came into view. A pair of glowing eyes blazed on a dark unfeeling helmet. The figure was standing in a dark room that looked vaguely like the inside of a vault, a huge door behind them. Their-no-her arms were behind her back. Her entire body was covered in light armor that seamlessly fit together to look vaguely like a jumpsuit. She had long white hair that billowed around her in an unseen wind. She stood in front of the camera for several seconds before speaking. ¡°Today, I eliminated Queen August,¡± She began and the room grew even tenser, Snow squeezed hard against Lily¡¯s hand. Lily tried to tear her eyes away but she just couldn¡¯t. Ishtar waved her hand as if dismissing something unimportant, ¡°Her actions were aimless, pointless, and wasteful. She ran about, murdering people for the sole purpose of hoarding jewels for her own fetishistic obsessions. Feral.¡± Ishtar hissed and tilted her head towards the camera. ¡°Let me be clear, August was unworthy of the title of Supervilllain. She had no higher purpose. No ultimate design. No code. No compunctions. She killed and wrought havoc indiscriminately. So, like An Set before her, she is dead,¡± Ishtar continued, ¡°I hold the villains of this world to a higher standard. If you are bad for business, I will excise you like the cancer you are,¡± She clenched her fist in front of her, ¡°I am the final authority amongst the Villains of this world. I have judged August and found her wanting.¡± She crossed her arms behind her back and stood taller, ¡°Looks like I did your job for you this time, heroes,¡± She rasped out a laugh before tilting her head, ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± She scoffed and turned away, walking offscreen as the image began to blur and crackle. Everyone in the room gasped, Lily tensed and got to her feet, Snow held her hands over her mouth. Against the door, blocked initially by Ishtar¡¯s body, was a golden figure pressed against the door with eyes wide in abject terror. A woman that struck a horrible resemblance to the face on the wanted posters. The feed cut. The reporter who had just been about to dismiss Ishtar¡¯s very existence looked pale as he collected himself. He cleared his throat, ¡°W-we-we¡¯ll be right back.¡± He said and the screen cut to a commercial. No one spoke for a while, Marc turned away from the screen and marched out of the room, his fists clenched, Ollie got to his feet and hurried after him. Lily glanced up at the instructors. Sonya had her arms crossed and frown on her face. Axel was rubbing the bridge of his nose. Black Lotus looked thoughtful, her eyes narrowed at the screen. ¡°I heard a rumor,¡± Alex said, ¡°That Ishtar kidnapped An Set during the battle of Vegas. Helped him escape.¡± ¡°Wanted to punish him herself,¡± John said mutely, ¡°Terrible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re up against,¡± Greg breathed, ¡°That¡¯s the final boss?¡± Lily frowned as she felt the mood in the room shift. She saw Sonya turning towards everyone, about to speak, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. She got to her feet; ¡°She¡¯s trying to rattle us!¡± Lily barked before pointing at the screen, ¡°That? That was a challenge! She just told us she did our jobs for us!¡± She shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! Be angry!¡± She bellowed, ¡°We¡¯re heroes! It¡¯s our job to keep this world safe! It¡¯s our job to help others in need! It¡¯s our job! Not hers! She just decides who lives and dies? Bullshit! We have courts and judges! We have rules!¡± She clenched her fists, ¡°We fight for those who can¡¯t! She said it herself, she only dealt with August because she was ¡®bad for business¡¯ that she didn¡¯t meet her standards as a villain,¡± She scoffed, ¡°All she¡¯s saying is that she has no problem with the villains out there that meet her standards, that those who live up to her expectations can go around committing crimes with their powers without reproach in her eyes.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. She whirled on Black Lotus, ¡°Teacher, Can she be beaten?¡± She asked flatly. Black Lotus returned her stare with a smile, ¡°There are no such things as gods, just powerful people. With enough of us working together, anyone can be beaten.¡± Lily reached down and gave Snow¡¯s shoulder a gentle squeeze, ¡°That¡¯s all I need to hear. I¡¯m getting back to training. Got a final to pass,¡± She turned to the others, ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Alex hopped to his feet and punched his palm with a wild grin, ¡°I got anti-monster training in a half hour,¡± He said and hopped over his seat, ¡°Later!¡± The others quickly rose as well, their eyes burning, fists clenched, jaws set. None of them were going to take this laying down. ¨C Ishtar stepped through the portal and into the throne room, pleased with herself. She glanced up at the Spice King who sat on his throne looking down at her thoughtfully for a moment before breaking into a wide smile, ¡°You certainly took the heat off of me,¡± He laughed, slapping his hand on the armrest. He got to his feet and marched down the steps, ¡°What a performance!¡± He said delightedly. He spread his arms wide and she actually returned the offer of an embrace this time, giving him a short hug before stepping back a little. ¡°I meant everything I said,¡± She said plainly. He cleared his throat, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Make sure you do,¡± She said and rest her hand on her hip, looking around the room, ¡°Everyone else go off to rest?¡± He nodded, ¡°Yes, today was an exciting day. I understand my son distinguished himself?¡± ¡°He did,¡± She said, ¡°Guru¡¯s ability was fascinating but has very narrow applications currently, he needs to develop it more. I¡¯m sure it will be very powerful in the future,¡± She pointed out, ¡°Broadside was quite impressive and she did a good job protecting your son,¡± He tapped the side of her helmet, ¡°I¡¯d keep her on retainer as a bodyguard for the boy.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± He rubbed his chin, ¡°An excellent thought! I¡¯ll have to bring it up to them. And Grave?¡± ¡°Extremely effective against opponents of his tier but next to useless against higher-tier opponents. A solid hitman if nothing else,¡± She said with a breath, ¡°Shame about Cross, but his determination outweighed his will to live. Nothing to be done about that.¡± Erebus nodded, ¡°Understood, now, what happened with August¡¯s remains?¡± He asked but she held up a hand to forestall him. ¡°Before that,¡± She said and looked him up and down, ¡°How do you feel?¡± He raised his eyebrows and cracked a wild grin, ¡°Incredible,¡± He said and reached into his coat, pulling out a business card. He held it up and with a moments concentration it began to turn into gold. He handed it to her and she took it, turning it over between her fingers, ¡°It worked just as you said it would. Marvelous. I may request your services for another if possible,¡± He said. She looked up at him from the card, ¡°And what will you pay me with?¡± She asked, ¡°Don¡¯t get greedy, Erebus. Two is more than most in this world have and both of yours are Mythic.¡± He pouted a little but nodded, ¡°Very well, I suppose I can¡¯t argue those points,¡± He said before clearing his throat, ¡°Now! I have taken the liberty of delivering most of the promised gifts to your room. ¡°However, I wanted to give you the grand prize in person. Consider me the kind of person who appreciates presentation, like yourself.¡± She barked out a laugh, ¡°Every good supervillain is a showman. Wonderful!¡± She said with a clap of her hands and floated back up into the air, drifting towards the center of the room as Erebus gestured towards one of his attendants in the corner of the large space. The attendant quickly bowed and turned to go through a door. She relaxed, stretching her arms and resisting the urge to yawn. It¡¯s the first time I have ever felt tired. How interesting. She drifted back down to the ground as several attendants strode out of the door, parting before forming up around a large audacious gilded chest. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her legs as she hung a few feet off the ground, watching the short procession as it made its way to the base of the throne. There, they held it up for Erebus to approach and open the chest. She tilted her head, trying to take a peek but couldn¡¯t see past his chest. Eager, she alighted on the ground, ¡°The Epic dungeon reward, I take it?¡± He nodded as he turned around, ¡°Quite so. My sons were baffled by it,¡± He said and approached her, cupping whatever it was gently in his hands underneath a silk cloth. He stopped in front of her and held it out, pulling way the cloth. She narrowed her eyes behind her helmet in confusion. It was an egg. Just about twice the size of a chicken egg. It had a mute gray coloring to it and the faint sign of texturing. It looked as if it was made of stone. Her eyes narrowed even more and she focused on it with her senses. Warm? Internal temperature? She froze and looked up at him, ¡°There¡¯s something alive in there!¡± She exhaled. She had no memory from the past timeline of such a thing ever existing. She reached out and took it up in her hands after a nod from the man. It was ludicrously heavy, twenty pounds, thirty? Dense. She thought and ran her thumb over the surface. Something inside shuddered and twisted before settling back down again, She glanced up at him, ¡°It reacted to my touch.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± He said with a nod, ¡°It came inside of the silk wrapping and when my boys touched it with their bare skin they felt a bit of their mana drain off. I believe it might depend on mana to grow and mature. I¡¯ve instructed no one to make skin contact with it since then.¡± She looked up at him and back down at it again, ¡°Fascinating!¡± She exclaimed, turning it over between her gloved palms, ¡°May I have the cloth?¡± She asked and he obliged her. She took it and threw it over the egg in her hand before retracting a bit of her armor so that it touched her skin. Immediately she felt an intense sense of drag going through her body as whatever it was inside the egg feasted on her power. She closed her armor and took a quick breath, ¡°Incredible.¡± ¡°If I may ask,¡± Erebus said, ¡°If it ever hatches, please let me know. I would love to see what is inside.¡± She returned his look with a nod, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure to introduce you,¡± She said, carefully folding the cloth over the egg. She didn¡¯t dare digitize it and store it, who knows what could happen. Instead, she brought her hand up to her heart, ¡°With this our deal is complete besides the ongoing contractual responsibilities.¡± He grinned, ¡°It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Queen of Villains.¡± ¡°I can most certainly say the same, Spice King. Good luck on your conquest,¡± She said and created a portal before stepping back through it. She huffed out a breath as she appeared in the room, taking off her helmet and setting the egg down on a counter for a moment. She glanced up and spotted Mephisto relaxing on one of the beds, flipping through his phone. He looked over and sat up, grinning at her, ¡°All done?¡± ¡°All done,¡± Ishtar said and stepped towards him, ¡°You know this has been the longest-¡± Numbness washed over her face for a moment, it spread down her body and towards her feet. She staggered and dropped to a knee, gasping for breath as the sensation faded. Mephisto was at her side in an instant. She felt dizzy, her head hurt but it was also strangely¡­ quiet. She blinked and looked up at Mephisto, ¡°Mirror! Now!¡± She barked. Mephisto hopped to his feet and ran over to the vanity where he snatched up a powder clip, opening it and handing it to her. She grabbed it and looked down at her reflection. Sonya. She saw her own face but the eyes were closed in a light sleep. Sonya! She thought more fiercely. The reflection stirred and its eyes fluttered open. Sonya looked at her in confusion. I¡¯ve been in control too long. She thought and quickly relinquished control. Sonya felt herself hit the ground and blinked a few times in a daze. She sat up abruptly and looked up at a very worried looking Mephisto. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She rubbed her neck and shook off the odd sleepiness that had come over her, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± She exhaled, ¡°I think I need a nap though.¡± Chapter 142 The single light in the dark room flickered, a small hum and crackle coming from the bulb. Two hooded men stood together, speaking in hushed voices. Both of them checked their watches nearly at the same time before glancing towards a door. A heartbeat later it slid open, a third man stepping inside and shutting it behind him. His expression was grim. He crossed the room slowly, pulling out an earpiece and slipping it into his ear as he came to a stop. His hair was short and gleamed a bit silver in the dim light. Dark red eyes turned between the two men. ¡°I have an update,¡± He said quietly, ¡°Information that needs to make it back to the Headmaster.¡± The two men glanced at one another and nodded, ¡°What do you have for us, Tenure?¡± The tenured professor of the Night Society nodded and reached for a satchel slung over his shoulder. He pulled a tablet out and extended it to the two of them, ¡°Liberty put out an order just a few hours ago to begin assembling for an attack. No immediate word on the target area but I suspect it is one of the hero camps, likely the one that her sister is training at, we could be moving within the next few hours at the minimum,¡± The Professor said and one of the hooded men took the tablet, examining the text on the screen carefully. ¡°So soon! She¡¯s sending members of the round table?¡± The man holding the tablet asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Four? That¡¯s a sizeable portion of the team guarding her,¡± He added and turned to the other hooded man, ¡°What do you think? Is this our opportunity?¡± The second man crossed his arms, ¡°The Headmaster will want this information regardless, it is his decision whether or not we strike during the attack or not,¡± He began, ¡°Though something feels off, what changed that she decided to move so aggressively? A strike against the camps was something we considered but dedicating this much force to the attack comes across as overkill.¡± ¡°She wants to be certain,¡± The Professor said, ¡°The mole that she inserted into the camp has not met their deadline, they will be killed along with the rest.¡± The two hooded men looked up, ¡°A mole?¡± They looked at one another before looking back at him, the one holding the tablet glanced down at it again before looking up at him, ¡°There¡¯s no information on a mole in here, are you certain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m positive,¡± The Professor said with a callous smile. His eyes lit up with a ruby glow as he took a casual step back, ¡°She told me herself.¡± The man holding the tablet threw it to the ground and leaped back several feet, reaching for his knife, ¡°Damn it! Flicker! Get us out-¡± The second hooded man let out a garbled shriek of pain, red sparks of electricity racing over hid body as his body twitched and convulsed, his eyes rolling back into his head. He took a sudden sharp breath and seized, collapsing to the ground as whatever was keeping him elevated gave out beneath him. The first man threw his hood back revealing a middle aged man with dark hair and a mosutache, ¡°Tenure, Sir! What on earth are you thinking? This is madness! You know what she¡¯s capable of better than anyone!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point, adjunct,¡± The Professor said in a cold monotone, tilting his head to the right, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± The adjunct scowled at him as he tried to get up, his movements sluggish, like he was trying to right himself in water, ¡°How long has it been Professor?¡± The adjunct demanded. ¡°Very early,¡± The Professor said with a sigh, ¡°I kept feeding accurate but ultimately useless information to the members that sided with me,¡± He scratched his neck and tilted his head, ¡°Oh, and please call me Sir Halloway, now.¡± The door opened behind Halloway and a dozen men with guns stormed inside, raising their weapons to point them at the three men before turning their attention to focus on the two men on the ground. Flicker jolted and twitched, trying again to use his ability but only managing to cause his body to twist and bend in ways that a human¡¯s really shouldn¡¯t. He let out a cry of pain and fell onto the ground again, both legs broken and bent. He opened his mouth to scream but received a bullet in his forehead for his trouble. Halloway lowered the gun, ¡°What a noisy assassin,¡± He sighed before turning on his heel, looking away from the adjunct and bowing at his waist, ¡°My Lady.¡± ¡°Well done, Sir Halloway,¡± A cruel voice came from the doorway. A tall shadow slipped into the room, blue eyes glowing so brightly they cast a shadow over her face. She wore a suit of heavy armor that gleamed and glittered, portions of it illuminated by some strange force. In her right hand was a sword, her left, a shield. She stalked into the room with heavy footfalls that sounded more like thunder in the confined space. Her blonde hair fell down around her face as she entered the faint light. She looked down on the adjunct who stared up at her, his expression hard. ¡°That should be the last of the unaligned spies in my midst,¡± She snarled, ¡°At least in the main compound. How many does that make for my off-brand Night Society?¡± Halloway stepped back a bit and raised his hand to his heart, ¡°Thirty six agents, Leader.¡± Liberty glanced towards him but said nothing, just nodded thoughtfully. She turned back to the adjunct with a sneer before reaching down and grabbing him by the throat. She lifted him off the ground and held him there, he struggled, his weight pulling down against his spine, his eyes bulged and he reached frantically for his throat. Her lips twitched a little, ¡°How sad, an adjunct of the Night Society made to fret and scramble for his breath so easily. It seems that even the death dealers fear it in the end, how human,¡± She said coldly as she squeezed until there was a noisy pop. She dropped the corpse to the ground. She turned towards a frowning Halloway, ¡°We have enough and your betrayal will color any attempts at conversion. Better to liberate him now rather than later,¡± She sighed, putting a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. He nodded, ¡°Yes, leader.¡± She tilted her head, ¡°You¡¯ve earned your place on the Round Table, kneel, Halloway.¡± He did as instructed immediately, dropping to a knee and pressing his knuckles to the hard ground beneath him. He bowed his head as a blade rested on his shoulder. ¡°I am here to serve, Leader.¡± ¡°As it should be, you are better than those beasts out there and have finally found your rightful place. I have chosen to reward you for that, despite your heretical origin, be grateful for my mercy,¡± She intoned. He bowed his head further and she raised the sword up to rest on his other shoulder, ¡°I gain power from my followers, every one adds to my strength. I have learned a lot about my abilities, Halloway, thanks to your insights. My Round Table can be more than just titles,¡± She said proudly and a light began to gleam on her weapon, ¡°I can spread that power that I have acquired out, give it back. So I will do so with you first.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°You honor me,¡± He said as the light began to seep into his body. ¡°I dub thee Sir Halloway, Knight of my Round Table. Take now a portion of my strength and let it power your ability, become strong, and be my tool against the Pandora Committee,¡± She commanded. He looked up at her, a smile on his face, ¡°I am honored.¡± She sheathed her weapon and turned away, marching towards the door. He got to his feet as the men around him set to work cleaning up the bodies. With two quick steps he was just behind her, walking in silence. She glanced his way and then looked back at the path in front of her. The concrete buildings of the compound stretched out ahead of them as they stepped out of the alley, ¡°Come,¡± She ordered as they made their way along the path before turning on to the main route, heading towards the core building where the rest of the Round Table waited. ¡°Did you see the broadcast?¡± He asked, slipping in next to her and giving her a hard look. ¡°I did,¡± She said with a thoughtful frown before turning a cold look on Halloway, ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°While Sonya Chernovna is an annoyance she is ultimately nothing more than a pillar of the Pandora Committee and is currently at the target location, despite all public discourse to the contrary, killing her would send the Pandora Committee into a tailspin,¡± He said flatly, ¡°Ishtar is a far greater threat. She is genuinely powerful and quite real despite all evidence to the contrary,¡± He said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, ¡°She also poses a philosophical threat to your Grace.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Liberty growled, turning on him, ¡°What do you mean, Philosophical Threat?¡± ¡°I was told through a contact that it was possible that our new headmaster was put in place by Ishtar but there was nothing to genuinely prove his words, so I opted for a wait-and-see approach. Ishtar is a powerful supervillain, ma¡¯am, and she reigns over the underworld with an iron fist, keeping order and holding villains who go wild accountable but otherwise seems to preach similar tenets to your own faith,¡± Halloway said with a tap to his chin, ¡°She comes across as both more lenient and more strict in ways that are appealing.¡± ¡°She could attract potential recruits that should be going to me,¡± Liberty nodded, ¡°I see your point,¡± She crossed her arms as they walked into the building. ¡°Then I know what I need to do,¡± She said with a breath and glanced to the left, ¡°I¡¯m putting you in charge of the raid. You will attack in twelve hours.¡± Halloway blinked at her, ¡°I- Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You are to kill everyone at the camp, leave no stone unturned. There will be trainees in the dungeon there. Do your best to press it as close to breaking as possible but don¡¯t sacrifice round-table lives to do so,¡± She said with a scoff. He nodded and read between the lines, The other cultists were fine to sacrifice, though. ¡°What¡¯s our progress on Chairman Phan?¡± She asked. ¡°We¡¯re in position,¡± Halloway said with a nod, ¡°We¡¯ll move on your order.¡± ¡°Have it happen just before the attack,¡± She said, ¡°Don¡¯t leave any time to react, have we confirmed that Black Lotus is still suspended?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, her personality indicates that while she is prone to rash action when there are minor consequences on the line, the likelihood of completely losing her Hero License will hold her back from acting unless things get serious, if she is pushed, she will move,¡± Halloway said. Liberty nodded and rubbed her chin with a gauntleted finger as they walked down the carpeted path, past armored guards, ¡°I¡¯ll send Dame Kant with you to deal with her,¡± She counted on her fingers once before narrowing her eyes, ¡°Sir Ewen for Axel, his red magic will be more than enough,¡± She tilted her head, ¡°And sneak Sir Ellis in with the initial attacking wave so he can get close while pretending to be a grunt,¡± She hummed a little, ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll be optimal for dealing with Rouge if your intelligence about her abilities is correct.¡± ¡°She uses music, I¡¯m certain of it,¡± Halloway said with a nod. Liberty let out a breath, ¡°Very well, do you think that your ability will be able to accomplish what we need it to?¡± She asked, giving him a sidelong look as they reached the apex of the hall inside the main building. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, nothing will-¡± He was cut off as the doors to the outside flew open and they both glanced back towards the entryway. Halloway¡¯s lips curled with disgust as he took a step back from the monstrosity that lurched its way inside, grabbing one of the armored guards and hurling him past a stoic Liberty. The woman crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose as she watched the humanoid¡­ thing lurch to a stop and look up at her. It was nearly twenty feet tall with grayish flesh that seemed to bend and twist however it needed, perhaps he was made of some sort of clay? Liberty¡¯s lip twitched, ¡°Oscar Ferguson,¡± She sighed, ¡°You finally made it out of the hole I left you in,¡± She said, raising her eyebrows and looking down on the freak. Halloway glanced her way, ¡°You know this thing?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s technically a member,¡± She said cooly, watching the nightmarish thing twist and adjust its body to try to move in the confines of the building. The horrible misshapen man turned his head towards Liberty, his face looked like it was loosely carved from flesh and mud, it was barely human. It bore misshapen malformed teeth and bellowed, ¡°Stella! You have run your father¡¯s good name into the dirt for too long! I challenge you for leadership of the fellowship!¡± He bellowed, slamming his palms onto the ground, the entire building shook. ¡°Can he do that?¡± Halloway asked. ¡°Yes of course,¡± She muttered, stepping away from Halloway, ¡°He¡¯s a member, though I haven¡¯t called the order a fellowship in a while,¡± She said and began walking down the steps, ¡°More importantly, he¡¯s strong, so he gets a say.¡± Halloway frowned, ¡°How strong?¡± ¡°Mythic, He¡¯s the Golem,¡± Liberty said and in one smooth motion drew her sword from its sheath as she returned to the center of the room. She crossed one arm behind her back and pointed the sword in the direction of Oscar, ¡°I accept, Oscar.¡± The titanic man turned on her, his body literally coiling in preparation for the strike. ¡°STELLA!¡± He bellowed, ¡°DIE!¡± He raised his fists into the air. ¡°Halloway! Do you know the difference between Freedom and Chaos?¡± She shouted as she watched the massive man ready for his attack. ¡°No ma¡¯am! Please enlighten me!¡± He called. ¡°EVIL BITCH!¡± Ferguson roared, his body expanding in size until he could barely fit into the building before he literally threw his enormous bulk at her, his clay-like body turning into hundreds of stony spikes that gleamed like metal. She frowned as she watched the attack come towards her and lowered her sword, she sighed and held out a hand. BOOOOM! Ferguson¡¯s unsettling face frowned, sculpted eyebrows knitting together in confusion before he let out a grunt of surprise as his body was lifted into the air, one foot, two feet, then three as something beneath his massive bulk hoisted him into the air and then without ceremony threw him straight through the ceiling and outer wall of the building. He took a portion of the structure with him in a terrible crash as he hurtled through the air and landed bodily in the middle of the open square that made up the heart of the compound. He swiveled his head as his clay-like body ignored most of the impact damage, he narrowed his eyes when a shadow stepped out of the damaged main building. His eyes widened and he bellowed, ¡°STELLA!¡± He roared and threw his arms up, absorbing the ruined portions of structure beneath him and growing larger, larger, larger, increasing in size to his maximum height. He was hundreds of feet tall now, a titan of his own right. If anyone could take her- A flicker of silver light was all he saw before a wave of concussive force carved his body in half. Not even enough time for a half-sane thought as his brain, spine, and internal organs were eviscerated. Halloway hurried through the crushed front end of the building, glancing back at the now exposed main hall as other members of the round table hurried out to see what was going on. He stopped when he saw Liberty standing there, her weapon at her side and her head turned to look over her shoulder, ¡°Chaos is freedom without an ideal to uphold,¡± She said coldly and turned away from the four hundred foot tall corpse, sliding her blade into its scabbard as she stalked past him, ¡°I am your ideal,¡± She growled, ¡°Have one of the heads of construction take over disassembling the corpse and use it to rebuild the main hall. Do what you want with the rest,¡± She said. ¡°I have a broadcast to host.¡± Chapter 143 She could hear the crackling again, it¡¯d been a while. Every night was another nightmare, but at least they were tamer and tamer these days. She¡¯d been wondering when the peace would end. She let out a breath and opened her eyes. The street was decimated, lurkers everywhere, hounds darting past them in clumps as they sought out any bright sources of mana in the area. Sonya ran her fingers through her hair and looked down at her fingers. Everything was all mixed up now. Her nails were manicured and long, pink nail polish gleaming against pale near-white skin. White locks hung past her head as her eyes clicked. Why hadn¡¯t she heard them recently? Was she just putting it out of her mind? She felt the blood drip down between her fingers and splatter on the ground. Whose blood was it? She looked over her shoulder at the body laying against the wall. Ah, right. The young man who had been a trainee years ago, she¡¯d taken him under her wing as a scout. Now he lay there, a chunk of his torso crushed by a lurker¡¯s fist. ¡°Hello, little hero,¡± A cruel rasp called out behind her, sending a chill up her spine. ¡°Who?¡± She gasped, turning and looking up into a pair of glowing pink eyes that burned down at her through a faceless helmet. Her hands dropped, ¡°Oh.¡± Ishtar hung in the air in a relaxed pose, ¡°You ran after Otis next, right?¡± The Supervillain asked. Sonya¡¯s eyes shifted back a bit, but she didn¡¯t look at the body again, ¡°Yeah,¡± She said with a sullen nod, ¡°I¡¯d been chasing him for days,¡± Sonya said and fell to her knees, ¡°After he-¡± Ishtar floated down a bit, kicking her legs and resting her chin on her palms, ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened yet,¡± She said, ¡°But I think you¡¯re getting distracted.¡± ¡°Distracted?¡± Sonya barked, looking up at her, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I¡¯m adhering to the plan! I¡¯ve been training the next generation, Chunhua is on our side, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re playing house,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°We can kill her.¡± Sonya slammed her fist to the ground, ¡°You know that isn¡¯t the point! Of course we can kill her! We can kill all of them except him! Why are you even doing this? We had a great day yesterday! Made some good deals!¡± ¡°We created a monster in the middle east, pissed off First Wind, ran away, and killed a nobody, the only real progress was the broadcast,¡± Ishtar said with a scoff, ¡°In doing so I stayed in control too long, I hurt you!¡± She landed on her feet, ¡°You made a liar out of me! I promised you!¡± Sonya bit her lip, clenching her fists and fighting down the scream of frustration boiling up in her gut. She got to her feet and looked Ishtar in the eyes, ¡°What do you want from me? We both know that this is going to take time! We have to do it right!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not arguing that point,¡± Ishtar hissed, ¡°But how long are you going to pretend to be something that you aren¡¯t anymore. Chunhua has changed, she¡¯s a new person. The timeline has changed and she has been far too quiet! Stop coasting!¡± Ishtar shouted, ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up!¡± Her voice echoed as something huge roared in the distance, a building fell, and a cruel laugh filled the air as golden light bathed the sky. Sonya jerked up in her bed and blinked, her chest heaving. She clutched at her head, her temples pounding. ¡°Fuck,¡± She gasped and rubbed her eyes. She¡¯d been out for hours. Sonya glanced outside. It was still pretty dark. She checked her clock on her hud, Little while before sunrise here, should be inching close to sunset over there. She got to her feet and yawned. I need to get back. She grumbled and dragged herself over to the mirror. She stopped in front of it and stared into it, ¡°That was harsh,¡± She growled, ¡°Now you want to talk to me?¡± She asked. The face that looked back at her was her own and for once, it didn¡¯t change. She frowned and furrowed her brow, ¡°Ishtar?¡± She called and the face in the mirror flickered for a moment. For a heartbeat she saw a tired face glance up at her before turning away and closing its eyes in slumber. She huffed out a breath, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re tired,¡± She murmured and reached up to touch the mirror, running her fingers down the cool surface, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I pushed you too hard,¡± She said and let out a heavy breath as she went over what Ishtar had done in her head. Things that she should have done herself. If only- she shook her head. ¡°The job¡¯s done, let''s just go back,¡± She said with a sigh, A hasty knock came to the door and she glanced up, sensing the presence on the other side, ¡°Mephisto? Come in!¡± He slipped inside hurriedly and shut the door behind him, ¡°You need to see this,¡± He said in a rush, walking past her and turning on the TV. ¡°What?¡± She asked, following him as the screen came to life and the scowl of Liberty filled her vision. She narrowed her eyes as Liberty leaned forward on her podium. ¡°The Pandora Committee has failed again, Villains were the winners of the day in Pakistan. Make no mistake of it,¡± Liberty said, ¡°Once more the so-called Queen of Villains has swept in and dealt with the problem while making heroes look like idiots,¡± She continued, ¡°Pathetic. They go about touting their heroism while they do nothing to back up their words. The ¡®new international hero¡¯ First Wind is supposed to be some kind of problem solver, yet all he did was cause enormous property damage and disobey orders!¡± She pointed at the camera, ¡°That is what the Pandora Committee isn¡¯t telling us, he was supposed to wait for the rest of his party to arrive before dealing with the villains, but by then they would have already been too late. Incompetent!¡± Liberty barked, ¡°These are the people telling you to restrain your powers! These are the people talking about registering every light-touched and regulating you,¡± She slammed her fist on the podium, ¡°These are the people who have categorically ignored my demands to have by sister returned home!¡± ¡°Kidnappers, imbeciles, and tyrants!¡± She shouted, ¡°They¡¯ve made their bed and made their decisions, now it is time to reap the consequences,¡± She snarled and raised a fist, ¡°Freedom is for the strong! It is for those who hold to an ideal while living their lives. I can make you strong. I can protect you. And I can do what they can¡¯t and won¡¯t do,¡± She said and stood up straight, looking down on the camera, ¡°I will tear the seeds of oppression out by the root and destroy them,¡± She said before tilting her head, ¡°Is that bad for business, Ishtar?¡± Sonya took a step back as her phone rang in her head, she answered it immediately, ¡°Blackrazor, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost contact with my entire team at the main compound, they¡¯ve gone dark along with three cells,¡± He said hurriedly, ¡°You need to return, quickly!¡± She spun on her heel and gestured, creating a panel of light that distorted and bent into a portal, ¡°I¡¯m going! What other cells were lost?¡± She said, marching towards it. Why did she announce her attack so openly? Euclidia can just send reinforcements! She¡¯s got something up her sleeve, but what? She thought quickly, not noticing the faint red sparks that hid in the corners of the portal. ¡°The New York cell, the California cell, and the one monitoring the Chairman, mistress, I have never-¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya glanced back at Mephisto, ¡°Do you have everything covered here?¡± She asked. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Mephisto said breathlessly, ¡°I¡¯ll handle Erebus, go!¡± He called and hurried out the door. She turned to the portal and stepped through. Ishtar was right, I¡¯ve been- Before Sonya could complete another thought, her world turned into pain. ¡ªStolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Chunhua stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. It was odd feeling nervous about interacting with, well, anyone. Yet here she was steadying herself ahead of a conversation. She brushed her hair back over her ear and knocked twice. A small voice called from inside for her to enter and she pushed the door open. The office was humble with minimal distractions save for a few trophies and landscape paintings on the wall. Ahead of her, Carla sat at a desk and was checking something on her computer. She glanced up and smiled, ¡°Welcome Chunhua.¡± The Pandora Administrator got to her feet and extended a hand. Chunhua moved in and took it, shaking her hand, ¡°Thank you for seeing me again and for convincing the Chairman to ease the restrictions a little.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She chuckled, ¡°Least I could do,¡± She said with a breath and sat back down, gesturing for Chunhua to sit, ¡°How is Lily by the way?¡± Chunhua smiled with a bit of pride, ¡°She¡¯s certainly growing, I had my military training to fall back on when I awakened and so it took me less time to master some of my abilities. She¡¯s achieved a level of skill that would be unheard of in these few months. Still early Epic I believe,¡± She said and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, ¡°She makes up for it in versatility but she might be surprised by the growth of her friends who were already Epic to begin with..¡± Carla nodded, ¡°The Chairman is fascinated by her ability, actually moving from one tier to another.¡± Chunhua frowned a little and looked off to the side, ¡°You and I both know it¡¯s more complicated than that.¡± Carla closed her eyes and nodded, ¡°I do,¡± She said and Chunhua looked her way. ¡°You know she did it so-¡± She stopped when Carla held up a hand and shook her head. ¡°Chunhua, we shouldn¡¯t talk about this, especially not with her absent, it isn¡¯t fair,¡± She said softly, ¡°I know you¡¯re worried. I am too.¡± Chunhua bit her lip but couldn¡¯t argue the point, she let out a breath and sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry,¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°When is she getting back?¡± ¡°She was supposed to be back earlier, honestly,¡± Carla said with a sigh, rubbing her fingers together, ¡°But I haven¡¯t heard from her. Probably getting some extra rest, she went a little wild.¡± Chunhua snorted and frowned, resting her chin against her knuckles. She was still struggling with reconciling her beliefs as a hero with what was happening with Sonya. She believed in her and what she was doing, the ultimate goal, but that didn¡¯t make the collateral feel any better to her. She let out a sigh and reached back to rub her neck. She wished she had a chance to actually talk to her, but it felt like they kept missing one another. ¡° Carla gave her a sympathetic look and reached under her desk, pulling out a small bottle and two glasses. She poured out a finger in each glass and slid one over. Chunhua glanced down at the amber liquid and then up at Carla. ¡°But the meeting?¡± ¡°Are you really going to get tipsy over one shot?¡± Carla asked with a chuckle and picked up her own glass. Chunhua laughed and grabbed her glass, leaning forward and holding it up, ¡°To a certain idiot we can¡¯t help but worry about.¡± The administrator smiled and nodded, ¡°What would she do without us? Cheers,¡± They brought their glasses together and took a quick drink. It burned just the right way. Chunhua let out a sigh and relaxed as Carla turned to the computer and started typing. She glanced up at Chunhua, ¡°He¡¯s ready.¡± The hero set her glass aside and nodded, sitting up straighter as Carla turned the screen around and a video call started. A few moments later, as Carla walked around her desk to sit in the seat next to Chunhua, the Chairman appeared on the screen. He cleared his throat and graced them both with a broad smile, ¡°Ladies! Glad to hear from you!¡± He said with a boisterous laugh before growing serious, ¡°I¡¯ve been given discretionary power to oversee this matter directly. So let¡¯s talk about getting Black Lotus off the hook, shall we? Every day counts.¡± ¡ª Axel stood on the observation platform, leaning against the rail and watching as the two aspirants made their way up through the obstacle course. Val hopped over another treacherous trap with a rescue doll in his arms while Snow hurried up behind him, covering their tracks with a gesture and creating illusory obstacles to confuse the dolls that pursued them. She hopped over the obstacle as well, landing steadily and continuing to move, keeping her eyes back on the route behind them. Occasionally she would draw a small pistol from her thigh and point it at the approaching attack dolls. The pellets it fired exploded on contact, sending the attackers hurtling away. He tightened his grip on the rail, Reminds me a bit of Trigger. He thought, frowning a little. The image before him bringing him back to that first time Kingshark had made his way through his turf. Axel had been trying to get the growing gang problem under control in town with the help of the local police, then they suddenly got organized and started retaliating. It was a little scary if he was being honest. Trigger had been the biggest problem, explosions could bypass his ability to a degree and even overload it. Fighting the guy off had been hard. He watched Snow take a few more shots as they made their way up the last slope and he checked his watch. He smiled a bit as they passed the finish line, ¡°Good job you two,¡± He said, ¡°I was surprised when you said you were going for a two man group for this test but¡­¡± He trailed off as he spotted movement in the trees. He frowned, ¡°What the?¡± He muttered before glancing down at the two aspirants, ¡°You two, drop the dolls and get up here now!¡± He shouted.. Val didn¡¯t need to be told twice, he dropped the dolls and grabbed Snow by the side before launching himself into the air and landing behind Axel. Axel threw his arms up in a cross just as a bullet slammed into it. He felt the momentum of the bullet absorb into his skin and pass through and into his muscle fibers. He bore his teeth and glanced back at the two, ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± He barked. Val took a step forward and started to warm up his body rockets while Snow raised her hands in a ready pose. He would have smiled if it weren¡¯t so serious, ¡°No! You two get back to the camp, pronto. Let them know what¡¯s happening and follow orders, got it?¡± Snow hesitated, a frown creasing her features and Val opened his mouth to protest but he leveled the two of them with a glare. ¡°Now!¡± They nodded and Val knelt down, holding out his arms, ¡°We can move faster if it¡¯s just me doing the moving, Snow. That alright?¡± She nodded and hopped into his arms, ¡°No problem, let''s go,¡± She said hurriedly and he turned away, firing up the rocket in his back, feet, and elbows before launching into the air like a thrown spear. He was just a glimmer of red a moment later. Axel turned back towards the field and saw a large group of masked men and women marching towards him. He tilted his head and cracked a grin, ¡°You chose the wrong camp to attack, assholes,¡± He said, ¡°And the wrong training course to sneak in on!¡± He snatched up the tablet that controlled the training field and dialed the difficulty up to maximum, ¡°Come and get me!¡± He bellowed as the attack dolls designed by his home company sprung to life. ¡°You aren¡¯t getting anywhere near those brats!¡± ¨C The Chairman nodded slowly, listening to what the two of them had to say. While they all agreed that the restrictions needed to be formally lifted, the debate had turned to just what restrictions were really necessary for the Mythic tier heroes. The vote had codified the Vegas Act, but it had proven almost immediately to be faulty as shown at the Hague. Running in fear of a dungeon break wasn¡¯t the way, but he had his own points to make himself. ¡°While I agree with you on some points, you have to understand that the threat of a dungeon break is an incredible deterrent. No one wants to set off a possible chain reaction by sending multiple mythics to a strike zone,¡± He said flatly, ¡°There¡¯s no way to actively limit a mythic¡¯s output either without simply getting their word that they¡¯re holding back.¡± Chunhua nodded, No way except getting Ishtar to do it, which would never happen. She thought with a frown and leaned back in her seat, ¡°Then at least administrators like Miss Mint here should be allowed to give a Mythic the go order,¡± Chunhua urged, ¡°I don¡¯t want another Hague.¡± ¡°None of us do, which is why we¡¯re talking about this,¡± The Chairman said and rubbed his chin, ¡°At any rate we¡¯re getting distracted,¡± He said with a huff and put his hand on the table, ¡°For now let¡¯s focus on what we can do in the immediate, yes?¡± He said and typed something into his computer before tapping a few more keys and grabbing his tablet and a stylus, ¡°Let¡¯s get that suspension lifted fully. As I said earlier, there¡¯s only a few days left on it but I¡¯d rather get you active sooner rather than later.¡± Chunhua let out a breath, ¡°Thank you sir.¡± He smiled at her, ¡°Your work is appreciate-¡± He paused and glanced up, frowning, ¡°Excuse me? What are you talking about, where?¡± He demanded as he got to his feet. A chill ran up Chunhua¡¯s spine and Carla leaned forward, ¡°Chairman?¡± Carla called, ¡°Chairman, what''s happening?¡± Something loud rang out in the background of the call and then it went dark. ¡°Chairman?¡± Carla shouted, ¡°Chairman!¡± ¨C Pain. For a heartbeat, Sonya¡¯s world was pain as she hit the ground, skidding across something hard. She let out a cry and rolled onto her side, her body twitching and flinching as sparks skittered across her skin. She gasped and her eyes shot open, the pain starting to subside. She coughed and curled up on herself for a moment, taking a few steadying breaths. What the hell was that? She thought, wheezing and rolling over onto her arm. Her fingers found smooth ground beneath them. She blinked and looked around, panic rising in her gut, ¡°Where the hell am I? Where¡¯s the camp?¡± She was standing in a room of some kind. Every wall was made out of either white or gray stone or some variation thereof. Every surface was ridiculously smooth. She frowned, I don¡¯t know any places like this. Her hud flashed and she glanced at it. Chapter 144 v2 This wasn¡¯t a trap, this wasn¡¯t a space created by liberty¡¯s cronies, this wasn¡¯t some trick or nonsense or anything like that. This place was very, very real. What¡¯s worse, Sonya knew exactly where she was. She hadn¡¯t wanted to believe it for the first few minutes of wandering the endless halls, running at top speed. Yet the more she traveled and the stranger this place became to her eyes, the more she had to accept it. I¡¯m in the Backrooms, the place that Non-Euclidian travels through. Whatever happened, it happened while I was in the process of teleporting. No other explanation. A god damned coincidence. She wasn¡¯t even sure if it was possible to leave even if the cooldown on her disabled ability ended. That thought alone drove her to keep looking, to keep searching through the endless blank halls that changed every time she turned a corner. Sometimes they looked like the corridors of an office building, other times they were that eerie white-gray stone, and others they looked like something far older. Something ancient. Ancient and empty. Not a soul, not a trace of anything living. She was alone here and with Ishtar silent and resting she didn¡¯t even have anyone to bounce her ideas off of. So she ran, and ran, and ran, flying where she could. Every ounce of power put into speed to explore every inch she could traverse, searching for something more than the tireless madness of this place. Tch. Sonya clicked her tongue as she rounded another corner and found nothing but a seemingly endless hallway stretch out ahead of her. She hovered in the air for a moment, fuming, and glanced back over her shoulder. Do I double back? She swore and checked the clock on non-Euclidians reactivation. Only an hour had gone by since the power had been shorted out by whatever the hell kind of force had acted upon it. Like hell I¡¯m staying here for twelve fucking hours. I need to get back. She looked up at the ceiling and held her hand out, a steady beam of hardened light lancing out from her fingertips and crashing into the surface. She held it for several seconds, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration before she released it and dropped her hand to her side. She spat on the ground. No damage whatsoever. Whatever this place was, it was resilient. It was also impossible. The angles, the shapes of the rooms, where the rooms led. None of them made any sort of rational sense. She could walk into one room, turn a corner into another, and then again and find herself in a space that was entirely different from the one she¡¯d started in. And everything is just¡­ white stone. If I wasn¡¯t pressed for time I¡¯d appreciate the post-modern aesthetic but seriously! I can barely make heads or tails of where I¡¯m going. She pressed her lips together, I could call up a few Legionnaires, send them out in different directions. But would I be able to get to them if they found an exit? She scratched her head. She¡¯d heard of some pretty impressive abilities but this was far beyond that. The world around her was vast and painfully real and she got the sneaking suspicion that the backrooms were some kind of dungeon. Which also doesn¡¯t make any sense, I didn¡¯t enter a dungeon portal, I entered my portal. She drew herself up and zipped down the new hallway, her eyes scanning her surroundings for anything that seemed even reasonably like an exit or a new sort of path. She was only half-way down when something else caught her attention, a feeling of something else moving in her immediate vicinity, and moving fast. She snarled and spun, throwing her hands out and forming a panel of light just in time for claws to snap out in her direction. The bladed limbs collided with her barrier and instead of stopping, pushed. She let out a gasp as the force of the collision sent her hurtling through the air before crashing into a wall. ¡°G-ah!¡± She gasped, pain racing up her spine. She created a berry in her mouth and quickly chewed as she scrambled to her feet. Her eyes snapped around, searching for the source of the attack but there was nothing there. What? A thrill of sensation spiked in her mind and she threw herself forward, spinning and blocking with both arms as a pair of scythe-like limbs swept together, spindly arms extending out from within the white plaster-like wall. The surface of the wall rippled like water while something inside it shrieked in displeasure before retracting stick limbs ending in dozens of long thin blades. She panted and wiped her upper lip before examining her arms. Small cuts adorned her usually impervious skin. Sonya swore, ¡°I can¡¯t be wasting my time here!¡± she shouted and lifted herself off the ground with her flight power before resuming her charge down the hallway. ¡°What if something happens at the camp? They¡¯ve got to be in deep shit by now.¡± She felt another rush of movement and dove this time, sliding across the ground and rolling once before hopping to her feet, the claw-like limb of whatever it was had reached out of the ceiling this time and was already retreating. She threw her hand out and a chain of light attached itself to the creature''s wrist. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± she bellowed and pulled, yanking it and the rest of the monstrosity out of the wall. It slipped out and¡­ kept slipping out. Soon a creature so large it barely fit in the hallway was crammed in there with her. It had long, spindly legs and a tube-shaped body that was about as long as a man was tall. The legs were so grotesquely long that they bent at several segments as it struggled to right itself in a space that was too small for its limbs. Its forearms were those same bladed hands while its face was nothing more than a lamprey head, rows of razor sharp teeth in rings. Her lips curled back in disgust. Definitely not some kind of ability. Is this really a dungeon? This place just doesn¡¯t feel like a dungeon. It¡¯s like a real place. Can they be one and the same? ¡°Anyway,¡± she rumbled, setting aside the existential confusion this place was causing and pointed her finger at the creature, ¡°Now that I can see you¡­¡± It coiled its limbs just as she gestured at it, the folding segments making its body small enough to get into some modicum of a standing position. It let out a shriek of rage just as she released a narrow ray of light, the beam puncturing it from mouth to end. For good measure she created a dozen blades around it as well, clenching her fist and carving it to pieces. The meaty chunks landed on the ground in a stinking pile as black ichor spilled out around it. She wrinkled her nose at the remains and turned away, gotta keep moving. Hang on guys.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Another half-hour went by without any good fortune, she was attacked twice more by creatures much like the first before she finally stumbled upon something new. An archway that led into an open space filled with, for lack of a better word to her mind, junk. Old wooden tables and chairs were scattered about everywhere and chunks of wood were piled up in corners. There were a few bits of stone furniture as well but it looked like it was made of something that had been dug up rather than out of the same material the place was made from. She counted the furniture, ¡°Some kind of dining hall?¡± she said aloud, walking inside. She rubbed her neck as she looked around, ¡°Dammit Ishtar, would you wake up already?¡± she grumbled only to get that same cavernous silence in response. She sighed and marched over to one side of the room, lifting up one of the tables and peeking at the wood. Her senses and cybernetic brain told her that the wood had to be ancient but somehow it was still intact, if not completely unweathered. She sniffed and tasted the air. No humidity at all, no wind, nothing. I suppose it makes sense that this stuff would take forever to decay. More importantly, the wood was pine. Genuine pine wood. Not some strange alien species of tree. Someone¡¯s been here before? Who? She shook her head, Stop getting distracted. She walked past the table and searched for something, anything else to give her an idea of how to get out of here. She needed a route to take. She searched the piles of wood and bits of stone furniture until she stumbled upon the sole piece of metal present besides the nails that held the tables and chairs together. It was a disk, smooth as a pearl and perfectly round. It was just an inch or so smaller than a compact disk. She turned it over in her hand and tried to examine it with her senses but got nothing out of it save for a familiar feeling. ¡°It¡¯s receptive to mana,¡± Sonya said thoughtfully and frowned, ¡°Great, I¡¯m talking to myself again,¡± she tilted her head up, ¡°Ishtar I could really use some company here!¡± Still nothing, damn it, she thought, scratching her head and turning the disk over. There was no way of knowing what the thing did, it could be a bomb for all she knew. On the flip side it could just as easily be some manner of clue to help her navigate this maddening place. She¡¯d been flying at breakneck speeds for almost two hours now and she was growing tired of the maze. She needed to take drastic measures if she was going to get back before things grew any worse. She steeled herself, Nothin¡¯ to lose, everything to gain. Using magic tools wasn¡¯t difficult, she¡¯d used plenty in her past life and had a few eclectic items she¡¯d acquired from a small selection of dungeons either she or the ASTA guild had conquered. One in particular was a doll from a cavern filled with goblins. The doll was capable of creating a temporary illusion of oneself that would move freely in one direction while rendering the user invisible and allowing them to move elsewhere. The illusion was simple and could break down easily, but even seconds could save a life. It was a shame it would only respond to mana once a week otherwise she¡¯d keep it on her person more often. Also it¡¯s kind of ugly and hard to hide, she thought with mild irritation. Regardless, she held out the disk and concentrated. The most basic instinct of using ones abilities was the innate knack for drawing mana into the body to supplement the use of ones powers. Normally it was just a matter of using ones ability and the draw would happen naturally, acting on one¡¯s stamina. It was involuntary. The trick to using an object like this was to, essentially, breathe manually. It wasn¡¯t the same as Chunhua or Lillian¡¯s cultivation methods where they could pull it in, store it, and convert it into growing power though. That required a deeper framework and an innate ability as far as she was aware. Draw it in, push it out, she thought as she felt mana move through her body like an odd tingling through her muscles. It exited her fingers and the sensation faded. For a moment, nothing happened. Hmm? Oh come on- The disk flashed, light rising from its surface in a narrow disk of its own before slowly parting at one side. The ribbon that formed slowly shrank until it was the width of her finger, pointing back towards the door she¡¯d entered through. ¡°Aha!¡± She laughed, ¡°A compass! Woo! Go Sonya!¡± she shouted, throwing a fist into the air. She stopped half-way through her celebration and sobered herself. If I have time to be joking around, I have time to be moving, she grumbled as she made her way to the door. She hurried out and checked the light hovering over the disk again, it had clearly moved to point in a new direction. I wonder where it¡¯s taking me. She kicked off the ground and pulled herself into the air, levitating once more before launching down the hallway with renewed vigor. Every thought in her head was focused on the camp, on getting back, on doing anything she could to throw a wrench into what Liberty had come up with. Her immediate instinct was to just show up and start blasting things, but she knew better. If she suddenly showed up in full regalia that would raise a lot of questions. It wasn¡¯t like the location of the camp was a big secret anymore, but why would someone like Ishtar bother to get involved? Just to interfere with Liberty? She shook her head, No, if I need to come up with a logical explanation for her to be there then it¡¯s better that Ishtar remains in the background, she tried to think rationally even as tiny moments of panic kept worming their way into the back of her mind. What if her people are too much to handle for them? What if Chunhua holds back too much, what if- she grit her teeth, her heart pounding even faster than before. I am never letting myself get in this kind of shit situation again! She promised herself as she accelerated down the latest hallway. The hallways wound and twisted, she passed more strange rooms that she ignored in favor of expediency. She needed to follow this arrow to its destination and make new plans from there. She didn¡¯t know when whatever Liberty was scheming would take place but the longer she spent in here the less time she would be with the others and offering what aid she could. She needed to move, faster, faster! She was like a streak of form rather than a person as she darted around one corner after another, sometimes quite literally smashing through one of the spindly monsters that appeared to attempt to entrap her. She ignored them, solely focused on her destination. Come on, come on come on come on! She thought, trying harder and harder to quell the rising panic. Give me something! She furiously pushed harder, wishing she could turn into a streak of light like Marta, wishing she could teleport, wishing there was some way she could- She paused. There. She felt it but she couldn¡¯t believe it for a moment. She needed to be sure. She darted around the latest in a thousand corners. Up a set of stairs and panning to the right. The strange hall opened into another passage. She slid to a stop, catching her breath and waited to feel that sensation one more time. Her hair shifted a little, a fragment of movement, a breeze. Wind. Chapter 145 v2 He lowered his hand and examined the readout from the dungeon, the changes were starting to take effect. It was so interesting. He had only used a few of his cheats and the features of his ability. They were all he needed and the others seemed so pointless when he¡¯d first acquired them. What more did he need than to be invincible? He frowned a little, Clearly much more, he thought as he remembered the pain of being blown nearly to pieces by a self-destructing An Set. He raised the hand that had regrown and flexed it a little. He glanced up at the dungeon again, The monsters will respawn faster now and its drawing in more mana. I¡¯ve uncapped it so it shouldn¡¯t burst at least. He chuckled, he didn¡¯t really care whether or not it was forcibly altering a ¡®natural¡¯ process of the dungeon. In fact, I wonder what could happen if it just keeps filling up. Maybe the reward will get better? He paused, Oh, weren¡¯t the scouting trainees inside? Oh well. He snorted and turned away to look at the young woman leaning against a tree nearby. She frowned at him and sighed when he gestured for her to come to him. ¡°Jessica,¡± He said with a wide smile, ¡°How have your powers been developing?¡± She stared deadpan at him, ¡°Well enough, I¡¯ve kept pace with the Nashville team,¡± She said and crossed her arms, ¡°Why?¡± He pursed his lips, ¡°That¡¯s not good enough,¡± He said and she narrowed her eyes before taking a momentary step back, ¡°I want to try something, if you¡¯ll indulge me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t,¡± She said, pulling her arms closer to her chest only to freeze when he leveled a cold stare on her. Her face went pale and her knees buckled once, ¡°Please?¡± She asked, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be your guinea pig.¡± ¡°That ship has sailed,¡± He said with a his and snapped his arm out, grabbing her by her throat. He tilted his head to the right, ¡°I¡¯m going to make you strong enough to deal with that Cassiopeia girl, whether you like it or not. Liberty has the right idea in this case, surprising for an idiot like her,¡± He said with a snarl as she coughed and squeaked, trying to pry his fingers off of her throat, ¡°Stop struggling, it¡¯ll only hurt for a moment.¡± He drew on his powers, his eyes widening as a smile cracked his face in half. ¡°Let¡¯s try it out!¡± He cackled and activated the cheat. She let out a scream of anguish as pale white shocks of energy ripped through her body. She convulsed, her arms falling limp and her head bucking as the energy tore through every cell in her body. When he was done, he let her go and she collapsed face-first to the ground. He tapped the side of her head with his boot but she didn¡¯t stir. Still breathing though, I suppose that¡¯s good enough. He scoffed. He glanced towards the trees, ¡°Not watching today either, probably preparing for the exam ahead. Ignorant thing,¡± He muttered only to pause as two presences approached. He narrowed his eyes until two of the aspirants he had brought in as lackeys came into view. They paused when they saw Jessica. His eyes narrowed. And this is what I get for being careless. He grumbled, ¡°What is it?¡± They blinked a few times and looked away from her. The first opened his mouth and was about to say something when the second cut in, ¡°We spotted a group of people wearing masks heading this way, sir,¡± He said, ¡°They¡¯re heavily armed.¡± ¡°Isaac tried to teleport to you but his ability¡¯s on the fritz,¡± The first added quickly. ¡°He¡¯s unconscious.¡± He frowned at them for a moment before glancing over at Jessica, ¡°Ah, I see what¡¯s happening. It looks like she took too long,¡± He tilted his head, ¡°The camp is under attack. That works for me,¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°Sir what happened to¨C¡± Otis accessed his cheats and called a gun to his hand. He turned his weapon on the two young men and fired off two quick shots. Both of them dropped like sacks of meat to the ground. He wrinkled his nose and walked over to them, he kicked each to make sure they were dead. Stupid things, shouldn¡¯t ask questions like that. More trouble than your pathetic abilities were worth. He thought before pausing and chuckling, Oh, Liberty, now look what you did! He turned towards Jessica, ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t have time to rest,¡± He said aloud and walked over to her, kneeling down and grabbing her by the face. ¡°Let¡¯s try stat modification next,¡± He chuckled, ¡°Rise and shine!¡± Golden energy crackled across her body as all of her muscles contracted once before she threw her head back in an anguished scream. He released her face and got to his feet, brushing his hands off, ¡°Get up,¡± He snarled. She stared up at the canopy of trees for a moment, tears in her eyes as her chest rose and fell. She looked at him, her pupils tiny with terror. He sneered, ¡°The camp is under attack, we¡¯ve lost two already,¡± He said, mocking sympathy and gestured to the two corpses behind him. She sat up and brought her hands to her mouth before retching and looking away, he sniffed, ¡°Come on now, you¡¯re a killer aren¡¯t you?¡± He said and took a step towards her. ¡°But they-¡± ¡°Were loose ends and unreliable,¡± He corrected before she could continue, ¡°Now, as I said, the camp is under attack, by your old owner if I had to guess,¡± He said with a shrug. She coughed and looked up at him, ¡°B-but I- I haven¡¯t had enough time to get close! I finally set up my cover and-¡± ¡°And there¡¯s your problem, glacially slow,¡± He said with a shrug, ¡°You forget that winter can onset suddenly,¡± He continued, ¡°Now get up, we¡¯re going to join the others back at camp.¡± She pulled herself up, stumbling a little at how fast she rose. She blinked and looked down at her hands, ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°Made some improvements,¡± He said callously, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± She bowed her head, ¡°N-no sir.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think so,¡± He said, ¡°You and I are going to pretend like we know nothing about the attack and return separately. Follow any orders given,¡± He said and waved her away. She straightened a little before nodding and darting into the trees. He watched her go before turning back to the corpses, ¡°A little close to the portal,¡± He said thoughtfully and walked over to grab both of them, ¡°Lets put you somewhere a bit more entertaining, might as well get some use out of you. A good timewaster before my heroic arrival.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He snickered, ¡°Today¡¯s the day! I gotta hand it to you, Liberty! You really do make an excellent unwitting subordinate!¡± He laughed as he walked into the trees and disappeared. ¨C ¡°Everyone! Please remain calm and move in an orderly fashion!¡± Chunhua shouted, waving her hands towards the common building. ¡°Please follow Miss Chernovna, she will lead you to the bunker! The security force will be occupying the bunker, make sure to listen to their instructions!¡± She continued as aspirants raced past her. She was counting them as fast as she could but even with those she likely missed there were far too few accounted for. She turned her attention to the small gathering of instructors who had moved to line up in front of the common building. Axel isn¡¯t back yet, she thought and glanced over her shoulder towards the common building, Madame Rouge hasn¡¯t come out either. What is she waiting for? She frowned as she looked back to those who remained. There were three of them. Bedrock was a peak-epic earth elementalist, a solid combatant but better with creating defenses than direct attacks. He¡¯d been brought in alongside Axel from Marion Corporation. Next to them were Crowley and Canis, both of them utilized animals and animal-like abilities. They¡¯d come from ASTA. It irritated her that instructors of actual consequence hadn¡¯t shown up from the other corporations who had insisted on poaching students from the camp at the beginning. She let out a sigh and spotted a pair of familiar faces. ¡°Alex!¡± she shouted over the din of confused aspirants. Some were loudly wondering where reinforcements were. The hero-in-training ran up and slid to a stop alongside his friend, Greg. The gravity using aspirant who had been distinguishing himself a lot over the past few weeks. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of your group?¡± she asked quickly. ¡°Snow is right behind us,¡± he said, ¡°Val is grabbing John.¡± She furrowed her brows, ¡°Where¡¯s Lillian?¡± ¡°Lillian is still in the dungeon,¡± A new addition to their conversation said. She turned to see the young mentee of Madame Rouge rush over. Ollie¡¯s chest was heaving. This is why you don¡¯t skip conditioning, kid, she thought, ¡°The entire scout team is with her.¡± Alex and Greg stared at him before turning to Chunhua. She frowned and looked back at the three heroes who were lined up. She could already hear gunfire in the distance. Lillian, damn it. How many aspirants are still out there? She reached up and tapped her earpiece, ¡°Amos?¡± <¡°I¡¯m here, you staying put?¡±> he asked. She clicked her tongue, understanding what he was getting at, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a move if necessary, suspension be damned,¡± she said, ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m contacting you.¡± <¡±Sonya won¡¯t like that,¡±> Amos said. ¡°Sonya isn¡¯t my boss, Amos, she¡¯d do the same anyway so I don¡¯t want to hear it from her,¡± she growled, ¡°How are we doing?¡± <¡±...I¡¯ve set plenty up, but no one anticipated whatever the hell this is interfering with getting reinforcements. The guards at the gates were hit with a surprise attack too, pretty sure they¡¯re all dead at this point.¡±> She swore and rubbed the bridge of her nose, squinting over her fingers at the pair of young men who were staring at her intently. She knew what they were thinking and it was stupid and reckless. They weren¡¯t licensed. She shouldn¡¯t allow it. She should send them back but¡­ Damn it, Sonya, you¡¯re rubbing off on me. She looked past them towards the other members of their little group that had gathered, a little surprised to see Cassiopeia among them, ¡°I¡¯ve got orders for you guys,¡± she said, ¡°Do you think you can make it to that dungeon in one piece?¡± Alex and Greg both visibly relaxed before nodding to her, determination in their eyes. ¡°We¡¯re on it. We¡¯ll get her out of there,¡± Greg said. She returned his nod, ¡°Get moving and-¡± BOOM! She threw up her arms just in time for a wave of dust and debris to wash over her and the others, she raised her head, ¡°Go! Now!¡± she bellowed as the steady pops of automatic weapons began drawing nearer. She squinted through the cloud and spotted a solitary figure kneeling amidst it all. As the young aspirants raced off, she hurried over to the man¡¯s side and dropped to a knee. ¡°Axel!¡± she grabbed his shoulder, ¡°Axel are you alright?¡± He looked up at her wearily, bags under his eyes. Blood dripped from his lips and nose. His skin looked rippled in places as if he¡¯d been hit by some kind of wave. He coughed and doubled over, his chest heaving with the effort. He looked like he was about to say something when a flash of red light caught her attention. She moved on instinct, whipping out her sword to deflect the incoming attack. The luminous arrow struck her sword with a crack of sound before darting off into a distant tree, rending in half. She pulled Axel to his feet and he slumped onto her shoulder, more arrows came from across the field, bolts that she quickly parried. Soon they came in like a storm and she threw her head to the side, ¡°One of you three get him inside, now!¡± she bellowed. He¡¯s not breathing. Shit! With a quick flash of movement, Canis, a woman in her twenties with a mess of brown hair and lupine yellow eyes darted in and scooped Axel up into her arms. Just as quickly she raced away and Chunhua got into a fighting stance, taking a moment to tap her earpiece again as she watched a small horde of mask-wearing cultists race in her direction. Some distance behind them she saw a trio walking at a much slower gait. One held a glowing red bow in his hands. Her lips thinned and dipped into a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m getting out of helping, Amos.¡± <¡°I¡¯ve got some dolls on your way and I¡¯m activating the turrets. I don¡¯t see any more aspirants coming in,¡±> he said quickly, <¡±It¡¯s bad, besides the scout kids and the nashville brats, we¡¯re still missing a good number of them.¡±> She clicked her tongue and shot a glance towards the other two heroes who were standing at the ready. Crowley can control birds. ¡°Crowley! Bedrock! Get over here!¡± she shouted as she moved over to stand dead center in the courtyard. The two of them ran over and she gave them only a cursory look before speaking, ¡°Crowley, you¡¯re on task to find the missing Aspirants. I told Greg¡¯s group to get to the dungeon and help secure it. They¡¯re some of the best we¡¯ve got so they¡¯ll be fine.¡± Crowley, a thin man with a bowler cap on his head leaned on a heavy-looking cane and nodded sharply. She turned to Bedrock, ¡°You¡¯re our wall. If they¡¯re strong enough to deal that kind of damage to Axel then putting you out on the frontlines is pointless. No offense. I want you to turn the common building into a fortress and stay put,¡± she commanded, ¡°No one gets in without Doctor Carter confirming them, understood?¡± He hesitated, ¡°...aren¡¯t you suspended? That just leaves you.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s what they want. They¡¯re bringing this much force to bear to force me to act,¡± Chunhua said and drew her sword, ¡°I suppose I should accept their invitation.¡± ¡°They¡¯re trying to get you expelled from the committee!¡± the dark-haired elementalist shouted. She rounded on him and scowled, ¡°Damn the license,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m a Hero not a functionary! I will do what I have to. If it means losing my license to protect those kids in there, so be it,¡± she rumbled and pointed towards the common building, ¡°If you stay out here, you¡¯re going to get killed. Go.¡± He clenched his fists but nodded and the two men darted off. Crowley raced towards the trees in the opposite direction of the path leading towards the dungeon while Bedrock raced through the doors and into the common building. A heartbeat later the ground began to shake beneath her feet and walls of stone began to rise up around the building, encasing it in literal bedrock. She let out a sigh and drew her sword, pointing it in the direction of the oncoming crowd and their agents. She set her jaw and readied her sword. No backing down now. Chapter 146 v2 Chunhua took each breath slowly, power rising up through her nostrils and spreading out into her body. She felt it gather at her core and spread back out into the cycle of internal energy within her meridians. Each pathway carried strength where it needed to go, each passing second she felt her power build. She let the breath out and her strength stabilized. This will do for now, she thought before tapping her earpiece. ¡°Amos.¡± <¡±I¡¯m ready,¡±> he said, <¡±Do me a favor and drag it out a bit, will you? Those three are probably part of her inner circle or whatever she calls it. Sonya and the Pandora Committee are gonna want footage of their powers. Might give us an idea of what we¡¯re dealing with if there¡¯s more out there.¡±> She lowered her hand to her side and focused on the approaching force of masked soldiers, ¡°Understood.¡± A storm of footsteps came to a stop, the sounds of guns arming as hundreds of barrels were pointed her way. She stood up straighter, keeping her sword at her side. Instead of attacking right away she drew in a breath and used an insignificant portion of her internal energy to broadcast her voice even as she focused her senses on her surroundings, listening for any idle chit-chat that might give her an edge. ¡°I am Black Lotus!¡± she shouted, ¡°You are trespassing in a restricted area! Lay down your weapons and submit to arrest!¡± No one moved. She frowned, ¡°Worth a try.¡± Amos chuckled in her ear, <¡±You heroes are hilarious.¡±> Your inner villain is showing, she thought darkly. Fixing her gaze on the trio that was approaching from the rear. She readjusted her grip on her sword as a portion of the attackers spread out down the middle, making way for the three suspected members of Liberty¡¯s inner circle. Two of them appeared to be dragging some kind of load behind them, she couldn¡¯t quite make it out with the dimming light. Her eyes narrowed, what are they dragging- She clenched her teeth. <¡±...Hey, take a breath,¡±> Amos said quickly. ¡°You¡­¡± she snarled. <¡±...easy, you know they¡¯re doing it this way on purpose. Calm down, Black Lotus.¡±> She felt tears sting her eyes as rage tried to create a cavern in her chest. It took every ounce of training and self discipline not to lash out, not to explode, not to set aside all compunctions and turn this campground into a bloodbath. Even so, mastering herself in that moment was one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life. The trio came to a stop just at the edge of the crowd of masked men and women who formed back up behind them. She looked at each of them in turn, barely able to contain herself as she memorized their features. A thin man was on the left, his lanky frame adorned with what she could only describe as monks robes or an exercise outfit. He had bells tied to his ankles that rang with each step. His eyes were wide, manic, and his smile dripped with barely suppressed desire for violence. Opposite him was another man, he carried a bow slung over his shoulder. His expression was a bit more relaxed, his eyes glowing with ruby-red light. In the middle was a young woman, while the other two were relatively clean, she was haggard and withdrawn, her eyes sunken and her face filled with scorn. Yet that wasn¡¯t what arrested Chunhua about her. She was a cultivator. Chunhua could feel it. The internal energy cycling in the woman¡¯s body. She finally forced herself to turn her attention to what they had been dragging with them. Bodies. The thin man tilted his head a bit, bending at the waist so he could meet her gaze as she looked down at the ankle gripped in his hand. ¡°See something you like?¡± he snickered. He looked down at the anke in his hand and the foot attached to it before looking up at her. He held his hand over his mouth as if to say ¡®oops!¡¯. ¡°Oh! You want this?¡± he asked and wrenched the body up before hurling it to her feet. The corpse of an aspirant rolled across the ground before stopping, lifeless. She looked down at the bloody face, stricken with horror, the wounds were terrible. Like the poor thing¡¯s flesh had been rippled and torn, the chest caved in. ¡°Well, well, well, well, WELL! Isn¡¯t this a goddamn flip!¡± the thin man laughed, slapping his thigh and sauntering a few steps forward as she stared at the body, ¡°Here I was thinkin¡¯ we¡¯d have to fight our way through those nobody prick instructors to get to you. You owe me money, Sir Ewen.¡± She flicked her gaze up at the kempt man with the red eyes. Her pulse pounding in her ears. He didn¡¯t have the temerity to toss a corpse at her feet, instead he simply dumped it on the ground next to him as if forgetting to toss out a wrapper. ¡°It seems I do, Sir Ellis. I¡¯m sorry to have doubted you,¡± he said and walked up to stand next to his compatriot, ¡°You know, if word gets out that you were the one who blocked our path, that could land you in some hot water, Black Lotus. Aren¡¯t you suspended? Did you get a taste of rebellion back at the Hague or something?¡± She ground her teeth, ¡°You¡­ killed them.¡± Sir Ewen furrowed his brow, ¡°Obviously. That¡¯s what we were sent here to do after all,¡± he said with a shrug. He paused and scratched his nose, ¡°Oh, actually, we¡¯re really only here for one person. I suppose if you hand them over then we could just leave?¡± The haggard woman scowled at him, ¡°That wasn¡¯t the plan,¡± she hissed. He turned and frowned at her, ¡°Learn to read the room a little. You know Liberty really just wants her sister back, the rest of ¡®em will die sooner or later anyway. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Chunhua closed her eyes, willing herself to find some measure of calm. She opened them and looked down at the body at her feet. There were fifty young people who signed on to become heroes at this camp. Fifty. She sheathed her sword and the two men took a step forward just as she vanished. She appeared next to Ewen and turned to look him in the eyes before reaching down and picking up the boy he¡¯d tossed to the ground. Before he could react she was back where she had been standing before. She picked the other boy up and slung both of them over her shoulders before vanishing again with a push off the ground. She returned only after leaving them laying next to the doors of the main building. ¡°Ryan Stone, Darell Knight,¡± she said, the names sending an ache through her chest. It didn¡¯t matter if they weren¡¯t the most famous of the aspirants or the most distinguished. It didn¡¯t matter at all. They¡¯d stepped up, signed on, and even as things got tougher at the camp they¡¯d stayed on. They were prepared to put their lives on the line to do some good in this world. To her, it was all that mattered. Ellis tilted his head to the right, his wild eyes staring at her in confusion even as Ewen¡¯s expression went dark. ¡°...who?¡± Chunhua exploded into motion, a single step carrying her the brief distance between herself and the robe-wearing maniac. She brought her sword up in a diagonal arc, intending to cleave him from hip to shoulder if she could. Her capacity for mercy was gone. Here, they¡¯d find none. A sudden gleam of red light from below preceded a physical column of red light that absorbed the force of her strike, a shock racing through it that nearly shattered the construct as Ellis took a startled step back. She took another step and was behind him, driving a foot towards his spine. The wild man whipped his head towards her with a laugh and vanished as her foot passed through where his body should have been. ¡°Fire! Open fire! She¡¯s a Mythic, don¡¯t hold back!¡± Ewen shouted as Chunhua kicked off the ground again, darting towards the main building as the rapid cracks of automatic weapons going off began to fill the air. She landed half way between the main building and the dojo, darting towards her on-again-off-again home and around it, looking to disappear for a moment from their sight. ¡°Amos?¡± she called. <¡±All systems go!¡±> A loud mechanical whirring rose up from the main building. She turned in time to see parts of the roof rise up in the form of cylinders that sprouted long metal tubes. The turrets swiveled and leveled their cannons on the gathered cultists before unceremoniously returning fire, a hail of bullets raining down on the raiders as Chunhua rounded the back of the dojo. Shouts and screams joined the chorus of gunfire. Now. She pushed off the earth into a leap, hurtling into the sky and pivoting her body, internal energy gathered at her feet and she pushed again the air becoming momentarily solid beneath her feet. She drew her sword once more only to spot the tell-tale flash of red light from Ewen¡¯s ability, an arrow of red light already moving to intercept her. Tch, she spun, flipping over once before landing on the ground and kicking off again. She ignored the bullets flying over her head, paid no mind to the scattering cultists as they sought cover. One hundred- Ding~ Ding~ Bells? The impact was so sudden that Chunhua barely had enough time to even comprehend what hit her. The palm-strike sending a rippling wave of sonic power through her side and chest before lifting her off the ground and sending her sprawling. Her head hit the ground and her vision swam just long enough for her to roll onto her back. When it cleared the wild eyes of Ellis were looking down at her, palm already moving down to follow up his attack. She cursed and rolled again, dodging a blow that left a crater in the ground beneath his palm. In the distance she heard something pop, a briefly lived flash of light following it. She didn¡¯t have time to think about it, though.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He barked out a laugh and she pushed up with her hands, twisting her body once into a sweeping kick that he leaped over. He drove his palms down at her again and she shoved against the ground, this time with enough force to get her to her feet. She swayed left and right, avoiding his next two palm strikes before he took another step and the sound of bells filled her ears again and he vanished from sight. She spun, letting instinct guide her and raised her sword, catching his next strike as a flare of red bloomed in the corner of her eyes. She threw her head back, the arrow scraping across the tip of her nose as Ellis took a step backwards and disappeared again with that tell-tale chiming of bells. Sound based move- she didn¡¯t even have time to think as he came in again, laughing wildly as palm-strikes were traded out for a series of kicks, her sword moved in response. Head, kidney, knee, shoulder, shoulder, head, she gave ground, letting him push her back. He¡¯s moving me towards Ewen. A thrill went up her spine, an instinctive reaction she¡¯d felt only during one other fight. An image popped into her mind of the roots of a massive tree in the desolated remains of Las Vegas. She clicked her tongue and disengaged, pushing back even further with a snap kick in Ellis¡¯ direction as spines of red light erupted from the ground and crisscrossed the spot where her heart had been just moments before. Another arrow lanced in her direction and she whipped her sword out and to the side, sending the missile into the ground. She leveled Ewen with a stare before glancing towards the scattering mob. Some were trying to find cover to use to shoot back at the turrets Amos had unleashed while others were just fleeing into the trees or dropping dead. In the brief heartbeat of stillness, she heard the chime of Ellis¡¯ bells as Ewen drew his hand back, conjuring a new arrow that grew larger than the others. She felt Ellis appear above her at the same time a storm of red streaks exploded from Ewen¡¯s bow. She clicked her tongue, pivoted, and spun. She swept her attacks around herself in a spiral, Cyclone of Rose Blooms! Each strike collided with red arrows as her attacker from above was flung back up into the sky, pealing with laughter. She shot herself upwards, charging towards him and he turned to look at her, snickering before vanishing with a crystal clear chime of the bells on his ankles. I need to get rid of those bells, she thought and turned again, sweeping aside another series of frantic blows from the martial artist. This time she managed a good kick in the chest, sending him back to the ground. She went in for a landing herself, turning her focus towards the archer. She gripped her weapon with both hands as she neared him. He met her gaze, red eyes burning. His lips spread into a cruel sneer and he raised his right hand, sweeping it to the left with a callous gesture. Red chains ripped up out of the ground but they weren¡¯t aimed at her, instead, shouts of surprise and confusion rose up amongst the mob as several of this bastard''s own men were dragged straight into her angle of attack. One of them had the presence of mind to turn and point his gun directly at her. Shit! She swore, throwing her internal energy into a sudden change of direction. The abrupt forces acting on her body made her muscles ache as she hurtled away, her new trajectory ended as she slid to a stop among a small cluster of the masked soldiers. The turrets that had been firing in that direction immediately changed targets and the soldiers didn¡¯t miss a beat, they opened fire. She took a slow and deliberate breath in the heartbeat it took them to adjust their aim, a scowl forming on her face. You should have kept them out of this. She thought angrily. She let her inner energy cycle faster, moving it to her limbs as the scent of blossoms filled the air. ¡°Scatter!¡± A woman¡¯s voice called out just as Chunhua charged, diving into the small army that had gathered and unleashing on them, one cut became thirty in an instant as she revved up, letting her momentum build. Screams of surprise and pain joined the chorus of gunfire. A flash of red in the corner of her eye drew her attention and she turned to block as a large arrow punctured two of the masked men in order to get at her. She snarled and swept it down to the ground with a bang, the energy it released sending more of the masked soldiers to an early grave. ¡°THEY¡¯RE YOUR MEN!¡± She bellowed, hopping back to avoid another hail of gunfire as two more arrows launched in her direction. She swatted them away, retreating a bit more to get some distance and noticed that the shooting had stopped. Ding ding. Her lips curled into a snarl as she turned around, faster this time, and found Ellis staring wide-eyed at her incoming fist. She drove her fist into his nose and sent him careening through a dozen of the masked soldiers. She launched herself forward and grabbed him by the shirt in mid air, dragging him with her as she slid across the ground before hurling him to the dirt. He bounced off the ground once, grunting painfully and the bells on his ankles chimed again. His eyes opened only to widen as her sword turned into a blur. The chains holding the bells on snapped. She met his gaze, her eyes hard. She saw panic followed by mad excitement as he clapped his hands and vanished. They¡¯re going to start shooting, she realized. She went to jump and found herself held fast, she looked down and spotted red chains wrapping around her ankles, burrowed up from the ground. She scowled and slammed her fists together, pushing her internal energy out and to her skin as she furrowed her brows in concentration. She felt the first bullet strike her cheek before bouncing off of her hardened skin. Another hit, then another, soon automatic weapons were emptying themselves as she burned through power to defend herself. Golden Scale Technique! It was a not-insignificant drain on her resources but as she wasn¡¯t going full tilt yet, even so, they kept firing until there was nothing left in their magazines. A hail of gunfire that didn¡¯t just hit her, but the soldiers around her as they wildly sprayed bullets in her general direction. When the shooting stopped she lowered her arms and turned to look in the direction where she felt the two men, both standing next to one another and watching as their men literally killed one another to get at her. She spat on the ground, ¡°Done playing tricks?¡± she demanded and pointed her sword at them, ¡°Is this all Liberty¡¯s people have to offer? I¡¯m surprised anyone¡¯s even worried,¡± she said and swept her blade down, cutting through the chains around her ankles. They dissolved only for a pillar of red light to shoot up towards her face. She threw her head back and kicked away as spikes exploded from the earth, red edges looking to tear through her flesh. Her lips twitched down into a frown as she reached the edge of the treeline wrapping around the camp. Her eyes shot towards the building, wait a minute. Her eyes widened, NO! The woman, the cultivator, was moving towards the common building. She¡¯d drawn her sword and was flicking it left and right as the turrets fired down at her, casually sending the incoming fire away. <¡±Hey hey hey, Chunhua! Get over here!¡±> Amos shouted. Internal energy turned into fire in her veins, the trees behind her exploded as she pushed far beyond what limits she¡¯d set for herself in this fight. She rocketed across the gap, her eyes burning with power. A mocking face appeared in her way, both hands outstretched. She snarled as he brought both hands together. Her weapon rose and fell, the sound wave he created colliding with an arc shaped flash. She split the wave in half and pushed through, her hand grabbing his face before he could react. ¡°OUT OF MY WAY!¡± she roared and hurled him at Ewen. The woman had drawn her sword at this point, raising it up over her head only to whip around just as Chunhua neared, she snapped her foot out and it collided with Chunhua¡¯s jaw. Chunhua felt a bone creak under the force of the blow as she was sent skipping across the ground. She landed in a heap, pulling herself up quickly to block the follow up strike from the woman who jumped out of the way just for a barrage of red arrows to come raining down. Chunhua leaped out of the way and in a flash of movement landed in front of the building again, breathing hard. The trio approached, all eyes on her. ¡°Not bad! They say you¡¯re the world''s strongest, gotta admit, I am impressed,¡± Ewen said. She whipped her blade out and to the side, catching her breath and immediately beginning to cycle power again. I understand their abilities now. That man with the red light can create constructs and beams, like Bluestar. Similar power? She flicked her gaze towards Ellis, He teleports with sounds and can use sounds to attack, the teleportation depends on a distinct noise though. If it can¡¯t be heard by his target, basically, it¡¯s of no use to him. But if it¡¯s a scattered sound like gunfire, he can¡¯t take advantage of it. Or maybe he has to make the sound himself. ¡°Working out our abilities?¡± Ewen asked. ¡°I think you three know you¡¯re outmatched,¡± she growled, ¡°Stow the bravado and leave before I am forced to kill more of your men.¡± ¡°How generous,¡± Ewen laughed, ¡°Thoughts, Ellis?¡± ¡°Pretty sure Liberty would tear us to pieces if we did that,¡± Ellis said, ¡°Besides, she¡¯s already winded.¡± ¡°She¡¯s holding back,¡± the woman cut in with a terse snap of her voice. The two men glanced at her but her eyes were fixed on Chunhua, ¡°Restraining yourself to epic-tier, right? Against two Heroics? It¡¯s insulting.¡± Chunhua stood up straighter, meeting her gaze as her fingers tightened around her sword, ¡°You have good senses.¡± The two men scowled but Chunhua ignored them, ¡°What about you?¡± she asked the woman. ¡°I think you know,¡± the woman said and rest her hand on the hilt of a sworn on her belt, ¡°But I don¡¯t think you need to worry about me right now. My friends are angry now that they know the truth.¡± Chunhua glanced at the two furious men, ¡°Anger is false strength.¡± The woman¡¯s lips parted in a wicked smile as she leaped backwards to get some distance, ¡°Strength from Liberty isn¡¯t.¡± Chunhua¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, ¡°What-¡± ¡°STRENGTH FROM LIBERTY! I am Sir Ellis of the Round Table!¡± ¡°STRENGTH FROM LIBERTY! I am Sir Ewen of the Round Table!¡± Both men bellowed their declarations at the same time, a copper column of light slamming down from above as if sent down from the heavens. Their bodies glowed, their skin tensing, muscles expanding, their eyes gleamed as renewed vigor flooded through their bodies. She could feel power raging beneath their skin, waiting to be unleashed. Did they just¡­ jump a tier? She thought as the two men moved. A pillar of red light erupting from the ground beneath his feet and sending him flying backwards for distance as Ellis darted in with a blur of attacks. She blocked each one, but the gap had narrowed significantly. Flashes of sound were hitting her body, leaving small spots of pain here and there. She hissed and snapped out a kick that he twisted around like a snake, moving into her guard to try to land a strike with his palm. No choice. She pulled her body back around his extending arm, the world around her slowing down as her senses went into overdrive. The internal energy pouring from her core turned from a stream into a river as she responded to their spike in strength with her own. The words spilled from her lips as she took a step forward. One-hundred eighty petals! The jabs came out like a blur, a ripple of strikes that caught the man and sent cuts across his tough body before throwing him back towards Ewen. She entered her ready stance once more, ¡°Find all the fake power and false might you want,¡± she declared, her weapon gleaming, ¡°You will not pass me!¡± Chapter 147 v2 A bullet whizzed by Alex¡¯s ear, his head whipping forward in response to the sound. He dove forward and kept running, pushing off the ground with his hands to get a little acceleration before he leaped into the air and whipped his arm out, covered in scales. The massive limb that grew from his body crushed a pair of trees before colliding with one of their attackers. He landed and kept moving, patting his waist to check that the pair of small legs were still wrapped around him. He glanced back at Snow who gave him a determined look before he turned back and kept running. ¡°Move! Move! Move!¡± Greg shouted behind them, the heady buzz of his powers activating rattling Alex¡¯s senses for a moment as a hail of bullets was deflected. Alex darted around another tree and made for the path again, they couldn¡¯t be much farther, could they? How long had they been running? He pressed his lips together, Hang in there Lily! He thought, ducking beneath a branch and alighting on the path. He turned and his eyes widened at the sight of a pair of gun barrels pointed at him. ¡°Shit!¡± He threw up his arms. ¡°Got it!¡± A voice called from above. He whipped his head up to see a streak of gold and pink collide with the ground, there was a noisy crash and when the dust cleared Cass was standing there with the biggest hammer he¡¯d ever seen slung over her shoulder. She glanced his way and gave him a nod before moving away from the small crater she¡¯d created, racing towards their destination. He shook his head after a testy poke from Snow brought him back to his senses and he followed after her. ¡°I see it!¡± Came another voice from ahead, Val, the lights of his rockets guiding them through the trees, ¡°Someones there!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t engage!¡± Greg shouted, ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± Off to the left Alex saw John and Ollie hurrying along. Ollie looked pensive while John had a scowl of absolute focus on his face. Alex had never seen the guy frown so hard. Alex hopped over a low hanging branch and picked up his pace, whipping his arm out to grab the next one and snapping towards it like a rubber band, ¡°Hold on Snow!¡± He called as a tiny squeak sounded behind his head. He pulled himself forward, one branch at a time, Come on, come on, come on! He willed himself to go faster, if he could turn fully into a serpent he could just move around everything. Nothing could get in his way. He pulled himself forward again and launched into the air, kicking his feet slowly as he caught a bit of air time. He glanced down and spotted the clearing. The pillars of the dungeon were in plain view as was a man standing off to the side with his hand extended towards it. Reddish bolts of ¡®something¡¯ were darting from his fingertips and striking the portal. What the heck his that guy doing? ¡°Mana levels skyrocketing!¡± Snow said quickly behind his head. He glanced back at her as they descended, ¡°How do you know?¡± He asked. ¡°My implant, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± She said quickly, ¡°We got a problem. He¡¯s trying to trigger a break!¡± Her voice seemed to echo for him and he realized it was the after effect of her broadcasting her voice to the others as a series of curses answered her immediately. Just as Alex landed at the edge of the trees another shape came racing out in the form of Cass, her weapon raised and a snarl on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± She shouted, her body picking up tremendous speed as her head tilted forward. Something on her head- Is that a crown? No, Horns? The man spun and his eyes widened, ¡°Cassiopeia!¡± He gasped, breaking into a wide smile, ¡°You came to me!¡± He laughed. He pivoted away from the portal and threw out both hands, he held them together for a moment before spreading them open in quick movement. Between his palms a glossy surface that looked remarkably like that of a bubble appeared. She kept moving, her legs pumping against the ground and leaving deep holes with each step. He took another step back and opened the bubble wider as Greg let out a shout, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Cass didn¡¯t hear him or didn¡¯t listen, her eye burning with fury as she crashed into the bubble. It popped and she vanished. What? A cry of surprise and alarm filled the air and Alex looked up in time to see Cass falling from the sky. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Move!¡± Cass shouted as she threw herself forward in a sommersault in the air, gripping tightly to her weapon as she spun towards the ground like a blunt chainsaw. Alex looked to the portal, ¡°Just go in?¡± He shouted to Greg. ¡°Everyone get inside, we need to get Lily and the others out before anything worse happens!¡± Greg called back. John didn¡¯t need to be told twice, he was darting towards the portal the moment Greg gave the order. Val rocketing off next. The man whipped towards the two approaching him just as a screaming Cass came down towards him with the force of a small meteor. Her hammer aimed at his head. The man let out a gasp of alarm and for a moment he flickered before appearing a few feet to the right of where Cass had intended to hit him. Cass hit the ground and the whole area shook. She stood up and Alex darted forward as Ollie hurried behind them, ¡°You still good Ollie?¡± He called. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± His friend said, ¡°Just get in the portal, you too Cass! Hand to hand isn¡¯t going to work with him!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him!¡± Cass shouted back, pointing her weapon at the man as he took a few steps back, holding his hands up. ¡°I oughta-¡± ¡°You oughta follow orders!¡± Greg barked behind the lot of them, ¡°Get in there Cass! I already know what his power is, you aren¡¯t a good match!¡± Cass clicked her tongue and doubled back, hopping backwards through the portal with a glare aimed at the man. Val and John raced through next. To Alex¡¯s surprise, Ollie barreled bast him and literally threw himself through the portal. Alex was next, he glanced at Greg as they got close, ¡°What would be a good match?¡± He asked, ¡°I¡¯m ready to-¡± Greg frowned at him and slapped the air to his right, just behind Alex. Alex blinked and felt himself get lifted off the ground and thrown forward towards the portal. He looked back at a grim-faced Greg and his eyes widened in horror. ¡°Are you fuckin- GREG!¡± He hit the portal with a splash and stumbled onto the grass and roots of the undergrowth, hitting the ground with his shoulder and scrambling to his feet. He quickly pulled Snow off of him and turned around, racing back towards the portal only to hit it and something else on the other side that sent him stumbling backwards. ¡ª Greg stared at the portal and sighed. He walked slowly over to it and tapped the surface, a wall of purple light forming over it before wrapping around the entire structure. He glanced over his shoulder at the man who stood there, hands on his hips, with an amused look on his face, ¡°You aren¡¯t getting past me.¡± ¡°Courageous!¡± The man laughed. ¡°Sir Halloway. I used to go by Rift though.¡± Greg nodded and turned to face him, his fingertips blazing with violet light, ¡°Gravitic,¡± He said even as the butterflies in his stomach screamed at him to retreat. He clamped it down, that wasn¡¯t battle instinct, it was cowardice. He straightened his shoulders and clenched his fists, raising them up in a fighting stance. Halloway tilted his head, ¡°Gravitic?¡± He asked before his expression fell and his eyes narrowed, ¡°Oho, you¡¯re a smart one. They¡¯d just get in your way, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Sad to say, but yeah,¡± Greg said as he started walking forward, ¡°Just you and me, Halloway.¡± ¡°Bravely said, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re up against a professional killer, it¡¯s over,¡± raised two fingers, he whipped them across his field of view and released an arch of that same bubbly substance outlined with red snaps and crackles of electricity. Greg threw his hand out and formed a claw shape with his fingers, he twisted his hand to the right and pushed. A small cone of purple light pushed out from his palm and split the incoming ¡®blade¡¯ in half. The two halves raced past him and cut through half a dozen trees on the other side of the clearing before stopping. Halloway frowned and looked down at his hand in confusion, ¡°What?¡± He looked up at the young man for a moment and raised an eyebrow, ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t play a lot of games as a kid,¡± Greg quipped, tilting his head up, ¡°Gravity bends space, dumbass. I have the advantage here,¡± Greg said before stomping his right foot and launching almost horizontally across the ground. Halloway snarled and moved his hand to the right before it vanished into a red rift in the air. The next thing Greg knew, he was face to face with the man, his shirt held tightly in his grip. Halloway sneered at him and pulled his hand back, red arcs dancing on his fingertips just as Greg shot him a smile. ¡°Thanks,¡± He said and slapped the guy on the abdomen. Halloway jerked back before abruptly lifting off the ground with a start. He snarled a curse as he spun helplessly for a moment. Greg threw himself forward, rearing back and driving a fist into the side of the man¡¯s head. Just before the moment of impact, two flashes of violet appeared, on his knuckles and the other at the impact point. Halloway¡¯s eyes widened and he tried to turn away just as the punch came. Greg felt his knuckles shudder a little but it was far worse for Halloway who was sent flying across the clearing, striking a tree and knocking it over with the impact.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Super effective,¡± Greg said with a smirk, shaking out his hand. He took a few steps to the right and watched the tree, trying to keep himself between the man and the portal. ¡°Whatever you were doing, it stops here,¡± He said with a growl. The feeling of the air shuddering was his only response, a dozen blades of spatial rifts launching out in all directions and striking anything nearby, disintegrating the tree that had fallen on the man. He staggered to his feet and bore his teeth, ¡°That was a mistake,¡± He snapped. A moment later light blossomed in the distance, pillars that came down from the sky and struck the ground. Halloway watched them for a moment and smiled, ¡°Good,¡± He said, ¡°All according to plan.¡± Greg glanced at the light, ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out if you do well enough,¡± Halloway said with a hiss as he stepped out of the trees, space rippling around him, bits of wood and ground gouged out around him with every step. Greg opened his right palm and held it out, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was over earlier?¡± Greg goaded, pulling on a bit of Alex¡¯s antics, ¡°Come on, that kind of phrase loses its impact the first time it flops.¡± Halloway¡¯s face fell and he dove forward, his body vanishing through a rift. Greg turned and threw up both arms, blocking the rippling strike that came out of thin air to his right. He slid back a few paces as Halloway vanished again and he ducked down, Halloway¡¯s attack coming from behind. Greg rolled onto his back and snapped his foot out, catching the man on the chin. Halloway snarled at him and vanished again, Greg rolling to the right on the ground as the man came up from beneath him. ¡°How are you doing that?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re predictable,¡± Greg said as he got to his feet, ¡°Miss Chernovna fights better than you do.¡± Halloway¡¯s eyes widened and his nostrils flared as he pulled himself out of the rift in the ground. Greg positioned himself again to riposte an attack only to hesitate when the man didn¡¯t move. Halloway chuckled and glanced in the general direction of the fighting near the main building, thunder like clashes sounding from that direction. ¡°Alright, fine, you¡¯ve earned it,¡± He let out a sigh and shook his head, ¡°Oh well, as long as I kill you, no one has to know.¡± Greg clenched his fists and got ready to slap his own chest in defense if he needed to. The man threw his head back and opened his arms, ¡°Strength from Liberty! I am Sir Halloway of the Round Table!¡± He declared and a pillar of light slammed down from above, infusing him with a copper-gold glow. It turned orange and then almost golden as his body seemed to expand, his muscles growing larger and the red glow around his fingers intensifying. He lowered his hands and looked down at Greg before he abruptly vanished. Greg blinked, he¡¯d lied a little about the guy being predictable, he could feel the spatial bends from his rifts. Three? Three fists collided with Greg¡¯s head, two on either side of his face and one to the back. Pain lanced through his skull, his brain shaking in its casing. Blood streamed from his nostrils as he tried to steady himself. He staggered forward and slapped his chest just as two rifts appeared on either side of him and blades of rippling spatial might swung forward to try to carve through him. Greg threw up his arms and kicked off the ground, one of the blades catching him on the knee. It dissolved but not before leaving a gash of torn and ripped flesh. Greg let out a cry and staggered, He¡¯s taking the momentum from me! Greg landed on his bad leg, wincing and throwing himself down to the ground as two rifts began to form above and below. He looked down into the cold eyes of Halloway and slapped the guy in the face just before he could get off another strike. Both Halloways let out a grunt of pain and pulled away. Not real copies, just him repeating himself somehow. One rift going to multiple places? He turned and struck out at another rift and blasted through it with purple lined fingertips. ¡°You little shit!¡± Halloway snarled and reappeared off to the side, he reached into his coat and drew a gun. ¡°Die!¡± He raged as a rift appeared to his right. He fired several rounds into it as an equal number of rifts appeared in the air around Greg. Shit! He intensified the repulsive force around his body, More! He pushed harder. The close range and sheer number of projectiles digging into his reserves. He felt his body tense and his stomach flip as the nausea finally began to hit him. Not now! He pushed it down and felt the bullets catch in the field around his body. One two- an explosion of pain ripped through his leg. Missed one! He winced and bit his lip, concentrating with everything he had. Nine, ten, got ¡®em! They floated there for a moment as he traced an imaginary line from each of them with his thoughts, pointing them back to the man who had fired them. His vision blurred for a moment and he looked down at his leg. Lot of blood, isn¡¯t it? He thought weakly before shaking himself out of it. Focus! Come on, come on, come on! Do it this time! He ground his teeth together and pushed every ounce of will he had through the movement. Curving gravity like a ribbon. He created new trajectories that peeled away from him. Slugs of metal changed course and launched themselves in Halloway¡¯s direction as Greg¡¯s arms went slack, he coughed and felt some bile rise up in his throat as his leg gave out under him. Halloway let out a scream and he looked up to see the man gripping his side. Blood dripped from his arm and his waist. ¡°You rancid little brat!¡± Halloway bit out, ¡°How are you more competent than a licensed hero?¡± He raged and stalked forward as Greg tried to get to his feet. He had nothing left and this guy, full of bullets, was still walking around like it was just an annoyance. ¡°I went to school for it,¡± Greg bit out, grinning up at him, ¡°Learned a lot here. So did they,¡± He glanced back at the portal. ¡°They¡¯ll get out just fine.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Halloway hissed. ¡°You don¡¯t know that yet,¡± Greg said as both of his palms glowed purple. The man stood over him and created another curved spatial rift. ¡°I got one more trick left. It¡¯s a bit stupid though!¡± Halloway rolled his eyes and swung down, aiming for a killing blow as Greg pulled his hands back. With all his might brought them together in a thunderous clap that shook the earth. I¡¯m right behind you guys, I won¡¯t fall behind! He swore as purple light enveloped him. ¡ª Alex got to his feet and marched towards the portal again, ¡°Son of a-¡± A hand wrapped around his wrist and he whipped his head towards Val who was looking him dead in the eyes. ¡°Let go.¡± Val gave him a hard look, ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot man,¡± Val said. Alex tugged his arm from Val¡¯s grip and turned on him, ¡°What¡¯d you call me?¡± He barked and pointed at the portal, ¡°Greg is out there, he needs us!¡± He shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him behind!¡± Val frowned at him, ¡°Dude, you gotta chill-¡± ¡°Chill?¡± Alex threw up his hands, ¡°Greg was the planner! He was the voice of reason, are you seriously expecting me to just- He¡¯s our fucking friend! I¡¯m not gonna leave him out there!¡± He barked. ¡°Alex, don¡¯t take it out on him, Greg gave us a chance, we need to take it,¡± Another voice chimed in and Cass stepped in behind Val. Alex¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? You just get inserted into our group like you¡¯ve always been here and expect me to listen to a word you say? I¡¯ve known Greg since we were in middle school! I don¡¯t know a damn thing about you!¡± He shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving him behind!¡± He immediately regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth, his pounding heart stuttering once in his chest as he caught the pained look on the young woman¡¯s face. Cass looked away and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fair,¡± She said quietly and turned away, ¡°Do what you want. I¡¯m going to find Lily.¡± John, off to the side, frowned at Alex and shook his head while Ollie pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Alex clenched his fists, ¡°I-¡± He ground his teeth. Damn it, why don¡¯t they understand? I don¡¯t get it! ¡°Alex,¡± A small soothing voice rang in his ear and he turned to see Snow looking at him with a sad look in her eyes, ¡°What would Greg do right now?¡± Alex looked away, ¡°How should I know? I¡¯m not Greg,¡± He grunted petulantly before glancing back into those pearlescent orbs. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a sigh, Damn it. He looked up at Val who held his gaze while Ollie and John moved to follow Cass. ¡°He¡¯d finish the mission if one of us was covering the rear. He doesn¡¯t do self-sacrifice. He¡¯s confident, but he doesn¡¯t want us wasting time,¡± He said hollowly, he didn¡¯t like saying it, he wanted to fight at his friend¡¯s side. Val reached out and squeezed his arm, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll see him in no time, yeah?¡± Val said with a smirk and pat his arm before turning away. Alex didn¡¯t move for a moment, staring at his feet, ¡°Val, sorry about-¡± Val snorted, ¡°Dude, we go back too, I get it,¡± He said as his steps moved further away, ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be apologizing to.¡± Alex winced and glanced up at the back of the blondes head as she dipped under a branch and stepped onto the path leading into the first ¡®passage¡¯ of the dungeon beyond what the scouts had started to call the ¡®lobby¡¯. She didn¡¯t look back. Ollie caught up to her and said something with a smile on his face and she glanced at him, returning the expression. Alex let out another sigh, Shit, I fucked that up, He thought and scratched the back of his head before moving to follow the others. Val, his hands up behind his head, tilted a bit to listen to something John had to say and raised his voice, ¡°Yo, we need a fuckin¡¯ formation. We don¡¯t got any heals right now, right?¡± Alex chewed his lip, ¡°I can regenerate a bit, I¡¯ll take rearguard.¡± Val glanced back at him and met his eyes. Alex looked away and felt his stomach twist. I just don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯m not good at that kind of stuff. ¡°Alright, Alex is on rear guard, Cass you got the front?¡± Val called out. ¡°No problem,¡± Cass said, ¡°Nothing will get past me.¡± ¡°Cool, John and I have flanks, Ollie and Snow should stay in the middle,¡± Val said as they fully stepped into the open path. Alex had been given the small opportunity to peek into the dungeon a little while back so he¡¯d seen the eerie circular clearing surrounded by a literal wall of tree trunks that made up the lobby. The trees went way up into the sky and made it a crazy thought to try to go over them to do anything. Apparently one scout had tried and had gotten attacked by something though they¡¯d had a hard time describing it. He had not, however, seen the actual ¡®operating¡¯ parts of the dungeon. They didn¡¯t have anyone who¡¯d been memorizing the paths either. They were flying blind. That didn¡¯t make it any less breathtaking. Chapter 148 v2 Halloway¡¯s eyes shot open as a sharp pain rushed up his side. He coughed, wincing against the blazing heat that had begun to pool around his right side as his skin sizzled and burned. His vision swam and he forced himself to look down at the injury. A shard of wood was sticking out of his waist, the long branch stretching out another foot and a half and saturated with blood. His eyes fluttered as he reached for it, snarling against the pain. As an assassin he had specialized in the sudden attack, a quick strike with a knife thrown at the throat. He had adapted that strategy to his spatial powers, his first refinement of his ability had been the rift blade. He hadn¡¯t needed much more than that. Nothing could block it. No armor, no shield, even power barriers were functionally useless against it. Liberty had even deigned to allow him to test it against her impregnable body. The wound he had carved into her skin had been enough to earn his life; his efforts to bring numerous members of the night society over to her side had earned his position. It was only after he had begun working under her that he had considered other avenues for his ability. Creating a zone of stable space was one of them. He coughed again and tried to put some force down to break the stick at a joint, at least it would be less to pull out when the time came. His abs recoiled from the effort, screaming in protest while every inch of the skin on the front half of his body practically cracked under the strain. He grunted and took a shuddering breath. Calm down, you got too riled earlier. He reprimanded himself and pointed his finger at the branch. He cut through it with a sharp release of his ability before pulling himself off and collapsing to his knees. With a monumental effort of will he lifted one of his hands and examined it, the skin had turned almost black and cracked in several places. The sheer pressure of whatever that boy had done to him had pulverized his flesh. He was lucky to be alive. He brought the hand gingerly down to his wound and pressed against it. It was fruitless with another hole on the other side but it was all he could do. His other mangled hand slipped down to his belt. Where is it? He wheezed, his fingers slipping through a hole in the base of the pouch. He grunted and whipped his head around, searching. A small glimmer on the ground a few feet away drew his eye and he let out a ragged laugh. With every muscle in his body screaming at him to stop he crawled towards it, his shaking fingers reaching out until they wrapped around what appeared to be an extremely thick metal needle with a razor sharp point. Etchings ran down one side of the object and glowed with a faint green light. He fell onto his side, his vision darkening as he pulled the implement to his chest and jabbed it in with the last fragment of strength he had left. A low hiss followed by an explosion of torturous agony racked through his body. His flesh sizzled, his eyes burned, his bones creaked, everything twisted and warped as the object given to him by Liberty and created by that madman went to work. He screamed, convulsing on the ground as blackened and pulverized skin smoothed and cleared, knitting together. Bones set, wounds closed, and his body began to take on the general appearance of a living thing rather than the incinerated corpse he resembled moments before. It was only when the process was complete, a minute of agony that he would never forget, that he lay there on the ground, breathing hard. He closed his eyes and focused on the space he had created around the camp. Miles upon miles of spatially neutral terrain. Anything teleporting within it would be blocked and the user of the ability ¡®reprimanded¡¯, either by pain for the weaker powers or even having their ability disabled for the more powerful teleporters. Still there. Still working. Good. Glad it didn¡¯t drop when I lost consciousness. He thought and forced himself to sit up. He turned his head towards the prone form of the boy that had nearly killed him. He may very well be the only person on this planet I can¡¯t hurt, he thought sourly. Bad match-up indeed. He got to his feet and started to walk, at first gingerly before his body moved with purpose. He came to a stop over the youth, eyes shut with a smile on his face and his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. His hands were mangled terribly and his wounds were still seeping blood, but he was still very much alive. Halloway narrowed his eyes, I can¡¯t suffer you to live, Gravitic, you are my natural enemy. He thought and conjured up another rift blade. The rippling edge pointed down. ¡°I was getting bored of waiting for you to get up,¡± A new voice said behind him. Halloway¡¯s entire body tensed and he brought the weapon up anyway, he wasn¡¯t about to get distracted from his task, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. I need him alive, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Tough,¡± Hallway snarled and brought the rift blade down only for a hand to grab his wrist. He glanced at it just in time for his eyes to bulge as he was pulled away from Gravitic and thrown several feet. His rift blade flying off to one side and digging a five foot divot in the ground before it exploded and left a crater in its wake. He hit the ground and hopped back to his feet, creating another weapon as he stared down his new adversary, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for chil-¡± He paused as he met those glowing blue eyes. They weren¡¯t the eyes of a child. Not a bright eyed aspirant. He felt his stomach churn a little as a cold smile curled on the boyish face of the youthful pretty-boy. A killer. One who does it for pleasure. Pure psychopath. He kept his guard up but lowered his hands, ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked, ¡°A villain?¡± The boy blew out an obnoxious sound between his lips and burst into laughter, ¡°Me? No way, I¡¯m the hero of this story,¡± He said and put a hand on his hip and rested a glowing golden sword on his shoulder. He tilted his head up and looked down his nose at Halloway. Arrogant. ¡°And you work for that piece of work Liberty, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯d refrain from insulting her if I were you,¡± Halloway snarled. ¡°Or what? You¡¯ll kill me? That would be a neat trick,¡± The boy said and took a step before appearing in Hallway¡¯s face. Halloway froze, He teleported? No. He just- what? What just happened? The boy looked him up and down, ¡°You got potential man, I like you, but you¡¯re pretty hung up on that self aggrandizing bitch still, shame. Once she¡¯s dead I¡¯ll pick you up if you like,¡± He said with a grin, ¡°What do you say?¡± Hallway snarled and whipped his hand out, edging his fingers with a rift and digging it into the young man¡¯s side. He felt flesh give way and blood dribbled down the young man¡¯s mouth. The boy blinked once and looked down at Halloways hand as if confused before looking up at him and grinning a bloody grin. ¡°Nice! Real nice! Got through my skin! That¡¯s impressive. You know,¡± He said as if he hadn¡¯t just been stabbed, ¡°I¡¯ve been starting to think a lot more about how valuable some of you things are. Maybe some of you are actually people, with brains and shit. You know? Neat powers too,¡± He said with a sagely nod as if he had the entire world figured out now. ¡°People can be useful. A good lesson. Miss Chernovna is so smart. That¡¯s why I want to sign up with her.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. He¡¯s insane! Halloway thought as he pulled back, his fingers dripping with blood. He took a few steps away and watched with mute horror as the wound just started to close on its own, the young man not even blinking or even reacting. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet, man, Halloway right? Cool name. I like nicknames better though, you got one of those?¡± He said and lowered his weapon from his shoulder, waving it up and down with clear intention to use it. ¡°What are you? A mythic?¡± Halloway demanded. The youth blinked at him and tilted his head, ¡°Obviously,¡± He said with a snort, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re slow, that would be disappointing,¡± That last word, the way he said it, the inflection¡­ it sent a chill down Halloway¡¯s spine. It felt, for just a moment, like the very specter of death was looming in front of him. ¡°R-Rift, I go by Rift,¡± Halloway said quickly. ¡°On the nose! Good stuff,¡± The youth said with a nod, ¡°You may call me Otis, consider it an honor to know my name,¡± He said and the waving of his weapon eased a little. He searched Halloways face and pouted, ¡°You¡¯re not gonna even consider joining up till she¡¯s dead, are you?¡± He let out a heavy sigh and shrugged, ¡°Alright fine. I¡¯ll make it happen if that¡¯s what it takes.¡± Halloway squared his shoulder, ¡°You may be powerful but-¡± ¡°Blah blah blah, dialogue,¡± Otis waved his hand dismissively, ¡°Go on with your little scheme or whatever you have planned here, I couldn¡¯t care less, it¡¯s going to fail anyway,¡± He said with a shrug and slipped his hand into his pocket, he pulled out what looked like a thumb drive and tossed it to Halloway who caught it on instinct. ¡°That¡¯s for your boss. Maybe with it she can actually accomplish something meaningful instead of flailing around like an idiot. It¡¯s really annoying watching her,¡± He said with a sigh. Halloway had just about enough of this arrogant little- ¡°I used my ability to divine a course of action she could take that would really hurt her enemies and get what she wants. If she follows it, she might do well enough that I¡¯ll reconsider what I have planned for her,¡± Otis continued, before looking Halloway dead in the eyes, ¡°My sword can cut through anything, Rift, and I like taking my time with things that annoy me.¡± With that, Otis seemed to decide the conversation was over. He turned away to walk over to Gravitic and knelt next to him, holding his hand over his chest. Halloway wasn¡¯t done, though. If he could just get one quick blow in at the neck he could separate- ¡°My head will reattach,¡± Otis said as he tilted his neck forward, ¡°Or grow a new body, not sure, but it will,¡± He said, ¡°You¡¯re starting to annoy me, Rift. Run.¡± ¡°I could just tell her about you, about what you look like. She could tell the world what kind of monster you really are,¡± Halloway pointed out as he backed up, glancing around for the perfect route away from this place. ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Otis said and glanced back to smile at him, ¡°Once you leave, you¡¯ll barely remember me. I¡¯ve decreed it so.¡± Fucking lunatic! Halloway thought and darted away, racing towards the trees before leaping into the foliage. He stopped there, watching from afar as Otis did something to Gravitic that caused his hated enemy to twitch and writhe before picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder. He walked over to the portal into the dungeon and without looking back, walked on through. Halloway watched the disappearing form of Otis and frowned. Like I¡¯d forget someone like you. He thought and hopped down to the ground, approaching the portal and holding his hand out. You¡¯re going to die in there, just like the rest. Now that I¡¯ve opened more pathways for mana to get into the dungeon, it¡¯ll overload any time now and this entire region will be a wasteland. He thought before focusing on the portal itself, wrapping a wreath of crackling red lightning around it to seal his enemies inside. He turned away and glanced down at his shaking fingers. Gravitic had done a number on him. A worthy adversary. A nemesis even. A small part of him was sad that he had to die so ignobly inside of a breaking dungeon, but that was the way of things. He would rather be rid of such a dangerous opponent than let him live out his life. He marched towards the edge of the trees. I need to get back to the main camp and gather up the others, the damage has been done. It would be best if we weren¡¯t present when the dungeon went critical, He thought with a wry smile and stepped into the trees. He slipped his hands into his pockets and let out a sigh before blinking as his fingers wrapped around something metallic. He pulled it out and examined the thumb drive that had appeared there in confusion. Huh? What¡¯s this? He thought for a moment. Odd. I don¡¯t remember. He blinked again. I¡¯m supposed to give it to Liberty, it will be useful to her, right, right. He reassured himself as he tried to remember where he¡¯d gotten it from. His stomach churned and he scratched at his neck, ¡°Who was it again?¡± ¨C Otis stepped through the portal and dropped Greg on the ground. He didn¡¯t need to carry him anymore. He glanced over his shoulder and watched as the portal was wreathed with red lightning, blocking his return. He could cut through it but there was no reason to do so. This is where he needed to be, after all. He glanced down at the healed aspirant and nudged him once with his foot. Not waking. Whatever he did burned through a lot of his internal energy. I can see it. He¡¯ll recover quickly in here though, no worries, he¡¯ll see me as his savior, that¡¯ll be good enough. Otis scanned his surroundings. The forest was thick ahead of him with a single path leading out of the clearing. The space had an odd headiness to it, as if a powerful presence had been here at one point but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. The guide told him nothing either. How strange, he thought with mild amusement before tilting his head to listen. Something exploded and shook the distant trees. Ah, there we go. He snickered and turned back to Greg, nudging him again as the sounds of distant fighting filled the air. The young hero-in-training groaned and his eyes fluttered open, squinting before locking on Otis. ¡°Marc? Where-¡± ¡°Got you away from that psycho out there, he was about to kill you,¡± Otis said and held out a hand for him to take. He pulled Greg to his feet, ¡°You¡¯re lucky I got there when I did but you sure did a number on him. He was half-dead before he used some odd metal thing to heal himself.¡± Greg blinked, ¡°I-I did? You did? I-¡± He blinked and looked down at his hands, ¡°My hands.¡± ¡°I fixed you up, new trick of mine,¡± Otis said with a shrug, ¡°Got a whole bag of ¡®em.¡± Greg let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you, Marc. You¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°Thank me when we save the others, we¡¯re stuck in here,¡± Otis said, keeping up the act and nodded towards the portal before turning to the trees. ¡°Ready to go save the day?¡± Greg grinned at him, ¡°I was born ready.¡± Chapter 149 v2 The trees that hung over the initial passage out of the lobby made it impossible to see the sky while the path itself bent just slightly to the right in a lazy curve to block anyone standing in the lobby from seeing further inside. At the end of the passage, though, it was like they¡¯d stepped into something out of a dream. He nearly walked right into Ollie¡¯s back, the others standing in mute fascination at the awe inspiring view. They were standing before a vast forest with tall trees that spread out wide throughout a vast area of beaten undergrowth. Thousands of pillars of wood interspaced among one another with cascading beams of sunlight piercing between breaks in the foliage. He glanced up to see a blue sky overhead, a few clouds drifting past. The trees themselves were a rainbow of colors, mostly green leaves and brown wood but interspersed were whites and reds and even some greens. The leaves were anything from the brightest gold to various shades of purple. The air smelled so¡­ clean. ¡°Found the path,¡± Cass said a few feet ahead, pointing at the ground, ¡°Lily said that they had been taking the leftmost route mostly and that the right path led to a dead end.¡± Alex looked down at his feet and noticed that amongst the undergrowth there was a clearly marked path of dirt that split off in several directions before leading off into the multicolored forest beyond. The leftmost path looked the most well worn, from the looks of it. He looked up from the path to Cass and opened his mouth. She glanced his way and he shut it, looking down at his feet again, Damn it. He thought as she turned her focus on what she was doing. He fell back a bit, taking his spot at the rear as he tried to work through the roiling emotions in his chest. It still didn¡¯t sit right with him that they¡¯d gone on ahead. They should have waited for Greg. The others were right, though, on a logical level anyway. He exhaled through his nose and glanced over his shoulder, scanning the area for a moment. Focus on what you¡¯re doing, you can worry about it later, he chastised himself. You¡¯re gonna fuck up again at this rate, what happened to promising to do better? He grumbled as they walked along the path, the forest at their right while they hugged the thick wall of trees to their left that made up the boundary of this area. He clenched his jaw as scales formed along his neck, face, arms, knuckles and legs. Don¡¯t get caught off guard, be ready for anything, breathe. He took another steadying breath and glanced back over his shoulder, examining the path behind them for any sign of creatures moving to follow them. ¡°Do we have any intel on the monsters here?¡± Val asked. ¡°No, unfortunately, tonight was going to be their first mission where enough time had passed between the last culling and the next to see a few,¡± Ollie said, ¡°I was really looking forward to Lily¡¯s report.¡± ¡°First hand is better anyway,¡± John said grimly, twirling a knife between his fingers. Leaves falling now and then among the trees to their right. Cass glanced back over her shoulder, ¡°Snow, can you use your illusions to give us some cover as we walk?¡± She asked as Alex continued to turn his head from where he had been looking back to her. Snow was nodding and raising her hands to craft her illusion when a bad feeling began to wriggle up in Alex¡¯s gut. He couldn¡¯t see it, but his instincts told him that something was off, it was like a tightness in his legs, an instantaneous flight response. He flicked his tongue out and tasted the air and his eyes went wide. ¡°Everyone duck!¡± He shouted. In the same moment as the others reacting to his command, the leaves that had been falling from the trees to their right pivoted in the air and darted in their direction. Fragile falling fragments became as solid as steel, blades that ripped through the air and embedded themselves in the tree-wall to their left. Behind them, appearing as if out of thin air, were a trio of figures that stood a head and a half taller than even himself. All three had eerie skin that seemed to be both flesh and wood, their faces stiff as boards even as their blazing green eyes all turned to look at him. Two of them carried bladed weapons in their hands while the third was unarmed and seemed more frail than the others. It threw its hand out in Alex¡¯s direction with a barely audible hiss of unintelligible words and vines ripped from the ground at his feet. He threw his arm forward on instinct, extending it and grabbing onto the tree nearest to the group of three as the hard wood began to wrap around his legs and pulled. The force of the movement snapping the vines before they could harden into restraints and carried him across the distance on a collision course with the three. The two blade wielders raised their weapons, ready to intercept him and he released his grip on the tree, throwing both arms up to defend himself as his feet went out for a skidding landing. Somewhere off to the side he heard an explosion of sound. His feet hit the ground and he braced himself, setting his jaw. CLANG! A pair of blades clashed against his arms and he glanced up into the eyes of one of the two blade wielders. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of yellow and the gleam of a long metal haft as the other blade wielder was pushed back and away from him. Cass whipped her leg out and kicked it in the chest before driving her shoulder forward in a tackle, pushing it further onto the backfoot. He turned his attention back to the one engaged with him and pushed up and away with a grunt, sending it stumbling back as well. ¡°Val! John!¡± ¡°Right!¡± The two called at the same time. The sudden blast of a rocket engine activating as a red blur crossed his vision. He ducked beneath Val¡¯s speeding body, his friend whipping his entire body around in a tremendous kick that collided with the blade wielder¡¯s head, pulverizing it. At the same time, John closed the distance like an olympic sprinter, his knife at the ready as he swept towards what Alex assumed was a ¡®caster¡¯ type whatever-the-hell these things were. His knife moved so fast it left behind rigid lines of light for a heartbeat before a low croak of pain sounded, the frail monster dropping to its knees and gaping at its missing hands. Just as John swiped his knife across it¡¯s throat, the other blade wielder came soaring through the air to crash at Alex¡¯s feet, its body covered in crater-like wounds that looked eerie on its wood like body. It didn¡¯t get up. Alex let out a sharp breath, it had happened so fast. If he¡¯d been a few seconds slower, who knows what those leaves would have done to the others. They weren¡¯t as durable as he was, save maybe for Val and his armor and Cass in general. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He glanced up at Cass as she approached from where she¡¯d engaged the blade wielder, her hammer slung over her shoulder. He met her eyes and she looked away from him, a frown on her face. Damn it. I gotta do something about this. ¡°Cass,¡± He said, clearing his throat. She looked up at him with a stony stare and he rubbed his neck, ¡°I- I shouldn¡¯t have said that. You¡¯ve been really trying to fit in and I was just-¡± He groped for excuses but found none, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what I said. You¡¯re one hell of a badass, thanks for coming with us.¡± She stared back at him for several heartbeats, the others getting out of the way. She walked over to him and he realized for the first time that she was just as tall as he was. Was it her ability? He¡¯d seen her get bigger at one point but- she flicked him in the forehead and he nearly fell onto his back, a smarting spot forming at the point of contact. He reached up and grabbed his head, ¡°Ouch! What the-¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re even,¡± She said with a smile and reached down. He squinted at her and then at her hand before grabbing it. She pulled him to his feet. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly friendly to start with either,¡± she admitted. ¡°You guys have made this¡­ better, and you haven¡¯t said anything about, you know¡­¡± She trailed off. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, What is she talking about? He blinked, ¡°Oh right! You¡¯re related to Liberty or something, yeah? I completely forgot!¡± The others blinked in unison and their eyes went wide before Val barked out a laugh, ¡°Who the fuck cares? You aren¡¯t her, obviously.¡± Cass looked at them all in bewilderment, ¡°You¡­ forgot?¡± Her shoulders sank and a look between weariness and relief washed over her face. It was Snow¡¯s turn to laugh, ¡°Well! At least this heroic rescue mission won¡¯t be awkward anymore,¡± The small girl pointed out, ¡°We should get back to that by the way.¡± They all exchanged a look and nodded. Alex clenched his fist and gave Cass a nod while the blonde gripped her weapon tightly and returned the gesture, marching back to her spot in the lead. Alex set his jaw and firmed up his resolve, this wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but if anyone could do it, they could. Hang on Lily, we¡¯re coming. ¨C Hang on guys, I¡¯m coming. She chased the wind, followed the feeling even as she kept an eye on the compass, she had to get back. Marta¡¯s hands are tied. I have no idea of Liberty herself is there. If she is, with how long I¡¯ve been gone I- she swallowed hard, Chunhua will hold the line. The instructors are stronger than they think. Amos will come up with a plan. Carla, be brave and do what you need to. Marta, guard them for me. I won¡¯t let you down. She grit her teeth as the wind began to pick up, she could hear it howl in the distance. I¡¯ll be there to turn this story on its head! A ripple of light carried out behind her as she sped up, she didn¡¯t notice it, didn¡¯t feel it, but it was there. Her eyes were fixed on the next corner where the wind was even stronger. She rounded it and stopped, looking up the passage at a bright opening in the distance and a dark figure standing in front of it. She drew her knife and charged, she wasn¡¯t about to waste time right now. She¡¯d let her enhanced mind take in everything in the time between her movement and connecting. It looked like a man but its body was gaunt and weathered, flesh decayed and partially frozen, eyes like burning motes of flame in black holes. Its skin glittered in the light behind it. It was gray, with its jaw hanging open in a silent scream and marred with a patchy beard. It wore ill-fitted leather armor designed for a much more muscular figure. In its right hand it held a heavy metal axe, in its left, a circular shield. Wait, where have I seen- She collided with it and instead of digging into flesh the blade of her knife clashed against steel as it held its axe up to block her blow. Fast! She gasped just as it pushed her back with all its might, throwing her clear to the end of the hallway and crashing into the wall. She coughed up blood and created a berry in her mouth, chewing it before getting to her feet. And strong too, it pushed me away. Mythic? How? What the hell is this place really? She clicked her tongue and drove forward again, putting on more speed, she darted low before zipping up high with a horizontal movement. It swung its shield down to block her feint and she whipped her leg out, willing a shin-guard of light and spikes to form on her limb. It crashed into decayed flesh and a cloud of glittering dust erupted from it¡¯s body in a rainbow of colors as it¡¯s head whipped to the right a few inches. She squinted and threw her arm over her mouth, Dust? Poison? The moment she recoiled, it brought its axe up in a movement so fast even her enhanced brain took a heartbeat too long to register. Blade bit into skin just as she started to form armor around her body to protect herself. Pain seared across her waist, and she pulled herself away, spinning and throwing a dozen spears of light in its direction. It raised its shield lazily and blocked the ones aimed for its vitals only for the others to pierce through leg bone and feet. She slid to a stop, breathing hard and created a berry in her mouth. She chewed and felt¡­ nothing. She looked down at her side at the bloody wound that was struggling to heal. Suppression? She whipped her head up at the creature as it tried to take a step forward but it¡¯s pinned legs and feet wouldn¡¯t allow it. She pressed her hand to her side, shuddering once from the pain. Two can play at that game. She snarled and brought out a small fragment of the Visage. Just a little. It was overwhelming using it, like it was resisting her somehow. Pale white vines wrapped around her waist and she felt the healing finally start to kick in. She darted at it again, this time watching its movements carefully before retreating from each strike. She spun and weaved, diving about and taking a few hits as she did. Each wound didn¡¯t heal properly at first, it¡¯s the weapon not the dust. She thought, It had a power suppressing property. This has to be some kind of Mythic dungeon. She watched every swing, every move of its shield, drank it in, understood it, processed it. Where is your weakness? Where do you hesitate? Where- there! Just as it shifted stances between an uppercut and a horizontal swing there was a moment where it paused. Her eyes flared with light as she brought Imperious down on it with all of her might in that heartbeat. She bore her teeth and flashed forward, extending the edge of her knife with an edge of light. She landed a few paces past it, her body bloody and aching, the healing still slowed by its weapons power. She panted and turned back to see its head fall to the ground, its grotesque body following it. Her chest heaving, she turned away from it as her eyes clicked, adjusting to the sudden bright light. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart stilling for just a moment. The compass that had guided her slipped through numb fingers. Her eyes went wide as she stepped out onto the platform and looked out over the enormous empty void. Beneath her, a shattered bridge of rainbow glass glittered and sparked, beyond it, far, far away, a gleaming city of silver spires and towers vaster than any she¡¯d ever seen before. ¡°What is this place?¡± Chapter 150 v2 Sonya found a set of stairs that led down from the platform she¡¯d come in on. She winced as she stepped down and glanced down at her body, dismissing her regalia so she could herself. The healing is going so slowly, she thought as she alighted on the lower platform that turned out to be some kind of landing. It was also way larger than it looked from above, deceptively so. She turned on the spot and glanced back where she¡¯d come from. There was something mounted to the wall directly across from where the rainbow glass started. A metal ring that shimmered with the same multicolored hue. She narrowed her eyes and walked up to it, running her fingers over the surface. She felt one of her instincts rise up in response, resonating, a thrumming rhythm vibrating through her fingertips and down into her chest. Non-Euclidian? She reached up and touched her heart before looking up at the ring, A portal? She turned back to the bridge that lay shattered just a few feet out from the edge of the landing. She followed its direction with her eyes all the way to the vast city miles and miles away. Her eyes focused and she zoomed in at the spot that it was reaching towards. There was another end to the bridge, it sparked and sizzled at the end where the city began. Power source? She thought before walking over to the bridge itself and crouching down. She ran her fingers over the bridge, It¡¯s not rainbow colored, it¡¯s optic fibers. She thought, surprised. Millions upon millions of tiny threads of crystalline glass woven together to create a solid platform. The light shining through created the multicolored effect. A rainbow bridge, she let out a shaky breath and looked up at the city in the distance again. It couldn¡¯t be¡­ She moved forward a bit to the edge and found where the break began. She squinted at the cracked and torn edges of the fibers and watched in real time as they slowly grew before dimming and cracking off, falling into the abyss below. That¡¯s when she saw something else, something that made a hole form in her stomach. A root. No, a vine. She thought as she reached down to touch it. She wrapped her fingers around the plant that seemed to be wrapped around the underside of the bridge and snapped off a piece. It regrew immediately as she got to her feet and rubbed it between her fingers. Pale white. She thought and looked down at the bridge that was struggling to restore itself. Suppressed. She held out her hand and willed Visage of Titania to create a vine in her palm. She compared the two and swallowed. Impossible¡­ was she real? Was she here? Did¡­ did she do this? Why? Sonya looked down at the vines growing over the broken piece of bridge and held out her hand. It¡¯s my power now, she thought and concentrated. She felt the instincts of the ability rise up in response and she reached out through it towards the plants only to meet resistance. It felt as if she was reaching across centuries, across millenia, touching something that shouldn¡¯t be touched. But if that¡¯s a portal, I need to get it working. She thought as she grit her teeth and pushed only for the vines to push back with their own suppressive force. She let out a gasp and stepped back, sweat dripping down her temple and felt Visage retreat. She panted, ¡°What am I doing wrong?¡± She held out both hands this time, fingers curled like claws as she pushed harder, her expression grim faced. Tension burned in her muscles as her eyes focused on the vines. This time Visage barely responded at all, only a flicker of its power rising up to greet her. She cursed and dropped her hands to her sides, letting out a groan of frustration. ¡°Damn it! Work!¡± She snarled and turned around to pace, It¡¯s a mythic power, they respond to mindset more so than other abilities. She thought and rubbed her chin, I had an easier time back in Pakistan, why? No, that was Ishtar. Damn it, what does she do differently? She sighed and sat down on the ground, ¡°I need to get back! Ishtar, wake up, please. I need advice.¡± Silence. Utter silence. She pushed forward and planted her hands at the edge of the bridge. She could see the vines, she could feel them distantly. She knew at the depths of her soul that she could grab hold of them and wrench control of them. It was like they were the only thing standing between her and coming home. Just some tiny plants. She slammed her fist on the bridge, cracking some of the filaments. They wriggled before regenerating and she looked down at bloodied knuckles. She tried again, and again, and again, blood dripping from her nose as she threw all her focus into forcing the vines to obey. Please. Let me go home! She let out an exhausted gasp, her heart pounding and she threw her head back and screamed out her frustration. ¡°What am I doing wrong?¡± She repeated, ¡°Ishtar, please!¡± She begged, her hands falling to her sides. ¡°I need you. Please, just talk to me!¡± She croaked. A sigh rang out in the back of her mind. You¡¯re becoming too dependent on me. She sat up wiping the blood from her nose, ¡°Ishtar?¡± You know what to do, you¡¯re just unwilling to admit that it¡¯s so simple, Ishtar said cooly. I told you, you¡¯ve been coasting, Sonya. She got to her feet and clenched her fists, ¡°I¡¯m doing the best I-¡± No, you aren¡¯t. Her shoulders sank and she looked down at her feet. She felt that hollow spot in her gut grow larger, like a yawning chasm in her spirit. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes as she felt Augmented Reality activate of its own accord. She opened her eyes and looked up as she saw her own face take form across from her, a wisp of smoke that drifted back before standing a few feet away. Ishtar¡¯s expression was stoic but relaxed, her arms crossed and her head tilted as she regarded Sonya with a thoughtful gaze. ¡°You¡¯re doing better, I will concede that point,¡± She said and checked her nails, ¡°You¡¯ve internalized what we talked about in The Hague. It¡¯s not enough, though, your mindset is still off and that¡¯s why you¡¯re struggling here.¡± Sonya threw out her arms, ¡°What mindset? Explain it to me!¡± She said, she was so tired of hearing these indirect responses from Ishtar.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ishtar frowned, ¡°Sonya, you know I can¡¯t give you the answers,¡± She said sadly before glancing back at the bridge, ¡°You need a Villain¡¯s mindset. A real villain¡¯s mindset. You¡¯re missing something, that one internalized belief above all others,¡± She looked back at Sonya and fixed her with a stare, her eyes glowing with fiery intensity, ¡°Until you can make that a part of who you are, we won¡¯t ever get anywhere near becoming whole,¡± Ishtar said before letting out another sigh at the desperate look in Sonya¡¯s eyes. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± Sonya said. ¡°You will,¡± Ishtar said with a small smile, ¡°For now,¡± she pointed at the vines on the bridge, ¡°Who was Titania?¡± ¡°Myth says she was the queen of the fae,¡± Sonya said frankly, ¡°I researched her after I got the power I know all-¡± ¡°Clearly you don¡¯t know anything about her,¡± Ishtar clipped back, ¡°Do you honestly think a fae queen would frantically approach this? Tense muscles, desperate thoughts, forcing her power to work?¡± Ishtar barked out a laugh, ¡°You were doing so well when it came to letting it all roll off of you. Do you have that little faith in those you left behind? Do you not think they can handle it?¡± Sonya bit her lip, ¡°But if Liberty-¡± ¡°Answer the question,¡± Ishtar said firmly. Sonya let out a breath and slowly began to nod. ¡°Chunhua is strong, powerful, she can keep Liberty at bay. Marta can help if she¡¯s forced to, even if it means blowing our cover a bit,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, feeling tension leaving her muscles, ¡°Amos can come up with a back-up plan, and I invested steelblood into Da-som to make his healing power more easy to use.¡± Ishtar titled her head, ¡°And?¡± ¡°The kids are ready,¡± Sonya said, looking up and returning her stare. She clenched her fists and felt her lips tremble a bit. ¡°I¡¯m proud of what they¡¯ve grown into,¡± She squeezed her eyes together, ¡°Even that bastard is there, he doesn¡¯t want something bad happening to the camp, it would be disadvantageous for him. I hate it, but I can count on him to act as well if need be. Even if it¡¯s just to make himself look good,¡± She said with bile on her lips. ¡°Those two Bluestar sent over, Crowley and Canis, they¡¯re better than they know,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Axel and Rouge are outstanding heroes,¡± She sighed again and felt a pressure in her lower back ease that she didn¡¯t even know was there. ¡°Carla knows what she¡¯s doing too, they don¡¯t need me even if they don¡¯t realize it.¡± Ishtar tilted her head and nodded, ¡°Feel better?¡± Sonya exhaled and threw her head back, ¡°Yes,¡± She said as her fingers twitched at her side. She bounced a bit on the balls of her feet. ¡°Much better,¡± Her eyes fluttered as she let the ease wash over her. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing she couldn¡¯t overcome. Even if she had to turn the world on its head, she would do what she set out to. She just had to let the inconveniences wash over her and past her. She exhaled again and looked into her hud, pulling up some dance music. She smiled mischievously to herself as Ishtar gave her a grin. ¡°That¡¯s the way,¡± Ishtar murmured as she began to vanish, ¡°Have fun with it. Enjoy it. Revel in it like a Faerie.¡± The music started to play in Sonya¡¯s head, a jaunty beat that thrummed through her chest and into her limbs. She swayed a little on the spot and hummed, taking a step to the left, and then the right, and then she rose off the ground and spun in the air. She felt something bubble up inside of her chest that burst out in a tittering laugh like falling glass. She did a flip in the air, a loop, she spun and laughed and giggled as she felt those instincts roar back up into the back of her mind. Stronger and louder than ever before. Her lips parted as white light began to gleam on her bare skin, her hair became like filaments, blazing with a cascade of pale light. She threw her head back and let out a howl of delight and exaltation as a thrill went through her entire body. She twirled, streamers forming on her arms and legs, her clothing vanishing in blue sparks only to be replaced by a flowing white gown. She let the instinct guide her, followed them, danced with them. She let the stressed and fears and worries wash away. She would pass through them or over them, around them, dancing with them and using them to her advantage. That¡¯s how she worked, thats what she did. That was her modus operandi, she was the force that would intercede and break the storyline, turning it in whatever direction she wanted. Her lips parted and a song rose up from within her, words in a language she did not know but that felt so deeply bound to her heart. The words were sorrowful, filled with regret, even as she danced with lively abandon. She let the world pass her by as her mind drifted into the power. Her skin glowed as something metal rose up and formed over the upper half of her face. She spun again and held her hands high, floating over the bridge as she smiled down at the plants that had been suppressing it for aeons. ¡°It¡¯s time to rest, go back to where you came from,¡± She whispered, her voice a melody on the wind as her glowing hair danced about her serene face. Petals exploded into the air around her that condensed into flowers. They drifted out and around her, glowing with that eerie pale white light. A bloom of illumination that spread out to fill the void that surrounded her, that cast out and reached towards the distant city. Below her, those vines that had held fast for time immemorial began to glow, life and power flooding into them. At first they began to squeeze down on the broken bridge, trying to strangle the last mote of life out of it. She chuckled and shook her head, ¡°No no, go to sleep now,¡± She cooed, lowering her hands, ¡°Come home.¡± The vines writhed and then slowly, slowly, began to retract back down beneath the bridge. She felt them recede all the way back to a spot just beneath where she had been standing before. A single flower hanging upside-down that slowly began to dissolve into motes of light that drew up into the air and joined the other petals. More motes raced across the vast void from the city, tiny balls of light that arrived at her side like children eager to see their mother once more. She caught one over her hand and admired it as she drifted back down to the ground. She landed on heels made of glass that shimmered as the bridge trembled beneath her feet. She smiled to herself and stepped towards the edge only for it to begin growing at a rapid pace, the suppression gone, the filaments grew and grew and grew. They raced out ahead of her as she walked, sauntering across the bridge towards the distant city. Her hair flowed behind her as she reached the middle point of the void and watched the two ends of the bridge collide with one another. In an instant a deep glorious rush of power flooded across it, flickers of light that raced down the innumerable paths as the entire bridge glowed with restored life and power. She looked up at the city in the distance and smiled at it, observing the gaunt figures that stood on its outer walls, waiting for invaders. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, and then I¡¯ll claim you for my own,¡± She giggled and waved at it, turning away as the light reached the landing. She strode back across the bridge as the ring against the wall flared to life, multicolored light radiating from its metal surface as a pool like a dungeon portal began to form within its bounds. It swirled and undulated as she drew closer, stopping before it and drawing her eyes across its rippling surface. Once again, her instincts guided her; ¡°Take me where I need to go,¡± She said casually, her fingers brushing the metal ring. The rippling portal went still like a sheet of quiet water in an instant, responding to her words. She stared through it and grinned, ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± She chuckled and stepped on through. ¨C Ishtar lingered there, the illusion pulling itself back together as she stared at Sonya¡¯s back. She let out a breath and shook her head, ¡°That was quite the sad little song, Sonya,¡± She said and looked back at the city, humming to herself. She walked towards the bridge and admired the pulsing mana that passed through it. ¡°A villain¡¯s mindset,¡± She chuckled and crossed her arms behind her back. ¡°You¡¯re so close, little sister,¡± She said with a sad smile. ¡°I wonder what will happen when you figure it out. It¡¯s so simple, you¡¯ll be mad at me, will I disappear? I suppose I¡¯m okay with that, as long as it makes you strong.¡± She laughed and let out a sigh. Her body began to disappear as she strode towards the distant city, a song on her lips. ¡°From behind my mask of iron, for each wicked sin I atone. I gaze upon the world once more, from atop my lonely throne.¡± Chapter 151 v2 Sonya felt euphoric. It was unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced before. Tiny motes of power burning in her body like little stars. She raised her hand up and examined her fingers, flexing them experimentally as a wave of giddiness washed over her. Her lips twitched up in a smile even as her mind recoiled slightly. ¡°S-so this the aftermath of Visage of Titania,¡± she laughed, her words and thoughts felt misaligned, off kilter. It¡¯s subjecting me to mania, she thought, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised given what the ability can do. There had to be a serious drawback. She took a deep breath and tried to relax her heartbeat, pushing her amusing new surroundings out of her mind for a moment. How long will the effects last? She wondered, fighting down another wave of giggles. She held her hand up over her mouth and stumbled, placing her hand against a nearby tree. She heaved out a breath and laughed again, turning her eyes towards the sight she¡¯d seen through the portal in the Backrooms. A massive compound spread like a slovenly beast in the humid woodland. Paved paths connecting over a hundred buildings that surrounded a single massive structure. She tilted her head and rested her hand on her cheek, admiring the sight, ¡°Wow,¡± she crowed, ¡°Looks like Liberty really knows how to live it up.¡± Are you alright? Sonya tensed, that disconnect flickering in her mind again before she righted it and identified the source of the voice. She raised a hand to her heart and let out a breath, ¡°Ishtar, right, you¡¯re here with me.¡± You didn¡¯t recognize me? Sonya huffed, ¡°They say the old queen of the fae was mad,¡± she said hesitantly, ¡°Every ability has rules or a price.¡± I seem to be doing nothing but bringing you harm every time I make a suggestion, Ishtar said morosely. Sonya shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m just glad to hear your voice, you¡¯ve been quiet,¡± she pressed her lips together and looked down at her feet. The euphoria fading even more into the background, ¡°Thank you, for helping me earlier. If it wasn¡¯t for you I¡¯d be still trapped in there.¡± Then take advantage of the reclaimed time, your people can hold their own but they can never be without too much help. A proper villain does not abandon their subordinates, Ishtar instructed. She smirked, ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that!¡± she laughed and gestured to the remarkable view beyond, ¡°Besides, It looks like I¡¯m going to get to have a little fun as well!¡± she declared before leaning up against the tree she had steadied herself on earlier. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, sending her senses out and activating Astral Eye. She had spent more than enough time in the camp to be able to form one within its vicinity at any distance. She allowed her sense of sight to travel to that place and looked down on it from a distance, a tiny pink twinkle in the nights sky. There, far below, she saw the common building almost entirely encased in stone. Bodies were strewn everywhere amidst the courtyard. The turrets Amos had installed were sweeping viciously left and right while Black Lotus danced between two men whose bodies were glowing with a coppery light. They must be members of her inner circle, she panned her view, there¡¯s a third one there. She¡¯s dressed a bit like Chunhua, a cultivator-type ability? She doesn¡¯t seem interested in participating in the fight. Maybe she¡¯s waiting for Chunhua to get worn down. Now that won¡¯t do at all. <¡°Amos?¡±> she called out through her technopathy, sending the signal through her phone. <¡±Sonya?! Where the hell have you been?¡±> he demanded, <¡±Shit¡¯s bad over here!¡±> <¡±I can see that, I was stuck in the Backrooms. Something interfered with my portal and it broke down as I was returning,¡±> she explained, <¡±What¡¯s the situation?¡±> <¡±Some kind of ability is blocking any sort of teleportation ability within a huge area around the camp. The Pandora Committee is trying to get people there but every time a plane gets close it gets torn to shreds. That do-it-yourself hero of yours and her friends are in the dungeon with Otis and¡­¡±> he trailed off, <¡±We¡¯ve already lost a few aspirants, Sonya. I¡¯m sorry.¡±> She set her jaw tightly, <¡±I see,¡±> She looked down at her feet and felt the euphoria from her power wane even more. The mood swings were becoming intense. She reached up and rubbed at her temples before she started to pace. Sadness and Rage competed with the lingering amusement making her feel nauseous. She wanted to ask how many young people had already lost their lives, how many had been unlucky enough to be too far away from the common building when the chaos started. She ground her teeth and forced herself to focus, pushing the delightful tingle of those stars in her body out of her mind. She turned her sight back on Chunhua¡¯s battle. The hero snapped out a kick, driving it into the abdomen of a thin looking man who vanished and turned into a blur, afterimages left behind as he surrounded her. They all clapped at once and Chunhua spun into a tornado of motion that sent the afterimages scattering only for spears of red light to appear above her, falling down like the sword of damocles. Chunhua stopped her spin and swung upwards, destroying the spears with a ribbon of white-pink light. Sonya focused on the woman¡¯s face, She¡¯s bleeding. <¡±Why is she holding back? Those two can¡¯t be more than heroic-tier,¡± Sonya growled. <¡±You know her, she isn¡¯t going to go all out without permission, she¡¯s already doing this expecting to get expelled from the Committee, though, so I don¡¯t really get it either,¡±> Amos said. Sonya rubbed her chin, <¡±The dungeon, she¡¯s afraid her fight will influence the dungeon while the aspirants are inside,¡±> Sonya said, <¡±Stupid! It¡¯s not that high level of a dungeon, if it¡¯s Lillian¡¯s group they can handle it.¡±> she scowled, <¡±Any word from the Chairman?¡±> <¡±Oh¡­ right, forgot to mention, Liberty had him blown up. His house is basically rubble by now,¡±> Amos said awkwardly. Her expression went deadpan, <¡±Great, just fabulous,¡±> she muttered, <¡±Seems I really have underestimated that brute of a woman,¡±> she said before turning to look towards the compound. I know she¡¯s down there, she¡¯s got to be, I could try to fight her but I still don¡¯t know the full limits of her ability. I know the basics but, it¡¯s too risky to face her now and I promised Cass a chance. I can¡¯t go back on my word. She sighed, At least I can try to sneak in and cause a bit of trouble. <¡±So what¡¯s the plan?¡±> Amos asked, <¡±Your pretty knight is putting in the legwork.¡±>Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. <¡±The other heroes?¡±> Sonya asked. <¡±The instructors are with the students and Marta who¡¯s still wearing your face. Axel is in pretty bad shape, Da-Som is working on him right now. Madame Rouge is being herself, she won¡¯t move unless its absolutely necessary. Since Black Lotus is out there, she probably doesn¡¯t see any real need to intervene,¡±> Amos said, <¡±God she annoys me.¡±> Sonya shrugged, <¡±She¡¯s just eccentric, she¡¯ll take action if it comes to it, like you said,¡±> she said before rubbing her chin, she turned her gaze back towards Chunhua and watched her fight for a few more heartbeats, <¡±If she¡¯s not going to kick it up without orders, then let¡¯s give her orders. I¡¯m calling in those favors, connect me with Carla.¡±> Amos hesitated, <¡±Didn¡¯t you want to wait for that move?¡±> She snorted, <¡±What better time for a leader to step up than during a crisis?¡±> she said, <¡±Now that the Chairman¡¯s dead, my hand has been forced. I¡¯ll just have to pay Liberty back later for activating my little contingency.¡±> <¡±My dolls are ready too, I can send them out if-¡±> <¡±No.¡±> <¡±No? But what about Black Lotus? She could use the backup until things got settled with Carla,¡±> he protested, <¡±A vote like that won¡¯t be quick.¡±> <¡±Yes it will,¡±> Sonya said, <¡±Don¡¯t take away from her achievement here. It¡¯ll add to her fame.¡±> <¡±Even if that woman with the sword joins in?¡±> Amos pressed. <¡±She won¡¯t, I have a feeling she¡¯s waiting for a one on one,¡±> Sonya said, <¡±Now get me Carla.¡±> <¡±On it, boss,¡±> he said. The sound in her head popped once and a new voice joined their conversation almost immediately, <¡±Sonya? Sonya are you okay?¡±> <¡±I¡¯m fine, love,¡±> she said with a laugh, <¡±No worries, just had a bit of an unexpected interdimensional detour. It happens.¡±> <¡±Interdimen- WHAT?¡±> Sonya snickered, <¡±Calm down, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m back. I need you to call a remote emergency session of the committee.¡±> <¡±It¡¯s already about to start,¡±> Carla said grimly, <¡±Sounds like you heard about what happened¡­¡±> she trailed off, <¡±...wait don¡¯t tell me.¡±> <¡±Yup!¡±> <¡±B-but I¡¯m not- Sonya, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready, you¡¯re not serious are you?¡±> <¡±Yup!¡±> <¡±I¡¯m not gonna win this argument, am I?¡±> Carla sighed. <¡±Nope!¡±> <¡±...Sonya, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±> Carla asked. Sonya¡¯s expression fell, her eyes turning back towards the compound. All of her good humor evaporated as she thought about the two shapes she¡¯d seen laying on the ground next to the front door of the main building. No one could safely go out and retrieve them. Left there to wait. How many more were laying in the trees? How many more hadn¡¯t made it back? Did any of the scouts lose their lives while trying to get out of a dungeon that she knew was swarming with monsters as the ambient mana levels spiked in the area. The harder Chunhua fought, the harder things were going to be in there. I invested a lot into you, Lillian, you better not die young lady, she growled as her nails dug into her palms, <¡±Carla,¡±> she said soberly, <¡±I¡¯m going to repay Liberty for this. You just focus on that vote while Amos and Chunhua handle things. Understood?¡±> she said as she weaved an illusion around herself, masking her appearance and darting through the trees. She knew she was letting her anger get the better of her, a measured response would be better, more in-line with Ishtar. She knew that. Maybe it was the lingering effects of Visage, or maybe she just wanted to feel like she did back when she¡¯d first come back. Powerful. Untouchable. A lesson needed to be taught. <¡±Where are you?¡±> Carla asked after another brief pause. Sonya dove beneath a tree limb, spotting a guard tower through the foliage. Her eyes lit up as she pulled Amethyst Sorceress from her warehouse, flashing the minds of those present long enough to leap over a tall metal gate and land on the other side in an alley between the outer wall of the compound and what looked like a storage building. She took a glance out into the paved road and spotted a few of the cultists darting about in a flurry of activity, eyeing their clothing for a moment before retreating again. She adjusted her illusion accordingly before nodding to herself. <¡±Sonya?¡±> <¡±About sixty miles north of the gulf coast,¡±> she said. <¡±Oh my god,¡±> Carla breathed, <¡±S-¡±> Sonya ended the call as she stepped out onto the road, walking past a small group of cultists who nodded at her in greeting. She smiled back at them, Stop fretting, Carla, do what you need to do. I¡¯ve got it from here. She thought as she dialed a new number. <¡±Miss Chernovna?¡±> a man answered. <¡±Representative Harman!¡±> she crowed merrily as she stalked past another cluster of cultists, many of them speaking in low tones or even sitting in prayer. Their conversations were varied and largely mundane so she filtered them out, focusing on getting down the path as quickly as possible and getting as near to that main building as she could. <¡±I hear you¡¯re in a meeting.¡±> The US Representative to the Pandora Committee cleared his throat, <¡±This isn¡¯t a good time, Miss Chernovna,¡±> he said soberly, <¡±The Chairman-¡±> <¡±Is dead, I know,¡±> she said as two cultists approached her. One of them wore some sort of odd mini-cape around his shoulders. He looked at Sonya''s disguised form; she''d picked her old look from the previous timeline, black hair and blue eyes. He nodded brusquely before gesturing towards the main building, ¡°You don¡¯t look busy. We¡¯re short staffed at the Main Building, come with me,¡± he growled, ¡°No questions.¡± She inclined her head, ¡°Yes sir,¡± she said demurely. <¡±I want you to support Carla Mint¡¯s proposal.¡±> <¡±Mint? She¡¯s a regional administrator, she can¡¯t just make a proposal to the Committee like that,¡±> the representative said. Her lip twitched as she sent out similar messages to others who she¡¯d made contact with, mostly those in Europe. It was a lot of political capital spent but she could recover it when it became necessary through the club. They would fall in line, but this guy¡­ <¡±Representative I don¡¯t have the time to argue with you. The situation is bad at the East Coast Camp and the Committee needs to restore its leadership. I will return the favor, just do the right thing here and support the measure,¡±> she clipped as the two men escorted her to a small set of doors set into the side of the main building. She glanced over at a pair of huge doors that loomed over the paved road, Must be the main entrance, this one is for work staff. <¡±Chernovna¡­¡±> he trailed off, <¡±I think I know what you¡¯re planning. You¡¯re going to get a lot of flack if that¡¯s the case, but it¡¯s not my problem. You owe me.¡±> <¡±Yes yes,¡±> she said dismissively as the two men opened the door and she was ushered inside. <¡±Just make sure that measure passes.¡±> <¡±Understood.¡±> The call ended as the din of people working in what appeared to be something between a warehouse and a supersized kitchen nearly bowled her over. A thick set woman in a white button up shirt hurried over. She looked Sonya over once before nodding, ¡°She¡¯ll do. Sir Phillip is getting more and more particular these days,¡± she pointed at Sonya, ¡°You, girl, hurry up and take that cart up. Security will escort you.¡± Oho? She restrained a smile, I wonder who this Sir Philip guy is. She nodded sharply, trying to look more obedient than excited. The woman scowled at her, ¡°Wipe that smirk off your face, he doesn¡¯t like women who seem too eager. Just bring the food up, pay your respects, and get back down here. Got it?¡± she barked before rounding on the two men that had led her in, ¡°You two, lead her up, I don¡¯t have any security to spare right now with half our good men on the mission.¡± Sonya let herself get pulled away in the rush, hurrying over to a hand cart laden with food and drinks. All the while, her mind went to work on what would come next. TICK ¡­ TICK ¡­ TICK Chapter 152 v2 You know, you could have just snuck in completely unnoticed, Ishtar pointed out. Sonya smirked to herself as she wheeled the hand cart out of the rather cramped elevator, the two men who had ushered her inside the building walking on ahead. They were walking along some kind of catwalk overlooking a larger room that also seemed to be for storage. Is her base made entirely out of warehouses? Preppers, I swear, Sonya thought as something caught her eye. She squinted down at the distant shape, a mass of something misshapen and off-gray lay on the ground amidst a small crew of men and women who were disassembling it. ¡°What is that?¡± she asked. One of the men glanced over the rail of the catwalk towards what she¡¯d been looking at and sniffed, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear? Liberty slew Oscar the Golem, a mythic cut down in a single swing,¡± he said, ¡°It was pretty big gossip around the compound.¡± She played up her best sheepish expression, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not exactly in the loop these days.¡± The two guards exchanged a look before one of them shrugged, ¡°If you¡¯re being bullied, that¡¯s your problem. Might makes right, if you can¡¯t put them in their place then you¡¯re where you belong,¡± he said and turned his attention back to the path ahead of them. She¡¯s stronger than I thought, Sonya mused, eyeing the corpse for a heartbeat longer before turning her attention to the backs of the two guard¡¯s heads, Also, that¡¯s some interesting insight into her little cult. That¡¯s how they see one another, mm? Her lips curled upwards, I wonder what that means if I put Liberty down? The two men opened another set of doors and ushered Sonya through into a much larger hallway that wrapped around the upper level of the enormous building. They hung a right as Sonya glanced left, spotting an odd orange glow coming from one of the rooms. She frowned a little, something in her guts twisting as she turned to follow them. They made their way up the hall and around one more corner in silence and arrived at the heaviest looking door she¡¯d seen in the entire facility. One of the guards approached and knocked twice as the other rounded on her, ¡°Say nothing, serve their meals, and stand to the side and try to look pretty or something. I don¡¯t know what Sir Phillip is into these days.¡± Man, this guy sounds like an asshole, she grumbled but nodded anyway. The door opened with an angry hiss and she pushed her way inside past the two men who looked very relieved not to be joining her. The room was just large enough to allow for a conference table and a large screen on one end of the room. The lights were dimmed and two figures sat at the table watching it carefully. She felt every muscle in her body scream at her, every instinct turned to rage as she hastily tried to catch her breath. The first was a man with a clean cut head of wavy dark hair and a smug smile on his face, leaning on his knuckles as he watched the screen with cold eyes. The other was Liberty. The name above her head confirmed it. She¡¯s right there! Sonya screamed into her head. You¡¯ve already accepted you can¡¯t beat her in a head to head fight, not now, focus on what you can get out of this, Ishtar reminded her. Sonya took a steadying breath as the doors shut behind her and pushed the cart over to the table. She glanced at the dishes, two sets of each pile of hearty meats and other delicacies. She picked up a plate and walked over to Liberty, her heart pounding in her ears as she set the dish down in front of her hated enemy. Liberty clicked her tongue, ignoring her as Sonya moved back to pick up a glass and set it next to her. Sonya flicked her gaze up towards the man in the room who was likely this lecherous Phillip character. Phillip eyed her with amusement as Sonya poured out some wine into the glass before returning to the cart to move it around and serve him. She glanced his way and saw his name floating over his head. Wayne? As in Jessica Wayne? I had my suspicions, but there are plenty of Waynes out there. I¡¯ll look into it later. ¡°Getting antsy?¡± Phillip asked as Sonya set a plate in front of him. She flicked her gaze up towards the screen and forced herself not to pause. Keeping her movements fluid. Chunhua was face to face with that woman Sonya suspected was a cultivator. The two of them were squaring off, it was only a matter of time before they came to blows. Look at all those wounds. She should have gone all in, I understand her reasons but¡­ she trailed off as she poured wine into the glass she provided for Philip. He reached out and grabbed her arm, ¡°Hey beautiful, what¡¯s your name?¡± Sonya looked down at his hand and nearly blew it off before flicking her eyes up at him. She forced a demure smile, ¡°Sonya,¡± she said, letting her illusion alter the sound of her voice. She felt another pair of eyes on her and resisted the urge to meet them, ¡°Surname?¡± Liberty growled. Sonya stood up straight and inclined her head, ¡°Lee-Anne,¡± she said, intentionally mispronouncing Chunhua¡¯s last name. She kept her eyes downcast, not meeting the woman¡¯s gaze. There was silence for a few heartbeats before Liberty scoffed and Phillip released his grip. She took a few steps back and stood next to the cart, surreptitiously glancing up at the screen. ¡°They¡¯re just playing,¡± Liberty muttered, ¡°What is Halloway doing?¡± ¡°This could have gone more smoothly if we¡¯d called the other members of the Round Table in,¡± Phillip pointed out. The Round Table. Is her ability Authurian or is it just eccentricity? Liberty rounded on him and scowled before letting out a sigh, she nodded and rubbed her temple before shooting a glance at Sonya. She turned her attention back to the screen, ¡°Ito is still working on the project and I would rather her stay focused. It¡¯s too valuable to leave unguarded so we¡¯ll have to do without Conway and the others.¡± A project? Phillip shrugged his shoulders, ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Liberty got to her feet, glowering at the screen, ¡°I¡¯m tired of watching Kant play with her food and Ewen¡¯s performance has been nothing short of atrocious. Even while channeling my powers he¡¯s only done superficial damage,¡± she muttered and turned towards the door, stalking past Sonya with a lumbering gait. Sonya watched her closely, taking in every detail of the way she moved. ¡°Meaning?¡± Phillip asked, not moving from his seat. He snapped his fingers and Sonya turned to him, he was holding up an empty glass. She restrained her irritation and moved to fill it again. ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with it myself,¡± Liberty growled and opened the door. She reached through the door and grabbed one of the guards, dragging him inside and lifting him off the ground, ¡°You,¡± she snarled, ¡°You have a teleportation ability, correct?¡± The man blanched, shocked by the turn of events even as Sonya felt a chill run up her spine. She dialed out quickly and a breathless voice answered her just as the man nodded a frantic affirmative, <¡±Sonya?¡±> Marta gasped, <¡±Are you-¡±> <¡±No time!¡±> Sonya hissed, <¡±Liberty is heading your way. Find an excuse to dip from wherever you are. I need you to be ready to fight if anything happens to Chunhua, don¡¯t worry about our cover. Be ready,¡±> she said as fast as she could, pulling away from Phillip as he took another sip from his glass. ¡°Told you, you should have just gone with them, it¡¯s gonna take a while for that guy to get you over there, even with your enhancements,¡± Phillip said before reaching for his plate and taking a lazy bite. Liberty turned her glowing blue eyes on him but could only frown in response, she nodded sharply before turning her attention back to the man hanging in her grip. She tilted her head, ¡°Well?¡± she growled, ¡°Take me to West Virginia, now.¡± A pop of rushing air later, and Liberty was gone. Just like that. Sonya stared at the spot where she¡¯d been standing as the doors slid closed again. She looked from the spot to Phillip who was also staring at the door. He huffed out a breath, ¡°This is what I get for being number two,¡± he sighed and scratched his head. She searched his face, He looks familiar, she thought as he got to his feet and frowned at the screen. ¡°You have any siblings, miss Lee-Anne?¡± he asked.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Sonya said flatly. Is he all that¡¯s left of her ¡®round table¡¯ here? She decided to hazard a question, ¡°Shall I serve the others, sir?¡± she asked. He glanced at her and scoffed, ¡°I¡¯m it today, babe,¡± he said with a smirk, looking her up and down, ¡°Not bad, picked a good one today,¡± he said and picked up his glass of wine. He sipped from it again and turned to look at the screen. He raised the glass to it, ¡°Welp, with Liberty on her way, Jessica is as good as dead, nice knowing ya sis.¡± And there it is, he¡¯s the big brother, she thought with a small smile. Though from the sound of it, she¡¯s been set aside. She¡¯s of no use to me then, pity. Not that she¡¯s done much, I wonder if she¡¯s of a similar mindset to Cass. Should I foster her instead of suppressing her? She pushed the thoughts aside for now, Lets deal with this guy. I can worry about that later. ¡°Sir Phillip?¡± she said invitingly, immediately drawing his attention. He turned to face her in that dark room as a small smile spread on her face. She opened her warehouse and drew out Amethyst Sorceress. He returned her smile only for it to falter slightly when he saw the look in her eyes, ¡°I have a message for Liberty that I didn¡¯t deliver while she was here,¡± she said sweetly, taking a step forward, ¡°Would you please deliver it for me, sir?¡± His eyebrows furrowed, ¡°...what message?¡± She broke into a manic smile, ¡°Ishtar sends her regards.¡± ¨C Carla leaned forward in her desk, she was standing, her eyes fixed on the screen. Still nothing but inconsequential bickering. Her lips trembled. When should she speak up? When did she make her move? She glanced at the camera monitor again, Chunhua was standing at the steps again. A brief lull in the fighting. The two glowing men had backed off. Chunhua¡¯s posture was as proud as ever but even Carla could see the blood on her clothes and the wear in her shoulders. She¡¯s getting tired, she looked at the men bickering over pointless things again. Do I do it now? She wondered, What if it fails? Does Sonya have enough political capital to make it work? She looked at her phone and closed her eyes tightly, She¡¯s trusting you, Carla. Stop doubting. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough!¡± She barked at the screen, the faces all whipping up to look back at her, startled. She slammed her fist on the table, ¡°We are an organization dedicated to supporting the heroes! To making sure this world is safe from people like Liberty! If there aren¡¯t regulations in place to handle the situation then damn the regulations!¡± She said and stood up straight, her stare cold, her jaw set, her fists clenched. ¡°I¡¯m taking over,¡± She declared, ¡°I am hereby tendering a proposal to the committee. I will serve as acting Chairwoman of the Pandora Committee until this crisis is over, after which we will hold an election,¡± She scanned the faces on the screen that had gone pale. None of them wanted the job. Not after what had happened to the Chairman. They knew the kind of danger she was inviting on herself. She just didn¡¯t care. Even more, to them anyway, she¡¯d spoken out of place. A general proposal wasn¡¯t something she was allowed to tender, she was just an administrator. Even if they allowed it, she¡¯d need at least five votes in favor for it to nominally pass with those present. Please. ¡°The United States endorses the proposal,¡± Representative Harman said and gave her a small nod and she nearly felt her knees give out beneath her. ¡°All in favor?¡± ¨C Chunhua held her ground, her eyes fixed on the woman as she stalked forward with her weapon drawn. She shot a glance towards Ewen and Ellis who were licking their wounds. Their abilities had been more potent with that glow around them but in the end it was more of the same. Power didn¡¯t override experience and the injuries she¡¯d sustained after their ¡®power up¡¯ had been largely superficial. ¡°A duel,¡± The woman said, pointing her sword at Chunhua¡¯s heart, ¡°You and me, ¡®World¡¯s Strongest¡¯. I want to know who¡¯s better.¡± Chunhua gave her a flat stare, ¡°After I¡¯ve fought your friends? Hardly sporting,¡± she bit out. The woman smirked, ¡°That was your choice,¡± She said with a snort, ¡°I was standing there the whole time, you could have come at me.¡± Chunhua glared at her but didn¡¯t dignify her with a response. So long as the woman didn¡¯t make a move she didn¡¯t have the attention to spare for her. Now it was just the two of them. She let out a sigh through her nostrils. ¡°Your name?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m not usually in the habit of giving dead people my name,¡± The woman said, checking her nails, ¡°But if you must know, it''s Dame Kant, a member of Lady Liberty¡¯s Round Table. Though you can call me Heavenly Demon.¡± Chunhua¡¯s shoulders stiffened, Worse than just a cultivator-type. I¡¯ll take her measure first. She thought before taking a fighting stance. Her weapon held up before her as she shifted her weight. Dame Kant held her own weapon out lazily, her head tilted as her eyes began to glow with a dark red light tinged with orange. She sneered before kicking off the ground in a flash of movement. One moment she was there, the next she was- Chunhua spun, raising her weapon and bracing herself as an attack came from behind and to the left. The strike pushed her back, her feet sliding against the ground as she met a pair of burning crimson eyes with her own black stare. Dame Kant glared at her, ¡°What? No powers?¡± she demanded, ¡°Am I not good enough for you?¡± Chunhua returned her accusation with a deadpan stare, ¡°Earn it, cultivator, you asked for a duel.¡± Dame Kant snarled and her body moved impossibly, her waist twisting before she whipped her leg out to catch Chunhua on the shoulder. Chunhua pulled her arm back and pivoted, avoiding the strike as something wet struck her in the eye. Spit? She blinked, her eye stinging just when a fist drove up and into her gut. She was launched up a foot and a half before she came back down, rolling out of the way and whipping her leg out to strike at the woman¡¯s ankle. The woman hopped back lightly, laughing, her feet stepping on thin air as she got a little distance before launching herself forward with a snarl. She can air-step too. Chunhua flung herself to her feet with a quick kip up, turning as fast as her body would allow, pushing down every instinct to amplify her reflexes and speed with her abilities. She brought her sword up just in time, the two blades clashing as she was driven back. ¡°I hate you,¡± Dame Kant snarled, ¡°You and your pretty ability, it even smells nice,¡± The woman pushed hard, shoving Chunhua¡¯s sword back. ¡°You talk too much,¡± Chunhua bit out through the sword lock. Dame Kant¡¯s lips curled into a sneer before she punched Chunhua in the mouth, her fist as fast as lightning. Chunhua saw stars as she staggered, training the only thing that caused her to pivot just as a stab snapped out to catch her in the abdomen. ¡°I could have been a hero too,¡± Dame Kant continued despite Chunhua¡¯s earlier comment. ¡°But my powers, my ability, they thrive on suffering.¡± A blow came from above, and then to the left, and then the right. Chunhua blocked, pivoted, redirected, taking step after step backwards as she looked for some kind of opening. Every stance was perfect, every movement practiced. She¡¯s trained hard, kind of sad really. Chunhua thought as the woman bore down on her. She deflected each attack as she followed the woman¡¯s movements, picking up on tells from her style. Next will be a retreat and then a jab. ¡°Who needs a hero that needs people to be in pain to grow?¡± Kant growled before leaping back several meters, leveling her weapon with the ground. Blood-red light began wrapping around it as her eyes grew dark. The wind up happening in the span of seconds. ¡°Liberty gave me purpose and the chance to kill the person who has everything I ever wanted!¡± Chunhua didn¡¯t respond, she set her jaw as she judged the distance in a heartbeat. Too far to interrupt her, she figured and readied to defend. The first couple of jabs came in fast but manageable. She turned them away as more and more red streaks began to dart in her direction. Soon, though, her vision turned red, so many strikes coming at once that there was just no way. A crash rang out behind her, crumbling stone. Bedrocks walls! She shifted from a total defense to protecting her vitals, deflecting blows aimed at her torso, head, and thighs, while strikes glanced off and cut against her arms and calves. She pushed through the pain, her eyes fixed on the woman¡¯s face, unblinking. When the strike ended the woman was just¡­ there. Dame Kant swung down with a powerful blow that Chunhua could only block, throwing her weapon up and planting her palm against it to hold it off. She winced as her knee buckled and bore her teeth at her enemy. She shifted her right hand up, letting Dame Kant¡¯s weapon slide down and to the left, she snapped her knee up and into the woman¡¯s gut. Dame Kant let out a gasp as Chunhua stepped past her, swinging her sword down hard. Kant was fast, though, and she rolled out of the way to avoid a fatal blow-not without her side getting cut in the process. Chunhua panted as she turned to face the woman spitting at the ground, ¡°How shameful, what happened to all your bravado?¡± She rumbled as blood dripped from every limb, from her lips, her nose, her bones creaked and groaned under her own weight. She¡¯d already been fighting for so long. She raised her free hand up in a gesture, two fingers pointed to the sky as she cycled her internal energy. A low breath coming out of her as her wounds began to glow and the scent of blossoms filled the air. Across from her, Kant tilted her head and looked down at her injury, she stood up straight and laughed before making a similar gesture followed by a sweep of her hand. Somewhere behind her, one of the cultists that had survived Amos¡¯ turret onslaught let out a cry of pain and collapsed. Chunhua¡¯s eyes widened in horror as the wound on Kant¡¯s side healed. Fast. I don¡¯t think I could match that healing speed even if I was at full power. Kant threw her head back in a peal of laughter, ¡°You were saying?¡± She snarled before pointing her sword at Chunhua. ¡°You don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re doing? Quit testing me, Black Lotus. I¡¯ve put up with your game long enough, fight me properly,¡± she growled. Chunhua cracked a savage grin, ¡°Make me.¡± Chapter 153 v2 One had been scary, they moved like ghosts. When more came, it was a nightmare. Lily raced down the stone-paved street-if you could call it a street-that stretched between two rows of the eerie buildings that made up the ¡®city¡¯ nestled within the largest section of the dungeon. Her heart pounded in her chest as she hopped up and cleared another fallen piece of a building, pushing her palm against the surface and launching herself further along while the monsters continued their pursuit. They were relentless, leaping into the air and reaching heights that no normal human could ever hope to achieve. She spun on her heel as she felt the mana shift behind her again, whipping her sword across the path of the incoming projectile. The arrow split down the middle across the edge of her blade, scattering as she continued her spin and resumed her flight. I gotta get back! She thought, forcing down the rising panic in her gut. I wasted too much time out here and there¡¯s so damn many of them! Everything had gone downhill just a short while ago. They had been exploring the dungeon as usual, mapping out this larger section and studying the structures that made up the city. The scouting party¡¯s numbers had dwindled as the camp had dragged on, either through drop-outs or aspirants deciding that it wasn¡¯t for them. Now there were only five of them together. While the town they¡¯d found the other day had been impressive to say the least, this place was practically a metropolis. Sure, none of the buildings went over three stories in height for the most part, but the few that did struck quite the chord with the scouts. They had taken up camp in what appeared to be some kind of large religious building, there were murals everywhere and it had captured the imagination of several of the more academic members of their group. It was a good four hours into their research and cataloging when they showed up. The first two had been scouts, it seemed. Just like the one they¡¯d been followed by the other day, they had bark-like skin and vine-like hair. They had ¡®elvish¡¯ appearances but they could hardly be compared to the pretty creatures that they¡¯d all heard about in myths and legends. The initial surprise had nearly been catastrophic, but they¡¯d decided to go for Lily first. The cuts and scrapes had healed quickly. They should have been on high alert at that point, but the mystery of the murals had become even more intriguing. There were two kinds of ¡®elves¡¯ on the walls. One set looked beautiful and were often seen positioned above the other set who looked very much like the monsters they¡¯d encountered. There were even a few depictions of elves turning into these things after some kind of calamity. None of them were sure exactly where reality began for the murals and where some manner of fiction ended, crafted by the dungeon. There were even theories tossed around that the dungeon was just filling in details to add atmosphere. They should have paid more attention. She should have considered how strange the mana felt in the dungeon. She should have given it more thought. Instead, all they concerned themselves with was patting themselves on the back for ¡®discovering¡¯ the ¡®Dire Elves¡¯ as they decided to call them. That was when Nina got hit with an arrow right below the shoulder blade. She was laid low in an instant, some kind of poison on it paralyzing her before she¡¯d had a chance to react.The healer had frantically done his best to get her stabilized and had succeeded but only as Lily and the others were beset by dozens of attacking dire elves. By the time the fighting was over, three of their group had been seriously injured and now the healer was working double-time to get them back on their feet. Without much choice, they fortified the temple using the nearby rubble and ruins for materials and Lily had been sent out to get a better idea of how bad the situation was and figure out a route to take out of the city and back towards the previous parts of the dungeon. They needed to reach the portal. It was worse than they could have imagined. She raced around another corner before pivoting a second time into an alley just as the three pursuing dire elves followed her. They ran past her position, gleaming eyes blazing with bloodlust. She grit her teeth and shot forward like a rocket, cleaving across their backs with her broadsword in one quick movement. When she slid to a stop she turned to see them drop to the ground, their faces hitting the broken stone pavement. She panted, sweat dripping down her face as she turned in a circle before spotting the rising shape of the temple. Almost there, please be okay, please be okay! She didn¡¯t hear any fighting, at least, but that could mean one of two things and she didn¡¯t want to even consider one of them. She raced down the nearest alley, leaping and springing, grabbing onto whatever she could to get higher before finally alighting on a rooftop. She squinted, peering at the distant building as she nearly turned into a blur, her legs pumping with mana as she used her internal energy to enhance herself. Faster! She willed, begging her body to move beyond its limits as she hopped from one building to the next. Ahead of her, she could make out the distant shapes of dire elves marching up the steps in columns. There had to be dozens more, Where are they coming from? She thought frantically, The mana¡¯s coming into the dungeon way too fast! Still, it was almost a relief to see them crowding around the walled-off entrance to the main part of the temple. Even as several robe wearing dire elves began blasting it with bursts of verdant green energy. That just meant that the others were still alive. She hopped another gap and landed, spotting the end of this cluster of buildings and the beginning of the plaza that surrounded the temple. She slid to a stop and crouched, peering over the side. Holy shit, she breathed. There were at least a hundred of the damn things, all formed into neat columns. They looked more like footsoldiers rather than monsters. I¡¯d heard that monsters could speak on occasion, especially the humanoid ones but- ¡°Ik Th¡¯aahht!¡± A raspy voice croaked so loudly she nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped her head in the direction of the sound and saw the strangest thing. It looked like a palanquin but it didn¡¯t have any curtains or roof, instead it looked like the cutting of a massive tree-trunk that had grown out four roots to be used as handles. Four dire elves were carrying it on their shoulders. Atop it, the ghostly visage of a dire-elf stood. Unlike the others who wore tattered robes or odd wood-metal armor, it wore finery and jewels embedded in its long fingers. Its face was more natural too with the ability to make expressions despite otherwise clearly being one of the plant-like monsters. It raised a finger and pointed at the temple, ¡°Ik Th¡¯aahht asa am!¡± It commanded, bearing its needle-like teeth and gesturing wildly. Is that the boss? Looks like he¡¯s projecting himself rather than being here, that¡¯s good. She wondered as more robe wearing dire elves ran up the steps, already weaving their verdant green spells. Not the time to gather intelligence, Lillian! She gripped the hilt of her sword and froze, a tremor going through her hand. She felt her heart leap into her throat as she took in the sheer number of them down below. There¡¯s so many. She closed her eyes, Fuck, I¡¯m so scared!This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Her knee shook as she rest her hand on the roof beneath her. She couldn¡¯t move. A couple monsters was one thing. Sparring against teacher was a controlled situation. This was- Stop! Right now! She clamped down on the terror with a snarl, biting her lip so hard it bled. A blast rang out and a portion of the wall erected to protect the others crumbled. They need you! What would Firestorm do right now? He wouldn¡¯t hesitate, that¡¯s what! Didn¡¯t you make a promise to Miss Chernovna that you would be that kind of person too? How is this any scarier than facing down Ishtar someday? She snarled at herself, gripping her weapon tighter. It¡¯s now or never, Lillian! Do it! With every ounce of strength she had to throw into it, she kicked off the roof, leaving a small crater behind her as she hurtled through the air at the heart of the columns of dire elves. She took a deep breath and exhaled through her nostrils, setting her body ablaze with golden fire. A shriek of anger rose up from her right just as she completed her arc; ¡°Th¡¯aahht!¡± The boss shrieked furiously as she shifted forward, her arms crossed in front of her. Her eyes blazed, light flaring up in them as the tattoo on her neck began to glow in concert. Her muscles tensed and in the heartbeat between her landing and the dire elves rounded on her, she swung in a wide arc, her free hand whipping out as well. A short range burst of flame erupted around her, catching a dozen of them ablaze while the handful in front of her were cut down in short order, their bodies incinerated as they crumbled to pieces. She rose and pushed forward, catching the hilt of her weapon with her free hand and adjusting her grip. She brought the weapon down and to the left, cutting through another pair as she stepped forward. ¡®Our martial arts are about momentum,¡¯ Black Lotus¡¯ voice rang in her head. ¡®How momentum is defined is based on our styles of combat.¡¯ She took another step forward and carried through with the momentum of her swing, spinning her body around and cutting through a trio that raced up to catch her from behind. Her foot landed hard and cracks formed in the ground, golden flames bursting up from them. She set her jaw, her eyes focused on the stairs leading up to the temple and shifted the trajectory of her weapon, changing her grip again as she followed through with another horizontal swing. Two steps¡­ come on¡­ ¡®Mine is more about fluid motions and grace, taking advantage of quick stabs and powerful finishes,¡¯ Black Lotus¡¯ voice continued, ¡®Despite or perhaps because of your preferred movement style, who you are, your strikes are powerful and direct, a clear goal in mind. You don¡¯t stop pressing forward for anything.¡¯ Lily took a third step, her muscles bulging on her arms as she bore her teeth, flames dancing on the edge of her blade. She felt the mana and internal energy cycling through her body, mingling, spinning, rotating. Her skin felt energized as she threw her back into the next stroke, she didn¡¯t feel the arrows peppering her skin. She didn¡¯t pay any mind to the knife that struck her in the shoulder, she kept moving. Diving low beneath a particularly deadly swing from a warrior behind her and spun again, catching another dozen up in a whirlwind of steel and fire. She landed, still facing forward as the hissing screams of the dire elves winked out as suddenly as she ripped them from their lungs. Three steps, don¡¯t stop moving, she ordered herself. She cut through two more and blocked another strike, catching it on the blade of her weapon and letting it slide down to the hilt as she passed by, finishing a swing and bisecting the warrior before it had a chance to react. Block, uppercut, block, block, horizontal slash, block, she snapped out a kick, gold flames beginning to burn around her eyes as she caught one in the abdomen and sent him flying. ¡®You push through any obstacle, over, around, or through. A juggernaut. A force of nature. Burning bright with golden flames, even as your foes desperately flow around your implacable form, a Leader,¡¯ Black Lotus continued to push her, just as she always had, no matter how hard it got, no matter how much it hurt. Five steps, six steps, seven steps! She felt the momentum build to a fever pitch as more and more of them came running at her. A big one charged from the front, holding a longsword over it¡¯s head. It swung down and she threw her weapon up, grabbing the blade with her armored hand and pushing with all her might. She bellowed, shoving the dire elf back as she brought her leg up. Weeks spent perfecting the first technique of her martial style. Days of trial and failure, frustration, fatigue. Now! Do it now! She grit her teeth and felt the instincts blaze through her body, every muscle triggered, every neuron fired, every sense exploding with clarity. ¡®A Crusader¡¯ ¡°AAAHHHHH!¡± She screamed in challenge, the fire bursting from her lips and catching in her hair. First March of the Golden Crusade! In an instant her movements became a flickering blur. Her weapon coming up in a right-to-left diagonal slash. Heat erupted from her weapon, the air shuddering for a moment from the force. The big dire elf was blown away by the strike, the flames so intense that he was turned to black ashes in an instant. She stepped down and swung again. BOOM! More of them were thrown about like ragdolls as Lillian brought her sword down in an impossible vertical stroke. The sudden shift in position almost impossible for a normal human to pull off. Step after step came with a thunderous boom and more dire elves falling in her relentless path of destruction. Her foot work was slow, but her blows came in faster, harder, crashing into anything in her path and leaving gilded cuts and carvings in the stone beneath her feet. Firestorm was the spark! She grabbed a dire elf by the face and threw them to the side, bowling over its compatriots. She took another booming step and swung again, I won¡¯t stop, not for anything, not until the people of this world feel safe! I¡¯ll protect them! I¡¯ll give everything! All of it! She cut through a set of robes as a caster turned at her, eyes wide with confusion and fear. ¡°GET OUT OF MY WAY!¡± She bellowed as she took the final step of her march, swinging with all her might as the golden flames began to stutter and die on her shoulders. Blood dripped from her arms and legs, from her chest and side, some of the wounds started to close faster than others as clumps of cloth and incinerated monster flesh collapsed to the ground around her. She panted, turning her back to the wall guarding the entrance to the temple. She pointed her weapon down the steps, not knowing how or when she¡¯d ascended this far. It didn¡¯t matter. She was here now. ¡°I AM CRUSADER!¡± She roared even as her entire body ached and her vision swam. Beneath her, a horde of dire elves raced up the steps, weapons drawn. A sea of bodies that seemed endless. She breathed hard, she was in so much pain, but she pushed her blazing aura out as far as she could, letting it wash down the steps and into the temple interior behind her. ¡°AND I AM THE HARBINGER OF THE HEROES BEHIND ME!¡± ROAAARRRR She didn¡¯t budge, even as a chill spiderwalked down her spine as something terrible began to push its way up the stairs and through the crowd of dire elves. It was a creature out of books, it¡¯s body wasn¡¯t especially big, about the size of a school bus. Not as massive as she¡¯d imagined they¡¯d be. It had a feline gait, languid and slow as it prowled between the gathered dire elves. Its scales were green and gleamed angrily in the ambient light. It had a reptilian head with a long snout filled with terrible teeth that it showed as it let out another bone chilling roar. She glanced up at the blue glowing figure of the dungeon boss pointing at her with rage in his malformed eyes. The sub-boss? She thought as her heart clenched in her chest. She squared her shoulders and glanced at the other scouts who returned her stare. If any of you guys are coming, I sure hope it¡¯s soon. Until then¡­ Her broadsword ignited. ¡­looks like I¡¯m fighting a dragon today. Chapter 154 v2 A sea of dire elves ran up the steps towards her. There was no running from this fight, even if she wanted to. With several people behind her that needed protection and no other routes, it was either down and through the enemy or die trying. She took a few steps to the left and put herself firmly between the doors and the approaching enemy, the dragon stomping and roaring as it marched its way towards the base of the steps. She wrapped her fingers around the grip of her sword and took a stance, weapon outstretched in front of her as the first group drew nearer. They raced up the stairs, their wild eyes blazing with bloodlust. Lillian¡¯s nose flared and she bent her knees, letting the internal energy and mana in her body blend together again. She started the cycle up, feeling the swirl as it looped through her body like blood, cycling down until it reached her navel before spreading back out again, refined and filled with power. She set her jaw and took a step forward, sweeping her weapon in a wide arc. Golden flames danced off of its surface in a short wave that crashed into the incoming enemy. Her powers ripped through the ranks of the incoming dire elves, the burning wrath of her sword turning the ones that had gotten too close into ash. There were still more on their way, though, and that dragon right at the edge of the stairs. For some reason it wasn¡¯t using those massive wings to gain air superiority. She squinted at its form, trying to figure out the reason as the dire elves regrouped from their first failed assault. The dragon lumbered forward, whipping its paw at any of the dire elves that got in its way. They were sent flying, crashing into the others and sending them sprawling. It whipped its wings out now and then, flapping them angrily before throwing its head back in a roar and trotting forward with purpose. She focused on the wings, What- there! Tears in the leathery portions of the wings, damage from some previous attack or another. The dragon roared again when a dire elf got directly in its path and it slapped it down with its massive paw. In one quick movement it snapped its head forward and ate the dire elf whole. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s their friend, She glanced up at the cuts in its wings, No, those are purposeful. They need it to obey. She set her jaw as the next group got closer, more dark shapes flying past her to crash into the oncoming ranks of the enemy. More explosions sending them flying off the steps and down to the ground far below. The sheer number of bodies being thrown at them were the only reason any of them were getting past her relentless assault. She swung again and again, shifting stance to simulate steps as she built up her momentum. The little pauses between each group cooled it down a bit, but that was okay, she was making up for it in spades. It was just as she felt like she had momentum to pull off march again when the dragon decided that it had waited long enough. With a terrible roar that rattled the air and sent a chill running up Lily¡¯s spine, it raced up the stairs, plowing its way through the remaining bulk of the attacking dire elves. Lily¡¯s eyes went wide as it fixed its own blazing gaze on her, racing through the clouds of black smoke left behind as it opened its jaw to consume Lily with one quick snap. Not gonna happen! She took a step forward, down closer towards the beast as it drew closer and let her instincts carry her through the motions of her technique. She swung up just as it lowered its head down towards her and caught it on the chin, the impact causing a golden flare to ripple out between the two of them and send the dragon¡¯s head whipping upward with a shriek of pain and confusion. She exhaled and flames billowed out, taking another step and swinging again, this time catching it on the shoulder as it pivoted to avoid her cutting it¡¯s head right off then and there. Tch. She grit her teeth and pushed forward anyway, her next blow going up towards its wing and it snapped its jaws at her blade. She caught it on the side of the head instead and it stumbled before righting itself. Blow after blow rained down on the dragon, each one following in with explosive force as she tried to destabilize it, knock it off, hurt it, do something to it. She pushed forward and it fell back, small explosions raining down on the horde below rather than the dragon as to not catch her as well. She steeled her focus, hit it harder! She thought, swinging up again to bat its head away and get to its neck. Step after step pushed it further back, her movements a blur, the world around her blending away as she let out a roar, ¡°STAY DOWN!¡± She bellowed, her muscles burning. She swung with all of her might, a muscle felt like it tore in her shoulder only to immediately start trying to heal itself again. She let out a gasp just as the swing struck and she felt the resistance of its hard scales give way a bit. She followed through, despite the pain, and completed the swing with a scream of pain and fury. The dragon whipped its head away, stumbling back a dozen steps as black blood oozed from its neck. She panted and looked up to meet its eyes. The pupils were tiny now and they seemed to glow. ¡°Oh shit, now it¡¯s mad,¡± She bit out as it reared back on its haunches and tilted its head towards her. Her eyes went wide as a verdant green glow rose up its throat. She turned, pivoting away and racing up the steps. A gurgling sound proceeded a sudden surge of mana in the air, she spun around when she reached the top of the steps, she saw two of the scouts inside dive for cover. The others can¡¯t move! Shit! She snarled, glancing back over her shoulder and meeting the healer¡¯s frantic gaze. She looked back at the dragon as the light blossomed in its mouth. Damn it. Fine! She set her stance and held her weapon up, golden flames wrapped around it. She squeezed them tighter, tighter, tighter, pushing down and applying pressure with her will as the incoming attack reached its zenith of charge. She grit her teeth. I am Crusader. I will not let you get past me! She swore. ¡°Not in this life and not in the next! I won¡¯t budge an inch!¡± She roared, ¡°Bring it on!¡± Verdant light flared and a cone of emerald energy lanced out from the creature¡¯s maw and slammed into her blade. The golden flames burned bright as the attack split around her, corroding and annihilating the stone at her back. She felt her arms groan with the strain, her muscles screaming in protest. She felt her feet dig into the ground beneath her as the wave of raw power roared around her. Her skin flaked, her armor burned, the pain was more than she¡¯d ever felt in her entire life. Like shocks of electricity beneath her skin eating away at her flesh even as her power steadily healed her body. She was in a suspended state of breaking down and recovering and it never seemed to end. She clenched her teeth. I¡¯m not dying here! She swore, I¡¯m going to win, I¡¯m going to get out of this place, and I¡¯m going to become a hero! She raged, her eyes itched, her neck ached, every strand of hair on her head felt like it was on fire. The ground shook beneath her feet, the shuddering and crashing growing more and more intense, closer. Was it walking towards her while it did this? How much energy did it have to keep this up? She felt her knee buckle beneath her and she shifted her weight slightly, forcing herself to stay standing as the constant pressure weighed down on her. She felt her eyebrows singe and the vision in her left eye started to fail her. She screwed up her face in an expression of fury and defiance, a sound keening from her throat. She couldn¡¯t hear anymore, but she could feel it, something welling up inside of her chest. I need more! More! Just a little-Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. With a thunderous boom the blast from the dragon winked out of existence and she felt all of her strength leave her as she hit her knees and nearly fell face first into the stairs beneath her when something moved in and caught her. She blinked, her vision swimming, as she turned her head and looked up into a pair of pearlescent eyes. ¡°Damn you¡¯re a pretty hallucination,¡± She mumbled, and reached up to touch Snow¡¯s face. Snow gave her a big smile laced with worry and tears. She ran her fingers through Lily¡¯s hair and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m as real as it gets, babe,¡± She said as Cass collided with the dragon¡¯s head, screaming at the top of her lungs just over Snow¡¯s shoulder. Another shape dipped in and pulled her to her feet, throwing her arm over a broad shoulder. She had to turn her head to see Alex¡¯s focused face as she ran up the steps to get her inside the building. Snow hustling next to them. The sound of a rocket went off behind her and she heard a terrible impact followed by a howl of pain from the dragon. She shook her head, trying to shake off the hallucination one more time. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing even as Alex set her down next to the healer.. He crouched next to her, ¡°How fast can you get back on your feet?¡± He asked. She blinked at him in confusion again, ¡°You¡¯re really here,¡± She said with a smile, delirious. ¡°Alex! Get your ass out here!¡± Val shouted, ¡°Could use a little reptile v reptile if you don¡¯t mind!¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy!¡± Alex barked back before looking down at her. Next to him, Snow looked over her face and reached out to brush back a bit of her hair. Her lip trembled a bit and she glanced at Alex who gave her a hard look. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± He said and got to his feet, ¡°Won¡¯t you?¡± Lily stared up at him as confusion gave way at last to clarity, the pain muddling her thoughts easing off as her ability got right to work, soothing the injuries first before it started to heal. She coughed, ¡°Right as rain in no time,¡± She said with a grin, ¡°Now go.¡± He nodded and scales spread across his neck and jawline in an instant, his eyes turned to slits and his nostrils flared. He whipped his head around and charged, fangs bared as he leaped through the air and tackled the face of the dragon that was now frantically fighting off a whole new host of enemies. John clung to its back and stabbed it over and over while Cass struck it in the side with her hammer. She panted and looked up at Snow who was still examining her face. ¡°How bad is it?¡± She asked with a lazy grin, ¡°Any good scars in my future?¡± ¡°Pretty sure those¡¯ll heal,¡± Snow said softly, ¡°Though I don¡¯t think your mom is going to like the new color added to your hairstyle, or the eyes, or the updated tattoo,¡± Snow quipped, ¡°You sure you weren¡¯t a scene kid or something in your past life?¡± Lily barked out a laugh, it hurt, so much. She kept laughing anyway even as her body started to feel numb. ¡°My eyes changed now? Great!¡± She chuckled sarcastically and leaned her head back with a groan. She watched the remaining scouts get out from their hiding spot and race over to resume his support of the others. Good, she thought, relieved and glanced at the healer who had a bit more color in his face. The others laying on the ground did too. Her head swam a little and she frowned, she glanced down at her feet, the numbness had given way to¡­ nothing, stiffness. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my feet,¡± She mumbled. Snow looked down at her feet and reached for her boots, she tugged for a moment and with some difficulty managed to get them off. They both stared in rapt amazement and alarm as something green had spread across her skin. It¡¯s not the color of that magic but¡­ She blinked slowly as she felt the emptiness creep up her leg. It¡¯s spreading. ¡°Is that jade?¡± Snow whispered, panicked, she looked over at Lily, ¡°Lily, what¡¯s happening?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes fluttered as the feeling spread up further. Despite every rational thought telling her she should be panicking, her instincts said something else. Let it happen. Just let it happen. She let out a shaky breath, the fear warring with her instincts as her heart raced. She reached up to take Snow¡¯s hand and squeezed it before nodding towards the others still engaged with the Dragon. ¡°Get going, I¡¯ll be back in no time.¡± ¡°What do you mean, back?¡± Snow asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lilian closed her eyes and searched her instincts, the manual of her powers, every time she accessed them it felt like they grew more and more detailed. She grinned a little to herself. That¡¯s a pretty long cooldown, she thought with amusement. Not a bad trade-off though. I can live with that. She opened her eyes and just nodded, ¡°Just a quick power nap,¡± She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Focus on supporting them, okay? Follow Greg¡¯s lead.¡± She didn¡¯t see Greg or the usual tell-tale purple hue of his powers but he had to be somewhere nearby orchestrating the fight. Snow forced a smile onto her face and reached up to stroke Lily¡¯s chin as the jade spread up to her waist. She nodded and kissed her forehead before getting to her feet and racing out, drawing that funky pistol from her thigh. Lillian let her head fall back as she breathed, ¡°Just hang in there for five minutes guys,¡± She muttered as she felt the jade reach her heart. Her breathing began to slow. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five minutes,¡± She mumbled as her vision swam and the spread reached her throat. ¡°Just hang in there¡­¡± She whispered as her vision went dark, her body falling utterly still. ¡ª This was taking too long, they¡¯d been delayed. The mana pouring into the dungeon had caused the monsters to respawn faster and faster. Otis chewed on his lip, rage boiling beneath his skin. How am I supposed to save the day and come out the hero if I can¡¯t get there in time? He thought, racing across the latest stretch of path between the trees. We have no idea where we¡¯re going either! Damn it! He spat on the ground in frustration as he raced on ahead. That guy, Greg, was close behind. If only we had a map or- he cursed again to himself. Miss Chernovna was right! Scouts! I need a scout for my heralds! Everything wouldn¡¯t be going wrong if I had a scout! ¡°I told you we should have gone this way!¡± Greg shouted. Otis bit his lip, ¡°Yes! You were right!¡± He said, ¡°We need to hurry, they need us!¡± That seemed to mollify the guy, no, the thing, no- he squeezed his eyes together. He¡¯s useful, powerful, he has potential. He counts as a person, right? He wondered when he had started attributing personhood to more and more people. It seemed like the number was growing each passing day, ever since Ishtar, ever since Sonya, ever since that day in Vegas and that night at the Beach. He pumped his legs harder. I¡¯m not wrong! He thought. Humanity deserves death! Just because there¡¯s a few good ones doesn¡¯t mean a damn thing! He pushed forward, he needed to get there, to be the hero, to save the others from whatever fate awaited them. He needed them to worship him. He glanced at the profiles screen, pulling up his bookmarked tabs. That girl that kept growing stronger, the impressive one. She was weakening, struggling, she was going to die. The agent of Ishtar, that girl with the hammer, she was fighting for her life as well. No! If they die then everything will be ruined! The guide says so! I can¡¯t let that happen! I need to be faster! Is there a cheat I can use? A power? Something! He snarled, reaching into the depths of the instincts that governed his ability. He barely touched them, barely considered them, but right now if he wanted his way he needed to look past the stats screens, the guides, the menus, he needed something more. Without thinking he reached out and grabbed hold of Greg¡¯s arm. Greg shouted something but he ignored him. He let the feeling take him, his bloodlust, his greed, his hatred, his desire, he let all of it push him. I will be a King, I will be the one to rule this world and destroy it! He felt his body lift off the ground as streaks of gold slipped past his body. The world turned into a blur around him and in an instant, he and Greg were gone. Chapter 155 v2 ¡°Cass! Watch your back!¡± Alex shouted at her as she dove beneath a sweep of the dragon¡¯s claws. She rolled to the side as a short volley of arrows hurtled through the spot she¡¯d just been standing in. She clicked her tongue and tried to reacquire her target but the dragon had moved. The massive beast reeked in a way she couldn¡¯t quite describe, like dead plants and rancid musk. Her lips curled down as the creature took a step back to try to fix its gaze on her and she whipped her weapon up and into its throat. The hard scales absorbed most of the blow but the force was enough to force its head back up. She glanced towards Alex who was in the midst of whip-kicking away the dire elves that had climbed the long temple stairs and tried to turn her into a pincushion. ¡°Thanks! Keep them off me, I can¡¯t get its joints if I keep having to dodge!¡± She shouted as the dragon let out another terrible roar. It flapped its useless wings and tried to get some more distance from her and she charged forward, hammer in hand. She had to be careful about how she did this. The two powers that Ishtar had gifted her with her investment were nothing like her core power and she didn¡¯t need more questions when she used them. She dove again, working her way through the dragon¡¯s legs. It shifted its weight and moved out of reach of her again and again. It had amazing senses. I can¡¯t use Shatter on just any part of its body, that¡¯d be too obvious. The joints are a good target though. She thought, I also can¡¯t get hurt too much, grace has a clear glow to it. She pursed her lips as the beast raised its entire body and pressed its clawed back legs into the steps beneath it to gain stability. Next came the green glow up its throat. Oh no you don¡¯t! She kicked off the ground with all the strength she could muster and brought her weapon up in a hard uppercut, slamming it into the creature¡¯s jaw just as it opened its mouth to release that terrible breath weapon that had done so much damage to Lily. I hope she¡¯s okay. Cass thought as she collided with the beast, knocking its head back and sending it flailing backwards. It let out a howl of fury and twisted its body to attempt to catch itself. As Cass descended from her leap she threw her weight forward into a spin, I¡¯ll get you this time! That was a mistake. During her third rotation she noticed it, the creature¡¯s powerful tail whipping in her direction at terrible speed. Her eyes went wide, I forgot about the tail! She gasped as it collided with her, sending her to the ground like a falling stone and embedding her in the stone stairs. Her entire body creaked with pain and she felt something crack in her chest, the only thing that stopped it from killing her was the natural toughness she got from her innate ability. She coughed, scrambling to her feet as the creature turned around and raised its talons to skewer her. Shit! She rolled to the side and the dragon let out a howl before hesitating in it¡¯s descent. She glanced back and saw a copy of herself standing an equal distance from where she¡¯d fallen but on the opposite side. Thank you, Snow. She thought and glanced up at the dragon that was looking between the two Cass¡¯ in confusion. She didn¡¯t waste the opportunity. She charged throwing her back into a swing at one of its legs. Her copy mimicked her movements, darting towards its other flank. The dragon threw its head back in a roar before snapping down to bite at the copy. Got you! She bit out and swung with all her might, activating Shatter. CRRUNCH! The blow, enhanced with her already tremendous physical strength, crashed into the dragon¡¯s leg joint which exploded into a mist of blood and powdered bone. There was a heavy thud as the beast''s left foot hit the ground, separated from the limb. She grinned, This isn¡¯t so bad, might not even need- SCCREEEEEEEEE! The sound was deafening, she staggered as a shriek that made her legs weak and her head spin pierced the air. Her hand went numb and she dropped her weapon on instinct, reaching up to clutch at her ears as the dragon let out a pained sound. Nausea washed up her throat and it took everything not to collapse and puke her guts up. A verdant green light bloomed in front of her as she tried to get her body to move, the terrible sound pinning her to the spot. She forced her eyes open and watched as wood began to grow from the stump where the dragon¡¯s leg had been separated from the limb, forming a false leg. You have got to be kidding me! She thought through the pain. She looked past the beast towards the paused fight going on behind it. Even the dire elves and her comrades had been struck by the creature¡¯s agony. Val, who had been in the midst of fighting off a group of sword wielding attackers who were trying to interfere with the fight had collapsed to a knee while two of the attackers had just fallen over. John was clutching his head just past him. She couldn¡¯t see Snow, probably hiding to maximize her ability. Where¡¯s Alex? She forced the muddled thoughts out, the pressure of the scream making it hard to think. Her vision swam a little. It¡¯s still going? Her eyes tried to fix on the false leg that rested on the ground and she saw the dragon take a few steps, turning towards her. I can¡¯t move! She thought as a pair of burning green eyes looked down at her, teeth bared, the sound pushing down even harder just before it ended abruptly. Her legs felt like jelly. The dragon lunged and she felt the back of her shirt get grabbed by a strong hand. She blinked and watched as the dragon¡¯s jaws clamped down on the spot where she¡¯d just been, bits of stone crumbling beneath its mighty bite. Her strength started to come back enough to glance towards her savior. Alex let go of her shirt, scales grown over his ears. He was panting, his skin pale and a bit green. ¡°I gotcha.¡± She thought about what he¡¯d said to her. Those cruel words that weren¡¯t entirely false. He¡¯d apologized, but she hadn¡¯t really been able to work through them. Not because she hated him for it, but because she really didn¡¯t feel like she belonged. Like she was a useful add-on. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t forgive him for it, that was easy, he wasn¡¯t wrong. She just didn¡¯t know how to reconcile it all. He met her gaze and nodded to her, his eyes burning with resolve. He wasn¡¯t backing down and he wasn¡¯t going to let an ally die, no matter what. She pressed her lips together as she felt the dragon turn its attention to them. She rolled her shoulder as it started to approach and she returned his nod. That one gesture from him was more genuine acceptance than she¡¯d ever felt in her entire life from someone of her age. Sonya had taken her in, cared for her like a little sister. She didn¡¯t quite know how the others felt, but she knew how at least one of them did. That was enough to know what she wanted and what Sonya had meant when they talked that night. That was more than enough. She grit her teeth as the dragon charged, jaws open, and dug deep. I am Ishtar¡¯s hammer, I am the Mighty Asterion, and fuck it all, I¡¯m going to be a hero too! She bellowed out a roar that shook the stones beneath her feet. Each step forward of the dragon was met by one of her own as she slammed her hammer into the ground. She held out her hands as her body began to grow, expand, her muscles becoming denser, her eyes beginning to burn. Her hair grew longer and longer as her fingers reached up. She was seven feet, eight feet, nine feet, ten feet tall when her hands collided with the dragon¡¯s jaws. She gripped them tightly with a snarl and bellowed back at it, horns sprouting from her head and curling brutally. She planted her feet. The massive beast that overshadowed her, just like her sister, I¡¯m big now too! She wrenched her arms to the right with a bellow and pulled with all her strength. A sound of gurgled confusion wrought its way up the dragon¡¯s throat as she threw it to the ground, slamming it onto its side. Her muscles tensed and burned and she pulled again, slamming it down in the opposite direction. Again! Again! Again! She roared inside, letting those feelings of rage power her through as she bashed the dragons head against the ground over and over until a flash of green light made her blink and squint. She threw its head to the side and a blast of verdant light ripped through part of the staircase and swept across the city around the temple, annihilating anything it touched. The blast stopped and the dragon pulled itself to its feet, shaking its head and stumbling a little. Despite all she¡¯d done it was just pissed off. She caught her breath and took a step back as she met the creature¡¯s eyes. She grabbed her hammer with one hand and its eyes burned at her with unshackled hatred. It spread its wings and threw its head back in another roar, that verdant glow burning on its flesh. Something sprouted from the tears in its wings. Thin strands of¡­ Are those fungus fibers? Her eyes widened and she charged, No! Don¡¯t you dare! The fibers lashed out across the opening, knitting together and pulling the tears in its wings together and binding them. Alex darted in next to her, fangs growing in his mouth as his entire body was covered in scales. Both of them slammed into the hind legs of the big thing grabbing hold and trying to fix it to the ground. It tried to whip its legs as it restored its wings, attempting to dislodge them. She looked around. They needed someone to get rid of the damn wings somehow. John was the best choice but he was occupied covering Val and keeping the still dense horde of dire elves off of them as an illusory stretch of bladed terrain washed down the steps to hamper their advance. The things were endless, like the dungeon was spawning them every second. Is that what Otis did? Did he uncap the- Her thoughts were broken by a wrenching sensation as her body was nearly thrown off the dragon¡¯s leg. She slammed her hammer into the ground to act as an anchor. I can¡¯t hold on forever! She glanced at Alex who met her gaze, ¡°Hang in there!¡± She shouted. ¡°That¡¯s about all I¡¯m doing!¡± Alex laughed despite the situation and tried to dig his sharpened fingers into the scales. ¡°Damn thing is so tough! Why is this thing so strong?¡± ¡°Ties that bind, comrades, a union of strength.¡± The words washed through her entire being. Ollie? I thought he was hiding with Snow. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the thin young man standing there at the top of the steps, his hands outstretched, his entire body shaking. Get inside you idiot! There¡¯s too many! He met her gaze and clenched his outstretched hands into fists, bringing them together. A shock ran through her body. She felt something growing on her skin, it itched and felt disgusting but her body felt¡­ harder, tougher, her bones tried to knit together as the cuts and scrapes across her skin started to close beneath thick golden scales. Scales? Then that¡¯s Alex¡¯s regeneration. That means- She whipped her head towards Alex who¡¯s body began to expand, he threw his head back in a terrible rasping hiss as his arms pulled close to his body, he released the dragon¡¯s leg only for a moment before he changed. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. A black scaled horned serpent as wide around as a sedan wrapped its way around the dragon¡¯s leg before slithering up its side and weaving itself around the dragons neck and body, applying even more weight. The dragon struggled, flapping its restored wings but it just couldn¡¯t move. She was able to pull away, readying her hammer to continue the onslaught. Alex reared his massive head back and lashed out, biting down on the dragons throat and not letting go. She glanced back at Ollie in amazement only to see him go pale and collapse to his knees, sweat beading on his face. He looked stricken. Beneath him, a half dozen dire elves raced up towards him, Alex no longer there to block them. She turned, ready to face them and get them some breathing room as a field of illusory static washed down the steps in front of Ollie, causing the dire elves to hesitate as a small figure darted out to help Ollie to his feet. Cass turned her attention back to the dragon and set her jaw. She let out a roar, racing towards it with booming steps and swung, crushing part of its jaw and sending its head reeling away. It tried to whip its head back towards her and she swung again. ¡°JUST. STAY. DOWN. ALREADY!¡± she roared as it flailed with each thunderous blow, frantically trying to dislodge Alex¡¯s mass and get away from her. She knew she could bring it down with enough time, but every moment spent in this place was another spent not doing something to help outside. The elves respawning had slowed down a bit, at least. Val and John had to be tired at this point. Stalemate, she realized. She didn¡¯t panic, she could keep holding on as long as she needed to. Come on Lillian, whatever you¡¯ve got planned, now¡¯s the- Purple light bloomed at the foot of the temple steps. It spread like wildfire up and up and up washing over the elves that were still fighting to get to her. Her eyes widened, a smile spreading across her face and she raised her voice, ¡°It¡¯s about damn time!¡± she shouted as the elves were pulled down the stairs by an invisible force. The next moment, two shapes darted towards the dragon. She slung her hammer over her shoulder, taking a casual step back as its wings were cleaved off. Your turn. ¨C There was a momentary stillness, a pause that hung in the air over the entire temple and surrounding plaza. For a heartbeat, all eyes were on the pair that stood atop the collapsed dragon. Even the massive black serpent that had the beast coiled in its grip could only stare in shock at the two. Lillian, Crusader, stood looking down at the enemies below. Her hair fluttered in the wind, one green streak and one red streak dancing like feathers amidst a sea of black. The red and green tattoo on her neck glowed brightly, petals dancing. Her avian eyes blazed with internal energy as she surveyed everything. She turned her head and looked Marc in the eyes. His bright blue eyes glimmered in response, a golden crown on his head as his spun-gold hair fluttered around him. She quirked her lip a little, it was so strange seeing him. He usually kept to himself so she thought he just didn¡¯t like anybody at the camp, if she was being honest. Perhaps even a little full of himself, ¡°Looks like I get to fight at your side after all,¡± She said tentatively. His lip twitched before he brandished a perfect smile at her, ¡°Looks like it,¡± He said and looked up towards the entrance to the temple, ¡°Injured?¡± She glanced up at the top of the steps, reassessing her thoughts a bit. If he¡¯s concerned about the injured, he can¡¯t be all bad. Maybe he¡¯s just a loner. She paused and spotted a small form behind some rubble and smiled, There she is, good. ¡°A few,¡± She said with a nod before glancing down at the massive serpent head that stared at her from below. She smiled at it, ¡°Hey Alex!¡± She laughed, ¡°You look good! Put on some weight?¡± She turned to look at Cass and met her eyes, her smile turned a bit more gentle, ¡°Thank you, for holding out for me.¡± She clenched her unblemished fist, her muscles tensing in her arm as power coursed through it. The blockages that she¡¯d felt through her meridians were gone, every cell in her body felt like it was soaring. She felt stronger than she¡¯d ever been in her entire life. Stronger than she¡¯d ever conceive of feeling. Around her, no one spoke, no one breathed. She looked back at Marc and exhaled, ¡°I¡¯d ask what you guys are doing here, but I just really appreciate it,¡± She said before nodding to him, ¡°Ready to clean up, hero?¡± He tilted his chin up a bit and met her gaze, his chest swelling a bit. ¡°You know what? I¡¯d be honored to help,¡± He said with a firm voice. She couldn¡¯t help it, she grinned a little at him. Now that¡¯s the right attitude, she thought as the dragon began to rouse from its shock. The beast beneath them writhed against the force that suppressed it and Crusader glanced at Alex, ¡°Go help the others,¡± She said with a nod, ¡°We¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold him down!¡± Another voice joined in from afar and the serpent whipped its head towards Greg, floating up the side of the temple before landing on the steps and making his way to the top. He casually gestured and the group of dire elves that had been ready to charge the top and attack Snow and Ollie were flung away, screaming as they fell to their deaths. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around to stand stalwart in front of the opening to the temple. As if his pose was the firing of a starting gun, a roar rose up among the dire elves. The dragon thrashed and Alex dislodged from the beast while Marc and Lily hopped into the air, Cass doubling back several paces and readying her weapon. It staggered to its feet. It could stand but its movements were sluggish. Dazed by losing its wings and suppressed by Gregs powers. Cass shot the two a look before brandishing her hammer and charging with a shout. Alex slithered down the steps to join Val and John who had resumed their fight. Crusader could only smile as she took it all in, her power building, her internal energy cycling. Val was like a machine of destruction, he darted from place to place, his body spinning like a top at times. He weaved and bobbed, each punch coming out with the force of a rocket. He crushed armor, smashed defensive spells, ruined weapons, and laid waste to anything that got too close to him. He laughed the entire time, throwing out hoots and whoops as if he was having the time of his life. He launched into the sky, ¡°Faster!¡± She heard him shout, ¡°Faster! Faster! Faster!¡± The air began to bubble around his body as he whipped back around and launched straight for the ground. He let out a roar of triumph as he picked up speed in a matter of seconds. She felt his heart thundering in his chest even from so far away. Her breath caught as he hit the ground and broke the sound barrier at the same time, flashing every rocket in his body to stop himself. A shockwave that ripped out of the point of impact sent a mass of dire elves hurtling through the air. He staggered and fell forward for a moment but caught himself, throwing his fists into the air. He threw his head back and let out a whoop, ¡°I¡¯m a fuckin¡¯ superhero!¡± John twirled the knives between his fingers and moved with a steady rhythm, his body swaying and dipping. Those stiff and jerky movements that he had always used began to melt away as he darted between blades, arrows, and spells. He pivoted and twisted, his body moving at strange and impossible angles. She felt his heart thundering in his chest even as she heard something else, something she¡¯d never heard from him before. A low humming and the occasional chuckle. He swayed and danced and if she didn¡¯t know better she could have sworn she was watching Sonya fight. He dodged a sword that screamed through the air in his direction as a large dire elf darted towards him. His movements went faster and faster as he engaged in his dance. He threw himself into a backflip before landing on another blade that lashed out at him from behind. He¡­ grinned? His foot snapped out with a kick and caught one dire elf in the head as he threw a knife at its throat. It fell and he hopped atop it, pulling the knife out and rolling before stepping left and right with a casual grace, dodging another pair of swings. He was so¡­ alive. Just past him, Alex came roaring in with a titanic movement, his entire bulk slamming down on a dozen dire elves before rearing back and whipping his tail out. He coiled and struck, slammed and crushed, wreaking havoc and creating space for his two friends. Val launched over his head and joined in while John moved between and beneath his coils, using Alex¡¯s armored body for protection against incoming fire. That was when a series of explosions splattered against the line of dire elves, sending more of them scattering. Crusader whipped her head up to see Snow standing next to Greg with her pistol pointed out. She lowered the weapon and drew her hands back before pushing outward in a forceful gesture. Shouts and confusion rang out, the dire elves below slipping and sliding atop ice that they didn¡¯t know wasn¡¯t real. The tide turned, it all happened in just a few heartbeats. She grinned wildly, it felt like she could feel their momentum inside of her, pushing her further, harder, she wanted to match them, wanted to surpass them, wanted to be at their side and bring all of her might to the table. Out of the corner of her eye, Marc had drifted up to hover in the air briefly next to her as they began to fall back down. The dragon threw its head up in a roar as light billowed in its mouth. It spread across its body in a brilliant barrier, preparing for what they had in mind. A flash of long blonde hair and silver metal slammed into the beast. Cass letting out a bellow of challenge as she collided with it, her hammer crashing into the barrier it had just formed and shattering it with a single blow. Crusader drew her sword back and it exploded with golden flames, more burning from her lips and catching on her brows. It was an impromptu move, but she didn¡¯t care. She was feeling creative. Her eyes sparkled as she threw herself forward into a spin, mimicking Cass¡¯s own favored move. Alongside her, Marc drew his weapon over his head and let himself fall, yellow-white light blooming from it. So much energy! She thought, feeling the power rippling off of his weapon as he plummeted with her. So this is what a mythic¡¯s power is like? I¡¯ve felt teacher¡¯s power but she¡¯s always kind of held back around me. The next instant, she was standing on the ground, her weapon burning bright as the massive weight of the dragon''s head landed on the stairs with a resounding boom. She glanced over her shoulder at Marc and Cass and nodded before they turned their attention on the horde below. The three of them charged. We¡¯re all getting out of here, alive! Crusader swore and threw herself back into the thick of it. Her steps came easier, each movement was almost enough to build momentum for First March. She barreled through the dire elves, each swing releasing enough heat and fire to blast any behind those who were up close away. Beside her, Marc brought his weapon down and sent a streak of light in a line ahead of him, clearing a path. He turned and punched one of the monsters in the face, crushing its head with a single blow. A hoot of elation rose up over them and Cass collided with the crowd just past them. She stood to her full ten feet of height, golden scales glistening on her skin as she raised her hammer and swung, knocking more and more of them away. Marc turned next to her and spun his sword once, slamming into the ground by its point with a grunt, he bore his teeth and a sheet of golden light rushed up from the spot, spreading out and blocking a volley of arrows and spells that were aimed at the two of them. He hunched his shoulders and whipped his head to the right, swinging hard again and releasing another arc of gold that cut clean through a pair of sword wielding dire elves that were racing towards Val in the distance, already engaged with a small group. Val glanced at him, surprised, and shot him a thumbs up before rocketing into another group. The massive shape of Alex launched past her, crashing into more and even swallowing a few whole. He reared his body up and stood tall, wrapping his long body in a ring. Val landed on his head, John flipping over to land on one part of his body. Cass joined them, standing with the others as Crusader charged, shouldering her way through the thinning crowd of enemies. She hopped onto the tail as well, Marc joining her a moment later. They stood together, looking around at the remaining army of monsters that had finally, finally, started to turn into a trickle. She felt a lump in her throat as she pointed her sword towards a cluster of them. Snow falling around her head. She smiled to herself just as a bright purple glow washed over everything. She looked back to see Greg at the foot of the steps, his hand on the ground. Illusory copies of snow standing around him with knives in their hands. From her feet, the world began to change. The breath caught in Crusader¡¯s throat as the false ice on the ground began to jut up in hundreds of spikes that spread out in a wave. The snow fell faster, harder, it whirled around them, making visibility for anyone not on the composer¡¯s side even more difficult. The spikes stretched and morphed until dozens of copies of snow rushed out into the mass of enemies, crashing into them. Some shattered on impact, but many landed on their targets and brought their knives down with ruthless precision as Snow sowed even more chaos. At the foot of the stairs, Greg looked up and nodded to her in gratitude. The violet light that had begun to blossom across the field built and built and built. What came next, he threw his entire being into. WHOOSH! Screams and cries of anger and bewilderment spread across the field. The dire elves floated into the air, kicking and flailing about. Next to her, Marc held his sword over his head in triumph, ¡°Heroes!¡± He shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s finish them off and get out of here!¡± Chapter 156 v2 Chunhua clashed with Kant, her internal energy cycling. She knew what she was dealing with skill-wise now. Kant had held back just as much as she had during their initial exchange, both of them testing the waters. She let me catch my breath, she thought as she pushed Kant¡¯s blade to the side, letting it slide down the length of her own weapon before snapping out a kick. Kant threw herself back and landed on her hand, flipping once before sliding to a stop. Chunhua was already moving when she caught herself, her blade turning into a blur of sparkling pink petals. One Hundred-Eighty Petals! Kant seemed to sense the incoming attack, her eyes widening with a mixture of fury and delight. She took swaggering steps backwards, flicking her sword left and right to deflect blows that came too close. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± she shouted, ¡°I want you at your best! If you¡¯re the strongest then no one can stop you, right?¡± she bellowed as Chunhua¡¯s attack dissipated. Chunhua scowled and dove down before rising up in an uppercut. Kant brought her sword up and down, blocking Chunhua¡¯s stroke. She stared wildly into Chunhua¡¯s eyes, dark mist billowing from her mouth. Chunhua flinched when she smelled it and pulled back, breaking the lock as Kant released a gout of caustic mist from her lips. Kant laughed, ¡°Liberty has it right! The strong survive, the weak serve! Heroes go against the natural order of things!¡± She bellowed and started striding towards Chunhua while pointing at the surviving cultists. ¡°They¡¯re here because they want to be! Because they know they serve a higher purpose. Us!¡± She roared, ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? We mythics are the future of mankind!¡± Chunhua glowered at the woman from where she stood. Her vision wobbled from just the slightest touch of that mist. She frowned. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. We have a responsibility.¡± She thought as she glanced towards Ewen and Ellis who were hanging out as if having a goddamn picnic, watching their fight from the side. They¡¯re trying to wear me down. Even if I beat her, they¡¯ll just hop back in. This is endless. I can arguably get away with using my powers up to heroic-tier but if I push my luck any harder¡­ She bit her lip. She looked the woman in the eyes as she got even closer. ¡°Screw the rules, am I right?¡± Kant laughed and made an inviting gesture, ¡°Come on, I want to see it all.¡± Rules. Chunhua thought and looked down at her knees. Do I even deserve to call myself a hero? She thought about Sonya. About that day in her office. About what she¡¯d done. About how much Sonya had given to a world that would never forgive her for saving it. About how every single day she struggled to compromise her feelings, her respect, and her desire to do what she needed to do and stop Ishtar, regardless of her intentions. Rules. The World¡¯s Strongest? She looked back at the bodies laying in front of the common building. What a joke. Her shoulders sank as she held her opponent''s gaze. What am I supposed to be? She thought. Who am I supposed to be? A crackle sounded in her ear, Amos? An update? <¡±That¡¯s not all you¡¯ve got, is it, Little Hero?¡±> Ishtar! Her eyes went wide, Sonya! <¡±Heroes do whatever it takes, they put everything on the line. Are you a hero, Black Lotus? Or are you still a soldier?¡±> Ishtar¡¯s mocking voice said. A message, a challenge. Kant raised her weapon and snorted as Chunhua¡¯s heart pounded in her chest. <¡±You¡¯ve already toed the line, using your powers this much. What¡¯s a little more?¡±> You aren¡¯t going to tempt me either, Monster. Chunhua snarled back even as she felt a twinge of relief from hearing that voice. A relief that turned into fire in her veins. I¡¯ll be there. I¡¯ll fight you every step of the way. I¡¯ll be there for her and I¡¯ll fight you. I¡¯ll beat you. Somehow I¡¯ll make it work. Because that¡¯s what a hero does. They make the impossible possible. Chunhua kicked off the ground with all the strength she could muster while limiting herself to heroic output. She was in Kant¡¯s face in an instant. Her foe leaped back, surprised as Chunhua swung, ¡°And that is exactly why I follow the rules!¡± She shouted, ¡°Because if I¡¯m the strongest, if I can do whatever I want, and I make that choice, then everyone behind me will know it¡¯s okay to do the same! That it¡¯s the right thing to do!¡± She bellowed, ¡°So I¡¯ll follow those rules, even to my dying breath!¡± She shouted and marched forward, weapon at her side, ¡°Come, villain! Because that¡¯s all you are, and all you will ever be!¡± Kant bore her teeth and stalked forward in response, a sneer on her face, ¡°Have it your way!¡± <¡±Well said, Little Hero, I have a present I¡¯ve arranged for you, I hope you like it.¡±> BRRZZZT! Both of them froze, Chunhua looked up, The intercom? ¡°Attention invading force. My name is Carla Mint of the Pandora Committee. I am asking you to lay your arms down immediately and surrender. This is non-negotiable,¡± That small woman said in a hard voice, ¡°Respond at once.¡± Kant snorted and raised her voice, ¡°No!¡± She laughed and looked back to Chunhua. ¡°Very well,¡± Miss Mint said, ¡°Then as acting Chairwoman of the Pandora Committee¡­¡± She began and Kant¡¯s head whipped towards the building, her eyes going wide before looking back at Chunhua, ¡°I hereby temporarily reinstate Lian Chunhua, Black Lotus, and end her suspension until the time that all existing threats are dealt with. All actions taken thusfar by the hero will be considered under the emergency clause of the Hero Act,¡± there was a heavy pause, ¡°Black Lotus!¡± she snapped with a commanding tone. Chunhua felt something fall off her shoulders she didn¡¯t even know was there, she stood up straight and tall, her lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am!¡± she barked with all the strength in her lungs. ¡°Do not hold back under any circumstances, Full power. Heroes are being dispatched to suppress the dungeon. Bring them to their knees and show them exactly what the world''s strongest hero is capable of!¡± Carla commanded and cut the signal. To all the world around her, Chunhua¡¯s eyes started to glow. The ground shook. The clouds moved. The earth cracked. She gripped her sword tight as she took a thunderous step forward, ¡°Hero Black Lotus, on duty!¡± she rumbled as she raised her sword. Across from her, Dame Kant¡¯s eyes went wide. She looked around for a moment, taking in the change in atmosphere. Chunhua cycled her power, letting it blaze through her body as her wounds began to close. She felt her muscles flood with power. She raised her head high and let out a roar, a crack formed in the earth between them, splitting open so wide that Kant had to dart away. She snapped her head down and charged, a flash of movement bringing her back into Kant¡¯s face. ¡°Look at me,¡± she growled, ¡°This is what you wanted. Here I am. And now I¡¯m going to make you pay for the lives you¡¯ve taken.¡± Kant took a step back in response as rage replaced the moment of fear in her eyes. Frown cracking into a mad smile. Off to the side, Ewen shouted her name. Kant pointed her sword at him, ¡°Shut up!¡± She barked, ¡°Don¡¯t do a damn thing, this duel isn¡¯t over!¡±Stolen novel; please report. Chunhua raised her head and looked down at her over her nose, holding her gaze. She watched a rush of emotions pass over her opponent''s face as she completed cycling her power. All the momentum and tension she¡¯d built up over the grueling fight ready to be unleashed. Kant seemed to be of the same mind, though. ¡°I hate you,¡± Kant hissed, ¡°I hate you and everything you represent,¡± she snarled. Chunhua felt the other woman¡¯s power rising, cycling, growing. She allowed it. She would crush her for what she¡¯d done, her pride, her will to fight, all of it. ¡°STRENGTH FROM LIBERTY!¡± Kant roared, ¡°I am Dame Kant of the Round Table!¡± she bellowed and a cone of coppery light slammed down from the sky. Chunhua sighed and raised her weapon. She charged. Chunhua whipped her weapon down in a slow stroke, holding it out to her side, her eyes unblinking, her face a stony calm. ¡°First Whisper of Spring,¡± Was all she said in a voice so gentle it caused a moment of doubt to flicker on Kant¡¯s face. A ripple of air passed over Kant in the second it took her to cross the distance. Cuts formed across her arms and chest, nicks and scrapes that stretched into wounds from an invisible blade meters and meters long. Kant¡¯s eyes were wide with pain and fury as Chunhua¡¯s sword followed the path from the first swing and came up in an arc just as Kant reached her. ¡°Second Drop of Rain.¡± Their weapons clashed, Kant letting out a scream of effort into the strike that sent the ground shaking and cracks forming around Black Lotus in a ring. Kant¡¯s weapon pushed down against Chunhua¡¯s. Chunhua glanced at the woman¡¯s hands, they were shaking. She flicked her gaze up to Kant¡¯s face and gave her an almost pitying look. Kant¡¯s pupils shrank and she bore her teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± She screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare pity me!¡± She bellowed and broke the lock, spinning like a top and swinging into an uppercut that the Chunhua blocked with a casual swipe down. The swing cut a divot in the earth just past Kant¡¯s own weapon. Kant snapped her hand out, reaching for the hero¡¯s face. Chunhua barely paid any mind to the black energy wreathing the woman¡¯s fingers. WHOMP! Chunhua drove a fist into Kant¡¯s gut, she felt bone and cartilage bend but not break beneath the force. That strange glow saved her life just now, Chunhua thought as Kant¡¯s eyes bulged. She was sent flying back through the opening of the dojo. Chunhua turned her eyes on Ewen and Ellis who looked about ready to make a move and dared them to strike. She turned back to the dojo and took a step, vanishing and appearing behind Kant as the woman pulled herself, blood pouring from her mouth, from the wreckage inside the building. Kant whirled, raising her weapon as Chunhua brought her weapon down again with unforgiving force. All the anger she¡¯d held back during the fights brought down on the villain in front of her. Kant was sent hurtling away again, right out the opening she¡¯d come through and skipping across the ground like a stone over water. Chunhua darted forward, taking one step, then another, past One Hundred-Eighty Petals and into the next strike of that form. She swept her blade and a ribbon of visible light swept over Kant, over Ellis, over Ewen, and over all the remaining cultists. Ninety-Ton Flowering Branch. The flare of light dissipated and Kant remained standing, her weapon raised in a guard, her clothes and skin torn and smoking. Trees were devastated behind her. Chunhua took in Ewen and Ellis who had dropped to dodge the attack as well as the scattered few cultists who had done the same. Their number cut down a pathetic handful. She looked at Kant, the mythic breathing hard. For all the potential of your ability, and this is all you can muster. You learned sword techniques and that¡¯s it, she thought cooly, It looks like my assessment was correct. Chunhua took another step. Kant looked down at her, as she appeared beneath her, her weapon rising in a gleaming uppercut. She let out a shriek of indolent fury, swinging down to block only to get thrown into the air. Chunhua looked up into the sky, watching in silence. Kant drifted for a moment before righting herself. Her bloodied face twisted with rage. Chunhua felt the woman¡¯s internal energy explode inside of her, rage turning into power as a black aura wrapped around her weapon. She raised it over her head while pointing her free hand at Chunhua. ¡°BLACK LOTUS!¡± Kant screamed. ¡°Obelisk of One Hundred Eight Judgements!¡± she screamed as a pillar of dark light rained down towards Chunhua. Atoms sizzled against it, the air screamed, the world darkened in that place. Chunhua lowered her weapon to her side and she sighed, taking in both hands. Her dark, pitying eyes met Kant¡¯s. ¡°Three Songs for the Fallen Heroes,¡± Black Lotus intoned and mana surged towards her. She gathered it up and swung. For a moment, it felt as if the entire world turned its eyes on Chunhua. Like she would be subjected to another heavenly tribulation. Chunhua swung her weapon, once, twice, three times in a bisected x that remained before her, glowing with a blue-white light. She drew her weapon back and stabbed through it. ¡°Let the petals come.¡± WHOOSH When the light faded, Kant fell to the earth like a meteor. Her skin burned and cracked, her limbs twisted, her nose bleeding freely. Chunhua took a slow step forward and stepped off the ground, hopping into the air and catching the villain before she hit the ground. She hovered there, letting the woman hang in her grip. Kant slowly turn her head even as her eyes danced with the agony of the movement. She looked up at Chunhua, her lips trembling. ¡°I hate you,¡± she croaked. ¡°I know,¡± Chunhua said with a sigh as she wondered what kind of life could create a wretched person like this. She surreptitiously steadied the grip on her sword. It had taken more than she cared to admit to block it. That last attack was powerful. So much potential, wasted. She started to turn, ¡°I think you all should leave-¡± Pain exploded in her chest as fingers dug into her side. She looked down in surprise at Kant¡¯s ruined hand coated with black light. Something corrosive began to spread through her body. The girl sneered up at her. ¡°You!¡± Chunhua snarled. Kant¡¯s twisted face broke into a manic smile, her broken toothed grin coated in blood, ¡°Finally got you! BOYS! NOW!¡± Chunhua snarled and threw the girl to the ground just as many things happened at once. The sound of whistling filled her ears and a brilliant flash of red light rose up from her flank. She brought her sword up only for a thunderous crash to sound from the common building. She didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to it, she turned as soon as she sensed Ellis¡¯ incoming attack, blocking it even as her side screamed in protest. That strange corrosion sapping her strength. She was blown back only to feel herself get tugged by a hand grabbing the back of her robe. The next thing she knew she was back on the ground, feet planted, and standing next to a very familiar brown-haired woman in a maid outfit. Her eyes went wide. ¡°Handmaiden,¡± she breathed only to wince as the pain from whatever Kant had done to her surged up again. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Handmaiden said, knowing her concern, ¡°We¡¯ve got bigger problems.¡± Chunhua narrowed her eyes, glancing at her hand. My blood¡¯s turning black, she thought before cycling her power to suppress the poison and shore up her strength. She took her weapon in both hands. ¡°What bigger problems?¡± She needn¡¯t have asked. A presence so heavy it even made her knees buckle washed over the courtyard of the camp. A weight that sent a thrill of genuine fear up her spine. It felt almost like Ishtar had at Vegas but far, far more oppressive and tyrannical. It pushed the breath from her lungs. She shuddered, her breath catching in her throat as she locked eyes with Ellis who was standing opposite her, next to Kant¡¯s beaten form. His eyes were wide as well, and not with excitement. There was fear there as well. She turned her head slowly as she shifted a bit, getting back to back with Handmaiden. A clap of thunder announced the new combatants'' arrival. A woman standing nearly seven feet tall and entirely clothed in heavy armor. She held a broadsword in one hand and what looked like a withered human in the other. Her blonde locks fluttered around her head, glowing blue eyes burning in the dim light cast by the few lamps left lit during the fighting. Liberty cast the man she was holding down to the ground with a grunt and stepped forward. ¡°Heroes,¡± she growled, ¡°You have my attention.¡± ¨C Hundreds of miles away, Sonya raised her hand to her head. Blue motes of light washing over her as her regalia encased her body. She stalked out of the room where she¡¯d left an unconscious Phillip. Rest up, Phillip, you need to live so you can call Liberty home when you wake up, I just need long enough to make a point, she thought as her helmet formed over her head. She let out a relaxed breath as the sole guard who had been standing outside the room jumped in surprise. She turned her head slowly to look at him, You¡¯re up, Ishtar, she thought and her shoulders went slack.- Ishtar snapped out her hand and grabbed the man by the throat, her cruel rasp rattling out from her helmet. ¡°You, on the other hand, aren¡¯t so lucky,¡± she said and snapped his neck. She raised her right hand and clenched it into a fist as she dropped the man¡¯s body. Streaks of light forming in the hallway that opened into the strange gates that gave birth to her Legion. Marble skinned Legionnaires stepped out, their own glowing eyes turned to face her. She gave them only one order. ¡°Lay waste.¡± Chapter 157 v2 ¡°STRENGTH FROM LIBERTY!¡± the men shouted, charging down the hallway as a coppery glow erupted from their skin. Ishtar kept walking, hands raised slightly, fingers curled. Her legionnaires raced around, heavy feet stomping against the ground. They collided with the men who scrambled to respond, raising their weapons and firing ineffectually against the mythic constructs¡¯ skin. A few stray bullets managed to reach as far as the supervillain herself, slamming into hexagonal panes of light that sprouted in the air in front of her as she walked. Golden swords met copper flesh and blood poured onto the ground. Bodies fell and she strode past them, her little legion marching on ahead and breaking down doors when they found them. Ahead of her, she spotted the odd looking room Sonya saw when she¡¯d come in. The eerie orange glow coming out from beneath the door. She left her Legion to their bloody work as they poured through the building, anyone who attacked them were cut down without so much as a gesture of mercy. She stopped in front of the door and placed her hand on it, reading the sign on it. Workshop? She pushed the door open and was greeted with the strangest sight. On the outside, she could still see the glow of whatever was within. She could even pick up high temperatures through the door with her cybernetic senses. Yet when the door swung open she found¡­ nothing. An empty, square room made of smooth concrete. She looked up at the doorframe, her eyes narrowing behind the helmet. It was engraved with text that glowed out of what looked like poured metal. She looked down and back into the room as realization dawned on her. She knew that script, or rather, Sonya did. So this is where you¡¯ve been hiding all this time. ¡°I know you¡¯re here,¡± she rasped into the empty room, ¡°Craftsman. Ever the coward. What an ingenious way to hide. It¡¯s so like you, I guess you¡¯ve already cut your balls off then?¡± She extended a hand, ¡°It may not be today, but I am going to kill Liberty, Craftsman. So keep hiding in her shadow, that way I know where you are. When the time comes, I¡¯ll have your head too,¡± she hissed and turned away before stopping. She considered for a moment, wondered, and turned her head to look back over her shoulder, ¡°Or, I suppose there is a second option. One day I¡¯m going to return to this place and turn it to rubble. When that day comes, kneel, and I¡¯ll let you live.¡± She closed the door behind her, ¡°Either way I¡¯m coming for you! Run all you want!¡± she called and stepped fully into the hallway. She glanced towards the door and saw that the temperature spike was gone, the glow coming from beneath the door with it. She barked out a laugh and strode down the hallway, heading for the door to the catwalk. Now, let''s see what kind of damage I can do before you get back, Liberty. She thought and rubbed her hands together gleefully, pushing out onto the catwalk and sending her Legion charging forward. ¡°Ignore the cooks and workstaff!¡± She called after them, ¡°No need to waste your time!¡± ¡°AS DECREED!¡± the legionnaires shouted as one. She huffed out a breath and stopped at the center of the catwalk, Grim creatures. I don¡¯t mind the fanaticism though. It¡¯s a rather nice change of pace, she thought wryly, thinking of all the teasing that Sonya got from her inner circle. Her lip twitched as she felt a warm glow of resonant emotion from Sonya. I¡­ suppose it isn¡¯t so bad. She turned her attention to the space below and leaned against the railing, looking down at the small gathering of workers who had been disassembling the corpse of a mythic, apparently. ¡°I am Ishtar,¡± she called, ¡°For your sake, I suggest you run away.¡± The workers didn¡¯t need to be told twice, they scrambled away from the clumps of clay and charged for the door, pressing past one another to be the first one out as she hopped over the railing and floated down. She alighted on the floor and took a quick scan of the room. This must be one of the main storehouses. The other one must be for food, she thought as she walked towards the body, looking down at it. She pushed one of the crate sized blocks of clay over with her hand, tugging at the material thoughtfully. Poor bastard, Sonya¡¯s thoughts rose up. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°You pity him?¡± Yeah, Sonya murmured. Ishtar touched the material again and activated Digital Storage, the material broke down into motes of blue light and drew into her hand. She repeated the process for each chunk until nothing was left. I¡¯ll destroy it later, I don¡¯t have an ability in the warehouse that can burn it at the moment, she thought before turning to the rest of the space. Over a dozen long racks laden with crates of all shapes and sizes lined the room. She walked over to each one, tapping them one at a time with her finger and converting them to be stored. Somewhere in the distance she heard gunfire and shrugged, waltzing through the aisles like she was shopping. ¡°Guns,¡± she hummed to herself, ¡°Explosives!¡± she chuckled and tapped another box, ¡°Oh are those landmines? My, she really is prepping for a war, isn¡¯t she?¡± Only you would be that excited about landmines, Sonya chimed in from the back of her mind. ¡°So talkative,¡± Ishtar said thoughtfully, tapping a crate filled with grenades and drawing it into her storage. It¡¯s like riding in the passenger seat of a car, Sonya said, I see everything you do. Ishtar frowned and opened her mouth only for Sonya to cut her off, Don¡¯t start. It¡¯s better we get used to this than fighting it at this point. I wouldn¡¯t have made it out of the Backrooms without you. ¡°...fine,¡± Ishtar growled, ¡°We will talk about it though.¡± Suit yourself. I for one don¡¯t mind our current situation, Sonya said. ¡°That is part of the problem,¡± Ishtar pointed out before she stopped in front of another crate and paused, frowning a little behind her helmet. She reached for the lid and ripped it open, nails and all, with a jerk of her wrist. She tossed the lid aside and pulled out the object on top, a set of clothes that unfolded in her hands. A Pandora Committee uniform, there have to be dozens of them in here. She thought before setting it down and drawing it into her digital storage. A heartbeat later a chime rang in her head and she answered the call.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. <¡±Technocrat,¡±> she greeted without preamble. There was a pause, <¡±Mistress Ishtar,¡±> he said, <¡±Liberty just arrived at the camp.¡±> <¡±I know,¡±> Ishtar said. <¡±One of Liberty¡¯s people got a cheap shot in on Black Lotus, I think she¡¯s been poisoned,¡±> he added, making Ishtar pause as a pang of anxiety rose up from Sonya. She¡¯ll be fine, Ishtar consoled her. A new sensation caught her attention, she frowned a little and turned to look up at where the door to the catwalk led back the way she¡¯d come. She sensed movement. <¡±Is Companion on the move?¡±> she asked idly. <¡±She just responded, are you sure about letting her loose? That¡¯ll raise some questions,¡±> Amos said. Ishtar scoffed, <¡±I sincerely doubt that. Nobody will question her assistance at such a critical point,¡±> she said and paused as she felt Sonya¡¯s worry rise a little more. She sighed, <¡±What is Black Lotus¡¯ status?¡±> she asked reluctantly. Amos paused again, <¡±Still fighting,¡±> he said, sounding a little exasperated. <¡±I told her to retreat but she¡¯s not responding. I think her earpiece got damaged.¡±> Ishtar clicked her tongue, <¡±If that idiot hero gets herself killed, I will find someone with a resurrection ability even if I have to scour the globe, bring her back, and kill her myself,¡±> Ishtar snarled, Sonya¡¯s panic setting her off, <¡±I don¡¯t care if you have to broadcast it, you tell that fool to back off before the worst happens. Handmaiden just needs to hold Liberty¡¯s attention for a while. She¡¯ll leave soon.¡±> <¡±You think so?¡±> Amos asked. <¡±Well, I did just release my legion in the middle of her main compound and I may be looting her storehouse as we speak,¡±> Ishtar said with a chuckle, stopping next to another crate, <¡±Technocrat, how are we on Lurker Hide?¡±> A peal of laughter rang out on the other end of the call, <¡±People are dying and you''re shopping. Damn boss. You are cold as ice,¡±> he said before sighing, <¡±Can never have enough hide.¡±> Ishtar tapped the crate and digitized it, <¡±I¡¯ll drop it off when I¡¯m free,¡±> Ishtar said as the door far above her slammed open. She ignored it, she knew who it was. <¡±How about-¡±> ¡°ISHTAR!¡± Phillip roared from the catwalk. She turned slowly to look up at the man, her lips thinning into a frown. She raised a hand and pointed a finger at him, ¡°Noisy,¡± she growled. A ray of light streaked from her fingertip and bored a hole in the wall behind the spot he¡¯d been standing a moment before. He leaped off the side and threw his hands down, ice forming a track that he slid down, accelerating in her direction. Ishtar scoffed, <¡±Technocrat, I¡¯m going to have to let you go. Manage the situation at the camp.¡±> Ishtar raised her head high as the call ended, ¡°I gave you an opportunity to live, boy.¡± He threw his hand out in her direction, shards of ice forming in front of his hand before launching out in her direction. They collided with hexagonal hard-light panels, Ishtar herself not moving an inch. Instead, she just raised her hand again and pointed it at him, a bead of light forming on her fingertip. He dove and slapped his hand on the ground, ice spreading from the point of impact and racing across the concrete floor at a shocking pace. The ice rose up her feet and encased her up to her calves. Ah, his ability is like Firestorm and Earthwarden then, she thought as he pushed himself into the air with a pillar of ice that exploded from the ground. She lowered her hand, dissipating the ray she was creating and flexed her fingers. He threw himself at her, armor of ice forming around his arms and legs as he hurtled towards her. When he was close enough, her hand snapped out like a bolt of lightning, catching him by the face. She squeezed and he let out a cry of pain, throwing his fist at the side of her head. Light formed around her helmet and took the blow. She was surprised to see his little icy gauntlet didn¡¯t shatter. ¡°Maybe I should work on collecting the whole set,¡± she said coldly, squeezing down harder. His eyes bulged and he reached up to grab at her wrist, ice spreading from the point of contact and up her arm. She growled and kicked him, sending him flying into the slide he had created for himself with a crash. She looked down at her wrist and rotated it. Her frown deepened as she felt something surprising from the motion. Pain. She looked up at him, ¡°You hurt me. I¡¯m impressed.¡± She created a cranberry in her mouth and chewed it, the frostbite on her arm fading immediately as she began to march in his direction. He sat up, appearing unphased by the impact. ¡°Madam Liberty hits harder,¡± he growled and pulled himself to his feet, blades of ice appearing in the air around him and beginning to spin, simulating a dozen floating drills. ¡°Speaking of your boss,¡± Ishtar growled, ¡°I hope you took the time to call her home. I want a word.¡± ¡°She¡¯s busy,¡± he said before cracking a wild smile, ¡°I¡¯ll let her know you asked after her.¡± Ishtar¡¯s eyes narrowed on her helmet as her presence washed across the room. She pushed down on him, ¡°I think,¡± Ishtar said with the promise of violence in her tone, ¡°You may be brought to reconsider that decision. Sir Phillip. You are powerful and I dare say unlike your peers you¡¯ve taken the time to turn your ability into something versatile. It would be a terrible loss for your lady if you died here,¡± she explained as she drew closer, one hand raised. She activated hard light. ¡°Thanks for the compliment!¡± he snarled and threw his hand forward, the drill like spears of ice launching towards her like bullets. Spears of light formed around her and fired off in response, crashing into his attack. She turned her hand and jerked upward, a line of light stretching up from the ground at his feet. He started only for it to turn into a chain that clamped tightly around his throat. She threw her hand down and his face slammed into the floor. She stopped above him and looked down as he struggled to rise, grabbing at the hard light around his neck and spreading ice across it. She kicked him in the face and the ice stopped moving. ¡°I said you were powerful, but I¡¯d only put you around the level of an upper-crust hero. You are nothing compared to my people, brat, know your place.¡± He spat out a tooth and glared at her, ¡°I¡¯m not calling her back. It¡¯s obvious you don¡¯t want her killing those heroes,¡± he said with a sneer, ¡°I¡¯m gonna give her all the time she needs.¡± Ishtar went quiet for a moment, staring down at his sneering face in contemplation. She cocked her head to the right and reached down for him, a purple glow surrounding her fingers. ¡°We¡¯ll see how long that lasts, won¡¯t we?¡± ¨C Chunhua grunted as her entire body nearly bent in half against the forces acting on it. The single swing colliding with her sword which had been the only thing keeping her from being cleaved in half. Her eyes bulged as she collided with the stone walls Bedrock had set up to protect the common building, blood erupting from her nose and mouth. Her vision swam as muffled words popped and crackled in her ear. She shuddered and rolled forward, landing on her hands and knees before reaching up to rip the earpiece out of her ear. It had been crushed by the impact. She scrambled to her feet, swaying a little before looking up at the looming form marching towards her. Liberty¡¯s body was alight with a golden glow, her blue eyes spotlights, her armor shimmering as strange etchings on its surface blazed with orange-red light. Her sword rose up over her head only for a white streak to collide with her from the side, a brilliantly lit fist crashing into the side of the monstrous woman¡¯s head. Liberty stumbled only a step, righting herself as Handmaiden slid to a stop between her and Chunhua. Chunhua raised her hand, making a gesture and drawing mana to her body, ignoring the pain that shrieked in her meridians. The poison was spreading each time she tried to draw her power. Come on! She growled, forcing it back down to the wound. She needed to heal, quickly. Handmaiden is a damage sponge and can hit hard with momentum, I¡¯lll handle the direct attacks while- ¡°Black Lotus!¡± Handmaiden shouted, Chunhua looked up to see that head of brown hair fluttering in the rising winds. Handmaiden glanced back over her shoulder at her, ¡°Stay there. You¡¯ve done enough.¡± Chunhua¡¯s stomach dropped, What? No- I- She winced against the pain in her side and shot a glare at the collapsed form of Dame Kant lying on the ground, forgotten by her leader. Liberty paid no mind to her other two subordinates who hurried over to collect their fallen comrade. Chunhua leaned against the wall, scowling, she wasn¡¯t going to take this lying down. She sat down and crossed her legs, closing her eyes and focused on her recovery. Chapter 158 v2 BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM! Handmaiden and Liberty crashed into one another, armored fists and sword arcing through the air. Each collison sent a shockwave through the air. Chunhua had held back, trying to keep the amount of mana she was drawing into the area and releasing with her abilities to a minimum. Handmaiden and Liberty had no such compunctions. Handmaiden took a step back, letting a swing of Liberty¡¯s sword pass her by before driving herself forward, throwing a punch that caught the massive woman in the abdomen. Liberty planted her feet as light flashed from the impact. She didn¡¯t so much as budge as she raised her own fist and swung down at the much smaller woman. Handmaiden threw her arms up to block, the force of the impact sending her sliding backwards, digging a furrow in the dirt and grass beneath her feet. She let out a scream of fury and whipped her arms down, Chunhua¡¯s gut twisting as she saw Handmaiden''s twisted limbs set themselves instantaneously. ¡°You¡¯re strong!¡± Liberty bellowed as she brought her sword to bare, swinging horizontally with so much force that Chunhua worried the shockwave would hit the common building, ¡°A waste!¡± As if in response to Chunhua¡¯s thoughts, the ground shook and a rippling wave of stone walls rose up from the ground, leaping from the earth with the common building at its center. They immediately crumbled beneath the concussive blast, but enough of the force was lost that the wall above Chunhua¡¯s head only cracked. Past the debris, Handmaiden dove past another swing and pivoted to Liberty¡¯s side, throwing a rapid series of punches at the herald¡¯s hips before snapping a kick at her knee that finally got a reaction. Liberty pulled away, ¡°Ant!¡± she roared, favoring her knee for a moment and swatted at Handmaiden who dove out of the way again. Handmaiden can¡¯t build up speed like she did during the fight with An Set. Her power is raw strength and regeneration. No portals means no momentum, Chunhua realized only to gasp as Handmaiden stumbled from an earth shaking stomp from Liberty. Liberty swung again, her glowing sword cleaving straight across Handmaiden¡¯s throat. Handmaiden fell back, her legs planted in the ground and slumped, headless. Chunhua scrambled to her feet. MARTA! She reached for her sword as Liberty turned to face her with a sneer. Can she regenerate from something like that? I¡¯ve never- oh. Chunhua relaxed her arms, locking eyes with Liberty who paused, frowning. Her eyes went wide as a glowing white figure in a fluttering gown leaped up behind her. An armored shin collided with the side of Liberty¡¯s head and for the first time, Chunhua watched actual pain flash across the Herald¡¯s face. She staggered to the left, stumbling and nearly falling to a knee as Handmaiden pirouetted in the air, landing and kicking off the ground with an arm outstretched, clotheslining a surprised Liberty and dragging her along as she ran, a scream rising from Handmaiden¡¯s throat. ¡°GO DOWN!¡± Liberty planted her feet as she was dragged all the way to the tree line, further and further away from the common building. ¡°YOU AREN¡¯T WORTHY!¡± Liberty roared in response as Handmaiden lost her momentum in the battle against Liberty¡¯s strength. Liberty drove her fist up and into Handmaiden''s gut, sending her up into the air as she got to her feet, shoulders hunched, eyes burning with hatred. Handmaiden landed and stood up straight. Chunhua could see parts of the woman¡¯s body righting themselves beneath her gown. How much pain is she in? Chunhua thought and looked down at her side, she scowled and concentrated. Come on! There¡¯s got to be a way to purge this! There¡¯s got to- ¡°Teacher!¡± Chunhua¡¯s heart turned to ice. Her guts bottoming out like a black hole. She looked up and turned her head towards the source of the voice as Handmaiden and Liberty clashed again in the background. No. Don¡¯t come here. There, standing at the path between the common building and the dojo, off to her left, Lillian. Her friends were with her, even that bastard Otis. She turned to see Liberty slow in her fight with Handmaiden, barking out a laugh and snapping out a kick that sent Handmaiden flying back into the trees. ¡°You came!¡± she shouted. Next to Lillian, the blonde Cassiopeia stared in horror at the humanoid mountain that stood like an obelisk of death in the middle of the courtyard. ¡°...Stella?¡± Liberty pointed a finger at the girl, ¡°Ewen! Ellis!¡± she barked, ¡°Grab her!¡± Chunhua didn¡¯t have any option now, she needed to move. She started to cycle her internal energy, even if it meant letting the poison start spreading again. ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± she bellowed and grabbed her sword as the two men that had been hanging back sprung into action. Ellis disappeared into a ripple of sound while Ewen slapped his hands on the ground. It felt like time slowed for a moment as Chunhua kicked off the ground, she had to move, she had to get there, she had to block them. She had to- Ewen screamed. Chunhua turned to look as the man staggered, clutching at his head. ¡°What is this noise?!¡± he shrieked as blood began to drip from his ears. Chunhua whipped her head towards the gathered aspirants and spotted Snow standing there, hand outstretched off to the side with a smug grin on her face. At the same time, Cassiopeia whirled around and swung up towards open air with her hammer, roaring as she grew in size, horns growing out of the side of her head. Ellis formed just in time for a mass of metal to collide with his jaw, sending him flying up towards the sky. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten your tricks?!¡± Cassiopia shouted, ¡°I lived with you!¡± Ellis snarled and snapped his fingers, vanishing and reappearing next to Liberty as Handmaiden came barreling out of the trees. Chunhua stared at the students, wide eyed, and felt tears well up in her eyes as Lillian started barking orders, ¡°I¡¯ll tend to Black Lotus! Ollie, Val and John, stay on the move! Greg! Repulsion wall on the common building! Alex and Cass, that other guy is isolated, grab him! Snow, keep it up! Marc,¡± she turned to Otis as the others started moving, ¡°Think you can back up Handmaiden before I get back?¡± Pride. Greg raced over to the wall of the common building and slapped a hand against it. Chunhua felt herself get pushed away a bit as gravity repelled her. She turned to Liberty and grinned. The Herald scowled and raised her sword over her head, ¡°I WON¡¯T LET YOU!¡± she bellowed only to get a face full of Handmaidens fist.Stolen story; please report. ¡°You¡¯ve got bigger problems!¡± Handmaiden roared before landing and sweeping out a kick that cracked into Ellis who didn¡¯t even have enough time to whistle. Ellis skipped across the ground like a stone and hit a tree, slumping as an arm swept in around Chunhua¡¯s back. She looked up at her student. Lillian¡¯s hair had gained another colored streak, her internal energy was even more vibrant, cycling with even more certainty. ¡°You¡¯re poisoned,¡± Lillian said quickly, ¡°Sit down, I¡¯ll get it out of you, where are the others?¡± Chunhua nodded as Lillian helped her to the ground and felt a wave of heat begin working against the poison she¡¯d trapped in her side, the fire racing through her veins and meridians. ¡°Axel¡¯s hurt badly, the other instructors are inside. Madame Rouge is the last line of defense at this point with Doctor Carter controlling the building¡¯s defenses.¡± Lillian frowned and nodded as a wild laugh rose up across the battlefield, a golden streak clashed with Liberty¡¯s copper glow. Chunhua looked up and kept her expression still as Otis came blade to blade with one of his own heralds from the past. No one is going to be able to ignore him now, she thought bitterly as Liberty swung a titanic blow down at him only for Handmaiden to charge at her side again. The glow on Liberty¡¯s body was intensifying, the anger on her face real. The ground beneath her feet was beginning to crack. She looked up into Lillians stern face as the girl held her hands over Chunhua¡¯s side. She could feel the poison burning away. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you,¡± she said. Lillian just smiled at her, ¡°Say that again once we¡¯re out of this, teacher.¡± Chunhua snorted, ¡°Greedy brat of a student.¡± ¡°You picked me,¡± Lillian said as crashes and bangs and flashes of light shook the ground and illuminated the sky. ¡°Got the red glowy dude!¡± Alex shouted from afar, ¡°He¡¯s not going anywhere!¡± Lillian glanced up from her work and Chunhua just looked at her face, she watched Lillian¡¯s eyes dart about, assessing the area before nodding. ¡°Bring him over! Cass, keep away from your sister and stick with Alex, today¡¯s not the day!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Cass shouted back. Chunhua let her head fall back onto the ground and felt an easy breath come, she reached for her side and touched where the holes left behind by Dame Kant had been. Smooth skin was all that remained. She experimentally cycled her power through her meridians and nodded, patting Lillian¡¯s hand, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Support your team.¡± Lillian looked down at her, ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Chunhua scoffed, ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? That poison was designed for a cultivator like us, now that it¡¯s gone and you¡¯re out of the dungeon, I have no reason not to throw everything I have at her,¡± she growled and got to her feet, grabbing her sword and drawing in a breath that filled her chest. ¡°LI - BER - TY!¡± she bellowed. Ahead of her, the fighting stilled. Handmaiden and Otis were standing just a few feet from one another, both looking back as Liberty stood over them, her eyes burning with impotent rage. She was still completely unharmed from the fight despite every hit she¡¯d taken. The coppery glow on her skin was only getting brighter. Handmaidens stoic frown was a contrast to Otis¡¯ composed, cocky smile. Otis was the first to turn and look up at Liberty, ¡°Oops,¡± he said mockingly, ¡°This whole thing was a bad idea, lady.¡± Liberty looked down at him and raised her fist with a snarl, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, child.¡± Chunhua took a step forward and was about to begin her charge when a red crackle of electricity spread across her path. Behind her, Greg shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± She hopped back as more streaks of red lightning bounded across the battlefield. Chunhua spotted one open near Cassiopeia and Alex who were running in their direction, an unconscious Ewen under Alex¡¯s arm. Cass grabbed Alex and leaped, pulling him away from an arm that reached out of a tear in reality that tried to snatch Ewen away. Three more rips appeared behind Liberty, Dame Kant falling out of one and Ellis falling out of the second. From the third stepped a new man in a red suit. He threw out a hand and two crescent shaped ribbons of warped crimson light launched at Handmaiden and Otis. The pair retreated, not letting the attacks touch them. The man clicked his tongue. ¡°Halloway,¡± Liberty growled loudly enough for Chunhua to hear. ¡°We need to go, my Lady,¡± he said quickly, his eyes fixed on a spot just behind Chunhua. She glanced back and saw Greg leaning against the wall of the common building with a grin on his face, he waved his fingers at the newcomer. ¡°This trash isn¡¯t an issue,¡± Liberty snarled, ¡°I¡¯ll just-¡± ¡°My Lady,¡± Halloway insisted. Liberty raised her fist to backhand him but he spoke before he lost his head, ¡°Ishtar is attacking the main compound. I just got word from Phillip.¡± The entire battlefield went quiet. Otis burst into laughter as Liberty rounded on Hallway with wide eyes. She grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him off the ground only to drop him and let out a furious breath. She turned and fixed her eyes on Chunhua who stood tall. Chunhua jerked her chin, ¡°Run away, Villain, and go clean up your mess at home. Maybe leave it better defended next time.¡± There¡¯s no point in trying to arrest her now. She just keeps getting stronger. We¡¯ll end up getting flattened, she thought and met Handmaidens gaze. The gown wearing woman nodded her agreement. Thank you, Sonya, she thought with a breath. She refused to attribute the credit to Ishtar. Liberty scowled, ¡°This is far from over, Heroes,¡± she rumbled before pointing a finger at Cassiopeia, Chunhua moved to stand between the two, ¡°Come here, now, girl. Last chance. Return Ewen while you are at it.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Cassiopeia shouted back. ¡°I¡¯m never going back to that place! This is where I belong!¡± Liberty looked like she¡¯d been slapped, the expression on her face more shocked than from any of the blows delivered on her by Handmaiden. She lowered her hand and nodded slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll kill Chernovna for this,¡± she said quietly before turning to Halloway, ¡°Suit yourself, you¡¯ll die with the rest when the time comes. Halloway, Portal.¡± Halloway glanced past her before looking up, ¡°Ewen? The surviving followers?¡± ¡°This is their failure, we¡¯re leaving,¡± she said. Abandoning your men and blaming it on them, you really are the worst, Liberty, Chunhua thought as Halloway threw out a hand and a large rift formed in the air behind them. Liberty reached down and grabbed Ellis and Kant. Ellis was bloody but awake, Kant looked like she was barely clinging to life. Chunhua¡¯s shoulders relaxed. She didn¡¯t move though, not until the four shapes disappeared into the rippling red light and vanished, the tear slamming shut. Chunhua let out a shaky breath, she felt her legs grow weak as the tension left her body. It was all she could do to turn to the two corpses still laying at the entrance to the common building. She closed her eyes and rallied herself. Tonight is far from over. She raised her voice, ¡°Liberty has retreated!¡± she bellowed, ¡°Doctor Carter! Contact Pandora Headquarters, we¡¯re going to need support for the clean up!¡± ¡°Teacher,¡± Lillian said next to her, a twinge of worry in her voice. She turned to her student and put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Not until its all done. You lost peers tonight, I¡¯m sorry. Can you keep going?¡± Lillian looked down at her feet and exhaled, she raised her chin and looked Chunhua in the eyes, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Chunhua turned back to the ruined courtyard. The bodies of cultists spread out, the few survivors left behind. There had been so much carnage in one night all to soothe the ego of that monster. She¡¯d seen Liberty¡¯s cruelty in Sonya¡¯s memories, but experiencing it with her own eyes was something completely different. She couldn¡¯t argue with Sonya¡¯s goal to put that animal down. Next time it¡¯ll be far worse. I¡¯m afraid we have a war coming, she thought as she turned to the heroes standing around her. The lines have been drawn, the fog of war lifted, it¡¯s only a matter of time. Chapter 159 v2 Ishtar crossed her legs and got comfortable. The throne was nice. Liberty really knew how to pick something cozy. She closed her eyes and opened an Astral Eye over the battlefield outside, observing from a well hidden spot. Things were drawing to a conclusion it seemed. Euclidia¡¯s archways had begun rising around the courtyard, heroes pouring out. She paused to watch Black Lotus direct them. The hero turned her head and looked up, meeting her ethereal gaze. Her lips twitched, You¡¯re getting stronger and stronger aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m glad. Finally out of your rut. Chunhua nodded sharply to her before turning back to her work. Ishtar turned her attention to Lillian and her group who were assisting in the cleanup. All of them looked grim-faced. Bodies were being collected, both cultist and aspirant alike. More were being found in the woods. Aspirants who had slipped off for nightly fun caught up in the ruthless attack. She zoomed in on Lillian, there was another colored streak in her hair. You fought hard in there, didn¡¯t you? You endured pain and threw your life down to protect someone else. You survived. I¡¯m proud of you, Sonya¡¯s voice rose up at the back of her mind. Ishtar turned her attention to Otis who was doing his best to look good while still doing ultimately very little. His appearance flickered through her sight, He¡¯s using his ability with more nuance, bastard. Couldn¡¯t be so lucky that you¡¯d die in there, but I suppose I should be happy you went in, even if it¡¯s for the wrong reasons. You helped and now I have to pay that debt, she thought before a ghost of a smile widened on her face. Good. I¡¯ll use it as a chance to keep you on a leash until I figure out how to kill you. Keep your enemies close, right? Finally she moved her gaze over to Companion, Handmaiden, Marta. Her lips curled up, Looks like you put up one hell of a fight, she thought as crashes and booms rang out somewhere far ahead of Ishtar. Ah, Liberty¡¯s home. Ishtar called Marta¡¯s earpiece, <¡±Good work.¡±> Marta tensed where she was standing and lowered her head, <¡±Some of them got away.> <¡±It¡¯s fine, it looks like we have one at least. The Committee will lock him up, but I¡¯ll pull some strings for an interview. What was his ability?,¡±> <¡±A red version of Bluestars,¡±> Marta said. <¡±All the more reason to have a sit-down, regardless, you did well holding her off,¡±> Ishtar murmured, delighted by the news, That will be three for the collection. ¡°That¡¯s putting it mildly, she¡¯s stronger than I estimated,¡± Marta said as she turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I went all in on that fight. I didn¡¯t have the momentum from Euclidias portals to accelerate me though.¡± Ishtar paused, glancing up as the booms and shaking drew closer, <¡±So she has more followers than I expected, understood. That doesn¡¯t change much. This war won¡¯t come to blows for a while yet, we have time. Propaganda will sap some of her strength.¡±> ¡°So we¡¯re following through with the original plan?¡± Marta asked. <¡±With some minor alterations, yes,¡±> Ishtar said, <¡±Kingshark is ready. Blackrazor is pulling his people out of her camps for now and purging traitors. I¡¯m also sending Mephisto to South America. The young heroes will be ready and I have some apparent worshippers to meet and see if I can¡¯t leverage in Japan. We have a lot to do before the final confrontation and I want to make you stronger, dear. Just in case.¡±> Ishtar watched her clench her fists, < ¡°Yes, mistress. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±> The call ended and Ishtar returned her focus to her present surroundings. Her feet shifted a little and she looked down with a frown, ¡°Stop moving around, I just got comfortable,¡± she growled as Phillip slumped beneath her ankles, trying to rise to anything more dignified than the humiliating position he was in. The doors flew open ahead of her and Liberty stormed inside, the thin man in monks gear and the man in the red suit flanking her. ¡°ISHTAR!¡± Liberty bellowed. Ishtar spread her arms wide in greeting, ¡°The self-proclaimed queen returns to her camelot!¡± crowed, ¡°How did your conquest go? Did you win, dear?¡± Liberty snarled and stormed forward only to stop when she saw the shape beneath Ishtar¡¯s feet, ¡°Phillip!¡± she gasped. Ishtar raised her eyebrows, ¡°Now there¡¯s a reaction!¡± she laughed and conjured a knife in her hand made of hard light. She lazily tossed it at Phillip and Liberty threw her hand out, the man in the red suit doing the same. Phillip fell into a luminous red hole in the floor before dropping unceremoniously on the ground at Liberty¡¯s feet. Ishtar laughed, ¡°Good to know! Good to know! There are things you care about.¡± Liberty was boiling with rage, ¡°Why did you interfere? Why are you here?¡± she demanded. Ishtar shrugged, ¡°Why not? I have plans for those heroes and I can¡¯t have you ruining that,¡± Ishtar said and got to her feet before levitating off the ground, ¡°As for why I¡¯m here? I hate you,¡± she said flatly, ¡°Any chance I can get to hurt you, I will, Liberty. It¡¯s as simple as that. I am your enemy.¡± Liberty drew her sword and Ishtar took a moment to examine her, Utterly unharmed, tch, I¡¯ve clearly underestimated this monster. Oh well. ¡°Then we settle this now,¡± Liberty roared, ¡°You and me, fight me!¡± Ishtar laughed, ¡°Uh, no?¡± she said and waved a dismissive hand, ¡°Why on earth would I do that? You¡¯d kill me,¡± she said and floated up a little higher, ¡°No no no, you asked for a war and you¡¯ll get one. When the time comes, we¡¯ll have our final confrontation. I promise you that.¡± Liberty seethed before letting out a breath and relaxing, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I nearly crippled the so-called ¡®worlds strongest¡¯ today and walked away without a scratch. That¡¯s all the world needs to know.¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°I concede the point, we¡¯ll call it a draw then. You can have what little win out of this you want. Wars are long, aren¡¯t they?¡± Liberty sneered, ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Ishtar levitated towards her and floated in the air just out of reach, ¡°I¡¯m going to tear your world down around you, Liberty, and I want you to fall from your peak.¡± Liberty titled her head up and looked down at Ishtar over her nose, ¡°Challenge accepted.¡± Ishtar chuckled before turning her head slightly and leveling the man in the red suit with a stare. ¡°And you¡¯re the traitor,¡± Ishtar said and tilted her head to the right, ¡°Didn¡¯t you cause all of this?¡± she asked and whipped her hand out, a bead of light forming on her finger that erupted into a narrow ray. Before the beam could pierce through the man¡¯s forehead Liberty grabbed him and pulled him out of the way, the ray only cutting painfully through Halloway¡¯s ear. He let out a scream of pain and clutched at the side of his head as Liberty glared at Ishtar. Ishtar shrugged, ¡°It was worth a try.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to let you leave after that?¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°You can try,¡± she said and floated up to the ceiling. She made a lazy gesture and rays of light swirled around her, cutting through the concrete. A disk of heavy concrete fell from above her and hit the ground with a bang, kicking up dust. ¡°ISHTAR!¡± Liberty roared after her. ¡°See you soon,¡± Ishtar cooed and launched into the sky. She stopped just above the partially ruined compound, eyeing the destroyed remains of her Legionnaires and the fires still spreading here and there. The first moves have been made. It wasn¡¯t a win for us, Sonya said. It wasn¡¯t for her either, Ishtar replied, For now, we stay the course. Our pieces are almost ready and the board is being set up. Agreed, Sonya said, Ishtar, I¡¯m tired. Ishtar nodded, Then let¡¯s return for now. We¡¯ve done what we came here to do. ¨C Sonya strode down into the depths of her beach house. Her arms crossed behind her back. Her eyes glowed in the dark, the faint ticking louder than ever in her head. She hadn¡¯t heard it in a while. She strode past one of the glass cases containing a decorative knife and looked back at Ishtar who nodded to her. She set her jaw, her mind drifting back to that moment in the backrooms. I need to do this myself. She¡¯s right. I can¡¯t keep hiding behind her. In the end, this is on me. She thought as she walked into her office. Her mind reached out and the screens came on in the dark. She didn¡¯t need lights, after all. She stood in the middle of the room and took a steadying breath. Ewen has been secured and is being transported by the Pandora Committee to a new prison. She thought as her eyes swept over the screens. The surviving aspirants are better off than I expected, driven even. Her lips dropped into a frown. Ten died and Axel is crippled. I can¡¯t heal him without raising questions either. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and she let out a sigh as a flare of anger rose in its place. Those two aspirants in particular, left hanging from trees like that¡­ disgusting. Liberty¡¯s people are warped beyond anything I had considered. She shook her head and forced a smile, At least I paid her back in kind. She paused, turning her head as a presence made itself known in her home. She glanced up and narrowed her eyes before smiling and turning around to face the door. The door opened a few moments later and Chunhua stood at the threshold. She tilted her head to the right, a gesture of invitation, and Chunhua stepped through. ¡°You did well out there.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Carla came through,¡± Chunhua said quietly, she¡¯d been a little morose after counting the dead. Fighting had pushed grief out of her mind but she¡¯d managed to recover, the strength of a real hero, ¡°She¡¯s¡­ pretty great. Am I talking to Sonya right now?¡± She asked. Sonya¡¯s eyebrow rose, ¡°Sure are.¡± Chunhua hesitated, reaching up and brushing her dark hair back, ¡°Can I¡­ talk to her? For a moment?¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow but felt Ishtar¡¯s presence at the back of her mind give her assent. She felt her arms go slack as her eyes went unfocused. Her breathing eased as she floated up to sit casually in the air, resting her chin on her palm and looking down at Chunhua. Ishtar smiled cooly, ¡°You called, little hero?¡± Chunhua squared her shoulders and looked up at Ishtar, meeting her gaze and setting her jaw tightly. ¡°I have only one thing to say to you,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Out there, out in the world, no matter what you do. No matter what your goals. If you are there, I will stand against you. I will stop you from hurting people, no matter what,¡± She let out a breath, ¡°But-¡± She closed her eyes and nodded to herself, ¡°I will help Sonya, I will be there for her. Not because of her past or mine, not because of the last timeline, but because of who she is today. I hate Ishtar, and I will never, ever, forgive her for the things she¡¯s done,¡± She said and exhaled, ¡°I want to talk to Sonya now.¡± Ishtar returned her stare for several heartbeats, her expression complicated. She felt Sonya¡¯s presence wriggling at the back of her mind but didn¡¯t let go just yet. She leaned forward and grinned, ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game, hypocrite.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say the same to you two,¡± Chunhua shot back. Ishtar barked out a laugh, ¡°And how do you plan on doing this? A noble heart like yours? How can you rationalize it all?¡± ¡°Let me talk to Sonya,¡± Chunhua insisted. Ishtar¡¯s brows furrowed and she canted her head to the right, ¡°Very well,¡± She said and drifted back to the ground. Her eyes softened a little and her shoulders sagged before straightening up. Sonya brought her hand to her lips for a moment before looking away, clearing her throat. ¡°That was¡­ quite the speech.¡± Chunhua stepped forward, ¡°Sonya,¡± she said, ¡°Your memories set me down a path. I¡¯ve been trying to figure out how to reconcile it with you. I¡¯m not¡­ that person,¡± she said and reached out to take Sonya¡¯s hands. Sonya looked down at her small fingers clenched there and frowned even as her chest tightened. She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I know, I forced that on you, I-¡± ¡°No, I wanted to know. I¡­ I have perspective, now. On a lot of things,¡± she finally said and squeezed Sonya¡¯s hands, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is. I don¡¯t know if these feelings are mine or yours or¡­¡± she shook her head, ¡°I can barely function some days when I think about it. But, you are just so¡­¡± she trailed off and pulled her hands away, clenching her fists. ¡°I want to figure it out, if they¡¯re real, I want to know they¡¯re my feelings.¡± Sonya flushed, she scratched her nose and cleared her throat, ¡°You¡¯re being dramatic.¡± ¡°Sonya!¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Please. Take me seriously.¡± Sonya let out a breath and nodded, ¡°Fine. What are you getting at?¡± Chunhua¡¯s jaw clenched and she stared into Sonya¡¯s eyes for a moment before speaking, ¡°You can set conditions in your deals, right?¡± Sonya felt her heart clench a little, ¡°What kind of deal?¡± She asked. ¡°I want to be the hero that you need me to be, that the world needs me to be,¡± Chunhua said with a shaky voice. ¡°You were right that day. I regret what I did, what I asked for, what I got out of it. That was the most painful kiss of my life. But like I said, I don¡¯t regret knowing.¡± Sonya looked away and swallowed hard. Chunhua held out her hand, ¡°I want to make a deal.¡± Sonya looked back at her and brought her hand to her chest, their eyes meeting, ¡°Name your terms.¡± ¡°When I am on the field, when I face Ishtar or her agents, when I am fighting as a hero,¡± She said, ¡°I want you to lock those memories away. I want to fight unrestrained, unchained. I want to face her with my full might, not knowing who she is under that mask.¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°You want me to go against a previous deal,¡± Sonya said even as her heart rate picked up, ¡°That¡¯s quite the ask, and what are you going to give in exchange?¡± ¡°When I am at rest, when I see your face, those memories come back and I suffer through them all over again,¡± Chunhua declared, ¡°I will never kill you, but I will try my best to stop you when the time comes,¡± She touched her chest and looked Sonya in the eyes, ¡°I want to suffer like you are, I want to experience it, every day if I must, if that means being the hero the world needs me to be. Just like you¡¯re the villain the world needs most.¡± Sonya swallowed hard and opened her mouth to speak but the words caught in her throat. She panicked for a moment but realized she was just getting choked up. Chunhua came to her rescue, a small smile on her face, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, I know,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°I¡¯m not deaf. You told Carla.¡± Sonya snorted, ¡°Eavesdropper.¡± ¡°Just spying on a known supervillain,¡± Chunhua snarked back even as the agony lingered in her eyes. Sonya let out a shaky breath, ¡°Are you sure you want this? I¡¯m never going to force a deal on you again. That is a promise. It broke me to do it to you the first time. I¡­ I haven¡¯t been the same since that day. I¡¯m still figuring it out.¡± Chunhua gave her the gentlest smile in the world, it made Sonya¡¯s heart ache. She wanted to run to her, hold her, kiss her, comfort her, to ease her pain in any way she could. But she held her ground, her lips trembling as Chunhua gave her assent with a nod, ¡°Yes. I want to fight Ishtar, but I want to be your friend and whatever the hell else, I want to be there for you if I can.¡± Sonya swallowed and held out her hand, ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± ¨C Liberty marched into the viewing room. It was in shambles. She ran her hand over the table and looked towards the upturned cart. That waitress was Ishtar, Liberty thought. She was right there, watching me. She can change her face, her lips turned down into a scowl, She called herself Sonya! She scoffed. She¡¯s making fun of me, she slammed her fist into the table, crushing what was left of it before catching her breath. She felt him approaching before he even stepped through the door, the cropped brown hair shimmering a bit in the light that framed his body. Orange eyes glowed brightly as he stepped inside with nonchalant grace. ¡°Craftsman,¡± She bit out, ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± she felt him tense behind her and she turned, ¡°What?¡± Craftsman crossed his arms, ¡°That woman knows things,¡± he said evenly, ¡°She¡¯s dangerous, Liberty,¡± he said before glancing behind him towards the four figures standing against the wall in the room. He scoffed, ¡°You lost Ewen, then.¡± Liberty grabbed the remains of the table and hurled them across the room, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She rounded on Craftsman who raised his hands in a placating gesture and took a few steps back, shrugging off her ire. Instead of throwing her rage at him she turned on the four members of the Round Table. Ellis shifted on his feet against the wall, he glanced at Kant with bloodshot eyes and scowled. His usual good humor was gone. Liberty rounded on Kant as well. The woman looked terrible, what little healing Liberty¡¯s people had provided at least got her limbs in the correct formation. She stalked over to Kant and grabbed the shell-shocked woman. Grief and rage that had been warring on the woman¡¯s face faded into something far more primal. Terror. ¡°Did you enjoy your duel?¡± she demanded. Kant trembled in her grip, ¡°I failed.¡± Liberty snarled and pulled her close, ¡°You are fortunate I did not cast you aside like Ewen,¡± She growled in a low voice. ¡°All that planning, wasted, to soothe your precious ego,¡± she rumbled and the room shook. She released the woman and pushed her against the wall, ¡°Should I strip you of your rank?¡± she asked before letting the woman go. Kant collapsed to the ground and groveled at her feet, ¡°No. You can stay in the cold room for a while, after that, you will struggle and bleed to earn my good graces again.¡± Kant pressed her forehead against Liberty¡¯s boot, ¡°Th-thank you, thank you, my lady, for your mercy.¡± Liberty spat and kicked the woman off, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± she rumbled before turning to Ellis. He stared back at her, shaking, but he didn¡¯t bow or grovel. She knew he¡¯d get his wicked smile back eventually, but for now she was pleased to see he fully comprehended his errors. She loomed over him, ¡°Anything to say for yourself?¡± ¡°I will get stronger, my lady,¡± he rasped, ¡°I lost my friend today.¡± ¡°Are you angry with me?¡± she demanded. ¡°He deserved it,¡± he growled, ¡°I¡¯m lucky to even be here.¡± ¡°You will train from dawn to dusk until I am satisfied you¡¯ve refined your powers, then I will duel you and you will repeat the process,¡± she turned to Craftsman for a moment before looking back at Ellis, ¡°You will also be receiving Craftsman¡¯s treatment.¡± Ellis paled, ¡°But-¡± ¡°ANY QUESTIONS?!¡± she bellowed into his face. He shrank and shook his head, ¡°N-no my lady,¡± he said. She pointed at the door, ¡°Escort Kant to the cold room. You have until dawn to recover. Get out of my sight.¡± He didn¡¯t need to be told twice, he grabbed Kant who let out a whimper but didn¡¯t resist him as she was dragged along. Liberty didn¡¯t even give them a second look before turning to Halloway. ¡°You.¡± Halloway seemed to fight down his terror as he looked up at her, ¡°It was-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses!¡± She snarled, ¡°I trusted you with this operation! I gave you more than enough power and put you in a position to succeed! It was your responsibility to keep Kant reigned in, even if she is your peer!¡± She bellowed and grabbed him by the throat, ¡°Give me a good reason not to crush your throat now and save myself the trouble of enduring your pathetic groveling!¡± He wheezed and coughed, but didn¡¯t struggle as she held him aloft. ¡°Liberty,¡± Phillip said from the side. She turned to him and met his gaze. She glared at him, ¡°Now you¡¯re interceding?¡± she demanded. ¡°Let him at least speak,¡± Phillip said. Liberty turned her head to Halloway and squeezed a little harder, watching the man¡¯s face turn from red to purple. She snarled and let him go, ¡°Thank him,¡± she snarled, ¡°He just saved your life.¡± Halloway coughed and gasped on the floor, curled onto his side. When he finally sat up, his face streaked with tears, he looked up and bowed his head to Phillip, ¡°Thank you, Sir Phillip,¡± he wheezed. She crossed her arms, ¡°Tell me, do you have anything to show for this failure?¡± she demanded. Halloway reached into his pocket, his reddened face regaining its natural color. He pulled a small object out and held it out. She snatched it from his fingers and examined it as he remained on his knees. ¡°A drive?¡± She held it out to Craftsman who shrugged and took it from her. He pulled a thin rod looking device out of his own pocket and pulled on it, stretching out what looked like a screen made of fabric. He slid the drive into a slot on the side and began to read after tapping the fabric screen a few times. ¡°That¡¯s all you have?¡± She asked. ¡°The aspirants are far more powerful than we suspected, well trained,¡± He gasped as he pushed himself up, ¡°A boy named Gravitic had abilities that countered mine and enough skill to hold his own.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Liberty said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that girl was so arrogant.¡± ¡°Liberty,¡± Craftsman said and held the screen out to her. She turned and frowned at him before looking down at the screen. Her eyes sweeping over the text slowly. At first her face contorted with rage before it began to relax as she read more and more of it. She took the scroll-like object from Craftsman and kept reading, pacing back and forth for several minutes before she finally handed it back over to him. Her gut was doing backflips. Who is this person? They somehow manipulated Halloway into delivering this to me. It¡¯s¡­ magnificent. She rubbed her chin and glanced at Halloway. He has no idea. Even so. He was loyal enough to bring it to me without hesitation. ¡°Halloway, You brought me something good, You may leave,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m suddenly feeling generous,¡± she said. Halloway bowed his head, ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am,¡± he said before hurrying to excuse himself. She watched him go before turning back to her second in command. He¡¯d presented himself like he was expecting punishment. Fool, she thought bitterly, Why would I punish you? She thought as Phillip worked up the nerve to say something. ¡°What was that thing?¡± Phillip finally asked. She smirked at him and rested her hand on the pommel of her sword, ¡°A new strategy, and a new standard to adhere to,¡± She said, ¡°My path to glory.¡± BROKER SEASON 2 PART 1: FOG OF WAR END Broker: Standard of Glory Trailer War is on the horizon. Liberty¡¯s attack on the East Coast camp and slaughter of the Pandora Leadership has sent the world into a tailspin and no one knows what move to take next. Heroes are rallying to the call of the new Chairwoman of the Committee and the young aspirants are prepared to step out of training and truly take on the mantle. With traitors lurking in their midst, a walking apocalypse becoming the center of attention, and even more new threats starting to rise to the occasion, the heroes have their work cut out for them. They aren¡¯t alone. Sonya has learned first hand that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and if something can go wrong, it will. With Ishtar¡¯s words about the ¡®villain¡¯s mindset¡¯ hovering in the back of her mind, she needs to take the steps necessary to ensure her strategy against Liberty will pay off. She''s planted seeds all over the world, carefully prepared, it''s just a matter of time. She needs more allies, more power, and she needs to master the ever growing madness plaguing her mind. Ishtar is doing everything she can to hold her together but all she can do is watch as Sonya continues to slip back and forth between sanity and oblivion.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Even with her mind at risk, Sonya still has cards to play, including a sleeping titan just waiting to be unleashed. But while Sonya rises to the occasion, the self-styled monarch Liberty has shifted her own paradigm with inspiration from a certain document. She is on the path to glory, and she won¡¯t let anyone stand in her way. The cold war has begun and the flames are one wrong move away from catching. Chapter 160 PROLOGUE In the depths there was nothing but darkness, shadow had become all-encompassing. A thick inky veil that concealed everything from sight, save his own. There was a scream, a shout, a gunshot, then a roar. The horrible sound rippled through his bones as he ducked beneath a limb that swung through the dark, a pair of glowing red eyes somewhere just past it. He felt his knees buckle as the sheer force of the blow rocked through him even though it missed. A flash of green light sailed over his head, the scent of burned flesh accompanying an inhuman scream of agony. Something caught him in the chest and he was sent careening backwards, hitting metal bars. His vision flickered as pain shot down his spine and sent his head spinning. More flashes of green light filled the open room, more screams, more shouts of terror. His chest rose and fell as his eyes opened up again and he let that gold overlay wash over the world. For a moment he could see, for a moment, he felt his guts churn. He coughed as he staggered to his feet only for a hand to wrap around his ankle. He started, spinning around to see a shape in the darkness. A pair of youthful eyes looked up at him as another monstrous roar cut into his ears and shook his soul. His heart raced and he tried to pull his foot away, ¡°I can¡¯t help you if you don¡¯t let go,¡± He grunted. The youth shook their head, their broken eyes filled with resignation. He looked past them and saw what he should have seen before. Their legs were¡­ gone, everything past their waist. A strange red light licked against their body, the only thing keeping them functionally alive. He didn¡¯t need his eyes to tell him that once the demons were gone, this kid would die. He felt a lump form in his throat, his fingers shaking as the kid pointed behind themselves, a small amount of light brightening the hopelessness in their gaze. He followed the direction they were indicating and saw a shape leaning against the back wall, another young person, this one a bit older. Maybe even an adult. ¡°Him, hurry, brother,¡± The kid murmured as another flash of green light ripped through the room. ¡°You gonna help or what?!¡± Addison shouted over the din, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of these fuckers, Martin!¡± Martin whipped his head towards the lock on the cage and he hurried over to it. Instinct screaming at him to listen to the kid. He pointed his gun at the lock and fired, blowing it off and wrenching the door open. He raced inside, not thinking about whatever the slick, thick, wet sludge at his feet was composed of. His sense of smell was already burned away from mere moments of being in this horrible place. He slid to a stop and knelt next to the young man. He couldn¡¯t switch to his other sight, to see the truth about the boy, in the dark. He could only trust his gut, ¡°Hey, you awake? How can I help?¡± He asked quickly. A pair of dark eyes met his and a low rattling growl escaped the young man¡¯s throat. He coughed and glanced over at the kid on the ground before looking up at him. Martin couldn¡¯t make out much of the boy¡¯s features with the golden overlay, but he could see enough. More importantly, he could see the thick collar wrapped around his throat and chains binding his arms to the wall over his head. ¡°Collar,¡± The boy rasped, ¡°I¡¯ll help. I can hurt them.¡± Martin touched the material, it wasn¡¯t a power restraining device. It felt smooth and heavy but it wasn¡¯t iron either. Lead? He wasn¡¯t sure and it didn¡¯t matter. He turned his attention to the lock on the collar and drew his pistol again. ¡°Sorry about your ears,¡± He grunted quickly and the young man just nodded, tilting his head up a bit and craning his chin away. Another noisy bang sounded and the lock was wrenched off the collar. He quickly pulled the collar off and was surprised at just how damn heavy it was. He tossed it to the side with a grunt and took a few steps back as a new scent ripped through his nose blindness. Sulfur. ¡°Martin!¡± Addison shouted as more flashes of green illuminated the space. Martin didn¡¯t move, he could only watch as the young man¡¯s body began to change. He took a low, deep breath through his nose and another low growl escaped him. He slowly rose to his feet and with a single jerk of his arms ripped the chains from the wall. He looked down at them as the skin on his hands turned black before spreading up his arms. His hair began to change color, turning to a nearly maroon color that glowed in the dark. Flames began to rise from his shoulder as he opened his mouth to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. He whipped his arms again and wrapped the chains around them, his smaller body growing in size to that of a bodybuilder in a matter of seconds. Martin took a step back as the young man started to walk forward and through the bars of the cage, the metal turning into liquid against his skin. He threw his head back, ¡°LUCIAN!¡± He bellowed and turned, kicking off the ground with all his might. The floor beneath Martin shook a little under the force of it as the boy-turned-monster tackled the nearest demon. Each of the horrible beasts looked different, so it was impossible to attribute any sort of generality to them. The one that the young man tackled looked somewhere between a crab and a horse, the disturbing thing¡¯s massive arms were ripped off in an instant and a claw shoved through its large lower body before the bestial young man charged at the next. Martin stepped out of the cage as the amount of green flashes decreased slightly. He could see Addison hurrying over to him, glancing back over her shoulder at the massacre taking place. ¡°Who the hell is that?¡± He frowned solemnly before glancing down at the kid who looked like they¡¯d lost consciousness. ¡°His brother.¡± ¨C Before the memory could drag on any further, a loud buzzing began to draw him back to his senses. He sat up with a gasp, coughing as he threw himself out of his bed. He scrambled to the bathroom and was sick to his stomach for a while before he finally managed to pull himself together. Martin sat next to the toilet for a time, resting his head against the cool material as he tried to push the haunting images down in his mind. It took everything he had to take a shower and dress himself before he stumbled into the living room of the parisian apartment. ¡°Sick again?¡± Addison asked from the counter, her expression flat. ¡°Yeah,¡± He grunted and walked over as she poured him a cup of coffee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She put her hand over his cup and gave him an even stare, ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± She said and jerked her chin towards the center of the room. A black haired figure was sitting in front of the television, shoulders hunched forward. He frowned at her but sighed, rubbing the side of his head and picking up the mug. He sipped at it once and turned fully towards the young man sitting on the couch. ¡°He finally came out, go talk to him. We¡¯ve got to meet with the others in a few minutes.¡± ¡°I could just-¡± Martin began but she gave him another glare. He sighed and nodded, ¡°Fine.¡± He walked over to the couch and sat down next to the young man. They sat in silence for a while as Martin sipped his coffee and they stared at the dark television across from them. Martin ran his thumb over the mug and turned a few times, trying to figure out exactly what to say to the kid. It wasn¡¯t easy, how could it be? He¡¯d watched his little brother die like that, he¡¯d been tortured too, though from the looks of him you couldn¡¯t tell. All the cuts and scrapes on his body had vanished without a trace. ¡°Lucian DuCast is my Uncle,¡± The boy said. Martin glanced his way and examined his facial features. There was a small resemblance there that he hadn¡¯t picked up on immediately but now was plainly obvious. Martin didn¡¯t say anything right away and let the kid get his thoughts out. ¡°When I awakened he had me tested,¡± The boy continued, ¡°Then he found out that my powers could hurt him. It was an accident,¡± He said, holding up his hand, a flame appeared on it that was a mixture of red and black. Beneath it, his fingernails grew out to sharpened points. ¡°Next thing I knew, my brother and I were down there. I could regenerate from what they did but my-¡± He choked out a sob and leaned forward in his seat, clenching his fist around the flame and reaching up to grab his head. ¡°Damn it. What kind of hero does that?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t a hero, kid,¡± Martin said gruffly, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of fakes out there.¡± The boy looked up at him, his face stricken, ¡°He- my-¡± ¡°I know,¡± Martin said and set his mug down and gave the kid an assessing look. The knowledge he¡¯d gained from observing Sonya Chernovna with his ability had told him all he needed to know about the real threats to the world. The ¡®Heralds¡¯ and their invincible master. She had a deep knowledge of the more prominent heroes of her time. Yet she had no memory of this kid. Which meant that he wasn¡¯t supposed to escape his uncle¡¯s grip alive, not in this timeline anyway. He scoffed internally at the thought, She had no idea what I¡¯d find, but it looks like I found something. He cleared his throat as he looked back to his mug, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± The boy looked back down to his hands and squeezed them together, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t become a hero. I can¡¯t work with him. I¡¯m sure he knows I¡¯m alive. He¡¯ll come for me.¡± ¡°Fight anyway,¡± Martin said flatly. ¡°Huh? But- that¡¯s- I don¡¯t have a license,¡± The kid said. ¡°I don¡¯t either,¡± Martin said and picked his coffee up, ¡°Neither does she,¡± He said and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°The whole system is busted, kid, not gonna lie to you. It goes all the way to the top,¡± He said and felt his throat tighten a little in warning as he drew close to saying too much. He coughed and sipped at his coffee again. ¡°So we¡¯re going to deal with the ones nobody wants to touch. Vigilante style if need be. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of it, but, gotta do what you gotta do.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The kid asked. ¡°Mimir is fine or Vigilante, I don¡¯t really care,¡± He said and sipped his drink again before looking down into his mug, ¡°Pretty sure the guy I used to be died down in that dark hole we pulled you out of.¡± A thoughtful expression bloomed on the young man''s face and he looked down at his hands again, ¡°Hellion.¡± Martin raised an eyebrow, ¡°Mm?¡± The kid looked him in the eyes, ¡°Then I¡¯m Hellion,¡± He said, ¡°Let me help you bring him down.¡± Martin sipped at his drink one more time before glancing over his shoulder at Addison who was staring at the two of them. She let out a sigh before breaking into an easy smile, ¡°Alright Hellion, go take a shower and get dressed. Should be some clothes in your room for you. Hope they fit.¡± The boy blinked, ¡°Just like that?¡± Martin grunted and got to his feet, ¡°You¡¯re strong, kid, and you got a good reason to fight. Good enough for me,¡± He said and scratched the back of his head, not admitting that half of the reason he was even considering this was because Addison had worn him down over the past couple of weeks. He¡¯d sworn that he¡¯d collect like-minded people and almost immediately reneged when he¡¯d encountered Addison. Saying and doing had been two very different things, it¡¯d turned out. To be honest, though, it was good having someone to work with. Since then, they¡¯d found a few others who were worth teaming up with. It was a small group, but he felt like he had a ghost of a chance now. It¡¯s a start. It was not long after that he, Addison, and the newly minted Hellion arrived at a small cafe on the south side. There they were allowed into the basement where the others waited for them. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat as he lumbered down creaking stairs, the air in the place thick with cigarette smoke. The room itself was as comfortable as was necessary, four walls and a single circular table set in the middle with crates and stools around it to be used as seats. Two others sat in the room, one was an older man with a cold look in a pair of blue eyes hidden behind bushy white eyebrows. He leaned forward on a cane that seemed to leave a faint dent in the ground where he sat. The other was a brown haired woman in what appeared to be a torn up Pandora combat uniform. She wore a visor over her eyes despite the dim light and had scars across her neck and chin. She tilted her head to the right and openly looked Martin up and down. ¡°You look like shit, Mimir.¡± ¡°Say that when you get your face fixed,¡± He grunted back at her. She snorted and leaned back, ¡°New kid!¡± She said and then raised an eyebrow, ¡°The powerhouse from the charnel pit?¡± ¡°His name is Hellion,¡± Addison said, ¡°Show a care, Faux.¡± Faux gave a half-assed salute, ¡°Aye aye, Major.¡± ¡°Welcome, Hellion, I¡¯m Max,¡± The old man said and leaned forward on his cane, the ground creaking beneath him. ¡°I heard about what happened, shame.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it right,¡± Hellion said with a faint tightness to his voice. He walked to one of the seats and sat down without invitation, Addison sitting next to him. ¡°One way or another,¡± He added with barely contained bloodlust. ¡°Definitely one of us,¡± Faux said with a chuckle before turning to Martin, ¡°Alright bossman, why are we here?¡± Martin pulled a lighter from his pocket and flicked it open, lighting a cigarette as he turned to a board behind him. ¡°Today we¡¯re going to talk about our plan, our targets, and our method to bring the Queen of Villains out of hiding so we can bring her down.¡± He pulled the cloth covering the board away, It all starts here. Chapter 161 A petite woman with long white hair walked past the hedges, her hands at her side. She was as pale as a ghost with a pair of eerie mechanical eyes that whirred and spun in her head, glowing a brilliant hot pink. The blue sky shone overhead as the faint trickle of fountains filled the air. She was wearing a fitted thick turtleneck sweater, white, as usual, and a pair of thin white gloves. Her black pants glittered a bit in the sunlight as she stepped past a rosebush. She smiled at the camera, her mechanical eyes twinkling with a mixture of mirth and compassion. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Sonya Chernovna,¡± she said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done one of these, hasn¡¯t it?¡± She chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s gotten a little wild out there. It can be scary at times. Even as things calm down in one way, another problem seems to just pop up,¡± she said with a shake of her head before tilting it with amusement, ¡°Honestly, doesn¡¯t seem that much different from before, when you put it that way.¡± The view shifted and she walked over a small bridge across a narrow stream that passed through the garden, ¡°Everyone¡¯s asking the same questions; ¡®What can I do to help?¡¯ ¡®How do I protect my family?¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s being done?¡¯¡± she recited as she ran her fingers over a rose, she stopped and turned to the camera again. ¡°Right now we are in an unprecedented era of conflict and change. The world is more than it was before, and we all need to do our part to make sure this era becomes one that can uplift humanity into something better.¡± She raised a hand to beckon someone towards her and six young people strode out from the sides. To her right, a blonde young man with piercing blue eyes and a sharp smile stepped out. He was accompanied by a muscular girl with streaked black hair and a brown haired young man with a thoughtful expression and violet eyes. On the bottom of the screen, words appeared. OTIS Most Promising Heroes, East Coast Training Camp CRUSADER Most Promising Heroes, East Coast Training Camp GRAVITIC Most Promising Heroes, East Coast Training Camp From the left, a young woman stepped out with off-white eyes that seemed to flicker now and then, her black hair held loose around her thin face. With her was a young man with steely gray hair and a toned body beneath a tight fitted black shirt. Finally, a dark haired boy with narrow eyes and a small smile teasing his lips stepped out as well, his gloved hands in his pockets. Their names appeared as well. CRANE Most Promising Heroes, West Coast Training Camp MAGNUS Most Promising Heroes, West Coast Training Camp SYPHON Most Promising Heroes, West Coast Training Camp Sonya gestured to the six of them on either side, ¡°These young people have stepped up, despite all the forces arrayed against them, and so can you.¡± Otis inclined his head, ¡°That¡¯s right, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. The first step towards combating villainy is knowing. The Pandora Committee reporting center is always open,¡± he said, ¡°With your help we can fight villainy at its source and get help for those who are on the verge of doing something they may regret.¡± Crane flipped her hair back and put a hand on her hip, ¡°We¡¯re counting on you to help us. More and more people awaken powers every single day, and making sure that they know what they¡¯re dealing with is important. There are facilities in every major city that can provide education and assistance,¡± She said, ¡°Awakening can be scary, we¡¯ve all gone through it. Don¡¯t go through it alone.¡± Crusader crossed her arms over her chest, ¡°You always have the right to defend yourself and your family, whether you are light-touched or not. Whether it be a monster or a villain, remember these steps. Call for a hero or the police if you can. Prioritize your life and those around you and attempt to get away. If all else fails, fight back.¡± Magnus raised a clenched fist, ¡°Villainy festers where people look away,¡± he said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen on your watch, you can be a hero too. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. We¡¯re all in this together.¡± Gravitic smiled, ¡°Help us help you and together we can make something incredible out of this new world we live in,¡± He said. Syphon straightened up and nodded, ¡°And don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re always recruiting. If you think you have what it takes to join us, go to your nearest Pandora Committee facility and sign up.¡± The six young heroes spoke up as one, ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you.¡± The camera tilted slightly and a statue appeared in the frame, a man standing with a kind smile on his face and his hand outstretched. ¡°Together, we can be the firestorm,¡± Sonya said off camera before the screen went black, ¡°This message has been brought to you by the Pandora Committee.¡± Sonya sat back in her chair and beamed at the others in the room. ¡°Great job guys,¡± She said brightly, scanning the faces present. The six young heroes were all sitting with her as well as a few others. Marta stood a pace behind her, her hands resting politely at her lap as usual. Across from them, standing near the television, a woman in flashy orange glasses wearing a red t-shirt and jeans beams at them all with barely concealed pride. ¡°Knocked it out of the park, this¡¯ll work great,¡± She said. ¡°Thanks for taking on the job, Kerry, I know you¡¯ve been busy,¡± Sonya said with a small smile. Kerry wasn¡¯t someone that got the limelight very often, but she was still a valuable asset for Sonya. The Chief Marketing Manager of ASTA had been an indie director before Sonya had scooped her up during the rise of the company in the year between Vegas and the first hero training camps. Kerry rubbed her nose and smirked, ¡°Just doing what I do best, ma¡¯am,¡± She said before glancing at the final person in the room. A man in a suit sitting on a small fold-out chair with a steely look in his eyes. A pin on his lapel of a torch held over the earth marked him as a member of the Pandora Committee. ¡°What¡¯d you think, Jeremy?¡± Jeremy Locus was the new North American representative for the committee, ¡°I¡¯m sure Miss Mint will be happy with it,¡± He said with a nod, ¡°It¡¯ll resonate well, I¡¯ll have it scheduled for first broadcast after the graduation ceremony,¡± He turned to the young heroes in the room, ¡°Congratulations by the way. Especially you three from the East Camp, you stepped up even after the raid.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sonya glanced at the group and raised an eyebrow. From an outsider¡¯s perspective she supposed that it was true how impressive the three of them in particular had come across. She, on the other hand, knew better. It was no surprise to her that Otis would stay the course, of course he would. While he was a conniving bastard he was not one to back down from a challenge. If anything, it was just another way for people to fawn over him. Lillian and Greg on the other hand had the hearts of heroes, through and through. There was no doubt in her mind that they¡¯d go far, it was honestly a shame that only the top three from each camp could participate in this. Otherwise she had almost a dozen more she felt deserved the spotlight. ¡°Thank you sir,¡± Otis said smoothly, a small smile creeping on his face. Sonya resisted the urge to shiver. ¡°No villains are going to make us back down, right?¡± He asked the other two. Lillian nodded vehemently in agreement before tilting her head to look at Sonya, ¡°We¡¯re¡­ going to have a chance to see our folks before this airs, yeah? I¡¯d like to explain my um¡­¡± She trailed off and gestured to her face and hair. Sonya barked out a laugh, ¡°Actually! I was going to tell you this later but since we¡¯re here I might as well,¡± She crossed her legs and shifted back in her seat, ¡°I¡¯ve invited your families to the graduation ceremony. There¡¯ll be a party the night before and they¡¯ll get to have a tour of the facility, a little thank-you for their support and to celebrate your success.¡± Otis made a face but said nothing and Sonya didn¡¯t acknowledge it. Lillian on the other hand tensed a little, ¡°That¡¯s tomorrow!¡± She blurted. Greg chuckled, ¡°Somebody¡¯s got a lot of explaining to do!¡± He laughed. Lillian groaned and slumped in her seat as the other three soon-to-be graduates gave her odd looks. Syphon was the first to speak up, ¡°What? The tats come with your ability or something?¡± He asked, picking at his fingernails as he looked her up and down. Sonya watched them as the conversation meandered on from that point. While they¡¯d met a few times during the brief filming of the commercial, this was the first time they were all sitting in the same room with nothing more to do than talk about things other than the ad. While the East Coast camp had seen a lot of unusual circumstances, the West Coast camp was a more baseline experience. That hadn¡¯t detracted from the results in any way, something that delighted her a great deal. Though it had triggered a bit of tension on the West side. She could sense the mixed feelings that they had towards their peers with all the attention they¡¯d been getting. Not that it matters, she thought, Competition is good and it¡¯s not like they¡¯ll be seeing one another very often in the immediate future. She brought her hands together in a noisy clap that drew everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Alright! How about some lunch and then we¡¯ll have Euclidia send us back to our camps, mm?¡± She said brightly, ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot to do and it seems like a few of us need to get prepared to see family,¡± She teased, winking at Lillian who let out a sigh. Marta cleared her throat behind Sonya and she tittered out a laugh, glancing back at her, ¡°Oh let me have my fun,¡± She said and got to her feet, a big grin on her face. ¡°Now, who wants a burger?¡± ¨C They stepped through the portal and back into the camp an hour or so later. Lillian and Greg spoke quietly with one another as they walked towards the common building. It¡¯d already been rebuilt, a rushed effort between ASTA and the Pandora Committee. Almost no signs of the fighting that had taken place remained, though there were still scars here and there. The most notable was the plaque set next to the doors leading into the building, on it was a list of names. The young aspirants who had died trying to escape to the common building. She frowned briefly at the names before glancing towards Otis as he turned to her. ¡°Did you need something, Mister Mallory?¡± She asked, keeping her expression pleasant. It was still hard seeing him more and more often but she¡¯d learned to take some enjoyment out of it now and then, despite the visceral disgust that boiled in her gut. He was her most hated enemy, yet he was so close by. ¡°I wanted to thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± He said brightly, ¡°For this opportunity.¡± She tilted her head to the left, ¡°What on earth are you thanking me for?¡± She asked, ¡°You stepped up during the raid,¡± She said, Even though I know the only reason you did was to force my hand you little shit, ¡°I hold mythics I sign with ASTA to a higher standard,¡± She said, ¡°You met it,¡± She paused and tilted her head, ¡°Are you sure about your codename though?¡± He blinked and pursed his lips, mulling the thought over for a moment, ¡°I like Otis. I know it has nothing to do with Gilgamesh but¡­¡± He trailed off and shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m a fan of the classics.¡± She examined his face for a moment before letting out a sigh, ¡°Very well, enjoy your evening, Mister Mallory. I have high expectations for you in the future.¡± He grinned at her and nodded, ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± He said and walked away. Sonya watched him go and rested her hands on her hips. She glanced at Marta whose face betrayed nothing. The two of them waited for the walking apocalypse to slink back into the common building before she finally spoke, the portal arch sliding back down into the ground. She raised a hand and the air seemed to ripple for a moment, an illusion of silence wrapping around them and obscuring their words, ¡°Fucking bastard,¡± She grumbled as she ran her fingers through her hair, ¡°Updates?¡± She asked quietly. ¡°Colin¡¯s made contact,¡± Marta said, ¡°Kera is with him just in case our quarry does something drastic,¡± She smirked a little and Sonya gave her an approving wink, ¡°He¡¯ll send you a message as soon as they have a response,¡± she continued before gesturing to the area around them, ¡°Everything for the ceremony is going according to schedule.¡± Sonya¡¯s lips pressed together, ¡°I want a host of professors posted at the ceremony,¡± She said cooly, ¡°If a single hint of that woman¡¯s ilk comes anywhere near it¡­¡± She trailed off and pushed down her bloodthirst. Marta inclined her head, ¡°It¡¯ll be done,¡± She said before straightening, ¡°Barry is done with the preparations, he¡¯ll be ready when the time comes, you have your army.¡± Sonya checked her nails and looked back at the building for a heartbeat, ¡°Good,¡± She said and turned fully to Marta, ¡°Has she made any further moves?¡± ¡°Not yet, though we have observed her using new routes to supply her people,¡± Marta said. Sonya snorted, ¡°I¡¯m surprised she hasn¡¯t retaliated with more force, though. Is she angling for a cold war?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Marta said thoughtfully, ¡°Ever since the raid she has been remarkably quiet,¡± she continued, ¡°It¡¯s like she¡¯s turned all of her focus inward towards her cult rather than putting much effort into recruiting and strengthening herself.¡± ¡°Strange,¡± Sonya said, ¡°If we weren¡¯t having such a problem with sending spies her way I¡¯d love to know what she was up to. Have Beyol keep an eye on it.¡± ¡°Of course, Ma¡¯am,¡± Marta said with a bow before straightening up, ¡°You¡¯ve been more engaged lately, It¡¯s good to see.¡± Sonya grinned at her and crossed her arms behind her back, ¡°Ishtar told me to take on a villain mindset and I figure this is part of it. We¡¯re done with the camp so it¡¯s on to the next step after all.¡± She said before starting to walk towards the common building. ¡°You still haven¡¯t figured it out? What she meant?¡± Marta asked next to her. Sonya frowned, ¡°Yeah, something¡¯s missing but I just don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s expecting,¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She¡¯s me, I¡¯ll figure it out. It feels like it¡¯s on the tip of my tongue, though, which is frustrating.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll manage,¡± Marta agreed. ¡°I always do,¡± She said with a breath and glanced up to see Black Lotus standing on the balcony, looking down at her. She smiled to herself, ¡°That commercial is the first shot fired against Liberty, what comes next is going to be amusing,¡± She said and dismissed the illusion wrapped around her. Two more figures stepped out to stand on either side of Black Lotus, a brown haired woman in a blue set of robes and a red haired woman in a brown cardigan. She beamed up at them, Yes, I have just about everything I need. ¡°Ladies!¡± She called, ¡°Looking forward to the party?¡± Chapter 162 Sonya came to a stop just beneath the balcony and peered up, smiling as her eyes shifted in her head, adjusting to the sunlight beating down on her face. The wind picked up a little around her and her hair fluttered. She cracked a grin as the woman in the brown cardigan planted her hands on the rail and with a single movement, hefted herself off the side with a ¡®hup!¡¯. Black Lotus and the woman in the blue robes both turned to her in exasperation and reached out but were, ultimately, too late. The wind picked up again and the air around Sonya dried up almost instantly, the humidity fading to nothing as tiny blocks of snowy ice formed in the air. She hopped down them one at a time before landing with delicate grace and looking up at Sonya with an almost blinding smile. ¡°Guildmaster Evergreen, reporting!¡± She chirped, bringing her hand up in a casual salute. Sonya beamed at her, ¡°Brigid! It¡¯s so good to see you, hun! How are you? How¡¯s Seattle?¡± She laughed and stepped forward, scooping the slightly taller woman into a hug which was returned enthusiastically. She took a step back and looked her over. Brigid had fire-engine red hair worn long into two absolutely massive braided ponytails. If one looked carefully, they could see several streaks of white going through it. Her eyes were milky white, reminding Sonya a bit of Charon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fantastic actually, snatched up a few pretty amazing recruits from my camp,¡± She said and waggled her eyebrows, ¡°Gonna give the scamps around here a run for their money.¡± ¡°Yes, I met Crane and Magnus,¡± Sonya laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll see how they do,¡± Another voice chimed in and Sonya glanced up to see the woman in blue robes descending on a platform of blue light. She had her hands crossed behind her back and was giving Evergreen a steady look with one perfectly trimmed raised eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some impressive things about the recruits for this camp as well.¡± ¡°Bluestar,¡± Sonya said merrily, ¡°You¡¯re looking fabulous.¡± Bluestar tilted her head in a polite gesture and smiled back, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, ma¡¯am, it¡¯s been too long since you visited headquarters.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in the thick of it after the ceremony. I wanted to make sure everything went off without a hitch, you know?¡± Sonya said with a shrug just as the third personage on the balcony jumped down without any assistance from her abilities. Black Lotus stood up tall, towering over the other women present, her long black hair fluttering around those deep black eyes that alway seemed to take Sonya¡¯s breath away. Bluestar glanced over at Black Lotus, ¡°I¡¯m also happy that we¡¯ll be getting Black Lotus back, she is our ace after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your dear Bandit hear you say that,¡± Black Lotus said with a smirk in her direction. Bluestar pursed her lips and gave Black Lotus a terse look, ¡°He¡¯s looking forward to the competition. None of the others can keep up with him,¡± She said defensively. Bridgid barked out a laugh, ¡°You two are so cute together!¡± She laughed, ¡°A lady and her noble archer,¡± She said wistfully, holding a hand up to her cheek and swaying left and right. She made a lazy gesture and ice gathered in front of her hand, taking the shape of a woman in a gown dancing with a man with a quiver on his back. It quickly exploded in a blue flash. Brigid whipped her head towards Bluestar, ¡°Hey!¡± Bluestar looked away with a huff, her face a bit red, ¡°Enough out of you.¡± Sonya burst into laughter, ¡°Ah it¡¯s so good to see you all again,¡± She said, holding her sides, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Amos had to head back to headquarters but they can¡¯t be without him forever.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the new place coming?¡± Bluestar asked. ¡°About done, just handling the interiors now. Maybe another week?¡± Sonya said with a shrug and put her hands on her hips, ¡°Now, on to business if you three don¡¯t mind!¡± She said as Marta fell into her usual spot behind Sonya, hands on her lap and eyes closed as a patient maid. ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯ll have a lot of guests! The graduates from the West Coast camp are going to be joining us here in Green Bank for the ceremony. All three of you are in charge of security and making sure everyone is comfortable,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯ll have some of my own security present as well but not nearly as much force as you all can provide,¡± Her eyes narrowed, ¡°I do not want any trouble during this event.¡± All three heroes straightened and nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± They said. ¡°Good!¡± Sonya said quickly, ¡°The families of the graduates are VIPs as far as I¡¯m concerned, let''s make sure they feel like it.¡± ¡°Speaking of the graduates,¡± Bluestar said, ¡°I¡¯d like a word with one of them.¡± Sonya nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure John gets to you as soon as possible, he¡¯s been eagerly awaiting a chance to talk to you as well.¡± Evergreen cracked a grin, ¡°I want a look at the top three here,¡± She said and reached up to flick a strand of hair from her face, ¡°Maybe get a taste of what they¡¯re made of that impressed you so much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if Otis or Gravitic will be receptive but I think Chunhua¡¯s apprentice would be happy to engage in a spar if you asked,¡± Sonya said casually, getting a blank stare from Evergreen. Evergreen blinked a few times and looked up at Black Lotus who nodded with a smug smile on her face, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, she fights like you too?¡± She asked with a deadpan expression. ¡°Oh she¡¯s far more brutal than I am. She prefers a broadsword and heavy-handed strokes,¡± Black Lotus said, her smile widening as she peeked down at Evergreen out of the corner of her eye. ¡°With her ability I expect her to catch up with me in the not-too-distant future.¡± Evergreen threw her head back in a groan, ¡°Now there¡¯s two of them? Really?¡± She grumbled and rubbed her shoulder, ¡°My arm still hurts thinking about our last go at it.¡± Sonya raised an eyebrow, ¡°You two fought?¡± The two of them whipped their heads towards Sonya with wide eyes. Black Lotus scratched her nose and looked away innocently while Evergreen looked down at her feet, shifting a bit. Sonya crossed her arms and glanced at Bluestar who shrugged at her, ¡°It was an exhibition match at headquarters, ma¡¯am. Inside the mana-isolated training room. No risk of runoff.¡± Sonya tilted her head, ¡°I appreciate that, but that¡¯s not the problem!¡± She said and squinted at them both, ¡°They didn¡¯t invite me to watch!¡± The laughter carried for a little while as they made their way inside.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¨C He wiped his brow irritably with a handkerchief, flicking his hand as they stepped beneath a copse of trees. The jungle was thicker than he had imagined it would be, even after doing a bit of research ahead of time. With a murmured word the hound that leaped out of the trees was shredded to pieces, its ruined corpse falling to the ground as he continued walking. He let out a sigh and stepped over yet another thick root. ¡°Who in their right mind would live this far out in the middle of nowhere?¡± He griped and brushed a leaf off of his suit coat before checking his skirt and stockings, frowning at a tear in one of them. ¡°And now my stockings are torn, ugh.¡± ¡°You could leave some for me, you know,¡± The woman behind him said. He glanced back at her as she walked past the corpse with a frown on her face. She had a distinct punk-rock look about her, off-gray hair highlighted with violet. Her absolutely absurd figure made him wrinkle his nose a little bit as he stared at the additional unnecessary weight. He rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing. ¡°Oh come on!¡± She whined, ¡°I¡¯m so bored!¡± ¡°Your job is to deal with our quarry if something happens,¡± He said patiently, ¡°Not fry every hound we see and set the entire jungle on fire. We¡¯re trying to avoid attention, not spark an ecological disaster.¡± ¡°Mephisto!¡± She complained, ¡°You¡¯re such a bully! I miss Blackrazor!¡± ¡°Trust me, Kera,¡± He said patiently, ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to return you to your fuckboy when we get out of here.¡± ¡°You mean it?¡± She asked. He groaned, Why did the mistress pick her of all people to imbue with godlike powers? He winced as another tree limb caught him on his slender leg and he scowled at it. ¡°That does it!¡± He barked and took a deep breath, ¡°Clear the way.¡± He bit out as a surge of mana rushed into him and out in a wave. Before him, the trees, debris, rocks, insects, and any creature unfortunate to be in that general direction was annihilated, the entire forest ahead of them cut clean as if an invisible cube had raced through it. He huffed and straightened his tie, ¡°There.¡± ¡°What was that about ecological disasters?¡± Kera asked as she sauntered past him, her hands cupping the back of her head. He glared at her back and huffed, muttering a few words to repair his clothing as he kept moving along the new path they had created. ¡°This Drastic person better be worth the Mistress¡¯ time, if Masque was any indication the Pandora Committee has no idea what they¡¯re doing as far as the villain rankings are concerned. At least with Mint in charge now they¡¯ll have better direction.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s strong,¡± Kera said, ¡°But kind of a loner or something.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mephisto asked, glancing around the rainforest jungle, ¡°What gave you that idea?¡± ¡°Just a hunch,¡± She said, ¡°Say, you think they¡¯ll have food for us? I¡¯m getting hungry. Blackrazor has really gotten me into fruit tarts, gosh I could go for an apple one, or cherry, or¡­¡± Mephisto rubbed the bridge of his nose, this was going to be a long mission. ¨C The steaming tart was set down on the table beneath the cafe, the waitress smiling at the small group before quickly making her way out of the room. Hellion shifted in his seat a bit, looking down at it as he looked up at the others. They were merrily digging into their respective meals and sipping at coffee as if it weren¡¯t the strangest thing in the world. He couldn¡¯t understand it, they were just talking about what amounted to assassinating heroes and vigilante behavior but no one seemed to pay them any mind. He rubbed the back of his neck, not that he minded, he was happy about it, he just didn¡¯t understand. He looked to Mimir who was staring at him with those eerie golden eyes of his, ¡°There are a lot of people that agree with what we¡¯re doing, Hellion,¡± Mimir said patiently and sipped at his coffee, ¡°Not everyone likes how the Pandora Committee is handling things, it''s not a lot of people, but it¡¯s enough that we have people to rely on.¡± ¡°With Mimir¡¯s eyes we know who we can and can¡¯t trust too,¡± Faux said with a wave of her fork, ¡°So no worries kid, take it easy and enjoy.¡± Hellion cleared his throat and nodded, cutting a piece and popping it into his mouth. It was delicious. It felt like hadn¡¯t had a proper meal in weeks which, in truth, he hadn¡¯t. He hadn¡¯t come out of his room for nearly a month it felt like and he was honestly surprised he was alive. He remembered eating meals he found at the foot of his door on occasion now that he thought about it a little but it was all such a blur. He scooped another piece into his mouth and chewed slowly before looking at the board. There were eight names on it, some pictures attached to them, some without. One of them had a big red x over it. That¡¯s An Set, he was the guy who attacked Las Vegas, right? He turned to the next one, And that¡¯s Liberty, I¡¯ve heard of her. She¡¯s that crazy lady that attacked The Hague or something, right? He wiped his lips on his shirt and pointed at the board as he checked the other names, ¡°Aren¡¯t these people heroes and who¡¯s this Otis guy?¡± The others looked at one another and then looked at Mimir who was slowly sipping at his coffee. He looked up over the rim at Hellion for a heartbeat before setting it down. Next to him, Faux leaned forward and rest her elbow on the table, her chin in her palm. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s about time we hear this grand plan of yours, right?¡± She said with a smirk, ¡°What do they have to do with the Queen of Villains?¡± Mimir set his mug down and let out a breath, ¡°Major? Can you start us off?¡± He asked. They all looked with surprise at the red-haired woman who was busy chewing on a sandwich. She frowned at him before nodding, ¡°Okay, so before we start we need to get something out of the way, something pretty important so we all understand how much of a challenge this is going to be, even in the planning phase,¡± She said, ¡°Mimir has met Ishtar and has seen her face beneath the mask, he knows exactly who she is.¡± Everyone went deadly quiet. Hellion put down his fork as he felt a chill run up his spine. He knew he was powerful, he was strong, the testers from the Pandora Committee had said he was a rare Mythic-tier light-touched. Yet from what he heard, this Ishtar person played with mythics like they were children. She was a monster above all monsters. There were even rumors that she was secretly a monster and had arrived with the flash. Faux and the old man who had introduced himself as Max glanced at one another. ¡°Explain,¡± Max said quietly. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to gather, Mimir was forced into a deal with Ishtar that awakened his ability. In exchange, he can¡¯t say or do anything that could lead someone else to learn her identity. He will literally choke if he tries,¡± She began, ¡°She killed his partner in Vegas and he¡¯s been on the warpath ever since.¡± Mimir nodded, ¡°What I can talk about are her goals,¡± he said, ¡°She intends to save the world, in her own mind, even if that means massive casualties in the process. She has no qualms about the destruction she causes and has convinced herself that she¡¯s the only person that can do it. She already controls a great deal of territory on the planet and no one knows about it, on top of that she has her claws in the Pandora Committee,¡± He finished before letting out a gasp and reaching for his throat. ¡°That¡¯s as far as I can go.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s nuts,¡± Faux said. ¡°Basically,¡± Addison said, ¡°So the idea is this, we¡¯ll go after her targets and force her out into the open.¡± Mimir nodded, ¡°That¡¯s why I came here to France in the first place,¡± He said and pointed at the board, ¡°One of her targets is someone we all know in one way or another, Lucien DuCast, Astaroth. She¡¯s convinced he¡¯s a ¡®Herald of the Apocalypse¡¯ or something to that effect. We can all agree he needs to be stopped, but she wants to be the one to do it, she gets power from killing these people somehow.¡± ¡°So we put a stop to him first and piss her off,¡± Faux laughed, ¡°Alright! Not a bad plan.¡± ¡°He is not an easy man to get to, and even if we do deal with him, the Pandora Committee could style him as a martyr to make him look good,¡± Max pointed out, ¡°We need to discredit him first. It¡¯s a damn shame that place collapsed like that.¡± Mimir nodded, ¡°Agreed, so we¡¯ll have to take a different approach,¡± He said, ¡°Here¡¯s what I have in mind¡­¡± Hellion took it all in. He¡¯d joined up because he wanted to stop his uncle, but this was so much bigger than that. They were going to take down Ishtar? He swallowed hard and glanced down at his fork before picking it up and looking back at the tart. He stabbed it and leaned forward to listen more carefully. If there was anything he could do to make the world better than the one that took his brother from him, he¡¯d do it. Chapter 163 Sonya walked down the hall, running her fingers along the wall. Her eyes swept over the space, little moments playing out in the back of her mind. Ten weeks wasn¡¯t a long time, not in the grand scheme of things. Yet somehow it felt like an eternity in others. Everyone was asleep and yet somehow she could still hear the little pockets of conversation that had filled this place. She could still see the aspirants walking from one place to another, the classrooms, training halls, the lab, the little theater, the common room with the stairs leading up to the administrative hall. She ascended the steps, running her hand along the rail as she glanced down at the couches beneath her. Her lips curled into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re going to miss this, aren¡¯t you?¡± A little voice rose up in the back of her mind, a hint of amusement playing on the edge of that cold voice. ¡°Yeah,¡± She murmured beneath her breath, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be doing it again next year.¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Are you satisfied? Watching them grow? Did you get what you wanted out of it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Sonya said quietly as she strode down the administrative hall, rounding the corner and stopping at that door leading out onto the balcony. She remembered sitting there, wishing she could cry as her heart broke over and over again from Chunhua¡¯s presence. ¡°The deal wasn¡¯t a bad compromise,¡± Ishtar pointed out, ¡°She won¡¯t do what you want her to do, but that¡¯s not such a bad thing. She can be the person she needs to be, now.¡± Sonya stopped at the door and rest her hand on the handle, her smile turned a little rosy and she rested her head against it. It was cold, soothing in a way it hadn¡¯t been for her when her mind was buckling under everything she¡¯d endured. She was stronger now, so much stronger, and not just in power. She could take the weight, even if it was a little bit. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to take it all back all at once,¡± Ishtar soothed, ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± Sonya¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°I know,¡± She breathed, her voice a little shakier this time. ¡°It just feels like all or nothing sometimes.¡± ¡°Still haven¡¯t figured out the villain¡¯s mindset yet, then,¡± Ishtar said with a faint laugh, ¡°It¡¯ll come to you.¡± Sonya threw her head back and let out a noisy sigh, ¡°You are the worst,¡± She muttered before pushing down on the handle and pressing outside. There, on the balcony, sitting on the rail and looking out onto the courtyard was a single girl with short black hair that had grown a little during her time at the camp. On her shoulder was a regal looking bird, a hawk, it leaned down and took something from her hand before snapping it down and swallowing. Sonya stepped out and the hawk turned its head to look at her. The girl reached up to stroke the animal¡¯s neck, ¡°Easy, Al, it¡¯s just Miss Sonya.¡± ¡°Your senses are getting sharp,¡± Sonya said casually as she walked onto the steps, closing the door behind her. ¡°You¡¯re the only person here who wears distinctive cologne,¡± Lillian said without looking back at her, swinging her legs as she took in the view. ¡°Ouch,¡± Sonya quipped and sauntered over to stand behind the railing next to her. She glanced down at the girl. She¡¯d come in so bright eyed and filled with spirit. Most of that was still there, but the pain and anguish of what she¡¯d been through, the struggle, the constant pressure, it seemed to have tempered her in a way that Sonya couldn¡¯t quite quantify. She looked away from the girl and let out a breath. She felt a little guilty for what role she played in that, sanctioning her powers so that she could grow more steadily. ¡°You gave him a name?¡± ¡°Yeah, Alphonse,¡± Lilian said quietly, ¡°We¡¯re connected, I can feel the other birds around here too. Not as strongly though. They hear me and I hear them, it¡¯s strange. Not like my other powers. Something indistinct,¡± She said thoughtfully as she scratched beneath Al¡¯s chin. The bird made a burbling sound of delight and rustled its feathers. Lillian looked up at her and Sonya took in her face. Her tan skin was marred with a few scars that would never go away, a faint burn line along her jawline. Her eyes were like that of a bird now and glowed with a dim golden incandescence. Two thick strands of her hair had been colored green and red to match the feather-like tattoos that glowed along her throat and shoulders. It¡¯s affected her so much. Much more than any power I¡¯ve ever seen, besides my own, I suppose, Sonya thought as the girl seemed to consider her for a moment. ¡°What is it?¡± Sonya asked gently. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lillian said after a heartbeat and shook her head, looking back at the courtyard. She paused again before taking a breath, ¡°What is my powers name, Miss Sonya?¡± ¡°Fenghuang,¡± Sonya said, ¡°You¡¯ve earned the right to know.¡± Lillian looked up at her in surprise, ¡°Just like that?¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°¡®Just like that¡¯, you say?¡± She looked down at her, ¡°You¡¯ve endured so much to get to this point. You set your life aside for another, I heard, you sacrificed and fought tirelessly to grow into the person you are now,¡± She nodded, ¡°Yes, you deserve it. I think with this knowledge you¡¯ll come to understand why your power behaves the way it does.¡± Lillian looked down at her feet, ¡°I¡¯ll look it up,¡± She hesitated again, ¡°Did you know? That it would take doing that to myself to progress?¡± Sonya¡¯s lips thinned and she let out a sigh through her nostrils, ¡°Yes.¡± Lillian went quiet for a while as she let that single admission sink in. She reached up and stroked Al¡¯s head slowly, her shoulders tensing and relaxing. Sonya didn¡¯t give her any excuses, she just stood next to her for a while. She wanted to turn and hug the young woman, stroke her hair, comfort her, make all the pain she¡¯d gone through just go away. It felt like watching her own child suffer. She held her tongue, though, her arms crossed casually behind her back as Lillian worked through her feelings. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lillian said with a quiet shaky voice and looked up at her, ¡°For believing I could handle it.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°It¡¯s going to get harder,¡± Sonya said quietly. ¡°I know,¡± Lillian said with a nod and quickly pulled herself from her perch. Al let out an annoyed squawk but didn¡¯t leave where he stood on her shoulder. She turned and wrapped Sonya in a tight hug, practically lifting her off the ground. ¡°You gave me a chance at my dream, and I will never, ever, be able to properly repay you for it.¡± Sonya¡¯s heart cracked a little, she¡¯d done more than that and it was a cruel thing. She¡¯d set the terms for her advancement, she¡¯d been the one to force all those powers into her body and mercilessly merge them. It had been a petulant act, lashing out at Chunhua for rejecting the role of her executioner. She¡¯d had faith in the girl, certainly, she¡¯d believed in her spirit and her words during that interview. Even so, it had ultimately been something self-serving on her part. And here she is, thanking me. Damn fool girl. She thought as she ran her fingers over the back of the girl¡¯s head, stroking it gently. Lillian¡¯s shoulders shook and she returned the hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t stop crying,¡± Lillian mumbled into her shoulder. Sonya¡¯s cracked heart melted a little, the pain easing as something else took over. She held the taller girl close, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everyone expects you to be strong,¡± She whispered, ¡°But right now, you can be a little weak if you want. You¡¯ve been through so much.¡± She held the girl she¡¯d turned into a hero, the girl she¡¯d put through hell, and did what she could to relieve a little bit of the pain she¡¯d caused. It was all she could do. When Lillian finally stopped crying she pulled away slowly and stood up straight, looking down at Sonya with glassy eyes that burned with that same conviction she had the day they met. Sonya smiled up at her, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, and your friends. You¡¯ve far exceeded my expectations.¡± Lillian wiped her eyes, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya chuckled and shook her head, she reached up and poked her nose, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just be a good hero, Lillian. Do the right thing. Fight the good fight. Hold on to those convictions of yours and never let go,¡± She said and crossed her arms back behind her back, ¡°One day you¡¯ll fight side by side with your teacher, I just know it.¡± Lillian flushed and looked down at her hands, playing with them, ¡°Thank you.¡± Sonya put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, ¡°Now I think you need to get to bed, don¡¯t you?¡± She said with mock scolding, looking the girl in the eyes from an odd angle, ¡°Aren¡¯t your parents showing up tomorrow? Do you want to have to explain bags under your eyes along with everything else?¡± Lillian jumped and whipped her head around, irritating Alphonse again who took to the sky with an angry cry and circled around them. ¡°Oh my gosh it¡¯s so late!¡± she gasped and rubbed the side of her head, ¡°Oh crap! Snow¡¯s gonna kill me!¡± she said quickly and darted towards the door. ¡°Good Night Miss Chernovna!¡± She called. Sonya laughed and shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re a hero now!¡± She called back, ¡°Call me Sonya!¡± Lillian beamed at her and raced through the door. ¡°You should take your own advice now and then,¡± Ishtar said at the back of her mind. Sonya snorted, ¡°Shut up,¡± She muttered and slipped onto the rail where Lillian had been sitting. She kicked her feet and looked out towards the same view that Lillian had been enjoying. She took in the faint remnant scars of the raid, the dojo off to the left, the distant training field, the conditioning track, the gates to the disaster slope. ¡°You know,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Life isn¡¯t so bad. I kind of like it. Even with¡­ you know¡­ everything,¡± She ran her thumb along the railing, ¡°I wish there was a way that I could¡­¡± She trailed off and laughed to herself, ¡°Nevermind. Wishful thinking,¡± she sighed, ¡°Whatever happens, I¡¯ll be okay with it.¡± ¡°You still have a long way to go,¡± Ishtar said. Sonya smirked, ¡°I know. Six more to go.¡± Ishtar sighed and dispersed. Sonya shrugged it off, she didn¡¯t know what was bothering her but it really didn¡¯t matter. Right now, she was content. Her little act of villainy had made something positive for the world and that helped, it helped a lot. She opened her hand and a small portal appeared over it, a tiny shape falling into it. An egg. She rolled it over between her fingers as she felt it hungrily reach out and grab at her mana, pulling it in like a torrent. She giggled at the sensation. ¡°Hungry tonight?¡± She teased, ¡°Go ahead and eat all you want, I have plenty to spare.¡± ¨C Chunhua had meandered her way out of her room and into the common room, settling on one of the couches and laying back to relax. It¡¯d been a while since she¡¯d felt this at ease and she knew that it would be a while yet afterward that she would experience it again. She wasn¡¯t wearing her usual hero uniform, a combat robe. Instead, just a white tank-top and jeans accompanied a pair of simple socks. In her hand she held a comic book that she flipped through lazily, enjoying the pages. A shift in movement overhead drew her attention and she felt the signature presence of her student descending the stairs. She drew her presence in a little, examining her face. Streaks from tears framed a bright smile. Eyes filled with determination and a little bit of urgency. She¡¯s up late. Chunhua thought, scratching at her chin as Lillian raced past, unaware that she was sitting there. She glanced up at the top of the stairs and raised an eyebrow before reaching out with her senses. Sonya? Her mana levels are fluctuating wildly, why? What¡¯s she doing? Chunhua let out a grunt and hopped to her feet, snapping the comic closed as she walked over to the steps and ascended. So much energy but it¡¯s not going out into the air, just¡­ disappearing. She frowned and picked up her pace, a bit of concern coiling up in her gut as she hurried to the door leading to the balcony. She pushed the door open and stopped. There she was, sitting on the railing with a small object in her hand. Her white hair sparkling in the light, dancing about her pale face. She was so tiny with the world framing her, so frail. Chunhua knew better, but it still made her feel something wrap around her chest and squeeze. She looked down at her own hand that she¡¯d used to make two deals with her. One to learn a terrible truth, the other to have it taken away when it needed to go. She looked back up at Sonya who only had eyes for the tiny object in her hand. An egg? Sonya¡¯s face was so gentle in that moment, warm, almost motherly. ¡°Are you going to keep admiring me in the moonlight, or are you going to say hello?¡± Sonya asked without looking at her. Chunhua tensed, ¡°I- what-¡± She stammered. Dammit¡­ Sonya gestured and a tiny square of light formed over her hand, she pushed the egg up into it and it vanished. She turned and looked back at Chunhua, a bit of sweat beading on her brow. ¡°Just feeding the baby,¡± Sonya said with a mischievous smile before pushing off the rail and onto her feet. She walked towards Chunhua, her arms crossed behind her back as she peered up into her eyes with those eerie pink orbs. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s a big day,¡± She said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Chunhua murmured. ¡°You¡¯ll be pretty busy with security,¡± Sonya continued. ¡°Yeah,¡± Chunhua said again, her hands falling to her sides. ¡°Then you¡¯re going back to hero work, you¡¯ll be all over the world again, our new deal will go into effect,¡± Sonya rambled on. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°If there was anything you wanted to do before then, now is really the only option, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Chunhua started and then blinked, ¡°Wait, what?¡± She blurted, nearly taking a step back before a hand took hold of the hem of her shirt. Sonya was inches away, she hadn¡¯t even noticed. She smelled like¡­ Wow. Chunhua cleared her throat as Sonya giggled at her, ¡°Chunhua,¡± Sonya whispered, looking up at her with that perfect face, with those incredible lips, ¡°Will you keep me company tonight?¡± Chunhua positively melted, ¡°...yeah.¡± Chapter 164 Sonya woke groggily the next morning, her shoulders aching as she sat up. She held out a lazy hand and created a small piece of chocolate that she popped into her mouth, chewing and soothing the mild pain. The faint sound of her phone ringing drew her attention as she swept her eyes over her bed. Empty. She let out a small huff, ¡°Figures,¡± She muttered as she snatched her cellphone up and glanced at the name. She ran her fingers through her hair and answered the video call. ¡°Chairman,¡± she said playfully, smiling down at the pretty face that appeared on the screen. Carla raised a thin eyebrow behind her glasses, ¡°Good Morning, Sonya,¡± she replied, canting her head to the right a little bit. ¡°Rough night?¡± ¡°A particularly aggressive guest, cultivators are remarkably strong, were you aware of that?¡± she sighed and fell back onto her back, looking up at the face that reddened a little before laughing. ¡°Left before I woke up, so that¡¯s how that feels.¡± Carla laughed, ¡°At least you two got it out of your system for now,¡± Carla said offhandedly and rested her chin on her palm, ¡°I miss you.¡± ¡°I miss you too,¡± Sonya said with a small smile, ¡°How are things?¡± ¡°Stressful as you can imagine,¡± her lover said with a shrug, ¡°He left one hell of a mess behind, I don¡¯t know how the organization functioned to be honest,¡± she said bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m pushing through an overhaul and we¡¯re addressing the issues with the Vegas Act.¡± Sonya yawned, ¡°That¡¯s good, wish I could send you some assistance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it handled,¡± Carla said with a wave of her hand, ¡°This is my element. I feel like I was born for this. Was the new representative easy to work with?¡± ¡°He was adequate,¡± Sonya said and finally roused herself enough to slip out of bed. She exhaled and her storage space activated, her nightclothes turning into blue particles before they were replaced by a clean t-shirt and jeans. The shirt had a popular red-hat from a video game on it. She opted for high-top black skate shoes today. A wave of blue particles washed over her skin and hair as well and with a thought any need for a shower was deleted. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it out, ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°My jealousy is endless,¡± Carla laughed. ¡°It should be,¡± Sonya quipped back, ¡°Is my little surprise ready?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be there, you¡¯re such a bully by the way,¡± Carla said. ¡°Well I have all the more reason since she dined and dashed,¡± Sonya said with a wave of her hand and walked out into the living room. She scanned the empty space and sensed a spot of heat in the kitchenette. Her lips twitched into a smile as a timer rolled over on the coffee machine and it began pouring into a mug. She let out a sigh, ¡°Damn it, that¡¯s cruel,¡± she said and walked over to pick it up. There were several packets of sugar already set out next to it. She glanced down at her phone, ¡°Definitely have no regrets about my prank now.¡± Carla scoffed and rolled her eyes as Sonya sipped at the coffee. Perfect. She hopped onto the counter. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged security,¡± she said, getting a bit more serious, ¡°I¡¯ll be sending the same to the other ceremonies. This is not the time for another Hero Day,¡± she continued with a small frown, looking Carla in the eyes. ¡°Agreed, the international team is being sent out to each location just in case,¡± Carla said, ¡°I know how you feel about First Wind¡¯s antics¡­¡± she trailed off when she saw the glower on Sonya¡¯s face, ¡°But he makes a good deterrent at the very least.¡± ¡°Have you found anything about that person I asked you about?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Majordomo? No, I¡¯m afraid. He doesn¡¯t show up on the registry and to be honest I don¡¯t have much information to go on beyond that,¡± she said before pausing and giving Sonya a warning look, ¡°Which is ultimately for the best for both of us.¡± Sonya let out a sigh, ¡°Of course, thank you for checking for me,¡± She rubbed her neck, ¡°I do have some information that may be valuable to you, though you¡¯ll have to confirm it on your own for it to be of any use.¡± Carla sat up straight, ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a villain by the name of Craftsman, he made Liberty¡¯s sword, the one Marta filled you in about,¡± Sonya said flatly and Carla¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I see,¡± she said, ¡°Understood. All the more reason to bring her down and catch him in the process.¡± ¡°He¡¯s wily,¡± Sonya warned and glanced at the time on her phone, she rubbed her neck and looked Carla in the eyes, ¡°Be safe, Carla.¡± ¡°You too, I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too,¡± Sonya said and ended the call, sipping at her coffee. She slipped off the counter, ¡°Majordomo is beginning to worry me.¡± ¡°Even after so much time he hasn¡¯t surfaced. It¡¯s strange. Even his original hero name isn¡¯t on the registry based on what Carla said,¡± Ishtar pointed out. ¡°Darwin,¡± Sonya scoffed, ¡°Maybe everything that¡¯s happened has shifted the timeline more than I anticipated. He chose a new name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible, they aren¡¯t the same people they used to be, though their predisposition remains unchanged. Liberty and First Wind are prime examples,¡± Ishtar agreed. ¡°Right,¡± Sonya finished her coffee and set the mug in the sink, ¡°He wasn¡¯t like the others, as I recall.¡± ¡°He worshiped Otis¡¯ power, not the man,¡± Ishtar paused, ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡± Sonya scoffed, ¡°Please, him? Of all people? No. He was a bloodthirsty monster through and through,¡± she said bitterly, pressing her lips together at the sour taste the thought left in her mouth. ¡°He¡¯s alive and he¡¯s just looking for an opportunity to show his ugly face.¡± ¡°If he died without you in some way orchestrating it, you wouldn¡¯t get the credit from Pandora, which means no notice in your hud,¡± Ishtar reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t discount the possibility. Focus on your current targets.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Sonya said and stepped out into the hall to find Marta waiting patiently for her. She brightened immediately at the sight of her dear friend, ¡°Good morning!¡± She chirped and turned, walking down the hall with the maid in tow. ¡°Is everybody ready?¡± ¡°The aspirants have gathered and are going to be in the courtyard shortly,¡± Marta said demurely, ¡°I¡¯ll have your living space attended to while you meet with the guests.¡± ¡°Thank you dear,¡± Sonya said as they walked down the hall. She passed the short hall to the restrooms and glanced at the spot where Otis had hid that night. Her lips thinned a little and she let out a breath through her nostrils, ¡°I¡¯m handling this correctly, right?¡± she asked Marta.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Keep your enemies close,¡± Marta recited. Sonya smirked, ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll try to glean as much enjoyment out of it as I can,¡± she said as they walked out into the common area. A few of the aspirants were still lingering as the others began making their way out into the courtyard. She waved at Bluestar who was standing with John and speaking quietly with him. The Guildmaster returned the wave while the other Guildmaster, Evergreen, barked out a merry laugh while speaking with a few of the others. Her eyes moved to the third powerhouse in the room and she met deep dark eyes. She offered a lazy smile to Chunhua who cleared her throat and returned the expression before making her way out to the courtyard. ¡°Oho,¡± Marta mused. ¡°Shut up,¡± Sonya snorted with a wicked grin and followed Chunhua out. Just outside there was a small gathering of the instructors. Axel was standing and speaking with Crowley and Canis while Madame Rouge stood off to the side in the shade. ¡°Good morning!¡± she greeted them merrily. She stopped when she saw Axel, her heart sinking a little. He was leaning on a cane still, the treatments he was getting from Vytal hadn¡¯t completely undone the internal damage caused by Sir Ellis. She reached out to touch his arm and he gave a small nod before breaking into a smile. She returned it in kind, ¡°You¡¯re looking better. How is Bedrock feeling?¡± He huffed, ¡°About as well as you might expect, he didn¡¯t take what happened well.¡± he said, nodding to the plaque on the side of the common building, ¡°I¡¯m getting worried he might go for retirement at this rate.¡± ¡°He handled himself far above expectations,¡± Sonya said with a frown, ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± Axel shrugged, ¡°Is what it is, I¡¯m not going to try to pressure him into sticking with it. He¡¯s already got a good nest-egg and apparently his family owns a farm. His abilities could really help out there,¡± Madame Rouge scoffed and he shot her a glare before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s his choice in the end.¡± Madame Rouge pushed off the wall and crossed her arms at her waist, walking past him before glancing at Sonya. She frowned at the woman who had spent the entire battle inside. Rouge was an individual of carefully curated beauty, everything from her makeup to her clothing meticulously picked. Her mature frame drew eyes, but her regal demeanor just annoyed Sonya, if she was being honest. ¡°Just goes to show that some aren¡¯t cut out for this. The camps were a wise decision, cutting the weak hearted before they get themselves or someone else killed.¡± Like you have room to talk, Sonya thought bitterly. She pushed the anger down, That¡¯s unfair. Rouge would have been slaughtered without a team around her. She was better positioned inside the common building in case the enemy got in. ¡°Well, that was the point of the camp,¡± Sonya admitted with a sigh before giving Axel an apologetic look. He rubbed his neck and nodded as well as he and the others glanced out towards the aspirants who had gathered. Their eyes were all fierce now, driven. ¡°We lost so many during the raid, some left, about fifteen or so, that leaves us with twenty five graduates,¡± Sonya said soberly, ¡°The camps will have a reputation for being a brutal training method now.¡± ¡°They should be proud of themselves,¡± Axel said and paused as they felt the ground shake beneath their feet a little. A short distance ahead, at the center of the courtyard, a smooth stone archway began to rise up from the ground. Sonya nodded to the instructors and as a group they walked towards it, Marta turning away and disappearing back into the common building. The arch rose and rose until it towered twelve feet off the ground and eight feet wide. Inside, the portal that formed distorted and flickered, several locations flashing at once across its surface. Sonya narrowed her eyes, She keeps getting stronger and stronger, she thought. ¡°Not nearly as impressive as the portal in the backrooms, though,¡± Ishtar pointed out. Sonya scoffed to herself but said nothing. She glanced down at her fingers, wondering about when she would have a chance to go back to that place. She¡¯d need to come prepared next time and with plenty of allies. One of those monsters there had been enough to hurt her badly. From the looks of the forces on the outer walls of that impossibly large city, there were far more than single units. Regardless, she¡¯d claim it for herself. It would be a good staging ground in the future. She slowed to a stop near the front of the gathered aspirants and shot a glance towards the group of ASTA signers, Lillian and her crew plus Otis. Why is he even bothering? He has no living relatives, she thought. I checked. Apparently Marc Mallory actually exists, is it really his true identity? Does he have the balls to go around using his real name with all he¡¯s planning to do? She paused for a moment and rolled her eyes, Of course he does. Not that his name gave me much of anything, only that he¡¯s older than he looks and has a minor degree in the classics that he barely got and transferred to Greece which I already knew thanks to Pandora. Her eyes then shifted to Jessica Wayne, the ice wielding girl who Sonya had been suspicious about for a time. She originated in Mississippi and her background was obviously doctored. By her big brother, Phillip. And yet, the interview for signing her bore absolutely nothing. It felt a bit like Otis¡¯ interview, if anything, which was an annoying reminder. Her ice shaping power is modestly powerful and it was a good acquisition but¡­ She let her thoughts trail off, something felt off about her, there was no doubt. Signing her and keeping an eye on her like Otis was the best option. I¡¯ll figure her out eventually. She pulled herself out of her thoughts as the portal stabilized and Chunhua stepped up to the fore. Sonya broke away from the others to join her. She met Chunhua¡¯s eyes and grinned mischievously at her. Chunhua raised an eyebrow, ¡°What?¡± she asked as the field rippled a little. The sound of hurried footsteps came through the portal and Sonya took a casual step to the right as Chunhua blinked and looked up just in time for a petite figure to come barreling out of it at top speed. ¡°Chuchu!¡± A delighted voice cried out and Chunhua was bowled over by the flying girl. Sonya snorted and stepped back a few more paces as a bright eyed girl wearing the most blatant spiky leather punk jacket that Sonya had ever seen threw her fists into the air, ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Eculidia shouted. ¡°Woah! You got buffer! Power-up? Oh my god tell me everything!¡± Chunhua slowly turned her head to fix Sonya with a stare, Sonya shrugged, ¡°She¡¯s here to pick up someone, did I forget to tell you she was coming?¡± She asked innocently, looking away with a wild grin. ¡°Hi Molly,¡± Chunhua chuckled as she looked back up at the girl, and with an easy movement picked her up and rose to her feet, ¡°Thanks for coming,¡± she said as the mythic hero hung from her hands like a doll, grinning ear to ear. Sonya turned to the very confused looking aspirants, ¡°Everyone, I¡¯d like to introduce Euclidia, one of the lead members of the International team and the head of Logistics for the Pandora Committee. She¡¯s the one who can get you anywhere in the world and is the cornerstone of worldwide heroic efforts,¡± she said, gesturing to the grinning young woman. ¡°Oh stop it Sonya! You¡¯re making me blush!¡± Euclidia laughed, waving her hands frantically at the CEO. Not far away, Greg shifted a bit on his feet and glanced at Sonya who nodded to him. Chunhua set the woman down and stepped away as Euclidia turned to the portal and held out her hand. A cube of light appeared over it that shifted and spun, opening and closing like a puzzle box of impossible dimensions. It broke apart and reformed itself, as the portal began to flicker with multiple locations again. Euclidia held her finger up to her ear and grinned, ¡°Portal network ready! Destinations set! Go on through!¡± Destinations? Sonya blinked. Is she opening portals to all the graduation locations at the same time? Good grief! I suppose with all she¡¯s been up to, she¡¯s gained quite a bit of experience and practice. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she could open a portal to the Backrooms themselves at this point. What a little monster. In answer to Sonya¡¯s thoughts, men and women began walking through the portal. First came the aspirants from the West Coast camp, twenty nine young men and women looking around with curiosity. A faint wave of heat followed in their wake as they left Death Valley behind. They were quickly ushered to the side by their instructors who joined them. Next came wave after wave of parents and guardians who took in the sights with far more awe as the crowd swelled from just over fifty to hundreds. It was a sight to behold, especially as Euclidia didn¡¯t even break a sweat. She was grinning and talking merrily with Chunhua as the numbers continued to pass on through. Shouts of acknowledgement, laughter and tears accompanied the arrival of families as parents and offspring found one another. Sonya glanced in the direction of a particular group with a small smile. Lillian ran to embrace her mother and father who looked absolutely stunned to see their daughter and the white-and-black haired girl that accompanied her. ¡°It makes it all worth it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ishtar asked. ¡°Yeah, it does,¡± Sonya murmured to herself, ¡°It really does.¡± Chapter 165 Lillian stood among the other graduates. She wasn¡¯t blind to how many were left, how many had set down their dreams after the raid. She hadn¡¯t even realized it was happening at the time. She wondered for a moment what she would have done, how she would have acted. Would she have ignored orders and tried to fight anyway? Was that even a choice? She pushed the thoughts aside as she realized she was just stalling mentally. She wasn¡¯t sure what to say, what she would do when she saw their faces. She felt like she¡¯d changed so much from when she¡¯d gone dashing out of her home that day. As she clenched her fists, small fingers wrapped around her hand and gently pried it open. They slipped between her fingers and she felt her heart rate start to drop. She turned and looked down at the head of white-and-black hair that was tilted down to look at her hand before a pair of pearlescent eyes looked up at her. Like a rainbow, she thought, not for the first time. The smaller woman gave her an easy smile. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine," snow said straight into ear ears, her voice broadcast only for her. Lillian let the tension leave her shoulders and exhaled, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± she said and just ahead of them, the portal sprang to life. The first to come through was a famous face that she¡¯d never seen before but had heard plenty about. She winced a little when her teacher was tackled to the ground by a girl not much older than herself. That¡¯s Euclidia? She marveled while the logistics hero, Sonya, and her teacher spoke briefly. She glanced to her left and saw Greg shift on his feet. Her heart dipped a little before rising back up, He¡¯s really going, then, good for him. She thought with a smile just as Euclidia created that mysterious cube. Lillian whipped her head towards it, feeling it for a moment. It was strange. Mythic powers were so vast and complex that it was hard to sense them. It was like they operated on a whole other set of rules than the powers that lay beneath them. To her, they felt oddly weak. She had brought it up to her teacher one night, describing it like hearing someone pour a shot of water into a bucket. There was so much but it was so fast and negligible compared to the abilities true strength that it became hazy and confusing. If she wasn¡¯t looking at the person, she wouldn¡¯t have even noticed. Her teacher had been thoughtful and simply suggested that she¡¯d feel more as she got stronger. This time, though, it was like a hose pointed at the bucket. The power came in like a storm and she almost took a step back and away from the might on display. No one else seemed to notice save for a few. Sonya shifted a bit on her feet, that was the first thing Lillian saw. Can her eyes see more than she lets on? Not surprising, I¡¯d keep my bigger cards to my chest too if I was her. Her teacher positively stiffened, her fists clenching at her sides. You feel it more than I do, I bet. A young brown haired man in glasses and a designer shirt crossed his arms and glanced at Madame Rouge who narrowed her eyes. Ollie apparently has senses like her. He noticed it too. Out of the corner of her eye, Marc made a similar face. So few of us can see it, realize it, but what she just did with a casual grin was draw in enough power to break a dungeon! She clicked her tongue, I¡¯m distracting myself again. What should I say? What can I say? She looked down at her feet for a moment. I¡¯m more nervous about this than I was before the final exam. Snow squeezed her hand again and smirked at her, rolling her eyes. She could probably see it too, with the implant, why is she so relaxed? ¡°You look like an expression reel from a cartoon," Snow snickered into her ear, ¡°Calm down, Lil, breathe.¡± She did as instructed and took a deep breath, letting it out and centering herself like her teacher had taught her what felt like a lifetime ago. The portal stabilized and people started to come through. First it was the other graduates and their instructors from the west camp. Then, parents and guardians. Men and women from all sorts of backgrounds walked through and marveled in awe, most had likely never teleported before let alone passed through a portal like that. She scanned the faces in the crowd, her heart rate jumping again despite herself. No, no, not - no, wait- there! ¡°Mom!¡± Lillian called, ¡°Dad!¡± Two faces in the crowd turned to her, one looked not unlike herself. Smaller with a rounder face and long dark brown hair instead of short and black. She wore a winter dress that looked like it had been taken out of her special event collection. A pair of almond eyes locked on hers and widened. Next to the woman, her mother, a man that stood a bit taller than herself loomed. Broad shouldered and muscled with cropped black hair and rugged stubble. He had a new scar on his face, another line creasing his forehead, it had only been ten weeks and he had changed a little too. She felt her hands go slack as her heart tightened in her chest. A small hand pushed her from behind and before she knew what she was doing she was running. Her mother didn¡¯t even hesitate, she threw her hands out as Lillian practically collided with her, a sob wrenching itself from Lillians lungs. ¡°Mom!¡± she squeezed her mother and picked her up into the air, ¡°I missed you so much.¡± A hand landed on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, she whipped her head up towards her father and pulled him into the hug too. He let out a grunt of surprise as she dragged him forward without an ounce of effort but soon he too had his arms wrapped around her. She didn¡¯t let go of them for a few moments, remembering their scents, remembering their warmth, remembering how they felt being near her. Only after it nearly became awkward did she pull away and look between the two of them. ¡°Hi,¡± she said sheepishly Her mother was the first to really examine her. She reached up and ran fingers through Lillian¡¯s hair, touching the strands that had changed color. Her soft fingers touched Lillian¡¯s cheek, feeling the scar and examining her changed eyes. They went down a bit and touched her neck, where the tattoos glowed. ¡°Lillian,¡± she breathed, concern touching her voice. ¡°My powers,¡± Lillian said with a tightness in her voice she hadn¡¯t been expecting, ¡°They came with a lot of changes," she cleared her throat before touching the scar herself, ¡°This was¡­¡± she trailed off as she remembered enduring the blast from the dragon, how it had threatened to break her down into nothing. The first fleck of skin that had been shorn away by the intense energy, the last to heal, scarred over forever. ¡°Got it doing the right thing,¡± she managed after a moment. There was a pause before her father clapped her on the shoulder and she looked up at him, ¡°Then you should be proud of it," he said with a big grin, ¡°You look tough.¡± ¡°I feel tough, kinda,¡± she said, scratching at her neck, ¡°Not as tough as my teacher.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± her mother asked. ¡°Yeah!¡± Lillian said, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you when she¡¯s not so busy!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Her mother glanced past her and paused, raising an eyebrow, ¡°In the meantime, do you want to introduce us to your friend?¡± ¡°After that you need to tell me all about your ability," her father said with a merry grunt, ¡°Sounds like you got a good one!¡± Lillian blinked and whipped her head back to see Snow standing there awkwardly. Lillian¡¯s eyes softened. I almost forgot, she wouldn¡¯t have anyone coming to see her, would she? Lillian thought as she held her hand out. Snow approached tentatively before reaching out and taking her hand. Her father and mother glanced at one another as Lillian cleared her throat and felt a heat rush to her face, her heart rate picking up again. Snow squeezed her hand and gave her a wry smirk as if to say ¡®You chicken, you fought a dragon!¡¯ Lillian coughed again and exhaled, ¡°Mom, Dad, this is Snow er¡­¡± she shot Snow a look and the girl gave her a stare before rolling her eyes and urging her with raised eyebrows. ¡°This is Summer Finch,¡± she said before looking back at them, ¡°My girlfriend.¡± There was a long pause, Lillian had never talked about this kind of thing with them so she really didn¡¯t know how they felt about it. It was her mother that moved first, she moved in quick and pulled Snow into a big hug, ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you!" she said brightly, ¡°Thank you for looking after Lillian, I know she¡¯s a handful.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lillian blurted as Snow¡¯s laugh came out into the air. ¡°Don¡¯t I know it," Snow said, ¡°She¡¯s trouble, but I put up with her.¡± ¡°H-hey!¡± Lillian protested as her father reached over and ruffled her hair. ¡°Looks like things went well in all sorts of ways, didn¡¯t they?" he laughed at her, ¡°Good for you, Lily.¡± Lillian''s lips trembled as she reached up to grab at his hand, she squeezed it and leaned into it for a moment. Her hair fell in front of her face as she tried to work through all the emotions she¡¯d been feeling and expected to feel, the fears that had been utterly unfounded, the ache in her chest that she didn¡¯t even know was there eased and melted into nothing. ¡°Thanks dad," she said in a small voice. ¡°I love you guys.¡± Big arms wrapped around her and squeezed hard, she realized in that moment how strong she¡¯d become, how different his hugs felt with her powerful body. She didn¡¯t dwell on it, she just returned it before pulling away. Her mother was already interrogating Snow. ¡°So where are you from? Are your parents here?¡± she rambled, ¡°She¡¯s eating enough, right?¡± Snow didn¡¯t even blink at the questions, ¡°Nashville, don¡¯t got any, more than the rest of our group combined,¡± she said with a shrug, casting a smirk in Lillian¡¯s direction. Her mother frowned a little before brightening, ¡°Then you¡¯ll be walking with us during the tour, right? The parents are supposed to accept something from the graduates too,¡± she added, ¡°We can do that for you.¡± ¡°Yeah, our trainee lanyards once we get our licenses, ceremonial thing or something,¡± Lillian said, turning from her father and looking at Snow. Snow just stood there, blank faced for a moment and swallowed a little. She looked over at Lillian with wide eyes, asking if it was really okay with that look. Lillian raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Snow shifted on her feet and swallowed again, ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, ma¡¯am,¡± the girl said, her cheeks turning pink. ¡°Oh you are so cute!" her mother crooned, practically squeezing poor Snow in a hug, ¡°Of course we can! I know just where to put them.¡± Snow just rest her head against Lillian¡¯s mother¡¯s shoulder, watery eyes wide with no small amount of disbelief. Lillian just smiled at her, her expression shifting a little as she felt someone approach them from behind. Her father stiffened a little and her mother looked up with wide eyes. Lillian let out a sigh, ¡°Here we go," she muttered before rubbing her neck and glancing over her shoulder, ¡°Hello Sonya!¡± ¡°Lillian?" her father blurted, surprised at her bluntness as the white-haired woman strode up with a wide, knowing smile on her face. That smugness radiating off of her in waves. She had her hands behind her back as usual and was completely dressed down compared to many of the parents who had dressed up for the occasion. Her mechanical eyes glowed a little brighter for a moment as she surveyed the four of them and she cracked a grin. ¡°So these are the Landreys!¡± she said brightly. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both! I¡¯m Sonya Chernovna, from the ASTA Corporation.¡± Her father stood up a bit straighter, ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am, we¡¯re certainly aware.¡± Sonya tittered out a laugh, ¡°Yeah, I know, kind of a unique face,¡± she quipped and waved at her eyes before winking at Lillian, ¡°I wanted to thank you both for letting your daughter attend.¡± ¡°Well, she is an adult ma¡¯am, it was ultimately her choice,¡± Lillian¡¯s mother said politely. ¡°Thank you for making it possible.¡± Sonya tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯ll be doing more than that going forward!" she laughed and gestured to Lillian who felt her shoulders tense, knowing what was coming next, ¡°Lillian, Snow, and several of their friends signed with ASTA Corporation, she¡¯ll be joining me in New York soon. That goes without saying though since, after all," she put her hands on her hips, ¡°Lillian did place as the second most promising hero in the camp. Second only to a mythic. Her mentor, Black Lotus, is very proud.¡± There was another long pause, Lillian brought her hand to her face and groaned. Why is she always like this? She asked whatever being that were listening to her plight as her mother and father stared gobsmacked at the CEO. Sonya just grinned ear to ear, ¡°Sonya¡­¡± Lillian groaned. ¡°What? You weren¡¯t going to say anything about it until the ceremony, were you?" Sonya chuckled, ¡°Still so humble, gotta flaunt it a little!¡± she teased. ¡°She trained under Black Lotus?" her father managed after a few heartbeats. ¡°Second?¡± ¡°Sure did! Lillian here is going to be a household name very soon," Sonya said and tilted her head back, ¡°Chunhua! The Landreys are over here!" she called out before glancing at the lanyard hanging from her father¡¯s neck, ¡°Allbright Mining, right?¡± What is she up to now? Lillian wondered as her father blinked and glanced at her mother. He rubbed his neck, ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Just call me Sonya, I¡¯ve been looking after Lillian a great deal, it feels like we¡¯re already family," she said with a chuckle and reached into her pocket. She pulled a business card out with what looked like some kind of mana coating on one side. With it she drew out two wrapped candies, Chocolate? Lillian wondered as Sonya held them out to her father. ¡°One for you and one for your lovely wife,¡± she said with an amused chuckle, ¡°They¡¯re very special. Don¡¯t ask where I got them, but you can thank Black Lotus for the suggestion.¡± He took the two chocolates and the card, looking down at it in confusion, ¡°And the card?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an ASTA Branch in Atlanta, right?" Sonya asked with a tilt of her head, ¡°Bring that to them. I know about your background in contracting, you were middle management before the flash, right?¡± Lillian''s mother and father exchanged looks, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Well, I have a rather large branch opening up in Minneapolis pretty soon," Sonya said offhandedly, ¡°I could use a talented and experienced foreman for the mining teams. I know it¡¯s a very different environment from Atlanta, but the benefits are good and-¡± ¡°I accept!¡± he blurted without a moment¡¯s hesitation, ¡°R-right?¡± he turned to his wife, ¡°I mean we¡¯ll have to sell the house and¡­¡± Lillian blinked rapidly and looked between the three of them, she turned to Sonya with a wide-eyed stare as her mother and father spoke quietly. She couldn¡¯t think of anything to say except; ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to take care of you and those around you," Sonya said with that far more gentle smile Lillian had begun to see recently, ¡°This is the least I can do.¡± Lillian searched Sonya¡¯s face. The CEO was the kind of person who didn¡¯t always say fully what she meant, but she never lied. She looked over at her parents who were smiling excitedly at one another and then back at her. Only a few people know, but Minneapolis is where Sonya is moving ASTA Headquarters. She¡¯s not just giving him a job, she¡¯s shielding them from people like Liberty. Her lips trembled for what had to be the millionth time that day as she broke into a smile, ¡°Thank you, Sonya.¡± ¡°Any time, Crusader.¡± Chapter 166 Empty. She felt so very, very, empty. It wasn¡¯t just an emotional emptiness. It was like her ability had sucked something out of her. Hollow. She glanced down at her hand and watched as the ice formed on it, spreading less like flakes and shards and more like an icy-white root. Before her very eyes the wicked tendrils began to darken, a black smoke filling them until they¡¯d turned the color of obsidian. She felt a little more drain out of her as she admired the glittering black material, turning her hand over with trembling shoulders. She felt empty, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled. He did this to me, she thought as she let her instincts rise to the surface. They were¡­ broken. It felt like her mind was glitching, static and twitching sensations crackling spasmodically in her brain. She swallowed and drew the black ice back in, letting it sink into her skin and send an otherworldly chill through her entire being. It felt so wrong. And yet, it was a little pleasurable too. Her fingers twitched as the static cleared a little. Her ability was hungry, it wanted something insubstantial, something that lay deep at the heart of every living thing. It wants souls, she shuddered and turned her gaze back towards the crowd. There he was, her ¡®partner¡¯ for this ¡®mission¡¯. Greg was standing with a happy looking older couple, talking merrily with them. She reached up and squeezed at her arm as he made eye contact with her. His lips thinned for just a moment before his father said something and he returned to the conversation. She felt that hollow feeling deepen, again, colder, emptier. Was it even possible to feel more hollow than she already did? She¡¯d played it off as a reaction to his decision to go to the UK, throwing a tantrum a few nights ago and ending their ¡®relationship¡¯. He wasn¡¯t a bad guy. I kind of liked him. A good lover. It was¡­ warm. She shook the thoughts off as her shoulders sagged, If it was a different time, maybe a different life. It might be nice. She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. Stop it! You ended it! She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the dojo, far away from the rest. No one¡¯s coming to see me anyway. Who in their right mind would- A face in the crowd. No. A calculating smile. No no no. A faint ripple in the air that she knew all too well. No, please no, go away. I don¡¯t want to see you too. Messy dark hair, eyes that were blue like glaciers, almost white. He caught her gaze and his smile curled upward. What is he doing here? How is he even here? She thought frantically as he began to work his way through the crowd towards her. His hands were in the pockets of his long trench coat, a turtleneck raised to his throat. He tilted his head up and smiled down at her from over his nose, striding across the grass with a confident gait before coming to a stop just a few feet away. ¡°Hello Sister, congratulations on graduating!¡± he said, showing his eerily white teeth. ¡°Phillip,¡± she breathed, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He shrugged blandly, ¡°Can¡¯t a big brother come visit his darling sister on her special day?¡± She looked away and squeezed her arms, ¡°You know what I mean.¡± He snorted and rubbed at his wrist, ¡°These cuffs are tight, but effective in getting past an RTE,¡± he muttered as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a cloth doll. She recoiled at the sight of it. It was grotesque, like it was made from human skin and had its eyes and ears sewn shut. ¡°Got it in a dungeon, isn¡¯t it neat?¡± He said with a chuckle, ¡°Nobody can hear us talk and people will look right over us, even Black Lotus with those amazing senses of hers. It¡¯s just you and me, Sister.¡± She felt her stomach drop out from under her. He was going to kill her. He had said that he would one day. Was this it? A final release, she supposed, death at the hands of her brother to escape servitude to that monster that paraded around like a hero. Her eyes shot towards the head of perfectly coifed blonde hair amidst the crowd. So many fawning over him. He wouldn¡¯t look her way. He wouldn¡¯t care. She was just a tool to him. Just like she was to Liberty and Phillip. Her lips twitched and he raised an eyebrow, following her gaze. ¡°I thought you liked the dark-haired boy, what was his name? Gravitic? Halloway hates him, by the way,¡± Phillip said casually, turning to glance in Greg¡¯s direction. She flinched, ¡°N-no! We broke up,¡± she said quickly and looked down at her feet, ¡°He¡¯s leaving the country and the mission was a bust. I don¡¯t need him anymore.¡± ¡°Aww,¡± Phillip purred, ¡°Poor thing. So is the blonde boy your new cover?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± she muttered. ¡°Mhm, sure,¡± He said and leaned forward, grabbing her by the chin. It was so cold. So unbelievably cold. She didn¡¯t think she could get colder. He jerked her head up to look him in the eyes. ¡°You are very, very fortunate, you pathetic little failure. Even with my cute little doll there are way too many witnesses here, if I left a body behind there would be problems. More importantly, Liberty told me to let you live,¡± he snapped through gritted teeth, ¡°I wanted to watch you bleed, but she says your excommunication is punishment enough. You don¡¯t know enough and aren¡¯t worth enough to kill and cause a scene.¡± The words hit her like a truck, she felt smaller, her soul crumbling just a little more under the weight of everything. A tear ran down her cheek as she tried to pull away but he held her tightly, his gaze leaving hers for just long enough to glance at the side of her face. ¡°Black?¡± He muttered, puzzled. ¡°Why are your tears black?¡± he asked and pulled his hand away, reaching for her face to touch it. She jerked away and he grabbed at her again, ¡°Hold still you little-¡± ¡°Phillip Wayne!¡± A bright voice called out causing the two of them to freeze. She watched Phillip blink and turn his head and she looked past him. She knew the voice but she couldn¡¯t believe that he would deign to intervene. Maybe he might, just for his sick games. She could barely imagine what that man was thinking, what motivated him to do anything. Glimmering blue eyes and blonde hair framed a picture perfect smile. He was like a prince charming made manifest, achingly beautiful in his youth. Yet she knew all too well the kind of cruelty that hid behind those eyes. ¡°How?¡± Phillip muttered, ¡°Listen kid, you¡¯re interrupting a family discussion.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Otis asked, glancing between the two of them. ¡°Seems rather heated! Today¡¯s a very special day for me, I¡¯d rather it not get all messy.¡± Phillip scowled and let Jessica go, ¡°I was just leaving, punk. What¡¯s your name?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Otis,¡± Otis said without hesitating, ¡°The Most Promising Hero of the East Coast camp,¡± he tilted his head in confusion, ¡°Why are you leaving? Jessica hasn¡¯t had a chance to say her piece.¡± Phillip whipped his head towards her and gave her a look before breaking into a smile, ¡°Wow, you do work fast. Already got your claws in him?¡± ¡°Brother, stop,¡± she begged, ¡°Just-¡± ¡°Hardly,¡± Otis scoffed and walked in closer, looping around Phillip to stand next to Jessica, ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest in that kind of thing. What¡¯s so interesting about fucking anyway?¡± He asked, glancing her way, ¡°It just makes more people. I hate people. Why on earth would I make more?¡± He asked as if Phillip was the stupidest person on the planet, ¡°Goodness, are all of Liberty¡¯s henchmen mentally deficient?¡± He paused, ¡°I suppose Rift was salvageable, I like him,¡± he admitted with a thoughtful tilt of his head. She felt a chill run down her spine as he leaned against the wall. What is he doing? ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of talk I¡¯d expect from a hero,¡± Phillip said, standing up a bit straighter. ¡°Poorly educated too,¡± Otis shook his head and turned to Jessica, ¡°How do you put up with this? I am so terribly sorry.¡± ¡°Stop,¡± Jessica squeaked, trembling as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder before leaning in an inch from her ear, ¡°Please. You¡¯re making it worse.¡± Phillip frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t you-¡± Otis held up a hand out of the corner of her eye and Phillip froze, his eyes going a bit hazy for a moment. He looked confused, blinking rapidly as he tried to shake off whatever had overcome him. Otis leaned in a bit more and rest a hand on the spot where the bomb had been. ¡°He knew,¡± Otis purred, ¡°He knew. He let them do that to you. He obeyed and now he¡¯s here just to hurt you. Annoying. Impudent. Subhuman thing,¡± he murmured as he ran his hand up and down her abdomen, sending a wave of nausea through her, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve that, do you?¡± She tensed, ¡°Wh-what? What are you talking about? What did you do to him?¡± He tilted back a bit, ¡°Jessica!¡± He admonished her, ¡°You¡¯re one of mine now! You belong to me,¡± He said as if she said something silly. ¡°That means you are above everyone else. He is a thing, not a person - he has no rights, no will, and no value - he means nothing to you,¡± he rumbled, his lips shaking with a mix of disgust and madness. ¡°What could something less worth-while than an insect possibly have to say that would affect one of my Heralds.¡± ¡°Herald?¡± She murmured, turning to look at him. ¡°Heralds. My champions, the deliverers of my will,¡± he said, ¡°I told you I would become a King, King of the world. If you¡¯re part of my inner circle, what does that make him?¡± She swallowed as that gnawing hunger roared to life in her gut, that need to consume, a desire to rip the lifeforce from her brothers body and leave it lifeless on the ground, suffering eternally in a state of endless torpor. Her fingers flexed as Otis¡¯ hand reached up and stroked her head, ¡°No one can see us, thanks to your brother¡¯s toy. Your brother is stupefied by my power. He¡¯s at your mercy, you could end him right now¡­¡± He whispered, ¡°...or¡­¡± he let the option hang in the air like a decadent fruit. Her breath was coming in rapid, she felt her ice slide down her hand taking the form of claws. She could rip his heart out right there, she could destroy him. Otis would even have a way to make the body disappear, to make everyone forget it even happened. No one would know. She could bleed her brother dry with a crowd of civilians standing there, unaware. A chill of excitement ran up her spine as she realized just how powerful he was, how powerful she could be if she just let him change her. He could fix her broken, worthless soul. ¡°Or?¡± she breathed. ¡°Or¡­ you could spare him. I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to say your piece here, to stand up for yourself, and when the time comes,¡± He smiled against her ear, his lips so close she could feel his breath, ¡°I¡¯ll let you rip him to pieces. War is coming and Liberty is the target. She¡¯ll be beneath you one day too. Wait. Be patient and have your day of glory when you can destroy him and be celebrated for it,¡± He urged her, ¡°Heroes aren¡¯t supposed to kill, but accidents happen, don¡¯t they Felwinter?¡± Felwinter. Her lips twitched again as she felt that chill deep in her soul, that emptiness, that rattling cage where her spirit should be. Her eyes sparkled, I like that name. ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± she said, her entire body trembling as he took a few steps back. He raised his hand to his lips while the other rose to show five fingers. A timer? Understood. Phillip blinked and shook his head in confusion, rubbing his eyes before looking down at her. His lips curled in a sneer. Did he not see Otis standing off to the side? It didn¡¯t matter. She clenched her fists and took a daring step towards him, her teeth bared and her eyes wide with hate. The chill in her bones flared to life and the grass beneath her feet started to die. Low shrieks and whimpers of pain echoed in the air around her as her mind relaxed, her fears dying, the static of her instincts became clear, clearer than they had been before Otis had changed her. Phillip raised an eyebrow, ¡°What?¡± he snapped. ¡°You didn¡¯t warn me,¡± she snapped, ¡°You didn¡¯t warn me about the raid.¡± He shrugged, ¡°So?¡± ¡°I was to be just another casualty. Liberty lost her patience with me and now that you can¡¯t touch me easily, you came to torment me and deliver the excommunication as some kind of ¡®punishment¡¯,¡± she snarled before letting out a manic laugh, ¡°Like that even matters!¡± Phillip narrowed his eyes, ¡°Excuse me? How-¡± ¡°No! How dare you!¡± She barked, ¡°How dare you even show your face here,¡± she bit out, ¡°You insufferable¡­¡± she shook her head, ¡°I-I have someone even stronger who backs me now!¡± she said as black tears streamed down her face, ¡°He¡¯s going to be a king! King of the world!¡± she threw her head back and laughed, ¡°What¡¯s some cult mean to me?¡± she raised her hand to her face and covered it with a black clawed hand, it looked like armor, ¡°I¡¯ve been so stupid! I believed in her? Please!¡± She peeked through her claws at his irate face and she let her arm go slack, her hand falling to her side. ¡°What was I thinking?¡± Phillip¡¯s nostrils flared and his hand snapped out faster than the eye could see, his fingers curled like talons ready to grab her and ruin her. Before he could blink, she gripped his wrist with her clawed hand. He snarled and jerked his hand back only to hesitate, his eyes going wide. ¡°Wh-what?¡± He gasped as his skin began to lose its color around where she touched, his veins turned dark as his fingers twitched and tensed. His mouth fell open in a silent scream as he collapsed to his knees. He reached up to grasp at her hand only to pull his trembling fingers away as they sizzled against the black ice encasing her grip. She released him and he let out a trembling sob, ¡°You are very, very fortunate, you pathetic little man,¡± She sing-songed, grinning ear to ear. She felt a warmth seep through her hand and into that hole in her chest, savoring it. ¡°I wanted to watch you suffer, but my King tells me there¡¯s a far more satisfying way to deal with you. You aren¡¯t worth killing here, I want to make a show of it¡­¡± She hissed before glancing Otis¡¯ way. Otis¡¯ fingers slowly drifted down as she went on her tirade before he closed his fist. Phillip cupped his hand, glaring at her, ¡°This isn¡¯t-¡± He began before shutting his mouth and turning away. He walked past Otis as if he weren¡¯t even there and shoved his hand into his pocket, staggering away. No one seemed to pay him any mind even in his wounded state as he walked through the crowd towards the portal and disappeared. Otis let out a breath, a bit of sweat beading on his brow that he quickly brushed away before turning to give her an appraising look, ¡°Well done.¡± Jessica felt the moment pass and she swayed a little and dropped to a knee, ¡°What did I just do?¡± She gasped, her mind reeling from her own actions. ¡°You chose,¡± he said, standing over her and reaching down to take her clawed hand. He didn¡¯t even flinch, ¡°Be proud, You were chosen and you got to choose, Herald Felwinter.¡± She looked up at him, her shattered mind and soul piecing itself back together in whatever new, wicked shape it now took. Her lips curled into a smile, ¡°Herald Felwiner,¡± she said, ¡°It has a ring to it.¡± She rose to her feet and her eyes drifted away from Otis to a face in the crowd. Just another one of the masses. He couldn¡¯t have done anything. Did I really want him to? No. He¡¯s just a¡­ thing. She smiled and turned her back on the crowd and faced her King. With him. This is where I belong. Chapter 167 Well, now isn¡¯t she just marvelous? That new ability is fancy too, very pretty. He thought with a smile, admiring the killing machine that he had created. He wondered why he hadn¡¯t thought of it before. Was it because of the guide? He turned away from her and gave her a gesture of dismissal. A polite nod was her only response as she slipped away and joined the crowd. It wouldn¡¯t do to stay off to the side too long, himself especially. He was the man of the hour, after all. Most Promising Hero of the camp. Well of course I am, it goes without saying. He smirked and shot a glance towards Black Lotus and Sonya. The two of them were talking with Crusader¡¯s family as if nothing had happened. Not even an eyebrow out of place, no gestures to signify that they noticed anything. Looks like it holds up against Black Lotus¡¯ senses, I figured it would but that was¡­ a long one. He didn¡¯t want to admit how draining it was to broadcast his cheat over so many people at once, but it really was. All the more reason to get stronger. Effort is needed. I need to internalize that. The cheats are not enough. I need more abilities too. I wonder if there¡¯s a cheat for that. The magic sword and crown work well enough but they¡¯re just items I created. He sniffed and crossed his arms. ¡°You can come out now,¡± He said patiently. A heartbeat, and Riot stepped out from within the dojo, his face pale and his shoulders sagging a little. ¡°Yes sir?¡± Otis glanced his way, ¡°You did good work, well done.¡± Riot pursed his lips and looked away, ¡°That was¡­ wrong.¡± ¡°Your point?¡± Otis asked, ¡°It accomplished what I wanted. She won¡¯t be thinking about turning on me or being disobedient any longer. How did you do it? I¡¯m curious about your ability.¡± ¡°You already had a karmic bond with her because of the things you¡­¡± he trailed off, ¡°the things you did to her,¡± he said sourly. ¡°She and her brother obviously had a strong one too,¡± he cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, ¡°I tugged on their bond and fanned the flames, made him more aggressive towards her than usual and amplified her sensitivity.¡± Otis nodded along, ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then when you intervened, I just twisted the bond between the two of you, adjusted it slightly so that instead of her seeing you as a malefactor, there was an opening to see you as a new foundation to rebuild herself on. Her mind did the rest,¡± he tensed, ¡°With your help of course, sir.¡± Otis brightened, ¡°Very well done, I like it, I like it a lot, we should work together more often.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Riot grumbled. Otis threw an arm over his shoulder, ¡°Oh Riot! You¡¯re such a funny guy! A real riot, get it?¡± he chortled, ¡°You almost sound like you don¡¯t want to work with me. After all I¡¯ve done and am going to do for you. Not very nice, you know?¡± he ended the question with a pointed stare in the younger man¡¯s direction. Riot shrank a little, ¡°Wasn¡¯t my intention, honestly. Working for you is a dream come true.¡± ¡°Of course it is!¡± Otis laughed and pat his back, ¡°Good that we¡¯re on the same page, Riot! You made an excellent teammate for the dungeon run.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need any help, sir,¡± Riot pointed out. ¡°True,¡± Otis admitted, ¡°But every little bit helps, and I prefer to maximize my chances in a dungeon. Self preservation is important!¡± ¡°You sound like Miss Chernovna,¡± Riot said, glancing sidelong at him. ¡°Do I now?¡± Otis gasped, he chuckled again, ¡°Well, I see her as something of a mentor, you know. Admire her. Look what she¡¯s done with herself with just that silly ocular power of hers. Isn¡¯t it great? If I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d think she was the main character of this story!¡± ¡°Story?¡± Riot asked. Otis waved a hand, ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯m just rambling. A powerful new Herald has joined us, Riot. We should celebrate while we can,¡± Otis said and started walking towards the crowd with him. ¡°Speaking of Sonya, by the way, I thought she and Black Lotus were on the outs. They seemed so tense at the beginning of camp. What do you see?¡± ¡°They slept together recently,¡± Riot said flatly, his face turning a little red. Otis narrowed his eyes, a small smile crossing his lips, ¡°Did they now? Would that be a problem for Miss Mint?¡± ¡°Doubtful, Miss Chernovna is fairly open about her non-monogamy, sir. It¡¯s in all the tabloids and she owns it without any shame. Given the last time I saw her and Miss Mint, the new Chairman doesn¡¯t think anything ill of it,¡± Riot said and adjusted his glasses, ¡°It¡¯s not a worthwhile leverage point, if that¡¯s what you were looking for.¡± Otis clicked his tongue, ¡°Fooey,¡± he sighed and leaned a bit harder into Riot, ¡°That mind game was tiring! And we still have this silly tour to do and then final prep for the graduation tomorrow morning,¡± he went on with a roll of his eyes, ¡°I just want to get out of here and crush a few villains already, you know? Get my legend started!¡± ¡°Not much longer, sir,¡± Riot said, ¡°We¡¯ll be in New York soon.¡± Otis let out a wistful sigh, ¡°Ah, New York, it¡¯s been a while. I wonder how that detective I met is doing. He had a good eye, you know. Almost saw through one of my disguises,¡± he paused and frowned, ¡°Next time I see him, I¡¯ll tear those eyes out and feed them to him,¡± he snarled. Riot swallowed audibly as they neared the crowd, a few people turning to wave a greeting to him and Otis. ¡°R-right,¡± He mumbled as Otis¡¯ mask of genteel heroism went right back up without missing a beat. ¨C The television flickered as the channel switched over to the news. The anchor began to speak and Mimir frowned. French, right. He grumbled and his eyes flared to life. The words translating in his head the moment he heard them. It was an odd dissonance that he still was getting used to, hearing the translation layered just on top of the native language. He wasn¡¯t sure if he really heard it or if his mind was compensating for what amounted to self-inflicted telepathy. It didn¡¯t matter, he supposed, as long as it worked. ¡°Across the world, the graduation ceremonies for the first wave of Hero Training Camps have begun. Notable leaders from across the Hero Community have made appearances to address the graduating class and encourage them in their next steps,¡± the anchor began, ¡°We bring you to the Angers camp at the site of the decommissioned observatory, there, in the absence of Guildmaster Abreo, Vice-Guildmaster Lucien DuCast also known as Braque, has come to speak on behalf of the French Hero Collective and the Paris Guild.¡± ¡°Braque? Like the hunting dog?¡± Addison said from behind him, walking around to sit down and hand him a cup of coffee. He took it and nodded to her. It was just the two of them while Hellion was with Max learning how to handle himself in a fight.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Mm,¡± Mimir grunted, ¡°He¡¯s predominantly active at night, from what I¡¯ve dug up so far he claims that his ability works best then. He¡¯s just using the cover of darkness to conceal the appearance of his creatures.¡± She clicked her tongue, ¡°I see,¡± she murmured as the red-haired Australian sipped her own drink, ¡°Can you get a read on him like this?¡± ¡°My reading ability only works out to nine paces,¡± Mimir said. ¡°Nine paces?¡± She turned towards him, ¡°You never mentioned that. Isn¡¯t that kind of vague? Who¡¯s paces?¡± ¡°Mine,¡± Mimir said, ¡°Nine is an important number to Norse Mythology, Odin spent nine days hanging from the ash tree, nine steps before Thor¡¯s death, nine realms connected by the World Tree,¡± he explained as Lucien settled behind the podium on the screen. The sleek haired man smiled thinly at the crowd, his gaze casting over them. He wore a perfectly tailored suit and- Mimir froze and leaned forward. ¡°He¡¯s gone through some more changes. It¡¯s going to be harder to hide his nature.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Addison grunted and leaned forward to peer at the screen, ¡°Yeah, his skin is darker and¡­ redder? Wait, what¡¯s up with his eyes?¡± ¡°His pupils are stretching out lengthwise, like a goat,¡± Mimir said. She wrinkled her nose, ¡°Disturbing.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll get it under control,¡± Mimir said, ¡°Before it becomes drastic enough to draw attention.¡± ¡°How do you- right,¡± she stopped herself and went quiet as Lucian began to speak. ¡°It is such an honor to be here,¡± Lucian began, resting his hands on the podium, ¡°If only I¡¯d had a bit more warning about my boss¡¯ departure to the Dharan Exclusion Zone! Maybe I would have prepared a speech in time!¡± The crowd laughed and he leaned forward, ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to have written anything down to know what to say, here,¡± he said as he scanned the graduates present. ¡°Today, I will be given the solemn duty of presenting you with your hero licenses. From this day forth, you will be charged with the defense of your fellow man and the pursuit of humanity¡¯s future!¡± He raised a finger, ¡°Because that is what you are. You are the future,¡± he declared, ¡°In more ways than you think. Every day more and more light-touched are awakened and there are fewer and fewer people left behind.¡± Mimir¡¯s eyes narrowed as he took in the faint micro expressions on the man¡¯s face. Speaking from a place of loathing, are you? ¡°Left behind, but not forgotten of course!¡± Lucien clarified, ¡°They are as much human as you are. But you have become something more, haven¡¯t you? And that quality comes with a responsibility! You bear the responsibility of safeguarding them, of making sure that their daily lives are as peaceful as they were in the past, before the flash.¡± ¡°Hypocrite,¡± Addison snarled, ¡°He¡¯s going to be blowing smoke out his ass the entire time, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Mimir muttered, ¡°Not much we can get out of this and I wasn¡¯t able to find a way to get into the ceremony to get a direct line of sight with him,¡± he grumbled as the speech went on. More posturing and thickly veiled allusions to normal ¡®humans¡¯ being lesser than light-touched. All of that talk coated in the sweet veneer of duty and glory. Mimir was starting to get nauseous. ¡°I¡¯m changing the channel,¡± Addison sighed, ¡°We aren¡¯t getting anything we don¡¯t already know from this,¡± she checked her phone, ¡°The American graduation is available.¡± He was half way through a sip when she snatched up the remote and changed the channel. He swallowed and coughed, ¡°W-wait!¡± Too late. There she was, on the screen. That tiny figure with white hair fluttering behind her as she stood on a stage behind a podium, all smiles beneath those glowing pink eyes. He felt his throat begin to tighten as his fingers formed a white-knuckled grip on the mug. He cleared his throat a few times, trying to shake off the sensation as the deal worked its magic on him. Damn it. If I could just figure out a way to get her to ask me a favor, then I wouldn¡¯t be having this problem. ¡°I wrote a speech for today,¡± Sonya began with a small smile as she ran her fingers over a small stack of papers in front of her, ¡°It was a long one. Might even run over time,¡± shot an apologetic smile to the crowd, ¡°I figure you all are probably hungry. I know I am, could go for a burger or something,¡± she sighed dramatically before she grinned at the crowd, ¡°You ever have one of those cravings that you just can¡¯t get out of your head?¡± She asked. ¡°What on earth?¡± Addison mumbled, eyes fixed on the screen. ¡°Well apparently there are about thirty or so people sitting in front of me who know exactly what I¡¯m talking about,¡± she said, ¡°An all consuming desire, a feeling deep in your gut, a driving emotion that pushes you beyond your limits to become something greater than you were before. A craving,¡± She swept her eyes over the crowd again, ¡°To become a hero.¡± ¡°Today, you become heroes. Today, you start a path that will lead you through trials and tribulations that will make the last ten weeks seem inconsequential. It is not an easy path. It is not a safe one. You chose it anyway,¡± she smiled warmly, ¡°And I could not be more proud of you. You learned, you changed, you grew stronger, and you fought with all your might to get to this point. Now, here you are,¡± she ran her fingers over the speech again and looked down at it thoughtfully, pausing as if she was getting choked up, ¡°Ready to take on so much weight on your shoulders.¡± ¡°Humanity is strong,¡± she said, ¡°Humans learn, adapt, we struggle and we overcome. We strive to become better at whatever we set our minds to. We could have fallen in ourselves after the flash, society could have broken down. Instead? We thrived. You thrived. You represent the greatness humanity has to offer. Because with those powers of yours set aside, we are all still people, humans, and we¡¯re in this together. You are now the pillars that will hold humanity up and carry us into the future,¡± she stood up straighter and raised her hand to her heart, ¡°So on behalf of all of Humanity and on behalf of the Pandora Committee, thank you for beginning your service, and congratulations!¡± Applause rose up from the crowd as Sonya inclined her head and shifted the papers around on her desk, ¡°I will now be calling the graduates one at a time to be presented with their licenses along with any parents or guardians to receive their trainee lanyards. This will symbolically represent them leaving their civilian life behind to become Heroes, dedicated to the service of the human race.¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°Ollie Anders, please step forward.¡± Addison let out a whistle, ¡°Huge tonal difference,¡± she said as she sipped again at her drink, ¡°Love that woman, she really has her heart in the right place for humanity.¡± Mimir just grunted, his expression frozen in a mask of impassivity. He couldn¡¯t even change his facial expression this time. He fought for control of his body, but it was just no use. This was far worse than when Addison had confronted him in the tunnels. ¡°It¡¯s wild, she just came out of nowhere, but if it wasn¡¯t for her things would be so much worse, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± She said, ¡°Say what you want about the heroes, most of them are fake, yeah, but she¡¯s done a pretty damn good job¡­¡± she trailed off and glanced his way, ¡°You used to live in New York, right?¡± He frowned a little and focused on anything other than that evil woman. Calm down. Let the conversation play out. She¡¯s perceptive. His body relaxed, ¡°Yeah, I was a detective,¡± he said and sipped at his drink. ¡°You ever see her in person?¡± She asked, curious. ¡°I did,¡± he said flatly, ¡°I¡¯ve actually met her a couple of times. We spoke before hero day while I was acting as an agent for the Pandora Committee.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± she nodded, ¡°You mentioned that. That was how your¡­¡± she paused, ¡°...sorry, shouldn¡¯t bring that up.¡± He sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said and leaned forward, focusing his mind on his coffee to keep his head clear. He couldn¡¯t say or do anything that would cause his contract to trigger and ruin his chances here. ¡°So what¡¯s she like?¡± She asked, ¡°Is she just as wacky as she seems?¡± He froze, his body and mind locking up for a moment. It took several seconds for him to clear his throat and shrug, ¡°She¡¯s got the best interests of the world at heart,¡± he said, ¡°Nice to her people.¡± Addison narrowed her eyes, ¡°What was that?¡± He turned her way, ¡°Hm? Nothing,¡± he said, trying his best to keep a straight face. Any facial expression, any twitch, any hint and he¡¯d push it too far. He¡¯d gotten away a little with revealing that he¡¯d met Ishtar since it didn¡¯t connect her with Sonya, but this was dangerous territory. If he tried to circumvent the contract too much it might break. Would she know? Would he lose his powers? What if she brought hell down on the Vigilantes because of the breach? She wasn¡¯t above exterminating a threat with extreme prejudice. Addison let out a breath and rubbed her neck, ¡°Alright,¡± she said but seemed to eye him a bit longer before getting to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go do some research,¡± she said, ¡°You uh¡­ enjoy your coffee.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± he said and let out a breath. I hope that was enough. Chapter 168 ¡°Val Kinton, Pyrolysis.¡± Lillian turned to Val and smiled at him, patting his shoulder. He shot a grin in her direction as he got to his feet, walking from the line of chairs set up in front of the huge crowd. She watched him ascend the steps as his parents came out to meet him. Behind them, her parents were waiting. She was next. Her fingers tangled together in her lap and she looked down at her feet for a moment, her heart thundering in her chest. She ran her thumbs over one another before reaching up to play a bit with her hair, Why am I so nervous? ¡°It¡¯s not nerves, you¡¯re just excited.¡± She turned and looked at Marc, ¡°You¡¯re a scary mind-reader.¡± He sniffed and shrugged, brushing his hair to the side and sitting regally in the folding chair. His smile twisted up just slightly. ¡°Hardly, it was plain on your face.¡± She clicked her tongue and looked away, leaning forward to catch her breath before looking up to see Val standing face to face with Sonya. He grinned at her as he took off his lanyard and handed it to his folks. Her heart swelled for what had to be the dozenth time that day. Sonya reached down to the stack in front of her and picked up the metal card, handing it to him. He took it gratefully before turning and throwing a fist in the air, ¡°WOO!¡± A round of laughter and whoops in reply answered him from the front row from east and west coast graduates alike. Alex lunged to his feet and did a little dance while John just shook his head and chuckled in that oddly mechanical way he did, clapping. Val clambered down the stairs with his family, waving to a few people who were waving at him. He turned to one of the camera drones and fired off some finger guns and a wink before making his way back to his seat. Lillian¡¯s breath caught in her throat and she looked up from where she sat into those swirling pink eyes. Sonya smiled down at her, her cheeks dimpling with barely suppressed pride. ¡°This next graduate,¡± Sonya began, ¡°Has received a Most Promising Hero award as part of her achievements during this camp. Remarkable doesn¡¯t even begin to describe her,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°Lillian Landrey, Crusader, please step forward.¡± Lillian nearly sprung to her feet. ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡± She blurted and got a few chuckles from behind her. She flushed and marched her way over to the steps, her mother and father waiting for her. Her dad nodded at her as she walked past and up. One step at a time. She could barely hear anything except the beating of her heart. She alighted on the stage and stood there, face to face with the person who had taken the steps to make her journey even possible. Lillian broke into a smile, ¡°Hi, Sonya.¡± ¡°Lily,¡± Sonya said quietly and winked at her, ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± Sonya gestured to Lillian¡¯s parents and Lillian looked down at her lanyard, reaching up to take the nameplate in her hand and run her fingers over it. She¡¯d worn it every day and had nearly forgotten about it. She slid her thumbs up into it and lifted it over her head before holding it gently in her hands. There were so many memories in it that it felt heavy. She turned to her parents and her mother held out her hands. Lillian swallowed and handed it over. This is really happening. This is really, really happening. She turned back to Sonya who already had her card at the ready. A tiny piece of metal that would be the marker for the beginning of her new life. She reached out with shaky hands, Oh come on don¡¯t drop it! She swallowed and took it. It was cold but it warmed quickly under her touch. She lifted it to her eyes and saw her face next to the name: Crusader. She followed the words down to the ability-tier line, ¡°Growth-type?¡± She mumbled and glanced up at Sonya who shrugged at her. ¡°Had to list a whole new category just for you and a few others apparently,¡± Sonya said with a smirk, ¡°Congratulations Lillian. You¡¯re a hero now.¡± I¡¯m a Hero. She spun and looked out over the crowd as chills ran up her spine and down her skin. Cameras flashed as the nerves melted away. A hawk''s cry rang out and Alphonse swooped down from the sky, alighting on her shoulder. He spread his wings and threw his head back in a screech. She turned to him and laughed before throwing both fists into the air, joining him. ¡°I¡¯M A HERO!¡± ¨C She could still hear the cheering. It echoed in her mind in that dark room. She ran her fingers over the sheets and pulled them to her face, breathing in. She let out a sigh and pushed herself up to a sitting position, white hair tumbling around her face. One more night, mm? Tomorrow we leave. She listened to the silence in her thoughts and snorted. Of course she¡¯s asleep. Silly girl. At least it doesn¡¯t feel like she¡¯s drifting away this time. Just resting. Ishtar wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on them, staring into the dark space and let her thoughts wander. She sighed and slipped off the bed. Restless. She walked away from the bed to the mirror and stared into it. She¡¯d never revealed to Sonya the face she saw in the mirror. Sonya had never asked, to be honest, the girl had just assumed it was the same. She reached up and touched her cheek and ran her fingers along the scars that covered her face, the strong jawline, the cuts along her neck and looked down at her hands. More scars. More marks of battles that she¡¯d fought, that Sonya¡¯d fought. Her real hands and arms were petite but in the mirror, she was taller, more muscular. She cleared her throat and turned away from the reflection. I have my own identity now, I can¡¯t avoid it any longer. I even look different, to a degree. She smiled a little, Like an older sister, I guess. She walked from the mirror to the wardrobe and stopped in front of a photograph. Sonya and Lillian sitting happily on the beach, smiling. She ran her fingers over it, ¡°I¡¯ll keep carrying it for you,¡± she murmured, ¡°Until you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°How long will that last?¡± A voice came from the air and she frowned, her fingers clenching into a fist. She turned her head and looked up at the glowing being floating over her, somehow not illuminating the room. She was blonde and pale skinned, beautiful in a motherly way. It was as if she was blessed by Aphrodite herself. Ishtar smirked at the thought.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Pandora, it¡¯s been a few days,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± Pandora said softly and lowered herself to sit down on the bed. She rest her hands in her lap and tilted her head. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ishtar clicked her tongue and looked away, ¡°I am¡­¡± She choked and scowled, shooting a hateful glare at Pandora, ¡°Passable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for the rules that govern your ability,¡± Pandora said with a raised eyebrow, ¡°You and I both know that it is a reasonable price to pay for what it is capable of.¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°My very being is a price to pay for her,¡± she said and leaned against the wardrobe, looking down at the floor. She couldn¡¯t meet Pandora¡¯s gaze even as the entity looked at her with concern. Not a sound proceeded the entity appearing before her, a hand outstretched to touch her cheek. Ishtar turned away and marched towards the mirror again. ¡°No. I don¡¯t have those kinds of¡­ feelings. It isn¡¯t how I was made.¡± ¡°Made,¡± Pandora repeated, ¡°You¡¯re cruel, even to yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m me,¡± Ishtar grunted, ¡°Who else is going to do it?¡± ¡°Ishtar,¡± Pandora murmured, ¡°You can¡¯t really believe that you need to disappear for Sonya to be whole, can you? After everything you¡¯ve said to her?¡± ¡°We¡¯re both hypocrites, aren¡¯t we?¡± Ishtar growled, staring at herself. ¡°You really are a lot like your namesake,¡± Pandora sighed and shook her head, walking up to stand next to her. Pandora¡¯s reflection didn¡¯t appear in the mirror. Just a projection. Yet that hand that landed on Ishtar¡¯s shoulder felt so painfully real. Ishtar¡¯s head sagged a little and she rest her head against the mirror. ¡°You take far too much onto yourself.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not ready,¡± Ishtar repeated. ¡°If I give it all back, it¡¯ll destroy her. She¡¯ll break. She¡¯ll collapse under it all and destroy herself. I have to hold on to it as long as I can.¡± ¡°For someone without feelings, you certainly care a lot,¡± Pandora quipped. Ishtar rounded on her with a snarl, ¡°You!¡± She bit her lip and held up a finger, pointing in what amounted to a goddesses face, ¡°Y-you!¡± She squeezed her eyes shut as her throat tightened again and again. Every response dying. Every remark a flagrant lie. She ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled, ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± She asked in exasperation and sat down on the vanity bench, ¡°Stay? Be a burden on her mind? Allow myself to slowly crack her sanity until there¡¯s nothing left to salvage? I¡¯ve taken steps to mend some of the damage but¡­¡± She trailed off and her shoulders sagged. ¡°But?¡± ¡°But she¡¯s still planning on self-destructing. She feels like she belongs in this world, that much she¡¯s gotten past. She enjoys life, but she doesn¡¯t think she deserves it,¡± She scoffed, ¡°Idiot girl. Stupid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your primary personality you¡¯re calling an Idiot,¡± Pandora laughed. ¡°So what?¡± Ishtar snarled and looked up at her, ¡°What are you even doing here? Why do you keep bothering me? You just swoop in whenever I¡¯m in control and alone and- and- what? Offer sage advice and croon over my problems?¡± ¡°Someone has to,¡± Pandora murmured, looking a little hurt, ¡°You said it once yourself that the only person who can talk to Sonya about the hard stuff is you,¡± she said, ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, who can be there when you¡¯re struggling? You are indomitable.¡± ¡°When I¡¯m gone and merged back with her, she¡¯ll be just as indomitable,¡± Ishtar said with a sigh, ¡°She¡¯ll be who she needs to be, she just needs to open that bridge up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to-¡± ¡°What options do I have?¡¯ Ishtar demanded and got to her feet, ¡°Tell me!¡± She put a finger on Pandoras chest and got into her face, ¡°Oh mighty arbiter, heir to my namesakes legacy, fallen goddess, why don¡¯t you enlighten me?¡± Pandora¡¯s face went stony and Ishtar laughed, ¡°Of course I figured it out! Chunhua¡¯s little story at the camp? It¡¯s obvious! I took that information from Sonya for now, she doesn¡¯t need to worry about it while she has bigger problems,¡± She threw her hand out wide, ¡°All of it, all the terrible realizations about the world. I know! I know what that place was in the backrooms and the only reason Sonya isn¡¯t obsessively trying to get back and conquer it and get herself killed is- is-¡± She caught her breath, ¡°Because I¡¯m holding her back until she¡¯s ready. Ready to deal with all this. Ready to deal with knowing you can do this and bother her. Ready to¡­¡± She choked and it wasn''t on a lie this time. A tear trickled down Pandora¡¯s cheek, ¡°You¡­¡± Ishtar let out a sigh and walked back over to the bed, holding her head in her hands. ¡°All the weight of the people she¡¯s killed. The heaviness of murder. She doesn¡¯t realize how much it really weighs on a soul, I don¡¯t want her to feel this! Not without wanting to live through it!¡± Ishtar didn¡¯t react as she felt the projection sit down on the bed next to her. A warmth pressed against the side of her and she tried not to acknowledge it. A hand ran up and down her back, ¡°You¡¯re doing it again,¡± Ishtar muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, I am my mother¡¯s daughter, after all,¡± Pandora said with a light laugh, ¡°I worry for you. I have watched you for a long time and have come to care. That said, I am glad about one thing you just said,¡± she added with a small chuckle. Ishtar grunted and turned her head slightly, glancing at the being out of the corner of her eye, ¡°What?¡± She snapped. ¡°You acknowledged you have a soul,¡± Pandora said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s a good first step, and it opens the door for some options. For you, anyway.¡± Ishtar sat up and turned to face her as something in her chest tightened and warmed, an odd feeling she had never experienced before. She blinked and tilted her head, confused by the ¡®emotion¡¯ she searched Sonya¡¯s memories for what it was. Sonya had felt it before, yes, there it is. Hope? Her lips thinned and she swallowed, ¡°What options?¡± Pandora looked her in the eyes, her golden gaze burning with light and distant power. The goddess reached up and touched her cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± ¨C Sonya was a bundle of energy that morning, it felt like she¡¯d slept for days. She bounced on her heels and stretched her arms up high over her head, grinning ear to ear. She let out a noisy sigh and glanced over at Marta who had finished packing their bags and was arranging them in the living room of the instructor suite. Marta glanced up at her, ¡°You seem to be in a good mood this morning,¡± she said brightly. ¡°Slept so good!¡± Sonya replied, working her shoulders a little, ¡°A bit stiff though, but that comes with a deep sleep, yeah?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll sleep even better at the apartment,¡± Marta said. Sonya sighed dramatically, ¡°Home sweet home,¡± she paused and tilted her head, ¡°Well, not for long. The new place is almost ready. Next week I think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Blackrazor said,¡± Marta agreed. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the new entertainment center that Amos designed.¡± ¡°The one at the beach house not enough for you?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Well, I mean-¡± Marta scoffed, ¡°Amos said the new one makes it look like tinker toys.¡± ¡°You can do some impressive things with tinker toys!¡± Sonya challenged. Marta gave her a deadpan look, ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± Sonya declared, putting her hands on her hips. The two stared at one another for a long time before bursting into laughter. She sat down on the couch and stretched out her legs, ¡°Euclidia will have the portal open soon?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. We¡¯ll go through with the recruits and the other ASTA members to the Guild House,¡± Marta said, ¡°Then after that, we¡¯ll assist with the opening parts of orientation before heading back home. Bluestar has the rest covered.¡± ¡°Well! In that case,¡± Sonya said with a grin, ¡°Shall we go?¡± Marta nodded with a smile of her own, ¡°As you wish.¡± Chapter 169 The trees coating the mountains that surrounded the campsite had begun to turn a myriad of colors. Reds and yellows spread out as far as the eye could see. Sonya took a deep breath of the slightly chilly fall air and tugged her coat up a bit closer around her neck. Behind her, Marta carried the few pieces of luggage that they didn¡¯t just send off with one of her portals. They had to make it look like they were taking something home after all. Ahead of her, the archway had already formed and a small group was waiting for her. The other newly minted heroes had gone a bit earlier. The last group, though it looks like somebody stayed behind. ¡°Brigid! What on earth are you still doing here?¡± She called out towards the gathering at the portal. The red-head was standing with Chunhua and talking to her. Bluestar had taken up a spot a few paces away and was speaking quietly with John. Lillian, Snow, Val, Greg, and Alex made up their own little clump while Otis, Ollie, and Jessica made up the last cluster. She narrowed her eyes briefly at the last group, Where¡¯s Cass? She glanced towards Marta who shrugged and gave her a lopsided smile. That girl, slept in again, didn''t she? Brigid turned and waved frenetically, a big smile on her bubbly face. ¡°Good morning!¡± She called, ¡°Just enjoying the weather! Black Lotus said she wasn¡¯t ready to go yet!¡± Oh. Right. Sonya¡¯s heart skipped a little. I forgot. She forced a smile onto her face, ¡°Looking forward to the expedition to the Epic dungeon?¡± She asked as she drew closer, shoving her hands into her pockets. She glanced briefly at Chunhua who met her gaze before they both looked away. And she can tell I forgot. Great. Good job, Sonya. Real smooth. ¡°Oh it¡¯s going to be so much fun, if you recall, I used to be a Park Ranger for that region. I know that area like the back of my hand and with my ability, dealing with the snow will be a snap!¡± Brigid snapped her fingers for emphasis. She turned her head towards one of the two clusters of new heroes gathered with them. Sonya followed her gaze towards Jessica. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a shame you ended up on the East side, Jessica, I would make an excellent mentor for your ability!¡± She declared and puffed out her chest. Jessica¡¯s lips twitched into a half smile, ¡°Guess that¡¯s fate for you,¡± she chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I learned a lot here.¡± There¡¯s no light in her eyes, Sonya thought but kept her poker face going. She turned towards Euclidia who was leaning against the archway and fiddling with a puzzle cube, ¡°Euclidia, you ready?¡± Euclidia looked up from her puzzle and grinned, ¡°Always, got three destinations already set. Two passengers to Seattle, two passengers to the Hague, and the rest of y¡¯all to the ASTA Guildhouse in New York. Crowley and Canis already went on ahead to Seattle.¡± Off to the side, Greg straightened and looked her way, ¡°The Hague?¡± He looks tired. I heard he and Jessica broke up over his decision to study with Euclidia. She shot the girl another glance, Did I read her wrong? She hasn¡¯t done anything besides be a bit of a drama queen in the end. Oh well, I¡¯ll keep an eye on her anyway now that she¡¯s hanging out with Otis. Euclidia raised an eyebrow at Greg and put her hands on her hips, ¡°Of course, silly!¡± she huffed, ¡°How am I supposed to get you clearance to do the kind of work we¡¯re going to do if you don¡¯t have one of these?¡± she asked and reached into her jacket to pull out a metal card with a mana crystal embedded in it. Greg frowned at it, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A pass that Pandora Officials carry,¡± Sonya answered for her and held her hand out. Marta was already approaching her from behind and placed Sonya¡¯s in her hand. She held it up while Marta did the same. Bluestar, Chunhua, and Brigid did the same. ¡°Officials, Guild Masters, and International Heroes carry them usually. They¡¯re for bypassing an RTE check and other security nonsense,¡± Sonya explained. Greg blinked and pointed at himself, ¡°I¡¯m getting one of those?¡± Euclidia raised her eyebrow even higher, if that was possible, ¡°Well, doy,¡± she snarked, ¡°You can¡¯t even get into my offices without going through like, what, four layers of security? You absolutely need one to come and go. On top of that, you¡¯re gonna be doing some important stuff with me so, yeah, Pandora Official Greg, sounds like a comic-book henchman,¡± she barked out a laugh before looking back at her puzzle and getting back to it as if she hadn¡¯t just been talking, her interest in the conversation evaporating. Sonya huffed out a breath. ¡°The powerful ones are always eccentric,¡± she muttered and got a snort from Marta who glanced her way. ¡°Hey! You know what I mean!¡± Marta nodded politely and took Sonya¡¯s badge back, ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making fun of me again,¡± Sonya grumbled. ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am,¡± Marta agreed with the same polite tone but with a small smile teasing at her lips. Sonya sighed and shook her head before walking over to Lillian¡¯s group, she smiled at Greg, ¡°Good luck over there,¡± she said and reached out to shake his hand. He returned the gesture with a nod before she turned back to the others. ¡°Well well, look at all these heroes,¡± She turned towards Bluestar, ¡°What¡¯s your standard fireteam size?¡± She called. ¡°Five,¡± Bluestar called back before turning back to John and murmuring to him. ¡°Hoho,¡± she chuckled before meeting Lillian¡¯s gaze. ¡°You ready?¡± Lillian looked to her friends, Snow who had come so far and had grown into a proud young woman. Val who was just as fiery as ever but was now tempered with self respect and genuine confidence. Alex who had evened out his aggression. Greg who was off to his own adventures and had risen to become one of the most promising of his generation. And then there¡¯s that one, Sonya thought ruefully as she felt a shift in the air behind her, someone racing towards them. ¡°Sorry!¡± Cass called, ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Sonya turned around and put her hands on her hips, frowning as the blonde raced towards them, ¡°What have I told you about staying up late, young lady?¡± Cass slid to a stop. The spitting image of her sister if a bit smaller in frame. Liberty, how could you be so cruel to such a beautiful young lady? The girl dipped her head and shoved her hands into her pockets. ¡°Sorry,¡± She murmured, ¡°Was up late playing cards with everybody, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya let out a breath, A grown woman and she still acts like a teenager, that¡¯s what happens when you live in a repressive household I guess. She shook her head and eased into a smile. At least it really was just oversleeping and not something else. ¡°You are trouble, you know that? I¡¯ve half a mind to keep a close eye on you.¡± ¡°Mom¡¯s mad,¡± Alex laughed. Greg and Val joined in, snickering behind Sonya. Sonya and Cass rounded on them at the same time; ¡°I am not her mother!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my mom!¡± That only resulted in Val literally falling to the ground, laughing while Alex and Greg held one another up, wheezing. Even Lillian had to cover her face and turn her head while only Snow was perfectly straight faced- wait. She¡¯s got an illusion over her. I bet she¡¯s laughing her ass off. Brat. Sonya cleared her throat as she felt a little heat rise to her face and turned back to meet Cass¡¯ eyes. Cass¡¯ flushed face turned brighter and she looked down at her feet. Sonya pursed her lips and looked over at Marta who was doing her best to look anywhere but at Sonya. Traitor. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m not mad,¡± Sonya finally said and rest her hand on her hip. Cass looked up, relieved, ¡°So¡­ I can still-¡± Sonya raised a hand to wave her question off, ¡°Yes, yes, I have a room ready for you at my place, you can stay there for now.¡± The boys stopped laughing, ¡°Hey!¡± Alex protested, ¡°What about the Guild dorms? We¡¯re all staying there until we get enough together to buy our own places, why does she get to stay with you?¡± Sonya turned back to him, ¡°Because apparently we¡¯re family,¡± She quipped at him. Alex¡¯s frown changed instantaneously into a grin, ¡°Aight, walked into that, didn¡¯t I?¡± He glanced at Cass and winked at her. Sonya squinted at him. What was that about? ¡°If y¡¯all are done bantering,¡± Euclidia called, tossing the completed puzzle up and down in the air, ¡°We should really be going. I¡¯m not a fan of leaving portals open for a long time.¡± Sonya brushed her hair back over her ear, ¡°Fair enough,¡± she nodded to Lillians group and Bluestar, ¡°Go on ahead.¡± ¡°New York! Here I come!¡± Val shouted and bolted for the portal, leaping through it with a whoop. The others laughed and grabbed their bags, Greg picking up an extra one and tossing it to Alex, ¡°He left it behind.¡± Alex shook his head, ¡°That moron,¡± he paused and then clapped Greg on the shoulder, ¡°You got this, brother. Don¡¯t let¡­ y¡¯know¡­ get you down. You¡¯re a top hero now.¡± ¡°Not yet, but someday soon,¡± Greg shot back with a smirk, ¡°Better keep up with me, BLF.¡± ¡°Race you to the top, Gravitic,¡± Alex said and walked past him, carrying his and Val¡¯s luggage and went through the portal, Bluestar and John followed suit, John shooting Sonya a grin that she returned. Finally smiling with a bit more ease, it almost doesn¡¯t look forced. Good. The two of them went through as Lillian hustled over and practically crashed into Chunhua, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her in a tight hug. ¡°Be safe, Teacher,¡± Lillian said. Chunhua looked down at her student and glanced at Sonya with wide eyes. Sonya rolled her eyes, You never were much of a hugger, were you? Just do it, dummy. Chunhua put her hand on Lillians head and gave her a gentle squeeze around the back before pulling away, holding her shoulders. She looked into Lillian¡¯s eyes, ¡°Work hard.¡± ¡°I will, thank you, for everything,¡± Lillian said and took two steps back before bowing at the waist, ¡°I¡¯ll reach my goal and fight at your side. I promise.¡± Chunhua smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to it.¡± Lillian beamed up at her and turned around to grab her things, taking Snow¡¯s hand. The two stopped to shake hands with Greg before the three of them ran through the portal. Just behind them, Jessica made her way through in silence, barely glancing back. Otis reached up and flipped his hair out of his face, ¡°Well it¡¯s been fun, certainly,¡± he chuckled, ¡°It was nice meeting you, Black Lotus, I¡¯m looking forward to hunting Ishtar with you in the future,¡± he said with a too-white smile and turned on his heel to stalk towards the portal. ¡°Good luck with your mission!¡± Sonya¡¯s lips thinned just a fraction but she kept her thoughts to herself, glancing at Chunhua who was doing much of the same though she seemed a bit greener in the face because of it. Her eyes turned back to the last member of Otis¡¯ little trio and it was like¡­ it was like a veil had come off of him. Intellectually she¡¯d known that Ollie was there and that he¡¯d been standing at Otis¡¯ side. Yet it wasn¡¯t until that moment that she internalized his presence. Otis¡¯ ability? Probably. Why was he overshadowing Ollie? She gave a mental shrug, she¡¯d worry about it later. He was more important in more ways than one. She stepped forward and reached out to grab his shoulders, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°A little tired, excited, nervous, fine otherwise,¡± Ollie admitted and gasped as she pulled him into a hug. She gave him a squeeze and his entire body seemed to relax a little in her grip. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes, ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked. His lips twitched and then rose into a more comfortable smile. She held her expression steady as she watched it. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Miss Sonya, really. It¡¯s just taking a bit to sink in.¡± ¡°That you¡¯re a free man?¡± She asked with a tilt of her head. He blinked at her, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Our deal is done, Ollie, don¡¯t you remember?¡± She asked him, a little surprise touching her voice. ¡°You completed the program. You graduated. That was the agreement wasn¡¯t it? You do that and your record is wiped clean.¡± He stared at her, stunned, a look of confusion slipping into dawning realization and then mute alarm. ¡°I- I forgot!¡± He gasped. She burst into laughter before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. He jumped a little at the show of affection and touched his face, stammering incoherently. She laughed again, ¡°Ollie, doesn¡¯t that just mean you went through all that for the right reasons? Rather than just to get off the hook?¡± She pat him on the shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m happy you forgot so I could tell you now. As far as the Pandora Committee is concerned, while the outcome was tragic, it was an accident as a result of a power manifestation. Not your fault. You can start your life with the guild with your head held high.¡± Tears welled in his eyes and his glasses fogged a little. He swallowed hard, ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. I won''t forget what you did for me.¡± She shrugged, ¡°Water under the bridge,¡± she paused, ¡°Are you sure about the codename, though?¡± He returned her smile with one of his own, ¡°I¡¯m owning it now. It¡¯ll remind me to be more careful in the future.¡± Her chest swelled with pride, ¡°Good man,¡± she nodded and then gestured to the portal, ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll be with you all soon.¡± He nodded brightly and turned, a bit of a spring in his step as he darted through the portal, what little belongings he had bouncing in a backpack. Euclidia watched him pass and checked her phone, she turned towards the portal and started to walk through herself, ¡°You guys got five minutes and then I¡¯m closing it!¡± The portal master called, ¡°Get on it!¡± ¡°Ope!¡± Brigid gasped, ¡°See you on the other side, Black Lotus!¡± She said and hustled through as well. Sonya watched her go and then turned to Marta, ¡°You and Cass go on ahead,¡± she said. Marta met her gaze and then nodded, ¡°Right, come along young miss,¡± she said gently and picked up the small mass of bags as if they weighed nothing. ¡°Young miss?¡± Cass asked, moving to catch up with her. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re my Lady¡¯s daughter, would that not make you the young miss?¡± She asked with a smirk on her face as they neared the portal. ¡°Not her mother!¡± Sonya shouted back at them but they¡¯d already gone through the portal. She groaned, ¡°Oh that¡¯s going to stick isn¡¯t it? Damn that boy.¡± She rubbed the side of her head before looking up at Chunhua. Dark eyes met hers and she cleared her throat, shifting a bit on her feet. She let out a breath and smiled at her, ¡°So¡­ this is it for a while, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chunhua glanced at the portal and then back at her, ¡°So it seems,¡± she said and opened her mouth to say more before closing it, she rubbed her neck and blushed, ¡°Sonya, I-¡± Sonya reached out and took her free hand, squeezing her fingers, ¡°Don¡¯t, okay? Just. It was a fun night, you don¡¯t need to say whatever you were going to say,¡± she said quickly holding on to that hand as if it were a lifeline. She didn¡¯t want to hear an apology or an excuse for her leaving in the middle of the night and she didn¡¯t want to hear well¡­ she didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Look,¡± Sonya felt her chest tighten a little, ¡°You said it yourself, you don¡¯t know what this is, neither of us do. That¡¯s¡­ okay,¡± she smiled, ¡°I want to figure it out. I want to enjoy my life as much as I can while I have the chance to.¡± ¡°When I go through that portal, the deal will take effect,¡± Chunhua said, her strong hands wrapping around Sonya¡¯s. She gave Sonya¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°I don¡¯t know how my mind and the deal will reconcile it all, but it won¡¯t change how-¡± Sonya reached up and touched her lips with her fingers, ¡°Shh. That¡¯s bad luck and you know it,¡± she said gently, ¡°Just, be safe in Seattle. Be the hero the world needs you to be, without all that baggage holding you back, okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not baggage,¡± Chunhua grunted. Sonya snorted, ¡°Chunhua!¡± she started to grin but Chunhua¡¯s glare shut it down. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t still thinking that you need to die to make things right, are you?¡± Chunhua asked. Sonya pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, squeezing herself a little, ¡°Chunhua, I¡¯m going to have to pay one way or the other. There¡¯s no avoiding justice, you know that, you of all people know that,¡± She said, ¡°I can still enjoy my life until then! Can¡¯t I? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Chunhua frowned, ¡°Sonya, god damn it,¡± She reached up and squeezed the bridge of her nose, ¡°I can¡¯t- seriously-¡± she stammered before shaking her head, ¡°You need to stop thinking like that. Okay? Please, for me.¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°I can¡¯t just turn it off!¡± she barked before letting out a sigh, ¡°Can we- can we not- I want to be smiling when I see you go, okay? I¡¯ve accepted that I deserve to be in this timeline, that I belong here. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Chunhua searched Sonya¡¯s face her worry only deepening, ¡°Sonya¡­¡± she sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sonya. I just- I care.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sonya said and reached up to touch her cheek, ¡°I love you, and I know you¡¯re not ready to say it back, but I just want you to know and not ever forget it. Be safe, be strong, and make me proud. Do that, and I¡¯ll have no regrets.¡± Chunhua reached up to take the hand on her cheek and her worried face eased into a comfortable smile that made Sonya¡¯s heart ache. ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± she said. One chaste kiss, one gentle reminder, one moment between them, and she was gone. Off to her next adventure without painful memories of fire and anguish burdening her mind. Free. Sonya watched that ponytail wave left and right as it passed through the portal behind her. Just like that day in Vegas, Sonya thought, she reached up and gripped at her chest. I¡¯m sorry Chunhua, I¡¯m not ready to let that kind of hope in, not yet. There, alone, standing in front of the waning portal. Sonya took one last breath of mountain air and promised herself that if she could just find that hope, just find that proof it was possible, she would try with all her might to take that path. If not, then at least I tried to find it. She thought and stepped through as well. Chapter 170 City air was the first thing that greeted Sonya as she stepped through the portal, her eyes fluttering against the change in light. She¡¯d figured it would be brighter in Green Bank but the reflections off the buildings in New York added another level of intensity. The growing chill in the air didn¡¯t help, as far north as they were. Still, she took a deep breath and savored the urban atmosphere as the sounds of cars driving by assailed her hyper acute senses. She smiled to herself before looking up at the building before her. The East Coast ASTA Guild Headquarters. The building was tall, a fairly standard office-building all things considered. There was a small retaining wall around the perimeter of the building with a gate that restricted curious passers by from poking their heads in. The paved ¡®courtyard¡¯ had a few trees to decorate it but otherwise bore a very stark urban feel as one made their way to the glass double-doors. She traced her eyes up the building, six stories above ground with a few beneath for other matters. It took up about a quarter of a block and had been ludicrously expensive given its location. Then again, the Pandora Committee did subsidize half of it, she thought with a smirk. She returned her attention to the doors and the lobby inside where the others were waiting for her. A few voices rang out behind her and she turned to see some pedestrians having stopped to stare. One shouted her name and waved, she beamed at him and waved back before making her way into the building and reveling in the climate controlled environment. ¡°No autographs this time?¡± A snarky voice called out. She turned and raised an eyebrow, grinning at the youthful face marred with dark bags under his eyes and a mess of brown hair on his head, he was standing next to Cass and the two looked like they¡¯d been talking by the smile on the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Amos! You came out of hiding?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Figured I¡¯d greet you guys at least,¡± he said and put his hand on his hip, ¡°I gotta take a flight to Minneapolis in a few hours, most of what we recovered from the old building has already been moved over.¡± She met his gaze, what he meant to say was that they¡¯d finally finished sorting through the rubble and dug out anything incriminating. Now, he was satisfied with leaving the rest to the demolition crew. She nodded, ¡°Good to hear,¡± she said, ¡°Anything proprietary missing?¡± She asked, glancing towards Otis and nodding to him with a pleasant smile, her stomach churned a little at it but appearances were important. Jessica stood a few paces away from him, marveling at the lobby before glancing her way and offering a sweet smile that didn¡¯t sit quite right with Sonya before walking over to the front desk and leaning on it. ¡°Nah,¡± he said, drawing her attention back, ¡°We had security get there pretty quickly,¡± he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat before glancing at the new heroes standing off to the side, watching their conversation. Sonya walked over and put a hand on Lillian''s shoulder and gave it a squeeze when he spoke, ¡°Well, now that you guys are here I can start working on improvements for your hardware more regularly,¡± he said with a grin before shooting a look at Snow, ¡°Considering my offer?¡± The petite girl crossed her arms, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it,¡± she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose out on opportunities for field work,¡± she added and glanced towards Lily. He glanced between the two of them and shrugged, ¡°Sure, no problem. Just let me know. Door¡¯s open,¡± he said before walking past them and glancing at Marta with a sleepy grin, ¡°See you at the new place?¡± She inclined her head, ¡°Looking forward to it, Doctor.¡± He snorted and meandered away, ¡°Later newbies! Enjoy my old room Cass! Later Blue! Say hi to Bandit for me!¡± he called and walked out the door. His words appeared in Sonya¡¯s hud. She replied before turning to Bluestar and the new recruits. ¡°Well! Take it away, Guildmaster!¡± ¨C Lillian glanced at Snow who gave her a relaxed smile as the new heroes looked around the lobby for a few moments. It was spacious with a post-modern design that hinted strongly at Sonya¡¯s personal aesthetics. Sleek with lots of emphasis on the grayscale. The walls were a stark white while the furniture had black accents and cushions. She spotted Marc turning in a full circle, admiring the place while Bluestar looked them over thoughtfully. A bubble of excitement welled up in her chest, Here we go! ¡°Welcome to our Guild!¡± Bluestar began, brushing her brown hair back and crossing her hands at her waist, ¡°This is the lobby where you will see the occasional pandora or local representative coming in either to speak with me or to represent a freelance hero looking to be recruited. We¡¯re closed to business at the moment as I want to give you guys my full attention,¡± she began before gesturing to a set of elevators to the rear of the room, just past the front desk where a bright eyed young man sat, cropped black hair hidden beneath a black cap with the ASTA logo on it. He was speaking with Jessica when he straightened and turned to everyone, waving at them. Lillian waved back awkwardly and glanced at Jessica, restraining a frown. I don¡¯t know how to feel about her. She¡¯s a good hero but¡­ Greg. ¡°That¡¯s Grant, the head of security in the building, his ability allows him to be an unparalleled security guard and desk operator,¡± she said quickly. ¡°Hi guys! Welcome to the family!¡± He said brightly and scanned their faces with his gaze, ¡°Alright! Got you memorized! Go on through!¡± ¡°Thank you Grant,¡± Bluestar said politely before turning to Sonya and Marta, ¡°Are you staying?¡± Lillian turned to Sonya who blinked and glanced at the others, ¡°I can hang around for a bit, sure. Marta? Can you get everything to the apartment please?¡± She asked. Marta bowed at the waist, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, of course. I will see you at home. Takeout?¡± ¡°Please!¡± Sonya groaned. ¡°Very well,¡± Marta said and turned on her heel, grabbing the bags and walking to the door. She stopped for a moment and glanced over her shoulder before smiling at Lillian and the others, offering a small wink before pushing through. Lillian smiled, These are some good people here, she thought. Bluestar cleared her throat, ¡°Alright! Follow me!¡± She began and led them to the elevator that opened, revealing a rather spacious interior, large enough to fit all of them. The doors closed and Bluestar pointed at the control panel. ¡°From top to bottom, basement three is for maintenance crew only. There¡¯s two layers of security between us and it as well as a reinforced floor on basement two where you¡¯ll find the training rooms. The rooms are spacious and have sound and mana isolating walls,¡± she continued, ¡°You can go all out without worrying about triggering monster formations outside the building.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Marc asked, his eyes wide. He turned to Lillian with a grin as Jessica walked over to stand at his side, equally interested judging by the tension in her fingers, ¡°We should put it through its paces later!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. She clenched her fists and returned his grin, ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± ¡°Cool the bravado,¡± Bluestar warned, smirking at them despite her words. Lillian saw the eagerness on Alex and Val¡¯s faces as well. Cass popped her knuckles and shifted her head left and right, shooting a look at Lillian and smirking. She grinned back. They were ready to really test themselves. ¡°Basement one is the barracks, you can stay there during your grace period. You have a month to get your affairs in order after your first paycheck. If you¡¯d like to continue staying in the barracks we can have that discussion at that time. I¡¯m fine with it but there¡¯s limited space and we usually reserve it for new recruits.¡± Lillian nodded with the others, it made sense, and apparently they¡¯d be making more than enough to get a decent apartment in the area. Especially if a few of us decide to stay together. She thought, giving Snow a brief glance before clearing her throat and focusing on the Guildmaster. ¡°First floor is general offices and security. It¡¯s the only space in the building primarily managed by ASTA Corporation. Sonya has a office in there that she works out of when she¡¯s in the area,¡± Bluestar continued. Sonya nodded, ¡°I have several hero representatives here in the building. It¡¯s a big part of what ASTA does after all,¡± she said brightly. ¡°Representatives?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Wait, besides making us stuff what does ASTA do?¡± Sonya blinked at him and shook her head, ¡°Did the rest of you pay attention at the beginning of the interview?¡± She asked with a sigh. Everyone else nodded and Alex¡¯s face fell, he scratched the back of his head, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve gotten better about that kind of thing since then but¡­¡± She gave him a pitying look, ¡°It¡¯s fine, well-¡± she paused and pulled her phone out of her pocket as music started to play. ¡°-her cherry chapsti-¡± Sonya grinned sheepishly at the others and answered it, ¡°Speak of the devil!¡± she laughed and turned slightly, ¡°How are you dear? Yes! Just got back to town!¡± Bluestar frowned at her with a raised eyebrow and Sonya held up a finger apologetically, ¡°Hmm? I can ask!¡± she turned to Lillian with raised eyebrows after tapping the mute button on her phone, ¡°Lillian and Marc,¡± she started, turning his way as well, ¡°Do you like Cola Cola? Any problems with the company that you know of? I¡¯ve looked them over myself and they¡¯re clean and above board.¡± Lillian blinked, what the? ¡°Uh, yeah. I drink it.¡± A few paces away, Marc shrugged and glanced at Jessica with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m open to it.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sonya beamed at her and hit the button again, ¡°Send a contract over and I¡¯ll look it over with her, hun,¡± she said brightly, ¡°Yes! I¡¯d love dinner. Toodles!¡± she hung up and turned to Lillian, ¡°We¡¯re doing dinner tonight, hope you two don¡¯t mind. I know you must be tired.¡± The others all looked at one another. ¡°Huh?¡± Alex blurted. Sonya put her hands on her hips, ¡°Like I was going to explain a moment ago, ASTA acts as an intermediary for you guys. Funding heroes isn¡¯t cheap and making sure you¡¯re taking care of and have the hardware you need is just part of the process. Private companies like Cola Cola seek to sponsor popular heroes just like one would sponsor an athlete,¡± she continued, ¡°Most freelance heroes have a hard time getting in touch with or negotiating with those companies, that¡¯s where we come in. We handle the contracts and make sure you get the most out of it.¡± Lillian stared, ¡°So¡­ what? Do I need to wear the company logo on my uniform?¡± she asked hesitantly. Alex snorted out a laugh and Cass shook her head. What? She squinted at them. John actually chimed in with his usual monotone, ¡°No, commercials and product placement are strictly used during public events, they can also publicly claim to sponsor you, there are laws about branding on hero uniforms,¡± he reminded her. She blinked and thought back to the Pandora regulations course and nodded, ¡°Right, there was that,¡± she flushed a little, ¡°I had a hard time with that test,¡± she muttered and Snow pat her on the shoulder. ¡°I did too,¡± Val sighed. ¡°I offered to help you study,¡± Jessica said offhandedly and got a glare from Val. She held up her hands in an appeasing gesture and rolled her eyes, stepping behind Marc. She¡¯s really changed since hanging around Marc more often. I wonder if there¡¯s more to the break-up than just Greg leaving. Lillan let out a sigh, Best not think about it, drama isn¡¯t my thing. ¡°Where does the money go?¡± Marc asked pointedly. Sonya turned his way, ¡°Fifty percent goes towards ASTA which basically goes right back to you guys, hardware, equipment, transportation, this building, and all that,¡± Sonya said, ¡°The rest is yours. For comparison, Marion and Wizney take about seventy-five percent,¡± she said as the elevator chimed and she gasped, holding her hand to her mouth, ¡°Oh! Sorry Bluestar, I¡¯m butting in aren¡¯t I?¡± she apologized as Lillian reeled from the information. Wait, wait! Isn¡¯t that a lot of money? Bluestar shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s something they need to familiarize themselves with,¡± she said and stepped out into a large lounge with several screens hanging from the ceiling. There were a few men and women inside talking to one another. They glanced over but got a look from Bluestar and nodded to her, making themselves scarce. Lillian frowned but Bluestar placated her with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ll get to meet the others later,¡± she said quickly, ¡°Now, brief overview of the other floors.¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°Second floor is for the rest of the management team. The agents who support you on your assignments. It¡¯s also where the miners meet ahead of joining you at a dungeon site,¡± she said, ¡°Third floor is the Armory, it has a few layers of security as well and it¡¯s where you can store your gear between assignments. It¡¯s also where items from dungeons are stored that are considered to be too dangerous to be on display.¡± She gestured around herself, ¡°This is the fourth floor, dispatch. Your daily schedule, patrol routes, the carter radar report, and other information can all be found here,¡± she pointed at a door to the left, ¡°There¡¯s a cafeteria over there,¡± she said before pointing to another to the right, ¡°That¡¯s the briefing room,¡± she pointed up, ¡°Above us is the fifth floor where there is space for a portal from the Pandora Committee and where the Pandora Committee liaison is stationed. Her name is Tina, make sure to say hello when you get a chance,¡± she let out a breath, ¡°Finally, the sixth floor is administration, including my office and the offices of the investigative team.¡± She put her hands on her hips, ¡°And that¡¯s the general layout, feel free to explore,¡± she said, ¡°Once you¡¯re ready we¡¯ll meet in the briefing room and talk about specifics. You all learned about patrol patterns and assignments at the camp so I don¡¯t need to go over that,¡± she said before turning to John, ¡°John? With me please?¡± He nodded, ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± he said and moved to follow her as she made her way to the briefing room. Lillian tilted her head and Snow leaned towards her, whispering directly into her ears with her ability, ¡°John¡¯s her understudy, he wants to join the guildmaster¡¯s team directly and work with administration.¡± She nodded slowly, surprised. Maybe she¡¯d just been so focused on her own stuff that she hadn¡¯t picked up on it. He had been talking to Sonya a lot, now that she thought about it. This must be why. ¡°Ollie?¡± Sonya cut into her thoughts, ¡°You¡¯re free to go upstairs if you¡¯re still interested. They¡¯ll be happy to show you around,¡± she said and Lillian glanced at Ollie who brightened visibly. It was weird, unless he was the center of attention it felt like it was hard to notice him. He adjusted his glasses, ¡°Oh most certainly!¡± He said eagerly, ¡°I wanted to join the investigative side of hero work ever since I heard about it,¡± he added and shot a glance towards Marc and Jessica, ¡°I¡¯m not exactly built for the more intensive field work, but I can handle myself if necessary.¡± Marc shrugged, ¡°Suit yourself,¡± he said and Ollie made his way to the elevator, he turned and waved at everyone before sending a sheepish look towards Cass who gave him a smile and a nod, ¡°Later!¡± He said and dipped inside. ¡°Bye!¡± Lillian called after him, her lips turning down a little. She hadn¡¯t thought about the fact that several of their group would not want to do the more standard fare of hero work, but she was glad that someone as talented as Ollie would be helping learn about the bad guys out there. She brightened a little at the thought and turned towards the screens hanging around them, putting her hands on her hips. Snow, Val, Marc, Cass, Alex, Jessica, and Lillian herself all looked around the room. Behind her, Sonya cleared her throat and checked her watch. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve stayed as long as I can, I¡¯ll be back in a few hours to pick you up, Cass. The rest of you,¡± She squared her shoulders as the others turned to face her and she brought her hand to her heart, ¡°Thank you, for beginning your service, and welcome to the life of a Hero. We¡¯ll all speak again soon. I¡¯m looking for sponsorships for all of you,¡± she said scanning their faces, ¡°Today, your story begins,¡± she said and walked to the elevator. Lillian felt her chest swell and she clenched her fists, looking back to the monitors. A few paces away she heard Marc murmur beneath his breath, ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself.¡± Side Story: Gravitic 1 The first thing that Greg realized as he stepped through the portal was that dungeon portals were something special. He¡¯d been into the camp dungeon several times after the raid, learning about it, about how the space inside worked, and practicing against the monsters. The portal into the dungeon had been seamless, he hadn¡¯t felt a thing as he¡¯d come and gone. It was like stepping over a line and that was it. Euclidia¡¯s portal, on the other hand, took him by surprise. It was a fragmentary moment, but he felt himself moving through space in a compressed instant. His mind recalled seeing¡­ something, a place that couldn''t possibly exist. It all came together into a jarring feeling that sent him reeling as he passed through. He staggered forward as he caught himself on the other side, resting his hands on his knees as Euclidia walked past him with her arms crossed behind her back. She glanced over her shoulder, ¡°Sensitive to it, huh?¡¯ She asked with barely concealed amusement. ¡°That sucks!¡± She laughed and kept walking, ¡°Walk it off, new guy!¡± ¡°What- what was that?¡± He asked, breathing hard, he took in his surroundings. He was standing in a garden lined with statue podiums. He blinked, wasn¡¯t he just here the other day? His eyes went wide, they were inside the Garden of Heroes at the Pandora Headquarters! Euclidia just brought them straight through past security and nobody was reacting at all! Euclidia stopped and turned back to him, ¡°What was what?¡± ¡°What was that place? We- we went through something,¡± He said, catching his breath as his mind reeled from a lot of things at the same time. He stood up and brushed his lips with his sleeve, ¡°It was all-¡± ¡°All white?¡± She interrupted. He froze, ¡°You know?¡± ¡°Course I know!¡± She snorted, ¡°I make the damn portals,¡± she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, ¡°It¡¯s the Backrooms. Or that''s what those of us who¡¯ve seen it instinctively know what to call it. Give it a moment to settle.¡± He stared blankly at her, ¡°The¡­ internet meme?¡± he asked, incredulous as his heart rate slowed. His mind started to catch up with him and his lips thinned into a line. ¡°That-¡± he paused and tilted his head, ¡°Why-¡± he narrowed his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s¡­ the place that portals go through. It¡¯s what makes them work.¡± ¡°Bingo! Your mind caught up quick! That¡¯s good!¡± Euclidia said and waved to him, ¡°Come on, come on! I wanna get back to my room and you still need to get your badge made. Also¡­¡± She gestured casually with a wave of her hand and that glowing cube appeared over it. An instant later a ring of smooth stone appeared in the air to his right and three people fell tumbling out of it. ¡°Introductions!¡± She crowed, spinning on her heel and grinning at the pile of people. ¡°That¡¯s twelve wins for me!¡± Greg hopped back from the trio and whipped his head around, ¡°H-uh?¡± he stammered before clearing his throat and forcing his heart to calm down. He still felt jumpy from the weirdness of the portal. He exhaled and looked the trio over as they scrambled to their feet. All three of them were wearing crisp-if a bit dirty from their fall-gray uniforms marked with the torch symbol of the Pandora Committee. There were plates of armor on them as well. Heroes? Pandora specific heroes? They cursed and muttered to themselves as they brushed off their clothes before turning to look at Greg. From left to right there was a huge guy who still looked to be around Greg¡¯s age, all three of them were from the looks of it. He had short brown hair and was heavily muscled, a pair of beady blue eyes flicked his way and he nodded gruffly. The second was a young blonde-haired woman with almost frighteningly dark eyes that seemed to suck in the light around them. She let out a sigh and shook her head, ¡°Knew it wasn¡¯t going to work,¡± she mumbled as the third pat her on her shoulder. The third was an athletic looking guy with short black hair and eyes that sparkled with good humor and positivity, he beamed at his friend. ¡°We¡¯ll get her next time!¡± ¡°You always say that!¡± She groaned.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°There¡¯s always a next time!¡± He laughed in response before turning and putting his hands on his hips. It was the most natural superhero pose Greg had ever seen. Is this guy straight out of a comic book? ¡°You¡¯re Gravitic, I¡¯m guessing?¡± He asked brightly. ¡°I¡¯m Anton Hosk!¡± the guy said and marched forward, shooting a hand out to shake, ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Hey bright eyes,¡± the girl muttered as Greg awkwardly shook his hand, ¡°We¡¯re going by code names, remember?¡± Anton blinked and then slapped his fist against his palm before scratching his head and laughing, ¡°Whoops! Sorry! You¡¯re right!¡± He beamed at Greg, ¡°I¡¯m Nietz,¡± he glanced over his shoulder at the other two, ¡°This is Hammond and Locke,¡± he gestured first to the big guy who nodded gruffly and then to the girl who shrugged and smiled at him. ¡°Nice to meet you guys, uh,¡± he blinked and looked to Euclidia, ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on?¡± She raised an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a Pandora Official, right? Work with the logistics department when you aren¡¯t doing hero work?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s the plan,¡± he said, not liking where this was going. ¡°They''ll be your security team when you¡¯re on the field and out and about,¡± she said, ¡°It¡¯s a pretty common practice around here these days. I know you can handle yourself but rules are rules. Usually you get assigned to a more seasoned group but with the graduation we¡¯ve got fresh blood.¡± she snorted, ¡°I¡¯m a member of the international team so there¡¯s not really anyone out there who can ¡®guard¡¯ me.¡± Greg blinked, ¡°Oh,¡± he turned and raised an eyebrow at them, ¡°Nice to work with you I guess?¡± Nietz clapped his fist to his chest, ¡°We¡¯ve got you covered, you¡¯re a VIP now,¡± he said brightly before nodding to the others, ¡°Right guys?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go over our powers in private,¡± Locke said with a nod, ¡°We¡¯re a bit out in the open, you know?¡± Hammond grunted but said nothing, she glanced his way, ¡°Quit being so damn shy you big lug and say hello.¡± The big man turned his beady-eyed gaze towards him, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Uh, hi?¡± KRRR-SSSSSSS The sound of metal doors opening behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin again. He scowled and turned, he was getting tired of being startled by everything. He froze as a pair walked in through the door. One was a woman in a green cheongsam, she was beautiful, breathtakingly so, but her expression was set into one of absolute disinterest and even a bit of mild disgust. The other was a man with brown hair and tan skin, he wore a floral summer shirt. The guy¡¯s arm was slung over her shoulder as he spoke. He held a pair of sunglasses in his hands and was waving them, ¡°...aw come on, what¡¯s another night out, yeah?¡± ¡°Not interested,¡± the woman muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t like being disappointed twice.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that, you had fun!¡± He teased. ¡°Hardly,¡± she grumbled, ¡°I find more amusement laying waste to lurkers than enduring your pathetic-¡± she trailed off and glanced up the steps at Greg. ¡°Hero,¡± she said flatly, looking him up and down before huffing and stepping forward just out of the guy¡¯s reach. The guy turned to resume what he was doing and tripped, falling on his face. ¡°Oof¡± He scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off, ¡°Hey now, what¡¯d they say about using powers on the premises?¡± ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± The woman said flatly, ¡°Stop being clumsy and let¡¯s report in,¡± she said and ascended the stairs. She walked past Greg and eyed him once before immediately looking bored and moving along. The other three with Greg shifted a bit uneasily as she passed, the guy hastening up behind her. That was when another noise filled the garden. At this point Greg had finally relaxed and didn¡¯t so much as blink when Euclidia squealed with delight. He turned and watched the woman charge straight at the lady in the cheongsam and throw herself forward in a lunge. The woman scoffed and Euclidia suddenly fell face first towards the ground only to vanish through it. A moment later she fell through the air above the woman and landed, wrapping her arms around her from behind and giving her a big hug, ¡°Keekee! You¡¯re back!¡± The woman made face somewhere between disgust and exhaustion, ¡°That isn¡¯t my name,¡± she sighed, ¡°Hello, Euclidia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Molly to you!¡± Euclidia whined, ¡°Why you gotta be so distant, we¡¯re friends, right?¡± ¡°Mm,¡± The woman grunted noncommittally. ¡°Yo, Euclidia!¡± The guy barked, walking up. Who are these guys? Greg wondered, staring at them. Something felt¡­ dangerous about both of them. Nietz elbowed him in the side and raised an eyebrow, ¡°You don¡¯t recognize them?¡± he whispered. ¡°No? Should I?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Those are the two newest members of the International Team, top dog heroes. Qilin and First Wind, some of the biggest powerhouses on earth,¡± Nietz said, his voice filled with admiration. Greg blinked, a thrill running up his spine as he turned to look at the trio as they bickered and spoke. ¡°...woah.¡± Side Story: Gravitic 2 Is this really happening? Greg thought as he walked down the hallway. They¡¯d finally made it inside and he couldn¡¯t be more baffled by his immediate company. Most of his ¡®security team¡¯ were walking at a comfortable distance, Hammond and Locke were pretty anti-social it seemed. He wondered if they¡¯d be better with civilians or if they signed up for this role because they didn¡¯t like people or something. Nietz on the other hand was walking alongside him with a big grin on his face. That wasn¡¯t the weird part, though. Ahead of him, three of the most powerful people on earth were casually walking and talking as if the Pandora Committee didn¡¯t categorize them as walking nukes. Stop tailspinning like a fanboy and listen in! He chastised himself, leaning his head forward to listen a bit more carefully to what they were talking about. You don¡¯t get this chance every day. ¡°How was Dharan?¡± Euclidia asked, nudging Qilin with her elbow. Qilin turned her head ever-so-slightly in her direction and sighed, ¡°Messy, but not enough to alleviate my boredom,¡± she muttered and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, ¡°The monsters were pathetically weak. I don¡¯t understand why the Pandora Committee doesn¡¯t just send a strike team in to finish the job.¡± ¡°Eh,¡± First Wind cut in, ¡°Not like we have any clue how to close a dungeon break once it happens.¡± ¡°I assume just kill the boss,¡± Qilin clipped, shooting him a glare. ¡°Why are you still here? I¡¯m speaking with Euclidia now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re walking in the same direction, hot stuff,¡± He shot back before looking towards Euclidia, ¡°How was the camp? Any badass new recruits? I see you brought one with you,¡± he said and glanced back to meet Greg¡¯s eyes, ¡°Sup, kid. You got a cool power?¡± Greg¡¯s mouth went dry but he managed to open his mouth before Euclidia chimed in, ¡°His codename is Gravitic, Luca,¡± she said patiently before immediately brandishing her wild grin again and saying, ¡°He¡¯s going to be working for me for a while, joining the Logistics Corps.¡± First Wind stopped walking and turned, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Good power and leadership qualities, huh?¡± He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned forward to get a good look at Greg¡¯s face as Greg and his team came to a stop a few feet away. Euclidia stopped as well while Qilin let out a sigh and kept walking, unwilling to entertain the scenario. ¡°Gravity powers? I¡¯d like someone like you on my team. We could raise some serious hell against villains, man. Whadda ya say?¡± Greg caught Euclidia¡¯s raised eyebrow out of the corner of his eye as he kept his focus on First Wind¡¯s face. There was a moment where he was half-tempted just to say yes in the face of the walking hurricane but managed to school himself up enough to speak his mind. He wasn¡¯t the bundle of nerves that joined the camp ten weeks ago, after all. ¡°No thanks, man,¡± Greg said and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m getting this training to support my team back home.¡± First Wind made a face that almost looked angry for a moment before he snorted and pushed his sunglasses up, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the good stuff. A man who cares about his gang. I dig it,¡± he grinned, ¡°Well, if you end up getting assigned to helping the international team on occasion with logi-whatever, look my group up. Might be worth having someone with some talent to listen to,¡± he shot some finger guns before turning away to walk again, ¡°Hey! Qilin, where ya goin?¡± ¡°To the lounge!¡± She called back behind her. ¡°I¡¯m tired of standing!¡± ¡°Then let me carry you or somethin¡¯ babe!¡± He shouted and started hustling down the hallway. ¡°Ugh!¡± She shot back, disgusted, ¡°You are foul! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Greg let out a breath and Nietz clapped him on the shoulder before giving him a thumbs up. He grinned at the guy and offered a nod of thanks only to notice that the other two had suddenly moved in much closer. He blinked and turned to see Hammond right behind him and Locke at his left. He hadn¡¯t even noticed them moving into his space. They were both staring daggers at First Wind¡¯s back. Locke¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°He¡¯s prone to collateral damage, watch out for him,¡± she grunted and turned his way before meeting his confused gaze. ¡°What?¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°You guys move fast.¡± ¡°We¡¯re heroes specialized in personal security,¡± She said with a shrug, ¡°Of course we¡¯re gonna move when someone gets in your space.¡± ¡°Hm. Would any of them work on him?¡± Hammond rumbled, the most he¡¯d ever said since Greg met him. Nietz looked up at the big guy, ¡°You¡¯re better off just making a diversion rather than facing him head on, I think.¡± Hammond nodded, ¡°Right.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Greg watched them interact and felt a pang go through him, he cleared his throat and turned to Euclidia who was waiting patiently for him to follow. He started walking towards her, ¡°Hey, question,¡± He scratched at his neck, ¡°How often do you think it¡¯d be okay to contact the gang back in New York, just to catch up now and then? I dunno if Miss Sonya allows that kind of thing or not.¡± Euclidia shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, but you¡¯re gonna be pretty busy. C¡¯mon. We¡¯re almost there,¡± she said and waved him on. He nodded and glanced up to see Qilin looking back at him, her eyes fixed on him. He blinked and looked left and right, wondering what she wanted but as soon as she opened her mouth to say something First Wind caught up and she sneered at the mythic hero, turning away to continue walking. The two disappeared into a room off to the right. What was that about? It didn¡¯t take long after that to have his mana signature recorded and read by the devices in one of the offices that were set up in the building. They quickly produced a card that felt heavy and strange in his hands. Euclidia told him to wear it at all times as it helped him get past security, something he immediately encountered as they got to an elevator near the heart of headquarters. They went through three checkpoints. One at the elevator, one after the elevator, and the third at the end of yet another hallway. Each had increasingly more security tied to it until there were literal gun turrets hanging from the ceiling and men in paramilitary gear at the third. He swallowed hard as they passed the squad of soldiers stationed at the doorway, none of them giving him a second glance after their commanding officer checked his badge. They aren¡¯t messing around with Euclidia¡¯s security, he thought. I guess that makes sense, her ability is really important to the committee. The doors slid open with a hiss and he came to a stop, his jaw falling open. Inside was a large circular room with displays set up on all the walls. A cylinder of glass was set up in the center of the room where a projection of the planet floated and rotated lazily. On its surface were hundreds if not thousands of dots. Desks were set up here and there where two or three others sat, leaning over their desks and typing at computers. A hand clapped his shoulder and he turned back to see Nietz. ¡°Alright, we got you to the lab, we¡¯ll get a heads up if you go out and meet you at the entrance,¡± he said with a grin, ¡°Good luck man!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Greg said and cleared his throat, ¡°It was nice meeting you guys.¡± ¡°Charmed,¡± Locke said with a smile while Hammond nodded gruffly. The three of them turned and left the way they came, the door shutting behind them. Greg swallowed and turned back to look at Euclidia who was leaning against the cylinder. ¡°Welcome!¡± She said enthusiastically, ¡°To the beating heart of the Pandora Committee! This is where the real magic happens!¡± He walked further inside, meeting the gazes of a few of the others working there who had glanced up before going back to what they were doing. He approached Euclidia and she shoved her hands on her pockets, a merry expression on her face. ¡°Alright! So I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious,¡± she said and gestured back to the cylinder behind her, ¡°This is the Portal Nexus.¡± He looked up at it, ¡°Nexus?¡± ¡°Every active hero has a high precision tracker on them to assist in my work,¡± she said, ¡°There are a few exceptions, like Handmaiden who has a license to use her abilities but is freelance otherwise,¡± she turned to the cylinder, ¡°The Nexus reads their spatial coordinates and with the help of satellite imaging gives me locations where I can create a portal. I can use that same function to find a destination. My ability relies heavily on mathematical computation but with this bad boy I can do minutes of work in a breath,¡± she sighed, ¡°I still have to handle the power load, but the high precision here makes it easier. We¡¯re currently in the process of developing tech that can assist in taking the load and maybe create portals for me, we¡¯ve even got Doctor Carter on the project.¡± He marveled at the machine, ¡°So¡­ it knows where my team is?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± she said brightly and turned, ¡°Nexus! Locate Crusader!¡± The holographic planet spun rapidly before displaying North America, a red dot flashed and a line stretched out of it giving a string of numbers followed by specific details. CRUSADER, ACTIVE HERO, GROWTH-TYPE (EPIC) CURRENT LOCATION: ASTA GUILD, EAST COAST, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK. TARGET IS INSIDE KNOWN STRUCTURE, PORTAL ROOM COORDINATES READY. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a growth type! Cool! I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Euclidia said thoughtfully, ¡°She¡¯s like Nietz then.¡± He turned to her, ¡°Nietz is like Crusader?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh yeah! You guys didn¡¯t get to talk much, you¡¯ll have a chance later,¡± she said, rubbing her neck, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that what doesn¡¯t kill him, makes him stronger.¡± Greg paused, ¡°Thats¡­ Intense.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± she laughed, ¡°Locke has a form of mind control that requires physical contact and Hammond¡­¡± she snorted, ¡°You ever play pocket demons?¡± He squinted at her, ¡°The monster catching game?¡± She pointed at him, ¡°That¡¯s the one!¡± His face went deadpan, ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± She laughed, ¡°His ability is technically Epic-tier but it has a ¡®mythic¡¯ descriptor because there¡¯s no evidence so far that he can¡¯t take control of a mythic creature.¡± ¡°Why Hammond, then, that¡¯s a weird name,¡± He asked. ¡°His ability uses amber,¡± she said and rolled her eyes, ¡°Cinephiles.¡± He raised his eyebrows, getting it, ¡°Oh!¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°So what¡¯s my role?¡± ¡°Well,¡± she said, turning back to the nexus, ¡°Nexus, cancel order,¡± she said before putting her hands on her hips, ¡°You¡¯ll be learning about how we organize strike teams and support the international team. While we do that you¡¯ll learn about how missions are handled and what goes into dealing with a particularly nasty villain when it comes up,¡± she tilted her head, ¡°Finally, you¡¯re going to learn more about your abilities, I have something I¡¯m working on.¡± He blinked at her, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna help me get into the Backrooms,¡± she said with a grin. Chapter 171 UUNS! UUNS! UUNS! The thrumming beat rippled through the building, the base pounding against skin and sending the dancers into a frenzy. Men and women from all walks of life and backgrounds crashed against one another as the light flashed and a multicolored glow washed over them in the otherwise dark chamber. There were screams of laughter, gasps, shouts, and howls of excitement. The stage beyond the dance floor remained empty, a single spotlight hanging down above it as mist poured into the room. Above the stage, a tinted glass wall looked over them, the vague outline of a shape with glowing red eyes could be seen just past it. One of the men in the crowd threw a fist in the air, ¡°Let''s hear it for the Ferryman!¡± The roar in response was deafening. The pair of glowing red eyes didn¡¯t so much as blink, but the head they were attached to nodded once in recognition before turning away from the window. More bodies clashed, more madness ensued, the party kept going as the music began to slow down. A few looked up at the stage expectantly. The same guy that screamed for the Ferryman held a glowing wand over his head, ¡°Tenebra!¡± he shouted. ¡°Te Ne Bra!¡± ¡°TE NE BRA!¡± More joined him. ¡°TE NE BRA! TE NE BRA! TE NE BRA!¡± The chorus grew and grew as more waved glowing wands over their heads, hopping and moshing about here and there. Their chant nearly shook the building until a cloud of black smoke boiled out from just off-stage. The sight of it caused it all to boil over, shrieks and shouts of delight rose to the ceiling as a woman skipped out onto the stage with a microphone in her hand. She wore a short puffy gothic skirt and long black stockings leaving just a bit of exposed skin. Her high heels clacked against the ground as she threw her incredible length of black hair back, her own iridescent red eyes gleaming despite the spotlight that fixated on her. She threw a hand up and waved, ¡°Wassup Villains!¡± She called, ¡°Riding the waves of the Styx?¡± She shouted and held a hand up to her ear. ¡°Drowning in ¡®em!¡± Came a chorus of replies. She threw her head back and laughed, ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about! How many henchies we got in here?¡± She held her hand over her eyes and pretended to scope out the audience. A sizeable number of them roared in response. ¡°Woah!¡± She gasped and held her hands up to her mouth, ¡°Do your bosses know you¡¯re out partying?¡± she asked, feigning shock before cracking a wicked grin, ¡°Solo acts! Sound off!¡± She crowed into the microphone and another rousing shout responded to her, ¡°And where are the heavy hitters? Lets hear those supervillains roar!¡± The whole building shook in response to a gathering of voices that bellowed in greeting. She pretended to stumble back, throwing her hands over her head, ¡°Woah woah woah! There¡¯s a lot of you guys here tonight! I wonder what the occasion is?¡± She asked, tapping her lips, ¡°What could it be!¡± ¡°Top ten! Top ten! TOP TEN!¡± The crowd chanted. She crossed her arms and nodded sagely before spinning and pointing at the wall behind her. The black space burst into life and turned into a live news feed of the Pandora Committee assembly. A number of stuffy people in suits and ties sat at tables speaking quietly to one another with the Chairman¡¯s podium in the background, ¡°That¡¯s right folks! Top ten! New Chairman is revising the roster! Who¡¯s it gonna be?¡± She scanned the crowd, ¡°You all place your bets? Toss those coins! Get that money flowing! The Ferryman is watching!¡± she goaded them, ¡°With the Queen¡¯s Inner Circle quiet these days it¡¯s anyone''s game!¡± She tilted her head and pouted, ¡°I hope Blackrazor doesn¡¯t get pushed out,¡± she said with a wistful sigh, ¡°He¡¯s so edgy,¡± she threw her hand up in a dramatic faint before standing up as the crowd shouted and some even booed. She smirked, ¡°Keep it in your pants boys,¡± she sniffed and strutted across the stage, ¡°Who all thinks Liberty¡¯s gonna get the top spot?¡± More boos, even louder this time. She cupped her ear with her hand and nodded gravely, ¡°Yeah, yeah! I hear you! That bitch has got it comin¡¯ doesn¡¯t she! Who does she think she is?¡± She held her hand up to the side of her mouth conspiratorially as she spoke into the microphone, ¡°Way I hear it, Ishtar herself is gonna place a bounty on that uppity holier-than-thou skank if she pushes her luck any more,¡± she rubbed her fingers together greedily, ¡°That¡¯s some real cash money right there, yeah? Who wants that money?¡± She shouted and held her microphone out to the crowd, they roared in response, stomping their feet. ¡°Well,¡± she turned and pointed to the herself, ¡°Don¡¯t just take it from me!¡± She said and threw her hands out, a wave of black mist washing briefly over the crowd. The roaring and shouting died down. She walked to the edge of the stage and sat down, swinging her legs, ¡°Not just from me, maybe,¡± she swept her gaze over the crowd one more time, ¡°Just maybe, you¡¯d like to hear that kinda thing from the woman herself? Yeah? Yeah!¡± The silence was deafening as everyone stared at her wide eyed, Tenebra sneered, ¡°My boss has a very special guest upstairs right now!¡± She hopped to her feet and threw her hand up to the tinted glass wall that looked down on them, ¡°Let''s hear it for the queen bitch of the underworld! Ishtar!¡± Overhead, a pair of blazing pink eyes stared down through the tinted glass at the crowd and the response was deafening. The next moment all the lights went out, when they came back, Tenebra was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a solitary figure stood on the stage, in person, a dark gleaming helmet on her head with long glowing white hair fluttering out behind her. Her white armor shone in the light that beat down on her. The crowd went deadly quiet as the masked supervillain brought the microphone up to approximately where her mouth would be, ¡°Hello my darlings,¡± she purred and the crowd went wild. She hopped into the air and floated, crossing her legs casually as she seemed to bask in the adoration before speaking again, ¡°Looks like there are some big names in tonight! Is that you over there, Blight?¡± She called and a spotlight shone down on a man sitting on one of the upper levels, he looked youthful with dark hair and steely eyes. He nodded solemnly and raised a hand in greeting. She pivoted and pointed to another part of the other level, ¡°And my friend Erebus is here too!¡± she said delightedly and another spotlight shone down, the dark skinned supervillain¡¯s body glittering like gold-dust as he rested his chin on his palm and winked at everyone who looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t see Passage anywhere, you all don¡¯t think he got arrested do you?¡± She asked and the crowd booed, ¡°I don¡¯t think so either,¡± she tittered out a laugh, ¡°That guy¡¯s elusive isn¡¯t he? Drastic didn¡¯t show up! Oh well, his loss,¡± she snickered before lowering her arms and growing serious, ¡°And we all know why Masque and August aren¡¯t here,¡± she said before lowering herself back to the stage as the crowd grew quiet. ¡°We villains operate with rules,¡± she said, ¡°Some of those rules we make up for ourselves,¡± quipped and the crowd chuckled, ¡°We have goals, ambitions, you run around like a maniac rocking the boat and pissing off the Committee and that causes problems for all of us, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She pointed at a random villain in the crowd, ¡°Ripsaw! I heard the PC presence has been getting tight over in South Africa, that right?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The spotlight shone down on a burly man with enormous hands and a bald head that scowled up at her, he raised his voice, ¡°Yeah! Some idiot went and attacked a hero guild directly now they¡¯re swarming all over the place, business is tight!¡± She nodded, ¡°Damn shame, come see me later, we¡¯ll talk options,¡± she said and turned to another, ¡°Europe¡¯s been swarming with heroes ever since those camps ended, haven¡¯t they, Sconce? These kids are tough!¡± A rail-thin man with flames for eyes clenched his fists, ¡°They just came outta nowhere!¡± The spotlight came back to her, ¡°That¡¯s right, more heroes and they aren¡¯t like the first generation. They¡¯re trained, powerful even if some of their tiers aren¡¯t that high,¡± she pointed to everyone in the crowd, ¡°It¡¯s because people like Liberty are running around making a mess of things. If one of those dungeons goes off, it isn¡¯t just the heroes and public who have to deal with it, right? We gotta deal with the monsters too!¡± A roar of agreement responded to her and she nodded to them all, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s bad for business and what are we in the business of making?¡± ¡°Money!¡± The crowd responded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right,¡± she said, ¡°So here''s the deal,¡± she said and feigned holding out her hand to shake with everyone, ¡°War¡¯s coming, her attack on the camps means it''s inevitable, she¡¯s started something that won¡¯t end until either she or the committee are left standing,¡± she tilted her head, ¡°So I figure we villains put our hands on the scale, what do you say?¡± A rousing shout of approval was her answer and she waved a hand, words and numbers appearing in the air, ¡°Destroy a cell of her group? One hundred thousand. Destroy a branch compound? One million. Destroy a major compound? Fifty million. Put down one of her henchmen, those ¡®Round Table¡¯ members?¡± she paused for dramatic effect, ¡°Two hundred and fifty million.¡± The roar started but she held up her hand, ¡°Wait! Wait! I¡¯m not done!¡± They all went silent and looked at one another, ¡°I want her humiliated,¡± she said, ¡°We¡¯ll soften her up for the war with the heroes and let them do the heavy lifting on her main camp. No need risking ourselves, right?¡± she chuckled, ¡°But!¡± she floated into the air, ¡°If you get a chance to grab her alive and bring her to me,¡± she clenched her fist, ¡°One billion is yours,¡± she gestured towards the portion of the Styx where most villains made purchases for gear. ¡°There¡¯s a contract waiting so you can get your money right away on completion of a task. Sound like fun, darlings?¡± ¡°ISH-TAR! ISH-TAR! ISH-TAR! ISH-TAR!¡± As the deafening cries of excitement died down she raised the mic to her helmet one last time, ¡°I know she¡¯s got ears here,¡± she said, ¡°I want her to know,¡± she tilted her head, ¡°You asked if what you did was bad for business, Liberty. Here¡¯s my answer. You¡¯re not just at war with the heroes now, the villains are after you as well. Good luck!¡± She threw her head back and laughed wildly before turning towards the rear of the stage, ¡°Tenebra, they¡¯re all yours dear!¡± With that she vanished into a flash of light. Tenebra hurried out onto the stage and caught the microphone suspended in the air for her before letting out a shaky breath, ¡°W-woah!¡± she gasped into the mic, ¡°One Billion! If there was any questions about whether or not Ishtar was pissed, there¡¯s your answer! Now! With all that excitement! It¡¯s about time now isn¡¯t it!¡± She said and took a few confident steps to the side, gesturing to the screen, ¡°The Committee has begun the vote! All bets are closed! It¡¯s time ladies and gentlemen!¡± The crowd cheered and grew quiet as the volume rose on the screen. A woman in a dark suit with thick glasses stepped out to stand behind the podium. She had a steely gaze that she cast over the entire room. She brushed her dark bob haircut back over an ear and began to speak, ¡°Welcome, Leaders and Representatives of our new Heroic Age. Today we call into order a session of the Pandora Committee. This is the first gathering of its kind since the attack on our first meeting and the death of the previous Chairman. I''d ask for a moment of silence as we prepare ourselves for what we must discuss.¡± Silence reigned on the screen as the villains in the crowd spoke among themselves, the new Chairman straightened her shoulders, ¡°As is right and proper I want to thank those who made today possible. We have reorganized the holding structure of the International Team and it is now based out of this very building. This structure is now one of the safest in the world,¡± she continued, ¡°All national representatives are present, this committee also recognizes the presence of several heads and representatives of the various support organizations from across the globe. According to our charter, they are here in a capacity to provide advice and submit proposals only.¡± She nodded to a few people off screen, ¡°With that, may this session of the Grand Pandora Committee begin.¡± ¡°Our first order of business is the assessment of exigent threat levels amongst the villains of the world, in the past we held a vote during these sessions and discussed additions and changes. These can be reassessed during the open portion of this committee, however, in the months between the last session and this one, we have ratified a new process. The most wanted will be verified by international poll and submitted ahead of time,¡± she said before looking at the gathered representatives, ¡°Are all representatives present satisfied with their choices?¡± A chorus of ayes followed many of the representatives tapping a button on their desks. She glanced down at her own podium and waited several moments before nodding. ¡°The ayes have it, it is unanimous. We will proceed with the updated listing as chosen during the out-of-session ballot,¡± she said, ¡°The most notable change shall be the placement of the Supervillain, Liberty, in the position of most wanted. Her crimes against the public, humanity, and the pandora committee in general are unconscionable. She has declared responsibility for the assassination of my predecessor and sent a strike force against one of the hero training camps. With her growing organization and the dangers posed by her own powers, we have no choice but to prioritize her arrest over any other.¡± ¡°Following her,¡± she continued, ¡°These adjustments have been made¡­¡± With her words a list appeared on the screen and the night-club exploded with noise. 1 - LIBERTY Updated: Crimes against humanity, attacking government facilities, murder, war crimes, assassination, terrorism, high villainy. 2 - THE COMPANION 3 - SPICE KING EREBUS Updated: Sedition, warmongering, acts of war, high villainy, open rebellion against a sovereign state. 4 - SIR HALLOWAY Updated: Capable of interfering with the Pandora Committee Portal Network. Assassination. Direct subordinate of Liberty. 5 - KERAUNA Updated: Identified. Previously: Unknown Electrical-type Mythic. 6 - BLACKRAZOR 7 - BLIGHT 8 - KINGSHARK 9 - ARCHON Updated: Human Experimentation, murder, high villainy, grand larceny, terrorism. 10 - BLACK SONG TENEBRA Updated: Encouraging acts of villainy, high villainy, murder, instigation of riots, terrorism, direct connection to the villain underworld leadership. The shouts and laughter rang out throughout the club as money exchanged hands and a few ran up to the betting counter to either claim winnings or beg for mercy. Tenebra stared at the screen, shocked. She turned on her heel and stomped her feet, glaring at the crowd, ¡°Oooh! I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you guys stream my concerts!¡± She whined. "The boss is gonna be so mad!" Above the writhing mass that was the dancefloor of the Styx, Ishtar looked down with Charon at her side. Behind her helmet, she smiled. I¡¯m coming for you, Liberty. Chapter 172 Ishtar turned away from the glass and with a thought the cooling system inside the helmet began to wind down, a low hiss of pressure releasing came out of it. She rolled her neck and reached up to touch it, the helmet suddenly turning a sharp shade of blue before dissolving into millions of tiny cubes of blue light. They scattered in the air, returning to her storage space. She reached up and tossed her hair out, sighing as she enjoyed the taste of the air before turning her attention to the room around her. The ¡®Oversight Lounge¡¯ as Charon called it, was where he met with villains the world over. There, with the help of her contracts and sometimes Colin himself, he made deals on her behalf or for his own benefit. Charon stood next to her, leaning on his wicked cane. His milky white eyes had a faint reddish light within them. He¡¯s growing stronger. His appearance had changed once again compared to the last time she¡¯d seen him. Before he had a slightly darker jaw stitched on using his grafting ability as well as jet-black skinned forearms and hands. Now a portion of the upper-right side of his face had been removed and replaced with slightly lighter skin than his own grayscale. Sonya snorted in the back of her mind. He¡¯s starting to look like a panda. Ishtar smirked. He does, doesn¡¯t he? Charon raised an eyebrow and read her face for a moment before reaching up to touch the stitched on flesh, ¡°Like it? Came from a defensive ability user.¡± ¡°Did it now?¡± she asked, ¡°Anyone I know?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Charon said with a shrug, ¡°She was an up-and-comer who got a little too big for her britches, and tried to steal one of my cabs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s inadvisable,¡± Ishtar commented with a laugh, ¡°Is the ability a good one?¡± ¡°My skin can now take on a rubber-like quality and reflect most blunt strikes and even bullets, to a degree. Post-pandora arms are not on that list, unfortunately. Every little bit helps, though,¡± he said casually, tapping his cane against the floor. He shifted his gaze towards the door, ¡°Tenebra is here.¡± Ishtar pursed her lips as a flickering static swept over her face, blurring her visage. Charon and the other people in the room were more than permitted to see what she really looked like. Tenebra had not yet earned that favor and her habits were making it difficult to trust her with such sensitive information. ¡°She¡¯s new,¡± Ishtar said as the augmented reality settled, the illusion fully distorting her features for those she didn¡¯t want to see. It wasn¡¯t as imposing as the mask, but it would do for this conversation. ¡°I heard she suddenly appeared in Australia and started stirring the pot.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Charon said, glancing again at the door and cracking an amused smile, ¡°She¡¯s impatient, brash, and more than anything, wholly untested on the level that we are at. Yet she¡¯s managed to make quite a name for herself. Her ability is strong and quite similar to Blackrazor¡¯s.¡± Someone scoffed off to the side and the two of them turned to see Blackrazor sitting on one of the couches next to a very calm but pale middle aged woman with dark brown hair clinging to a luxurious purse. He tilted his head, ¡°She is a rabble rouser, not a killer.¡± ¡°Not always mutually exclusive, you¡¯d do well to keep that opinion to yourself when she comes in. She¡¯s a bit of a fan of yours,¡± Charon pointed out patiently before turning back to Ishtar, off to the side, Blackrazor frowned and looked away, ¡°I saw value in her ability and popularity and reached out. She¡¯s become quite the asset and has brought more and more business to the Styx. I¡¯m going to have to expand soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll work on relocating you, I have something in mind for the future, do what you can with the space you have for now,¡± Ishtar said. We do? I do. Are you going to elaborate? No. It¡¯s not pressing and you need to focus on Liberty. We¡¯ll get there, I¡¯m sure. Tch. Fine! Fine! Fair enough. Ishtar kept her expression plain even as she sighed inwardly. There was only so much she could share with Sonya without distracting her. It felt at times that Ishtar had taken all of the focus from her, she was always eager to jump into the next big thing. It just wasn¡¯t practical. She was learning, though, and steadily smoothing out the wrinkles in her personality that had developed as a result of her trauma and their schism. In front of her, Charon nodded, ¡°I appreciate it,¡± he said and gestured to the door before schooling an expression of frustration onto his face. It wasn¡¯t real, but it was good enough. The door opened and Tenebra swept inside looking flustered. She crossed her arms, ¡°Why make me wait boss? I-¡± she froze as she took in the room, her eyes first landing on Ishtar¡¯s blurred visage. ¡°No helmet. Got it,¡± she murmured before looking at the others in the room. Besides Ishtar and Charon there were four people present. Blackrazor sat next to Bernetta Lucci, the European head of Ishtar¡¯s ¡®club¡¯. It was an organization of those who had made deals with her to ensure their own wealth and privilege during this new time. In exchange, they heeded her requests when she wanted something done in the region. A shadow government of sorts. On the other couch sat a sandy-blonde haired man in a shiny suit. His legs were crossed comfortably and an easy smile spread across his face. Prichard Earl, the North American head of Ishtar¡¯s ¡®club¡¯. She¡¯d recruited him during her visit to Vegas on that fateful day when her personality crystallized into something distinct from Sonya¡¯s. Next to Prichard was Cass, or rather, Taurus. She wore her blonde hair back in thick braids and her body was covered in an elastic leather-like armor that Amos had developed to adapt to her size-changing ability. Her face was concealed by a domino mask and a small respirator over her mouth. ¡°Oh,¡± Tenebra murmured, ¡°You uh¡­ you got some names here.¡± ¡°We do,¡± Ishtar said, her illusory abilities changing the pitch and timbre of her voice to disguise it, ¡°Sit down Tenebra, you¡¯re joining us for this meeting.¡± ¡°See it as an opportunity still being extended to you despite somehow ending up on the Pandora Committee¡¯s radar in spite my best efforts, no doubt,¡± Charon said, his voice pleasant but laced with deadly warning. Tenebra winced but nodded, ¡°R-right, sorry sir,¡± she cleared her throat before meeting Blackrazor¡¯s eyes. She swallowed hard, ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± he said flatly, ¡°Sit. The Mistress has given you instructions. Follow them.¡± Tenebra jumped at the whip-crack in his voice and hurried to sit at one of the free spots, to the opposite side of Bernetta Lucci who actually relaxed a little at her presence. ¡°That is a beautiful dress,¡± Bernetta said politely. ¡°I think I designed a similar one when I was a girl.¡± Tenebra brightened at the compliment while Ishtar stepped over to the last remaining couch and sat down. Across from her Blackrazor leaned forward a bit and met her gaze, ¡°Companion?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I have her working on something for me back home,¡± Ishtar said casually as Charon walked up to sit down next to her, grinning ear to ear. ¡°We settled back in after our trip yesterday. Though we¡¯ll be going back out soon enough. I have some rumors to address.¡± Blackrazor tilted his head before his eyebrows rose, ¡°The Cult in Japan.¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± Ishtar said with a nod, ¡°If they can be turned into a useful blade against Liberty I want to draw on them sooner rather than later,¡± she paused and clenched a fist, ¡°If they¡¯re more trouble than they¡¯re worth, I will need to deal with them. I do not want such an organization sullying my name.¡± ¡°Prudent,¡± Prichard finally spoke up, ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡± ¡°How are things with the North American club, Prichard?¡± she asked, turning to him. He grinned, ¡°Profitable, as always. We¡¯ve inducted a few new members and are getting closer to one of our goals,¡± he said, ¡°I have a meeting with Dimitri Weller next week.¡± Ishtar smirked, ¡°Good, set up a meeting for me. I¡¯d like to speak with the Senator as well and perhaps give my endorsement afterwards. What about Canada and Mexico?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve made headway up north, down south it¡¯s a bit more complicated,¡± he said, ¡°Apparently they have a guardian angel who is more than happy to work outside the law to protect pretty much everything south of the US border with impunity.¡± ¡°Drastic,¡± Charon grumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you send Colin and Kera to negotiate with him?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Ishtar said with a frown, ¡°You make it sound like he¡¯s a rogue patriot.¡± ¡°He is, this is new information. He doesn¡¯t take kindly to outsiders trying to influence his homeland,¡± Prichard said, ¡°The various nations of that region have a tacit agreement with him but have been forced to acknowledge his existence. Hence his position on the Pandora Committee most wanted list.¡± Ishtar clicked her tongue before glancing towards Bernetta, ¡°Any updates on your end?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve sifted through the locations on that list you provided us,¡± Bernetta said, ¡°None of them appear to have the potential to become such a potent mana hotspot, but we¡¯ll keep looking. Are you sure its in Europe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, keep searching. When that mythic dungeon manifests in the future I want it under lock and key. Only those who I say can enter will ever be allowed inside. I¡¯ll complete it myself if I must,¡± Ishtar said cooly, ¡°I am quite confident in my prediction of what¡¯s inside.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll redouble our efforts,¡± Bernetta said, ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ve completed expanding the club to the remaining members of the Union and the UK. The only outlier is the President of the Commission who is a bit of a moral paragon. If you truly want Europe, you¡¯re going to have to go through him. Since the flash, the Commission has held even more sway than the member nations. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if more unifying agreements are proposed in the future.¡± ¡°You think he has the clout to pull that kind of thing off?¡± Ishtar asked. ¡°I think that both sides of the aisle respect him and there¡¯s a movement in Europe right now towards consolidation out of a desire for self-defense,¡± Bernetta said, ¡°If it becomes one of his platforms, he might be one of the only people who can do it.¡± ¡°Find out his real position on it,¡± Ishtar said before glancing towards Blackrazor, ¡°Have your people look into him and his political rivals. We¡¯ll support him rather than tear him down. A unified Europe will be easier to direct.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Blackrazor said with a nod. ¡°Now onto the primary reason I¡¯ve gathered you all here,¡± Ishtar said and leaned back to cross her legs, ¡°Liberty.¡± ¡°That bounty will put her into a tight position,¡± Prichard said with a grin, ¡°She¡¯ll-¡± ¡°No it won¡¯t,¡± A raspy voice cut him off. He turned, surprised, and looked at the girl who had been sitting silently next to him. Her arms were crossed and her gaze was steady as she looked straight at Ishtar. ¡°It¡¯ll only annoy her. Something¡¯s changed as well, she¡¯s acting differently and taking measured action.¡± Prichard frowned at Taurus, ¡°Explain.¡± Taurus shot him a withering look and he cleared his throat but she spoke anyway, ¡°Her ability has a lot of facets to it that people aren¡¯t aware of. I¡¯ve seen the things she can do. Most of the functions of her ability she doesn¡¯t bother to use since it doesn¡¯t empower her. That¡¯s changed and so it¡¯s become relevant,¡± she sighed and leaned back, looking at the others. ¡°You¡¯re aware that she can create agents like the Round Table as well as provide temporary power boosts to those who follow her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the recordings from the raid, yes,¡± Blackrazor said, ¡°I¡¯ve been studying them thoroughly,¡± he frowned, ¡°She crossed a line with the Night Society that I fully intend to avenge.¡± The others nodded as well and Taurus continued, ¡°The first time her ability manifested there was only one person who truly idolized her at the time,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°Her little sister.¡± Tenebra, who had been sitting in silence for most of the meeting sat up, ¡°How would you-¡± Taurus shot her a glare and the idol-turned-supervillain blinked before her eyes widened, ¡°Oh¡­ Interesting.¡± Ishtar glanced towards Tenebra, ¡°We¡¯re going to have to talk after this, Tenebra,¡± Ishtar said flatly and Tenebra paled but nodded. Ishtar turned back to Taurus, ¡°Continue, Taurus.¡± ¡°Her little sister was strengthened by Liberty¡¯s ability as you might expect. She wasn¡¯t even an adult yet and still she possessed physical strength comparable to a fighter well above her weight class at the time. Anyone who idolizes her experiences this,¡± Taurus explained. ¡°We know that much,¡± Charon said, ¡°What about the juicy bits?¡± ¡°Her ability is thematic,¡± Taurus said, ¡°She can designate places and objects to ¡®represent¡¯ her. She rarely uses this function but she can effectively declare a building or area as hers and as long as no one contests it, that place or object will take on unusual properties. They don¡¯t do her any good personally, but those who follow her will experience it.¡± ¡°Do you have an example?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°You explained this to me earlier but I¡¯d like the others to understand what we¡¯re dealing with.¡± ¡°She gave her sister a shirt and reminded her that it was ¡®her property¡¯ after her awakening. For a while, nothing happened. A week later, wearing the shirt gave her sister minor self-healing. Liberty is an abuser, though, and confiscated the shirt once she understood what was happening in order to continue torturing her little sister,¡± she said, her voice dripping with hate. ¡°Like a battle standard,¡± Blackrazor said and the others looked at him. He cleared his throat and looked askance for a moment before sighing, ¡°There are video games where one can field armies. In them, a unit carrying the faction¡¯s battle standard can project a strengthening aura of sorts to those in its area of effect,¡± he paused and turned to her, ¡°I assume that buildings and places declared as hers also develop properties like this?¡± ¡°Yes, though she has more control over those than the ¡®standards¡¯ as you call them,¡± Taurus said flatly, ¡°She created a room at the main compound that maximizes discomfort and suffering to those inside.¡± ¡°So declarations of loyalty to her are only half of her ability,¡± Ishtar mused, ¡°The other half is dedicated towards strengthening things under her protection or that she sees as belonging to her,¡± she turned to face Taurus, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention this facet before?¡± ¡°Liberty said that she would never use that facet of her ability since it didn¡¯t benefit her personally, she saw it as a useless thing to strengthen that which she could just replace,¡± Taurus said as she clenched her fists. ¡°Now, with her behavior changing and her focus turning inward with a lot of construction happening in the places she controls, it¡¯s the only conclusion I can come to as to what she¡¯s doing. Even so, I don¡¯t know how much she¡¯ll lean on it, or if she does, how long that will last,¡± Taurus crossed her arms and looked away, ¡°She finds that kind of thing tiresome.¡± ¡°So her forces will be exponentially more powerful if they fight on home soil, so long as she bothers to lean into that facet of her ability,¡± Prichard said with a frown before his eyes widened, he looked up at Ishtar, ¡°The bounty. That¡¯s a contest of her territory and people. Something she will have to constantly defend against in order to maintain the growth she¡¯s trying to foster.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°The villains won¡¯t be of any use taking her down directly, but they can be turned to cripple whatever she¡¯s attempting to do. Ultimately we will have to ensure the heroes have the resources and numbers necessary to deal with her themselves when the time comes. It¡¯s better to be prepared in case she decides to lean on this function.¡± ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s time to add new regions to the club, the more the merrier, yes?¡± Beretta asked. Ishtar turned to her and smiled, ¡°If all goes well in Japan, that¡¯s exactly what I intend to do.¡± Chapter 173 The office that Charon had set aside for Ishtar when she was visiting the Styx was, for lack of a better word, dramatic. The room was made entirely out of an almost luminous white marble, from floor to ceiling, giving it the illusion of being an isolated void. The door leading into the room was set in seamlessly so that when it shut behind her it emphasized the isolating effect. Within the room was another one of the mana-crystal based computers that had been created by Amos. The original being located at her office at the beach house in Maui. The two were connected which made it easy enough for her to catch up where she left off if need be. The mount for the computer rested on a jet-black desk made of a similar reinforced stone to the walls. The only other pieces of furniture in the room were three chairs. Two sitting in front of the desk and one behind it. Ishtar watched Tenebra leave the room through the hidden door, her gait a little shaky as she departed. She¡¯d made a very frank deal with the young woman to ensure that no identities related to the inner circle were revealed, even by accident. Her primary concern being Cass, of course, a few well placed illusions was more than enough to conceal her own identity from the girl but Ishtar preferred to be thorough. She looked down at her desk and relaxed a little, reclining in the chair only to glance up again when a chime rang announcing someone outside. A quick use of Astral Eye confirmed that it was Taurus, ¡°Enter.¡± The door opened of its own accord and Taurus stepped inside, looking around the room. The young villainess removed the respirator mask from her jaw before she looked back to Ishtar and tilted her head, ¡°It¡¯s rather empty in here, Mistress.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like distractions,¡± Ishtar said flatly before gesturing to the chair across from her. Taurus accepted the invitation to sit and Ishtar dismissed the illusions covering her face. She rest her hands in her lap and met Ishtar¡¯s gaze, ¡°Sonya loves them.¡± ¡°Yes, she does. Diversions are her favorite past-time and tactic,¡± Ishtar chuckled. Hey now. Sonya grumbled. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°Did you want to speak with her? We¡¯ve become rather apt at switching back and forth,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t without strain, of course, it felt taxing if they did it regularly or if Ishtar stayed in control for too long. It was part of the reason why she wanted to keep this visit to the Styx brief. As powerful as Sonya¡¯s body was, there were places where she came up short. Taurus smiled and reached up to touch the domino mask over her eyes. Her hand slid down her face and she rested her hands in her lap, ¡°I¡¯ll have plenty of time when we go back to New York. I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting the trip here as soon as she picked me up,¡± she fidgeted, ¡°I wanted to talk to you about a few things. I mean, I understand that you¡¯re both- oh,¡± she sighed. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ishtar said and waved a hand dismissively, ¡°What did you want to talk about, Taurus?¡± Taurus cleared her throat and sat up straight, meeting Ishtar¡¯s gaze, ¡°I want to help.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I know I¡¯ve been playing the Hero role, but I really want to assist you in my capacity as Taurus. I feel like I¡¯ve been sitting on my hands when it comes to this,¡± she gestured around herself. Playing, she says. Sonya chimed in with a snort. Ishtar searched the girl''s face. Sonya¡¯s comment was apt, Ishtar hadn¡¯t seen the girl more passionate and genuinely happy than when she was with her hero friends. It felt like tainting something precious to allow her to do any Villain work, which was why she was refraining. Her lips formed a thin line and she crossed her arms, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You should enjoy the freedom you have.¡± Taurus shook her head, ¡°No. I need to do this,¡± she said, her tone firm. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I owe you,¡± Taurus said before frowning and shaking her head, ¡°No, It¡¯s more than that. I don¡¯t really understand everything that¡¯s going on and why you and Sonya are doing what you¡¯re doing. I remember the meeting and I get that we¡¯re trying to keep the world safe by being the bad guys,¡± she said and clenched her fists, ¡°But that¡¯s exactly why. If I can do some of the dirty work that the heroes can¡¯t or won¡¯t do. I want to.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Sounds more like you want to be a Vigilante.¡± ¡°Is that an option?¡± Taurus asked. Ishtar narrowed her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Not in any way that would be useful to me.¡± Taurus¡¯ shoulders sagged, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Taurus, if I give you free reign to cause mischief in New York, how likely would it be that you ran into your hero friends? Would they not notice your appearances and Cassiopeia Hanks¡¯ disappearances?¡± Ishtar asked pointedly, ¡°You¡¯re rather close to them, especially with Crusader. She cares about you and by that very measure she is conscious of you. The young woman also possesses a growing capacity to sense mana and may eventually develop a way to sense specific mana signatures. Your identity would be at significant risk.¡± Taurus froze, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that put you in danger too?¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Hardly,¡± she held out a hand and turned it over, a glowing white vine growing on it. ¡°I can distort my signature if necessary. Though I have to do it consciously. Which is why I keep my appearances to a minimum,¡± she set her hand down on the desk and the vine dissolved. She took a breath, ready to dismiss the topic entirely when she met the girls eyes. Taurus held her gaze unflinchingly, her fists clenched, her jaw tight. Ishtar frowned and then let out a sigh, ¡°You¡¯re not going to let this go, are you?¡± Taurus seemed to muster her courage before shaking her head, ¡°No mistress, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I am planning on asking Charon to borrow Tenebra soon, I need her unique skill set for a blow against Liberty in the future. It may be in a few months, but I can pair you off with her as a presumed bodyguard,¡± she paused and looked her over, ¡°We¡¯ll have to update your outfit first, though, the placeholder gear you have now won¡¯t cut it.¡± Taurus blinked and looked down at herself, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my gear?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have enough flair,¡± Ishtar said with a grin, ¡°Something to remember, for a supervillain, presentation is important.¡± Taurus squinted at her, ¡°Sounds like something Sonya would say.¡± ¡°We are the same person, after all,¡± Ishtar laughed before crossing her legs and leaning back, ¡°Well? It would require some deception on your part as well as some travel via my teleportation ability. It could be made to work though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that Tenebra lady,¡± Taurus rumbled, ¡°Her vibe just puts me off and she seems bossy.¡± ¡°Do you want the job or not?¡± Ishtar asked pointedly, her tone laced with warning. Taurus stiffened, ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am! Mistress! Sorry.¡± Ishtar quirked her lip, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯d be in charge anyway.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Taurus asked. ¡°You¡¯re in my inner circle with Charon. She is Charon¡¯s henchman,¡± Ishtar said pointedly, ¡°There¡¯s a clear hierarchy here. I encourage you to enforce it if necessary,¡± she added with a small smile.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. She annoyed you and now you¡¯re feeling petty, Sonya laughed, That¡¯s hilarious! Oh hush, Ishtar shot back. Taurus mulled it over before breaking into a smile and nodding, ¡°I¡¯ll handle whatever you need, mistress.¡± ¡°Good girl,¡± Ishtar said with a nod, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the result will be an important piece in undermining Liberty¡¯s strength, that I can guarantee you. Defeating that woman is more complicated than knocking down her doors and taking her out, as you know. Every step is crucial.¡± Taurus¡¯ expression hardened, ¡°All the more reason for me to accept.¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°You had something else?¡± Taurus paused as if she¡¯d forgotten what else she wanted to talk about. She blinked before clearing her throat, ¡°Do you think everything will be okay with Mephisto?¡± she asked and reached up to play with her hair, her cheeks reddened a little and she looked down at her lap, ¡°I- He¡¯s always nice to me and he was the first one of the Inner Circle I got to know. I didn¡¯t really understand how I felt until I bonded with um¡­¡± ¡°The Heroes?¡± Ishtar finished for her. ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± Ishtar leaned back in her seat, ¡°I think you might be underestimating dear Mephisto, Taurus. When we awakened his ability we gave him some physical enhancement abilities as well. This was before we were capable of merging powers so they¡¯re still separate. He likes it that way, though, apparently.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to have them merged?¡± Taurus asked, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. From what I understand that would make a much more powerful ability for him to use more fluidly.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Certainly, I¡¯ve broached the topic with him several times, he¡¯s refused categorically.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He says it¡¯s more fun this way.¡± ¨C Mephisto stood in front of the cave entrance. It was a looming opening in the side of a cliff face that towered far overhead. He glanced up at the damp, dripping ceiling and the rock formations hanging like swords over the interior. It looked like a maw of some kind. He sniffed, ¡°Melodramatic,¡± he muttered dismissively before turning his head back to the portion of path that he¡¯d cleared out with his abilities. ¡°Grow,¡± he commanded and nature responded to his word of power, the space that had been decimated by his ability quickly beginning to regrow fresh plantlife in order to cover their path. ¡°I hate caves,¡± Kera muttered. ¡°I hate jungles,¡± Mephisto replied. ¡°This mission sucks,¡± Kera grunted, shoving her hands into her pockets. ¡°You want to tell Ishtar that?¡± Mephisto asked with a frown in her direction. ¡°Hell no,¡± Kera laughed and strolled towards the cave, ¡°Y¡¯know, it kinda looks like a real big mouth or something. You think Drastic picked it because of that?¡± ¡°Did the man with the dragon-themed mythic ability pick a cave in the middle of a jungle that looks like a giant open maw as his lair on purpose? Is that what you¡¯re asking?¡± Mephisto said flatly, following her inside and brushing his skirt off. She glanced his way, ¡°Well when you put it that way, it makes my question sound stupid,¡± she said which drew a snort from him as he walked past her. She stopped and clenched her fists, stomping her feet, ¡°I oughta fry you like a chicken!¡± ¡°We can play later, Kera, we have business!¡± he called back to her before letting out a weary sigh, ¡°I hope this guy¡¯s actual residence isn¡¯t as depressing as the rest of this place,¡± he grumbled, ¡°I need a comfy chair, maybe some wine,¡± he paused, ¡°Oh¡­ and some steak,¡± he glanced back at her, ¡°How do you have your steak, Kera?¡± She trudged along behind him as the dim interior fell over their heads. The air was more humid inside than it was outside but it was at the very least cooler. The faint sound of dripping water echoed around them as Kera considered him, ¡°Don¡¯t really care as long as it¡¯s cooked,¡± she shrugged. He frowned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you Italian?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not all foodies,¡± she scoffed, ¡°That¡¯s a stereotype.¡± ¡°Says the woman who spent half the walk over talking about different kinds of fruit pastry,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°Pastries are different!¡± she shot back. ¡°Uhuh,¡± he shook his head before holding up a finger, ¡°I have mine medium rare with a balsamic reduction and crumbled blue cheese, has to have a good crust too of course,¡± he said, ¡°Pair it with a red wine, something expensive.¡± ¡°All that effort, just eat a burger or something,¡± she said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s called class, you spark plug,¡± he sniped, weaving between a few natural columns, ¡°Maybe you¡¯d have an easier time teasing out a bit more interest from Blackrazor if you had some. He¡¯s the youngest among us and probably has a thing for mature older women if I had to guess. Emphasis on mature.¡± She rolled her eyes as she stepped over a low ledge, ¡°Like I want to hear that from you, Captain Dictionary,¡± she shot back, ¡°I¡¯ve heard things I wish I¡¯d never heard while we were all staying at the Styx. Ugh, you and Amos are so noisy. Makes it impossible to sleep.¡± He spluttered and rounded on her, ¡°Capt- what?¡± She grinned at him, ¡°You heard me.¡± ¡°N o i s y.¡± The voice was like a rumble that shook the entire cavern. Slow and deliberate, a deep terrible thrum that penetrated the spirit and shook the mind. Mephisto and Kerauna stopped their bickering to look around. Kera¡¯s fingers sparked with electricity and Mephisto held up a hand to forestall her. He put on his most merry smile, ¡°Well hello!¡± He called, ¡°I assume I¡¯m speaking with Drastic?¡± ¡°W h y?¡± ¡°Why¡­ are we here?¡± He asked and tilted his head, ¡°Didn¡¯t we arrange a meeting?¡± he paused and then brought his hand up to his chest, ¡°Apologies, sir. I am Mephisto, the representative of Ishtar and this is Kerauna, the Master Bolt and another member of the Villain Queen¡¯s inner circle. We¡¯re here to talk!¡± ¡°L e a v e.¡± Mephisto kept the frown from crossing his features, ¡°Now, mister Drastic. I understand if you might be a little groggy, perhaps we woke you, for that I apologize. However, today is the scheduled day of our meeting and you did agree through your agents to talk, correct?¡± ¡°W h o?¡± Mephisto narrowed his eyes, ¡°Who? The agent? It was Davi Campos.¡± ¡°H e w i l l d i e.¡± Kera shifted on her feet, ¡°I think that Davi guy didn¡¯t let his boss know we were coming.¡± Mephisto schooled his face into a veneer of calm, ¡°You think?¡± he said through gritted teeth before clearing his throat, ¡°Well, It would seem that your contact might not be very reliable. That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Mephisto said with conciliatory grace, he pulled his long hair back over his ear and brandished his best smile, ¡°Even so, since we¡¯re here, wouldn¡¯t you like the opportunity to chat a bit? Ishtar is very interested in you and would like to provide you with support if-¡± ¡°E N O U G H!¡± The voice bellowed and just like that, the air went very, very still. Mephisto paused and squinted into the darkness only to feel the air begin to move past him, drawing inward and towards the depths of the cavern. The air flow picked up until it was literally ruffling his hair. His lips formed a thin line and he glanced over at Kera, ¡°Looks like somebody¡¯s a bad host.¡± ¡°We did come uninvited,¡± Kera said with a shrug. He squinted at her, ¡°Who¡¯s side are you on? ¡°Mistress¡¯, obviously, you I can take or leave,¡± she quipped before her eyes narrowed and she took a step forward, moving in and positioning herself ahead of him despite her words, ¡°Here it comes, stay behind me,¡± she said, her jaw setting. Mephisto felt it a few seconds after she did, an intense heat that began to build from the interior of the cavern. It was joined with a red-orange glow that ripped through the darkness. Mephisto let out a sigh and shook his head as the roar of fire approached them, ¡°Oh well,¡± he muttered, ¡°Mistress will be disappointed, but what can you do?¡± he said with a shrug as flames poured over them. An ocean of fire that filled every inch of the cavern. It seared everything, burning the stone beneath their feet and ripping through everything it touched. He cleared his throat, ¡°Extinguish.¡± ¨C The flames roiled throughout the cavern, filling it, every tunnel, every surface, scoring all life from within. There were no screams, there never were, there was only an instantaneous and infinitely painful death. The massive shape that dwelled inside shifted only slightly, its eyes lidded with drowsiness. Gnats. Drastic thought dismissively, his eyes starting to close. This is my land. Outsiders were not welcome in his homeland, so many had come from far away places to disturb and manipulate, control. It was because of them that there was so much to fix, so many to kill, so much to do. He was tired. The air shifted and his eyes drifted back open. Hm? The air picked up in speed and he came fully alert, his enormous head shifting inside of his comfortable resting place. He could not see the cavern entrance from where he was, but he could feel his flames starting to die. Too quick. That was when the flames that filled the passage in front of him, the one that led to the rest of the cave system, were snuffed out like the light of a candle. He blinked slowly and then his eyes bulged. My dragon flames were¡­ snuffed out? ¡°Draaaaaasttiiiiiic. That was a no no!¡± Chapter 174 BOOOOM! The earth shook and rocks were thrown into the air, boulders the size of cars hurtling through the air as the cliff exploded. The wind whipped past Mephisto¡¯s ears whilst he completed his backflip, landing on one of the hurtling rocks and looking down at the crater that had been left behind. He adjusted his tie and grinned. Not far away, sparks of electricity crackled in the air before a bolt of lightning zipped onto another stone. He watched the crater grow more and more distant, a massive shape crawling out of it. A pair of wings with a span comparable to that of a commercial airliner spread out amidst the rubble. ¡°Ho ho! He¡¯s mad!¡± Mephisto laughed. The green-scaled thing had a powerful body that looked vaguely reminiscent of a feline¡¯s in structure but that¡¯s where the comparisons ended. It had a long neck with a massive triangle-shaped head and jaw filled with razor sharp teeth. Its thick tail swept up and down in a sharp movement that crushed stone behind it and gave it enough upward momentum to kick off into the sky. It tucked its rear limbs back while its forelimbs reached out, black claws extended, and flapped its wings to launch itself at Mephisto. A peal of delighted laughter was Kera¡¯s only response, her body changing into a bolt of lightning again and ripping down through the air to strike at the colossal beast. The bolt struck the side of Drastic¡¯s head before dancing off and striking again and again at his scales. She bounced around his body like a pinball, searching for a weak spot. Thunderclaps followed each blow that left searing black marks on its body. Mephisto raised an eyebrow, Only superficial damage. Some kind of resistance or immunity? He thought before stepping casually off the hurtling boulder that had begun to arc back towards the earth. ¡°Stay,¡± he commanded and his body was arrested in the air, hovering in place while he observed. ¡°O U T S I D E R!¡± Drastic roared, flames exploding from his scales and sending Kera darting away with a shriek. Her body flipped end over end a few times while she patted herself down, trying to put the flames out on her body. The rushing wind and her efforts accomplished little though. Mephisto tilted his head thoughtfully, Resistant to being put out, my ability must have overrode that feature. Neat. He opened his mouth to give Kera instruction but she just swore and turned back into lightning, shooting up into the clouds and leaving the flames behind in the air where she¡¯d been a moment before, That works too. He mused before turning his attention back to Drastic who was racing towards him at top speed. Should probably focus. He¡¯s not a pushover. Mephisto thought and rolled his jaw left and right, ¡°Stop,¡± he commanded but Drastic kept coming, only a faint flinch showing any indication that the ability had even triggered. Mephisto¡¯s eyes went wide and with a word he sent himself hurtling to the left, darting out of the way of the oncoming supervillain. Not far enough, Drastic¡¯s wing clipped Mephisto¡¯s side and sent him spinning through the air. He grimaced from the momentary pain, muttering under his breath to push it aside while Drastic rose up into the sky, flapping his wings and turning to look down on them in all his glory. ¡°I W I L L C O N S U M E Y O U!¡± ¡°You do that!¡± Mephisto laughed. His blood was pumping in his veins. It¡¯d been a while since anything had resisted his Word of Power ability. He glanced up at the clouds and saw them darken, flashes of light building inside. He returned his attention to Drastic and schooled his expression into a malevolent grin. Neither he nor Kera needed to say a word to one another to know what needed to happen here. Their bickering notwithstanding, they were paired off for a reason. Understood. He thought before throwing his hands out wide in a dramatic pose. ¡°Last chance!¡± He called, ¡°I¡¯m always happy to talk! Fighting is sooooo messy,¡± he whined. Drastic bellowed and with a flap of his wings raced down towards Mephisto. Yeah that¡¯s it, come and get me. Mephisto thought before whipping both hands together, ¡°Arrest! Crash!¡± The boulders that had been sent hurtling into the air by Drastic¡¯s arrival, those that were on the ground and those still in the sky, froze before abruptly changing direction. They raced towards Drastic and slammed into his side, his head, and his wings. The strikes did little in the way of damage besides further annoying the powerful mythic. Broken pieces of stone fell to the ground out of the cloud of debris that Drastic burst from in an infuriated roar, red light growing inside of his throat. Mephisto stared down the enormous gullet of his opponent and clicked his tongue, ¡°Extinguish,¡± he spat. The red light died and Drastic let out a surprised screech. ¡°Y O U!¡± The dragon-man howled and raised his wings high before bringing them down in a single powerful flap, putting on a shocking burst of speed. Mephisto barely had a chance to blink, ¡°Wall! Wall!¡± he shouted and the air condensed in front of him. Drastic collided with the construct only to obliterate it in an instant, slamming his head into Mephisto¡¯s body. Mephisto let out a gasp of pain even as the mild regenerative power that Ishtar had given him upon his ascension set to work. It was a Rare-Tier ability, nothing special in the realm of Mythics, but between it and the endurace-based power she¡¯d also granted his bones were saved from being turned to powder. He collided with the ground and let out a gasp, coughing as he sat up and looked to the sky. Drastic was still coming, relentless. Behind Drastic the clouds were continuing to darken, Kera¡¯s power building and building. Mephisto sneered, ¡°You are a tough son of a bitch, this is fun!¡± He laughed and scrambled to his feet. He wiped a bit of blood off his lips, Let¡¯s try something a bit more advanced, then. ¡°Shorn and sheared,¡± he began as Drastic raced towards him. Around him, a swath of trees were stripped violently of their limbs and branches, leaves were torn away until nothing was left but straight trunks, ¡°Tempered and sharpened,¡± he continued and the trees were whittled down into long spikes that at first turned black before taking on a glossy sheen and shrinking slightly, becoming denser. ¡°STRIKE!¡± A hundred trees, compressed under pressure and converted into carbonized hardened spears launched into the air in a stream of death. They peppered Drastic¡¯s scales, most of them exploding into powder on impact while a few managed to find purchase. One of them even going as far as to puncture through the supervillain¡¯s wing. Drastic let out a roar of pain and shifted his trajectory, trying to get out of the way of the hailstorm of black streaks that Mephisto was sending his way. Unfortunately for Drastic, that punctured wing sent him turning too far to the right and another spear collided with his jaw, throwing his head back. He flipped backwards, losing his positioning in the sky for a moment, stunned. ¡°FALL!¡± Mephisto commanded and this time Drastic¡¯s body obeyed. He was thrown bodily to the ground, crashing into the jungle below with a terrible earth-shaking sound. A portion of soil beneath Mephisto¡¯s feet cracked open under the shaking. That wasn¡¯t the end of Drastic¡¯s troubles, though. Kera took that terrible crash as her cue and with another sound that shook the air a single concentrated bolt of lightning slammed down from above atop the spot where Drastic had landed. There was a blinding flash of light and then utter silence. Static filled Mephisto¡¯s ears as he brushed himself off and checked his injuries. His body hurt but he was otherwise fine, he¡¯d need to wait for a few of his bones to heal though, they were broken in several places.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Got him!¡± Kera called over the static. He reached up to his ear, ¡°I¡¯ll be right over,¡± he said and sighed at the state of his outfit, ¡°Dirty and torn.¡± That was when a few clouds of multicolored light began to take form in his immediate surroundings. His lip twitched, Ishtar did warn me this could happen. He thought as hounds took shape, landing on the ground and snarling. He didn¡¯t even give them a second glance, ¡°Break,¡± he clipped while he walked by. The creatures didn¡¯t even have a chance to have their first steps before they were twisted and wrought into misshapen masses of flesh and bone. He huffed and glared at the trees between him and his target, ¡°Clear the way,¡± he said and the foliage was annihilated. He walked through the cleared path casually, catching his breath. That trick with the trees had used quite a bit of his stamina and he was feeling a little breathless. Even so, he wasn¡¯t done. He flexed his fingers, ¡°Come,¡± he commanded as he walked. It took almost thirty seconds but eventually his suitcase managed to find its way to him from wherever it had ended up after the initial explosion. He caught it by the handle and came to a stop within sight of Kera. She was standing over a man, not a beast, in a crater that was comically large compared to his frame. Mephisto hopped down and slid along the side of the crater, walking and coming to a stop next to Kera. He looked down at the man. Green scales adorned tan skin along his arms, neck, chest, and face. His filthy shirt had been ruined by the fight leaving his chest exposed. Numerous burn marks scored his flesh that were already beginning to heal. Mephisto snorted, ¡°The Pandora Committee really needs to put more consideration into their top ten.¡± ¡°He hurt you and resisted my lightning at first,¡± Kera pointed out, ¡°Dude¡¯s strong. Had to use full power to get him like this. Anything less than an Inner Circle member would be mulch against him, no questions here.¡± Mephisto whistled, ¡°Really now?¡± he glanced up at Kera, ¡°I was wondering what was taking you so long.¡± She crossed her arms, ¡°Full strike takes a bit,¡± she grunted before glancing to the left and firing a thin bolt of lighting from her fingertip. There was cry of pain behind Mephisto, ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake,¡± she swore, ¡°Monsters popping up everywhere now.¡± ¡°Goes with the territory,¡± he said with a shrug and opened his suitcase. He reached in and pulled out a pair of cuffs before tossing them to Kera, ¡°Get these on him. I¡¯ll ask the boss about what she wants done.¡± ¡°On it,¡± she said and crouched down next to Drastic. Mephisto reached up to tap his ear when something new appeared in the crater. Not a monster but a smooth stone shape that gave him pause for a heartbeat until it started rising out of the ground, he swore, ¡°Cuff him, quick. We¡¯ve got heroes,¡± he snarled and tapped his ear, ¡°Mistress, we¡¯ve got him. He attacked first, bad intel from the contact,¡± he said quickly, ¡°We¡¯ve got heroes incoming too. Euclidia¡¯s making an arch.¡± There was a long pause before Sonya¡¯s modulated voice responded, ¡°...well that¡¯s no good!¡± she said brightly, the sound of laughing and conversation coming through the connection made him pause. ¡°I¡¯m at a party dear, give me a moment to find somewhere quiet!¡± In other words, you¡¯re in public and can¡¯t use your portal ability right this second. Shit. He let out a breath before cracking a grin, ¡°Got it,¡± he said casually, ¡°I¡¯ve got it handled.¡± ¡°Sixty seconds,¡± she said and ended the call. He glanced to Kera who had just finished cuffing Drastic, ¡°Boss says sixty seconds, she¡¯s in public,¡± he said quickly before nodding towards the forming archway. ¡°Looks like we caused enough mana buildup to draw some attention.¡± ¡°Amos and his fuckin¡¯ radar,¡± Kera grunted and got to her feet, she gave Drastic a quick kick in the side for good measure, ¡°If this guy had just talked we wouldn¡¯t have this problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, what can you do,¡± he shrugged and turned towards the arch that had nearly finished rising out of the ground. He adjusted his tie and with a word repaired his clothes and cleaned them. Might as well look presentable. Kera waved a hand over Drastic and arcs of lightning wrapped around his body, holding him in place before she wandered over to join him. The portal in the archway began to distend and collapse in on itself. ¡°Think you could destroy it?¡± He asked. ¡°Nah, tried once, the arches are indestructible,¡± Kera said with a huff. ¡°Fat lotta good you are,¡± he snorted. ¡°Says the guy who couldn¡¯t close the deal,¡± she shot back, grinning at him. He laughed and the portal stabilized, three figures stepped through. Two men and a woman. From the looks of it the two men were elite pandora forces, they wore combat gear and carried rifles in their hands. They stepped forward quickly and dropped to a knee, pointing their weapons at Kera and Mephisto. Mephisto frowned and narrowed his eyes, Only one hero to respond, who- his eyes went wide as he saw a green cheongsam and black hair done up in tight buns. He fixed his expression, ¡°Qilin.¡± Kera stiffened next to him, ¡°One of the mistresses-¡± He glanced her way to shush her and looked back to the trio with an easy smile. ¡°Wow! What an entrance!¡± he said brightly, stepping forward a few paces. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± One of the pandora soldiers shouted, ¡°You are under arrest! Resist and we will be forced to take aggressive action!¡± He stopped and put his hands on his hips, ¡°Boys, please! You¡¯re going to make me feel unwanted!¡± He huffed and flipped his hair back before turning to look Qilin up and down with as much confidence as possible. If what the boss said about her abilities was true, then they were in trouble. He wasn¡¯t sure if Qilin¡¯s power could interfere with teleportation but it could definitely interfere with their escape. He needed to buy time for the portal to form, though. He brandished his best smile, ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re Qilin!¡± he said brightly before offering a playful bow. ¡°Charmed.¡± She narrowed her eyes only slightly, her expression one of unending tedium. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. You aren¡¯t on the roster,¡± she muttered before shifting her gaze towards Kera who was standing over Drastic, ¡°I know those two though. How boring. The fight is already over. I heard Drastic was powerful. Shame,¡± she held up her hand lazily to point at Mephisto. ¡°Oh well.¡± He threw up a hand, ¡°Now just a moment miss!¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m just a businessman!¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Liar. You reek of mana,¡± she said cooly. ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t have power too!¡± She hesitated and glanced at the suitcase in his hand. Her eyes narrowed further and she turned her attention to his face again. Something in her eyes changed just a little as something seemed to occur to her. ¡°You are Mephisto. There were rumors my people were investigating. They are true it seems.¡± Mephisto raised a hand to his heart, ¡°My my! My reputation has already reached such vaunted heights?¡± he tittered out a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m honored!¡± One of the soldiers glanced up at her, ¡°Mephisto?¡± ¡°Is it true that you make deals on behalf of Ishtar? That she grants wishes?¡± Qilin asked, ignoring the man. Mephisto paused, blinking a few times before glancing to Kera who shrugged at him. He turned back to her and couldn¡¯t help but slip into a devious smile, ¡°I do make deals for her, yes,¡± he said, holding up the suitcase, ¡°Interested in making one here? We¡¯d very much like to leave with our prize.¡± Her expression was unreadable as the other soldier looked up, ¡°Ma¡¯am what-¡± he was cut off as silvery threads erupted from her fingertips, her hands moving so fast that Mephisto couldn¡¯t even see them. In an instant the two men fell to the ground, their heads separated from their bodies. Blood pooled on the ground at her feet as she lazily examined the corpses from where she stood. Mephisto felt a chill run up his spine as she returned her stare to him, ¡°You two killed these men,¡± she said flatly before taking a step forward and appearing right in front of Mephisto, standing at least a head taller than him. She stared down at him with glowing green eyes, they were colder than the arctic sea, flat and almost lifeless. In Mephisto¡¯s ear, his boss¡¯ modulated voice came through. ¡°Mephisto? I can¡¯t get a portal to form at your location. What¡¯s happening over there?¡± He swallowed hard as the woman loomed over him and she spoke, her words reaching into his chest and squeezing at his heart. ¡°I have a wish that I want granted.¡± Chapter 175 A few hours earlier¡­ Sonya¡¯s return to New York had been a whirlwind of activity since the moment she left the others behind at the Guild Hall. Marta had already gone on ahead to the apartment and left Sonya with a bit of time to herself. Her first stop, without question, was her favorite burger place where she shamelessly ordered at the counter with everyone staring at her in confusion. It was fun and a little taste of normalcy that she¡¯d been desperately craving. After the shitshow that was the visit to the Hague, any time just to catch her breath and do her own thing was something she valued highly. Even so, she knew that it would only last a few hours at best as the Pandora Committee assembly was scheduled for that afternoon and she was planning on making an appearance at the Styx. A little bit of shopping, some self care, a couple phone numbers from cuties acquired and she felt refreshed. Throughout it all, Ishtar remained silent, likely judging her. She didn¡¯t really care, though. She¡¯d embraced this life and was happy to enjoy it as long as it lasted. After her relaxing afternoon out she returned to the guild hall and picked Cass up. Apparently she and the others were going to begin at least familiarizing themselves with the city starting in a few days after they got their affairs in order. It was heartening to see that Cass was really bonding with her new friends. She had been a bit worried after observing that Alex had gone from a slight infatuation to resentment over her basically slipping into their friend group but apparently it had been resolved. Sonya had pointedly stayed out of it, she¡¯d meddled enough in their lives, especially with Ollie and Lillian. Stopping off at the apartment gave Cass an opportunity to change and within a short period of time they were at the Styx for her little guest appearance. There she had the amusing experience of meeting Charon¡¯s first henchman, Tenebra, who had proven to possess a very interesting gift. < New Ability Acquired: Umbral Nightingale > It was a unique ability name, one of the more dramatic ones for sure. As for what it did, trying it out produced some curious results. She immediately felt a craving for attention far beyond her usual playful showboating. It turned out that being the center of attention provided the ability with additional fuel and potency, enough eyes and it could push right past heroic in strength, though it only lasted as long as the attention was fixed on her. That explains why she allowed her fans to stream her shows. The ability itself allowed its user to project its strange black-mist shadows that could be made solid and used to manipulate objects or turn into deadly constructs. What made the ability spectacular was that it came built in with singing talent in a similar vein to how Genius Level Intellect worked. It amplified the user''s existing singing ability significantly. That realization-that the ability came with a function that perpetuated its own fuel source-was enlightening and she wondered if perhaps Liberty¡¯s ability actually had a similar function that no one was aware of. If it was true then perhaps she could use that against her. She wondered how it could interact with her other abilities if she merged it, but decided to hold off for now. She was still mastering what she had and that warning about Visage of Titania¡¯s reaction to further mergings hung over her head. Those considerations were set aside, though, when she returned to New York not long after Ishtar¡¯s appearance and conversation with Cass. That conversation had been the inspiration for where she was when the call from Colin had come in. Sonya decided to show Cass a bit of the high life in the city and introduce her to a few of her contacts. So she made a few calls, got in touch with Bluestar, and threw a welcome party for the new heroes the next day. She even went as far as to invite those not from the East Coast camp who had recently registered as heroes. The result was a noisy venue at one of the larger hotels in town, hastily flooded with light-touched, politicians, businessmen, and Sonya¡¯s own agents. It was a wild party. She¡¯d been in the middle of having a very pleasant conversation with a local model-a blonde this time-when Colin had called her. The brief buzz in her head alerting her right as she was moving in to seal the deal. A bit annoyed, she had begged herself off by pretending to accept the call on her real phone. She answered it and Colin spoke quickly, he sounded out of breath. <¡°Mistress, we¡¯ve got him. He attacked first, bad intel from the contact, we¡¯ve got heroes incoming too. Euclidia¡¯s making an arch.¡±> She pursed her lips, I figured he would attack them based on that new intel. She thought begrudgingly, I¡¯m glad they were able to handle it anyway. She sighed, ¡°...well that¡¯s no good!¡± She said brightly over the noise of the party. <¡°I¡¯m at a party dear, give me a moment to find somewhere quiet!¡±> She added before glancing around for an escape route. She spotted Otis in the crowd who was paying her no mind, talking himself up to a few businessmen while Jessica stood guard next to him. He¡¯s not watching, okay, she thought before turning and making her way through the crowd, releasing tiny bursts of imperious here and there to nudge people out of the way. She had nearly reached a door leading out into the hall outside the venue when she sensed someone moving through the crowd in her direction. Dammit, not now! <¡°Sixty seconds,¡±> she said into the call and hung up just as the person stopped behind her. ¡°Miss Chernovna,¡± a calm voice said and she turned to see a young man of what had to be of Asian descent standing there. Despite his youth he was far taller than she was and built like a truck. Huge¡­ She thought, looking him up and down before she smiled a little uneasily, ¡°Can I¡­ help you?¡± He bowed slightly before reaching into his jacket. She had to resist the urge to tense up only to see him pull out a slip of paper that had been neatly folded in half. He held it out to her and stood up straight, his expression stony and unmoving. ¡°I have been instructed to give you this, that is all, miss.¡± She stared at it and then at him, his hand outstretched and his stony gaze expectant. She pursed her lips together and took it from him, ¡°Thank you, I think?¡± she muttered before turning away from him. She started marching her way through the crowd again without so much as another word, she didn¡¯t have time for this. While she did, though, she opened the slip of paper out of curiosity. On it was a simple statement in a rushed hand, ¡®The mythic beast craves the end of tedium. The villainous queen is its nip and bane.¡¯ ¡°Nip and¡­ what?¡± She paused and read the line again, ¡°...villainous.¡± She whipped her head around, her heart pounding, searching the room for the face that she had barely taken in. I didn¡¯t learn his name. I was in too much of a rush. Where? Her eyes flitted about. He was gone. She scowled and quickly rewound her memories to find an image of his face. I don¡¯t know who you are, but you just made a huge mistake, she thought angrily as she distributed the face to the scattered society agents mingling in the crowd. His image would appear on their phones along with the words ¡®Find Him¡¯.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Already irritable and worried over Colin¡¯s situation, she pushed through the last portion of crowd until she managed to get outside of the venue, hustling to a vacant room in the hotel and using technopathy to get inside while disrupting the cameras along her path. It had been far longer than sixty seconds and the thought made her gut twist. The heroes will be there by now. Even so, she knew for a fact that at the very least, Colin was alive. She didn¡¯t think too much about it, but as he had been one of Otis¡¯ assets in the previous timeline there was no mistaking that if he died while doing something for her, she would know via a reward notification. Taking that into consideration and the fact that Kera was vastly more powerful in a direct confrontation, she was confident that they could survive and evade capture. That didn¡¯t mean she wanted to leave them hanging. She checked the room once with a sweep of technopathy before holding her hand out and focusing on the coordinates where Colin¡¯s call had come from. It was a huge distance, deep in a South American rainforest, but she¡¯d made larger trips to her beach house in Maui. She felt her ability rise up and reach out, forming the connection between locations only to grind to an abrupt halt. Huh? She focused harder, pushing against an odd sense of resistance at her target. It didn¡¯t repel her or try to shock her. It¡¯s not Rift, she considered, checking her fingers for any signs of that tell-tale red spark that she¡¯d learned about from Gravitic. Then who? It feels like I¡¯m hitting a wall. She frowned and tried once more to no success, her mind straining against an immovable object. She let out a gasp and sat down on the bed, clenching her fists before calling Colin back. <¡°Mephisto? I can¡¯t get a portal to form at your location. What¡¯s happening over there?¡±> she asked only to hear another voice come in over her comrade¡¯s microphone. <¡°I have a wish that I want granted.¡±> Unforgettable. A chill ran up her spine and she leaped to her feet, <¡°Qilin!¡±> she barked, <¡°Mephisto, get out of there! Now! I don¡¯t care about securing Drastic, you and Kera run!¡±> ¨C Mephisto looked up into those soulless eyes, swallowing hard as her presence pressed down on him. It felt a bit like being under the influence of the mistress¡¯ imperious aura. She¡¯d warned him about the people she called the ¡®heralds¡¯. They were just as monstrously powerful as An Set if not moreso since they¡¯d had more time to grow than he had before Vegas. Among them, she¡¯d insisted that there was one that needed to be avoided at all costs until a counter could be devised. The very same person that was looking down on him right now. Qilin. Qilin paused as she glanced at the side of his head, ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± she asked, frowning, ¡°We are doing business. I do not like being ignored.¡± He cracked the best smile he could given the circumstances, taking a step back and holding up his hands, ¡°Can¡¯t do business with someone of your illustrious-ness without talking to the boss, you know? You¡¯re a high-profile client.¡± She paused for a full heartbeat, her expression unmoving even as she hesitated, ¡°That is Ishtar on the other line? I take it that it is her who is trying to create a portal in my domain?¡± ¡°You felt that, huh?¡± He laughed before glancing at Kera, ¡°She was already in the process before you came out, nothing to do with you, of course.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Qilin asked, taking another quiet step forward and re-entering his personal space. She reached out towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t you lay a finger on him!¡± Kera bellowed, her body immediately transfiguring into a bolt of lightning, she launched herself at Qilin who turned lazily in her direction. Mephisto didn¡¯t have even a second to react before Qilin stepped to the side and caught the hurtling bolt with one hand. She frowned, glancing down at her fingers as they sizzled and burned before turning away and hurling Kera towards the sky, ¡°I was not speaking to you,¡± she said flatly as Kera crashed into the clouds and went out of sight. Mephisto swallowed and reached up to tap his earpiece, ¡°Kera, don¡¯t engage,¡± he said before switching the channel back to his boss with a quick tap. ¡°So¡­ you wanted to make a wish? I could arrange that,¡± he said, trying to get back into character as she stepped back over to face him. ¡°What do you want?¡± he shifted on his feet, ¡°Just so you know, my dealmaking ability requires equivalency. You¡¯ll have to give-¡± ¡°Lies and Half-truths,¡± Qilin cut him off, ¡°Only some deals require equal compensation. It depends on the nature of the deal I suspect. You are stalling. Do you not want to make a deal with me?¡± She can sense lies too? He cleared his throat, ¡°I haven¡¯t learned what you want, yet, Miss Qilin. Can¡¯t very well write up a contract without that, you see,¡± he said, straightening up to look at least a bit more professional. Her aura was setting off his fight-or-flight and making it hard to keep his usual casual demeanor. ¡°What options do I have?¡± she asked. Is she testing us? He kept his smile on, ¡°Whatever your heart desires as long as it is within my Mistress¡¯ power to grant and you provide a payment that she will find satisfactory.¡± <¡°Be careful,¡±> Sonya urged in his ear, <¡°She-¡±> Qilin glanced at the side of Mephisto¡¯s head again, ¡°She¡¯s still on the line?¡± she demanded. He opened his mouth to explain but was instead buffeted by a strange tingling feeling that washed over his body as her expression grew harder and harder. What the hell is she doing? ¨C Sonya was pacing back and forth, listening in on the conversation; What the hell does she want? She thought, gritting her teeth. Sonya, we have another problem. What now? She shot back then felt something with her senses, a presence making their way towards the door to the hotel room. Her eyes went wide as the person knocked. ¡°Hello? Is someone in there? This is hotel security.¡± What the hell? How could someone- Another presence approached, ¡°The guest said it was this door?¡± came a familiar voice. Sonya¡¯s gut fell. Crusader?! God damn it! What kind of bad- oh. She clicked her tongue and nearly drew and illusion around herself before stopping. She can sense mana use. Even if I make it seem like the room is empty, she¡¯ll be able to tell. Qilin and her luck manipulation. This was why she needs to be avoided until I can figure out a weakness! Should I use mind control to push her away? What if that causes a cascade? How do I counter Qilin? She pushed her enhanced brain, thinking with all her might. She could feel Ishtar trying to come up with a solution of her own, frantically looking for a way out. I am NOT getting caught like this. How stupid would that be? Crusader knocked on the door, ¡°Hello? I¡¯m coming in!¡± <¡°I want to be freed of this endless tedium.¡±> The words came through in her head over the connection with Colin and she froze. Slowly she reached into her pocket and pulled the slip of paper that had been presented to her by the young man out. She opened it and looked down at the handwritten words. ¡®The mythic beast craves the end of tedium. The villainous queen is its nip and bane.¡¯ <¡°Put me on speaker, now!¡±> Chapter 176 Without having even having tested herself against many in the way of monsters or heroes, Sonya was aware that she was one of the most powerful light-touched on Earth. It wasn¡¯t her own arrogance, it was simply a fact. She possessed a wider suite of abilities than most, though there were some who had more versatility than even she possessed. It was one of the reasons that she had started collecting and integrating abilities into her body so selectively in order to create the versatile powerset she had. She had taken inspiration from her past life, considering the abilities of others as a frame of reference to build upon. Otis was her target, Qilin was her template. Qilin was not a fight she could win head to head. For all of her powers, Qilin¡¯s regeneration was better, her speed was greater, her attack power was superior, and her ability to manipulate fortune turned any situation into a disadvantage from the get-go. There were ways to counteract it, of course, Sonya was aware that Qilin¡¯s ability to create disadvantages had limits, but that required preparation and setting the stage. One had to stack the deck to beat someone who wielded luck like a blunt instrument. That was why Sonya had made it a point to avoid any interactions or confrontations with Qilin up until this point. Her focus was on the other heralds and she wanted to keep it that way. Each herald she took down was another improvement to Broker which she could eventually leverage against the monstrously powerful woman. All of that avoidance had been thrown out the window now. By interacting with Colin who was depending on Sonya to get him out of his current situation, Qilin¡¯s limited range luck manipulation was extending across the planet to affect her. This had led to an improbable chain of events that brought Crusader to the door of the room she had hidden in. Her only recourse was to take a chance, tug a bit on hope and fate and pray for the least terrible outcome. The mysterious slip of paper given to her had provided a hint that hadn¡¯t made sense at first until Qilin herself had practically recited over the call. She wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, but it was her only option with Crusader banging even harder at the door. The young hero knew someone was inside and Sonya didn¡¯t possess the ability to conceal her mana or control it like the young hero or her teacher. Mind control using the amethyst sorceress ability she¡¯d acquired from Feng Hyunh required physical contact as she hadn¡¯t spent enough time developing it given how unsettled by it she was. What¡¯s more, many of her more visible abilities were known to quite a few people. That meant that if she tried to use barriers to protect herself it would alert anyone in the know to exactly who was hiding inside the room. She only had one chance and that meant confronting Qilin directly, even if it was over the phone. While Qilin couldn¡¯t affect her fortunes through the phone, having more focus on Sonya could amplify the problem through influencing Colin¡¯s luck. It was a gamble and the kind of situation she had been trying so hard to avoid. The call clicked over as she ordered Colin to switch to speaker. She heard the sound of the air rushing over the microphone and took a deep breath. Technopath was modulating her voice through the call in her mind so she had no worries about her identity as far as Qilin was concerned, but it still didn¡¯t shake off the nerves. Calm down. I believe your instincts are right. Ishtar said at the back of her mind. They didn¡¯t have time to make the switch as much as she wanted Ishtar to take over and handle the conversation. There just wasn¡¯t enough time. The door shook under Crusader¡¯s attention and the light flashed on the lock panel. Sonya commanded the lock to refuse anyone with technopathy, it was as overt a power use as she was willing to make with the girl so attentive. She let out a breath and clenched her jaw, speaking through her ability; <¡±Hello, Hero.¡±> ¨C Mephisto was holding the phone in his hand so tightly he was starting to worry he would break it. His fingers were shaking regardless. Drastic had been a straightforward fight, all power and no finesse. It had still been a life-or-death situation but he knew that he could handle it. Qilin¡¯s appearance had shaken him to his core. Her speed was comparable to Kera¡¯s, she could whip her hand and decapitate someone with seemingly no effort, she had no qualms about killing. It was her aura, however, that made him quake. It was like standing before a walking force of nature, the living embodiment of some fundamental truth. As soon as his boss spoke, though, that feeling faded like a gust of wind. ¡±Hello, Hero.¡± He blinked, shuddering with the sensation of being liberated from the oppressive presence. It was so jarring that it took him a second to look up at the woman who had been lording over him. When he did, his mind couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what he was seeing. Qilin¡¯s eyes had gone wide, her expression a mixture of excitement and fear. She reached up to touch at her face before pulling her hand down, fidgeting and taking quick breaths. Mephisto squinted slightly, What the hell? ¡°Hero? Are you there?¡± the raspy voice on the phone came through, cold and commanding though with a small hint of unease, ¡°You are causing me quite a bit of trouble. I do not appreciate it. Do you want to make a deal, or not?¡± The words seemed to startle Qilin, that tingling feeling that was suffusing Mephisto¡¯s body easing before changing into something else. It felt like a warmth that spread through his limbs and up into his chest before becoming a bubbly sensation. It was like a drunk giddiness had raced through his body in an instant. Qilin¡¯s eyes flicked left and right before she fixed her gaze on Mephisto. Her expression went stony once more, the strange reaction evaporating into her usual placid expression; ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to speak to you,¡± Qilin said, sounding slightly annoyed, ¡°I wanted to deal with your subordinate. You do not need to waste your time.¡± There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Mephisto had no idea what was going on. A moment later, though, that cold voice came back through. ¡°On the contrary, Miss Qilin,¡± the voice said, sounding significantly more confident, ¡°Someone of your station deserves it.¡± Qilin¡¯s only reaction was a faint twitch of her eye and lip. Did she just smile? ¡°Tell me, Miss Qilin, how can I alleviate your tedium?¡± Qilin glanced at Mephisto again and her eyes flashed with something along the lines of frustration. She doesn¡¯t want to talk to her? Why? I don¡¯t get it. Qilin continued to keep her mouth shut, her lips forming a thin line as she flexed her fingers, popping them one at a time with her thumb. Nerves? Mephisto observed. She¡¯s acting like like she¡¯s meeting her favorite celeb- oh you have got to be kidding!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hero Qilin,¡± the cold voice said with a twinge of anger as a pink light blossomed into existence next to Mephisto¡¯s head. He turned to see one of Ishtar¡¯s madans, the glowing observing eyes, come into being and open wide, fixed on the international hero as Ishtar¡¯s voice rumbled out of the phone with warning, ¡°You have my attention.¡± ¨C Sonya¡¯s heart was pounding. She glanced again at the door, wide-eyed. She couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. Luck was a truly terrifying thing to manipulate. The moment she had said that Qilin was causing her trouble a man had come running down the hall to explain to Crusader that a VIP was in the room temporarily and they were not to be disturbed. Her entire body relaxed as Crusader walked away after apologizing profusely to the door. Sweat dripped down Sonya¡¯s face and her hands shook as she rested them on the bed before balling into fists. That was too close, she thought. You seem to have an effect on Qilin, I wonder why, Ishtar commented. I think you¡¯re the one who has an effect on her, Sonya said, Let¡¯s get Colin out of there. Agreed. A text came through from Kera with a dozen angry emojis as Sonya caught her breath. ¡®SHE FUCKIN¡¯ THREW ME! ME! I¡¯MMA KICK HER ASS!¡¯ Sonya frowned at the text and quickly responded, ¡®Remain at a distance. Do not engage. I¡¯ll get Mephisto home. You come back your own way.¡¯ More angry emojis followed before a simple ¡®Yes Mistress¡¯ arrived in response. She turned her attention back to Qilin and Colin, taking another breath and steeling her nerves. She set her jaw. You wanna take over? She asked Ishtar. You¡¯re doing just fine, Ishtar said before going quiet. Sonya clicked her tongue, she had a feeling that Ishtar would say that. She knew she was leaning on her other half too much but this felt too important to leave to herself. It seemed that Ishtar didn¡¯t share her opinion on the matter. She knew Ishtar wanted her to handle situations like this more and more but she really didn¡¯t want to. She sighed and shook her head. Fine. She focused on her connection to Colin¡¯s phone and his location. She willed her Astral Eye ability to project to him and this time felt no resistance to her ability. I definitely threw her off so far, she thought as Qilin appeared in her mind''s eye, the destroyed forest and remains of Mephisto and Drastics battle all around her. <¡±Hero Qilin. You have my attention.¡±> Qilin¡¯s eyes turned sharply towards the madan that Sonya had created and through it their eyes met. Qilin¡¯s expression was as flat and placid as she remembered but there were some minor differences, microexpressions that she wouldn¡¯t have noticed in her previous life. There was a faint twitch of her eyes, a constriction of her pupils, her lips curved a fraction of a centimeter upwards. She was excited, delighted, though perhaps a bit nervous. Those faint shifts were as loud as a schoolgirl meeting a boy band singer on Qilin¡¯s normally unmoving face. Sonya narrowed her own eyes on concentration. Something about meeting Ishtar had set the woman off and she was beginning to suspect it had a great deal to do with her supposed ¡®wish¡¯. <¡±If you have nothing to say,¡±> Sonya said through the connection, <¡±Then I have nothing to give to you, I will be withdrawing my subordinate. He is very important to me and you appear to have your own problems.¡±> Sonya concentrated on the area near where her madan had opened and attempted to push a portal through again. That act seemed to get a response from Qilin as she shifted a bit, her eyes refocusing and her expression going a little hard. The pressure that had resisted Sonya¡¯s first attempt returned and she was pushed back, preventing her from opening a portal to Colin¡¯s personal space. Qilin glanced over her shoulder at the two men dead on the ground outside the portal before turning back to her madan and Colin. <¡°Not yet.¡±> Qilin¡¯s voice came through the connection. There was a slight delay between her mouth movements and her words as it went through Colin¡¯s phone to Sonya¡¯s cybernetic brain. <¡±I do have a wish. Ishtar. Do you really grant them?¡±> Sonya sighed inwardly, <¡±I do. To a degree. As long as it is within my power to give. Normally I reserve my services for Villains, but I am always happy to do business. There is no such thing as a free meal, though, Hero. Everything comes at a price.¡±> Qilin frowned, <¡±Your man suggested as such.¡±> <¡±What is it that you want, Hero?¡±> Sonya asked, <¡±I do not have infinite patience. You said that you want to alleviate your tedium but that can mean a great many things,¡±> she said, shifting her tone a bit towards something a bit closer to friendly, <¡±I¡¯m happy to provide, but you need to be more specific.¡±> Qilin clammed up again, her lips forming a thin line as she looked away, she closed her eyes and shook her head, <¡±That is the problem. I do not know what I want. The world is so¡­ boring. I had hoped that with the flash life would have taken on some new flavors, but my powers have only made things worse.¡±> <¡±Shall I take them from you?¡±> Sonya asked bluntly. Qilin turned towards her and narrowed her eyes, <¡±I think that might be a bit far,¡±> Qilin said with an even stare, <¡±I wanted to enjoy my powers. I figured becoming a hero would allow me to do that, but it has been just as tedious as an ordinary life. I want to revel in it.¡±> Sonya¡¯s lip twitched. She figured it wouldn¡¯t be that easy but she had to at least try. She glanced towards the door and considered it for a moment before focusing again on the conversation. She had an idea but it required wording the proposal very carefully. There was no way she would be able to eliminate Qilin as a threat with a deal, not as she was. It would be a windfall to be sure, but it was unlikely that Qilin would comply. She needed to soften her up, ease her into making a future agreement that would cripple her and put her into a position where Sonya could finish her. That would take time. I need to get her addicted, Sonya thought. Cunning. That¡¯s good, Ishtar commented. Sonya¡¯s lips curled and she leaned forward on the bed. Yes, giving her what she wanted right off the bat would be too easy. <¡±A compromise, then,¡±> Sonya began, <¡±I have a way to censure a portion of your abilities temporarily. I think you know what part of your abilities I am talking about.¡±> Qilin paused, <¡±So you know,¡±> she said thoughtfully, <¡°Is that possible?¡±> <¡±Yes, it is. I can make it happen, though the effects will be temporary. One month of thrills. What is that worth to you?¡±> She asked. Qilin shifted on her feet and crossed her arms, <¡±Your subordinates life is not good enough in exchange?¡±> <¡±I think allowing my comrade to return safely to my side is the least you can do to encourage me to even consider this transaction. You are not one of my beloved villains. I have no desire to interact with you otherwise, hero. Don¡¯t be greedy, it¡¯s unseemly.¡±> Sonya reprimanded her, <¡±I¡¯m giving you your hearts desire. Surely that is worth something to you.¡±> <¡±My family has assets and connections in China,¡±> Qilin said after a long pause, <¡±I can provide you with access to them, some of which are less than reputable. Your kind of people, I imagine,¡±> Qilin suggested. An inroad to China to expand the club. This. This will do nicely for now. You want thrills so badly? Fine. I¡¯ll give them to you. While I do, I¡¯ll squeeze you dry for everything you¡¯re worth. Sonya snarled inwardly before letting her shoulders finally relax. As long as you are chasing the next high, I don¡¯t have to worry about you interfering and I can focus on Liberty and the others. You¡¯re smart enough to know that if you cause me trouble, I might be unwilling to top you up next month. <¡±It¡¯s a deal.¡±> Chapter 177 Sonya sat in silence at the desk in the room she¡¯d occupied as the portal began to open up behind her. She rested her elbows on the surface, her hands under her chin as she stared at the wall in thought. The panel of white light parted and spread open, distending until it became a formless off-white void that rippled within the panel. A moment later Colin stepped through, dragging Drastic along with him. His expression was haggard. His usually perfectly kept appearance was a mess, his long hair in disarray, his makeup running, his collar askew. She turned as the portal closed and he staggered forward, catching him as he fell, the red light dimming in his eyes until nothing was left but the natural ruddy brown. ¡°I¡¯ve got you,¡± she said into his ear. ¡°You saved my life,¡± he muttered. ¡°I put you into that position,¡± she said, reaching up to stroke his head as his shoulders shook. She glanced past him and narrowed her eyes at Drastic who still lay unconscious on the ground. Her hand rose and another portal opened as she held her friend close. She whipped her hand to the left and the portal swallowed Drastic up, sending him where she needed him to be. She didn¡¯t condescend Colin by asking if he was okay. He most certainly was not. He pulled away from her and searched her face, ¡°You warned us about the Heralds,¡± he said before swallowing and looking away, ¡°I didn¡¯t really believe it until today.¡± ¡°An Set was a pathetic man,¡± Sonya said with a sigh, ¡°A larva compared to what he could have been.¡± ¡°As bad as her?¡± He asked, shuddering. ¡°In some ways, worse,¡± Sonya said before reaching up to hold his cheek in the palm of her hand, ¡°Take some time off. Clear your head. Go see Amos,¡± she said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve done more than enough. You survived. We have Drastic, and while the time to take Qilin down is a long way off, we¡¯ve set the groundwork and this deal will keep her at bay, for now.¡± Colin nodded, ¡°Can you beat her?¡± he asked. Sonya frowned at him, ¡°As I am now? No. Not even with her fortune manipulation bound by my sanctions. She possesses the wisdom of a Qilin,¡± she explained, ¡°She awakened with a full mastery of her abilities and instincts. She¡¯s aware that I¡¯m trying to get her to become a repeat customer. She just doesn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ridiculously unfair,¡± Colin said with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± She said with a scoff and shook her head. He met her gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes asking a question that he didn¡¯t want to voice. She shook her head, ¡°I won¡¯t have you deal with her directly in the future. We¡¯ll send her contracts if she comes back wanting more.¡± He visibly relaxed and let out a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-¡± he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not ready to face her again.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you were,¡± Sonya said before turning serious, ¡°It¡¯s time to merge your abilities, Colin. The international heroes are responding faster than before and I can¡¯t bear to have you put into a similar position. You need to be able to fight back and escape. You¡¯ve earned a new power too, I think. Not an investment. One that belongs to you and you alone.¡± He held her gaze for several moments before nodding firmly. Of all of the members of her Inner Circle besides Marta, he was the one who understood the functionality of Broker the best. He knew the difference between an ability granted by a deal and one that was invested. Invested powers didn¡¯t truly belong to the one she granted them to, upon their death the power would be returned to her with all the expanded instincts that they¡¯d managed to uncover intact. It was a simpler process to invest, for certain, but there was an ownership that came with truly granting the ability that made it more. She didn¡¯t truly understand what that meant, but the instincts related to Broker were clear on that detail. She returned his nod and closed her eyes, diving into her warehouse before snatching up a few powers she had saved starting with Titanboa which she had copied from Alex and Mighty Asterion that she had copied from Cass. She allowed the instincts associated with her ability and the feelings she got from Deus ex Machina to guide her through the selection process. An interesting combination, proceed. She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Well that¡¯s a bit on the nose,¡± she said with a chuckle before turning to him. ¡°I wonder what it will turn into once everything settles,¡± she turned and held out her hand, ¡°For everything you¡¯ve done and endured, my dear Mephisto. I have a gift for you. Will you accept it?¡± she asked. He looked at her hand and swallowed before nodding. ¡°I accept,¡± he said and took her hand. I will never allow you to be put on the backfoot again. I promise. She thought as the words appeared on her HUD. Proceed. ¨C Sonya stepped back into the venue and adjusted her tie while straightening her hair. She kept her expression as smug as always as she met a few eyes and winked now and then as she slipped into the crowd. As she did, she felt another presence approach her. That reminds me, I need to track down that man who gave me that note. How did he know? He sounded like a messenger. I want answers and to extend my thanks to whomever got me out of that situation, she thought as she turned towards Crusader. ¡°Lillian!¡± She said brightly, brushing her hair back a bit more and adjusting her coat, ¡°Are you enjoying the party?¡± Lillian stopped in front of her, ¡°Uh, yes ma¡¯am. You disappeared for a bit there.¡± Sonya tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, ¡°So?¡± ¡°Where did you go?¡± Lillian asked, frowning, ¡°I was looking for you.¡± Sonya smirked at her and reached up to wipe at her lip wordlessly as she adjusted her collar a bit to straighten it out. Lillian blinked at her several times before making a resigned face and sighing, ¡°Right. I should have figured,¡± she said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°There was some weirdness out in the hall earlier and I was wondering if you knew anything about it. Obviously not,¡± she shook her head and laughed, ¡°Anyway. I wanted to let you know that a Pandora official was looking for you. They said that they¡¯ve arranged for that interview or whatever for you.¡± Sonya brightened, ¡°Really? That¡¯s wonderful news! Thank you, dear. Is everyone else having fun?¡± ¡°Marc is making a spectacle of himself as always,¡± she said with a shrug, ¡°So is Alex. Cass and Jessica almost got into a fight but Ollie calmed them down. It¡¯s a party, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Cass and Jessica?¡± Sonya asked, ¡°What happened there?¡± ¡°I think Cass had a bit of a soft spot for Greg since he was one of the first among our group to really let her in, like Ollie. She¡¯s not exactly the most socially conscious person in the world so uh¡­ she just found out about Jessica dumping him,¡± Lillian said uncomfortably, ¡°She¡¯s pretty mad about it. She¡¯s with Alex now and he¡¯s keeping her distracted.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Sonya whistled before chuckling and shaking her head, ¡°Of course. As long as things didn¡¯t get out of control it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll talk to her later. Did you meet any of the other new heroes?¡± Lillian¡¯s expression grew complicated, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about some of them. Many were wonderful to talk to but some of them made me feel like they think our work is a competition and I¡¯m the enemy,¡± she sighed, ¡°We¡¯re not just in this to get paid.¡± Sonya smiled at her, ¡°There are going to be people like that, Lillian, in any line of work,¡± she said and tapped a finger on Lillian¡¯s chest, ¡°Your heart is in the right place. You¡¯ve got the right mindset. Don¡¯t let it bother you and keep working hard. I know it¡¯s tough but this is just part of the job, dealing with that kind of stuff.¡± Lillian returned her smile, ¡°Thanks, Sonya,¡± she said brightly before rubbing the back of her neck, ¡°Oh um¡­ Cass said something about a trip next week?¡± Sonya crossed her arms, ¡°That girl!¡± she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ll have more information for you guys tomorrow. I¡¯ll be at the Guild Headquarters to talk to you. Don¡¯t worry about it and enjoy the party.¡± Lillian beamed at her and turned away, hurrying back to join her friends. Sonya watched her go and kept the dark expression off of her face as her eyes narrowed slightly. She suspected you for a moment there, Ishtar said. Yes. She did. ¨C Sonya walked down the hall with Marta in tow, her hands in her pockets as the guard led them to what looked like a blast-door straight out of a certain sci-fi franchise. A guard stood at either side of the door with weapons at the ready. Both of them glanced her way before one stepped forward and nodded to the guard guiding them. The one that moved in pulled out a device to check their security badges. After confirming their identities the door opened and they were allowed inside. ¡°I¡¯m shocked that a prison like this has already been built,¡± Marta said thoughtfully. ¡°Many Common and Mundane abilities are great for construction related tasks and are plentiful compared to the upper tier abilities,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Difficult projects go by quickly, the same goes for the new headquarters for ASTA. Heck, I recommended that the Pandora Committee hire as many light-touched with such abilities as possible early on before construction companies jumped on it.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Marta said, glancing her way, ¡°Should we be talking about the new building?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a Pandora facility, it¡¯s fine,¡± Sonya said with a wave of her hand, ¡°Besides, the project will be done next week. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°True,¡± Marta said with a small frown before glancing up at a door along the right side of the newest hallway they were being guided down. The guard had stopped there and turned to face them. Marta stepped back a bit and fell into pace behind Sonya, resting her hands at her lap and closing her eyes to shift into the more dignified pose of the Handmaiden. ¡°He¡¯s inside. You have fifteen minutes with the prisoner,¡± the guard said gruffly. She brandished a winning smile at him, ¡°Thank you. Any rules I should abide by?¡± ¡°Minimal physical contact for a greeting is permitted if necessary. Do not harm the prisoner. Do not give the prisoner anything that may have made it through security. Do not use your abilities inside the interview room. If the prisoner reveals any pertinent information to ongoing investigations you will be asked to debrief,¡± the guard said flatly before inclining his head, ¡°That is all, ma¡¯am.¡± She nodded, ¡°Understood.¡± I make no promises, she thought merrily as the guard turned and placed a card against a panel next to the door. The door hissed open to allow the two women inside. Inside was a simple room of four steely-gray walls and long light fixtures attached to the ceiling. She turned her attention to the center of the room where a large table was bolted to the ground. There were four chairs, one of them occupied opposite from where she had come in. Sir Ewen sait with his hands clasped together and his eyes fixed on her. He wore a pair of cuffs on his wrists that were bolted to the table by a chain. His eyes were a bit sunken in, his presence diminished from what she¡¯d imagined based on what she¡¯d heard. He hasn¡¯t taken in mana in a while. It won¡¯t kill him but it doesn¡¯t feel nice, I imagine, she thought as she examined him. His cropped blonde hair had grown out about half an inch and looked messy. He cracked a grin at her despite his disheveled state. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± he said, ¡°I wondered who wanted to talk to me. The great enemy herself.¡± ¡°An interesting title,¡± Sonya said with amusement, walking towards him. ¡°James Carter Ewen, correct?¡± He frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t use that name anymore.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± she said as she drew close, extending a hand, ¡°Sonya Chernovna,¡± she greeted him before nodding to Marta, ¡°This is Handmaiden.¡± He stared at her outstretched hand before looking up at her and narrowing his eyes, ¡°What do you want? I¡¯m busy.¡± She snorted and pulled her hand away, Tch, asshole. She sat down across from him and rested her hands on the table. Marta stepped in behind her and remained there, ¡°I wanted to talk to you, about you and about your boss.¡± ¡°Straight to the point?¡± he said with a sneer, looking her up and down. ¡°Man, your eyes are freaky.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an investigator,¡± Sonya said dismissively, ¡°I¡¯m not here to pretend like I care and lie to you. I¡¯m here because I¡¯m willing to at least try to make your life a little less terrible.¡± He blinked and relaxed his shoulders, ¡°I see,¡± he said with a bit less strength than he had earlier, he slumped down into his chair. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me what¡¯s happening outside? No one¡¯s told me anything. Has she tried to break me out?¡± Sonya kept her eyes on his, ¡°She has not. She¡¯s completely turned inward towards her organization, expanding compounds and constructing new buildings within her territory. She has made no overt moves near this location or the Pandora headquarters, nor has she made any statements about your situation,¡± she said unapologetically. He met her pitiless gaze before looking down at his hands, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate.¡± ¡°I need you to give me a good reason to help you, Ewen,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Can you tell me anything that would be of benefit to me?¡± He pursed his lips, ¡°She¡¯s probably creating domains right now if she¡¯s feeling threatened,¡± he said, ¡°They¡¯re places that have powerful effects on those who are on her side.¡± ¡°I know about that function of her ability,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯m looking after her sister.¡± He winced, ¡°Right,¡± he grumbled and wrung his hands and licked his lips. He looked back up at her and met her eyes for a moment, ¡°She really hasn¡¯t said anything?¡± ¡°Nothing on public broadcast, no,¡± Sonya said, ¡°We don¡¯t have access to her internal networks so I can¡¯t confirm whether she has used your situation to rally her people or not.¡± ¡°The truth is a cold thing,¡± he said as he held her gaze before looking up at Marta, ¡°Are you using an ability? I can feel that she isn¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°Handmaiden¡¯s ability is rapid regeneration and superhuman strength,¡± Sonya explained, drawing his attention back to her. She tapped hers, ¡°And you know these.¡± He slumped, ¡°Damn it,¡± he grumbled as he mulled it all over. She rest her hands on the table and leaned forward, looking at his face. He glanced up at her on occasion and shifted in his seat. ¡°You really can make it less shitty in here?¡± ¡°I can, I happen to know the Chairman pretty well,¡± Sonya said with a smirk. He sighed and nodded, ¡°She has someone working for her, well, not for her,¡± he pursed his lips, ¡°He¡¯s crazy. A mythic who can make magic tools and stuff. He gave Kant one and was working on ones for me and the others. They amplify our abilities when we¡¯re holding them. He made a crazy powerful one for her. She doesn¡¯t pay him anything except give him supplies and materials,¡± he shivered, ¡°The only thing he wants is to hear the aftermath of using them, like he gets off on the carnage his toys cause.¡± This is what I needed, perfect. ¡°Do you have a name? A monicker? Appearance?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him enough to help a sketch artist,¡± Ewen said, deflated, ¡°He calls himself Craftsman. His ability has something to do with the red glowing anvil he can conjure. I only heard his real name once.¡± Sonya sat up in her seat, ¡°Excuse me?¡± she blurted before she could reign herself back in. He knows Craftsman¡¯s real name? She forced her excitement down but not in time for him to miss it. He met her gaze and smirked just a little. She let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Damn it, Sonya. ¡°I can arrange for a comfortable bed, books, and video streaming. I can also make the meals a little less awful.¡± That seemed to mollify him, he nodded and sat up straight. ¡°His name is Graham Taylor.¡± Sonya searched his face, every microexpression, the temperature of his body, any detail she could find to pick out a possible lie. Nothing. She broke into a smile, ¡°Thank you for the information, Sir Ewen,¡± she said and extended a hand to him. ¡°James is fine,¡± he grunted, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a member of the Round Table anymore,¡± he added morosely and leaned forward to take her hand. She smiled at him. Analyze. ¡°You¡¯ll be well taken care of, James. Thank you for your time,¡± she said brightly and got up to leave. ¡°Wait,¡± he called after her. She turned and looked back to him with raised eyebrows, ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°She¡¯s only going to get stronger. Her powers scale up every day. Can you guys really win?¡± He asked. Sonya grinned at him, ¡°I think she¡¯s about to realize that she¡¯s made more enemies than even she can handle. Goodbye, James,¡± she said, and stepped out into the hallway. Chapter 178 The two fighters stared one another down from across the enormous room. The chamber, if you could even call it that, was a oval-shaped space with a hard concrete floor and a solid dome of the same material covering it. Etchings across the surface of the dome and floor glowed faintly even in the persistent light that did not seem to have a notable source. Throughout the area were structures, cubes of concrete, and metal obstacles that added a measure of challenge to any engagement that took place in the building. The first of the two combatants was a man in his late twenties with a lanky frame and a shock of hair that had once been dark but had since turned a ruddy silver. He stood with his hands to his sides, his fingers twitching now and then as he sized his opponent up. He wore a simple set of comfortable fighting robes with his wrists bound up tightly, his legs were as well but the binding stopped just above his exposed ankles and bare feet. His opponent was a steely eyed woman with gray eyes that smoldered with a red-purple glow. She appeared to be younger than the man but not by much. Her hair was long and straight, hanging loosely around her shoulders. It too had turned a whitish color but it was closer to the look of spent charcoal rather than his that appeared to be more from age or stress. Unlike her opponent, she wore her fighting robes loosely with her sleeves hanging comfortably around her hands in which she held a long black-bladed chinese sword. The man was the first to make a move, a manic smile stretching across his face as he took a step forward. A faint whistle accompanied his movement and he vanished, reappearing behind her an instant later with his fist raised and his leg coming up to collide with her chin. She didn¡¯t so much as move from her spot, seemingly oblivious to his strike as she raised her weapon up and to the left. Even so, as his foot reached her he found that it was caught by her elbow and his trajectory pushed off. His body tilted in the air as she twisted her sword slightly in her grip, catching his incoming fist and deflecting it as well. She let his strike slide across her blade as she turned fully to face him only for that whistle to sound, heralding his disappearance once again. ¡°Faster,¡± she demanded as he reappeared, once again aiming for a blind spot. His manic smile was gone, replaced with an expression of absolute focus. He kicked at her head again and she effortlessly deflected it, turning to swing at him as he tried to pivot in the air by twisting his entire body. She nearly caught him across the abdomen when that whistle once more sounded and he vanished, reappearing back at his starting position. She lowered her weapon, ¡°Is that all, Ellis?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve memorized one another¡¯s habits at this point, Kant,¡± Sir Ellis said with a chuckle, putting his hands on his hips and tapping his foot a few times. He glanced down at it and frowned. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Getting your leg bones replaced doesn¡¯t sound like ¡®no big deal¡¯ to me,¡± Kant said and sheathed her weapon. ¡°You better not choke when the time comes. A little ankle pain is not a good enough excuse.¡± He frowned at her, ¡°I said I¡¯m fine,¡± he growled, ¡°Don¡¯t test me.¡± ¡°Say that when you can actually land a hit,¡± Kant said. ¡°Ladies, please!¡± a merry voice chimed in on their conversation, ¡°You¡¯re both pretty.¡± The two of them turned to see a man in a dapper looking suit walking towards them. He was rail thin with a mess of brown hair hanging down just past his eyebrows. His eyes glowed like molten lava, blazing so brightly one could feel the heat coming off of them. He walked with an unerring confidence that did not match his visually frail frame. Both of them stiffened at his approach, Ellis in particular shifting a bit on his feet and trying not to meet the man¡¯s gaze. He came to a stop in front of them and they had to force themselves not to take an involuntary step back. ¡°Craftsman,¡± Kant said and bowed once to him. She brushed her hair back a bit to hide the sweat that dripped down her temple, ¡°This is an unexpected visit.¡± Craftsman turned his eyes directly on her and she averted her gaze. The man had played the role of a useful if unassuming lackey to Liberty up until the botched raid on the East Coast Camp. Shortly after that point, Liberty had leaned into his expertise more and more as well as raising him up as a de-facto left hand to Philip¡¯s right as far as the rest of the cult was concerned. No one dared point out that he didn¡¯t buy into their beliefs for a moment. After all, the presence the man gave off now was not of some feckless scientist without an ounce of combat power. It felt like standing beneath a pile of enormous logs set ablaze. Heavy, stifling, and hot enough to burn if he wanted. ¡°I was in the area,¡± Craftsman said casually. ¡°Her worship is calling for you. She¡¯s already sent the others on their way.¡± Ellis flashed his teeth at the man despite his trepidation, ¡°Watch how you speak about her, boffin.¡± Craftsman raised his chin and sneered down at Ellis, ¡°How do your legs feel, Ellis? Do you need a tune up? I¡¯d be happy to take you apart again if you¡¯d like. We can take our time together,¡± he said, the hungry tone of his voice tripping with dark promise. Ellis looked away again and closed his mouth. ¡°I thought so,¡± Craftsman said with a laugh before turning to Kant, ¡°Do you have something on your mind, Kant?¡± Kant lowered her gaze, pushing the dark emotions down into her core even as a chill ran up her spine. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Craftsman said delightedly, clapping his hands, ¡°Now let¡¯s be off, yeah? Halloway is outside.¡± ¨C Stella Hanks, Liberty, was a mountain of a woman, now standing nearly seven feet tall with an inviolable aura that overshadowed all who she surveyed. Her long blonde hair hung neatly around her head in a perfect wave that looked almost artificial at first sight. Her eyes that had once been a faint glowing blue now gleamed so brightly they partially illuminated her face. She wore a suit of armor that shone like silver in the afternoon sun, numerous engravings on its surface radiating an inner yellow-gold light that somehow added to the oppressive air that hung around her. Those engravings, of course, were a facade. They hid the truly important engravings on the inner side of her armor that amplified her powers in conjunction with her sword. Her armored fingers wrapped around the handle of the massive blade, improved once more from the original version created for her by Craftsman. She stood straight and tall, unmoving as she watched from her position on a paved platform overlooking a fast-moving portion of the Mississippi river. Her eyes panned to the right and she looked down at Philip who stood next to her, leaning against the rail with a contemplative expression on his face. He had been brooding ever since returning from his trip to ¡®congratulate¡¯ his sister on her graduation into becoming a hero. She¡¯d given him permission to go despite personally finding the matter to be a waste of time. Jessica was no longer a member of the cult and held no more relevance in the world that Liberty intended to create than a cockroach. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Despite him being somehow cowed by his sister during his trip, it had not come without some side-benefits to Liberty. He was suffering from a similar partial memory loss that Halloway had experienced during the raid, adding credence to Halloway¡¯s excuses concerning the origin of the document he had brought to her. The file had been large and carefully written, a manual for expanding the influence of her cult and strengthening herself in preparation for the coming war. It had even included methods by which she could unlock the hidden functions and instincts of her ability, as if the person who wrote it knew her powers better than she did. She wanted very badly to know who the author was but was now under the assumption that she might not even remember even if she¡¯d met him before. The thought irritated her to no small degree, but such was the way of things in a world rife with strange and mysterious powers. ¡°Are you going to continue to brood?¡± she asked him cooly. He glanced up at her and met her gaze. Unlike the others, he didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°No ma¡¯am,¡± he said flatly, ¡°Just appreciating the water.¡± ¡°Liar,¡± she said before turning back to the rapids, ¡°You will have your opportunity. Despite the outcome of your trip, you, unlike the others, have yet to disappoint me. Philip.¡± He huffed out a breath and stood up straight, his fingers curling around the railing. You forget about my humiliation by Ishtar a little too easily, Stella. In a flash it was coated in a thin layer of frost that quickly gave off a faint mist as it evaporated under direct sunlight. ¡°I¡¯m not concerned,¡± he said, ¡°My abilities were locked behind the cuffs when I went. When the time comes I will deal with her quickly.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t punish her?¡± Liberty asked, ¡°Curious coming from you.¡± ¡°When we confront one another, I have a feeling I will have higher priorities than disciplining her,¡± he said, his tone bland as he ran his thumb over the rail, ¡°Wasting my time on her would be no better than the showboating during the raid. I will skewer her and leave her to hang for her ¡®friends¡¯. She is beneath me.¡± Liberty nodded with approval, ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad to see you came out of that experience with a better mindset.¡± He glanced her way, ¡°May I speak freely, ma¡¯am?¡± He asked, getting a nod from her as she looked back to the water. ¡°After you read that document, you changed. I don¡¯t mind it. But it makes me wonder.¡± She met his gaze for a moment, searching his face before shrugging her shoulders. ¡°I had intended to dismiss that document out of hand at first. It offended me that someone would suggest they knew me better than I knew myself.¡± ¡°What changed your mind?¡± he asked. ¡°The opening paragraph was the most accurate description of the inner functions of my ability I¡¯d ever seen. Our spies tell me that the Committee only knows the bare bones but that document¡­¡± she trailed off, ¡°...it knew things that I have not shared with anyone. Given that information has not been disseminated even after the document was given to me says that the person who wrote it has an agenda that includes my success.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you resent being shepherded like that?¡± he asked. ¡°I am under no obligation to follow the words in it to the letter, and I will not, while most of the advice is sound, some of it I find unpalatable,¡± she said with a sneer, ¡°It is a tool, nothing more.¡± He seemed to contemplate her words for a moment before nodding, ¡°I understand,¡± he said just as a rush of air and mana behind them drew their attention. A tear in space ripped through the air where they looked and pulled itself apart as if the very fabric of reality had been given a grievous wound. Red lightning danced on the surface of the opening for a moment before it stabilized and four figures stepped out. Ellis and Kant entered first, glancing around at their destination before spotting her and dropping to a knee. Behind them came Craftsman with that same irritatingly smug smile on his face and another man with long black hair and a carefully trimmed goatee. The man wore an immaculate black and red suit that fitted his athletic body perfectly. He joined the other two in scanning their surroundings before moving to join Ellis and Kant in a respectful line. Craftsman walked past the trio without a care in the world, humming to himself before he stopped next to Liberty and shot her a glance, ¡°How¡¯s the fit?¡± ¡°The adjustments you made were good,¡± she said by way of a compliment, ¡°You¡¯ve served me well.¡± ¡°I aim to please,¡± he said with a chuckle before turning to look at the trio with her. ¡°They seem happy with their new toys as well.¡± She glanced his way, watching how he fixated on Ellis with an expression that caused her guts to roil in disgust. ¡°They are my round table, not fresh corpses to root around in, Craftsman.¡± ¡°Sure sure, we¡¯ll see,¡± Craftsman said without turning to look at her, ¡°Just keep your end up and I¡¯ll play nice.¡± ¡°You call cutting one of my favorites open ¡®playing nice¡¯?¡± she asked. He turned to meet her gaze again, his smile growing cruel, ¡°Yes.¡± She scoffed and looked to the newly arrived members of her round table, ¡°Rise,¡± she commanded and they obeyed immediately. She gestured to her right, past Craftsman, and made a beckoning motion. A moment later a pair of men in cult masks walked over, dragging another man with a blindfold over his eyes to where she stood. He was covered in bruises and cuts, both of his arms bent the wrong way and one leg limp beneath him. He let out a low groan of pain as he lay there on the ground. She scowled down at him and clicked her tongue before reaching for his shirt and grabbing it, pulling him to his feet and waving the two cultists off. ¡°This insignificant cretin calls himself Renegade, a so-called ¡®villain¡¯,¡± she said and with quick motion grabbed his blindfold and pulled it off, tossing it to the ground. The disheveled man blinked several times, squinting his eyes against the sunlight before looking up into her face and going deathly pale as he met her eyes. ¡°He was caught attempting to plant bombs in the main compound,¡± she explained before turning and holding him with one arm over the rapids below. He let out a gasp of terror as he hung over the fast-moving water. Renegade turned his head towards her, ¡°P-please! I told you everything! Heal me! You promised!¡± She let him go and he fell into the water with a noisy splash. ¡°Ishtar has issued a bounty on you, my round table, as well as hard targets such as our important buildings, infrastructure, and holdings.¡± Halloway was the first to speak, ¡°Will you use the other half of your ability?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Liberty said before her perpetual scowl twisted into a horrible rictus of a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on something more palatable,¡± she turned back to her Round Table, ¡°We are moving forward on the Seattle plan. Are you ready to reveal your reforged selves?¡± Ellis, Kant, and Halloway all bowed their heads as one, ¡°Strength from Liberty. We will bring them to their knees.¡± She raised her head high, ¡°Strength from Liberty indeed.¡± ¨C Liberty sat alone, staring into the gloom of the room that had started to look less and less like a temple and more like an audience chamber for a monarch. She leaned forward in the throne of polished metal, her sword resting against her knee. She adjusted her grip and scowled as her thoughts churned over. She could feel her connection to the locations she had declared as her dominion, the presences inside of them, their growing sense of veneration giving her strength. Minutes ticked by until, for one of the locations, a threshold was reached. I never thought I would be put into a position where I had to use this function, she thought, her instincts guiding her through the process of guiding the improvements to the location. Increasing their physical capabilities and the potency of their abilities isn¡¯t necessary. She sighed, No one needs to know. ¡°Vouchsafe my People,¡± she intoned and she felt the power seep into her bones before seeming to scatter. If it weren¡¯t for her connection to the place she would have assumed that the ability had failed. She knew that the walls of the buildings in that distant compound had grown stronger, the very air becoming heavy for those who entered uninvited. It would take a force of terrible power to breach her defenses, especially once she gave them time to build up. You know too much, Ishtar, she thought as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She flipped through the mysterious document-the ¡®guide¡¯-again before closing it. It¡¯s time to make my own statement. Chapter 179 She¡¯d only seen it for a few brief moments. Not long enough to appreciate it. Not long enough to take it in. Her eyelids felt heavy as she rested her hand against the smooth surface of the door and reached into her purse on instinct for her keys. Her fingers ran down before stopping, a brief moment of panic vanishing into a bemused chuckle when she remembered she didn¡¯t need them. She rest her head against the cool surface of the door and let out a weary sigh, the door¡¯s electronic lock disengaging with a tiny flex of her will. She pushed the handle down and stepped into the entry hall. The short passage led forward into an open kitchen that was directly connected to the living room. Sonya set her purse down on the pristine counter and leaned against it. She glanced over at the fridge where a little sign on the whiteboard hanging from the door said ¡®No late night snacks! This means you, Sonya!¡¯. She cracked a grin and walked over to the door, opening it and plucking out a can of cola. She held it up to her neck and groaned at the cold feeling of its surface against her neck before cracking it open and taking a sip. Nectar is delicious but sometimes the real thing is just better, she thought as she leaned up against the door and looked down at the counter again. Four seats stood along the side opposite her. She glanced up from them to the light fixture where she sensed that the lights were out. She couldn¡¯t tell anymore, she hadn¡¯t been able to tell the difference between darkness and illumination for a long time. Her world was a perpetual state of clarity that seemed ironic to her in a lot of ways. She sipped again at her drink and looked back to the seats. Four people were sitting there, a young woman in a blue shirt with long brown hair, a young man with messy black hair and bags under his eyes, a dark skinned man with short curly hair who seemed uncomfortable without his mask on, and a young man with brown hair in a letterman style jacket. He was laughing about something, his smile warm, his eyes glittering with a depth of goodness that she could never fully grasp. He turned to look at her and smiled even wider, he said something that she couldn¡¯t hear. She returned his smile, ¡°What was that, Nick?¡± she asked him, leaning forward, ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear you.¡± He raised an eyebrow and glanced towards the others before shaking his head and pointing at his own ears, he was saying something again and the others were laughing at whatever it was. Her brows furrowed, ¡°Nick? I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Sonya,¡± he said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± She cocked her head to the right, ¡°Time for what, Nick? What¡¯s going on? Jess are you putting him up to this?¡± she said with a laugh and turned to Bluestar who was looking her dead in the eyes, a seriousness in her expression. She looked older now, rigid, firm, composed in a way that the girl in the blue shirt from just moments before couldn¡¯t match. Her gaze held the weight of experience that was far deeper than anyone should ever have to go through in a single year. Sonya felt her fingers tense as she shot a look back to Nick. He was still as young as ever, still smiling at her with a kindness that just wasn¡¯t fair. ¡°Nick?¡± ¡°The story¡¯s almost over,¡± he said with a smile and leaned against the counter, the others were gone now. ¡°The legend is about to start. I believe in you, Sonya. It¡¯s about time you started doing the same. Like they do.¡± ¡°Nick, what are you talking about?¡± She laughed, ¡°Of course I-¡± she trailed off as the scene brightened back to the merry banter among friends. She turned her head to see Amos sitting on the couch playing video games, Marta was carrying treats on a tray with Barry looming over her shoulder and trying to reach for them. She was scowling at him with a small smile on her face. To her left, Colin and Beyol stepped into the room, talking with one another before passing her by. Beyol waved awkwardly while Colin shot her his signature grin before hopping over the back of the couch to interrupt a focused Amos. Kera poked her head out of one of the bedroom doors and shouted something before shooting Beyol a sheepish smile. ¡°Sonya?¡± A new voice called out to her and she jumped, dropping the can with a clang. She whipped her head to the side to see Cass looking at her. She blinked a few times and looked around the room, it was empty and quiet. That golden warmth of color just¡­ gone. Her heart sank as she caught her breath and looked down at the mess at her feet. ¡°Oh,¡± she mumbled before turning to Cass with a smile, ¡°Did I doze off there? Made a mess too, Marta¡¯s going to be mad, huh?¡± Cass gave her a worried look, ¡°You okay?¡± Sonya snorted before sagging a little against the door, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not great, Cass.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been go go go since we got back to New York. You need some sleep,¡± the girl said, ¡°I¡¯ll clean this up for you. Go lay down.¡± Sonya¡¯s lip twitched and she tapped her foot against the liquid on the ground, it dissolved into motes of blue light that popped in the air like bubbles, the mess gone without a trace. ¡°All gone, no worries,¡± she said with a chuckle before stepping away from the fridge to pick up her purse. She reached up and pulled her hair back a bit. She turned to look at her apartment again, ¡°When I started everything,¡± she said after a long pause, ¡°It was just me, Amos, and Marta. We had Barry join later.¡± Cass turned to look at the empty apartment thoughtfully and Sonya rested her elbows on the counter, ¡°Amos would play video games on his downtime right there,¡± she said nodding to the tv, ¡°I¡¯d join him sometimes. Marta would yell at us about being frivolous about our time when all she really wanted was to commandeer the TV to watch her anime.¡± Sonya¡¯s shoulders sagged, ¡°Amos is one of the most famous men in the world now, a nobel prize winning scientist working hard to make it a better place all the while living a double life. Marta has barely seen her boyfriend because I keep dragging her everywhere I go while sending him off to the ends of the earth to lay the groundwork for my plans.¡± ¡°You miss it?¡± Cass asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I had a lot of fun at the camp, don¡¯t get me wrong. I liked meeting the little heroes in the making but¡­ they were so far removed from me in a way that I could never really connect to. I was always watching myself, watching them, watching him. Walking on shards of glass and praying that I didn¡¯t slip up somehow or some way,¡± Sonya bowed her head, ¡°I reconnected with someone I care a lot about and now she¡¯s far away too. Carla is a busy woman now as well, we don¡¯t get a lot of time.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Cass stood in silence for a while, looking into the room. Sonya wondered what it was like to see the room with the lights out as they were, gloomy and empty. She could feel Marta sleeping soundly in one of the bedrooms as she cast her senses about. She looked down at the counter again and let out a tired sigh. The little time she¡¯d taken to herself before throwing herself into her work had barely made a dent in her weariness. The turmoil of a year past was gone from her heart but somehow that just made her feel even more exhausted. ¡°You said once, during the meeting with the other members of the Inner Circle, that you were trying to save the world, right?¡± Cass asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your goal?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°It seemed pretty easy at first, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, now I¡¯m just tired all the time.¡± Cass went silent again and regarded the room for a little bit longer, ¡°You gave them all of their powers.¡± ¡°More or less,¡± Sonya said, waving her hand a bit, ¡°Initially I just awakened the abilities that were already there or in Barry¡¯s case he already had them.¡± ¡°You lifted them up, gave them strength, supported them,¡± Cass said to herself, ¡°You had their backs when they needed you. Just like how you saved Colin today.¡± Sonya¡¯s lips formed a line, ¡°I never considered that Qilin might show up like that. A miscalculation I won¡¯t make again.¡± ¡°Sonya?¡± Cass interjected, drawing Sonya¡¯s attention. She looked up into the girls eyes, they were blue and bright and filled with a mixture of care and concern. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Hm? What about me?¡± Cass snorted and shook her head, ¡°Of all the things for me to figure out after spending all that time at the camp. Maybe you should have registered as an aspirant too,¡± she said with a chuckle and turned to look back at the living room, ¡°I have my team, thanks to you. I see them every day. They gave me the strength to keep going when the training was at its toughest. When the dungeon trial was at its hardest. I wouldn¡¯t be who I am now without them watching my back. You gave me that,¡± she let out a breath, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the future will bring and how things will go with my sister. But¡­¡± she trailed off and chuckled, ¡°...it¡¯s crazy to say. I hate her with all my heart. I want to face her, beat her. Yet there¡¯s a small part of me that wants to hold onto this more. Like it''s not worth it, she¡¯s not worth losing this.¡± Cass¡¯ smile grew so bright it was blinding, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a nightmare in a while. Sonya. Thanks to you,¡± she said and leaned forward to give Sonya a kiss on the forehead. She stood up straight, ¡°I know they were joking the other day, but you¡¯re like a mother to me. More than a big sister. I owe you my life in ways I can never repay. So please, take care of yourself and love yourself a little more. I don¡¯t care what the rest of the world says or even what you think about yourself. You deserve happiness. Not just the little moments. All of it, as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± She cleared her throat and sent Sonya an awkward grin, ¡°Been holding onto that for a while, glad I got it out. Good night, Sonya. Get some sleep,¡± she said and walked away leaving a dumbstruck Sonya leaning against the counter. They grow up so fast, Ishtar said. ¡°They sure do,¡± Sonya said in wonder, watching the door close behind Cass. One sister with a heart of stone, another warm as a summer day. ¡°Since when did you turn into a poet?¡± Sonya chuckled and let out a sigh, she pushed herself up and ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°Hey, Ishtar?¡± Yes, Sonya? ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible for me to pull this thing off and not die in the end? Don¡¯t I deserve it for all I¡¯ve done?¡± Sonya asked. Perhaps, but that¡¯s entirely up to you. Do you want that kind of ending? I wonder if a real villain cares about that kind of thing. Sonya scoffed, ¡°Is this that Villain Mindset nonsense you keep harping about?¡± Yes. Though there is a difference between understanding it and truly accepting it. Do you believe you deserve a happy ending? ¡°No,¡± Sonya said after a long pause, ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know,¡± she muttered, exasperated. She glanced up at the door to the room that Cass had disappeared into. Her lips tilted into a small smile, ¡°I think I could be convinced, with enough evidence.¡± I suppose it¡¯s a start. ¨C The next morning Sonya woke to the scent of breakfast and coffee and the sounds of laughter. She squinted groggily at the ceiling, her hair tousled about. She sat up sharply, reaching up to clutch at her head for a moment before glaring at the door. ¡°What the hell?¡± she grumbled, ¡°Ishtar, what¡¯s going on?¡± You have guests, it seems. Little Taurus invited them over. Sonya frowned in confusion, ¡°Were you up all night? How do you know?¡± Sonya, I don¡¯t need sleep like you do. It is no drain on me to keep an eye on your surroundings while you rest. Our senses are sharp, after all. ¡°Is that a new feature of our uh¡­ thing?¡± she asked. Hardly. You just never asked until now. Sonya clicked her tongue and hopped out of bed, staggering over to the bathroom door and freshening up quickly. She threw on a t-shirt and pajamas quickly before marching to the exit of her bedroom and throwing the door open, ¡°Now what the hell is going on out he- here¡­¡± she trailed off as she took in the scene. Alex and Cass were sitting on the couch, leaning forward as they stared at the television screen, controllers in their hands. Lillian was at the kitchen counter with Snow and John, sipping at a coffee while Marta turned back to set a plate piled with pancakes down in front of the trio. Val barked out a laugh off to the side and Sonya¡¯s eyes went wide as Amos turned his head from his conversation with the new hero. He grinned, ¡°Hey boss! Good morning!¡± Sonya stepped out of the bedroom and looked around the space again, stupefied, ¡°Amos, what on earth are you doing here?¡± ¡°I took a little time off from that project with Forge,¡± he said with a shrug, ¡°Colin was in town so I asked Euclidia for a port. Got a text from Marta that blondie was having her friends over and thought I¡¯d swing by too,¡± he said, jerking his thumb towards Cass who glanced up and waved quickly before going back to her battle with Alex. Sonya opened her mouth as a mug of coffee made its way into her hand. She looked down before looking up at Marta who smiled at her, ¡°Good morning, Miss Sonya,¡± she said, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Sonya mumbled, and pulled the mug to her lips, sipping once. ¡°I may be speaking out of turn,¡± Marta said quietly with her maid-like demure tone, ¡°But even if you do not like hearing her referred to that way, I do believe the young miss of the family has turned out to be a remarkable and thoughtful young woman.¡± Sonya looked to Cass who was grinning ear to ear, laughing as Alex threw his hands up and rounded on her. Sonya felt a little lump form in her throat that she cleared, ¡°Indeed she has,¡± she said and put the mug back in Marta¡¯s hand before she walked over to the couch, ¡°Hey! Let me in on this action!¡± Chapter 180 Time spent with the young heroes and her two closest friends was a balm that went beyond any private time and shopping spree could provide. As Sonya laughed and played games with the others she remembered more and more why she had thrown herself so hard into what she was doing in the first place and who she had done it for. She wondered if that exhausted dream from the previous night had been more honest with her than she¡¯d ever been with herself. Ever since the death of Firestorm and her fight with Chunhua she had thrown herself with ever increasing ferocity into her efforts. Her fun loving and mischievous side had become yet another mask to wear to cover up the exhaustion and bitterness that had been threatening to overwhelm her. It was not until she got to experience the same brightness there in the living room of her New York apartment that she finally was able to see that with some measure of clarity. That clarity had come as something as a humbling shock, she had always prided herself on her own self awareness. She knew that she was a hypocrite in a lot of ways and often did not practice what she preached. She hadn¡¯t realized, though, how deep that went. Realizations aside, she could not just stop working with the timetable she was operating on. Liberty was still making moves and steadily growing in power if the few Night Society observers they¡¯d managed to maintain amongst her people were to be believed. Qilin had been pacified for now though she represented a considerable threat if she ever decided to end their business relationship. Craftsman was now an object of attention for the Pandora Committee, Ewen¡¯s recorded confession of his existence had driven the committee to begin looking into the man known as Graham Taylor in order to unearth his secrets. There were long term problems to consider as well. Astaroth was still active in Paris, though the small gathering of vigilantes around Detective Martin who now called himself Mimir were angling to take the fight to him. That left First Wind and Majordomo as the most out-of-reach among the Heralds. First Wind¡¯s antics had tapered off after Carla¡¯s ascension to the role of Chairman. Her hard-line stance on collateral damage moving his more unseemly behaviors into the dark rather than bringing them out into the light. Majordomo was absent entirely. He¡¯d been second only to Otis in the previous timeline and world famous for his power. No one had heard a thing about him in the current timeline, though, and it was beginning to worry Sonya a little. Surprisingly, the least pressing problem was the biggest threat. Otis was now a signed hero with ASTA and firmly under her observation. Though she had no control over what kind of missions he went on and where, she could keep a much better eye on him and watch how he and his abilities developed over time. She hoped that, in that way, she could unearth the secrets of his abilities and how to put an end to him once and for all. Something told her that would be a long time coming, though, and it was best to be patient. All of those concerns were finally put out of her mind as she enjoyed a little quality time with the people she had come to care about. Not all of them could be there, but that was something she had come to accept far more easily than her own shortcomings. She was in the middle of watching Lillian and Snow duke it out in a racing game when she made a decision. ¡°Hey gang, a moment?¡± she called out, drawing everyone''s attention. She hopped to her feet and took a few skipping steps forward before spinning to stand in front of the TV. She searched their faces, a little sad not to see Ollie there but according to Lillian he had quickly arranged for lodgings in the guild dorms before throwing himself into working with the investigative team. Sonya was proud of him for that. Amos, Val, and Marta walked over from the counter where they¡¯d been talking. ¡°What¡¯s up Sonya?¡± Amos asked. Sonya put her hands on her hips, ¡°Here¡¯s the deal! I¡¯m planning a trip next week. I was going to bring it up back at the Guild but I figured I¡¯d address it with you guys first,¡± she said and held up a finger, ¡°I¡¯ve been planning expanding ASTA¡¯s interests into Asia for a while, particularly Japan, and have a few people I¡¯d like to meet while I¡¯m there. Now I know you guys are on your grace period and should be spending time familiarizing yourself with New York, but what do you guys say to a little vacation before you dive into it?¡± She grinned, ¡°We could check out the guilds there of course, maybe do a little flexing,¡± she winked at Lillian before looking up to the ceiling, ¡°The tourist destinations would be a blast, though. Hot springs, shopping arcades, maid cafes,¡± she said the last item with a lecherous laugh. The others gave her a flat look and she returned it with her hands on her hips, ¡°What! I know what I like!¡± She protested. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go,¡± Marta said with a wistful sigh. Amos snorted, ¡°Well of course you¡¯re going, you go wherever she does,¡± he teased her. ¡°True, but the perks don¡¯t hurt,¡± Marta pointed out. John raised a hand politely before putting it down after getting a raised eyebrow from Sonya, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it will not be possible for me to attend,¡± he said with a bit of resignation, ¡°I have already created a work schedule with the Guildmaster.¡± Val shrugged next to him, ¡°Yeah and I¡¯m not all that interested, no offense,¡± he glanced towards Marta apologetically. ¡°There¡¯s an extra course I gotta take with the guild before I¡¯m allowed to fly in the city so I¡¯ll be doing that. It ain¡¯t long but it¡¯s gotta be done. I¡¯m not from the city so I¡¯d like to spend a little time getting used to things around here.¡± ¡°I thought you were all from Nashville,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Technically true, I went to school in Nashville,¡± Val said, ¡°Didn¡¯t see much of the town though. My family is on a farm about an hour out so I usually went home right away at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m in,¡± Cass said and elbowed Alex who grunted and sat up from where he was zoning out a little. ¡°Me too, definitely!¡± Alex said, ¡°I wanna take a peek at what kind of brawlers they got over there.¡± ¡°Sapporo is a brawler-type, technically,¡± Snow pointed out, her voice filling the air like static. ¡°I thought he made people go crazy or something,¡± Alex said. Lillian gave him an aghast look, ¡°He makes people party and draws strength from the size of the party. Everyone knows that. His ability requirements are some of the most well known in the world because of Vegas. Have you been living under a rock?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. He squinted at her, ¡°You wanna rematch?¡± ¡°You two can mess around all you want after I hear from the others,¡± Sonya laughed, pulling them out of their bickering, ¡°Snow, Lily?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to go, but don¡¯t we need passports?¡± Lillian asked, ¡°I never got mine.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Snow said, ¡°Didn¡¯t have a lot of opportunities to go out of the country before I joined up as a hero,¡± she added sarcastically. Sonya chuckled, ¡°What are you talking about? You have passports.¡± All of the young heroes except for John blinked at her in confusion. John snorted and looked away, getting a scowl from his friends. She clicked her tongue and shook her head, ¡°A few somebodies got a question wrong on their legal exam, obviously,¡± she said and pointed to Lillian¡¯s pocket, ¡°It¡¯s in there. Heroes are often required to go across borders to neighboring countries to assist or may even be called in to aid the International team if it comes to it. Your hero license doubles as a passport. Look closely at it.¡± They all hurried to pull out their wallets and check the card, peering closely at the lines. There were of course the usual lines, id number, code name, real name, tier, and near the bottom; ¡°Passport Identification Number,¡± Lillian read aloud, ¡°Oooohhh!¡± ¡ª On the other side of the continent, a solitary pair trudged through the thick snow that had coated a mountainside. The wind picked up, the bitter cold not even tingling what little exposed skin they had. The trees around them creaked and groaned with the growing storm, snow floating around them in gusts before abruptly parting to let them pass as if they were cutting through a field. The first of the two wore heavy red-and-green clothes with a hood and scarf around her face. A heavy backpack hung on her back that didn¡¯t seem to bother her despite her slight frame. She hummed merrily to herself. Guildmaster Evergreen turned back to check on the woman traveling with her. As opposed to herself who had little trouble in such climates even without her abilities, Black Lotus held no love for the ceaseless snowfall. She wore thick black robes that were tied tightly at her ankles and wrists to keep the heat in, her long hair bound up beneath a hood and wrapped with a crimson scarf that seemed to ripple faintly with an odd heat-haze in the snowy climate. She reached up and pulled at the scarf, fixing it over her nose as she nodded silently to Evergreen. ¡°That¡¯s fancy!¡± Evergreen shouted over the wind, pointing at her own scarf for emphasis. ¡°Got it in a dungeon!¡± Black Lotus shouted back, ¡°How far out are we?¡± ¡°Just over this ridge!¡± Evergreen replied, ¡°Which dungeon?¡± ¡°Seoul!¡± Black Lotus said as they continued their trudging path, making their way up and over the ridge to look down on a clearing that had taken shape in the trees. The woods seemed to have fallen away in a near-perfect circle around a central point. There, amidst the clearing, was a pair of obelisks practically radiating mana off of them. Between them a portal had taken shape, rippling and fluctuating as the wind blew through it. ¡°What next?¡± Black Lotus shouted. ¡°Next I set up our living arrangements!¡± Evergreen called, ¡°Don¡¯t want our backup getting bowled over with snow when they come through!¡± ¡°Is the Committee sending backup?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°Not unless you need it!¡± Evergreen shouted before hopping forwards and sliding down the snow bank a little. She threw out both hands and splayed her fingers, pointing them down before dipping forward in a scooping motion and dragging her hands up into the air. All around them the ground seemed to tremble as snow shifted and the wind went still. Then, without warning, the snow around the portal began to draw into itself in a large ring around the outer edge of the clearing before launching up into the air. It arced over the portal before colliding with itself, More snow moved from the surrounding area, building and building on top of the mound that was beginning to take shape. Evergreen let out a breath and brought both of her hands towards one another, palms soon pressing together as she hunched her shoulders in focus. The snow began to shrink in on itself, compressing down until a dome of smooth, opaque, white ice had formed over the dome while leaving the surrounding area almost completely cleared. Black Lotus let out a breath filled with awe, ¡°That was amazing.¡± Evergreen barked out a laugh, ¡°Yeah? I may not be the strongest in the world, but here?¡± she gestured around herself, ¡°I¡¯m invincible. Come on! I made you a room!¡± she said eagerly and slid down the nearly clear hill that had been left behind after using its snow. She hustled over to one side of the dome and held out a hand, an opening forming in the dome and revealing an already lit interior. Black Lotus hurried after her and stepped through the opening, pulling back her hood as she looked around and down. She was standing on a floor that looked like it had been shaped to look like tiles. The opening led into a hallway that stretched forward before stopping at a crossing. Evergreen threw her hood back as Black Lotus looked up at the ceiling. A crystalline piece of ice was floating over their heads and letting off a comfortable glow that added a strange warmth to the space, ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I can make ice with unusual properties depending on available ingredients,¡± Evergreen said as she walked forward, ¡°Common room and entry to the portal room is on the left, living quarters are on the right.¡± Black Lotus raised an eyebrow, ¡°Ingredients? You mean snow?¡± Evergreen glanced back at her and winked, ¡°Among other things, girls gotta have some secrets, right?¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Black Lotus admitted, looking around as they hung a left into a sizeable room with tables and stools all made of hardened ice. She pulled off a glove and ran her fingers across it. It was cold but not painfully so. More interestingly, it was dry as stone. She rubbed her fingers together before looking back at Evergreen, ¡°This is incredible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just getting started. We need to fortify it as well. I¡¯ll take care of that, though. You should probably call up Euclidia and get that scout of yours in,¡± she said and walked back through the entryway to the common room and down towards the outside. Black Lotus pressed her lips together and looked around the room one more time before letting out a breath and pulling her phone out from within her robes. She opened her phone, spotting a notification she hadn¡¯t felt come in. She opened it and smiled. Sonya was standing with her phone outstretched and smiling with several of the new young heroes behind her as well as Marta and Amos. A message was attached, ¡®Be safe¡¯. She ran her thumb over the image for a moment before letting out a breath. She wasn¡¯t sure why seeing Sonya¡¯s face dredged up complicated feelings beyond the ones she already had but she let it go. It wasn¡¯t important. She had a job to do. She hadn¡¯t been confident about facing this dungeon before but now she felt like she was ready to take it on. She selected a contact and her phone dialed, the call ringing only once before Euclidia answered. ¡°Chuchu! Hey girl hey!¡± she said brightly. ¡°Hey Molly,¡± Black Lotus said brightly, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the target destination.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Euclidia said before it sounded like she turned away from the phone, ¡°Hey, Gravy-train! Get the nexus set up for a portal from the scouts rally point to Black Lotus¡¯ current location,¡± she paused, ¡°Yeah I meant you! What, you don¡¯t like the nickname?¡± Euclidia came back to the phone, ¡°New kid doesn¡¯t like his nickname. We¡¯re on it.¡± Black Lotus laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d like to be called that either,¡± she said, ¡°Who are we getting?¡± ¡°Sending you a scout team of five and a few fresh graduates who will be shadowing them during the initial dive. They won¡¯t be participating in the main op but it¡¯ll be a good experience, one of our security boys is actually scout certified and offered to help out,¡± Euclidia explained, ¡°His name¡¯s Nietz, good kid, be nice to him.¡± ¡°Looking forward to meeting him,¡± Black Lotus said as an arch began to form in front of her. ¡°Portal incoming, good luck Chuchu!¡± Black Lotus grinned, ¡°Thanks, it''s good to be back on the job.¡± Chapter 181 With the trip to Japan just a few days away, Sonya still had things she needed to do in the interim. She had a company to at least pretend to operate and schemes to progress. She had put a lot of tireless work into what she was building during the year between Vegas and the training camps. She had intended for the camps to be something of a vacation where she could watch the fruits of her labor come into their own. It hadn¡¯t exactly worked out that way initially but the results spoke for themselves. Ten weeks away from any company was a long time for an executive. There was a lot to catch up on and most people would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data that needed to be worked through in order to get a handle on the state of the company. Not that was a problem for her, Sonya could basically connect to the company mainframe and download every bit of information straight into her head, it took a little while to process even with her enhanced mind but she caught up quickly. ASTA had grown even in her absence and the various companies it had acquired to maintain its various projects were now fully converted into subsidiaries and products not just for those in the field of ¡®heroing¡¯ were being pushed out for purchase by the general public. In short, Sonya was not worried about money. She hadn¡¯t been worried much about it from the outlet, but using her ability to give youth or provide healing for people in exchange for funds was not something she needed to concern herself with anymore. Money didn¡¯t solve all problems, though, and for her it was just a means to an end. Some of the new Board of Directors for the company might disagree with her on that front but she didn¡¯t care much for that opinion. Fortunately, that was a minor issue in the grand scheme of things and the company itself was managed well thanks in no small part to Amos. While Amos was ostensibly the head of the research division for the company and it was his primary focus, he was also the Vice-Chair and Chief Operations Officer. When Sonya wasn¡¯t present, he was in charge. A technopath like Sonya with a sharp mind and scathing wit, he took to management like a machine. That wasn¡¯t surprising to Sonya given the man he had become in the previous timeline which was the reason she¡¯d put him in the position despite Amos¡¯ initial protests. Alongside Amos the ASTA hierarchy was made up of numerous people she was close to and some she had taken in because of her knowledge of them from the previous timeline. Colin was the Chief Legal Officer of the company, though he ¡®worked from home¡¯ according to company records and was rarely in-house. The Chief Financial Officer was a man named Jack Tythe who¡¯s amusingly unfortunate surname was not lost on Sonya. In the previous timeline he had been a powerful unawakened stock-broker and financial adviser who had hoarded his wealth all around the world up until the cataclysm that was the flash. When the world went crazy he had surprisingly turned to funding the various disparate groups that would become the guilds. He was ruined by what Sonya now understood was the Night Society. A man of few words, he was something of a hero in his own right and a real ¡®white-knight¡¯ character. Not only was he good at what he did, his reputation brought a lot of positive clout to the company. The Chief Information Officer of the company was of course Beyol or rather Choi Minjun, his new identity when he was in public. Using the Night Society¡¯s network to assist the company was more than a little corrupt, but when half of the core officers of the company were supervillains, who cared? The final member of the officers was Kerry Watts, the Chief Media Manager who had overseen the creation of the commercial showing off the new US graduates from the camps. The Board of Directors was made up of more familiar names, Bernetta Lucci, Prichard Earl, Marta Daphne, Jessica Wright, Brigid Winter, and the three people Sonya was talking to in her office at the temporary headquarters for the company while the new building was finishing construction. She was sitting in a comfortable high backed chair with the New York skyline behind her as she smiled over her desk at the small party that had come to meet with her. ¡°The telecom side is doing well since acquiring Horizon. We¡¯ve finished updating towers across North America and we¡¯re in negotiations to move further out. Some companies aren¡¯t happy that we¡¯ve moved in so quickly and are pressing the European Union on holding us off for now,¡± Dennis Rand said. He was a thick set man with one of the most outrageous mustaches Sonya had ever seen. His thinning hair was combed over slightly and he kept dabbing his neck with a handkerchief as he spoke. ¡°The final design for the commercial-grade phones will be ready on time for the holidays.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Sonya said with a smile, locking eyes with him. He glanced away uncomfortably before returning her stare and nodding. It was strange to see someone thrown off by her mechanical eyes after spending so much time around other light-touched, but it was also refreshing in a way, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about the EU, I¡¯m sure that things will work out better than you expect. I have some friends over there that can smooth things over.¡± ¡°As you say,¡± Dennis said with a grunt, leaning back in his seat before glancing towards the other man in the trio. Onslow Riccard was every bit Dennis¡¯ physical opposite. Thin and wiry with a head of hair and beady eyes. He wore thick clothing to keep himself warm despite the controlled climate around them. His upper lip pressed forward thinly in a way that reminded Sonya of a turtle. It was funny. ¡°Stores are starting to sell your clothing brands, we¡¯re currently dominating the purchasing market when it comes to monster-based goods and materials. I was skeptical about pushing down prices at first, to be honest, but creating what amounts to a lifestyle brand has proven to be a bold and effective move,¡± Onslow said, his words clipped and precise as he tapped at the arm of his chair. ¡°We¡¯re certainly seeing profits now after the initial deficit.¡± ¡°And you were worried,¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°I bet Bernetta is happy.¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s thrilled, ma¡¯am,¡± Onslow agreed with a nod, ¡°We¡¯re still making luxury products as well of course.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s where the real money is,¡± Sonya said dismissively before glancing at the third member of the group, ¡°How are things on your end?¡± The third member of the group was a woman with chestnut brown hair and clear eyes that made Sonya¡¯s chest ache just a little at the familiarity to her brother. A composed woman in her late twenties, Annabelle Anders was a woman who had thrown herself into her work rather than succumb to the tragedy that seemed to follow her family. ¡°We¡¯ve expanded the number of agents working for us as go-betweens for heroes. It¡¯s reached the point where we¡¯re going to have to start assigning an agent-per-hero in order to keep from overworking them with the new generation fresh out of the camps.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Is that sustainable?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°Not really,¡± Annabelle said with a shake of her head, ¡°We¡¯re working on new strategies to streamline certain processes to allow agents maintain a larger pool of heroes they work with.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, we take care of our people here,¡± Sonya said evenly, ¡°Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t heard much about the side project with the new headquarters. Where are we on that?¡± ¡°They were completed long before headquarters as you asked. They¡¯re furnished and ready to go,¡± Annabelle said, ¡°It came as a bit of a shock to the Minneapolis city council when we told them what you were planning but they were on board after we explained the reasoning and benefits.¡± Sonya smiled, ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m glad things are looking up. Any troubles?¡± ¡°East Asia is continuing to be a hotspot for us,¡± Onslow cut in. ¡°Yes, yes, especially China and Japan. We aren¡¯t having as much push-back in Korea but as you can imagine there are a few Japanese hero firms that do not want foreign companies coming in and taking over,¡± Dennis agreed, ¡°I heard you are going on a trip to Japan with some of the new heroes for the main Guild.¡± ¡°Keeping an eye on my schedule, Mister Rand?¡± Sonya asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Of course! I am always looking for opportunities. While you are there, might I suggest seeing what you can do? I¡¯ve done a little digging and there is an in-road you can take advantage of,¡± he said with a grin, dabbing his mustache again. Sonya smiled, it was good to have people working for her who knew what they were doing. ¡°Do tell.¡± ¡°The grandson of the Prime Minister is something of a fan of light-touched heroes and enthralled with the United States hero program. His grandfather is quite doting and listens to the boy a lot which is why their program is so similar to our own and they were more flexible about taking on the suggestions of the Pandora Committee,¡± Dennis explained, ¡°I learned that he actually made a point to watch that commercial of yours.¡± ¡°He¡¯s interested in the camp graduates?¡± Sonya asked, glancing at Annabelle briefly before looking back at the man, ¡°How about we set up a meeting, then?¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly, in particular if you can convince Crusader to meet with him that would be best,¡± Dennis said, ¡°One of our representatives went to meet with the Prime Minister and the man could not stop bragging about his son¡¯s drawing of her.¡± Sonya burst into laughter, ¡°He drew a picture of Crusader?¡± ¡°Oh yes,¡± Dennis said, ¡°He¡¯s quite enamored.¡± ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°Ten, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°All we can do is try to set up a meeting and see if that can score us some points,¡± Sonya said, ¡°See what you can do on your end ahead of my trip,¡± she added before glancing up at the others, ¡°Thank you for coming to see me.¡± The three of them nodded and started to get to their feet before Sonya cleared her throat, ¡°Annabelle, would you mind staying behind a moment?¡± The three glanced at one another before shrugging. Annabelle nodded and smiled at the others as they left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Sonya sat in silence for a moment as she regarded the young woman, searching her face. There were no obvious signs, she took good care of herself for the most part, but Sonya could see the faint hints of exhaustion here and there on her face thanks to her far more powerful senses. ¡°You¡¯re tired.¡± Annabelle blinked and reached up to touch her face, ¡°Is it obvious?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re hiding it well,¡± Sonya said before tapping one of her eyes, ¡°I just have good eyes.¡± Annabelle snorted out a laugh, ¡°Fair enough,¡± she sighed, ¡°Work has kept my mind off of things. After dad did that to himself and Nick¡­¡± she trailed off into a sullen silence, leaning back in her seat. ¡°...you were close with Nick, right? Probably knew him better than me. We didn¡¯t get along, he was always so out there.¡± ¡°I was,¡± Sonya said with a nod and reached under her desk to pull out a bottle and two glasses. She poured amber liquid into the cups, just a little, before pushing one towards Annabelle. ¡°I never got to talk to you after what happened with your father. I¡¯m sorry. Did he leave a note?¡± She nodded, ¡°He was convinced that he had something to do with Nick¡¯s death, that he was responsible and it had something to do with his regained youth,¡± she said sadly and sipped at her drink, ¡°I think he may have gotten connected to someone he shouldn¡¯t have but in the end it was my brother¡¯s choice to go out there. He died a hero and I¡¯m proud of him for that.¡± Sonya closed her eyes and let out a sigh, leaning back in her seat. It was hard to hear but it was something she felt like she needed to hear. The deal she¡¯d made with Johnathan Adders had included a clause to keep him from discussing her identity or how he¡¯d regained his youth. His money had been the impetus for her starting ASTA and building her identity as Ishtar. He wasn¡¯t wrong in his beliefs, in a way, but Annabelle was right. Nick Adders was a Hero. ¡°I want to tell you about someone,¡± Sonya said after a moment of silence, ¡°She said something very interesting to me when we first met.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°She said she wanted to live up to your brother¡¯s legacy, not to be him, but to be the person who can run into danger and help people, no matter what,¡± Sonya said, ¡°She obtained a fire-based ability and threw herself into training. Now she¡¯s one of the top graduates.¡± Annabelle went still, ¡°Crusader?¡± Sonya nodded. ¡°Crusader said that?¡± ¡°Yes. Your brother inspired a young woman who I predict will become one of earth¡¯s mightiest heroes. She apprenticed directly under Black Lotus, Annabelle,¡± she laughed, ¡°Heck, she incorporated her Firestorm letterman jacket into her hero outfit.¡± Annabelle made a face and looked down at her cup, swirling the amber liquid in it, ¡°I¡¯d like to meet her,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I figured, would you like to now?¡± Sonya asked. Annabelle looked up, surprised, ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right outside my office,¡± Sonya said with a wry smile. Annabelle gaped at Sonya for a moment before chuckling and throwing back the last of her drink in a single gulp. She got to her feet and brandished a rare smile in Sonya¡¯s direction that looked so much like Nick¡¯s it both hurt and soothed at the same time. Sonya rose as well and Annabelle extended her hand for Sonya to shake. Sonya took it and gave it a gentle squeeze. Unable to resist, she used Analyze. She released her grip on the woman¡¯s hand, keeping a straight face as she walked around the desk to open the door for her. She let her friend¡¯s sister walk past. Being a hero is just in her family¡¯s blood, I suppose. All of them were born for greatness, even if they didn¡¯t all awaken. Perhaps it is in their blood, Ishtar pointed out. Possible, but let¡¯s not dwell on it for now, this is more important, Sonya replied as Annabelle came to a stop a few paces ahead. Lillian got up from the bench she was sitting on, adjusting her black and orange jacket and brushing her hair over her ear. She brandished a smile in Annabelle¡¯s direction. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m-¡± Annabelle swept the girl up in a hug. I think you¡¯re right. It can wait. Chapter 182 Sonya watched out the window of her office as Lillian and Annabelle left to go have dinner and talk more. The woman had immediately seen a bit of her brother in the young hero which wasn¡¯t a surprise. Sonya wondered if a little bit of Nick had actually passed on through the ability that was given to Lillian as part of the merger into Fenghuang. It was an absurd notion, but one that had cropped up a few times in her musings about the nature of instincts. She shook her head and dismissed the more complex thoughts, they weren¡¯t necessary right now and would be more of a distraction than anything else. It seems like you¡¯re recovering well, Ishtar said, You seem more grounded. ¡°Cass¡¯ little impromptu breakfast party helped,¡± Sonya said absently, reaching up to touch the glass of the window. She saw two reflections in it, one her own and the other a woman that looked like her but was distinct in her own way. She was leaner, tougher, with scars on her face and a hard look in her eyes. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re becoming more you.¡± The reflection frowned, That is not something to be happy about. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I kind of like having you around,¡± Sonya said with a small smile, ¡°You give me perspective.¡± A perspective you should have on your own, Ishtar insisted, crossing her arms in the reflection, What happens the next time I push your limits while at the helm? Will you drift off into a coma? ¡°I just dozed a little,¡± Sonya said dismissively, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that big a deal.¡± You didn¡¯t feel it on my end, Ishtar said, the reflection suddenly looking forlorn, a sadness in her eyes that Sonya had never imagined could be on the cold woman¡¯s face, even if she¡¯d only seen it once before. She knew Ishtar. Regret was antithetical to who she was, it was the point, how she¡¯d come to be. I am like a parasite to you, Sonya. I¡¯m hurting you. If what we were existed in a normal human body I doubt it would be so problematic, but something about our combined abilities is not healthy for you. I promised I would never hurt you and here I am breaking that promise by existing. Sonya frowned and reached up to touch her reflection, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. If it weren¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t have made it this far. Ever since that day when you started to take shape you¡¯ve been taking the weight off. I¡¯m not blind to it. I know. I appreciate it.¡± Ishtar looked away with shame, It was the least I could do. The reflection glanced up and Sonya felt it as well. I think we¡¯ll have to table this talk for now. You are a busy woman after all. ¡°You don¡¯t want to take this?¡± Sonya asked. I¡­ Ishtar trailed off, I would prefer to act in an advisory role for now. ¡°Ishtar,¡± Sonya said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to-¡± A knock came to the door and Ishtar¡¯s reflection faded from the glass. Sonya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned and gracefully sat down in her seat, leaning back and crossing her legs. ¡°Enter,¡± she said cooly and the door opened. A young man in a black and white suit entered. He was of asian descent, Korean, with steely gray-blue eyes and short black hair. His face was a bit unfamiliar, changed just enough to hide his true identity. He closed the door behind him and strode up to her desk, inclining his head. ¡°I am here, mistress,¡± Blackrazor said. Sonya graced him with an easy smile and gestured to the chair across from her, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, dear. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°My role keeps me busy,¡± he said, slipping into the chair, ¡°I have made a point to take time off as you have instructed. This has been positive for my understanding of my partners wants and needs as exhausting as they are. This is not without its positives, of course.¡± She snorted and raised an eyebrow, ¡°You can get tired?¡± He made a face, ¡°You might be surprised.¡± She laughed and shook her head, tapping her finger on the desk, ¡°I¡¯ll take that as things have been going well for you too, I¡¯m happy for you,¡± she said with a smile before going serious, ¡°Let¡¯s talk elsewhere. I have some other things I need to check up on and having you with me would be advantageous.¡± ¡°Are we taking one of your portals?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Sonya said. ¡°Then I will enter your shadow. I have found that traversing your portals in physical form is disorienting for me for some reason. An incompatibility between our powers, I suspect,¡± he said thoughtfully, ¡°While in the realm of shadows I feel no such problems.¡± Sonya nodded and reached out to tap the intercom for the secretary desk, ¡°Marta hold my calls and turn away any visitors,¡± she said as the windows around her tinted into opaqueness. A moment later, Blackrazor melted before her, turning into a puddle of inky blackness and sliding across the ground to meld with her shadow. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Marta¡¯s voice came back through the speaker, ¡°I¡¯ll clear your appointments as well.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Sonya said before frowning a little, ¡°I-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Marta said with a chuckle, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Sonya smiled and got to her feet, gesturing at an open space in her office. A sheet of light took form before becoming solid like a glass pane, the interior distended before warping into an unsettling reflection of the world around it that bottomed out into an apparently endless void. She strode through it and out the other end. Unlike Blackrazor who apparently didn¡¯t enjoy the feeling of going through a portal, Sonya found the process exhilarating. She smiled to herself as she took in the artificially fresh air of her destination. Sonya was standing in a spacious room with white walls and intense lights hanging over her head. She could feel the mana in the air being pulled and moved cyclically, excess energy being drawn away from places where it was condensing and down to a point far beneath her feet. There was a wide desk in the room with a number of screens behind it all in a state of inactivity. She crossed her arms behind her back as Blackrazor slipped out of her shadow, rising from the ground like something out of a nightmare. He took shape before glancing at the single door in the room with a frown.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The door opened with a hiss and a young man walked in, whistling to himself as he wheeled a cleaning tray into the space. He paused, blinking at the sight of Sonya and Blackrazor standing there. Sonya gave him a sweet smile, ¡°Adam, right?¡± she said politely, reading his name with her ocular ability, ¡°Go get your boss for me, if you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± ¨C The benefit of having Colin as one of her inner circle was being able to produce documents that could be used in place of her broker ability. That allowed her to make deals with others without being physically present. There were dramatic uses for it, certainly, but the more compelling function to her was the practical application. Every member of Kingshark¡¯s crew had signed a non-disclosure about the identities of the Inner Circle in case they accidentally happened upon one of them who kept their identities hidden. For the portion of the crew that manned the base in the Marianas trench, her appearance didn¡¯t really surprise anyone. Sonya enjoyed being able to walk around the place with impunity. ¡°It¡¯s one hell of an evil lair,¡± Sonya said with a laugh as she, Blackrazor, and Kingshark walked down the halls, ¡°You guys did a good job finishing things up.¡± ¡°Still got more work to do but the structure itself is finished,¡± Kingshark said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t try to build it in the shape of your head, mistress,¡± Blackrazor commented, getting a look from both Kingshark and Sonya. Blackrazor frowned, ¡°What?¡± Sonya laughed, ¡°I suppose that would be a very supervillain thing to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a comic book character,¡± Kingshark pointed out, barely hiding his grin, ¡°You don¡¯t even have a weather machine.¡± Sonya clapped her hands together, ¡°Oh! I do need one of those don¡¯t I? That or a shrink ray.¡± ¡°Does that digitizing ability of yours not defeat the purpose of a shrink ray?¡± Blackrazor asked. Sonya rounded on him and waggled a finger, ¡°Don¡¯t disregard the classics! Besides, if I digitize something big how am I supposed to put it on display? Have a pretty picture of it on a screen? That¡¯s not impressive. It¡¯s gotta go into a trophy room that the heroes stumble into and are aghast at the extent of my crimes.¡± Kingshark barked out a laugh, ¡°I like the sound of that! You should go around stealing monuments or something. Get them real wound up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to that,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I want to deal with the idiots actively trying to throw the world into chaos before I do it myself. In a controlled manner of course, I¡¯m not planning on running around trying to set off dungeons.¡± Kingshark blinked and looked at her, ¡°Woah, you¡¯re serious?¡± Sonya smirked at him, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what to do after we deal with Liberty. Most of the other heralds are out in the open besides Majordomo. They¡¯ve taken up roles as heroes and can be monitored and managed to a degree. Craftsman seems more like the type to join a bandwagon rather than strike out on his own. Once Liberty is dealt with Ishtar can properly make her mark on the public consciousness.¡± ¡°I would argue you¡¯ve done that already,¡± Blackrazor pointed out. ¡°Oh I¡¯m far from done,¡± Sonya said as they descended a stairway, she glanced at Blackrazor, ¡°Have you got anything more about Halloway?¡± ¡°Little more than I have already provided, unfortunately. He went by Rift after awakening and used his spatial abilities for assassination. It seems that Liberty¡¯s ability to amplify other light-touched powers has given him the capacity to shut down teleportation as well as create portals. She¡¯s been sending him on operations that require a low profile,¡± Blackrazor said, ¡°That is what I wanted to discuss with you. Liberty is on the move.¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°Already? She just started turtling up.¡± ¡°The woman is powerful but lacks a considerable amount of patience,¡± Blackrazor said flatly. ¡°No kidding,¡± Sonya said and shook her head, ¡°That¡¯ll be her downfall, though not without heavy casualties. What do we know about what she¡¯s planning?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been sending people into dungeons within her territory equipped with unusual hardware, I believe this may be equipment developed by this ¡®Craftsman¡¯ you mentioned. I have nothing on him, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Blackrazor said. ¡°Try following up on Graham Taylor, that¡¯s his real name apparently.¡± Blackrazor nodded, ¡°I will do that.¡± ¡°Do we know anything else?¡± Sonya pressed, exchanging a look with Kingshark as they arrived at a large pair of doors. He put his hand against a panel and it flashed green ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, though whatever it is involves the research she is doing in the other dungeons. She¡¯s being exceedingly cautious and my people have not been able to insert themselves into the teams conducting these dungeon runs. It¡¯s shameful,¡± Blackrazor said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to suspect that her ability allows her followers to recognize one another, it¡¯s the only explanation I can come up with for how easily they¡¯re noticing spies,¡± Sonya said. Blackrazor rubbed his chin, ¡°Something worth considering. I have some angles I can approach if that is the case,¡± he opened his mouth to continue speaking but trailed off as the doors in front of them slid open. His eyes went wide as they all took in the massive chamber that waited for them. Thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of large oval shaped objects sat in rows within the space. Each oval contained a faint glow that sent an itch into the back of one''s mind if they stared too long at it. Blackrazor strode forward in silence and rested his hands on the rail overlooking the room. He turned back to look between Sonya and Kingshark with awe in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± Sonya commented as she walked up to stand next to Blackrazor. ¡°Ayep!¡± Kingshark guffawed, leaning against the rails, ¡°It¡¯s taken a while to get so many of them here. They¡¯re all volunteers of course who wanted to go through the process. Many of them have a vested interest in what I¡¯ve got planned.¡± Blackrazor turned to him, ¡°What you have planned?¡± Kingshark held a finger up to his lips, ¡°That¡¯s a surprise, brother, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy the show when it comes up. Trust me.¡± ¡°As long as it achieves the aim,¡± Sonya said with a chuckle and slapped Kingshark on the arm, ¡°You be as cryptic as you want. You¡¯re certainly a king now, though, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s impressive?¡± Kingshark said and gestured for them to follow him. They looked at one another as he made his way down the catwalk overlooking the eerie scene before stopping at one end. Sonya froze, her eyes going wide as she took in an absolutely massive glowing pod, a small figure was floating inside it. She blinked a few times and squinted at the person within before looking up at him, ¡°Is that-¡± ¡°The kraken dude, yeah,¡± Kingshark said. ¡°Is this why this base was built?¡± Blackrazor asked. ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons, sure,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Building an army with the help of Kingshark¡¯s improved ability. We were going to do it anyway with his original ability but apparently this new version has some interesting functions,¡± she added and glanced at Kingshark who nodded. ¡°Of course the main reason this place exists is the safehouse for us and a place where our boy Amos can follow his less than legal research interests,¡± Kingshark chuckled, ¡°Speakin¡¯ of which,¡± he turned to Sonya, ¡°I think we might need to set up a dummy base somewhere, boss. This place is getting some attention and the chatter we¡¯re picking up suggests they think it¡¯s yours. Any ideas?¡± Sonya pursed her lips for a moment before brightening, ¡°Actually, I have a marvelous idea!¡± she said with a laugh and gestured to her left where a portal appeared. For a brief moment the trio felt a gust of cold wind roll out of the portal from the other side. Blackrazor and Kingshark exchanged a look before looking at Sonya who was practically bubbling with excitement. She noted their concerned expressions, ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that, it¡¯s not going to be in the shape of my head or anything,¡± she paused, ¡°...maybe. I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she said and squinted at the portal, ¡°Could I do that?¡± She shook her head, ¡°Nevermind,¡± she said with a grin and skipped forward to stand next to the portal, ¡°Shall we, gentlemen?¡± Chapter 183 Sonya stepped through the portal and out into the snow. She took a deep breath and tasted the crispness of the air. Going from three environmentally disparate places in quick succession was an interesting thing and it allowed her to experience the nuance of the air with more clarity than she expected, even with her enhanced senses. New York had thick and pungent air, heavy and tainted with things that cloyed against her senses. The subaquatic base was sterile and flat with no distinctness to the air, unremarkable to the point of being remarkable. This place was sharp and fresh, almost minty as it filled her lungs with a heady chill. The sensation was thrilling in a way. ¡°Oh, I like that.¡± ¡°Like what? Oh shit it¡¯s cold out here,¡± Kingshark grumbled, rubbing his arms as he peered around. Blackrazor stepped out through the portal behind him and frowned at his surroundings before schooling his expression into something neutral to hide his discomfort. Sonya put her hands on her hips and turned to admire the scene around them. They were standing on the side of a mountain overlooking many more. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but white snow and dark stone. ¡°Welcome to the alps,¡± Sonya said brightly, crossing her arms behind her back and glancing around, ¡°Now where is it¡­¡± she murmured, squinting at the mountainside behind her two companions. ¡°I fail to understand why we are here, are you going to build a false base of operations in this remote place?¡± Blackrazor asked, turning to look at the sheer wall of stone behind him. Sonya strode up next to him and ran her fingers over the wall, ¡°Oh the hard part¡¯s already done,¡± she said and pushed her senses into the wall, reaching out until she felt something like a door mechanism. She concentrated on it and with a flex of her technopathy willed the doors to open. At first nothing happened and Blackrazor gave her a skeptical look that she responded to by sticking out her tongue. He crossed his arms and sighed just as Kingshark joined them. ¡°Hate this place already,¡± he said irritably. The stone beneath them shuddered and the two men looked down before looking up at the wall as it began to shift backwards, a portion of it beginning to slide back. Sonya clapped her hands with delight, ¡°Secret door!¡± she laughed as the moving slab of rock shifted to the side before disappearing into the wall. Ahead of them a narrow hallway stretched towards another door set deeper into the mountain. Lights slowly came on along the path, providing just enough illumination to guide them inside. ¡°This is the back door, by the way, I hadn¡¯t tried it yet so I figured this would be a good opportunity.¡± The two men stood there staring at the open passage with a mixture of awe and confusion. They looked at her after a heartbeat, Kingshark letting out a sigh. ¡°Of course you have a hidden mountain fortress, it¡¯s you. Why was I surprised?¡± ¡°Like something out of Steel Kit Seven,¡± Blackrazor breathed before clearing his throat, ¡°I mean, how on earth did you come upon a place like this, Mistress?¡± Sonya shot Kingshark a petulant look before smiling at Blackrazor, ¡°It was actually Queen August¡¯s,¡± she said and started inside, ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind let''s get out of the cold.¡± The two men nodded eagerly and followed her inside. About half-way through the passage the door began to shut behind them. Sonya glanced over her shoulder and shrugged before making for the door at the other end, she gestured and a small panel next to it flashed green before it too slid open. They were immediately buffeted by warm air radiating from within. Kingshark let out a groan of relief as Sonya climbed the three steps up and into the interior of the structure. She glanced around curiously, taking it all in. They were standing in a positively massive central chamber. The floor beneath their feet seemed to be made of the same stone as the mountain but had been flattened and polished to a marble shine. Everything in the space glittered and sparkled, the furniture, the paintings on the walls, the statues, even the fountain set into the heart of the room where a steady spray of water shot into the air and caught the light from spotlights hanging above it. She made a face and wrinkled her nose, ¡°I¡¯m selling all of this as soon as I can,¡± she said with disgust. ¡°You haven¡¯t been in here yet?¡± Kingshark said, squinting against the overwhelming gleam. ¡°Nope, I opened a portal to the front door, sent some of my legion in to check it out and make sure there was nothing dangerous inside. As well as gather up valuables,¡± she frowned at the decor, ¡°Seems like my orders weren¡¯t clear or they didn¡¯t see a reason to grab all this stuff. I checked out the exterior with my Astral Eye before I put it out of my mind.¡± ¡°You have been pretty busy,¡± Kingshark chuckled, ¡°Guess those statue things of yours are gone by now.¡± ¡°That''s what I was expecting as well,¡± Sonya said thoughtfully as the sound of stone against stone rang out in the large room. The trio turned their attention towards one of the open spaces on the far side that looked like it led into a hallway or some manner of auxiliary room. Two marble statues stepped out, their stoic gazes falling on Sonya. The figures took the form of women wearing cloth robes that left little to the imagination, their hair bound tightly in rows on their heads with gold wire criss-crossing braids. They strode forward before stopping at a respectful distance and dropping to a knee. ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill August two months ago?¡± Kingshark asked. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°These entities are still here,¡± Blackrazor said. ¡°Yep.¡± Kingshark looked her way, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a strain on your mana?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®nope¡¯?¡± He asked incredulously. He looked back towards the two statues that hadn¡¯t moved an inch. Sonya scratched at her neck, ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised as you are. This ability is kind of a fire-and-forget sort of thing. I don¡¯t think I actually uh¡­ make them. They come from somewhere and I just let them loose,¡± she tilted her head. Did you notice anything when you made them back then? She asked Ishtar. Yes, I did. I was aware of this function. Sonya frowned, Why didn¡¯t you mention it before?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. How would that have helped you at any point up until now? Ishtar asked, I expected you to eventually come back to this place and learn it for yourself. It¡¯s better this way. Sonya pursed her lips, What else do you know about my abilities that I don¡¯t? Significantly more, and no, I am not going to just hand it over to you. You need to explore your abilities on your own. We share the same mind, you can figure it out. Sonya let out a heavy sigh, You can¡¯t baby me this once? I think I baby you enough, Ishtar teased. Fine, Sonya whined and rolled her eyes. She glanced at the others who were watching her make silent faces, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Talking to Ishtar?¡± Kingshark asked. She rubbed her neck and looked away, ¡°It¡¯s a new-ish development, yes.¡± ¡°Being able to consult a separate perspective at any time sounds incredibly valuable to me,¡± Blackrazor said thoughtfully, ¡°I admit to being a bit jealous.¡± She gave him a flat look and shook her head before clearing her throat and clapping her hands, ¡°Alright! Anyway!¡± she said brightly, putting her hands on her hips, ¡°Might as well take advantage of the situation!¡± she took a few steps back and gestured for her friends to get out of the way before holding up her hands. She let out a breath and let the instincts rise up inside of her. Now that she was more cognizant of what they were and that they did not draw on her mana to exist she could feel those same functions within her instincts like information she should have known all along. ¡°Bring woe to those who slander me, march, agents of the heavens,¡± she intoned. She pushed the ability as far as she dared without actually exhausting herself, half a dozen thin lines of light forming in the air behind the two that were on their knees. The lights opened into panels through which more legionnaires stepped out, all dropping to a knee to join their comrades. She let out a shuddering breath and shook her head, she wasn¡¯t drained but it was definitely taxing to do it all at once. ¡°Phew, six more,¡± she said, ¡°I think I¡¯m going to start summoning more when I can and leaving them here until I reach the limit.¡± ¡°Is there a limit?¡± Kingshark asked, eyeing them cautiously. She pursed her lips and concentrated on her instincts, ¡°I¡¯d say no more than fifty right now, give or take, it doesn¡¯t feel like a specific number to me.¡± I do not know the limit either, though I have sensed it increase gradually. Good to know that we¡¯re learning some things together. Sonya¡­ It¡¯s fine, just a little hurt about it. I¡¯ll hit a dungeon or something and brush up. That would be good, I can guide you if you¡¯d like while you do that. I¡¯d appreciate it. ¡°You have your statue women,¡± Blackrazor said flatly, ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Well, I was thinking about having Amos help me with this place but now I¡¯ve got a better idea. I want to test the limits of this ability and what these guys are capable of so why not have them remodel it into a dummy lair like you suggested, Barry,¡± she said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯ve only tried direct and closed-ended orders. Let¡¯s try something a bit more open-ended.¡± She took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the eight statues kneeling before her, ¡°Legion,¡± she commanded, trying to sound more regal, ¡°I find the garish trappings of excess wealth offensive. Take them down and set them aside, I will put them to better use. Once you have done so, turn this place into a lair suitable for me. ¡± The statues rose as one, their cold eyes regarding her for a moment before they turned away, walking to the jewel encrusted decor and tearing it from the walls and uprooting it from the floor. A few left for other rooms and began carrying piles of jewelry back into the room to dump it at her feet. She winced as one of them ripped a whole portion of wall out as it removed a bust attached to the wall. What happened next made all three of them freeze in place. The legionnaire placed a hand over the broken portion of wall and the dark stone turned into white marble before filling in the hole. It emotionlessly turned away from the patch of marble before carrying the bust to the growing pile. Sonya glanced at the others, ¡°How about we leave them to it? I¡¯ll send one of Charon¡¯s people to pick up the loot and sell it.¡± ¡°Yeah, no offense, those things are creepy and I¡¯m literally the horror guy,¡± Kingshark said flatly. ¡°Agreed, though this has given me much to think about,¡± Blackrazor said thoughtfully. Sonya nodded and made a casual gesture, creating a portal back to the underwater base that they quickly went through. ¨C Adam was not new to the life of a criminal. He¡¯d been bouncing between a solitary lifestyle and working with groups since he was in middle-school. Gangs were not forever as much as the leaders of such groups insisted they were and more often than not they were broken up either by internal problems or police intervention. Only the big gangs ever ended up becoming something that lasted. After the flash that changed, even the big gangs were starting to tear themselves apart as low-ranking members overpowered those above them and individuals in stagnant leadership positions pushed higher. The idea that any criminal group could possibly stay consistent for any period of time was laughable to Adam. What was even more laughable was the idea that the higher-ups in such a group would show any sort of respect towards the lowest ranking members. It came as a bit of a surprise, then, that when the gang he had joined in Seattle was absorbed into a new light-touched group that the leadership was insistent on creating better conditions for him and the others. Even so, he was still at the bottom of the barrel. Being a nobody wasn¡¯t a big deal, though, it kept him out of the big fights. He¡¯d heard about Vegas and had seen heroes crack down on his friends when they pushed their luck too hard. Fighting some superhero was absolutely not on his to-do list. If he had his way, he¡¯d keep his head low and get paid while he was doing it, even if that meant becoming a janitor. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if the offhanded remark he¡¯d made along the same lines had landed him where he was or if he was just unlucky. Something had caught the attention of the local kingpin, Dupe, which was how he ended up where he was. It was also how he learned something he really wished he hadn¡¯t. He had been working on the administrative level of the underwater complex run by the supervillain Kingshark, cleaning the floors and staying out of everyone¡¯s way. He¡¯d never seen Kingshark in person except from a distance but from what he did know the guy was pretty cool with his men and extremely protective. That made him proud to do what he was doing. He was paid really well and the living spaces were comfortable for the most part, not that he could spend the money where he was. That had been on his mind as he opened the door to one of the rooms that the others told him belonged to Kingshark¡¯s boss. No one talked about who this person was though he had a pretty good guess. The contract he had signed with the non-disclosure agreement had included Ishtar¡¯s name on it. It wasn¡¯t a huge leap of logic. That piece of information had been floating in the back of his mind as he laid eyes on the woman standing in the room with an asian-looking guy who practically radiated death. Anyone who hadn¡¯t been living under a rock would have recognized her immediately. The Voice of the Hero Movement, Sonya Chernovna. What was even crazier, she knew his name. Just plucked it out of the air before sending him off to go find Kingshark. That had been equally awkward, properly meeting the supervillain for the first time. All that had ended with Adam wandering down one of the deep-sea base¡¯s many halls in a daze, not sure what to make of the revelation when he heard a familiar voice around the bend in the hall ahead of him. ¡°Well of course, silly! How else are you supposed to get past that stage?¡± Sonya laughed, walking around the corner with Kingshark and the scary dude in tow. She came to a stop and met his gaze with an easy smile, ¡°Look who it is!¡± she said brightly and he felt his feet root to the floor as three supervillains fixed their gazes on him. ¡°Adam! I liked your energy earlier today. Have you considered becoming light-touched?¡± He blinked, ¡°Huh?¡± Side Story: Vigilantes 2 Adrien Moreau hadn¡¯t wanted to become a villain. It wasn¡¯t a matter of principles, however, it was more a matter of practicality. The flash had come with the kind of trouble that Adrien believed was better left avoided. Monsters were terrifying even if he was acutely aware that he could handle them himself if he wanted to. He was not a man built for combat but one to spend his time relaxing whenever he could. Selling homes was a relaxing business as far as he was concerned, meeting people, having dinners, negotiating simple deals. When the flash came and his powers awakened, his agency had pushed him out without a second thought. He didn¡¯t begrudge them to the point that he wished vengeance on the individuals of the group. He understood their perspective, his abilities were frightening even compared to other light-touched. He would have fired himself if he had been in that position. Even so, the fact that they had fired him because of something so involuntary had planted a seed of resentment towards the agency as a whole. He wished the people in it no ill will, but he reveled in the idea of crippling the group. Was it tenuous logic? Perhaps. Did he care? Not in the least. His first few capers had taken the form of thefts of goods and valuables from a variety of homes across Paris. He knew their interiors like the back of his hand and knew the people he had sold them to. It was not a challenge to figure out where they would likely keep their most precious valuables and secrets. Those capers had inevitably led to him encountering a strange black taxi-cab parked along a planned escape route. It was in that cab that he went from a petty criminal to a villain. It was there that he met one of the countless avatars of Charon and learned he had more support than he had initially thought. Support that he used, raising his status in the villain underworld one successful scheme at a time. He took a drag on his cigarette and narrowed his eyes at the building across from him, exhaling as two men walked up behind him. ¡°Is it done?¡± Adrien asked, not turning to look at them. ¡°Yes sir, Mister Perch,¡± one of the men said, ¡°The boys are ready.¡± Adrien flicked the remains of the cigarette to the ground and hunched his shoulders. His body tensed as his muscles grew dense and hard. His skin turned gray before becoming thick and craggy. With a sound somewhere between ripping flesh and grating rock wings erupted from his shoulderblades that spread out over him. A luminous gleam burned in his eyes turning from his natural hazel to a deep crimson. His fingers grew long and claw-like as he flexed his wings. ¡°Then let''s go,¡± he growled, stepping off the side of the building and letting his heavy body fall. His wings spread out and arrested his descent, his body pivoting up before shooting into the air and towards his target. Down below, lights went out down the street. Vans filled with men swarmed the building, doors opening and disgorging armed footsoldiers. Tonight was the night he ruined the agency that had spurned him permanently. Their reputation had collapsed as people began to suspect their connection to his capers and they were holding on for dear life. The building before him had been one of their single largest deals and one of his proudest achievements. Now he fully intended to despoil it and let the agency suffer the blowback. People need someone to blame, even if it''s the wrong person, he thought wryly, alighting atop the building as his men breached the rear doors and poured inside. ¡°Adrien Moreau,¡± a gruff voice called out. Adrien spun, surprised, but he didn¡¯t let it show on his malformed face. He bore his granite teeth at the intruder, a man in a tan coat with his hands in his pockets. The man was grizzled and had the look of an American about him, something out of a bad cop drama. His hair was a disheveled mess and his eyes bore dark rings. ¡°That was a mistake, stranger,¡± Adrien snarled and launched himself forward. He had no interest in talking to this man, whoever he was, any amount of time he was alive was an opportunity for someone else to overhear what he had just said. He stretched out his claws, aiming for the man¡¯s heart as he crossed the distance between them in less than a second.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. That was when something very hard and very heavy collided with the side of Adrien¡¯s head. Adrien was sent tumbling, clattering across the ground as his stony skin absorbed most of the impact. His head swam as he staggered to his feet, turning to face his attacker. He froze, taking in the old man at a glance. The elderly gentleman before him wore a simple bowler cap and a neat suit tailored to fit just right. His eyes sparkled with a dark mirth that would have fit in well at the Styx. Even so, Adrien knew better than to think of this man as a proper villain. He knew that face. The others in the Styx had talked about him when telling stories of the time before the flash. ¡°Maximilian the Man-Hunter,¡± Adrien snarled, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± With the sound of a steel cord retracting a cane that lay on the ground near where Adrien had been standing leaped from the ground to land in Maximilian¡¯s outstretched hand. He raised it up to tip his hat slightly, ¡°Just doing some cleaning, sir, seems there is a vermin infestation at this location.¡± Adrien glanced at the rough looking man who hadn¡¯t moved a muscle since the encounter began, ¡°I heard you worked alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an old man now, boy,¡± Maximilian said, ¡°Bounty hunting is difficult when you get to my age.¡± ¡°Still up for hire?¡± Adrien asked. Maximilian¡¯s eerily perfect white teeth shone a bit when he grinned a predatory grin, ¡°Afraid not. This is volunteer work.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no hero,¡± Adrien chuckled, ¡°You might break a hip if you-¡± He was cut off as that cane collided with the bridge of his nose. In less than the time it took Adrien to think Maximilian was already in his face. He seemed to float for a heartbeat even as the weapon in his hand felt like it weighed as much as a truck. Adrien was thrown back once again, tumbling across the ground. He reached up and cupped his face, groaning as the old man alighted above him. ¡°That¡¯s right, boy, I¡¯m not a hero,¡± Maximilian said with a tone that sent a frantic chill snaking up Adrien¡¯s spine. His eyes shot open in time to see the cane descending towards his head once again. He rolled out of the way and flapped his wings, pulling himself into the air just in time to see the cane leave a small crater in the roof of the building where his head had been. Maximilian stared at the spot for a moment before looking up at him with a lazy expression, ¡°Looks like I am getting old,¡± he grumbled, ¡°Come on down boy and take your beating like a man.¡± Adrien flicked his gaze between the old man and the silent cop just as something rumbled down beneath him. Adrien flapped his wings again to get a bit more distance, gunfire was starting to sound inside the building as he brought a talon to his ear, ¡°What¡¯s happening down there?¡± ¡°No idea! These things just started showing up and then some chick with green- AAH!¡± The line went dead. Adrien frowned, ¡°I won¡¯t forget this, Maximilian,¡± he snarled, ¡°You as well stranger-¡± It was Adriens turn to be cut off mid sentence as something heavy collided with his back and threw him onto the roof of the building. He gasped as his head bounced against concrete surface, his vision going foggy. ¡°Mimir!¡± Maximilian shouted somewhere nearby. ¡°I know!¡± The silent one called back. Adrien heard a gunshot ring out followed by several more. Adrien tried to shift himself out from under whatever it was that had pinned him, only to manage rolling over and looking up into a pair of glowing red eyes, not unlike his own. The body attached to them, however, filled him with dread. He saw a lupine head with no fur, rows of teeth, and a forked tongue. Then he saw nothing ever again. ¨C The crunch of the demon biting down around the villain¡¯s head sent Martin¡¯s stomach churning. Even so, he kept himself calm as he took slow steps to the left, firing his weapon at the creature in order to get its attention. The post-pandora ammunition was sufficient to pierce its skin but seemed to have little more effect than a bee-sting. It released its prey and looked up at him, showing off those razor sharp teeth as it assessed him. It¡¯s head twitched, tilting to the right at a disturbing angle before its eyes grew brighter. ¡°The vigilante I¡¯ve heard about,¡± it croaked, a gutteral sound that barely came across as words. ¡°Astaroth,¡± Martin snarled. ¡°You know me?¡± it gurgled, its head tilting again with a bone crunching snap. ¡°Let¡¯s meet face to face and I¡¯ll tell you all about it,¡± Martin said flatly. The creature narrowed its eyes, its shoulders hunched and ready to spring into action, ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡± Side-Story: Vigilantes 3 Hellion caught his breath, hands on his knees. His entire body felt like it was burning. Ever since awakening his abilities he hadn¡¯t experienced heat like this. Running through a burning building had been no different to a casual walk down a sunny path. This was a different kind of heat, though, a heat beneath his skin that spread like an infection. His lips curled down a bit at the thought and how accurate it was. He dropped to a knee and pulled up his pants leg, examining the spot where the villain had hit him. The skin had begun to turn a sickly reddish purple color. ¡°Fever,¡± he muttered as he sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the device he¡¯d been given by Max. It was some kind of hand-radio but worked with mana to send signals. He flicked it on as he stared at the shape laying on the ground in front of him in the abandoned studio apartment. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± he said breathlessly, ¡°I got him.¡± The radio crackled for a moment before Addison¡¯s voice came through, ¡°That¡¯s great news, Hellon. Your first solo mission was a success, great work. Are you alright?¡± He frowned at his ankle, ¡°Poisoned, I think. Got a fever.¡± ¡°Sending Faux your way, you¡¯ll be alright. What¡¯s the targets condition?¡± Addison asked. He let out a breath of relief and leaned his head against the wall, ¡°He¡¯s not going anywhere. Still breathing too,¡± he said but kept his mouth shut from saying anything further. He didn¡¯t want to jinx it. Just a few feet away a rail-thin man with deep-set eyes and a shock of lime-green colored hair lay on the ground. Thick chains wrapped around his body, smoldering slightly each time he tried to move. His escape attempts were rewarded with brief moments of pain that elicited a sharp hiss, indicating he was still very much alive. The man turned his head towards Hellion and sneered at him despite his predicament. ¡°Looks like I got you,¡± he laughed, ¡°You¡¯re a dead man, Hellion.¡± Hellion let out a sigh and shook his head, ¡°Uhuh, I haven¡¯t heard that before,¡± he said and reached into the satchel on his hip, pulling a small transparent bead out and popping it into his mouth. It began to dissolve slowly, releasing water into his mouth that he swallowed that had far more volume than the size of the bead. He wiped his brow and savored the cool feeling for a moment, ¡°How do your powers work, Hugo?¡± he asked. The man scowled at him, ¡°I am the Marais Plague-¡± Hellion cut him off with a raised hand, ¡°It¡¯s a stupid villain name,¡± he said tiredly, ¡°Makes you sound like a serial killer from an American crime show.¡± Hugo spat on the ground and turned his head away, ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Come on, Hugo, walk me through how your ability works,¡± Hellion asked again, rubbing his temple. ¡°Not much we can do until my friend shows up.¡± Hugo barked out a laugh, ¡°You aren¡¯t going to get a cure out of what I have to say. There is no cure. You¡¯re gonna die.¡± ¡°You sound pretty certain,¡± Hellion said. ¡°Of course I do! I create poisons that target a person''s strengths and resistances, turning them on the victim,¡± he said with a grin, ¡°I dunno what your powers are but from the looks of you and these chains you got something to do with fire. Now you¡¯re burning up inside, right?¡± ¡°So you have no idea what the poison is going to be, even if you use it?¡± Hellion asked. Hugo clicked his tongue and looked away, ¡°If I know the person''s strengths and weaknesses my ability is far more potent.¡± ¡°What about on normal people?¡± Hellion pressed.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°It varies based on their biology, I guess,¡± Hugo said with a noncommittal grunt, ¡°Normally it just triggers anaphylactic shock.¡± ¡°Allergen,¡± Hellion said with a dismissive wave of his hand, ¡°Sounds much better than ¡®the Marais Plaguebringer¡¯.¡± ¡°Says you,¡± Hugo snarled. ¡°You know, you should be thanking me,¡± Hellion pointed out, ¡°Do you know what happens to villains that operate at night here in Paris that we don¡¯t catch first?¡± The villain went quiet and leveled a cold stare at him, his light-brown eyes turning yellow for a moment. Hellion smirked at him and shook his head, ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right. They get eaten by the demons prowling the streets. You had a pack hunting you for a while.¡± Hugo scoffed, ¡°You playing yourself up as a hero or something?¡± Hellion frowned, ¡°Not a hero.¡± Hugo grinned, ¡°Did I strike a nerve? Didn¡¯t make the cut?¡± ¡°If that was the case, you got caught by a wash-out,¡± Hellion shot back. The villains eyes turned yellow again and he struggled against the chains, they turned red-orange and he hissed out a gasp of pain before stopping his latest attempt to flee. Hellion shook his head and closed his eyes. The heat beneath his skin was starting to get worse even after hydrating himself with the pill Max had given him. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a look around the room. The old dusty sofa in the corner was the only decoration besides the boarded up door. He reached for the hand-radio again when he felt something off. He tensed and glanced around again, forcing himself shakily to his feet. The first thing he did was peer through the window that he had brought his quarry through. No demons. Definitely lost them. He thought before turning back towards the center of the room. He froze, his eyes going wide as he took in the dark shape looming over Hugo. He took a shaky step back and raised his fists. He tried to make out what the creature was, it was vaguely human-shaped but he couldn¡¯t suss out the details. It was like a living shadow had appeared in the room. He glanced down at Hugo who was staring up at him, wide-eyed, ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Move,¡± Hellion breathed, ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡± Instead, Hugo started to struggle even more in his chains, his eyes going frantic as he tried to get a good look at whatever was standing over him. That was when the shadowy thing stepped down onto the back of Hugo¡¯s head and pinned him to the ground. Hellion snarled, We¡¯re not losing another one! He charged towards the figure that tilted its head as if perplexed by his behavior. The next thing Hellion knew he was falling through the coldest water he¡¯d ever touched. A chill washed through his everything, even his bones before he hit the ground from a height. He gasped and rolled onto his back, shivering, his eyes flitting around. Wait, I fell. How? His mind struggled to catch up as he took in the same room as before. It was like he¡¯d fallen through the floor and then out the ceiling. He turned his head and looked up to see the shadow still standing there, eyeing him curiously. He met its gaze and he felt a cold lump form in his stomach. Nausea came next and he rolled onto his side and coughed, terror seeking to conquer his mind. He wanted to scream, to run away, but between the fever and the chill rendering his muscles useless he could barely think let alone move. The shadowy figure strode towards him and looked down from above. He averted his gaze, shaking. ¡°You are sick,¡± the voice of a young man came out of the shadow. It was distorted, wrong in some way. He looked up at the shadow again, forcing himself not to look directly into its eyes, ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked. ¡°A supervillain,¡± the figure said quietly. ¡°You¡¯re a villain?¡± Hugo blurted, ¡°Th-then we¡¯re on the same side, right? Yeah! Get me out of here and we¡¯ll kill this vigilante and get the hell out-¡± he was cut off as shadow stuff wrapped around his head, silencing him. Hugo squirmed and threw his head about, his chest heaving with screams that Hellion could not hear. ¡°Vermin,¡± the supervillain said before extending a hand towards Hellion. A violet colored needle extended from its fingertip before launching itself. It embedded itself in Hellions leg. Hellion let out a cry of pain and doubled over, gasping as the needle melted into his flesh. He could feel it spreading throughout his body. More poison. He cursed his luck, why was a supervillain here of all places? Now he was going to die and- he blinked. He felt¡­ better? The shadow loomed over him, ¡°Epinephrine,¡± the shadow said. Hellion rolled onto his back, his breathing easing. He looked up at the shadow. ¡°Who- why?¡± ¡°You work with Mimir?¡± the shadow asked. Hellion could only manage a mute nod before the shadow raised its hand and shadow stuff swirled above it. A moment later, a thick manilla envelope appeared in its hand. ¡°I am here to deliver a message to him and his associates,¡± the shadow said and dropped the envelope on Hellion. Hellion grabbed it and scrambled up into a sitting position, he looked down at the envelope. It was plain with only the word ¡®Vigilantes¡¯ written on the side. It felt like there were papers and small objects inside. He looked up from it to the shadow man and opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was gone. Chapter 184 In just a few hours, Sonya would go to Japan. It was something that she had been anticipating for quite some time. Not only because she had a vested interest in going there as the CEO of ASTA Corporation and the head of her growing network of supporters in Ishtar¡¯s ¡®Club¡¯, there was a far more important reason. There was a cult active in Japan, one that worshiped her alter ego as some manner of savior. She had been keeping track of their rhetoric and protests, cataloging their signs and the messages that they put out. To anyone else but a very small group of people these messages would be nothing more than the usual fanatically driven drivel. To Sonya, it told her that someone she did not know knew way more than she would have liked. That wasn¡¯t to say that she intended to destroy the cult. Quite the contrary. So far they had done little in the way of actively causing problems for the world around them. She had learned that they were taking in those who had been displaced by the flash. Japan was a very conservative nation and it took time for it to adapt to changes. The flash had been a very, very big change. The fallout in the first few months after the flash had seen light-touched ostracized by their families and communities. They lost jobs, careers, even their lives when enough unawakened ganged up on them. Japan was not unique in this, this kind of treatment of light-touched was common in the time before Vegas across the entire planet. What made Japan¡¯s situation unique was the group that had taken all these people in and protected them, fostered them, and to the surprise and concern of many; did not weaponize them. According to what Sonya had learned, the cult operated with a very small security staff of Rare and above light-touched. She had yet to learn their names or even get a good look at any stand-outs among their group. Another thing that she had learned was their tenuous cease-fire with the Mythic-Tier International Hero Sapporo was declining very fast. Sapporo was a stern man despite the nature of his ability, Festival of Dionysus, he was Yakuza for much of his life before he acquired his ability and embraced the moral responsibility that possessing such power entailed. He could be gruff and short-spoken, rarely speaking a word on assignments according to the records she had access to through her various connections within the Panora Committee. She¡¯d met him once, even analyzed and copied his amusingly powerful ability, eventually granting it to Kingshark to turn him into a lovecraftian nightmare of epic proportions. Sapporo was powerful. Sonya did not disabuse herself of the fact that he likely had surpassed Chunhua a long time ago but cared little for titles or prestige. Chunhua was catching up now that their relationship had stabilized and her heart demon had been quelled, but it took time to refine and strengthen an ability in order to squeeze everything out of it. Sapporo¡¯s single-minded approach to strengthening himself for the sake of his homeland and the world at large had given him the drive to reach heights that Sonya would have expected from heroes years from now. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn¡¯t even sure she could handle him at full strength. The fact that you are having that thought predicates that you are being honest with yourself. Ishtar pointed out. Sonya snorted out a laugh as she leaned on the balcony looking down over the city of New York in the dead of night. Even when so many were asleep, the city continued to thrum and churn as it glowed so brightly that it could be seen from orbit. She reached up and brushed the strands of white hair tousling about in the wind out of her face. ¡°Yeah,¡± she admitted, ¡°I know.¡± She looked down at the object in her other hand, an egg that had grown a bit in size since she had acquired it from Spice King Erebus as part of her deal to rid the world of Queen August for him. It was bigger than an ostrich egg now, the odd coloration it had before replaced with a smooth white veneer laced with silver octagons that made her think a little bit of a golf-ball. It glowed from the inside, thrumming occasionally in her grip. For a long time now she had been feeding it her internal energy, mana coursing into her body before traveling down her arm and into the item. That process had stopped just about an hour ago. It¡¯ll be soon, I imagine, Ishtar said, I¡¯m curious as to what will come out of it. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not some chibi kid or something,¡± Sonya snarked. ¡°You¡¯ve been reading from my library,¡± Marta¡¯s voice came from behind her. Sonya turned and graced her friend with an easy smile, ¡°You¡¯re up early, or is it late?¡± She pursed her lips and tilted her head, ¡°Let''s go with both.¡± Marta snorted, ¡°You seem to be feeling better, ma¡¯am.¡± Sonya¡¯s smile reached her eyes, ¡°Yeah, still got some things I¡¯m working on but I¡¯m better than I¡¯ve been in a long time, I think,¡± she said with a chuckle and her expression relaxed into something softer, ¡°Cass really pulled out the big guns.¡± ¡°That she did,¡± Marta said before glancing towards the egg, ¡°Do you think it would be best if we brought it inside?¡± Sonya eyed the egg, ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said, ¡°Information security says yes, let''s do that, but I¡¯m a little worried about the amount of processed mana I¡¯ve pumped into this thing with the number of abilities its filtered through,¡± she frowned, ¡°What if something humongous comes out and ruins my lovely apartment?¡± Marta raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s your concern?¡± Sonya waggled her eyebrows but said nothing only to get a flat look from Marta. She rolled her eyes, ¡°Fine!¡± she complained and waltzed her way back through the sliding doors, earning her a sigh of her relief from her friend in the process. The two of them made their way to the couch, the sliding door behind them closing and the windows turning opaque. Sonya hopped down and conjured up a can of cola, sipping from it as she let the egg rest in her lap. Marta gave the can a judgemental look and Sonya pointed at it, ¡°Want one?¡± she asked. ¡°Those things are spoiling you,¡± Marta said with a frown.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°No they won¡¯t, zero calories, remember?¡± Sonya said with a grin, a box of chocolate covered biscuit sticks appearing in her hand with the sound of a popping bubble. She held it out to Marta who stared at it before shaking her head and taking it from her. She sat down next to Sonya and opened the package, fishing out a stick and biting down. The smile that came to her face next was quickly schooled into one of mute concentration when she saw Sonya grin. Sonya sipped at her drink, content to admire the egg while they waited in a comfortable silence. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Bluestar didn¡¯t complain about you stealing her recruits for a weeks vacation in Japan. She seemed like she wanted them exploring New York,¡± Marta said after a while. ¡°Bandit¡¯s in japan supporting a dungeon run,¡± Sonya said offhandedly, ¡°She didn¡¯t say it but she wants me to check in on him. It¡¯s a large-scale uncommon-tier dungeon, pretty rare, something our newbies might enjoy taking a crack at with a professional team behind them.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯ll go for it?¡± Marta asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Sonya said, ¡°Lillian definitely and Snow will follow suit. That said, I hope they don¡¯t spend too much time there. Their experiences in the camp were rough, and if there¡¯s anything I¡¯ve learned is that everyone needs a little rest and relaxation now and then. I want them to see some new sights and come to terms with the life they''re about to start. Their grace period before they are required to begin patrols and dungeons isn¡¯t very long, you know.¡± This time, Marta¡¯s smile stayed on her face; ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back, Sonya.¡± Sonya snorted, ¡°I never left, I was just cold and sour,¡± she paused, ¡°Speaking of which!¡± she gestured and a panel of light appeared next to her that she rested her can on. She flicked her wrist and with another bubble-pop sound a waffle cone loaded with lime-green sherbet appeared. She licked it experimentally and shivered, ¡°Now that¡¯s the stuff.¡± ¡°How is Ishtar?¡± Marta asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡± Sonya said, ¡°It¡¯s not hard to switch anymore, not sure what that says about me really. She doesn¡¯t approve of it but I kind of like it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Marta said hesitantly, ¡°Ishtar, how are you doing?¡± Sonya¡¯s shoulders slumped slightly before rising up a bit, her chin tilting up as well as she slowly turned her head towards Marta. Ishtar leveled her with a stare before cracking a grin, ¡°Providing the silly girl with a running commentary has been amusing, to say the least. I can sympathize with your struggles before the flash, dear Companion. She is a handful.¡± Marta raised an eyebrow, ¡°I remember you being a bit¡­ chillier.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Only because Sonya was a grouch. I enjoy my games as much as she does, we are the same person after all. Her mood reflects on me. I feel¡­ stronger when she is happier, more in control and more capable of bringing my power to bear.¡± The maid seemed to visibly relax a bit at Ishtar¡¯s words, ¡°It¡¯s a relief to hear you say that. I know you promised to protect her, but that can mean a lot of things.¡± Ishtar¡¯s expression turned a little flinty, ¡°That it can, Companion,¡± she said and turned her gaze to the city before glancing at the ice cream in her hand. She frowned, ¡°I hate sweets,¡± she said with a bit of disgust and waved her hand, the confection vanishing. She tilted her head as if listening to something and cracking a grin, ¡°Yes, well I have to taste it too. Can¡¯t you enjoy something more refined? Dark chocolate is nice and bitter.¡± Marta raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t comment. Ishtar glanced down at her lap and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± she said, ¡°I think it would be best if you were in control for this, silly girl.¡± Sonya¡¯s body relaxed again and she abruptly sat forward, ¡°Now wait just a minute, I¡¯m not done- oh,¡± she blinked a few times and looked down at her lap before puffing up her cheeks petulantly, ¡°I was enjoying that ice cream.¡± ¡°You can just make more,¡± Marta said. ¡°It¡¯s the principle!¡± Sonya whined as a low hum began to fill the room and the air began to move, a faint breeze picking up. ¡°Hm, might want to make sure this doesn¡¯t end up on tomorrow morning¡¯s carter radar report,¡± she said and held out her hand. Vines wrapped up the length of her petite arm before growing small bulbs that blossomed into flowers. The flowers launched out, slapping against the walls and windows around them before growing in size and taking on an otherworldly pale glow. ¡°There, that oughta do it.¡± ¡°That was Visage of Titania,¡± Marta said. ¡°Yep,¡± Sonya said, her eyes fixed on the egg as it shuddered, the breeze in the room picking up in speed. ¡°I got some practice in.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know, we haven¡¯t talked a lot about how you¡¯ve been developing your ability suite. I¡¯d like to better know what you¡¯re capable of so that I can help you better,¡± Marta commented, getting a wince from Sonya. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sonya said soberly, ¡°We should do that soon.¡± ¡°After this and once you¡¯ve actually gotten some sleep,¡± Marta said with a reassuring smile, patting Sonya on the shoulder. As she did so, the door to the bedroom that used to belong to Amos burst open, a bleary-eyed Cass poking her head out, ¡°What is with all the- woah!¡± she gasped, stepping out and staring in awe at the gathering forces in the middle of the living room. The egg was starting to glow brighter and brighter, ¡°It¡¯s hatching! You should have woke me up!¡± she said eagerly and hurried over to the couch to join them. ¡°Tried to,¡± Sonya said as the egg began to float up from her lap, ¡°Somebody was tuckered out from spending all day flirting with a hero.¡± ¡°I was not flirting with Alex!¡± Cass protested, getting two equally amused side-eyed looks from Marta and Sonya alike. ¡°I didn¡¯t say Alex,¡± Sonya said with a wry smile. Cass spluttered before quickly pointing up at the egg that was now suspended in the air, catching an opportunity to move the conversation away from her personal life. ¡°It¡¯s doing something!¡± Sonya and Marta looked up and watched as the hexagonal patterns on the egg began to shift, sliding in and out of its surface in waves that made it seem more like a large stone than something containing a living organism. Light flashed from within, the power inside growing to a fever pitch as multicolored light gathered around it. Sonya shifted a bit in her seat as did Marta, they both knew what that kind of reaction meant. A monster was taking shape before them and its focal point was the egg. The light continued to gather, becoming so bright that Cass and Marta had to raised their hands to shield their eyes. Sonya¡¯s own eyes simply recalibrated, shifting and whirring inside her head to compensate for the excessive amounts of input. She barely reacted as whatever it was continue to take form, the room trembling once as a pulse of mana rippled out from it only to stop against the surfaces where the flowers had bloomed. A final blinding flash suffused the room and even Sonya had to avert her gaze for a moment before her eyes adjusted again. What stood in the middle of the room was a mixture of strange and familiar. It was a lean four limbed creature with the head of a jackal. It had a long thin tail that whipped about as it took in its surroundings with its back to them. Its fur was as white as Sonya¡¯s hair, stark and shimmering in the faint light of the dimmed ceiling lights. ¡°A hound?¡± Marta asked, confused. It turned back to face them, fixing Sonya with an unflinching stare through a pair of luminous multicolored eyes. They looked like the rainbow-like energy that heralded its creation was now bound within its eye-sockets. Sonya returned its stare, taking in every detail of the surprisingly passive creature. She got more information from that observation than she was expecting. Unlike any monster she had laid eyes upon, this one had a name plate, like that of a human. Sonya couldn¡¯t help herself with the tension hanging in the room, ¡°Does our building have a dog policy?¡± Chapter 185 The private jet soared through the air, heading westward. The improvements to the vehicle Amos had made during what he called ¡®hobby time¡¯ had extended its range by a considerable amount and rendered it impervious to attacks from anything up to an uncommon-tier force. Besides that, the interior was much of what Sonya remembered from her trip to and from Las Vegas. She hadn¡¯t used the jet in a while, discretely using portals when she could and taking advantage of other forms of transportation when it was available. The reasons were obvious, of course. The last two times she had been in the jet she had been sitting across from An Set and reeling from the fallout from Vegas respectively. She would have rather used a portal but she was bringing Alex, Snow, and Lily with her and that meant using her own portals wasn¡¯t an option. As for the alternative, this was not an official visit or business related to the Pandora Committee and hero work. Certainly Sonya could call in a favor from Euclidia but she would rather not abuse her connections like that. Not yet anyway. Marta strode up to her from where she had been standing at the small kitchenette at one end of the cabin and handed her a mug filled with fragrant tea. Sonya sipped it and smiled, ¡°Thank you, Marta,¡± she said. Her friend bowed politely before glancing down at the thing in Sonya¡¯s lap. She glanced up and met Sonya¡¯s gaze with raised eyebrows and Sonya smirked right back at her. Marta rolled her eyes before turning to look at the other passengers, ¡°How do the four of you take your tea?¡± Cass, Alex, Lillian, and Snow were all in various states of attentiveness when she asked the question. Cass was lounging on one of the couches lining the inner cabin with a lazy expression, staring out one of the windows and yawning. Alex was on his phone, tapping away at what was likely a game. Snow was staring pointedly at Sonya¡¯s lap with big eyes while Lillian mirrored her expression, her gold-plumed hawk Alphonse on her shoulder. None of them reacted to her words. Marta shook her head, ¡°Miss Chernovna¡¯s usual blend, then,¡± she said and stepped away. The object of at least half of the young heroes¡¯ attention was the large fuzzy creature laying sprawled across Sonya¡¯s lap. It was for all intents and purposes a Siberian husky, largely white with dark lines framing its eyes and gradients of gray running down its back. It rested quietly in its spot, most of its body sitting comfortably on the couch to Sonya¡¯s side. Across from Sonya, Snow crept forward and its ear twitched, one eerie white eye opening and glancing in her direction. She pulled back as the faint hiss of static preceded a giggle of delight. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Lillian asked, looking up at Sonya from where she had been admiring the majestic dog. ¡°I¡¯m calling him Levi,¡± Sonya said, scratching behind the dogs ears. It barely shifted to give her a superior angle. ¡°He¡¯s very calm for a husky, did he go through training?¡± Lillian asked as Snow crept forward again, with eager steps. Levi opened his eye and stared at her again before looking away and letting out a long suffering huff. Lililan laughed, ¡°Full of personality though.¡± ¡°Well he¡¯s not exactly a husky, come over here, you¡¯ll probably be able to tell if you get close enough,¡± Sonya said gently. Lillian and Snow squinted at her before glancing at one another and grinning. They got to their feet and made their way across the cabin, stopping to kneel next to the dog. Levi raised his head and turned slowly to look at them, his nose tilted up a bit as if having them approach was some manner of minor slight. Lillian and Snow didn¡¯t seem to notice, but Alphonse did. The hawk let out a small sound of protest and flicked its head to the right to fix Levi with a stare. They held one anothers gazes as Snow reached out to run her hand down Levi¡¯s back. Levi huffed again, this time sounding disinterested and returned to resting his head on Sonya¡¯s lap. Lillian reached out to join Snow in petting him and froze. She blinked and looked up at Sonya, ¡°He¡¯s not a dog.¡± ¡°Not a natural one, no,¡± Sonya said with an easy laugh, she tilted her head to look into the creature¡¯s eyes, ¡°He came out of an egg, if you can believe it.¡± Snow was the next to react with Alex glancing up with her, ¡°An egg?¡± Sonya tilted her head and looked into Levi¡¯s eyes, smiling at him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you little buddy?¡± she asked merrily before flicking her gaze up towards the others, ¡°A friend of mine is a bit of a collector of novelties out of dungeons. Odd resources, dungeon rewards, that kind of thing. The egg was a reward and he gave it to me as thanks for some help I gave him.¡± Sonya let out an exhausted sigh, ¡°The egg draws mana through your body to feed it, it¡¯s like constantly using your powers. I¡¯ve been feeding it for a while now and a familiar came out.¡± ¡°Your eyes are always on, that must have been exhausting,¡± Lillian said. Sonya snorted, ¡°You¡¯re telling me! Though the rewards are worth it, I have a bodyguard in case Marta has to go running off. Once he grows up a little of course.¡± Snow ran her fingers through his fur, ¡°There¡¯s an illusion on him. I can barely sense it, it¡¯s more powerful than mine by one hell of a margin,¡± she said with a crackle of static. Marta returned with a pair of mugs and handed them to the girls who took them gratefully, ¡°He has to keep his cover somehow,¡± Marta said, ¡°One of his defense mechanisms, I imagine. We still don¡¯t know everything but given what he really looks like currently, I¡¯m glad this is an option.¡± Levi raised his head and glowered at Marta. She met his gaze and smirked, ¡°What? You¡¯re scary like that. I can¡¯t imagine Sonya walking you. It¡¯d cause a panic.¡± The two girls gave her a quizzical look as she turned away, ¡°He¡¯s a hound.¡± Alex hopped to his feet, ¡°I knew I smelled something familiar,¡± he said and made his way over, kneeling next to Levi with the others, ¡°Wow that is one hell of an illusion. Even knowing doesn¡¯t break it. Handsome dog.¡± ¡°You smelled him?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°Course I did, I¡¯m literally a giant monster-hunting snake,¡± he said.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Only when Cass and Ollie are around,¡± Snow teased. ¡°N-not true! I¡¯ll get there eventually!¡± He shot back, flustered. He looked back at Cass, ¡°You think I will, right?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Cass said noncommittally as she continued flipping through her phone without looking up. Alex let out a defeated sigh as the other girls giggled at him. ¡°This is what happens when you go on vacation with a bunch of beautiful women, Alex, trust me, I understand,¡± Sonya said comfortingly. ¡°Levi¡¯s a dude!¡± he protested, ¡°You¡¯ve got my back, right buddy?¡± he asked the familiar. Levi flicked his pale eyes in Alex¡¯s direction and sat up slightly giving him what could only be described as a pitying look before turning back to rest on Sonya¡¯s lap once more. Alex sat back on the floor of the cabin and ran his fingers through his hair, ¡°Dude, c¡¯mon man. Bros right?¡± Laughter filled the cabin as Alex took his lumps. He and Snow eventually migrated back to their side of the jet and went back to what they were doing. Lillian stayed with Sonya and Levi, admiring the familiar. ¡°What¡¯s it feel like?¡± she asked quietly, ¡°He¡¯s your familiar, so is he connected to you or something?¡± Sonya tilted her head, ¡°It¡¯s odd, it¡¯s like having a little sense of self outside of me, I know where he is and what he¡¯s feeling to a degree. I imagine you feel something similar with Alphonse?¡± ¡°Sort of, Alphonse was a normal hawk when I met him,¡± Lillian said, reaching up to run her fingers down the back of the bird on her shoulder who was still giving Levi the stink-eye, ¡°I can feel him now and his body has changed slightly. It happened while we were in the dungeon. He¡¯s stronger, faster, and he¡¯s got those gold feathers he didn¡¯t have before,¡± she looked back to Levi, ¡°I¡¯m guessing it was from hunting monsters. Maybe that¡¯s what you¡¯ll have to do with him.¡± Sonya shrugged, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be able to ask the expert on familiars once we get to Japan. We¡¯re meeting him on landing as I understand it.¡± Lillian looked up at her, ¡°Expert?¡± Sonya grinned, ¡°Somebody fairly knowledgeable about having a magical creature as a partner. He¡¯s an old hat with it now.¡± Lillian¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± Sonya pursed her lips and looked away innocently, ¡°Hm? I didn¡¯t confirm or deny anything¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Alex called over from his seat, he had a pair of legs in his lap and looked a lot happier after being teased relentlessly. Sonya gave Cass a look and she returned it with her own innocent expression that Sonya suspected looked a lot like her own. ¡°Who are we seeing?¡± Alex asked obliviously. ¡°Do we really get to meet Inky?¡± Lillian asked, excited, ¡°Seriously? Seriously?¡± Sonya let out a mirthful laugh, ¡°I would assume so, given that it and Bandit are never far apart.¡± ¡°Bandit¡¯s in Japan?¡± Alex blurted and even Cass looked up to pay attention. ¡°There were several talented bow-using light-touched in their camp program. Japan borrowed him for the duration and he stayed to assist with a few dungeons and walk them through some of the steps we took during the development of the ASTA Guild,¡± Sonya explained, ¡°He and Sapporo have a good rapport so it was pretty easy to make it happen.¡± Lillian squinted at Sonya, ¡°We¡¯re going to meet Bandit and he¡¯s been helping out with dungeons, huh? Are you sure this is a grace-period vacation trip?¡± Sonya met her eyes and grinned. ¨C Bandit shifted on his feet, rubbing his neck as they stood on the tarmac. He squinted up at the clear blue sky and frowned a little. It was too damn bright out. He felt Inky stir in his shadow and he sent a reassuring nudge through their connection. The little creature had engaged him in a fairly transactional relationship when they first met but it had steadily evolved into a bond that surpassed friendship. Inky was his familiar now, a rare occurrence for someone without an ability function for creating a familiar but apparently not unheard of. He glanced towards Sapporo, the big guy was imposing as ever. He had the vibe of a mountain that always seemed to make his shifts towards good humor a little unsettling. Bandit wondered if that was the point. He leaned forward just a little to glance past Sapporo and the entourage of Japanese representatives. There were people from the central government, the local Pandora branch, and even a representative from the Imperial Family. That was a little weird but given how big a name was showing up he supposed it wasn¡¯t that surprising. ¡°Restless?¡± Sapporo asked in his gravel-against-steel voice. Bandit stood up straight and shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen her. She looked after me and the others when we were getting started but since then I¡¯ve been go go go, y¡¯know?¡± Sapporo nodded quietly, turning his head to look up at the horizon, ¡°It will be good to have her here. Her presence is a balm in troubled times.¡± ¡°You do remember that she¡¯s kind of a kook, right?¡± Bandit pointed out, ¡°Like, she¡¯s probably gonna come out there like a superstar diva and do or say something outrageous.¡± The big man¡¯s expression shifted into an extraordinarily rare smile, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve met Sonya Chernovna before.¡± Bandit laughed, getting a few looks from the other more stoic representatives that he ignored. The two of them had met at the same time Sapporo had first encountered Sonya. It was an awkward meeting, looking back and he wondered how they had managed to bond the way they had despite the horrors they¡¯d seen not long after. He shoved his hands into his pockets, ¡°Inky¡¯s not liking the direct sunlight.¡± ¡°Your strange little friend will be in more comfortable environs soon,¡± Sapporo said before lowering his voice a little, ¡°The third man to my left is a representative of a media studio. He¡¯s here for you.¡± Bandit pressed his lips together and leaned back to get a view of the men arrayed waiting for the arrival of the plane and the celebrity inside. He caught sight of a man with a thick mustache and hard eyes on a slightly pudgy face. He squinted at the man¡¯s shirt and saw a pin marking him as a member of a popular media company in Japan. Bandit shifted back to a more comfortable pose and shot Sapporo a glance, ¡°Thanks for the heads up. Not interested in turning Inky into a kids toy. I¡¯m fine with franchising, it''s what ASTA does for me anyway, but I don¡¯t want kids seeing what Inky really does to living things on TV while holding an effigy of him.¡± Sapporo nodded, ¡°A very kind mindset. Better he be a figment of mystery and danger.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more, big guy-¡± he froze and Sapporo did as well. They both looked up at the horizon and frowned, ¡°I forgot what Handmaiden felt like,¡± Bandit said. ¡°Imposing indeed,¡± Sapporo agreed, ¡°There was something else there for a moment but it receded. Perhaps a trick of the mind?¡± ¡°Dunno, there¡¯s another odd duck on the plane. A growth-type hero,¡± Bandit said. ¡°Growth-type?¡± Sapporo asked, ¡°Those are very rare.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, what makes it more compelling is that this kid trained under Black Lotus and has similar functions to her ability,¡± he said, ¡°She just joined the East ASTA Guild the other day. Bluestar gave me a heads up that she was coming.¡± Sapporo raised his eyebrows, ¡°A cultivator. That explains the sensation. Very controlled.¡± The man next to Sapporo turned to face them, he was an older man with thinning gray hair. Despite that, his eyes had a sharpness to them that always made Bandit wary, ¡°I was unaware you possessed a sensory power, Sapporo.¡± ¡°I do not, Mister Takehara,¡± Sapporo said before looking up at the sky where the plane was approaching. Takehara frowned at Sapporo before turning away to speak with one of the others. ¡°They still want you to overtake BL?¡± Bandit asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you going to?¡± ¡°Not intentionally, no.¡± Bandit glanced past him towards the officials speaking amongst themselves. ¡°They''re not happy,¡± he said with mild amusement as he listened in from a distance. Sapporo chuckled, ¡°No, they are not.¡± Chapter 186 Takehara Aoto was an old man with sensibilities that came from a lifetime of experience. He found the aging population in other nations to be strange. While they grew more set in their ways and rigid in their thinking, he found less meaning in ideology. There were few positions he considered to be hills that he would willingly die on. Not out of a sense of cowardice but instead a sense of practicality and openness. If he was wrong about something, he was wrong. It was not difficult to pivot when one takes every defeat as a lesson learned. Even so, there was a difference between his personal way of thinking and his duty. Duty was absolute, paramount, and unbending. His duty was to the health and safety of every citizen in the sovereign nation of Japan. He wondered sometimes if perhaps it was because of his open mindedness or in spite of it that he had been chosen for his position as the national representative for the Pandora Committee. This was one of those times. In the eyes of the politicians and leaders of his homeland, Sapporo represented the opportunity to stand above the other nations of the world. While there were titans on the rise in other nations, Sapporo stood apart. He was a wall against intrusion and his patriotism was not to be questioned. Yet his respect for his peers among the international heroes and disinterest in turning himself into a symbol had put him at odds with those who saw to use him for their own agenda. At his heart, Takehara deeply respected Sapporo. As a representative of his nation and the Pandora Committee, he found the man to be tiresome. ¡°The juvenile American is certainly not helping the situation,¡± one of the others murmured, ¡°His obnoxious personality is unbecoming of Lord Sapporo and is beginning to affect his judgement.¡± ¡°I would remind you, minister,¡± Takehara said evenly, ¡°That man you are speaking of is a member of the very guild who¡¯s creator we are welcoming in just a few minutes, a veteran of the Battle of Vegas, and a scout-type hero with very good hearing.¡± The minister paled a little, leaning back and shutting his mouth. ¡°Wise choice, minister,¡± Takehara said, ¡°Now is not the time to be pushing Sapporo towards an agenda. We can discuss the matter at another time. As for his slip about some manner of sensory ability he possesses, that is irrelevant. It is likely some trick that belongs in the realm of the heroics and mythics. We will leave it there until we are in a situation where he will be more amicable to discussing the topic.¡± ¡°Representative Takehara¡­¡± another politician chimed in reproachfully. ¡°End of discussion. We are here to put our best foot forward with a potential ally,¡± he reminded them with a stern gesture. The others frowned but nodded in agreement. He stood up straight and adjusted his coat, getting back into line next to Sapporo. He glanced sidelong at the others and restrained the urge to shake his head. They were, of course, here for their own agendas. All of them and those they stood in for wanted a piece of the pie that was Sonya Chernovna. She had money and influence among the Pandora Committee as well as access to the best post-pandora material refinement methods available. They also knew that she was there to push for setting up a branch in Japan. This was not about whether or not she would establish a foothold here. This was about how much they could bleed out of the young woman before they gave her what she wanted. Fools. She may look young but she is far from it, you are courting an eagle in the guise of a songbird. ¡°I¡¯m relieved the committee sent you, Takehara,¡± Sapporo said next to him. He glanced up at the mountain of a man who hadn¡¯t shifted his gaze from the landing aircraft. ¡°Who else would it be?¡± Takehara grunted, a small smile creeping on his face, ¡°You should really stop teasing those idiots with breadcrumbs. You¡¯re going to get into trouble.¡± ¡°Perhaps, what are they going to do about it, though?¡± Sapporo asked. Takehara shook his head, ¡°It worries me that I can¡¯t argue that point.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the world we live in now,¡± Sapporo agreed with a grave nod as the jet came to a stop. The gathered representatives and heroes approached as the engines wound down. Takehara noticed that it did not take nearly as long as it would for a traditional engine. He wondered if that man who worked for Sonya had made some changes to the vehicle. It wasn¡¯t on the manifest but who was honest about such things these days? The door on the side flipped out and down, extending into a staircase that rested on the tarmac. Something strange washed over Takehara the moment before the first person stepped off the aircraft. It was an odd feeling. An uplifting sense of peace and unity that took him off guard as he tasted the faint hints of challenge beneath it. It was like standing behind a great lion that had put itself between him and all the terrors of the world. Protective but still a source of danger. He caught his breath as the other representatives shifted on their feet. Next to him, Sapporo and Bandit stood very still, their eyes on the opening. A woman stepped out, she had long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a european-style maids gown, her hands held at her lap in a polite way. She was wearing gauntlets that gleamed with that odd reflectiveness common amongst post-pandora materials. She took a step off the plane and descended until she touched the ground and the feeling intensified before fading all together. She cast her gaze over those present with a stoic expression before turning and inclining her head towards Sapporo and Bandit. They returned the gesture. ¡°She¡¯s gotten much stronger, projecting like that. She was making a point,¡± Sapporo commented quietly. ¡°Rude, but effective.¡± Takehara dabbed his neck with a handkerchief, ¡°And the point she was trying to make?¡± ¡°¡®I am a naked blade and the person who comes next is the wielder, show respect¡¯, is the gist of it,¡± Sapporo explained. ¡°Tyrannical but effective,¡± Takehara murmured. ¡°That¡¯s Sonya in a boardroom for you,¡± Bandit chimed in before tensing, ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Sapporo clenched his fists and Takehara looked from the two heroes to the ramp where the most audacious woman he had ever seen stepped out. Sonya Chernovna was in a white pants suit and pink tie, a long gray trench coat hung on her shoulders like a cape. She wore large sunglasses that reflected the light sharply against her sparkling skin. Long starlight-white hair fluttering about her head as she stepped down, a leash in her hand. At the other end was a siberian husky that strode forward with a regal air about it. ¡°She has a dog?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°That is not a dog,¡± Sapporo growled. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh hey!¡± Sonya called, reaching up to wave delightedly at Sapporo and Bandit, ¡°Boys! It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± she said as she arrived at their level, panning her gaze around with a smug grin while Handmaiden stepped in behind her. She walked out a few steps as four young people descended as well. A blonde girl, a muscular boy, a girl with short black hair, and a smaller girl with white and black hair. Those are the graduates the manifest mentioned. One of them is Crusader, the girl with the short black hair if I am not mistaken. ¡°Miss Chernovna¡­¡± Sapporo growled as he took a step forward. Takehara turned to stop him from whatever foolishness he was about to engage in but Sapporo crossed the distance between him and Sonya in an instant. The movement sending her hair fluttering. She looked up at him with a grin as he looked down at her, ¡°You brought a monster with you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my familiar, Sapporo, no need to get all huffy,¡± she said playfully, not flinching at all as he loomed over her, ¡°A friend gave the egg to me. I¡¯ve already registered Levi with the Committee.¡± Takehara felt his blood pressure rise, he was about to shout at Sapporo when Bandit sauntered over, further breaking the well choreographed greeting down into a hubbub. ¡°A familiar, huh? Dungeon reward?¡± Bandit asked, ¡°Good to see you Sonya.¡± ¡°My friend is something of a collector,¡± Sonya said with a smile and reached out to Bandit who took her hand and shook it, ¡°Good to see you too, dear, Bluestar sends her love.¡± Takehara sighed and glanced at the others before jerking his head towards the gathering. It looked like this would be informal after all. I should have listened to Sapporo about her eccentricities. Oh well. ¨C Sonya looked up at Sapporo with a broad smile, ¡°You know it¡¯s not that hot outside.¡± He blinked and looked at her, tearing his gaze away from Levi, ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Well I wondered if you were trying to give me a little shade, that¡¯s sweet and all but it¡¯s actually a bit chilly this time of year,¡± Sonya said and reached up to tug on the coat on her shoulders, ¡°That¡¯s what the coat¡¯s for.¡± He blinked a few more times before setting his expression into a frown. He nodded and took a full step back and out of her space. She wiggled her eyebrows at him with a grin before turning to the approaching politicians, ¡°Now, Levi, these people may smell like they want to bleed the life out of me but it might just be their cologne,¡± she said to the dog, ¡°So be nice,¡± she warned before taking a merry step forward and extending a hand to the first man who approached. ¡°Representative Takehara! This is our first time meeting in person. I didn¡¯t get to have a talk with you at the Hague.¡± ¡°You were a bit busy getting kidnapped, as I recall,¡± Takehara said with an easy smile and took her gloved hand. The old man had a good grip. She squinted at him with amusement as the other politicians gave him aghast looks. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate you not cast aspersions about the intention of the rest of the delegation here to meet you.¡± She pursed her lips and winked at him, ¡°Only if you¡¯ll reign them in for me if it comes to it.¡± ¡°I am certain that¡¯s agreeable,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a deal, Representative, I¡¯ll be more polite, apologies,¡± she said. Proceed with Deal, Analyze. Rare tier, nice. She turned and handed off Levi¡¯s leash to Marta who inclined her head once before stepping away with the disguised hound. She bowed politely to the other men, switching to the kind of greeting they¡¯re more comfortable with. ¡°Gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to visit your country. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you all for the betterment of your organizations and my own.¡± The gathered men looked at one another in surprise and then at Takehara. The way they looked at him shifted from frustration to something akin to respect. She resisted the urge to grin at them as they all bowed at her in response. One of their number stepped forward first. He wore the nicest suit amongst them and her senses told her that it was lined with some good stuff. At least rare-tier materials. She glanced at his suit before he could speak and pulled off her sunglasses, ¡°I love your suit,¡± she said with a smile before meeting his eyes. ¡°Thank you, Miss Chernovna,¡± he said, the single bob of his throat the only sign of reaction to her mechanical eyes, ¡°I am Kaguma Kendo, a representative of the central government. I am here on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Emperor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure, Mister Kaguma,¡± she said before turning to gesture to Marta and the others, ¡°This is Handmaiden, my personal attendant and mythic-tier hero. With me are the newly licensed heroes Snow, BLF, Harbinger, and Crusader.¡± The man¡¯s carefully schooled expression shifted just slightly at the mention of Lillian¡¯s code name. Sonya kept her own smile just as it was, only tilting her head slightly. ¡°I wanted to bring them to meet their guild senior, Bandit and to perhaps engage with the local guilds for a time while enjoying their grace periods. Tourism, you know?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the man said, ¡°Guests of such stature are always welcome and we hope our homeland lives up to their expectations. Perhaps we can arrange for a visit to some more unique cultural locations while they are here.¡± ¡°That would be very generous of you, Mister Kaguma,¡± Sonya said brightly, ¡°I¡¯m sure that we can work our schedule around anyone who might be operating on a restrictive schedule of their own. Such as yourself, of course.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said with a nod, his eyes glancing towards Crusader briefly before meeting her gaze, ¡°Thank you for being so forthcoming.¡± ¡°Thank you for being so welcoming,¡± Sonya replied with a grin, ¡°Now I best not tarry. I think your friends are eager to speak with me as well. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to talk during our visit.¡± ¡°I suspect we will,¡± Mister Kaguma said and bowed again, ¡°Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Japan. Miss Sonya Chernovna.¡± She returned the gesture and turned to the other men who had approached, ¡°How about we talk over a meal, gentlemen?¡± ¨C Lillian sat in a limousine for the first time in her life. They¡¯d come by taxi to the airport leaving the United States in order to avoid too much attention but the Japanese seemed to have a different perspective on things. She shifted in her seat and turned towards Snow, ¡°What do you think Sonya and that man were talking about?¡± Snow glanced up at her and made a face, ¡°Hell if I know. They were obviously talking about two things at the same time,¡± she said with a shrug and a flare of static. ¡°They were talking about you,¡± Bandit said from his seat across from them. His dark eyes were fixed on Lillian as he leaned on his knees. He seemed used to crouching which wasn¡¯t surprising given that he was an elite scout and stealth specialist. When the party had made their way into the various vehicles waiting for them, Lillian and Snow had been paired off with Bandit while Cass and Alex joined Sapporo. Sonya and Marta had gone with several of the politicians to speak with them privately as they made their way to whatever restaurant had been chosen. Lillian frowned and thought back about the conversation that Sonya had with the man, ¡°Me?¡± she said thoughtfully, ¡°Something to do with the Prime Minister or the Emperor? That¡¯s a little above my head, don¡¯t you think?¡± Bandit smirked, ¡°You¡¯re observant, I heard you were,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know much but I have heard that someone close to the Emperor of Japan is something of a fan of yours. They were talking about setting up a chance for this person to meet you, probably in exchange for some kind of concession.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit shady,¡± Snow said with a frown. Bandit shrugged, ¡°Sonya said it to me once before so I¡¯ll say it to you now; ¡®That¡¯s politics¡¯. You guys don¡¯t realize that you¡¯re already big names and you haven¡¯t even knocked over a dungeon boss. I¡¯ll be changing that while you¡¯re here, by the way.¡± Lillian let out a sigh, ¡°I knew it.¡± Chapter 187 Sonya settled into the seat at the table. It was an elegant room, not pointlessly overindulgent in its design but rather more modern. Something that fit her sensibilities quite nicely. Personally she would have preferred a cafe or something more casual but who was she to deny these guys a chance to set the tone. She smiled as Lillian sat down next to her, giving her a sidelong look. She winked at the girl who frowned at her. ¡°Bandit told us we¡¯re doing dungeons,¡± she said a little testily. ¡°Never said you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Sonya said with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯ll get your vacation time. I promised it to you and I have a bit of a thing about promises.¡± Lillian relaxed and sighed, ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± she said, ¡°I know we need to stay sharp.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m setting you up, Lillian, you¡¯re a smart and observant girl but you don¡¯t read between the lines when you should,¡± Sonya said patiently as the others began to sit down. She reached up and patted her on the shoulder, ¡°Give it some thought. This is something I want you to learn from.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lillian asked, shooting a glance at one of the politicians who was listening closely to the conversation. ¡°Villains don¡¯t always take direct routes to getting what they want. You didn¡¯t sign up just to fight monsters. You¡¯re here for many reasons, not just to have a good time and go to the hotsprings with your lady friend,¡± Sonya teased. Lillian furrowed her brows, searching Sonya¡¯s face for a moment. She didn¡¯t get flustered as she used to but took the comment in stride which was a good sign. Instead, something seemed to click behind her eyes. She huffed out a breath, ¡°My friends and I have been looking forward to this trip ever since you mentioned it. I want them to have fun.¡± ¡°You care about them a great deal, I know,¡± Sonya said with a nod. ¡°We¡¯re a team,¡± Lillian said, ¡°If they¡¯re not on board, I¡¯m not.¡± Sonya smiled, Now you¡¯re getting it. She turned to look at the politicians arrayed around her. Two of them glanced surreptitiously at the other young heroes as Marta stepped in behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow but Marta shook her head. Sonya frowned at her and Marta just closed her eyes, holding her position. Fine fine, we¡¯ll go to something more casual later. I won¡¯t fill up. I assume she wants the authentic experience, Ishtar commented. Yeah, she¡¯s like that, Sonya agreed as she returned her focus to the table. The waiter stepped in to begin taking orders. Sonya glanced idly down at the menu before looking away. It took her a fraction of a second to read it. Lillian is growing, Ishtar observed, She picked up much quicker this time. Of course she is, she¡¯s always been someone who thinks critically and tries her best to observe. Chunhua taught her to act on her instincts and she isn¡¯t terrible at conversation. She just needs a little push here and there to get her to pick up a political mindset, Sonya said. And you want that? Ishtar asked. If she wants to achieve her dreams, yes, she¡¯ll need to at the very least understand and communicate with people like this. I can¡¯t be there guiding her all the time. Are you sure you¡¯re not trying to raise your own executioner? Ishtar pushed. I¡¯m not aiming her at myself and you know it. He plays the same kind of games I do. Or at least he did in the past. A valid point. The waiter is here. Sonya turned and smiled up at the man who looked down at her, ¡°I¡¯ll have the house special, please.¡± ¨C Mister Kaguma set his chopsticks down on their stand, exchanging a look with the other representatives as he did so. Conversation throughout the meal had been light and focused mostly on Miss Chernovna rather than engaging the heroes. He had a feeling that had been a bit of a mistake but not one that couldn¡¯t be recovered from. He only hoped that the men who had come with him to this meeting had picked up on it. The others knew that his sole purpose in this dialogue was to observe the outcome on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Emperor. The men around him wanted to extract benefits from the young woman. Their goal was to ensure their own standing when it came to this new industry and the others she had her hands in. Miss Chernovna styled herself as a champion of the hero movement, but was an industrialist. She would be angling for her own benefits. He kept his expression blank as he sat up and nodded to the others. ¡°Miss Chernovna, your young friends must be exhausted from their journey. Perhaps we can have a vehicle take them to their hotel while we talk?¡± one of the men, Mister Taiko from Suhei Media said, ¡°I¡¯m sure this conversation is of little interest to them.¡± Sonya set her own chopsticks down and inclined her head to Mister Kaguma before turning her mechanical eyes on Mister Taiko, ¡°I like to think they¡¯re well trained enough that a little jet lag isn¡¯t going to bother them, Mister Taiko,¡± she said politely. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of denying them a chance to learn more about the inner workings of an industry they are a part of,¡± she turned to Crusader, ¡°Your thoughts?¡± Mister Kaguma watched the girl as well. The little conversation they¡¯d had before dinner was an obvious but effective attempt to create a wall against a singular approach to the negotiations. Sonya clearly wanted to make this a teaching experience for Crusader and use her opinion to guide her own decisions on the matter. To make matters more complicated, Crusader had posited that she valued the opinions and treatment of her team and would seek their counsel. Through Crusader¡¯s love of her comrades Miss Chernovna has created a minefield for these men to walk through. He restrained a sigh. A minefield designed to trap old men who are used to getting their way and talking down to women and young people. He glanced at Taiko, Taiko noticed and tried to diffuse the danger a little. ¡°I want to learn more, Miss Chernovna. If it¡¯s no trouble for you, I think my team and I would like to stay. If that¡¯s alright with you guys?¡± Crusader said, turning to the other three who nodded their assent. ¡°Of course, no trouble at all. Though it may be a bit boring for them, these topics are difficult to follow,¡± Taiko said. Kaguma winced. ¡°Are you suggesting that these licensed heroes are children, Mister Taiko?¡± Sonya asked, ¡°You are aware they¡¯ve seen combat, right?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Of course not,¡± Taiko replied with a twitch of his lip, ¡°I simply wish to not burden them with unnecessary things.¡± ¡°These talks are unnecessary?¡± Sonya asked, a predatory smile spreading on her lips. Kaguma shot a look at Taiko, Keep your mouth shut, fool. One of the others pushed in to save Taiko. Mister Megumi was the representative of the post-pandora development firm, Nara. ¡°I¡¯d like to learn more about your plans for ASTA becoming involved in our part of the world, Miss Chernovna, if you¡¯ll indulge me.¡± Sonya turned to Mister Megumi, pulling her hair back over her ear and setting her hands in her lap. She blinked slowly as her mechanical eyes shifted and focused in her head. Kaguma could almost hear the faint ticking that came from her head. It was a little unnerving. ¡°Japan has been a close ally of the United States for a long time and we¡¯ve shared a lot of things,¡± Sonya began, ¡°Technological advancement, media, culture, the list goes on. As you all are well aware I have a policy of not maintaining strict patents on the processes that ASTA utilizes,¡± she tilted her head a little, ¡°I don¡¯t share them either. It is up to my competitors to figure those things out for themselves if they want to compete.¡± Megumi considered her for a heartbeat, ¡°Are those processes on the table?¡± ¡°Well that entirely depends,¡± Sonya said with a light laugh, ¡°ASTA certainly wants to expand into your market but we haven¡¯t even got our foot in the door,¡± she shrugged, ¡°Will the Japanese government allow ASTA to set up shop?¡± Kaguma opened his mouth but Megumi responded first, ¡°Miss Chernovna, you are a talented woman. This is business, though. You must understand that opening that door requires something from you first,¡± the man said, getting a few nods from the others, ¡°Welcoming you to this meeting was a formality that we have observed.¡± ¡°Do you play poker, Mister Megumi?¡± Sonya asked curiously. The man sat up a bit straighter and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Hm? No I do not.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t start,¡± Sonya said with a chuckle and winked at him, she turned to Crusader, ¡°You four talked about what you wanted to do while you were here, right?¡± Crusader looked like she was put on the spot for a moment before relaxing, she scratched her neck, ¡°Uh, well we did talk a bit. It¡¯s a pretty packed schedule even with the dungeons we¡¯ll be assisting in. I was thinking about asking Bandit if we could do some patrolling alongside the local guilds as long as we had time to enjoy the sights,¡± she said awkwardly before looking at the others, ¡°Obviously don¡¯t want to overdo it. This is our grace period after all.¡± The sole man amongst the young heroes, BLF, frowned a little, ¡°You sure that won¡¯t cut into our time? There¡¯s a lot we want to see. Handmaiden even helped us come up with the schedule.¡± The blonde girl, Harbinger, shrugged, ¡°We don¡¯t all have to go on patrols, we can change off and see the sights we were specifically interested in. Pack the schedule even more. Heck, we could patrol near some of the tourist spots,¡± she said and met BLF¡¯s gaze, ¡°Maybe go in pairs?¡± Kaguma restrained a frown as Sonya turned to meet his gaze. She¡¯s saying she can pack their schedule to the point that we lose access to Crusader for the Emperor¡¯s grandson. He¡¯s already putting pressure on the Prime Minister to ensure the meeting, doting old man. She¡¯s willing to play that card without a second thought. She still has another card to play, though. ¡°What is the-¡± Megumi began before Kaguma cleared his throat. ¡°I think we all agree that having ASTA¡¯s presence here in our nation can only benefit the nation as a whole and provide healthy competition,¡± Kaguma said with a nod, ¡°We¡¯re here to discuss how that will look, not whether or not it is happening. We don¡¯t want to waste the heroes time with endless negotiations. They should enjoy themselves during this break as much as possible.¡± Sonya brandished a winning smile at him, ¡°I appreciate you saying that, Mister Kaguma.¡± Kaguma felt Megumi tense next to him but ignored it. Taiko hopped back in, ¡°Then it goes without saying that ASTA will focus its agency services on connecting Japanese heroes to American companies, Suhei Media has already established its own agency department and has a strong connection with companies here. It would be better to let us handle such things.¡± ¡°And what about the heroes who sign with ASTA to represent them?¡± Sonya asked, ¡°Won¡¯t that make it difficult to get endorsed by Japanese companies?¡± Taiko huffed, ¡°Do you expect that many Japanese heroes to sign with ASTA over a native company?¡± ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Sonya said with a chuckle, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about them, though.¡± Taiko frowned at her and glanced at the four young heroes who were giving him pointed looks. Kaguma wanted to grab the man by the back of the head and slam him into the table but held his temper. Sonya glanced his way and smiled at him a little, mischief twinkling in her eyes. It was like she was feeding on the man¡¯s arrogance. I can understand Taiko¡¯s concern. ASTA is well established and reliable. Some Japanese companies will happily work with her and many heroes will accept her contract over his own, especially given how draconian some of those representation contracts are. Black Companies¡­ good grief. ¡°Mister Megumi,¡± Sonya said abruptly, shifting her attention away from Taiko, ¡°I might be willing to share some of our experts in the field of optimizing post-pandora material processing. I think it would be beneficial to the people of Japan to ensure as many groups are handling the materials properly as possible. What can you and the companies you represent give to make that equitable?¡± One of the other post-pandora manufacturer representatives who hadn¡¯t spoken up put his hand on the table, ¡°Miss Chernovna, I feel that you aren¡¯t taking this conversation seriously. There is an expectation here that you make concessions if you want to do business in our territory.¡± Kaguma had to close his eyes at that point, Don¡¯t say the quiet part out loud you idiot! We already agreed that it¡¯s happening. This is about give and take and staying on an even playing field, not extorting the woman! Sonya turned her head in the man¡¯s direction, ¡°You might be surprised to hear that I already am making concessions, sir,¡± she said cooly. He slammed his fist on the table, ¡°You bring children to a serious conversation and expect me to believe you are taking it seriously?¡± he demanded, ¡°Sitting here spouting nonsense about what we are willing to give when this is our land? You call yourself a businesswoman?¡± Kaguma frowned, ¡°Mister Kirihara.¡± ¡°This woman thinks that she can just come here and take over, no one is that powerful. She needs to surrender benefits to our companies and to the Japanese Government if this conversation is to continue!¡± Kaguma exhaled, ¡°Mister Kirihara.¡± The man turned to Sapporo who had been quietly observing this conversation, ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be sitting there and allowing this nonsense! I know you respect this woman but you are the shield of our nation. You should be standing for what benefits us!¡± Sapporo scowled, ¡°I am a shield, not a sword, Mister Kirihara,¡± the big man growled, ¡°I serve the people of this world, not just one nation. I will protect my home with all I have but you will show some respect to this person!¡± Mister Kirihara was nearly red in the face, he jabbed a finger at the table in Sapporo¡¯s direction, ¡°Your role is to empower this nation, a role you have consistently snubbed in favor of outsiders! Do you have any idea-¡± ¡°MISTER KIRIHARA!¡± A wave of pressure washed through the room, a heaviness that itched at the back of the mind. It slammed into Kaguma¡¯s chest for a brief moment before vanishing. He looked up at Sapporo who¡¯s expression had gone dark. Kaguma caught his breath as everyone else in the room fell still. Sapporo stared Kirihara down and the ranting man wilted, his skin going pale and clammy as that pressure seemed to mount. Something in the room cracked. Takehara, who had been quiet throughout the conversation cleared his throat, ¡°Sapporo,¡± he said flatly, ¡°That¡¯s enough, you¡¯ve made your point.¡± Kirihara let out a sudden gasp, catching himself and spun towards Kaguma, his expression wild with indignity. He then looked back up at Sapporo who was glowering at him and the young heroes who¡¯s expressions had gone hostile. Sonya didn¡¯t move an inch, sitting quietly at the table and waiting for the man to sit down. Kirihara sat slowly, shaking, and lowered his head towards the table. Kaguma let out a sigh and looked up at Sonya, meeting her gaze. ¡°I suppose the dungeons are off the table now?¡± ¡°You knew?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°I looked into the owner of those plots of land, I had to go through a few shells to find you, but yes, I was aware,¡± Kaguma said with resignation. Sonya gave him a sad smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid they are for the moment, Mister Kaguma. I think we might be able to revisit them during the next round. We¡¯re all tired, aren¡¯t we? Why don¡¯t we stop here with the agreement that ASTA will be entering Japan and local and foreign heroes will be allowed to choose their own representation. I will of course be happy to provide my experts as well to your material processing companies.¡± Kaguma shot Megumi and Taiko a hard look and they both nodded reluctantly before scowling at Kirihara who flinched under their gaze. ¡°I think a break would be best, Miss Chernovna. Thank you.¡± Chapter 188 Lillian sat on the couch in the hotel room that had been arranged for them. It was less a hotel room and more a large apartment. There were several rooms branching out from the common area and a mezzanine level with more rooms attached. It was a little unsettling that a place like this even existed, in her mind. She knew how much it cost just to get a simple hotel room. A place this lavish must cost many times that amount. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. She let out a sigh and stared down at her fists as a small avian head poked into her field of view, nipping once at her knuckle. She glanced at Alphonse and smiled, reaching up to stroke his head. ¡°Hey buddy, I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Up late?¡± She turned to see Marta walking into the room in her anime-themed pajamas. She had her brown hair up in a bun and was holding a mug in her hand. Lillian rubbed her neck, ¡°Yeah, Snow crashed a bit ago,¡± she said gesturing to the room she¡¯d come out of, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Thinking about the dinner meeting?¡± Marta asked, sitting down on the side opposite of where Al was perched. Lillian leaned back in the couch and sighed, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve never seen that side of things. I just kinda figured that the people making things happen for us heroes were thinking about the good we could do first.¡± ¡°A little naive,¡± Marta said gently. ¡°I know, I just kinda hoped, I guess,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Disillusioned?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lillian said, ¡°More surprised, I could see Sapporo and Bandit staying out of it. It took me a moment to pick up on what Sonya was angling for. That really isn¡¯t my speciality,¡± she said with a sour laugh, ¡°She explained it to me but I really don¡¯t get why I need to know how to talk to people like that.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯ll happen one way or another. You¡¯re going to meet people with power who use their words as weapons. Seeing through the bullshit is part of the job,¡± Marta said, ¡°Sonya¡­ went a little hard today.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lillian asked. Marta laughed, ¡°Yeah, honestly she was planning on playing nice with them until that comment about you guys. She¡¯s protective of you. Just think of it as her losing her temper a little.¡± ¡°Seemed pretty calm to me,¡± Lillian said. ¡°Then imagine her angry,¡± Marta poked, squeezing Lillian¡¯s shoulder, ¡°She¡¯s got your back, she wants you to succeed more than anyone. She¡¯s a businesswoman though and making money is part of it. A lot of that goes right back into making sure you guys have the support she thinks you deserve.¡± Lillian smiled despite herself, ¡°It was just a little scary, I guess.¡± ¡°Scarier than a dungeon?¡± Marta asked. ¡°A little, if I¡¯m being honest. I know dungeons, I know monsters, I can handle them. I¡¯m strong,¡± she said and clenched her fist in front of her face, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can play those kinds of games. I just don¡¯t think like her.¡± ¡°I think you handled yourself well. It may not be your thing but you adapted quickly enough,¡± Marta said with a shrug, ¡°Just know enough to see through the mess and let people like Sonya handle the more difficult ones. Snow is a very clever girl, lean on her.¡± Lillian relaxed and looked up at Marta. She hadn¡¯t had much of a chance to talk to the woman during her training. Her role had predominantly been to watch over Sonya and not engage too much with the aspirants. Even so, Lillian could tell that she¡¯d been keeping an eye on her and the others as well. Anyone who was that close to Sonya was good people as far as she was concerned. She smiled, ¡°Thanks.¡± One of the doors opened to the common area and Sonya stepped out on her phone, ¡°...it¡¯s fine I said! I appreciate what you did, dear, thank you. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me,¡± she laughed, ¡°Oh that would be very nice. I¡¯ll let them know when they get up.¡± Lillian raised an eyebrow and shot Marta a look. Some things never change I guess, she thought wryly. She shifted a bit in her seat, I wonder who she¡¯s talking to. Sonya snorted out a laugh, ¡°You might make a girl think you¡¯re flirting, sir, be careful!¡± Sonya walked over to the couch and stopped next to it, winking at Alphonse who hopped to the side enough for her to sit down. Lillian chuckled and held out her hands for Alphonse to hop up onto her shoulder. She reached up and stroked the back of the bird''s neck as Sonya wrapped up. ¡°Thank you, Sapporo, we¡¯ll talk more later,¡± she said and hung up. Lillian watched a complex series of emotions war on her mentor¡¯s face. Sonya seemed energetic at times and weary at others. It was troubling but she really didn¡¯t know how to bring it up, ¡°You handled yourself well today. I know it¡¯s not your thing, but you really helped me and I appreciate it,¡± Sonya said quietly, still staring at her phone. Lillian flushed and cleared her throat, ¡°Thanks. That was Sapporo?¡± ¡°It was,¡± Sonya said with a nod, ¡°He wants to take the four of you on a tour of some historic sites himself. He thinks he owes us for the excitement at dinner.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Lillian blurted. Her first impression was that he was something of a hardliner given his grouchy exterior. Now he was volunteering to take a bunch of young people on a personal tour of his homeland. Her lips thinned as she tried to imagine how it would play out. ¡°Since when were you on such casual terms with him?¡± Marta asked, drawing Lillian out of her thoughts. ¡°Oh he¡¯s not so bad,¡± Sonya said, waving her hand dismissively, ¡°He¡¯s more relaxed talking one on one, Bandit told me to be myself with him so I was.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit of a gamble?¡± Lillian asked with a laugh, ¡°You never know what kind of reaction you¡¯re going to get from being you.¡± ¡°Hey now!¡± Sonya protested as Marta joined in on the chuckles, ¡°Rude!¡± Lillian caught Sonya smiling despite the playful jab and grinned back. She rubbed her neck and looked away from Sonya to take in the room again. It was strange, like meeting your high-school teacher in a supermarket and realizing that they had a life outside the classroom. Sonya had been a mentor and a pillar of support for Lillian since she¡¯d arrived at the camp. Now she was a friend more than she was her sponsor. She let out a sigh and flopped back onto the couch, ¡°This place is huge, how much did it all cost?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Hm?¡± Sonya glanced around, ¡°Not sure, the Japanese Government set it up. They¡¯re trying to make a good impression on you in particular.¡± Lillian frowned and crossed her arms. She remembered the conversation with Bandit in the car but he hadn¡¯t provided a lot in the way of information. Frankly she¡¯d put it out of her mind just to avoid the anxiety that came from it. ¡°Bandit said something about the Emperor? Like, the Emperor of Japan? That¡¯s a little¡­¡± she trailed off and shifted again in her seat, a little chill going up her spine, ¡°How do I even react to that? What do I do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s his grandson,¡± Sonya said. Lillian gaped at her, ¡°What?¡± Sonya crossed her legs and examined her nails. Lillian got the impression she was trying to make it look like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It pretty much had the opposite effect by making the situation seem even more absurd. ¡°The Emperor adores the boy from what I understand and the young man is extremely interested in the hero movement. He¡¯s been following it ever since the flash. When we put out the commercial he saw you and was rather taken,¡± she tapped her nails on the arm of the couch, ¡°Though what really got his attention was some leaked footage of you fighting during the dungeon exam.¡± ¡°Leaked?¡± ¡°Yes, just some footage of your second time around with the mini-boss,¡± Sonya said, ¡°A beautiful golden-flame wielding knight fighting a dragon is quite the visual.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was circulating,¡± Lillian said with a frown, her heart sinking a little, ¡°Even the second time that wasn¡¯t an easy fight.¡± ¡°The Pandora Committee is looking into the source of the leak, it only surfaced for a little while before it was taken down pretty much everywhere,¡± Marta said next to her and gave her shoulder a consoling pat. Lillian leaned forward and held her head in her hands, ¡°I don¡¯t want people to think I¡¯m scary.¡± She felt Sonya and Marta turn towards one another. Sonya snorted and Marta stifled a chuckle. Lillian whipped towards Sonya, anger bubbling up with the stress, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± she demanded, ¡°This is serious. You know the kind of image I wanted to create. We talked about it.¡± Sonya was shaking with laughter, ¡°Lillian, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that.¡± Lillian scowled, ¡°Seriously! What are you laughing about?¡± How can she just dismiss it like that? Sometimes it feels like she wants to give the world and other times it¡¯s like she just doesn¡¯t care how she comes across. Marta pulled her phone out from her pocket and flipped through for a moment before pulling up a video. She turned her phone and held it out for Lillian to see. ¡°You really should look yourself up when you have a chance, Lillian,¡± Marta said and hit play. The video showed the fight taking up much of the screen while a young man sat there in the corner. His mouth was hanging open as Lillian flipped over the dragon¡¯s back and cut twice along its spine. It was a recording of a live stream. ¡°OOH! Look at that flip! Holy shit! Holy shit!¡± The boy shouted, ¡°Guys are you seeing this? Crusader is such a badass!¡± The comments whirred by. Lillian stared in disbelief as it kept coming. She searched the screen for the view count. Her eyes went wide, ¡°Three million views?¡± She breathed, the breath practically knocked out of her. Her head was spinning from the implications. That many people had already seen how she fought and that wasn¡¯t including who they shared the video with. ¡°It came out a few days after your graduation. Shame it had to be taken down,¡± Sonya said as Marta pulled her phone away, ¡°That was illegally acquired footage. The Pandora Committee was kind enough not to fine the kid, at least. Uninvited publicity really is the best when it¡¯s positive,¡± she chuckled. Lillian ran her fingers through her hair as Marta squeezed her shoulder, ¡°They aren¡¯t afraid of you. They¡¯re rooting for you. Heck, they¡¯re already talking about you in the same breaths as your hero.¡± Lillian felt a heat behind her eyes as she let out a shaky breath, a warm tightness in her chest. She couldn¡¯t identify the emotion and she really didn¡¯t want to, it felt amazing and terrible at the same time; ¡°Wow. I had no idea.¡± ¡°Just be yourself when you meet the kid,¡± Sonya advised, ¡°Be genuine. It¡¯ll mean a lot to him. You¡¯re his hero now. You got a couple days to let it sink in and relax, come into it fresh.¡± The young hero turned to the two of them, ¡°Thanks, both of you. That was so¡­ validating,¡± she got to her feet, ¡°I need some sleep. I¡¯ll see you both in the morning?¡± ¡°So long as Marta doesn¡¯t drag me off to maid cafes first thing,¡± Sonya quipped. ¡°I think you¡¯re more interested in that than I am,¡± Marta shot back. Lillian grinned and gestured for Alphonse to hop onto her shoulder, she waved at the two bickering friends and hustled away a little bit lighter on her feet. ¡°Good night!¡± ¨C Sonya watched her go and relaxed onto the couch. Marta did the same, crossing her legs as she put her phone away. ¡°The video was you, right?¡± Marta asked. Sonya glanced her way and gave her a wicked grin before shrugging. Marta rolled her eyes, ¡°You are a terrible villain sometimes, playing up the heroes like that,¡± she teased before crossing her arms and looking back into the heavily decorated common room. ¡°How are things really going?¡± ¡°About as well as can be expected,¡± Sonya admitted, ¡°I¡¯m trying to be as above board as possible with the majority of this. Legitimate connections are preferable for now until I can get a better feel for who I should invite into the club.¡± ¡°They¡¯re still going to pull some concessions out of you, then?¡± Marta asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Sonya said, ¡°That¡¯s the point, though. The point has been made about the power dynamic and they¡¯ll reorient their attitude towards us. They won¡¯t be happy,¡± she smirked, ¡°Neither will I with the concessions I¡¯ll have to make to allow them to save face, but that¡¯s business for you I guess. They¡¯ll get some of what they want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to let them get away with that?¡± Marta asked. ¡°No reason not to,¡± Sonya pointed out, ¡°I can get some of it back in one way or another once I bring some of their leadership into the club.¡± Ishtar can¡¯t make an appearance here, even if few know you¡¯ve come to visit. Some of them will also target you for what happened today, Ishtar pointed out. Sonya glanced at Marta, ¡°There will be blowback from at least that Kirihara guy. His pride was wounded today and once his bosses learn about what was at stake, I¡¯ll be surprised if he has a job tomorrow morning,¡± she said. The property she¡¯d acquired in Vegas from one of Otis¡¯ supporters during the previous timeline included locations all over the world. Many of them were hot spots with a high probability of generating dungeons. Dungeons had a great deal of value in resources if they were maintained properly. The land in question was scattered about Japan. As she and by extension ASTA was the owner of the land it would make things complicated if Japan wanted to acquire the land to set up bases around any portals that formed. She was intending to set up at least a small ASTA guild in the island nation. It was possible to hold it for herself and have her own people farm the dungeons but that would be a political mess that she¡¯d rather just avoid. There were a few dungeons she wanted to keep for herself over suspicions of what tier could manifest there but otherwise the rest were best used to bargain with the Japanese Government. Even so, she wasn¡¯t going to let them go cheaply and it seemed Mister Kaguma was aware of that. He really did his research. She thought with a smile. I¡¯ll bump the price up just a little more to smooth some tempers but only after they all panic over the revelation. She snickered to herself before going serious, ¡°We¡¯ll be going with Lillian and the others for the next few days to explore the city and visit a few places. I want you to keep an eye on things. The Pandora Committee has already agreed that you can react if necessary.¡± ¡°They¡¯re easing restrictions on mythics, then,¡± Marta said. ¡°Yeah, I imagine the Vegas act will get an amendment very soon. They¡¯re still talking over the specifics but progress is being made,¡± Sonya said and got to her feet, stretching her arms. ¡°I think it''s bedtime, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay out a bit longer,¡± Marta said, ¡°Want to revel in finally being here.¡± Sonya turned to her friend and smiled, ¡°You¡¯ve earned it.¡± AMA 2 Sonya: Hey, hey, hey! What¡¯s up Heroes and Villains? Brokers? Shit¡­ does-does the fandom have a name? Lillian: Uh¡­ Sonya? We¡¯re rolling. Sonya: I know that, I¡¯m just trying to figure out what to call them! Lillian: ¡­readers? Sonya: PSHAW! Nooo, that¡¯s dumb. Lillian: [sighs] Hey guys! Lillian here with Sonya and we¡¯re back with another AMA! This one is technically the Book 2 AMA but the author got a little side-tracked with things and so here we are. Don¡¯t worry, Sonya hasn¡¯t let him hear the end of it. Sonya: No, no I have not. [proudly] Lillian: Anyway! Let¡¯s take a look at our first questions! Sonya: I got this, let¡¯s see¡­ oh hey! It¡¯s the same person from last time! Hi wcman! Great to have you back again! Ahem! Oh it¡¯s for Marta. [leans back in her seat] Marta! What¡¯s your favorite anime and manga? Marta: [walks in] Hmm? Oh, that¡¯s easy. My first anime was xxxHolic, so it remains quite dear to me. Though my all-time favorite is Overlord. I¡¯m partial to the Pleiades. My favorite manga is a toss up between Vagabond and Black Butler, depending on my mood. Will that be all, miss? Sonya: [nods] Thank you Marta~ Marta: [bows] Happy to oblige. Lillian: Next up! We have LilwaydE18 from Scribblehub, they have a couple of questions actually. All of them for¡­ you, technically. First one is: ¡°Ishtar, Why don¡¯t you have a moon base yet?¡± Sonya: [tilts her head as if listening, nods] She deflected that one to me, uh¡­ cost. I¡¯m rich, I¡¯m not that rich, [laughs] Lillian: They also ask, ¡°Is a portable shield generator an optimal way to keep a dungeon break contained?¡± Sonya: [sits forward] In the previous timeline they were used about ten years in to contain smaller dungeon breaks once we got the tech working. By portable though I mean a bunch of pylons painstakingly set up around a perimeter. They can be taken down and moved later but¡­ yeah that¡¯s the extent of it. Lillian: Last one, ¡°Ishtar, is it possible to open a portal outside of earth? Can you open one to space? Can you open one to the sun for otis?¡± Sonya: [laughs] I¡¯ll let her answer this one, [slumps slightly] Ishtar: [sits up and frowns] Yes, Yes to a limited degree, though it requires very specific coordinates, Not with the amount of power currently able to bring to bear. It has crossed my mind though. [slumps again] Sonya: [rubs her neck] At least she used complete sentences this time! I was expecting ¡°Yes, Yes, No.¡± Lillian: [laughs] She would answer like that! Okay, next is from unimportantOpinion on Scribblehub! They ask, ¡°Martin: if and when you take down Ishtar, do you have any plans for filling the power vacuum left behind? Because it will be filled one way or another. Likely by a villain who cares more about profits than theatrics. Or maybe you intend on filling the seat yourself with a puppet, but that puppet will be overthrown or replaced unless they placate the other villains enough. Maybe you''ll take the throne yourself?¡± Sonya: [imitates Martin¡¯s grizzled voice] ¡°Grumble grumble something about justice and keeping the fight going grumble grumble.¡± Lillian: Sonya! [sighs] Martin? Martin: ¡­ [glares at Sonya, turns to camera] I¡¯ll keep doing my job. Sonya: [laughs] Knew it! Martin: [shoots the finger and marches out] Sonya: [snickers] We¡¯re actually best friends off set, promise. Martin: Die in a fire! Sonya: Love you too buddy! Anyway! Next we have redun on scribblehub who asks: ¡°Otis: Besides Gilgamesh are there any other mythical heroes that deserve comparison to you?¡± [turns] Hey Mallory! You¡¯re on! Otis: Finally, a worthy question. That¡¯s quite easy. All of them are relatable to me in some way, it goes without saying. But to answer your question more appropriately in the context of storytelling, while I attribute myself with Gilgamesh and Odysseus, the author associates me with the classical variation of Hercules. Sonya: I thought he was going to say Oedipus. Lillian: [laughing] Sonya! That¡¯s so mean! Otis: [Walks out and rolls his eyes] Sonya: [chuckling] Anyway, redun also asks the entire crew what our favorite pokemon are. Well, there¡¯s a whole lot of us but I can give you a couple!
Sonya Steelix
Ishtar Mewtwo
Marta Gothitelle
Amos Whatever¡¯s topping the current Meta
Beyol Koffing
Kerauna Sneasel
Colin Darkrai
Chunhua Hatterene
Lillian Tyrogue
Snow Ralts
Ollie Haunter
Jessica Eiscue
OtisTaken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Arceus
Lillian: Wow! That¡¯s more of a list than I was expecting! How did you¡­? I don¡¯t wanna know, nevermind. Jacky DeathBerg from Royal Road asks: ¡°Lillian, Ahem, so, what do you think about the fact that Sonya is Ishtar?¡± Sonya: [snorts] Lillian: [looks at Sonya] W-well if I knew in the story that would be pretty upsetting to say the least. Terrifying too. Since that means Ishtar is bunking up with the head of the Pandora Committee. Though I guess if I knew the reasons why, maybe I¡¯d understand. That¡¯s a hard one to answer. Sonya: Bunking¡­ up? Lillian: Shush! Lupenthewolf from Scribblehub asks: ¡°Lillian: Do you have the confidence to do what you think is right, even if the world turns against you? To carry the crusade and protect the world, even if the people will hate you for it?¡± [frowns and lets out a sigh] Well. I want to try and do my best. That¡¯s all I can really say. I mean. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s someone else out there who¡¯s doing all they can for the world even if the world hates them for it. So I think it¡¯s worth doing if it means doing the right thing. Sonya: [clears throat and grabs the next one] GoldStar184 from Royal Road has a question for Pandora and Ishtar. [squints and grins wickedly] ¡°Pandora and Ishtar: What is the nature of your relationship?¡± I got this: Tags on a Romantasy Novel. [cackles and abruptly slouches] Ishtar: [sits up] There is nothing going on! Pandora: [appears] Don¡¯t be shy, we can make it work. Ishtar: I¡¯m not shy, I¡¯m asexual. Pandora: And I¡¯m a ghost. I¡¯m not in it for the physical- Ishtar: [Coughs] We¡¯ll talk about this later¡­ [slouches] Lillian: Woah¡­ Sonya: [sits up and laughs] Oh man she¡¯s gonna get it later for that, I bet. Anyway! Oinkymoo from Scribblehub asks: ¡°Derelictpresence: What other (superhero and non-superhero) media inspired Broker? All you, lazy bastard. DerelictPresence: [squints at Sonya] Ahem! You might be surprised but I¡¯ve never actually watched ¡®The Boys¡¯ so not that, before anyone asks. That said, I¡¯ve covered most of it in the last AMA though I do have some additional inspirations. A lot of Sonya¡¯s humor is inspired from banter in Youtube Abridged Series such as Hellsing Abridged and SAO Abridged. Tony Stark is an obvious nod for Sonya but actually I lean more towards Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne for Sonya¡¯s character although I draw more on a Marvel vibe for the universe as a whole. Sonya: Thanks y¡¯old fart, now get lost, you got stuff to do. Aren¡¯t you starting like a whole other series or something? DerelictPresence: It¡¯s a work in progress. Book 4 is my focus right now. By the way! Book 4 is called Crime Wave! And it¡¯s launching on Patreon on February 17th! Sonya: [rubs her hands together] Gonna be fun! Now shoo! DerelictPresence: I¡¯m going I¡¯m going! Sonya: Alright, next one is also from oinkymoo, ¡°Anyone: Ok but what¡¯s Marc¡¯s Middle Name?¡± It¡¯s Marshall. Marcus Marshall Mallory. Yeah, his parents totally hated him. [laughs] Otis: I hate you. Sonya: Die in a fire. [smiles] Lillian: Save it for the books, guys. Ahem! Last one from oinkymoo! ¡°Pandora, favorite Ishtar: The Ancient High Arbiter or the Supervillain?¡± Sonya: Oh I wanna hear this! Pandora: [sighs] That¡¯s not very nice, the Golden Queen was like a mother to me¡­ oh¡­ well i do have quite the soft spot for the current Ishtar¡­ Sonya: Woo woo woo! [laughs] Lillian: Over a literal goddess? Wow. Pandora: [sticks out tongue and leaves] Lillian: [grabs the next before Sonya can] This one¡¯s from Gemiae on RoyalRoad, they ask: ¡°What¡¯re the camp gang¡¯s favorite genres of music, if we can get Sonya and the Inner Circle too, that¡¯d be nice.¡± Sure, we can give you a list!
Lillian Hard Rock
Alex Rap
Snow Heavy Metal
Val Rap
Ollie LoFi
Greg High BPM
Jessica Country
Sonya Pop
Chunhua Classic Rock
Marta Anime OSTs
Lillian: There it is! Sonya: Huh! That came out different from how I was expecting. Lillian: Everyone has their own tastes! Anyway, Gemiae also asked about Ollie¡¯s ability and how it works. I¡¯ve been informed that for that one we¡¯ll have to do another kind of production like this so he can properly explain it! Sorry! Sonya: Next up is Tunefullcobra from Scribblehub! They ask: ¡°Lillian, how much firestorm paraphernalia do you have? What do you like the most about Snow?¡± [grins at Lillian] Lillian: Uh¡­ to the first one? Not enough. Still trying to get my hands on a copy of his first poster. Though his sister did give me something pretty nice, one of his baseballs. [smiles big before scratching her nose] As for um¡­ Snow. [coughs] One of the things I really like is the gap between her cute looks and snarky personality. It kinda does it for me. Sonya: [busts out laughing] You would be a sucker for gap moe. Lillian: [blushes] Sh-shut up! Tunefullcobra also asks: ¡°Ishtar: If given the choice would you prefer to stay in Sonya¡¯s body if there were no downsides for either of you, or would you prefer your own body? If you want your own body, how long does Sonya have to prepare before she¡¯s smothered in sisterly affection?¡± Sonya: [holds back laughter before sagging] Ishtar: I think I would be more efficient if I remained as Sonya¡¯s headmate, all being said. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind a body. I don¡¯t get a lot of time to read. As for ¡®sisterly affection¡¯, it would have to wait until the novelty of Sonya shouting absurdities wore off. [slumps] Sonya: She¡¯s just salty because I called her onee- [stumbles and frowns] Oh hush! It was hilarious and you know it! [shrugs] Last one from Tunefullcobra: ¡°If Ishtar has a separate soul from Sonya, does that mean she¡¯ll develop her own ability?¡± That¡¯s¡­ actually a really good question. It¡¯s entirely possible that she could develop her own ability unless something happens that would make it impossible for her to do so. Lillian? Lillian: [clears throat] Okay! Rekan from RoyalRoad asks; ¡°Ollie: What do you think of your two associates?¡¯ Ollie: ¡­both of them have some serious issues to work out. Jessica is a tiresome person but I can put up with her for the most part. Otis is unlikeable in so many ways it¡¯s almost impressive. Sonya: [nods sagely] Lillian: That was blunt! Uh, Rekan also asks: ¡°Otis: what the heck do you do in your free time?¡± Otis: I play MOBAs and older generation handheld games. I also enjoy studying architecture, I was working on it as a secondary degree before being assigned to the dig team that discovered Pandora¡¯s box. I also follow a number of archaeology blogs and news feeds that I keep up on. Sonya/Lillian: [stare] Otis: What? Sonya: N-nothing, I just wasn¡¯t expecting a normal, reasonable answer from you. Otis: I have hobbies! Sonya: Uhuh. Yeah. Okay! Last one! This is from Arcamiel on RoyalRoad! They ask: ¡°Sonya: as of this moment, what are all the powers we¡¯ve seen so far merged with Deus Ex Machina?¡± [nods] That¡¯s a good question to wrap up on. Here¡¯s the list! Deus ex Machina:
  • Visage of Titania
  • Nectar and Ambrosia
  • Augmented Reality Projection
  • Adomopathy
  • Heavenly Legion
  • Digitize Space
  • Gravitic Flight
  • Hard Light
  • Imperious
  • Heavenly Jade Heart
  • Non-Euclidean
  • The Astral Eye
  • Steelbody
  • Enhanced Speed and Reflexes
  • Enhanced Strength
  • Enhanced Sensory Processing
  • Genius Level Intellect
  • Enhanced Physical Reinforcement
  • Enhanced Senses
  • High Precision Movement
  • Technopathy
Sonya: Welp! That¡¯s all the questions we got for the AMA! Lillian: More than I was expecting honestly, phew! Sonya: Yeah, well you made it through, good job partner! Lillian: [grins] Thank you guys so much for submitting your questions, I hope this helped clear up a few things and entertained you all! There will be another AMA at the end of book 3! Bye! Sonya: See you later dears! Chapter 189 Tokyo was an urban jungle, a sprawling cityscape of buildings of every conceivable size and shape. A world unto itself. There, amidst the concrete and scattered parks, mana was thick in the air. Most went through their days without even noticing, their only hint being the frequent monster sirens warning people away from one area or another. It came as little surprise that it was home to not just one, but three guilds. Even so, between monsters, villains, and the occasional dungeon, they were stretched thin. Crusader raced through the narrow alley, Alphonse flying ahead of her and a silver sphere floating to the right of her head. It kept pace, reacting quickly as she hopped a dumpster and threw herself forward into a flip. She pushed off and launched into the air, alighting on the roof of the building ahead of her. Just up ahead a woman in heels slid across the roof as if she were surfing. The ground beneath her feet sparkling like glitter before reverting to normal. She glanced back at Crusader and sneered before tilting forward to accelerate. Tch ¡°I''ve got visual!¡± Crusader said as she burst into motion. ¡°Snow!¡± A burst of static filled the air an instant before a bright yellow billboard appeared right in front of the woman. She let out a shriek of confusion, turning hard and falling into a roll. She crashed into the low concrete wall wrapping around the roof with a grunt of pain. Crusader lunged and the woman rolled onto her back, kicking off the wall. Tell-tale glitter spread out where her back touched the surface as she slid across the ground without resistance, hurtling straight into Crusader¡¯s hands. A quick scuffle later and the woman was pinned. Crusader tapped her earpiece as the woman struggled beneath her. ¡°Target secure.¡± ¡°Hounds dealt with,¡± BLF replied. ¡°Victims are safe but need medical attention, there''s six,¡± Harbinger chimed in. ¡°Dispatching police and ambulances. Checking the target''s face against the registry. She''s unregistered. Crusader, does she have ID?¡± Snow asked. Crusader patted the woman down with her free hand and grabbed a wallet from her pocket. She flicked it open and held the ID up to the sphere. The woman tried to slip her hands out from Crusader¡¯s grip again only to go very still when golden flames erupted from the ground around her in warning. The woman shifted her head and looked up into Crusader¡¯s stern eyes and flinched. ¡°Naguya Rika, 32, office worker,¡± Snow said, ¡°Got it. Cuff her. I''ll play her rights.¡± Crusader reached back and pulled a set of power suppression cuffs from her belt as a recording of the Japanese analog of the Miranda rights played. Crusader pulled the woman to her feet and Alphonse darted down to land on her shoulder. ¡°Good tracking Al,¡± she said brightly as a dark shape landed on the roof nearby. She turned to Bandit and smiled. Bandit ran his fingers up through his messy dark hair and smirked tiredly, the bags under his eyes emphasized by the sunlight. ¡°Not bad, newbie,¡± he said as sirens approached. He turned his attention to the woman and tapped a metal pendant on his neck and frowned, ¡°Miss Naguya, the traffic collision you caused has hurt a lot of people. Cameras show you intentionally performing the act with your abilities. You''ll be charged with villainy. No one has died yet, and as long as it stays that way you can expect a villainous mayhem charge. Still a felony, though. Three to five years, minimum.¡± A moment later the pendant started speaking in Japanese, translating for him. The woman slumped in Crusader¡¯s grip and said something. Bandit shook his head, ¡°That''s no excuse. You got innocent people swept up in a domestic dispute.¡± ¡°One of the victims just had a heart attack,¡± Harbinger said through Crusader¡¯s earpiece. ¡°Medics tried to resuscitate, but he didn''t make it.¡± Crusader¡¯s heart sank as she tapped her ear, ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Naguya Shou.¡± Crusader and Bandit exchanged a look before looking down at the woman who paled a little more under Bandit''s chilly gaze. The sirens drawing close stopped and a pair of police officers soon burst out the door leading down into the building below. Bandit tapped his necklace again, ¡°Villainous mayhem and manslaughter, then,¡± he said before nodding to the cops who approached. Crusader handed the woman over and they departed in silence. The two heroes watched them leave, a heaviness setting in Crusader¡¯s chest. She let out a sigh as a strong hand clapped her shoulder. ¡°You guys did good. Good call on how you split up.¡± ¡°BLF can handle most monsters around his tier solo. Harbinger isn''t as fast as I am but can apply direct strength better. Snow is our point person,¡± Crusader said and shook her head, ¡°Should have gone more aggressively with the pursuit. She could have hurt someone else with that power.¡± She thought over the route the woman had taken. It had been winding and chaotic with numerous opportunities to run into a bystander. I got lucky, she thought bitterly. ¡°Maybe, what else?¡± Bandit asked. ¡°Harbinger could have pursued even if it resulted in a longer chase, but I would have been able to use my ability to save that man,¡± Crusader said, crossing her arms before shaking her head, ¡°No, it was a heart attack, not an injury. It may have happened regardless. We made the best call possible.¡± She felt Bandit''s eyes on her for several moments before turning to face him. He had a broad smile of approval on his face, ¡°Exactly. You guys can''t blame yourselves for that. You did good work and saved a lot of lives too,¡± he scratched his head and clicked his tongue, ¡°That slipping ability might be around common or uncommon tier, but it had a lot of potential for harm. Hopefully she can be rehabilitated by the time she gets out of prison.¡± ¡°You know the tier?¡± Crusader asked, surprised. ¡°You see the full gamut of tiers on patrol. After a while it becomes pretty easy to pick them out.¡± Crusader nodded thoughtfully before reflecting on what she saw. The slipping function seemed like it could be broadcasted based on how the vehicles had been affected, but nobody on the opposite side of the road from the villain had fallen. Limited range but varied applications when used on the self. Having a firm enough grip can prevent it from working. Single concept being applied. ¡°I''m going to guess it''s uncommon. It''s too versatile for common,¡± Crusader said. ¡°Guess we''ll see when they test her with an RTE,¡± Bandit said before checking his watch and tapping his earpiece, ¡°Your patrol is over, team. Go, drop off your gear and enjoy the city.¡± ¨C Lillian stretched her arms over her head, letting the sun wash over her as they stepped out onto the city street. She¡¯d forgone her usual outfit for something a little less noticeable. A thick black turtleneck and cargo pants over heavy boots with a cap over her head to hide the red and green streaks in her hair. It wasn¡¯t a perfect disguise, but it did well enough to keep most people from picking her out of a crowd. She let her arms fall and looked around, watching the throngs of people walk by. She felt a jittery feeling work its way through her legs and frowned. More than twelve weeks ago she had started her journey as a hero. It didn¡¯t feel like a long time when she thought of it that way, but it certainly felt like it. She could hardly remember a moment when she wasn¡¯t actively doing something towards achieving her dream. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to do now,¡± she said. Snow stepped up next to her in a long thick coat, her hands shoved into her pockets. She glanced up at Lillian and raised an eyebrow. A bit of static in the air heralded her words, ¡°Got used to keeping busy?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillian said before turning back to the other two as they approached. Cass was in a dark one-piece sweater dress with a fluffy collar and heeled boots that showed off her figure. Alex had gone for a heavy jacket, t-shirt, and denim jeans. She watched their body language, but kept her thoughts to herself, ¡°Where are we meeting Sapporo?¡± she asked. ¡°He said to meet him at the National Museum later this afternoon,¡± Alex replied. Cass looked his way and pointed to her neck, ¡°Got a few scales there still.¡± Alex clicked his tongue and furrowed his brows as a trio of gray scales sank into his skin before vanishing. ¡°Still have a hard time getting them all. Downside to being able to selectively form them,¡± he said absently before reaching up to tug on the necklace around his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t like how this thing feels.¡± ¡°It looks good on you, though,¡± Cass pointed out, placing a hand on his arm, ¡°You should wear jewelry more often.¡± Lillian smirked at the pair of them and turned back to Snow, who shared her amused look. They were all now wearing the pendant that Bandit had been using to translate for him during the earlier arrest of the villain. Sonya had apparently prepared a whole kit for them to work in areas where not everyone spoke English. It¡¯s nice having a sponsor to take care of those kinds of things, she thought. ¡°What?¡± Alex demanded as Snow snickered. It wasn¡¯t lost on Lillian that Snow had to intentionally let Alex hear the sound. ¡°Nothing,¡± Lillian laughed, ¡°Where do you guys want to go first?¡± ¡°Snow mentioned Akihabara,¡± Cass said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we start there?¡± ¨C Akihabara was a sea of colors and screens, even in broad daylight the place was so bright it was almost blinding. The street was crowded, men and women in a variety of fashions and even costumes came and went from shops. The mixed scents of people and a wide variety of foods at small stalls and cafes filled Lillian¡¯s nostrils. Very few people paid them any mind, most focused on getting from one place to another. She watched an ad play on a screen larger than the side of her home back in Atlanta. ¡°This place is huge,¡± she murmured. Snow gripped her hand, ¡°Let¡¯s check that one out first,¡± her girlfriend said, pointing at one of the shops where a girl was handing out flyers in a skirt. Lillian glanced back at Alex and Cass who waved them off, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Cass said, ¡°We saw something we wanted to check out as well. Meet back here in an hour?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lillian said as she was dragged away by the excited Snow. They dipped inside the shop after waving at the girl out front and accepting a flyer that Lillian couldn¡¯t read. Snow poured over it, murmuring to herself as Lillian took in the space. It was beyond close quarters, crowded with shelves of books and toys from ceiling to floor. The walls were covered in posters from shows and games she both recognized and didn¡¯t. As they stepped further inside, and Snow began darting from shelf to shelf, Lillian turned in a circle to try to get her bearings. That proved to be a mistake as someone ran straight into her. For the person in question it must have been like colliding with a wall when Lillian didn¡¯t so much as shift on her feet. She glanced down at a boy in an orange baseball cap who had fallen onto the ground and was staring up at her in shock. Lillian tapped her pendant, ¡°Hey, sorry about that,¡± she said and reached down to help him up. ¡°Crusader,¡± the kid breathed before saying something else that took a moment to translate in her earpiece, ¡°From the stream.¡± Oh boy. She forced herself to just smile at him and nod towards her hand. He took it and she pulled him to his feet. He stared at her face with wide eyes, his mouth agape. ¡°Arata!¡± someone called out as a girl in what Lillian assumed was some kind of school uniform darted around a shelf past Snow who frowned at nearly being jostled. She slid to a stop when she saw Lillian holding the kids hand. Fear was the first thing that crossed her face as the kid, Arata, turned to her. ¡°Sister! It¡¯s a hero! Crusader from America!¡± the kid said excitedly as the girl hurried over to reach for her brother. The girl grabbed him and pulled him away before bowing her head to Lillian once as the boy protested, ¡°She was on the stream! Don¡¯t be rude!¡± Lillian rubbed her neck as she looked down at the pair. Do I look that scary? She tapped her pendant, ¡°Sorry, your brother slipped and fell,¡± she said, ¡°I was just helping him up.¡± The girl glanced at the pendant as the translation came out of it before looking up at Lillian¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re a hero?¡± she asked. ¡°I just got my license,¡± Lillian said with a shrug, ¡°Apparently my final exam got leaked online; that¡¯s how your brother saw it.¡± She knelt down a little and got at Arata¡¯s eye level. ¡°Mind keeping it to yourself that you saw me? I¡¯m just a tourist today,¡± she said with a wink before focusing her attention on his hat. Her eyes softened a little, ¡°You like Firestorm?¡± He broke into a wide grin in his sister¡¯s protective grip, ¡°Yeah!¡± he said, reaching up to tug his hat a bit more snugly on his head. ¡°Me too,¡± Lillian replied with a smile. ¡°We are The Firestorm!¡± the boy shouted, throwing his fists up and getting a scolding hiss from his sister. He scowled up at her before looking back at Lillian and abruptly shifting from enthusiasm to shyness. He reached up to tug his hat off and looked down at it before holding it out to her, ¡°Can you¡­?¡± he trailed off, his face turning a little red. Lillian stared at the hat and felt butterflies in her stomach. She rubbed her neck and glanced at Snow who just smirked at her and gave a shrug. She squinted at her girlfriend, You¡¯re no help, she thought petulantly before looking back at the hat. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The boy nodded emphatically and she looked up at the sister who just gave a resigned nod. Lillian took the hat in her hand and ran her thumb over the side thoughtfully before looking up at the kid. How would Sonya¡­ she smiled and gave the kid a conspiratorial grin, ¡°Wanna see something cool?¡± she asked. The boys eyes went wide and Lillian laughed before letting out a sharp breath and slowly running her thumb over one side of the hat. Gold flames danced where her thumb moved as she carefully manipulated her ability, her eyes focused on what she was doing. A pair of gasps pricked her ears before she finished. She blew gently on the hat where the word ¡®CRUSADER¡¯ had been burned in, leaving a faint golden glitter on the black letters. She turned the hat around to show the kid before handing it over. He took it and stared at it in awe. She watched the hands on his shoulders relax a little and she looked up to see a smile on his big sisters face, ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl said. ¡°No problem,¡± Lillian said before reaching forward to tap the boy on the nose, ¡°Hey, stick with your sister, okay? She¡¯s looking out for you.¡± The boy nodded hurriedly and she got to her feet as the sister steered her shocked sibling out of the store. Lillian rubbed her neck and watched them go, a hand slipping into hers. She looked down at Snow who smiled up at her, ¡°Good job, Hero,¡± Snow said. Lillian let out a satisfied breath, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about.¡± ¨C Akihabara was like a fever dream for Lillian. There was an energy there that she couldn¡¯t quite grasp. The feeling was exciting and unsettling at the same time. Perhaps it was because of her training, but with how acute her senses were and how in touch she was with the mana in the air, finding something that she could feel and not identify was even more strange than it would have been before she acquired her powers. Young and old, happy and serious, people from all walks of life came into those stores and shopped for the things they loved. They talked amongst themselves, even when just outside the doors everyone seemed to be minding their own business. It was like the doors were a portal into a world where they could be themselves if just for a little while. She was a little sad when she stepped back out onto the street, a few bags clutched in her fingers. Most of it was Snow¡¯s, of course. She was just being a good girlfriend and carrying it. A small hand wrapped around her arm and squeezed as the sound of static filled her ears, ¡°Oh my god, Lil, look,¡± Snow said and pointed across the street. There, Marta was walking down the steps out of one of the many cafes that lined the street. She had what had to be twenty or thirty bags clutched in her hands. People stopped to stare as she casually moved, unimpeded by the weight. Behind her, Sonya was half way inside the cafe doors, one leg up. Lillian raised a hand to her face and groaned. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Lillian asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± Snow laughed, ¡°I¡¯m more interested in Marta; look at all those bags.¡± Lillian watched Sonya step backwards out of the door with a laugh, writing something down on what looked like a receipt, before handing it back to someone inside. She blew a kiss and took a few jaunty steps back before nearly stumbling down the stairs, catching herself on the railing and blowing another kiss. Lillian shook her head, ¡°Oh boy, let''s go before she recognizes us.¡± As if called by her words, Sonya spun on her heel and held a hand over her eyes, squinting across the street at them. Don¡¯t her eyes adjust to sunlight automatically? Lillian thought as their sponsor brightened and bounced up and down, waving at them. ¡°Heeey!¡± Sonya called, drawing the attention of pretty much everyone on the street, ¡°Having fun?¡± Lillian shook her head and glanced at Snow, who was mouthing something. Sonya shot the two of them a thumbs up, ¡°Good! We¡¯re heading back to the hotel! Later!¡± Sonya shouted and bounded down the steps, flashing a grin at Marta, who shook her head and followed along with a spring in her step. ¡°Well they¡¯re definitely having a blast,¡± Lillian chuckled as the crowd parted for the eclectic pair. ¡°So are they,¡± Snow commented, and pointed at one of the photo booths tucked in beneath an awning a few doors down. Cass and Alex stepped out of it, laughing. Snow looked up at Lillian and pouted at her. Lillian chuckled and started walking, ¡°C¡¯mon, let''s go get our pictures taken too.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Chapter 190 The four of them met back up as agreed a short while after their fun and made their way to the hotel, dropping off their purchases. Sonya and Marta had left a note stating that they¡¯d gone back out to see more of the city after getting changed along with a proposed schedule written by Bandit for their upcoming outing into the local dungeons. Lillian tried not to think too hard about going back to fighting with the easy atmosphere she¡¯d been enjoying throughout the day. After a brief rest they hopped onto the subway heading towards Ueno. From there it was a short walk to the Tokyo National Museum. A beautiful building with a reflecting pond stretching out in front. A fresh chill had settled in the air as they made their way along the side of the pool towards a small crowd that had begun to gather to the right of the entrance. People were holding their phones out and what looked like reporters were taking pictures and filming. Lillian rubbed her neck, wondering if this was the kind of treatment she should start getting used to for when she got back home. They all heard the name being repeated over and over. ¡®Sapporo¡¯ Lillian glanced at Alex who snorted out a laugh, ¡°Man, he can¡¯t go anywhere can he?¡± ¡°He is crazy tall,¡± Cass pointed out, ¡°Hard to miss a guy like him.¡± The crowd parted abruptly as the man-mountain that was Sapporo pushed through. He held a hand up in greeting to the four of them as people continued to take pictures. Static filled Lillian¡¯s ears, ¡°Lose the hat,¡± Snow whispered. Lillian waved back at Sapporo, ¡°You sure?¡± she asked out of the corner of her mouth. ¡°Definitely, Sonya would be pissed if you didn¡¯t,¡± Snow said. Of course, to make a show of it I guess, she sighed and reached up to pull her cap off her head, revealing her short black hair and the red and green streaks running down one side. I wish I could have brought Alphonse with me, she griped a little as the murmuring intensified and more photographs were taken. They met Sapporo halfway and he extended a hand for her to shake. ¡°Well met, Crusader,¡± he grunted with the faintest hint of a smile. ¡°Good to see you, Sapporo,¡± she replied. Sapporo nodded gruffly and then turned to the others, ¡°Snow, BLF, Harbinger, I hear the four of you took some time this morning to assist,¡± he said. ¡°No problem for us,¡± Alex chuckled, flexing an arm, ¡°We¡¯re here, we¡¯ll help.¡± The big man grunted in approval and gestured towards the Museum, ¡°A proper welcome to my homeland is in order, I think. This is my apology for the unpleasant greeting you were given by those who represent us yesterday. It was shameful,¡± he said with a slight bow of his head. ¡°After this I would like to introduce you to the guilds operating in the city. Several of the other heroes are very excited to meet you.¡± Lillian and Alex exchanged looks and grinned. She had been looking forward to that part of the visit in particular. A chance to test herself against some of the best Japan had to offer. A chance to see where she stood not just among the American heroes, but compared to other nations. Some of them were no doubt trained by Sapporo himself. With how often people compared him and her teacher, the idea was more than a little enticing. Sapporo glanced around and frowned before reaching into his pocket and checking his phone. ¡°Hm. Takehara was supposed to join us,¡± he said before putting his phone away. ¡°He¡¯s probably just on Committee business,¡± Cass said with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯m sure it happens.¡± The big man nodded again, ¡°Quite. Let¡¯s get the tour started.¡± ¨C The headquarters of the Ishtar worshiping cult hadn¡¯t exactly been hard to find. They made no effort in disguising where they were or who they were. Located in one of the northern wards of Tokyo, the large building was framed with a high wall of off-white concrete. The walls themselves were coated in graffiti, harsh words in Japanese and other languages decrying those that supposedly prayed to the enemy of the world. Sonya sat in the back seat of the dark taxi, her legs crossed as she watched the building go by, twirling an underworld coin between her fingers. ¡°Not exactly a subtle bunch,¡± Charon said through his puppet driver. She snorted, ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Marta said next to her, shifting a bit in her seat, ¡°Something feels off.¡± Sonya turned her way and frowned, ¡°I can¡¯t just leave them be.¡± Marta crossed her arms and glared out the window. She looked back to Sonya with a tension in her shoulders before nodding quietly. Sonya shot a look towards the zombified puppet, ¡°We¡¯re good here, dear,¡± she said and placed the coin on the console next to him. The zombie nodded with a rickety smile, ¡°Pleasure doing business, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll have your souvenirs brought to the hotel promptly.¡± She smiled, ¡°Thank you,¡± she said before raising a hand and snapping her fingers, activating her augment reality ability. An illusion washed over herself that distorted her appearance slightly. Black hair hung around her shoulders and her eyes were a brilliant blue. Her clothing turned dark. She didn¡¯t change much about her face, it wasn¡¯t necessary. Subtle changes were more effective with a disguise. Marta on the other hand changed her own appearance entirely to be closer to Sonya¡¯s facial structure and looks. A cousin or some sort of distant relative. Instead of her usual maid gown, she wore a white shirt and black tie with a pair of black slacks. ¡°Looking good,¡± Sonya said with a laugh as the driver came around to open the door. Marta frowned down at the shirt and tie, tugging on the fabric, ¡°I hate it.¡± ¡°Bet Barry would like it,¡± Sonya laughed, stepping out of the car and shooting a winning smile at the zombie who offered a bow. Marta got out behind her in a huff. The two of them made their way towards the gates of the building without another word, the taxi departing. When they arrived they found it shut tight, graffiti all over it and one of the security cameras hanging above it heavily damaged. She turned to look up at the sole working camera and then down to a doorbell intercom plate. Just as she reached towards it, the door opened with a noisy hiss and grind of machinery.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Sonya glanced towards Marta who popped her neck in readiness. On the other side of the door there were three men. Two of them wore masks over their faces and white jumpsuits. Each carried a naked blade in one hand. Their postures were hostile. The individual in the middle, however, only wore a partial mask covering the lower half of his face. His dark eyes were flat and cold, the expression of a warrior. His dark hair was cut short and simply with no attention to style. He had an air about him that demanded respect. An aura of command. ¡°You look like someone in charge,¡± Sonya said with a wry smile. He narrowed his eyes, ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to speak with your boss,¡± Sonya said brightly, extending her hand as she tilted her head, ¡°Nice to meet you, mind letting me in?¡± He scowled, ¡°You didn¡¯t give your name.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Sonya confirmed. His eyes grew harder and he rest his hand on the hilt of the katana on his belt. Marta shifted slightly but Sonya raised a hand to stop her. ¡°Now there¡¯s no need for that,¡± Sonya said politely, ¡°I just want to talk. Further decisions can come after that.¡± ¡°I asked for your name, give it and this conversation can proceed,¡± the young man growled in warning but he did seem wise enough to remove his hand from his weapon. His eyes shifted towards Marta and there was a brief moment where Sonya could see hesitation in his eyes. Sonya wondered if he could pick up on Marta¡¯s strength or if he was just nervous around pretty girls in suits. Her lip twitched with amusement, ¡°You don¡¯t watch a lot of news, do you?¡± ¡°I watch plenty,¡± he said and crossed his arms, the muscles beneath his sleeves rippling slightly. ¡°But I was told to ask you to identify yourself when you arrived.¡± Sonya raised her eyebrows, ¡°What answer are you expecting?¡± He tilted his head forward, ¡°Not the one you use on television.¡± Marta moved. One moment she was standing behind Sonya, the next he was off the ground with her hand around his throat. His eyes went wide as he reached up to grab at her fingers. The two men who had come with him raising their weapons, startled. He gripped and pulled, but nothing short of another mythic was going to pry Marta¡¯s fingers away as she added a little pressure. Sonya kept her expression placid as she strode forward with her arms crossed behind her back and looked up at his reddening face. ¡°Put him down.¡± Her companion dropped him unceremoniously to the ground and he moved to get to his feet only to look up into Sonya¡¯s eyes. She held his gaze as she loomed over him, ¡°I suggest,¡± she said quietly, ¡°You think twice about trying to expose me in a private place. If you were hoping to get recordings¡­¡± she tilted her head and they all heard the cameras around them short out, even his phone made a crackling pop inside his pocket. Only his earpiece was spared, ¡°...you are going to be disappointed.¡± Her smile widened as she willed one of her Astral Eyes into being in front of her face, hidden from the two bystanders. Only he could see the floating disk of pink light that crackled and fizzled, distorted, but still clear as to what it was. ¡°It is you¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°Are you going to let me in?¡± she asked and dismissed the Astral Eye. She stood up straight and brushed herself off. He swallowed but managed to compose himself enough to speak calmly, ¡°Yes, of course.¡± She smiled, ¡°See? No need for unnecessary things, isn¡¯t that great?¡± she said and held out her hand for him to take. He shook his head and got to his feet on his own, offering a slight bow as she pulled her hand back, her lips curled a little. Tsk. Are you okay? Ishtar asked. Sonya kept her face still, Just moody for some reason. That came on suddenly. Right when you used your powers. I¡¯m fine, Sonya grumbled and slid her hand into her pocket. That odd spot of sensation that she¡¯d felt back when she¡¯d used her powers in the backrooms ached. She felt Ishtar¡¯s frown but ignored it as Shuta turned away. He gestured to his companions and they led the way down the short concrete path towards the main doors of the building. Sonya took a moment to glance around as she flexed her fingers, working a little sensation back into them. The grassy garden on either side of the path was serene. Just a single tree on each side. ¡°Your boss likes it quiet,¡± she said. ¡°The leader thinks this environment is best for those with troubled hearts,¡± Shuta said quietly, reaching up to subtly rub at his neck. Marta had left a few marks. Sonya glanced at Marta, her friend had already returned to her position a step behind her with her eyes partially closed. She did spy Marta¡¯s hands clench a bit tighter as those brown eyes opened and she shot Shuta a warning look from behind. Sonya smirked at her and shrugged. She let out a breath and tried to calm her heart. Her temper was going through another swing. She¡¯d been feeling so much better after that fun day with Cass and the others, and now she was irritable again. Is there¡­ something wrong with me? She didn¡¯t feel Ishtar react and closed her eyes. Just calm down. They arrived at the doors of the compound and Shuta turned around. He gave Sonya a polite bow before resting a hand on his sword in a comfortable stance, ¡°Please understand, the people here are seeking sanctuary after their lives were upturned by the flash,¡± he said, ¡°If you could, do not disturb their meditation.¡± Sonya shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk to them.¡± He nodded, ¡°Understood, the Leader is waiting down below. There is an elevator inside.¡± She gestured magnanimously, ¡°Lead the way then.¡± The doors opened and she had to stop and catch her breath. She had expected grey concrete like the exterior of the building. Instead, what she saw was far more than she¡¯d expected. White walls and low soothing lighting over the shiny stone floor. The scent of incense washed out to meet her nostrils as the warrior stepped to the side and gestured, ¡°Please, come inside.¡± ¨C In a hall made of steel, a pair walked briskly towards a pair of heavy doors. One was a woman with long black hair in a lab coat and the other an older man in a pandora committee uniform. The two came to a stop as a guard at the doors checked their badges before turning to press a key into a panel. The doors, a darker color than the rest of the hallway, hissed and parted to reveal a small chamber with another pair of doors a short distance away. The doors shut behind them before the second set opened, a wave of heat and something else washed over them and they glanced at one another. ¡°Why am I just now hearing about this?¡± Takehara asked. ¡°It was need to know,¡± the woman said flatly as they stepped through the second set of doors. They entered a large room filled with equipment. The outer parts of the room were dark save for the screens where numerous researchers were observing readouts and talking amongst themselves. The inner part of the room was slightly recessed with steps leading down. Numerous spotlights were fixed into the ceiling and pointing down at the main point of interest. Two pillars engraved with strange runes and the rippling portal between them. A dungeon portal. Two men stepped into the room carrying a crate. They set it down and opened it to reveal rows of large glowing crystals. One of the men pulled a crystal out and set it in front of a portal pillar. The light within the crystal began to dim as the portal rippled and pulsed. Takehara tensed, ¡°What is this?¡± he demanded, rounding on the woman. The woman in the lab coat smiled, most of her appearance enshrouded by the low light. Her glasses shining in the reflections cast by the spotlights focused on the portal. Behind her, three figures stood, their glowing eyes fixed on him. ¡°Progress, Mister Takehara.¡± Chapter 191 Sonya stepped out of the elevator and into a hall made entirely out of metal. It was not unlike the fortified interior of the Marianas Trench base. A fact that made her frown more than amuse her. The likeness was uncanny. She glanced towards Shuta who walked in stoic silence next to her as they pushed into the hall and through a series of heavy blast doors. A lot of money had gone into securing this part of the building while the structure upstairs seemed to have been designed with image and comfort in mind. You¡¯re annoyed, Ishtar said. Of course I am. Sonya clipped, Look at this place. There¡¯s too many similarities with this hallway and the Marianas Base. Then there¡¯s that note I got about Qilin. I know it''s from them. It¡¯s like they¡¯re watching me. There¡¯s no proof of that, Ishtar pointed out. You know it''s not a coincidence, Sonya said and she felt Ishtar sigh. She chewed her lip and closed her eyes, rubbing at her wrist again. It won¡¯t stop hurting. The doors opened one at a time to allow them entrance before closing immediately behind them. It was only through the third door that they found themselves standing in a large room that appeared circular. She couldn¡¯t tell entirely from the way a veil of darkness hung around the rear portion, illuminated only by candle light. There was a dais set into the center of the room with a partially transparent veil pulled around it; inside she could see a bed. She sniffed at the air. Incense? Her lips thinned into a line. So far she hadn¡¯t encountered much in the regards to the religious aspect of this group, it seemed more like a refugee camp than anything else. Here, that changed. Her eyes fixed on a figure on the bed. Her ocular lenses clicked as she tried to get a good look at them. No name appeared though. Just obscured enough that my eyes won¡¯t identify them. Interesting. This is¡­ seeming less and less coincidental, Ishtar conceded, This veil seems designed to block your eyes. That isn¡¯t just cloth. I noticed, Sonya said irritably, I¡¯m starting to lean towards just getting rid of these people. And I am beginning to agree with you, Ishtar said, Patience, though. Feel them out. To her right, Shuta dropped to a knee and bowed his head. ¡°Lady Setsuna, I am here with our honored guest,¡± he said, his shoulders tensing for a moment before he continued. ¡°I was¡­ rude to her at the entryway.¡± Sonya chuckled and the boy¡¯s shoulders tightened even more, his eyes fixed on the ground. Sonya stepped past him, putting her hand on her hip. She raised her chin up to peer into the veil again, ¡°Are you really the person in charge?¡± The figure shifted, ¡°I am,¡± came a melodious voice. The figure shifted again and reached forward to pull the veil aside. Shuta nearly jumped to his feet as the veil parted revealing a woman of middle-age years. Her face was an image of serene beauty, her eyes black pits that seemed to suck in the light around them. Long black hair hung around her that spread out onto the bed and spilled over her shoulders and luxurious figure. She looked up into Sonya¡¯s face for a long moment before smiling. ¡°Know you, do I, Chernovna,¡± she said in a voice like honey. Sonya blinked. Woah. Sonya¡­ Ishtar warned. Sonya pursed her lips, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve never fallen for a honey trap before and I¡¯m not going to now. Good. Sonya set her expression with a frown. Her arms crossed as she tilted her head to the right. Setsuna stared into her eyes for several heartbeats. ¡°And?¡± she demanded, ¡°A lot of people have heard of me. If you¡¯re looking to throw me off, you¡¯re going to have to try harder than my name and a pretty face. If that walk to your doors was intended to elicit a positive reaction, you had the opposite effect. What are you trying to prove?¡± Sonya! Ishtar chastised. What? I¡¯m not going to lie to her! I physically can¡¯t! She shot back, ignoring the aghast look from Shuta. Ishtar grumbled something but simply retreated into the back of her mind. She knew herself well enough to know she had a bit of a weakness for the cute ones, but that changed nothing. These people knew way too much and were using her name to hide behind. They were a problem as far as she was concerned. She wanted explanations-the note, their activities, all of it. The woman¡¯s smile remained passive. ¡°Prove? No,¡± she said with a solemn nod, ¡°Make clear, yes?¡± she said with a small laugh and shifted to place her bare feet on the ground. She looked up at Sonya meaningfully and those dark eyes became just a bit darker, ¡°Allow me a different angle.¡± Sonya narrowed her eyes. What is she- ¡°Let hope out and try again,¡± she intoned. In an instant the woman was off her feet, dangling in the air. Sonya held her by her throat, her eyes blazing with fury as she squeezed down with her powerful fingers. All pretense of amusement gone from her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you know those words,¡± Sonya said coldly, ¡°But you just made a huge mistake.¡± Those words. No one but those closest to me should know them. No one but those who know about the previous timeline, know my greatest secret. Words she hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. Words that changed her life. Pandora¡¯s words. The words that sent her to the past. The woman gasped, her feet swaying beneath her. Behind Sonya she felt Shuta dart to his feet and draw his sword. She glanced over her shoulder at him with a scowl, ¡°Sit down, brat,¡± she snarled, her presence hitting him like a wave. He doubled over and gagged, only remaining standing with the help of his sword that he dug into the floor at his feet. The walls creaked around them, the air grew denser, heavier. She looked the woman in the eyes, ¡°You have a lot of guts using my name for your little religion,¡± she snarled, ¡°I suggest you give me a damn good reason not to kill you for what you know.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Shuta wheezed. Despite the situation, Setsuna only smiled down at Sonya as she was strangled, ¡°Meet we, at last, Ishtar.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the wheezing coughs of Shuta as he recovered from Sonya¡¯s spike of presence. She stood there, mechanical eyes unblinking, bright and spinning with absolute focus. Her lips in a thin line as she slowly squeezed down on the throat in her hand. Kato Setsuna hung a foot off the ground, feet dangling, shoulders sagging as her skin began to change color. A bubble rose up at her lips and her eyes glazed over for a heartbeat. Sonya¡¯s lips twitched, white hot anger searing through her brain. SONYA! STOP! Ishtar¡¯s shout in her mind drew her back to her senses and she jerked her hand back, releasing the woman and letting her drop to the ground in a heap. She flexed her fingers as the numbness from that spot in her wrist spread up her arm. She could hear her pulse in her ears. Was that why it was so quiet? What¡­? What just happened? She turned slowly towards Shuta who had gotten shakily to his feet, sword pointed in her direction. She clenched her jaw. Damn. Calm down, there is a time and place for cruelty. This isn¡¯t it. Her heart was still pounding. She didn¡¯t know what foot to put forward now. Roll with it, Sonya. She clicked her tongue and turned away from the boy, ¡°Put that down, boy, it won¡¯t help you,¡± she snarled before looking down at his mother, ¡°If my signature at the gate wasn¡¯t enough, she just confirmed it. I am Ishtar.¡± The woman shuddered on the ground, trying to push herself up. She was still dazed from the strangulation. Shuta¡¯s sword hit the ground as the woman tried to look up at her, a nasty purple mark on her neck. ¡°Then why are you doing this?¡± he asked from behind her. Sonya looked down at her hand and felt that odd point in her wrist, the pain was fading but the irritation, the anxiety. It kept getting worse. I have no fucking clue, kid. I was fine for a while there. Mood swings aren¡¯t this severe¡­ Breathe, Sonya. I didn¡¯t mean to do it. I know. Just breathe and play the part. She didn¡¯t look back at him, ¡°Are you seriously asking a Supervillain why they do villainous things?¡± she growled as she tried to catch her breath. She felt like she was losing control of herself. It was like every time she felt her chest ease it bubbled right back up. A rage that had been muted, numbed by the good life she¡¯d had so far in this new timeline despite all the suffering of a more spiritual kind, rekindled in her lungs like a withheld scream. She looked down at her hands, she could feel the knife she held that day in them. The blood soaking her fingers making it hard to hold onto the handle. She could see his sneering face. She looked back into those jet black eyes, ¡°How do you know those words?¡± she growled. The woman reached up and touched her throat and cleared it but Shuta spoke up again, ¡°My moth-¡± Sonya closed her eyes, searching the bottom of the barrel for patience, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to answer for her,¡± she said in a tone that dropped the temperature in the room several degrees. The boy froze as a clear and present warning that death was approaching him fell over him like a sheet. She tilted her head to the right like a bird examining a worm, ¡°I asked her.¡± The woman¡¯s thin lips curled up into a smile again as she cleared her throat, ¡°Oracle,¡± she rasped, ¡°My ability.¡± Sonya¡¯s eyes narrowed. Ah, according to legend the Oracle of Delphi spoke in strange ways. Perhaps it''s the weakness of her ability like our own prohibition on falsehoods. Ishtar commented. Sonya rolled her jaw left and right before plucking the note that had saved her from Qilin¡¯s ability out of her pocket. She held it up for the woman to see, ¡°Was this you?¡± The woman nodded, ¡°Yes,¡± she wheezed. Sonya crumpled it in her palm and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose, ¡°How much do you know?¡± she asked, forcing herself to calm down. The woman swallowed and cleared her throat again, ¡°Knowledge, I sought. Open your eyes, to my power, words to,¡± she said as she slowly pushed herself up to a kneeling position on the ground. ¡°Little more, end of days, the past,¡± she cleared her throat again, ¡°yet not. Your goal, I know. Your enemy, I know,¡± she shifted a little more, ¡°Humanity, kicking, screaming.¡± Sonya searched her face before glancing over her shoulder at the door that led into the hallway that was eerily alike to the mariana¡¯s base. So she knows a lot, but doesn¡¯t know everything. She used her ability to answer a specific question. ¡®What do I have to do to prove that I am an Oracle to Ishtar?¡¯ or something to that effect. Sonya reasoned. It fed her the information that would make it irrefutable. An ability that grants specific knowledge without context, of the past and the future. An undesirable trade-off in how her words are broken, now. Ishtar commented. Interesting how she breaks up her sentences to attempt to speak more legibly. Terribly inconvenient though. Agreed, not an ability I would want to take. Who knows if merging it with something else would get rid of the drawback? Sonya thought as her shoulders fell. The moment of deep thought had helped her clear her head a little. The fury was still there but it was muted. She looked back at the woman-Setsuna on the ground, ¡°Why did you wait to get in contact? If we had met sooner this may have not been as tense,¡± she said. Setsuna¡¯s eyes darkened again, the depths growing deeper, ¡°The light she brings will burn bright against the coming darkness. Patience. Await her ire.¡± Sonya clicked her tongue, ¡°A prophecy. The light being the heroes I brought with me to Japan,¡± she crossed her arms, ¡°What¡¯s the coming darkness? Otis? He¡¯s in America. If there¡¯s a problem, you have manpower, don¡¯t you?¡± Setsuna looked sad for a moment, ¡°Not know, I do,¡± she said before gesturing past her towards the doors and the building beyond. ¡°Sanctuary, Children of Dawn, they seek. With you. Haven. Our power-¡± ¡°If the government saw what we were capable of, they wouldn¡¯t leave us be. Most of us are outcasts. They don¡¯t want to fight, just to be left alone,¡± Shuta cut in, his words coming out fast before Sonya reacted to him speaking out of turn. She turned to look him in the eyes before letting out a sigh and running her fingers through her hair. ¡°Not a great first impression, lady,¡± she grumbled, ¡°But you aren¡¯t wrong in how you handled it, from that perspective. I guess,¡± she rubbed her neck, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you,¡± she said. She felt weary, as if the anger that had been strengthening her just faded away, leaving her body numb and tired. She held out her palm and created three strawberries. She tossed one to Shuta and popped one in her mouth before extending the third to Setsuna. ¡°It¡¯ll heal you,¡± she said as she chewed. Sonya¡­ I¡¯ll eat a normal meal when this is done. It¡¯s fine, Sonya grumbled and tried again to soothe her temper. Damn it. It¡¯s like every time I finally find my groove something happens to set me off again. It¡¯s just easier to be angry. It¡¯s hard to be fun.. There¡¯s nothing wrong with your rage. If there is anyone on this planet that deserves such fury, it is you, Ishtar said, I am more concerned that it is controlling you. We are becoming unstable. You- Don¡¯t start that shit again, Sonya shot back. I don¡¯t want to argue with you right now. At least when I¡¯m pissed I act more like a villain. Be happy about that. Perhaps. Setsuna reached out and took the strawberry reverently before popping it into her mouth. She chewed slowly and Sonya watched as the bruise on her neck faded away. The oracle¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise as she sat up straighter, rubbing at her throat and even looking down at her legs. She reached down with shaky hands and touched her feet, squeezing them before looking up at Sonya in wonder. Sonya frowned and glanced back at Shuta who was examining his body curiously before looking up at his mother who was still rubbing her legs. He turned and met Sonya¡¯s confused stare. ¡°Tibial muscular dystrophy,¡± he said, ¡°She can move her legs but she can¡¯t put any weight on them.¡± Sonya turned back as Setsuna got slowly to her feet, small tears welling in her eyes. Oh don¡¯t look at me like that, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, she groaned inwardly before taking another deep, cleansing breath. She gestured lazily with her hand and created a chair of hard light, the illusions of augment reality wrapped around it to give it a more real appearance. She sat down and crossed her legs. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, ¡°You caught my attention. Lured me here. You¡¯ve survived your first encounter with Ishtar,¡± she leaned forward a bit and looked the woman in the eyes, ¡°Let¡¯s hear your pitch.¡± Chapter 192 Sonya stood atop the mezzanine looking over a large chamber, her hand on the rails. She stared down into the crowd of people milling about. Little cots here and there as they kept to themselves. There was a row of tables on one side of the room laden with food where a few workers assembled meals for the residents, doors off to the side led to simple dormitories. She felt her stomach twist, ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were so many light-touched in your care,¡± she said quietly. Setsuna stood next to her in silence, her eyes fixed on those below. Her son and Marta were standing off to the side, giving them a little space to speak. Shuta cleared his throat, ¡°Castouts, from the flash. During the time when people did not understand. They feel betrayed by their families and loved ones, being turned away for something that is not within their control is¡­ hard to forgive.¡± Sonya nodded slowly, running her thumb over the rail. The rage from earlier had subsided, leaving a cavernous feeling in her chest. She felt it itching still at the back of her mind, almost like another presence akin to Ishtar. Then there was the growing ache in her wrist. It had spread to her elbow and she could feel another one of those little spots there. She closed her eyes and centered herself. I need to have Da-Som check me out when we get back. You¡¯re doing fine, Ishtar reassured her, Whatever this is. I am with you. She exhaled, ¡°Ultimately, you¡¯re asking me to take these people in,¡± she said solemnly, ¡°How many are actually part of your cult and not just seeking shelter?¡± she asked. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Shuta asked. She glanced his way, ¡°I am the enemy of every hero on the planet,¡± she said without sugarcoating it. "They join me at their own peril. Betrayal will be met with retribution. She looked back at them. "If they aren''t willing to side with me, then they need to find somewhere else to seek sanctuary. I am not looking to put everything I¡¯ve accomplished at risk.¡± Shuta frowned, ¡°But you¡¯re Ishtar. There is nothing you can¡¯t do.¡± She barked out a laugh, ¡°I assure you, Even I have my limits,¡± she said and let out a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s becoming all too clear to me these days,¡± she glanced at Setsuna, ¡°If I take your cultists in, what do I get out of it besides people? I¡¯m sure some of them are strong, but you know the price doesn¡¯t match up. I already have a lot of people working for me. We¡¯re making a deal here, I expect to be compensated.¡± Setsuna did not turn her eyes away from her people as she ran delicate fingers over the railing. Her eyes thoughtful, she pressed her lips together before nodding to herself. ¡°Two ways, my power works,¡± she said and turned to Sonya, ¡°Visions come. Control it, I do not,¡± she said softly before looking back at the people, ¡°Or, a question, I can ask. Or be asked,¡± she tensed, ¡°Taxing.¡± Her son shifted, ¡°Mother, that¡¯s not-¡± ¡°How specific a question? How often?¡± Sonya asked, her mind drifting to several options. ¡°Yes or no,¡± Setsuna said, ¡°That is best. Otherwise, riddles,¡± she added before holding up a finger. ¡°Only one.¡± Sonya let out a breath, ¡°So asking how to kill my enemy wouldn¡¯t provide much in the way of useful information,¡± she chuckled, ¡°Figures it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.¡± Setsuna smiled, ¡°Sorry.¡± Sonya shrugged, ¡°A perfect yes or no response is¡­¡± she trailed off and sent her thoughts back to Ishtar. Thoughts? Her other half seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding. I would take it. It seems valuable. What kind of question would you ask, though? I don¡¯t know, Sonya replied, I have time to decide. Let¡¯s see if Broker agrees. That would be best. Sonya considered any additional terms she had in mind as she leaned against the rail, lost in thought. Eventually she turned to the cult leader and extended her hand. Setsuna took it and she considered using Analyze. The oracle ability was powerful and one she could take advantage of or give to someone else to use, but the drawbacks were troubling. It was also quite limited. Merging it didn¡¯t feel like an option either, and her gut told her to just let this one go and leave the divination to the professional. ¡°I¡¯ll take in your people as my own, the ones that recognize you and me. I have a place they can stay temporarily until I have something a bit larger and more comfortable. I expect loyalty from them, I expect them to work. That extends to you as well. Make this worthwhile to me by using the cult in my favor,¡± she said, tilting her chin up a little. ¡°You must keep my secrets. No matter what.¡± Setsuna inclined her head, ¡°Agreeable.¡± Process deal. Finally something¡¯s going right, Sonya thought and graced Setsuna with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± ¨C The gloom seemed all the darker with the bright lights shining down on the portal at the center of the room as Takehara took a step back. He met the woman¡¯s gaze and her lip curled slightly. His contacts with the branch had given him very little information regarding the scientist overseeing the study of the dungeons. What was more unsettling was the fact that the dungeon was in a room that didn¡¯t appear to have been built around it. It felt more like the room had been built for it. A terrifying distinction. He flicked his gaze towards the trio of silhouettes behind the woman and paused, there were only two pairs of eyes staring at him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The third? He started to turn when a cold hand wrapped around the back of his neck. He stiffened and reached for his gun on his hip. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± the man behind him said coolly. Takehara felt something sharp press against his throat and he pulled his hand away from the gun. ¡°Smart. This is what I like about old guys like you, you¡¯re a bit more sensible.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a natural dungeon,¡± Takehara growled at the woman. She smiled at him, ¡°You¡¯re quick,¡± she said and gestured to the portal, ¡°It took some time and a lot of resources. Fortunately, Japan has had no less than sixty dungeons form in its territory since the flash. Plenty to mine. Most were destroyed entirely, a tragedy, but that won¡¯t be a problem anymore. We¡¯ll just make more.¡± Takehara glanced towards the portal, ¡°You used mana crystals to release a large amount of stored mana in one place and generate a portal. Why? What if it breaks?¡± The man behind him squeezed a little tighter as he leaned forward to speak into Takehara¡¯s ear, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, To clear out the chaff. Unfortunately the walls around us are made to prevent mana from getting in, so we¡¯ve gotta recharge it now and then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°A proof of concept,¡± the woman said. ¡°Though, now we¡¯ve gotten what we need out of it, we can report back. We¡¯ll be abandoning this project soon.¡± ¡°What about the anchor monster?¡± Takehara insisted. The woman sneered, ¡°What about it?¡± Takehara¡¯s heart sank, his eyes going wide. He looked over at the men who were now piling crystals in front of the portal, then back at the woman. He looked up at the walls that were holding the mana outside at bay, but keeping any ambient mana in. A Carter Radar wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up on this place. Horror began to sink in at the implications. ¡°Do you know how many hero managed dungeons there are in Tokyo, Mister Takehara?¡± the woman asked. He frowned, ¡°There are six.¡± he said. All of them were on a cycle. One was cleared out of monsters and then left to rest for a week or two to recharge. This allowed the dungeon to regenerate monsters and resources while the next was cleared. It was an efficient system that the three guilds and Pandora Committee agreed upon. She smiled primly at him, ¡°I wonder what would happen if a seventh dungeon, let¡¯s say an until recently unknown uncommon-tier dungeon, burst within range of a few of those dungeons?¡± With a snarl, he tried to yank himself from the man¡¯s grip, but was instead lifted bodily off the ground by some unseen force. He flew across the room and crashed into a wall, coughing up a gobbet of blood as he slumped. Something wrapped around his arms before cinching tightly and pinning him to the wall where he could still see the portal clearly. He opened his mouth to ask more and another rope of what he now realized was steel wrapped around his head and gagged him. He struggled for a moment, trying to pull his arms free, but it was no use. ¡°Sorry, Mister Takehara. You decided to check up on our little project at the wrong time. Nothing to be done about it now, I suppose. You¡¯ll have to forgive me for not sticking around to watch the show with you,¡± she said, offering him a light bow, ¡°Strength from Liberty, Mister Takehara,¡± she said and turned away. ¡°Run the clear programs just in case and don¡¯t forget to change into the provided uniforms,¡± she ordered, ¡°Liberty wants this tied to Ishtar¡¯s cult and the Pandora Committee¡¯s negligence.¡± With those passing words she and her shadowy retinue marched out through the doors, the traitorous scientists following shortly behind. ¨C The museum was just as beautiful on the inside than it was on the outside. Lillian wasn¡¯t much of a museum person or really into history, but having someone as passionate as Sapporo give the guided tour really made the whole experience just pop. She was swept away as he talked about each display, statues and paintings, diorama, and delicate works of art that were more breathtaking than the last. There was a serenity to the place that put her at ease as they wandered from one exhibit after another. When they left the building, Sapporo turned to the four of them and put his hands on his hips, ¡°Our next stop will be-¡± he paused as his phone rang. ¡°Just a moment,¡± he said and quickly answered, ¡°This is Sapporo.¡± Lillian turned to Snow, ¡°You hungry?¡± she asked before glancing up at Cass and Alex, ¡°Did you two eat on your date?¡± ¡°What date?¡± Alex and Cass protested simultaneously. Her lips curled and she was about to tease them more when Sapporo went very still. ¡°Where?¡± Sapporo asked, ¡°Nothing on the radar?¡± An uneasy feeling settled in Lillian¡¯s stomach as the big man furrowed his brows and seemed to concentrate for a moment. ¡°No, I don¡¯t sense anything. Are you sure the tremors were localized? Also, why am I hearing this from you and not Takehara?¡± his frown deepened, ¡°How close is Koto to the seismic activity?¡± The four heroes exchanged a look, ¡°An earthquake?¡± Cass asked, ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything.¡± Lillian set her jaw and tapped her earpiece a few times, switching to the open channel they¡¯d chosen on arrival, ¡°Sonya? You there?¡± ¡°Miss Chernovna is in a meeting,¡± Marta replied over the open channel, ¡°What can I do for you, Lillian?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need our gear, I¡¯ve got a bad feeling,¡± Lillian said. RRRRMMMBBBLLLLLL The ground shook beneath their feet and a few of the civilians nearby let out shouts of surprise before settling. Most of them were used to minor earthquakes, but this was the first time Lillian had felt one. It was a jarring experience, but nothing terrifying compared to the kinds of things she¡¯d seen before. Even so, she shifted uneasily on her feet as the shaking ebbed. She turned to Sapporo who was looking more and more irate with each passing moment as his call continued. ¡°Call the guilds and have them on standby. We may need-¡± RRRRMMBBLLL The ground shook again and Lillian pivoted in time to catch Snow who stumbled with the tremor as Sapporo stormed past her, his eyes scanning the south-east. Rage gave way to concern, then to fear as a third tremor nearly knocked Lillian off her feet. Each seemed to be shorter than the last, but the strength escalated in exchange. Lillian swallowed hard and turned to face the direction Sapporo was looking. Another chill running up her spine. ¡°Lillian? I just felt that, what¡¯s happening?¡± Marta asked over the phone. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s bad,¡± Lillian said, ¡°We need our gear.¡± There was a long pause, ¡°Where am I meeting you?¡± Marta asked. Lillian turned to Sapporo, her heart thundering in her chest. She clenched her fists, ¡°Where are we going?¡± He held her gaze for a few heartbeats before giving a grateful bow of his head, ¡°Koto Ward,¡± he said, ending the call. ¡°I fear we¡¯re going to need all the help we can get.¡± Lillian turned to the others who nodded. Scales began to spread across Alex¡¯s skin and Cass¡¯ body began to glow faintly as she grew in size. Lillian turned to Snow, ¡°You know what to do.¡± ¡°Find someplace safe to hide and spot from, I got it,¡± Snow said quickly as they began following Sapporo down the path, people scattering out of the way. RRMMBLL A thrill ran through Lillian¡¯s entire body as the shortest but most intense tremor yet hit, a warning loud and clear. Every instinct screamed at her in alarm. Her eyes went wide as time seemed to slow in those last few moments, ¡°BRACE!¡± she shouted and dropped to a knee, pulling Snow down with her. Alex and Cass dove to the ground, covering their heads. Sapporo dove forward, throwing himself between what was coming and the four trainees behind him. Lillian looked up at his back just in time to see his form in silhouette. Light. A dome of light. The world was light. BOOOOOM! The world shook as the air rushed past them. People screamed as a veritable ocean of mana washed over and through Lillian like a tidal wave. There was nothing to make sense of. Everything was sounds and movements and confusion. The trembling earth, the howl of wind, the burning of raw power against her skin. She pulled Snow closer as her mind drowned in it all. Her senses were on fire as she realized for the first time the downside to being the type of light-touched who had a built-in mana sense. There was so much. Too much. She couldn¡¯t think, she couldn¡¯t breathe. She could only hold on for dear life as a dungeon one tier above the Dharan portal burst in the heart of Tokyo. Chapter 193 BOOOOOOOM The entire building shook. The ceiling trembled and the lights flickered as Sonya caught herself on the railing. Shuta grabbed his mother while Marta planted her feet and rode it out, a stern look on her face. Sirens blared. Sonya pushed herself up and whirled. A warning symbol appeared in her HUD, an alert from the local Carter Radar. Mana surge. Dungeon Break! She pointed to Shuta, ¡°Get your people upstairs down here, now!¡± she shouted. He looked at his mother who gave him an admonishing look and he let her go, hurrying out of the room. Sonya turned to Marta, her heart pounding. She started to march towards the exit when her friend put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She rounded on Marta, ¡°What are you doing?¡± she demanded, ¡°I need to be out there!¡± ¡°You need to stay right here,¡± Marta said patiently. Sonya¡¯s brows furrowed as a spike of anger rose in her chest, ¡°I am Ishtar! If anyone can-¡± ¡°Sonya,¡± Marta soothed, ¡°How¡¯s it going to look if I show up around the same time Ishtar does? Ishtar¡¯s not a hero either,¡± she shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re strong, I know. But right now we need you leading from the back. Let the heroes do their job. That¡¯s why you helped create them, remember? For this kind of situation. It¡¯s what they¡¯ve trained for.¡± Sonya¡¯s lips trembled and she reached up to grab her friend¡¯s wrist. She squeezed it as she hung her head, a lump in her throat. ¡°Go, before I change my mind.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Marta said and hurried out the door. An aftershock hit, the waves of mana still spreading across the city. She started to approach Setsuna as a call came through in her head. She glanced at the name and answered without hesitation. <¡±Sonya!¡±> Amos¡¯ voice came through, <¡±You alright?¡±> <¡±I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m at the Children of Dawn headquarters,¡±> she said, <¡±Marta is moving to support Crusader¡¯s team. Give me a report on what¡¯s being done.¡±> <¡±It¡¯s worse than you think, the timing on this was too perfect. It¡¯s got the stink of artificial. A hidden seventh dungeon my ass. My readings say it was probably uncommon,¡±> Amos said quickly, <¡±All six dungeons managed by the Tokyo Guilds were on recharge with two coming up for culling. The guilds are scrambling all their people to continuously clear the dungeons to keep them from going up as well.> Sonya nearly tripped, her legs faltering with the news. She was aware that the other dungeons existed but hadn¡¯t realized just how close they were to a possible burst. Without the Japanese guilds, would Crusader¡¯s team, Marta and Sapporo be enough? Uncommon. Then the monsters are all rare-tier. I need to let Marta know. <¡±Has anyone claimed responsibility? What about the International Team?¡±> <¡±Just what you think, they can¡¯t send too many or it¡¯ll just cause more harm than good. Too many mythics on the ground will make things harder for the guilds. Sapporo is a huge mana producer too. They¡¯re arranging teams of epics and heroics but that¡¯s taking longer than just sending the main team,¡±> Amos explained. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh through her nostrils. This stinks of Otis¡¯ tactics from the past timeline. But I know he hasn¡¯t made anything close to a move like this. Where¡¯s the agenda? The angle? Who profits? Liberty is an easy person to blame because of our conflict but there¡¯s no reason for it. She would have immediately taken credit, made some sort of showboating announcement. She exhaled as her mind sped up for the first time in a long time. The thoughts coming faster and faster. TICK¡­ TICK¡­ TICK TICK TICK Is there a strategy? An angle? Amos is never wrong about this sort of thing. This must have been manufactured somehow. She thought. You¡¯re looking at it from the perspective of a warrior and a hero. An investigator. Ishtar corrected. TICK TICKTICKTICK TICK TICK Then what? Why would a villain do it? Just because? Nonsense. There¡¯s a reason. Multiple reasons. Sonya grit her teeth and concentrated as her mind worked harder. Her fists clenched in the neuron flashes between thoughts. No credit has been claimed after such a dramatic incident? The minutes after are the best time. Someone putting this much effort into an act would take credit. Which means¡­ they aren¡¯t done. This was a demonstration ahead of a greater move, Ishtar agreed. They are making a point and perhaps using it for other means that we do not have enough information to recognize. Sonya clicked her tongue as her mind wound back down. TICK TICK ¡­TICK TI- <¡±ASTA¡¯s response?¡±> she demanded as she took Setsuna¡¯s arm and began escorting her back to her room. She didn¡¯t know how close the break was and with rare-tier monsters running around she didn¡¯t want to take any chances. <¡±Dungeon Break contingency three, for major cities, as planned. Munitions, gear, everything we can. Contacts with medical companies are being pulled and I¡¯ve gotten in touch with Euclidia to get it over there as fast as possible.¡±> Amos said, <¡±We¡¯ve already started packing things on our end.¡±> She and Setsuna made it to the small stairwell leading down to her level in the subterranean base, <¡±Thank you, Amos. Keep an eye on the radar and the media. Let me know if anything else comes up. Someone is responsible for this and they are going to make another move. I want to know before it happens.¡±> <¡±Yes ma¡¯am, good luck on your end,¡±> Amos said and ended the call. She met the oracles eyes and squeezed her arm before calling Marta. <¡±Marta, I have intel.¡±> ¨C Lillian came to with her body thrown over Snow¡¯s. Sirens wailing in the distance. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she was unconscious but everything hurt. Her skin itched and burned as she tried to move her arms. She pushed up and pulled away. Snow looked up at her with worry and tears in her eyes. She smiled, ¡°I¡¯m fine, see?¡± she said and showed her burned arm. She concentrated and gold flames washed over her skin, soothing her aches and slowly healing the burns. She forced herself up to her feet and shook off the wooziness that came with it before turning to check on Cass and Alex. Alex was kneeling with his arms up, his scales shining. Steam rose off of them. Behind him, Cass was sitting with a look of shock on her face. Alive, good. The buildings around them were largely untouched though the trees were scorched and leafless. She swallowed hard as she turned towards a group of shapes laying on the ground not far from them. Bodies lay on the ground, burned. How did we- she turned to Sapporo and her heart leaped into her throat. The big man was on one knee. His arms crossed in front of his chest. His head held high. Signs of the blast scorching the ground around him were plain. He covered us. She hurried to his side and gasped when she saw his face. Part of it was burned off, revealing bone and tissue, lipless, his teeth exposed to the air. One dark eye flicked towards her in a way that made her stomach churn. ¡°-ine,¡± he grunted, ¡°-m, -ine,¡± he repeated and nodded towards the epicenter, ¡°Go,¡± he commanded and got slowly to his feet, his body starting to glow with a golden light. Lillian turned to the others, ¡°Heroes! On your feet! We¡¯ve got work to do!¡± Cass was next to get up, looking around in horror, ¡°Is this a dungeon break?¡± she asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Alex grunted, pushing himself up as portions of his skin began to regenerate. He hissed at the pain before stumbling a little. Cass caught him and he steadied himself. Snow just sat there, stunned as she looked at the corpses littering the street leading up to the museum. Lillian knelt down next to her and pulled her to her feet. ¡°Snow, focus,¡± Snow turned slowly and looked at her with tear filled eyes. Lillian nodded, ¡°I know, we can¡¯t do anything for them. There might be survivors though. Can you move?¡± Snow nodded then looked up abruptly as the sound of something moving fast came shrieking towards them. Lillian turned with her and looked up to see a line of white light streaking across the sky and bending in their direction. Lillian braced herself before relaxing when she sensed what, or rather, who it was. With a noisy crash and the shattering of concrete beneath her, Handmaiden landed amongst their group. She stood tall and panned her gaze over the grim surroundings, a glint of recognition in her eyes. Her expression turned hard. She had a suitcase in one hand and Levi, Sonya¡¯s familiar under her other arm. She dropped Levi to the ground and the dog let out an angry bark. A moment later a hawk¡¯s cry filled the air and Alphonse landed on Lillian¡¯s shoulder. He pressed up against her. Lillian let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Good to see you too buddy,¡± she said and turned to Marta, ¡°Do you have our gear?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Handmaiden nodded and set the suitcase down with a grim face, flicking the locks open and placing her palm on one side. ¡°Dungeon reward from Sonya¡¯s collector friend,¡± Handmaiden explained quickly. She opened it and reached inside before impossibly pulling Lillian¡¯s broadsword out. She tossed it to Lillian who caught it followed by a duffle bag with her armor in it. Next came a duffle with Snow¡¯s gear and drones. A third duffle had Alex¡¯s gear. A fourth was thrown to Cass before Marta reached one last time inside and pulled out her own gear, equipping her gauntlets and breastplate. Handmaiden stood and turned her eyes on Sapporo, ¡°Sapporo, how long until you¡¯ve recovered?¡± He turned his battered face towards her, his lips having grown back, ¡°Ten minutes,¡± he grumbled as his ability began to work on his arms, flesh growing back over exposed bone. ¡°I will take charge until then,¡± Handmaiden said flatly. He nodded. She turned to Lillian and the others, ¡°Crusader, Snow, BLF, Harbinger, you are on duty. A quick briefing. This is a dungeon break situation. We are unlikely to find very many alive in the epicenter,¡± she said, ¡°Save who you can but focus on the monsters. You may recall from your studies that a dungeon break releases the monsters within the dungeon into the surrounding area after the blast at a tier higher than the original dungeon.¡± The four young heroes nodded as they equipped themselves. ¡°The other heroes of Tokyo will be arriving soon. We only have so long before the numbers of monsters become untenable. We need to pierce into the center of the blast zone and deal with the anchor monster, the boss,¡± she said quickly, ¡°Once it is destroyed the broken portal will break down and no more dungeon monsters will spawn, the remaining monsters will be hounds and lurkers. Dangerous, but significantly less difficult to deal with.¡± Crusader stood up straight, slipping her sword onto its spot on her back. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Initial readings from Doctor Carter estimate that it was originally an uncommon-tier dungeon. Enemies will likely be Rare-tier,¡± Handmaiden added brusquely, marching past them in the direction of where the blast had been, ¡°All of them,¡± she said gravely and looked back at them, ¡°Do not hold back under any circumstances. You will die.¡± ¡°What about the international team?¡± Harbinger asked as they hurried forward. She conjured up her hammer and slung it over her shoulder, horns beginning to grow from her temples. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Pandora Committee knows about the situation, I don¡¯t know how long it will take for a response force to be organized and sent here. Also, with as much mana in the air as there is and the number of managed dungeons in the city, they need to be careful,¡± Handmaiden said, ¡°Let''s do what we can.¡± ¡°Right!¡± The four of them acknowledged and hurried after her. Crusader glanced back at Sapporo who knelt on the ground in their wake. His glowing body slowly healing from his wounds. She felt an uneasiness in her chest that she quashed when she met his gaze. He nodded at her and offered a small smile. She nodded to him and drew her sword. Handmaiden set a breakneck pace and Snow was forced to ride in Crusader¡¯s arms as they traveled. Every city block further towards the blast zone was another horror to take in. More bodies, vehicles crashed, fires starting, half-burned civilians crawling out of hiding spots. Ultimately, it was decided that Handmaiden would go on ahead while Crusader and the others helped save who they could along their path. Alphonse flew overhead, darting left and right in search of survivors, gathering them up along with some scattered police they picked up along the way. Two survivors soon became a dozen, but even then the number of bodies compared to those who were still breathing was so painfully small. They stopped outside another building where it looked like survivors were hiding out. BLF made his way inside while Crusader took a moment to breathe, stepping towards an alley she¡¯d spotted a few moments before along the wide main thoroughfare. That was when the sound of quiet sobs pricked her ears. She turned, her lips thinning into a line. ¡°Got another one,¡± she said, her shoulders starting to sag. It sounded like another kid. A big hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up into Harbinger¡¯s blue eyes. The giant hero frowned at her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Crusader sighed and nodded, patting her hand in gratitude as Alphonse landed on her shoulder. She wasn¡¯t sure she could have handled this on her own. Crusader dipped into the alley, the sickly scent of burned flesh reaching her nostrils. She set her shoulders and marched on, Snow coming up behind her, ready to assist if necessary. She spotted two figures curled up against a wall, one small and trembling, the other just a bit larger and barely moving. She froze, her eyes going wide and she darted forward, startling Snow as she slid to a stop in front of the pair. She dropped to a knee as the smaller figure let out a startled squeak. ¡°Arata!¡± she gasped, reaching out to look at the little boy who stared at her with wide, terror filled eyes. They flicked between her face and the hawk on her shoulder, recognition slowly dawning through the mind numbing horror. She examined his face for a moment, several angry purplish welts marked the skin on his face and neck from exposure to the intense mana wave. Gold flames danced from her fingertips without fanfare, leaping to the wounds. From an outside point of view it looked like the flames were consuming the injuries, leaving healed skin in their wake. The little boy let out an anguished sob and looked down at the figure laying on the ground at his feet. His sister, Crusader realized, horrified. Her wounds are bad, her entire back is burned. She shielded him with her body. God damn it, she cursed, closing her eyes and drawing on as much power as she could muster in that moment. ¡°Please,¡± he said weakly. ¡°Al, stick with him, please,¡± she said quickly. The hawk made a small sound of acknowledgement and fluttered over to sit on the boy¡¯s shoulder, pressing up close. Snow hurried up behind her as Crusader¡¯s hands hovered over the girl. She heard Snow let out a gasp. Crusader grit her teeth, gold fire erupting from her palms in a cascade that doused the young woman. She could only imagine how traumatizing it would be for a burn victim to be healed by fire, but she didn¡¯t have a lot of options. She clenched her jaw, Come on. She urged herself before shooting a glance at the boy. She met his terrified gaze and wondered what kind of face she was making. She looked up at the hat on his head, singed, but her name still visible on the side. She let out a shaky breath and shoved her own feelings aside, letting her power do the work. It took several minutes of concentration before the girl started to move again, small groans of pain the sign that she was alive and on the mend. Crusader wanted to sag with relief, her chest heavy. Arata¡¯s sister shifted and looked up, her eyes going wide when she met Crusader¡¯s gaze. ¡°You¡¯re going to be alright,¡± Crusader said, keeping the tiredness off her face, forcing her best Sonya grin, ¡°Your brother is fine too.¡± ¡°Lil,¡± Snow¡¯s voice popped into her ear, her tone grave. Crusader didn¡¯t react, keeping up appearances. ¡°Two bodies, ten feet away. I think¡­¡± Crusader¡¯s jaw nearly cracked behind her carefully constructed smile, ¡°Arata, can you help your sister get to the end of this alley? We met some nice policemen on the way. They can help,¡± she said before nodding to Alphonse who darted back up into the sky. The boy, shellshocked, could only nod as he helped his weakened sister to her feet. The two of them ambling towards the light. The girl glanced back over her shoulder but only found Crusader standing in the way with a smile that didn¡¯t quite meet her eyes. She jerked her chin towards the little boy helping the girl walk. The girls eyes filled with tears but she nodded, keeping her cool as they made their way out. Crusader sagged when they got out of eyeshot, ¡°Damn it,¡± she croaked. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the cops know,¡± Snow said shakily, walking over to touch Crusader¡¯s arm. Crusader looked back at the bodies that were likely Arata¡¯s parents. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm herself, her heart cracking a little more. She nodded at Snow and walked out of the alley, rallying herself as much as she could. She stopped just outside the alley, watching Arata and his sister meet with the cops they¡¯d picked up along the way. She barely noticed Harbinger''s approach. ¡°We can¡¯t take them much closer,¡± Harbinger said, walking up next to her. Crusader frowned and closed her eyes, ¡°I know,¡± she sighed before turning towards her. ¡°What if we find more kids, though? Who are they going to go back with?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure somethin¡¯ out,¡± BLF said grimly, glancing towards a shadowy corner just past where they¡¯d found the kid, he shook his head, ¡°Damn. Are those his parents?¡± Crusader didn¡¯t look back, ¡°Probably,¡± she said. So much death. How could this have happened? What about the Carter Radar? Shouldn¡¯t it have seen this coming? She clenched her fists and hung her head, emotion burbling up in her chest like a torrent. A small hand wrapped around hers and she turned, breathless, to see Snow looking into her eyes. ¡°Stay strong,¡± Snow said through a haze of static and gripped her hand tighter. Crusader reached out and put a hand on her head, stroking her hair as she looked towards the survivors. There were over two dozen of them now, all looking to her with haunted eyes that gleamed faintly with infant hope. So easily crushed. She nodded and gave Snow¡¯s hand a reassuring squeeze. ¡°We¡¯re going to save as many people as she can,¡± she declared, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± She turned back to the wide street and her team joined her. The damage stretched on and on towards the distant point where the street ended and the Kato ward began. ¡°It¡¯s horrible,¡± Harbinger said. ¡°Do you think this was intentional?¡± BLF asked. Snow frowned, ¡°Maybe,¡± she tapped her implant, ¡°I can pick up on Carter Radar alerts and I didn¡¯t get anything.¡± BLF scowled, ¡°If someone caused this, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°One thing at a time,¡± Crusader growled and forced herself forwards, ¡°But yeah, we¡¯ll get to that for sure.¡± Crusader and her team moved on. Grim faced, each new horror confronted with as much strength as they could manage. They didn¡¯t have time to weep, to mourn, to crack under the emotional strain. They had a job to do. A job they kept doing as they made their way down the wide street. Further and further until they arrived at the edge of the blast, her spirit already heavy before they¡¯d even arrived. Tall buildings were tilted back and away, the ground was cracked beneath their feet. Instead of sirens and screams there was nothing but an eerie silence. They stopped at a decorative archway that led into what had been a multi-story outdoor shopping center. Not out of hesitation, but because there was someone barring their path. The man that stood there was tall, with long hair that hung down to his shoulders. His body was slim and lithe, lanky. He stood with his shoulders slumped and his hands down at his sides. His fingers were long and spindly, gleaming like steel. His lips were spread into a bloodthirsty smile of razor sharp metallic teeth as he cast his gaze over the four of them. Crusader fixed him with a stare, ¡°Are you a local hero? Why are you just standing there?¡± she asked, holding her arm out for Alphonse to land. The hawk tilted its head to eye the stranger with caution. He pointed at himself, blinking at her, before bursting into laughter, ¡°Ishtar said you heroes weren¡¯t all that bright, but man! What does it look like?¡± he laughed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m Rivet, and I¡¯m here to keep you guys away from the boss.¡± Next to her, Harbinger snarled and raised her hammer, ¡°Liar,¡± she spat, ¡°Your name is Sir Conway.¡± Crusader whipped her head towards Harbinger. Right. She¡¯s Liberty¡¯s sister. She¡¯s met Liberty¡¯s Round Table. She knows what they look like. But¡­ why is he claiming to work for Ishtar? She turned towards the villain, Rivet, who was looking at Harbinger a bit perplexed. He squinted and leaned forward, holding his hand over his eyes to get a better look without the sunlight interfering. His eyes widened, ¡°Oh I almost didn¡¯t recognize you, young miss! Well now,¡± he sighed, ¡°This is a problem,¡± he frowned and tilted his head left and right, ¡°I was only supposed to slow you down until the situation became too much to recover from, but now?¡± He shrugged, ¡°I guess I gotta kill you,¡± he said lightly before vanishing. The next thing Crusader knew she was looking into a pair of glowing white eyes with gray sclera. Fast! ¡°Shoulda kept your mouths shut, Heroes!¡±. Chapter 194 It was like facing her teacher for the first time in a spar. One moment he was at a distance, the next he was inches away, his hand already moving forward to spear her with those long metallic fingers. He¡¯d wedged them together into a spear point, a brutal tool to deliver a quick and painful death. Crusader¡¯s training saved her life, though, power rushing through her legs as she kicked off the ground, cycling her internal energy as she managed a foot of distance before he struck. Her weapon raised to block the blow. She felt Alphonse separate from her shoulder with a cry, his wings glowing as he darted away to get some distance of his own. Steel struck steel and sparks flew. Her feet hit the ground and she pushed forward with a grunt, trying to throw him off his feet. He laughed and dropped like a puppet without strings just as Harbinger entered the fray, swinging her hammer through the empty space where his head had been. He whipped his body around and she jumped, anticipating a maneuver like the ones that Sonya liked to use to knock the legs out from under her opponents. Instead, a line of pain lanced up the side of her face and her eyes went wide with surprise. A feint! He sneered at her as his uppercut passed her and he flipped forward, throwing himself behind her. A kick snapping out to catch her in the small of her back. She gasped and staggered forward, catching BLF¡¯s eye as he pivoted, she knew that pose. She spun on her heel and brandished her weapon as Rivet dove at her, needle-point fingers extended. She dropped just at the last moment and he barked out a laugh, his eyes fixed on her as twelve feet of stretchy scaled leg entered his trajectory. Rivet¡¯s eyes went wide for just a moment before he crossed his arms in front of his chest, he took the blow and was thrown backwards and into the nearest building, crashing through the concrete wall like it was paper mache. ¡°AGI Formation!¡± Crusader shouted, the blood dripping from the side of her face slowed and stopped as gold light burned on the cut, ¡°Snow!¡± Behind her, Snow waved her hands and sauntered backwards, vanishing as if she¡¯d never been there. Harbinger darted to Crusader¡¯s right, positioning herself to be just outside of swinging reach from Crusader. BLF moved to stand at the front and between the two of them, his gleaming scales spreading further across his skin. He raised his fists, his newest toys from ASTA on full display. Hand guards equipped with segmented claws. They waited a full three heartbeats before Rivet climbed out of the hole he¡¯d made. Uninjured save for his damaged sleeves. He hopped out of the hole and looked down at his ruined coat, shaking his head before tearing both sleeves off and revealing arms coated in metal. ¡°I liked that shirt,¡± he said in disgust. His eyes flicked between the three of them before settling back on Crusader. She took a step and raised her broadsword up in a ready pose. His lip twitched and he shifted his feet in Harbinger¡¯s direction before vanishing again. An instant later he collided with BLF¡¯s suddenly extended arm, the scaled limb wrapping around his torso. BLF grunted and spun hard, swinging with all his might to throw the man at Harbinger who was already ready with a swing. Rivet¡¯s eyes went wide and he barked out a wild laugh. ¡°Oho! Yeah that¡¯s the stuff! Do it!¡± With loud bang, Harbinger¡¯s mighty swing collided with Rivet, sending him flying again. He howled with laughter as he flipped end over end, careening towards the roof of a building. He threw his hands down and dug them into the concrete, catching himself on the high ground. He stood up straight and rolled his shoulders languidly, it was like he didn¡¯t have bones. He was so flexible. He bounced on his feet in excitement and Crusader got a bad feeling in her gut as a surge of mana drew towards him. ¡°Incoming!¡± she shouted just as a shout of pain rang out from Harbinger¡¯s direction. Crusader whipped her head towards Harbinger on instinct and saw a metal spike poking out of her comrade¡¯s shoulder. Where¡¯d it come- Warning exploded in Crusader¡¯s mind and she whipped her head back from a metal spike that launched up to pierce through her chin. Is he making them? She thought frantically, spreading her senses out to catch the creation of objects. Nothing. No surge of matter taking shape only¡­ threads. ¡°Traps! Watch your feet!¡± she shouted as she felt movement in her direction again, she threw herself forward instead of back this time, moving into his oncoming attack. She met his manic gaze with her own stony glare and drove her shoulder forward. He planted a hand on her shoulder instead and flipped over her, dodging a whip kick from BLF. ¡°Spoilers aren¡¯t cool, you know!¡± He shouted, spinning like a gymnast in the air. He nearly touched his landing only for the ground beneath his feet to turn to ice with a hiss of static. He blinked, genuinely surprised for the first time as he nearly slipped. Harbinger already charging in his direction with her hammer mid swing. He frowned and threw his arm up, catching the blow and crumpling under the force of it, hurtling in a new direction and hitting the ground hard. He skipped once, twice, three times before stopping and getting to his feet with an annoyed grunt. He panned his gaze around, ¡°That wasn¡¯t real ice,¡± he spat in time to see Harbinger already closing in for another blow. He leaped up into the air and planted a hand on the hammer, pushing off and throwing himself higher. He spun and Crusader watched him sweep his gaze around the surrounding area. Oh no you don¡¯t! ¡°Snow! Change position!¡± she shouted before darting towards where he looked to be landing, she drew on her power and pushed it out, following the instincts that had been growing in her ever since the beginning of her time in the training camp, ¡°Al!¡± Rivet laughed as he neared the ground, turning to her and pointing a long finger in her direction only for a streak of golden flame to lance past him from above. He grunted with pain and pulled his hand back, ¡°What the fu-¡± ¡°FIRST STEP!¡± Crusader bellowed and planted her foot hard ahead of her swing. She consumed the momentum she¡¯d built and threw it into the attack. He looked away from his injured arm towards the broadsword that ignited as it traveled in his direction. He didn¡¯t have a moment to react as her sword collided with his chest and threw him back and towards the archway that marked the route into the Kato Ward. He hit the arch, hard, and slid down to land on his feet, swaying once before turning a cold expression on Crusader. He popped his neck, a trickle of blood dripping down from his temple, ¡°Okay,¡± he said, bloodlust boiling off of him in waves. He threw his hands down and another surge of mana poured towards him before being refined and released as those threads again. Dozens of them this time. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Spikes!¡± Crusader shouted and threw her arms out to her sides as she jumped backwards. Flames exploded from her arms to collide with Harbinger and BLF, healing flames wrapping around them as a storm of metal flew in all directions. Red hot spots of pain burst into being across her body, too many to avoid as she twisted and turned, swinging her sword now and then to block ones aimed at her vitals. When she landed she felt like a pincushion, blades poking out of her arms and legs. The only thing keeping the agony at bay was the golden flames already rising up to soothe her. Even so, she felt her right leg tremble and nearly go limp along with her arms. Grunting, she twisted her wrist to lock the gauntlet holding her sword. Every instinct screamed at her to check on her friends but she didn¡¯t dare peel her gaze away from Rivet as he stalked forward, long fingers flexing open and closed. ¡°You first,¡± he hissed, his eyes landing on Crusader only to narrow in consternation as static filled the air and several illusory copies of Crusader took shape. All injured. She could sense a veil around herself and struggled to get to her feet, reaching for the spike in her leg that was restricting her movement. She grit her teeth and yanked it out, pouring healing flames into the wound as Rivet made a decision, ¡°On second thought, I¡¯m getting the brat.¡± She whipped her head towards him just as he vanished, Snow! She turned frantically, grabbing more spikes, ¡°Where is he?¡± she shouted at the others. ¡°I don¡¯t see him!¡± BLF shouted back. ¡°No visual!¡± Harbinger confirmed. ¡°Al!¡± Crusader called, ¡°I need eyes on him, now!¡± Gunshots rang out before her avian familiar could respond. She turned in that direction, hastily checking her leg with a step before bolting forwards. A shape darted out from an alley followed by several more. A dozen Snows spreading out through the area with Rivet close behind. He raised his hand and drew mana again, his smile gone. ¡°Al!¡± Crusader shouted as she charged forward, Harbinger and BLF moving at the same time. A screech of fury came from above as Alphonse darted down once more, engulfed in gold flames. Rivet snarled at the approaching hawk and with an almost callous ease, swatted Al right out of the air before he hit. ¡°AL!¡± Rivet sneered and flexed his fingers, two spikes coming up out of the ground and impaling Al¡¯s wings, her familiar letting out a noisy screech of pain. Shock turned into rage as Crusader barreled forwards with a scream. He tilted his head as she closed in towards him, ¡°Oh come on, smells like a familiar, you can just-¡± ¡°MARCH OF-¡± ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± Rivet shouted back and whipped his arm in her direction, his limb¡­ extended and long thin nails drove into her shoulder and chest before she could even process what happened. She felt the fingers bend inside of her body, locking in place before he retracted his limb. It sounded like metal cord retracting on a spool. An instant later her nose was an inch from his, his breath a mix of mint and alcohol. He grinned at her, ¡°Surprise! Didn¡¯t think your stretchy friend was the only one, did you?¡± He laughed before another spike of pain erupted in her gut. Lillian coughed, her vision going fuzzy for a moment as something large dug into her abdomen. She let out a croak of pain. ¡°Whaaaat?¡± he asked playfully, ¡°I thought you were some kinda brave knight? Come on, where¡¯s that tough girl face?¡± he asked as her strength started to leave her. A flare of static filled the air and dozens of pop-ups and emojis burst into being in his face, scraping noises and shrieks pummeled him, discordant sounds that caused even a man like Rivet to pause in confusion. He staggered back, shaking his head and released his grip on Crusader, ¡°The fuck are all these?¡± he shouted, swatting at them with blood soaked claws. ¡°Fucking illusionist!¡± A large arm caught Crusader as she fell to the ground, a dark shape hurtling over her with a growling hiss. Crusader¡¯s vision went dark for a moment, her head swimming as she saw something huge rise up into the air before crashing down on the spot that Rivet occupied. The air filled with mist as BLF engaged. She blinked, trying to get her mind to focus as her skin began to feel clammy. I¡¯m losing blood, she realized. ¡°Crusader! Heal yourself!¡± Harbinger¡¯s voice came from far away. Crusader squinted up at her for several seconds before the words processed. She took in a sharp breath and let her golden flames engulf her, pain and weakness giving way to clarity. Clarity became anger that was tempered into focus. She poured as much internal energy as she dared into the healing, speeding it up. ¡°Just need a minute,¡± she coughed as Harbinger set her down. ¡°I can do a minute,¡± Harbinger nodded and raced over to join BLF. Crusader lay her head down, she couldn¡¯t hold it up anymore. All of her energy was going into healing. Faster. Come on. Faster. She urged herself as static filled her ears. Her lips formed a line, ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she said before Snow could ask, ¡°Focus on them,¡± she panted, ¡°He¡¯s sensitive to sounds, he didn¡¯t like whatever you did earlier.¡± The static faded without a word and instead Rivet let out an angry shriek of annoyance before a loud bang proceeded him getting launched once again and into yet another building. She turned her head enough to see him stagger out, arms hanging, face pinched in frustration. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Halloway was right! You pricks are a problem!¡± he shouted, ¡°Fuck this!¡± He whipped his head towards the path leading into the Kato ward as Harbinger and BLF charged at him. With her powers focused on closing the hole in her gut she couldn¡¯t sense whatever he did, but an instant later there was a loud explosion further down the path followed by a column of smoke. What? That was when something shrieked. Something horrible. He turned a sneer on them and raised a pair of needle fingers to his brow, ¡°You kids have fun,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m out.¡± ¡°LIKE HELL!¡± Harbinger bellowed and put on a burst of speed, swinging with all of her might. Crusader blinked when she saw the tip of Harbinger¡¯s hammer flicker once. Rivet spun to kick the blow away only for his eyes to go wide as the blow tore through his knee, obliterating it. His entire leg shattering into scraps as he let out a scream of pain. He hit the ground and Harbinger raised her hammer to crush him just as a sound that could only be described as ¡®stampede¡¯ drew close enough to be heard. The ground shook. Harbinger looked up in surprise and Crusader could do nothing as Rivet took the opportunity to throw his extendable arm up towards a nearby building. He pulled himself up, sneering at BLF who threw his own stretchy punch in his direction. He laughed as Harbinger turned back, a scream of frustration rising from her throat. ¡°You got bigger problems!¡± He shouted down at them as he disappeared over the side of the roof he¡¯d grabbed on to. ¡°I¡¯ll get you back for my leg, Cass!¡± Crusader rolled onto her side, pushing herself up to her knees as Snow appeared next to her, an arm reaching down to help her up. She took it gratefully and staggered to her feet, patting herself down to make sure the hole was gone. She panted and nodded at Snow, ¡°All healed up,¡± she said, tired. She flicked her gaze up towards the oncoming storm of movement. A cloud of dust and debris was charging towards them. A furious Harbinger and BLF hurried to join them. BLF cradling Al in his arms. He handed the exhausted and injured bird over to Crusader who held him close, pouring a little healing in to soothe his injuries. ¡°You did good, buddy, get some rest,¡± she said before looking up at the incoming danger with a frown. ¡°Might want to go find another spotting location,¡± Crusader said to Snow and hefted her sword onto her shoulder. The dust cloud began to dissipate, ¡°We¡¯re just getting started.¡± Chapter 195 The billowing cloud had nearly reached the arch leading into the Kato ward. Crusader drew in a breath and lowered her sword to her side, grip tightening. Flames erupted in her palm and spread up her arm and down the length of her blade. An inferno of gold wreathing her. She tilted her head up as the aches eased, her jaw set tightly. Alphonse fluttered into the air and darted towards safety, his wings restored enough to move. To Crusader¡¯s right, a nine-foot tall Harbinger took a fighting stance, her hammer at the ready. Her blonde hair was a tousled mess and her blue eyes were blazing bright with power and fury. To her left, BLF stretched his back and flexed his arms, his claw-guards gleaming in the sunlight beating down on them. His scales grew thicker as he stretched his jaw in preparation, his dagger-like fangs bared. Static filled the air. Spiked pillars of shimmering crystal appeared on the ground, spreading out like weeds in the area in front of them. Ice spread along the ground and illusory snow began to fall from the sky. Crusader popped her neck and frowned as a pang of residual pain burned in her core. She grit her teeth as the clouds parted. CROOAAAHHKKKKK! Eyes, wild and spread in mind-shattering mania bulged out of a vaguely human face, a mouth hanging open beneath them filled with curved and pointed teeth. Its nose was twisted and broken. It let out an inhuman howl from the very depths of its throat, a groan and croak in one. Massive taloned hands extended as its torso twisted and writhed atop what looked like a ten foot long centipede. A hundred long yellowed legs scrambling across the ground in a frantic dash to lash out at prey. Crusader¡¯s nostrils flared, determination and fury pushing back against the icy terror that tried to worm its way up her spine. More came. A writhing horde of nightmarish half humanoid half centipedes that shrieked and groaned, their insane eyes fixed on the trio standing in their way. Crusader didn¡¯t hesitate. She charged, planting her first step and starting her push towards a new momentum for her ability. A shout rose up in her throat that turned into a roar of challenge. Harbinger moved in next and BLF leaped forward, his powerful arms stretching towards his nearest target. For a moment, the world felt still for Crusader as she crossed the distance. Then the two sides collided. A brutal uppercut slashed up and along the torso of the monster that threw its body back in a horrible groan of pain. Its yellow legs snapping out to catch her. She brought her weapon back down and knocked back the strikes with a follow-up stroke. The creature whipped its torso back, trying to curl around her. She snapped her free hand out and brought a fist into its face, bone cracking beneath her armored knuckles. Another one of the horrors slid across the ground to her right before colliding face first into Harbinger¡¯s hammer while BLF landed on another¡¯s chest and jabbed his bladed fists down into its throat and chest over and over. Faster! Crusader demanded of herself, grabbing the beast by the face and pulling with all her might to slam it down at the ground. It collided with pavement with a wet crunch, its disturbing lower half twitching spasmodically before going abruptly still. She stepped over it, teeth bared as another came charging at her. Its nightmare scream echoing in her ears. She pushed it off, flames coiling around her weapon and bursting out from her body in a wave. Flames caught on friends and foe alike as she dove into a clockwise spin, throwing her weight into a strike that bisected the monster¡¯s head. Another step. One of them got in close enough to bite her arm. She kicked it off, ignoring the pain that spread with the clearly acidic venom. Her flames would take care of it. She drove her weapon up and into its chest where its heart likely was, twisting and pulling out before pushing past. A bang rang out as one of the things was sent hurtling away by Harbinger¡¯s swing, her comrade leaving a path of crushed bodies behind her in her fury. Crusader only gave her friends cursory looks white focusing on the fight to keep track of their locations amidst the mass of bodies. BLF was in the process of literally biting one of their heads off, his body growing slightly in bulk as he consumed. His powerful arms growing larger, his swings stretching longer. One beast at a time, one swing at a time. Step. Step. Step. Step. Even as they frantically tried to get to her, they could only mindlessly slip and stumble on the ice and around the illusory pillars. Their momentum was broken by Snow¡¯s control of the field. Crusader felt her internal energy cycling faster, there weren''t any breaks in the combat here, no misdirections, no moments to lose what she¡¯d built. Pure battle. Her eyes glowed as she pushed all of her will into her form. Another down. Another. She threw off another bite, pummeled another skull, cut another chest open. She was focused, almost mindlessly so. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was her fury over their clear loss to Rivet or everything else, but she felt her instincts scream up to meet the challenge. Her mouth opened and she released a sonorous cry of an enormous bird of prey, gold flames streaking out in a stream and pouring into the wound she¡¯d made. The incinerated monster collapsed as another rushed forward to take its place. She saw more coming in from behind, and endless wave. Her lips parted in a roar as terror and concern were thrown aside for one thing and one thing alone. ¡°FIRST MARCH OF THE CRUSADER!¡± she bellowed, her next step causing the ground to shake slightly. Rivet had stopped her last time, but these things weren¡¯t smart enough to know. She grabbed her weapon with both hands and swung, an arc of golden flame leaping from her sword as a swing that would have normally wounded or killed with the right positioning cut one of the creatures in half. The flames spread from the point of impact, shrieks of pain and fury rising up in her ears. She took another step and bisected another from waist to crown, stepping through the body and swinging again. Again. Faster! Again. FASTER! She heard static. Someone¡¯s voice. KEEP GOING! She fumed, putting it aside. She was about to cleave through another when something wrapped around her leg. She jerked to a stop and looked down. One of the ones she¡¯d thought she¡¯d cut down had grabbed her. It yanked hard and she was pulled bodily into the air. Upside down. Her fury cleared for a moment and her eyes took in the mass of writhing bodies trying to surround her and her friends. There were already so many. Her heart leaped into her throat as she whipped her head towards the face of the creature holding her aloft. She snarled at it and moved to swing only for one of its yellowed legs to snap out to block it. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Damn it!¡± A crash sounded nearby and she met Harbinger¡¯s gaze, her friend was too far away to assist. Static filled the air and the creature let out a shriek of pain, clutching at its head and throwing it about in a wild panic. It let go of Crusader who fell to the ground in a heap. She tried to stand but a wave of exhaustion washed over her, a dull ache, worse than any she¡¯d felt before. How long did I keep First March going? She wondered breathlessly as she tried to rise. The monster above her tossed its head about, whatever Snow was doing to it was more than a little painful. Her muscles gave out, Shit! The monster lowered its arms, maddened eyes bloodshot as it looked down at her with unmasked hatred. THOP! The sound startled Crusader. She blinked as a black something appeared on the side of the creature¡¯s head. Its eyes went vapid and it swayed before falling to its side. THOP! THOP! THOP! Three more of the things dropped as they charged towards the exhausted hero. Her eyes went wide as she recognized them, up close, there was no mistaking those black shafts and fletchings. That was when a snickering laugh rang out and she drew up enough strength to shout into her comm, ¡°Snow! We need shade! Make it dark!¡± The obscuring snowfall ceased to be with a rush of static, the pillars evaporating as well. Light began to dim as it was bent away from where they were, the world becoming twilight. An instant later a shape out of dreams and nightmares rose amidst the largest cluster of the creatures. It had a round head that was matte black, a big smile on its face with two white dots for eyes. It had a hammer in its hands, cartoonishly large even by its titanic standards. It snickered and laughed, sweeping its weapon through the gathered horde and crushing bodies like bugs against a windshield. A shape landed next to her and she was pulled to her feet. She turned, wide eyed, and met the gray eyes of Bandit. His messy black hair even messier with sweat. His dark eyes were more hollow, his expression grim. ¡°Can you keep going?¡± He asked quickly. ¡°Just need to recover a moment,¡± she panted, ¡°Thanks for the save.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get swept up in it,¡± he said sharply, ¡°Manage your power use. Overdo it and you¡¯re as good as dead.¡± She nodded, cowed slightly and let out a shaky breath. ¡°Right.¡± He patted her shoulder and cracked a grin, ¡°Looks like your team comp could use a ranged striker,¡± he said after giving her a moment to mull over her mistake. ¡°Team up?¡± She knelt down and picked up her sword, ¡°Absolutely,¡± she said and reached up to tap her comm again, ¡°Snow?¡± She called, glancing at her friends. They were holding out much better than she had in her fury. BLF was consuming as much as he could to keep his energy levels up and Harbinger was focused on avoiding blows rather than tanking them. ¡°You good now?¡± Snow asked through the comm, her voice terse. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Just glad you¡¯re okay. That Bandit?¡± ¡°Yeah, add him to the whitelist for your illusions, we¡¯re teaming up,¡± She said quickly, I¡¯m gonna catch my breath while Inky keeps them busy,¡± she said and glanced towards the massive cartoon character who was swinging it¡¯s hammer around with merry abandon, occasionally snatching one unlucky monster up and biting it in half before tossing its remains over its shoulder. Inky liquid spread out on the ground around it, occasionally dragging monsters inside that vanished without returning. ¡°On it, be safe,¡± Snow said and cut the connection. Crusader caught her breath and let out a heavy sigh, setting her shoulders again and looking towards the seemingly endless horde. It was like every single monster in the dungeon had been released at once which, she realized, was exactly what they were dealing with. ¡°You¡¯re illusionist is good, Snow, right?¡± Bandit said as he glanced her way. She nodded and he gave her an assessing look. ¡°I saw a good deal before I got close enough,¡± he said, ¡°Looks like that move of yours depends on taking steps. Something you get swept up in?.¡± She nodded. ¡°Why not take reverse steps and keep your momentum?¡± He asked quickly, turning to snap an arrow at an incoming creature. It dropped as the arrow punctured a hole in its head. She blinked at him and he gave her a hard look, ¡°You aren¡¯t a forward striker. That power of yours heals and supports your allies. You¡¯re a rock in a river. Don¡¯t move around so much. Now get your head in the game!¡± With that he started taking darting steps backwards to get some distance, he turned sharply and threw one hand out, a ribbon of black metal snapping out from his wrist that latched onto a distant roof. He launched towards his destination as she turned to look back at the horde and took a deep breath. ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± she said and reached up to tap her comm, ¡°New formation. Get close to me and stay in range of my aura,¡± she said and raised her sword in front of her as more of them began to slip past Inky who was getting overwhelmed. He melted into a puddle and darted away, taking a few of them with him. She filled her lungs and let out a shout of challenge, ¡°COME AT ME!¡± she roared, gold flames washing out around her in a circular wave and setting the ground ablaze. A corpse of a monster flew past her face as Harbinger charged into the pool flames, chest heaving as her wound covered body began to slowly heal. BLF arrived next, his face soaked in blood and his weary eyes filling with vigor when he reached her. She smiled at the two of them before looking back at the monsters with a savage grin. ¡°Don¡¯t stop until it''s done, heroes.¡± ¨C The last of the human slash centipede centaur things dropped beneath Crusader¡¯s blade and she fell to a knee, the blazing pool around her stuttering and nearly going out. A big hand caught her arm and pulled her to her feet. She smiled up at Harbinger before looking out over the field of carnage. Hundreds of bodies lay strewn about, twisted and broken beneath the combined wrath of the heroes. Many peppered with Bandit¡¯s black arrows. BLF stepped over a pair of bodies and stopped next to her and raised an arm with a weary grin. She clapped her forearm against his. ¡°Good work guys.¡± ¡°Not bad at all,¡± Bandit said from behind them, walking forward with Snow in tow. He tilted his head, ¡°Still some refining to do but this was a far better test than a dungeon run.¡± Crusader barked out a tired laugh, ¡°I don¡¯t think the test is over.¡± His expression turned hard, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m afraid. Catch your breath while you can. Today you guys are going to prove without a doubt the kind of heroes you are.¡± ¨C Handmaiden stood atop the crumbled building, looking down from her vantage towards the crater that had formed from the initial blast. Her lips thinned into a line as she watched more of the nightmarish insect-things pour out of the broken portal that had been hidden underground. She shifted her gaze from the portal to the thing coiled around it. A massive centipede, easily wider than two school busses side by side. Two hundred, maybe three hundred feet long and its carapace decorated with corpses half submerged into the armored chitin leaving heads and limbs poking out at disturbing angles. She frowned as her gaze settled on the face of the creature. It wasn¡¯t a ¡®centaur¡¯ like the others. Instead, where an insects head should be within a sheath of chitinous armor, a large human head was visible. Massive. With its mouth opened in agony and despair. She knew that face. Her heart sank as mister Takehara¡¯s lifeless, agonized gaze turned to look in her direction. Chapter 196 The wind whipped past Handmaiden as she stared down into the vacant eyes of the creature that most certainly had to be the boss of the dungeon break. Her gown whipped around her, the rustling of fabric the only sound amidst the eerie silence of the epicenter. She flexed the fingers in her gauntlet-clad hands and glanced up at the sky when the boss didn¡¯t move. Guarding the portal, no doubt, she thought as multicolored lightning flashed soundlessly in dark clouds. She reached up to tap her earpiece twice. ¡°Select contact: Sapporo.¡± There was a moment''s pause as the signal clicked over and a chime rang out. <¡°This is Sapporo, who is this? How do you have this channel?¡±> ¡°Handmaiden, what is your status?¡± she asked. <¡±Understood. I am almost recovered. What is the situation?¡±> She set her jaw and took a deep breath. Describing the situation in any sufficient way was hopeless. Grief was hard to come by. Not out of heartlessness, but from the sheer volume of tragedy that had visited this place. The amount of death was staggering. To walk through a place like this even once would touch a person for the rest of their life. She looked down at her armored fingers as she mulled over how to respond. And yet you saw so many more. She clenched her fist and let out a weary sigh. ¡°Unspeakable,¡± she said, ¡°I have some bad news to put on top of it all, though. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, ¡°I figure you¡¯d rather hear it from me than someone else.¡± ¡°Say it,¡± he said after a chilly pause. ¡°The anchor monster has Takehara¡¯s face,¡± she said. Another pause, one that made her heart ache a little. She closed her eyes as he finally spoke again, ¡°I see. Thank you for telling me. Will you do me a favor, Miss Handmaiden?¡± ¡°Anything,¡± she said. ¡°I must protect the people, get them away from the affected area. It will take time for me to build up strength to participate,¡± he rumbled, his words hollow, ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me. End his suffering, please.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¨C ¡°Snow!¡± Crusader shouted, throwing herself forwards across the fissure in the street ahead of her. Static filled the air that consolidated into a platform of light. Crusader landed on it and hopped forward, pushing herself towards the other side and landing. She spun as she slid to a stop, planting her feet and gripping her weapon with both hands. A dome of golden flame burst from her body, more controlled than before, more refined. She was starting to get the hang of it. She took a step back as the first of the yamukade-what Snow had started calling the undead centipede centaurs-leaped over the other side in a desperate scramble to get to her. She took deep breath in, gold flames rushing up her nostrils. Her veins glowed bright as the creature began to burn the moment it entered her space. Its skin sloughed off, its wild eyes popping as it reached for it in maddened pain. She swung and relieved it of its head as two more came. One step to the right, downward slash. One step forward, uppercut. Square step. Minimize movement. Let them wash towards me. My very presence is pain for them but they come anyway. Let it happen. A step to the left, another swing, back to the beginning. Momentum built. Power cycling in her core, her internal energy rising higher and higher. Far ahead of her, along the path she had come, the creatures hurtled into the air with their bodies smashed or crushed. A mountainous figure charged through them with her hammer swinging in wide strokes. Any time one of the creatures managed to pivot to lunge a black streak embedded itself in its head, putting it down. Two more tried to throw themselves over the fissure only for a pair of enormous arms coated in black scales to snap out from far below and drag them down with a terrible fleshy crunch. The third fell victim to yet another swing of her sword as the bulk of the horde finally arrived, pushed along by Harbinger and Bandit. ¡°Let¡¯s try it Snow! Picking up the pace!¡± she called. ¡°Hell yes!¡± Snow shouted back with delight. Crusader exhaled a small tuft of golden flame as the words crossed her lips. Light flickered around her body along with the sound of static. The next moment she stepped back and left an afterimage of herself behind, her eyes fixed on the sea of targets before her. Some being pulled down into the fissure below but not all. ¡°First March of the Crusader,¡± she said with an eerie calm and swung. Flames rushed out from her blade in a wave, cutting two of them in two. A step to the right, another afterimage, another swing. Hallucinations of her appeared with each step she took, each moving in different steady directions. The reach and arcs of her attacks making the source even more confusing. The yamukade spread out rather than focus on where she was really standing. Igniting as they landed all around her. It was her personal killing field. They could enter, wash past her, but they could not get away. Nothing could. ¨C Crusader wiped her lip as she surveyed the latest hunt before turning to look at the others. BLF was about as tall as Harbinger now, his body bulked out with all the additional mass he¡¯d consumed. She imagined that the boy he¡¯d been when she¡¯d met him would have been grinning right about now. Instead he was standing dead center of where they were resting, his head on a swivel, his tongue flicking out constantly as his eyes scanned every shadow. Harbinger sat on the ground, her horns covered in blood and her perfect blonde hair a disturbing pink. Her blue eyes glowed as she flicked a glance towards Crusader and nodded grimly. Crusader returned the nod. We aren¡¯t going to be the same after this, she thought hollowly before turning to Snow who was sitting atop a vending machine with her eyes unfocused. Her fingers twitching. Those pearlescent eyes flicked towards her for a moment and softened with a bit of reassuring warmth before going right back to work. Thank goodness you¡¯re here, you¡¯ve got spine for all of us. Crusader let out a breath and glanced up to the sky, whistling once. A cry rang out and Alphonse swept down to her arm. ¡°Anything?¡± she asked. Alphonse spread his wings and then looked her dead in the eyes. Instinct took over. She let it happen. No resistance. That feeling she got when she first met him. That mutual understanding. ¡°Not Rivet, but someone like him?¡± she asked. Bandit stepped out of a shadow nearby, ¡°Where?¡± he asked with a frown. She returned her attention to Alphonse and he whipped his head towards the path they were already heading down before tilting it to the east. ¡°East,¡± she said, ¡°Not far ahead though. Waiting for someone to come their way.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Definitely stalling for time like you said,¡± Bandit growled, ¡°Harbinger confirmed they¡¯re actually Liberty¡¯s people?¡± Crusader nodded and glanced up to meet Harbinger¡¯s gaze. Her comrade got to her feet and started lumbering over, ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re claiming to be Ishtar¡¯s people. I think¡­¡± she swallowed, ¡°I think Tokyo got caught up in their war.¡± ¡°Ishtar wants order,¡± Harbinger growled as she approached, Crusader looked her over. Her wounds were healing faster than ever. Growth in her ability? This whole thing was like a crucible for them. ¡°She¡¯s made that clear in many of her addresses. She doesn¡¯t want dungeon breaks.¡± Bandit spat on the ground, ¡°What was it she said? ¡®I can¡¯t rule a dead world?¡¯ or something to that effect?¡± he turned to Harbinger, ¡°What do you think? Is this a strategy to discredit her platform in the eyes of the other villains?¡± Static filled the air, ¡°We¡¯re still missing something from all this. My gut tells me we¡¯re only seeing a small part of the picture,¡± Snow said. BOOOOOM! The ground shook as a flash of white light erupted to the south, in the direction of the epicenter. Crusader stumbled and spun towards the source with the others. BLF landed next to her, likely having leaped over to join them. He crossed his arms, ¡°What the hell was that? The boss?¡± Bandit shook his head as a feeling washed over Crusader. It felt¡­ righteous. Protective. A stalwart presence. Illuminating. He smiled nostalgically as she and the others looked at him; ¡°That¡¯s Handmaiden putting her back into it.¡± Crusader let out a sigh of relief, ¡°That means things will come to a close soon, right? A rare boss doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± Bandit frowned, ¡°With how unusual this situation is, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I¡¯m sure you all have also noticed that we haven¡¯t seen any backup either.¡± Crusader turned to look at him, a bad feeling warring in her gut, ¡°I noticed but-¡± He sighed, ¡°Tokyo manages six dungeons. This one wasn¡¯t one of them. Could you imagine if another one of them burst from the mana release? Now, Handmaiden is fighting and Sapporo is probably going to try to join at some point,¡± he said as more pops and flashes of white light erupted from that distant place, the sound of thunder clapping followed them. ¡°They¡¯ll have to work extra hard to keep those dungeons stable. I think we¡¯re on our own until the boss is done. At least on this side of Kato Ward.¡± Crusader watched as worry crossed BLFs face, ¡°But we can only cover so much area!¡± She nodded her agreement, ¡°There¡¯s no way we caught every monster on the way.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that, heroes!¡± Crusader felt a chill run up her spine as she whirled towards the new voice. She looked up to the roof of a building only a few hundred feet away. I didn¡¯t sense them! Alphonse let out a screech of warning when two figures came into view on top of the building. One was a bulky man with a smiling, almost wholesome face. He wore a white jumpsuit armored with plates. His hair was black and combed over neatly. The other was a thin looking woman with a grave look on her face. She wore matching armor. She was twirling something between her fingers in both hands that Crusader could only make out when she paused. Crusader¡¯s heart stopped. Human bones. Crusader steadied herself and stood with her sword at the ready, her eyes fixed on the two villains standing atop the building. She shot a glance towards BLF who had moved himself into a position to her left. Static filled her ears along with a quick affirmation that Bandit and Snow had already begun moving to new vantage points, leaving illusions of themselves behind in their wake. Harbinger stepped past her, the titan of a woman standing tall despite her bloody and world-weary state. ¡°Pence and Song,¡± she growled. The big man of the two turned his smiling face towards Harbinger and his eyes brightened. ¡°Oho! Young miss! Rivet said you were here! To think you and your group did such a number on him,¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°Quit pretending to be something that you aren¡¯t, Pence,¡± Harbinger snapped. Crusader watched her friends back tense, her hands tightening around her hammer as she pulled it closer to her chest. Pence put his hands on his hips, ¡°Wooow! You¡¯ve really grown a spine since the last time I saw you sniveling at your sister¡¯s feet!¡± he laughed and rubbed his nose, ¡°It¡¯s Sojurn by the way, and this is Dirge,¡± he said, gesturing to the grave looking woman sitting on the roof next to him. Sojourn and Dirge. Probably can get some hints from their codenames. Crusader thought as she took a half step to the right, her eyes fixed on the pair. She shot a look towards Harbinger. She wasn¡¯t sure if her friend was just angry or trying to dig for information. Either way, the longer this conversation went the better. She glanced at Alphonse who tensed on her shoulder, ready to take action as soon as he was needed. Harbinger took a hostile step forward, ¡°What is she really planning, Pence?¡± she put a hard snap on the last word, drawing an odd reaction from the black-haired man. He smiled even wider. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy breaking you, but not until we punish the rest of your group for what you did to Rivet,¡± he declared, ¡°The Doctor isn¡¯t happy about having to fix him up.¡± Crusader watched Harbinger¡¯s entire body go still. Her ally¡¯s hammer nearly dropped out of her hands, ¡°The Doctor is here?¡± Crusader squinted at her friend. Was that¡­ relief? ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s here,¡± Sojourn said, delighted by her reaction, ¡°With the anchor monster. I wonder how your mythic friend is going to do?¡± Crusader took a step forward, ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating Handmaiden,¡± she shouted and took up a stance next to Harbinger, she shot her friend a look as well as a comforting note of warmth through her ability, ¡°As well as the rest of us. Now who is this doctor and what did you mean earlier about us not having to worry about the monsters?¡± Harbinger straightened up a bit, meeting Crusader¡¯s gaze and smiled a little. ¡°They¡¯re both the same answer. The Doctor¡¯s ability lets her control and manipulate monsters. She¡¯s been sending them our way,¡± Harbinger said before flicking her eyes back towards the pair standing before them. ¡°They¡¯ve been trying to wear us down for this fight by throwing all the monsters at us in waves. Which means not many of them have gone out into the rest of the city.¡± ¡°You make it sound like we¡¯re worried about fighting you,¡± Sojourn laughed. Harbinger drew her hammer up and slammed the pole into the ground, adjusting her gauntlets. She popped her neck and grinned up at Sojourn, ¡°Are you? Have you been watching?¡± She asked before patting Crusader on the shoulder. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find we¡¯re fresher than you expected,¡± her expression went hard, ¡°And better equipped.¡± Crusader searched her friend''s face for a moment before it dawned on her. They were just blindly throwing the monsters at their group. Rivet had seen a bit of their abilities, but didn¡¯t know the full restorative nature of Crusader¡¯s power or the fact that Bandit had joined up with them. She shot a glance towards BLF. They didn¡¯t know about BLF¡¯s ability growing more functional and powerful as he gained mass. They were operating under the understanding that their team was a bunch of freshly minted heroes. Worse. They were far less bloodthirsty than Rivet. They wanted to talk. Sojourn seemed to pause as his face panned to take their group in again. Behind him, a dark shape began to billow out from within the shadow of a large air-conditioning unit. Crusader got into her stance, weapon up and at the ready. BLF shifted a bit further to the left while staying within the range of her golden ring. Harbinger took a few heavy steps to the right, her eyes fixed on Sojourn. His attention had panned to the two very still illusions standing behind Crusader and her group. She saw his eyes go wide. ¡°Dirge!¡± he shouted and threw himself off the side of the building just as Inky took form behind them with his hammer raised. The cartoonish familiar brought the hammer down with a lunatic cackle, striking the empty spot where both Dirge and Sojourn had been. Arrows came next, a stream of black needles that pelted the duo as they headed towards the ground. Dirge opened her mouth and held out her hands, the bones in her grip multiplying as a hollow groaning chord rang out from her chest. A sphere of yellow-white bone wrapped around the two, blocking the arrows just in time for them to hit the ground. ¡°GO!¡± Crusader shouted and charged forward, the ground at their feet turning into a sea of crystalline spikes. She walked right through it, unimpeded as Harbinger shot past her. Crusader opened up her ring of gold and a wave of fire and warmth washed over her companions before buffeting the bone that stood between them and their targets. Harbinger was at the sphere in an instant, her hammer coming down with titanic force. She cracked the bone shell like an egg, fragments scattering and burning up in the air as a blade of bone shot up to catch her in the jaw. Sojurn¡¯s mass darted out of the shell and charged straight towards Crusader. Every step caused him to accelerate as his armored body turned into a bullet. ¡°DIE!¡± Chapter 197 Crusader slid to a stop and planted her sword in the ground, focusing all her energy on pushing her aura to its limits. Her skin gleamed as she became the rock in the river. The platform on which her friends could stand upon. Harbinger pulled away from Dirge¡¯s opening assault while Sojourn was pulled bodily towards a laughing BLF whose eyes had begun to glow with an amber light, his fangs bared. ¡°You done goofed!¡± BLF shouted with mirth as Sojourn let out a sudden gasp of pain, BLF¡¯s constrictive grasp already causing his bones to creak. The villain twisted his body with a snarl and slid out of BLF¡¯s grasp like he was made of rubber, ¡°You can¡¯t hold me!¡± he shouted only for an arrow to appear, embedded in his shoulder. He staggered backwards, letting out a shout of pain as he stepped on an illusory blade. ¡°Damn it Rivet, your intel was shit! Dirge! Do something!¡± he shrieked as BLF lunged at him again, fangs bared and arms whipping out like constrictors. Just past them, Harbinger had gotten some distance from the shell where Dirge was rising up, her hands raised as a sonorous drone rose from her throat. Bones began to pull themselves from the ground as if it were a swamp. The sound sent a chill down Crusader¡¯s spine, it¡­ itched. A terrible feeling that began to claw at her mind. She felt her bones start to move under her own flesh. It was unlike any pain she¡¯d ever experienced before. She felt her entire body begin to move against her will as she dropped to her knees. BLF staggered right into a punch from Sojourn. Harbinger nearly lost her grip on her weapon as she swung at the first of the skeletons that rose, crushing one and overextending. The other skeletons lunging at her with needle-pointed fingers extended. Shit, what the- The droning stopped. The pain stopped. Crusader gasped as she felt her bones settle inside her body. She could feel her own ligaments having torn beneath the strain, her powers already moving to heal the injury. She forced her jaw up to see that the spikes had vanished from the ground and Dirge holding her head in a silent wail of agony. She was staggering left and right, shaking her head as blood dripped from her nose and ears. Crusader grinned and turned towards Sojourn who had gotten to his feet. He looked to Dirge and then to BLF who was already getting back up, gold fire gleaming on his chest and along his arms and legs. Sojourn turned to Crusader with an accusatory glare. ¡°You.¡± She smiled at him, ¡°Me and someone pretty freaking amazing,¡± she said. ¡°How?¡± He demanded, pulling the arrow from his shoulder with a snarl. ¡°You weren¡¯t this strong when you fought Rivet.¡± ¡°You gave us great training materials to work with, brush up some techniques and get our teamwork solid,¡± Crusader said with a shrug, ¡°Really helped us out.¡± His lips thinned into a line before he sighed, ¡°Fine, I guess you¡¯ve earned it,¡± he cracked a grin, a copper glow beginning to rise beneath his skin, ¡°Strength from-¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that!¡± Harbinger bellowed from the side. Crusader glanced in her friends direction and saw her holding her hammer out in warning towards Sojourn who shot her an icy glare. She smiled darkly at him, ¡°Unless you want people to know who was actually involved in this. Seems like you have put a lot of effort into creating a different story, if you mess that up, won¡¯t Stella be mad?¡± He whirled at her, ¡°Her name is LIBERTY!¡± He bellowed, the copper glow vanishing from his body despite his fury. ¡°You made a bad move this time, Sojourn, Sir Pence,¡± Crusader said behind him, raising her weapon to point at his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She met his gaze with her own, ¡°Under the authority of the Pandora Committee I am placing you and your compatriot under arrest for crimes related to this disaster.¡± ¡°Like hell,¡± he snapped, taking a few steps to the left, ¡°I¡¯m not missing the war.¡± ¡°BLF!¡± Crusader shouted. A pair of massive arms launched in Sojourn¡¯s direction only for the man to go rocketing backwards as if he had been hit by a truck, a smile on his face. He came to an abrupt stop in the shell where a now unconscious Dirge lay. He scooped her up as a shadow came down from overhead, the massive form of Inky landing with its hammer already raised to smash the pair. Crusader pulled her sword from the ground and darted forward with BLF as Harbinger charged in. Sojourn launched up into the air, his body moving backwards despite defying all physics. He landed where he had been when they were talking before on the roof and barked out a laugh. ¡°Still got the anchor monster to worry about, heroes! I wouldn¡¯t spend too much time chasing us! Things are about to get wild!¡± With that, he was pulled once again through the air, traveling backwards like a toy on a string. Crusader slid to a stop, her weapon lowered. She cursed, ¡°What the hell kind of power is that?¡± Harbinger slammed her own weapon to the ground, ¡°I knew it was some kind of travel power, but I wasn¡¯t sure. He moved along the same path he made going forward like a time reversal but contained to him and what he was carrying.¡± BLF spat, ¡°Slippery bastard, I couldn¡¯t hold him either. It was like impairing his movement was impossible.¡± Static filled the air, ¡°He stepped on one of my spikes. Illusions work on him,¡± Snow said. Crusader crossed her arms and gave it some thought, ¡°Some kind of ability that is influenced by the path he¡¯s traveling or has traveled,¡± she muttered, ¡°I think Dirge is the bigger problem. You said her real name was Song?¡± ¡°Ana Song, Dame Song,¡± Harbinger said with a nod, ¡°Last I saw her she had the ability to create bone spikes. The armor and skeletons are new.¡± Bandit approached from wherever he¡¯d been hiding, slinging his bow onto his back. He scowled at the spot where the two had escaped, ¡°What did she do to you? I wasn¡¯t in range of whatever it was.¡± ¡°I think she took control of our bones,¡± BLF grumbled, ¡°I could feel them trying to tear themselves out of my body.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all physically enhanced,¡± Crusader pointed out, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what she could do to a normal person.¡± ¡°Probably rip them right out,¡± BLF hazarded, his expression grave, ¡°We need to catch them.¡± Crusader met his gaze. He was right that they were going to be a danger to other people, but they could be anywhere at this point. A flash of white light burst in the distance and she turned towards it. They had to consider their priorities. If this Doctor was sending monsters at them in waves that meant the monsters weren¡¯t going out into the city just yet. If they pushed towards the center they could kill two birds with one stone. They needed to keep going. She shook her head, ¡°No, we stay our course. If they pull us away we might lose time we could put into helping Handmaiden.¡± Harbinger let out a sigh next to her, ¡°I hate that you¡¯re right. I want to crush his¡­¡± she set her jaw and shook her head, ¡°...no, he needs to go on trial. What he did to me doesn¡¯t matter.¡± BLF shot her a look, ¡°You have history?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Harbinger closed her eyes, ¡°Let¡¯s just say he wanted the first bite, I got away,¡± she said and threw her hammer over her shoulder, ¡°Come on, let''s get going.¡± Bandit, who had remained silent during their deliberations, nodded with approval before shooting a look towards Crusader, ¡°They could try again.¡± ¡°I figured,¡± she said with a nod, ¡°Let''s have Inky and Alphonse keep an eye out while we move,¡± she turned to her familiar and touched his feathers. He let out a cry of determination and launched into the sky, darting in the direction of the flashing lights. Inky melted into a puddle before turning into a lanky and absurd looking cartoon dog before bounding off with a snicker. She tapped her earpiece, ¡°Hey Snow, you good to keep moving?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already on my way, cutie, keep up,¡± Snow laughed, ¡°You¡¯re welcome for the save, by the way.¡± Crusader snorted and shook her head, ¡°Alright team!¡± she shouted, ¡°Let''s go!¡± ¨C Even with their spirits up from their coordinated trouncing of the villains Dirge and Sojourn, the ever worsening devastation around them put a damper on their conversation as they walked. The waves of monsters came thinner and thinner each time while the flashes of light in the distance grew closer and more frequent. Crusader kept her head on a swivel despite it all. Her gut told her that the thinning monster waves was a tactic and not a consequence. This was far from over. The one thing they found themselves not having to do was look for survivors. It was pointless, and doing so would only do more harm for their morale than good. There were no bodies. The fates of those caught up in the explosion either being annihilated by the local wave of mana or finished off by the monsters that poured out. ¡°What I don¡¯t get,¡± BLF cut into the silence as they trudged through yet another decimated street, Harbinger at his side with a grim look on her face, ¡°Was how they were here before us.¡± Crusader and Bandit glanced his way. She had been walking with him and Snow in silence for the past few minutes. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Bandit asked. ¡°Rivet, Sojourn, Dirge,¡± BLF counted on his fingers. ¡°They were well inside the area of the blast but they were fine. They obviously had something to do with this whole thing, probably set the dungeon break up. So they¡­ what? Set the charges and stood next to it?¡± Static filled the air as Snow chimed in, ¡°Probably a bomb shelter made out of the same stuff as the training room back at the guild,¡± Snow suggested, ¡°That¡¯s what I would do.¡± They all looked her way and she returned their stares with a raised eyebrow, ¡°What?¡± Crusader frowned, I can¡¯t imagine a mindset where someone would just be okay with all this. She looked towards an upturned car that had been partially blackened by the blast. Her eyes landed on the carbonized shapes inside the cabin and she looked away. It¡¯s inhuman. Overhead, she spotted Alphonse heading back in their direction. He let out a screech similar to the ones he gave when he saw monsters but less urgent. He wasn¡¯t close enough for her to feel what his meaning was. ¡°Al spotted something, come on.¡± They picked up the pace down the latest stretch of road before hitting a turn. Bandit went up ahead and pressed himself against the corner of a lopsided building. Crusader watched him peer around the side, freeze, and then step away while scratching his head. He turned and waved to them to come over. Crusader was at his side in an instant with an equally perplexed look on her face to his own. Before them was a stretch of road about two blocks long covered in the bodies of yamukade. They were all bloodied and torn in places. Alphonse came down with a flap of his wings and landed on Crusader¡¯s shoulder, its head whipping about to examine the field of death. ¡°What the hell?¡± Harbinger breathed as she caught up to them. ¡°Yeah,¡± Crusader grunted, ¡°Who did this? Did backup arrive?¡± Bandit shook his head, ¡°The JSDF and Sapporo have been maintaining a perimiter around the break zone. The military doesn¡¯t have the equipment to push further in and Sapporo isn¡¯t done making sure civilians are at a safe distance. I haven¡¯t gotten any word about heroes leaving the dungeons to help either. It¡¯s just us in here.¡± Crusader crossed her arms and glanced at Snow who shrugged. ¡°Incoming,¡± BLF hissed and quickly dropped into a fighting stance. Crusader drew her own weapon and readied it just as one of the creatures stumbled out through an alley, its head thrown back in a silent wail of pain as something white clung to its throat. It writhed once in the middle of the street before collapsing to the ground very still. They all watched as the shape leaped off the downed monster before sitting in the middle of the killing field as if surveying its handiwork. ¡°Is that¡­ a hound?¡± Bandit said, squinting at the shape that was now sniffing the air. Crusader squinted as well, examining its shape. It looked almost indistinguishable from a normal hound save for its all-white look. It had the body of a large dog, like a greyhound, but many times bigger. Its head was long with a snout that tapered to a point. Long pointed ears rose up straight from the top of its head like antennae. Its long thin tail whipped about behind it as it turned to face them where it sat. Alphonse flapped his wings and let out a screech in greeting. Crusader glanced at her familiar. She hazarded a guess with a smirk and raised her voice, ¡°Levi? Is that you?¡± she shouted. Bandit turned to her, ¡°Sonya¡¯s familiar?¡± Ahead of them, the hound straightened up a bit more, focusing intently on Crusader before kicking off the ground and bounding in her direction. The others tensed for only a heartbeat before it slid to a stop and sat down again, looking up into her eyes with a patient expression. She smiled at it and crouched down, ¡°Hey Levi, so this is what you look like without your glamor, huh? Very handsome,¡± she said and reached a hand out to the familiar. It sniffed once and tilted its head up as if to say ¡®well, obviously¡¯ before turning away to approach the nearest body on the ground. ¡°What¡¯s it doing?¡± Harbinger asked, ¡°I thought it went with Handmaiden.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would have been much help against the boss,¡± BLF said before turning to Bandit, ¡°You know more about familiars than the rest of us. Any ideas?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got one,¡± Bandit said with a frown, ¡°Depends on if its a familiar like Inky or one like Alphonse¡­¡± he trailed off as Levi stopped next to the felled monster and opened his mouth, rows of razor sharp teeth inside gleamed before an eerie light bloomed from within the hounds throat. Then the corpse began to glow a pale white light and burst into particles that were pulled inside Levi¡¯s mouth like a vacuum. In a matter of seconds, the corpse was gone. ¡°That answers that,¡± Bandit said with a grunt and crossed his arms. ¡°Woah, woah, what the hell was that?¡± BLF shouted as Crusader stared in stunned silence at the spot where the body had been, Levi was already walking over to another corpse to repeat the process. ¡°True monsters consume to get stronger,¡± Bandit said with a shrug, ¡°Inky has eaten more than his fare share of monsters in our time together. It''s why he¡¯s so strong now. I¡¯ve had a theory that Inky was a mini-boss for a dungeon, but even then it was an Uncommon dungeon. It took a while for him to get strong enough to do what he does now. That took consuming monsters,¡± he said and the others turned to him, his expression went grave, ¡°Yeah, all monsters can grow like this. We usually don¡¯t let them stick around that long, though.¡± Another corpse exploded into motes of white light as Levi feasted. ¡°You haven¡¯t been letting Inky feed,¡± Crusader pointed out after a moment. He smirked at her, ¡°Haven¡¯t I?¡± he said with a chuckle, ¡°He¡¯s quick about it, not as dramatic as this guy. He also doesn¡¯t eat everything anymore. The materials from monster corpses are valuable after all.¡± ¡°Still,¡± Snow cut in, ¡°I wonder why Levi waited before eating, this is a huge mess.¡± ¡°For us,¡± Crusader said, ¡°It takes him a few seconds to eat it looks like. He¡¯s been piling up a feast until we showed up so we can watch his back.¡± BLF burst into laughter, ¡°That sounds like something a familiar bound to Sonya would do!¡± Another thunderous flash rang out from the direction of the fight against the boss, white light reflecting against the clouds. Then a new sound followed it. A rising mechanical shriek. Crusader whipped her head up and looked to the source only to see three metal shapes streak across the sky. Fighter jets. She felt a tightness in her chest ease, ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve secured the perimeter,¡± she said with relief. Next to her, Bandit had his finger pressed against his ear and was nodding away. They all watched him patiently for a moment before he lowered his hand and sat down on the ground with a weary sigh. ¡°Mana levels have dropped in the dungeons and in the area, enough that the international team has been sent in to take over for the Guilds in the dungeons. They¡¯re gonna recover and come back out. Three international heroes are going to take point with the JSDF to begin making headway into the ward and mop up with new munitions sent by ASTA,¡± he grinned, ¡°Love it when heroes come together.¡± ¡°What about Sapporo?¡± Harbinger asked. As if to answer her question, a jolly laugh echoed over the entire ward like a thunderclap. It was unlike anything Crusader had ever heard before. There was a presence behind it, mighty and somewhere between mad and courageous. She felt her shoulders relax, her heart ease. That laugh was like a signal that said the tragedy was almost over. Bandit smiled and got to his feet, ¡°Sounds like he¡¯s almost ready. You wanna go watch?¡± Chapter 198 Handmaiden hurtled backwards through the air, colliding with one building after another. Masonry fell around her as she struck a steel beam, denting it before sliding off in a bloody heap. She felt her spine snap back into place as she struggled to her knees, her limbs snapping and cracking as her regeneration immediately set to work. She rose to her feet and swayed a little, her vision blurring before becoming clear again. She looked down at her right hand, examining the armor on the gauntlet. It was cracked in several places. She frowned and spat a gobbet of blood and a tooth onto the ground that had already regenerated. She stared at the pearly white bit for a moment, snorting out a laugh, ¡°Would give the tooth fairy nightmares,¡± she muttered as she walked towards the hole she¡¯d left in the wall, wiping her lip with her glove. ¡°Now where was I?¡± She stared through the dozens of holes that she¡¯d been hurled through and spotted the agonized face and blank eyes of a man staring back at her. She rolled her shoulders, the new joints popping and bounced on the balls of her feet. It¡¯s strong. Too strong for its tier. A Rare boss shouldn¡¯t be this powerful, Heroic Strength isn¡¯t doing much to it. The only reason I¡¯ve lasted this long is Baldur¡¯s Body. She sighed, Should have taken Sonya up on her offer the other day. Could really use the extra hitting power. ¡°Oh well,¡± she grunted and lowered her stance, the muscles in her legs coiling like springs. That white light around her body began to brighten again, nearly forming a halo around her. Her feet dug into the concrete beneath her and she was gone, a white comet streaking through the holes she¡¯d left behind and straight towards the titanic anchor monster. ¨C Dame Ito crossed her legs as she lounged on the couch inside the bunker, her hands in her lap. She watched the screen with interest as Handmaiden emerged from yet another deathblow unscathed. She raised a hand to reach for the woman through the screen, twisting her fingers in the air. ¡°She¡¯s magnificent, isn¡¯t she?¡± Ito said breathlessly, ¡°Nigh immortal. The experiments I could perform on her, the tests, and she¡¯d just bounce right back. I could make so much progress¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Liberty would be happy to hear you say that,¡± a mocking voice came from the other side of the small metal room. A perfect box, it had been constructed entirely out of post-pandora materials over a meter thick in order to withstand the blast of a dungeon break. It amused her that part of it was now sticking out of the ground within the crater, the blast had been so intense. But that was it¡¯s purpose after all. What didn¡¯t amuse her was the man who lay on a cot nearby, nursing his injuries. She turned and scowled at him, ¡°Shut up, Rivet.¡± Sir Conway, Rivet, sat up slightly on his cot, one arm wrapped around his bandaged torso. He sneered at her, ¡°What? Can¡¯t take a joke? Everybody¡¯s so grouchy these days.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything from a witless incompetent that couldn¡¯t handle a few students. if they were truly that strong you should have picked up on it sooner and retreated, like Dame Song and Sir Pence,¡± she snapped and turned back to the screen, satisfied with her rebuke. Conway wasn¡¯t done, ¡°Please, they just chickened out. Pence barely uses his ability he¡¯s so damn cocky and Song-¡± She was standing over him in an instant, glowering down at him before grabbing his face and shoving it down until he was laying on his back. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she leaned down to look into his eyes, wide with surprise. ¡°I told you to shut up,¡± she growled, ¡°Say another word and I will dissect you, imbecile. You may still be human but your body is magical enough that my powers should work just fine on it,¡± she hissed, ¡°I will twist you into something no one will recognize and leave you to starve without legs or a mouth, do we understand one another?¡± He stared up at her with growing horror, his skin going pale beneath her grip. He nodded quickly and she pulled her hand away with a cruel smile, ¡°Good.¡± Her phone rang and she turned away from him, raising it to her ear, ¡°This is Doctor Kaidan,¡± she said, walking back to her spot on the couch, black hair fluttering behind her. ¡°Ito,¡± Liberty¡¯s voice came through. Ito went still, ¡°My lady.¡± ¡°You did well, mission accomplished. This is our victory in Japan, the International heroes have arrived including many from the United States and Canada. Halloway is in position. You may continue to delay them if you wish, but I doubt it will make much of a difference. I will personally deal with the mythic guarding the Seattle dungeon,¡± she paused, ¡°As for your misinformation campaign. The footage you recorded is being distributed. Ishtar will be blamed. I am pleased.¡± Not pleased enough to make me your second over Phillip, Ito thought bitterly, It should be me standing next to you, not him. I am the Mythic while he is nothing more than a powerful Heroic. Why do you lean on him so? She pushed the thoughts aside, ¡°I am overjoyed, my lady,¡± she said with a forced smile, ¡°I do have some unfortunate news to report. A complication.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Your sister is here¡± she said, ¡°Apparently Chernovna is as well. She brought a few of the newly minted heroes on a trip to Japan.¡± There was a long pause over the call, ¡°Did she see one of you?¡± ¡°All but me, I¡¯m afraid, and because of Pence¡¯s big mouth, she knows I¡¯m here as well,¡± Ito said cooly before shooting a glare at the still shellshocked Conway, ¡°She and her team injured Conway. I¡¯m treating him. They also drove off Pence and Song,¡± she explained as she sat down and looked up at the screen again, ¡°Handmaiden is fighting my modified boss as we speak. She can¡¯t do enough damage to break through its defenses though.¡± ¡°A complication indeed,¡± Liberty said after several heartbeats, ¡°It''s fine. The majority of the populace will continue to think of her as going against her supposed ideals, breaking the illusion. Even if the Committee releases the truth, it means very little to most,¡± she said, ¡°Signal Halloway when you¡¯re ready to withdraw. I have a Guildmaster to kill.¡± ¨C Brigid stepped out of the small room with a towel over her shoulder, her red hair tumbling down her back. The narrow white streaks running through it gave it the look of a candy cane. She hummed to herself as she stopped in front of the mirror, looking herself over as she flexed her arms. The multicolored tattoos running up her arms and onto her shoulders and chest glimmered faintly with a light that people from the north would find familiar. She traced a finger along one of the curling loops before letting out a sigh, her fingers digging into her skin as the notification of the dungeon break in Tokyo popped back into her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up,¡± she murmured to herself, ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do to help.¡± Supplies had come with the scouting crew, portable showers and a generator among other things to turn the icy dome she had created into a genuine staging ground for the epic dungeon operation. Of course, her favorite piece of equipment had to be the coffee machine. She threw on a shirt and stepped out into the common area, popping a pod into the device and setting it to pour a fresh brew. A few moments later she was nursing a cup of coffee outside the dome, only a light jacket on her shoulders. ¡°...never bothered me anyway,¡± she sing-songed quietly, watching the snow fall over the icy field that stretched out past the dome and into the trees. Far in the distance, she could see Mount Rainier stretching towards the sky. She tilted her head, If I were still a Ranger, I¡¯d be pretty pissed off about this thing set up in the middle of the forest. Especially the gas generator. She squinted at the peak of the mountain and sipped glorious coffee, Oh well. She gestured lazily at the ground and a chair rose up out of it made of ice with a table to join it. Atop the table, small lumps formed and portions of the table darkened. Soon, a chessboard took shape. She lifted the pawn in front of her queen and moved it forward. ¡°E Four,¡± she muttered before the table spun around and she reached for a piece. Her fingers stopped and she frowned, glancing up at the mountain again and the sky beyond it. ¡°They¡¯re a little late getting back, I hope Black Lotus found them okay.¡± The scouting team had gone in first, fully prepared to sneak around the epic dungeon and map it out. They sent regular reports back through a construct ability one of them possessed, but those reports had slowed after a point ending with a request for assistance. Apparently they¡¯d had to hole up in one of the numerous structures in the massive dungeon, but were otherwise safe. Black Lotus had gone in right away, determined to rescue them. Given the hero¡¯s commitment to clearing the dungeon on her own (with the help of scouts), Evergreen was stuck outside. Bored. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She huffed and reached for the piece again before stopping once more, her frown turning into a smile. She turned her head and looked into the trees. ¡°You¡¯re just in time! I was getting bored!¡± she said brightly, shifting in her seat to face the treeline. While she did so, she reached into the building behind her and flexed with her powers. Ice moved and something in her jacket on the table inside clicked. She sipped her coffee again while four figures stepped out of the trees. There was a grim looking woman in robes similar to the ones Black Lotus wore but lined with red cloth and splattered with blood. Next was a painfully thin man wearing light gear on his chest and capri pants that showed off his slightly malformed ankles. He had a sick smile plastered on his face. Another man walked between them, dark hair styled neatly. He seemed most comfortable in the elements compared to his two peers. The final person was a face any hero knew well. Blonde, blue eyed, over seven feet tall, and utterly tyrannical in her presence. She wore a full suit of plate armor that glowed faintly and carried a massive two-handed sword in one hand. ¡°Wow!¡± Evergreen said brightly, ¡°Liberty, in the flesh!¡± The Supervillain drove the blade of her sword into the ground and tugged on her gauntlets, popping her neck as she did so. ¡°Guildmaster Evergreen. I have business with that portal.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s neat,¡± Evergreen said, sipping at her coffee, ¡°Can I ask what?¡± ¡°No.¡± Evergreen narrowed her eyes and pouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you supervillains usually monologue or something? Tell the hopelessly outmatched hero your plan before the inevitable battle?¡± ¡°I am not a villain,¡± Liberty growled. ¡°Uhuh, okay,¡± Evergreen laughed, ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she sipped at her coffee again, she was almost out. I should really get a refill. She looked up from her coffee, ¡°So¡­ interesting timing by the way. Did you know that there was a mysterious seventh dungeon in Tokyo? It blew just a little while ago.¡± Liberty¡¯s face was stony, unmoving, but the fellow to the woman¡¯s right smirked darkly at Evergreen. She met his gaze and took the last sip of her coffee, setting it down on the chessboard. ¡°I see. So you want to do it here too?¡± Liberty¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°You¡¯re remarkably calm for someone in your position, given what¡¯s at stake.¡± Evergreen placed her hands in her lap and brandished a brilliant smile, ¡°Why would a queen feel worried in her throne room?¡± she asked merrily. The woman in robes took a hostile step forward but Liberty gestured for her to stand down, ¡°I think you¡¯re overestimating yourself, hero. What¡¯s more, your Vegas Act is still in effect.¡± Evergreen raised an eyebrow, ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding two things, Miss Liberty,¡± she said with a slightly widening smile, ¡°Sorry. Mind if I clear that up for you?¡± Liberty¡¯s face made its first change as she gripped her weapon and pulled it from the snow, ¡°You have seconds to live, might as well speak.¡± Evergreen held up a finger, ¡°First, I am very much allowed to defend myself,¡± she held up a second finger and her joviality vanished without a trace, her eyes going hard as she tilted her head forward, ¡°Second,¡± she flexed suddenly with her powers, her will racing through ice and snow, spreading through the area as her awareness blanketed every inch of the space. With a single twist of will spears of ice shot up from the ground. None lashed out at Liberty, she didn¡¯t bother attempting to pierce her armor. The woman in fighting robes managed to move in time, as did the dark haired man. The thin man was not so lucky. Shafts of frigid cold stabbed through his legs, his shoulders, and his arms. Grizzly wounds that immediately dragged a shriek of agony out of him. He vanished with the sound, appearing only a few feet away in a bloody heap. In an immediate response the dark-haired man threw out his hand and she felt his power try to touch the ice and snow around them. She tilted her head to the right and shot a glare at him, his power retreating like a child that had been struck across the face. She flicked her eyes back towards Liberty. ¡°I don¡¯t play fair. if you want to get past me, you¡¯re going to have to work for it, Villain,¡± she said as she slowly rose to her feet, ¡°And given the situation, I¡¯m exercising my right to kill if necessary.¡± Liberty¡¯s nostrils flared as she held Evergreen¡¯s gaze, then a smile crept onto her face. ¡°Finally, someone worth my time.¡± ¨C Handmaiden fell from the sky like a meteor, a white streak made ever brighter as the sun had begun to set. Hair whipped around her snarling face, her eyes wide with focus. She drew her fist back just before she collided with the beast, the blow sending a shockwave out from the point of impact and cracking meters of armored flesh. She drove her fist all the way into the soft muscle beneath as the anchor monster let out a mournful cry and whipped its entire body back. She held on for dear life, gritting her teeth against the forces working on her body. She reared back with her other fist and began punching, over and over. Why. Won¡¯t. You. Stay. Down?! GROOUUUUUAHHHHH! The beast howled again before throwing its entire body back towards one of the nearest buildings. She glanced over her shoulder and ripped her hand out of it¡¯s carapace, kicking off and landing on the ground just before it collided with the structure. She huffed out a breath and wiped her lip, ¡°Starting to run low on stamina,¡± she muttered. The anchor beast writhed for a moment, struggling to right itself as its hundreds of massive legs wriggled and twitched. She eyed its underbelly but stopped herself. A trap. She thought and instead prepared to launch herself at it as soon as it pulled free. Just as she did, a chime rang in her ear. <¡±Handmaiden! It¡¯s Crusader!¡±> Handmaiden paused and reached to tap her ear, taking a few quick steps back and getting some more distance, ¡°Crusader? What¡¯s your status?¡± <¡°We¡¯re here. We¡¯ve cleared out most of the monsters, the JSDF is moving and things are getting under control at the dungeons. This wasn¡¯t an accident, Liberty¡¯s people are here pretending to be Ishtar¡¯s people for some reason,¡±> Crusader said quickly. Handmaiden spun, looking around before spotting the small gathering of shapes on a building distant from her fighting area. She felt her guts go cold even as rage bubbled in her chest. Someone did this on purpose? Why? She looked around at the nightmare around her. Horrible. Does Sonya know? This is bad. If Ishtar gets blamed after everything she¡¯s said publicly- she bit her lip. I can¡¯t ask probing questions. Damn. ¡°Good work. What¡¯s Sapporo¡¯s status? I felt him earlier but-¡± ¡°WA HA HA HA HA!¡± BOOM! A golden streak arched through the sky over her head in response before crashing into the anchor boss with a thunderclap of force. A golden, shirtless man standing on its underbelly with his fists raised over his head. Her face went deadpan, ¡°Nevermind,¡± she muttered as the gleaming guardian of Japan drove both fists down with wild abandon, crushing armored chitin and sending waves of golden light through the cracks that sent the beast into a frenzy. It thrashed and Sapporo leaped off the creature to land next to her. He was a behemoth in this form, tall and mighty with a smile plastered on his rugged face. ¡°Sapporo,¡± she greeted him. He turned his golden eyes on her and pat his belly with a jolly laugh, ¡°I owe you one for keeping this thing contained until I got here, Handmaiden!¡± he laughed, ¡°Drinks are on me later!¡± he tilted his head, ¡°Though I am a little surprised that you haven¡¯t slain it yet.¡± She gave him a wry smile, ¡°Good to see you too,¡± she said and popped her knuckles, ¡°I¡¯ll explain-¡± <¡±Before you start!¡±> Crusader shouted, <¡±There¡¯s something you should know! We faced three of Liberty¡¯s people, but there¡¯s a fourth called the Doctor. Harbinger says last she knew they had an ability that could temporarily dominate monsters. She says the other¡¯s abilities have evolved since she last met them.¡±> Handmaiden hesitated and reached up to tap her ear, ¡°Is she sure?¡± <¡±Yes ma¡¯am.¡±> Handmaiden cursed, That¡¯s how the boss is so strong! Some sort of monster modification function or something. I¡¯ve been fighting a losing battle. Handmaiden swept her eyes over the ruins around her before turning to Sapporo, ¡°There¡¯s a monster manipulator here. I¡¯ll track them down. Can you finish that thing off?¡± He turned to her for a moment before looking back at the boss, his jolly expression faltering as it righted itself and the agonized face of his handler turning to look on him. He let out a breath, ¡°Leave it to me.¡± The two nodded at one another and darted off in separate directions. He let out a whoop of laughter as he charged the beast while Handmaiden leaped into the air, quickly scanning the surrounding area as she started to come back down. Where? They should be close if they¡¯re using their ability to heal it. Where are you? She searched the exterior of the ring first. It had to be a building with a relatively good vantage, but the structures both whole and tall enough were too far away. She looked back at the portal as she neared the ground and squinted. The hell is that? It looked like a box sticking partially out of the ground, while everything else around it was blasted or melted, it was still in one piece. Her lips formed a line. Found you! As the ground began to tremble beneath Sapporo¡¯s onslaught, she crossed the distance between her and the huge metal box in a matter of seconds, sliding to a stop and finding a door on one side. She snapped her hand out and grabbed the circular metal handle set in the center, not bothering with pleasantries as she ripped the door off its hinges and tossed it aside. Red lightning flashed and she blinked, squinting before she made out the shapes of two people standing in front of a very familiar rip in reality. Rift! There, standing in front of the portal was a wiry man with metal claws for fingers slung over the shoulder of an asian woman in a white lab coat and black hair. She had a thin nose and cold eyes with pupils just a little too small to belong to someone entirely sane. The woman looked over her shoulder at Handmaiden and gave her an almost longing smile. ¡°Maybe next time, Handmaiden,¡± she said with resignation. They¡¯re just going to leave? After everything they¡¯ve done? Like hell! Handmaiden roared and launched herself forward, fist raised and collided with the rear wall of the bunker. The portal was gone. She pulled herself free of the metal wall and spun. They were gone. She caught her breath just long enough to let out a roar of frustration. ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Chapter 199 The field of smooth snow had turned into a killing ground. Ice spikes jutted about everywhere, massive humanoid shaped sculptures of ice lay in pieces here and there, trees were uprooted, some burning with an eerie blue-white flame. A portion of the space had been crushed by what appeared to be a glacier that had been pulled from the very ground itself, dirt and debris tossed about. Phillip lay against one of the pillars of ice as he caught his breath, putting pressure on a wound. His eyes flicked to a frazzled Kant, who watched from afar as two figures clashed. Liberty was actually breathing a little hard, though any injuries were superficial. The red-haired guildmaster, Evergreen, was bleeding from her arms and face. One of her hands looked to have been reattached with a sheath of ice. She pulled back from another swing from Liberty and whipped out her hand, a razor thin wave of ice flying out just as a fresh pillar shot up beneath Liberty¡¯s arm to throw off her block. Liberty took the hit with a roar, crushing the pillar with her elbow as she brought her weapon to bare and shattered the ice blade. Evergreen landed and threw out her hands, the light on her arms growing bright. Something in Phillip''s gut twisted, ¡°Liberty!¡± he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t take that one!¡± Liberty let out a snarl and threw herself to the right as a multicolored beam of aurora erupted from Evergreens palms. The air itself froze in its wake, light sucked out of it, the trees it struck withered and froze over, curled into pale mockeries of what they once were. Liberty darted low and swung upwards as Evergreen recovered from using such a clearly taxing attack. The Guildmaster blocked, but only barely, and was sent crashing through the wall of the dome she was protecting. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± he said and glanced at Kant, ¡°Help me up, I¡¯ll call the faithful to bring the crystals.¡¯ Kant pulled him to his feet with a glower on her face, ¡°She was stronger than Halloway said.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Phillip grunted and pulled out his phone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter? Ellis is dead!¡± Kant bellowed. He ignored her and marched past, following Liberty into the dome. There, he found Liberty standing a few meters away from the Guildmaster who had come to a stop in front of the portal. Evergreen was a bloody mess, but still stood defiant, her cold stare unflinching. He dialed out and the men they¡¯d brought to transport the mana crystals answered. ¡°Get moving, we¡¯ve secured the dungeon portal.¡± Evergreen sneered at him before looking back at Liberty who pointed her sword at the Guildmaster. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you quick,¡± Liberty said breathlessly. Evergreen raised an eyebrow and planted her feet, ice rose behind her before completely encapsulating the dungeon portal. Phillip stiffened, but Liberty did nothing, just watching unbothered as the woman used her last gambit. Evergreen reached down to her severed hand and fiddled with it for a moment before raising it up, making a rude gesture with all the pride she could muster in her state. ¡°How about no?¡± she said and stepped back into the ice, moving through it like it was fluid before vanishing into the portal. Liberty lowered her sword before turning her eyes on Phillip. ¡°Get rid of that ice. Today, the northwest becomes a wasteland.¡± ¨C Crusader and the others stood atop the ruined building as flashes of white and gold lit up the sky. It was a surreal experience, bearing witness to two mythics doing battle with a monster taller than many of the buildings there. The enormous centipede let out another mournful, croaking howl that stung her ears just as a laughing Sapporo landed on its head, one fist clenched in the other as he drove them down into the skull of the human face set where its mandibles and eyes should be. The impact followed by a thunderclap. Down below, Handmaiden struck its legs, ripping one off and using it as a spear to pierce its thick hide. The creature shrieked, thrashing about in rising agony. She gripped the handle of her sword tighter, her jaw set, her eyes fixed on the battle. She felt like an insect in the world of humans, hopelessly small in the face of the onslaught of power on display. She flicked her eyes down to her feet just as Bandit stepped up to stand next to her. ¡°Reminds me of Vegas,¡± he said with a heavy sigh and crossed his arms, standing up straighter as he watched the war escalate. She glanced at him; Inky had taken a smaller form. A cute little round-headed cartoon character sat on his shoulder. For all its usual madness and snickering, its expression was remarkably stoic as it watched alongside its partner. She instinctively reached up to her shoulder and ran a finger down Alphonse¡¯s side before looking towards the battle again. ¡°Should we go? We¡¯re no help here,¡± she said. He shook his head, ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°We stay and watch.¡± She turned to look at him and she could feel her friends do the same. They all were silent for a moment before BLF spoke up, ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Something else you probably didn¡¯t learn in the camp, it¡¯s not curriculum, just tradition,¡± he said and jerked his chin towards the fight, his deep set eyes unblinking as the lights flashed in them, ¡°Something I learned from Sonya.¡± Crusader looked back at the others who shrugged at one another. Snow moving up to stand closer, her hand on Crusaders arm. Bandit remained silent for a moment before speaking again. ¡°We are witnesses. Whether the fight against the boss is inside the dungeon or outside it. You stand, you watch, and you bear witness to their struggle,¡± he said, ¡°Even if it''s a pair of mythics versus a modified rare. When the pylons react to the anchor beast under attack, you get on your feet and you show them the respect they deserve. Hero, scout, support staff. Everyone stands to watch,¡± he said reverently, his jaw set tight as he crossed his arms. Crusader looked at him again. He seemed so easygoing when they¡¯d first met, but she¡¯d come to learn that his experiences had hardened him. This was the man who had fought in the Battle of Vegas alongside her hero, Firestorm. It hadn¡¯t much crossed her mind during the dungeon break, but she could feel that background in him as he made his way through the carnage and destruction. He didn¡¯t blink, he didn¡¯t bend, and he did not step back. She let out a sigh and looked towards the battle again, trying to see it through the perspective he gave. Sapporo hopped away from the monster as it opened its mouth, a spray of glowing green fluid erupting from its jaws and coating the ground in a line. Smoke rose from where it struck, the deadly fluid disintegrating concrete. Sapporo landed on the ground and brought his hands together in a thunderous clap that sent a ripple of golden light out towards the spray and the beast. The spray vanished and the beast¡¯s head was thrown back, its carapace cracked and ruined. Just as it tried to right itself a white streak lanced up from the ground and struck it again, Handmaiden ripping away a whole chunk of armor before she began to punch, over and over, faster and faster like a piston. They¡¯re giving it everything they¡¯ve got, even against a weaker foe, she realized. She swallowed, They may not care if no one sees their struggle. A real hero wouldn¡¯t mind. But they deserve to be seen. They deserve to have people know what they did and how hard they fought. She set her jaw and slipped her sword into the scabbard on her back. She crossed her arms as well, squaring her shoulders. I get it. Bandit glanced her way and smiled at her, he sniffed and shook his head, ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°It¡¯s kind of crazy.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She didn¡¯t tear her eyes away as she responded, ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m standing next to him again, after all this time,¡± he said, his words wistful and reminiscent. It didn¡¯t click right away, ¡°Who?¡± He snorted, ¡°Firestorm of course.¡± She went very still and looked at him. He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow, nodding to her. ¡°It was really good working with you, Crusader. You and your team are going places. It sucks that your first real experience as heroes was this mess but,¡± he shrugged and looked back to the battle, ¡°Sounds kind of familiar to me,¡± he let out a breath and crossed his arms again. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing all you can to not think about what you¡¯ve seen. Bravado can be good for that in the moment, but when you can, rest. Let yourself feel. That''s important too.¡± She swallowed hard, something stinging behind her eyes. It was a feeling she hadn¡¯t ever felt before. It was a raw emotion. An ache and a joy and a sorrow all mixed into one. She lowered her head for a moment and took a shuddering breath before forcing herself to tilt it up and watch the battle reach its climax. The monster had stopped healing itself at some point, and with Sapporo there, it was only a matter of time. In that moment, amidst all the horrors, with the recognition of someone she could only have thought of as a legend barely a year ago, she fully grasped what it all meant. Being a hero, not just the good and the bad, but the truth of it. A tear streaked down her face, ¡°Thank you,¡± she croaked. He chuckled, ¡°I like your jacket by the way.¡± She laughed. ¨C ¡°Sapporo! Now!¡± Handmaiden shouted as she finally forced the beast to the ground, its broken legs writhing as it tried to get up. She held it down by its shell, planting her feet in the ground beneath her and gritting her teeth. Her bloody arms flexed, sweat dripping from her face and jaw, her brown hair a horrid mess. Her gown was in tatters, and it was only thanks to her power that she was still alive and unscathed. She held the creature steady as Sapporo leaped once more into the air, laughing riotously before seeming to reach into space itself. His arm disappeared and he pulled something out, a mug. He drank from it deeply and threw his head back. Get away. Instinct told her that it was time to move. She ripped her feet free and released the anchor monster, throwing herself out of the way as far as she could. The creature tried one last time to right itself before a wave of luminous fire cascaded down from above. It wasn¡¯t colorful, not in a normal way. It looked black and filled with motes of starlight. It was like the void itself had become flame and was now pouring down atop the helpless boss monster. Everything in her core told her that there were now two things in this world that could kill her. Mistletoe and that. The flames consumed everything, the stone around the monster and the monsters body. They left nothing, not ash, not bone, not even dust. Gone in an instant. Annihilated. Sapporo landed in the hole left behind by his attack, the golden halo around his body flickering and dying. He dropped to a knee, and she moved to catch his bulk, his body shrinking but still dwarfing hers by a significant degree. He lay there for a moment, resting his head on her shoulder as he breathed. What kind of attack was that? It was like he expended everything. We could have just killed it the normal way. ¡°I didn¡¯t want anyone else to see,¡± he grunted into the silence, ¡°His face, on that thing.¡± Her lips pressed together and she nodded, patting his muscled back, ¡°I understand.¡± The ground shook behind her and she glanced over her shoulder. He pulled himself off of her and rose to his feet. The two of them turned to see the portal, unleashed from the shattered pylons, flicker and crackle in the spot where it floated above the ground. She felt a wind that wasn¡¯t wind start to wash over her and towards the portal. Mana. Mana rushed towards it in waves, pulled in like whirlpool, draining out of the world and into the tear in reality. Then, with a low thrum the portal pulsed and burst like a dandelion. The last wisps of its glowing shape scattering into the air. Something took shape at the heart of the spot where the portal was and fell to the ground. A gentle presence rippling off of it before fading as well. It was motherly, kind, and very very sad. Pandora. Sonya said she is hiding in the ending rooms of each dungeon. That was her presence. She reached up to touch her chest, It makes your heart ache. Next to her, Sapporo swallowed and cleared his throat. ¡°I will tell you, I have not cleared a dungeon before,¡± he said. She turned to him, ¡°What?¡± He stoically stared at the object in the distance, ¡°My powers are unsuited for a place without people. I can charge myself up before going in, but cut off from the people it will only last so long,¡± he said and shook his head, ¡°I am meant to defend, not attack,¡± he looked down at his hands, ¡°Despite slaying the beast, this feels like a failure,¡± he let his shoulders sag before turning to her and nodding, ¡°I leave the dungeon reward to you. I¡­ do not need it,¡± he said and turned away. She whirled on him, ¡°Sapporo!¡± she barked, ¡°You could-¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°It is not for me to take,¡± he said and walked away. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Liberty, you have a lot to answer for, she snarled inwardly before turning back. She hopped from where she stood and landed next to the epicenter of the blast. There, on the ground, was a small box of stone. It was gilded and smooth. She squinted at it. I¡¯ve seen this before. A memory. She knelt down and ran her fingers along its marble-like surface. There were words engraved in a language she didn¡¯t know, a single sentence that for some reason made her heart ache. She tried to pick up the box, but it didn¡¯t move. She strained for a moment before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. She opened it instead, and the box glowed before turning into light. The light changed shape; it changed and shifted until it took the form of two objects. The first was a bolt of black silken cloth that glimmered despite the fading sunlight. The other was several plates of an eerie blood-red metal. The centipede¡¯s chiton, she realised as she pulled them out. She smiled, Amos is gonna love this. ¨C Sonya was standing with Setsuna in the hall outside the cult leader¡¯s room when a chime rang out in her head. Shuta shifted a bit when he saw her react and she held up a hand to calm him down. He was on edge since returning from corralling their people. She rubbed her wrist irritably and nodded to Setsuna before she answered the call. ¡°Go ahead,¡± she said. <¡°It¡¯s Amos,¡±> Amos came through, breathless, <¡°We have problems, big problems.¡±> Her eye twitched, ¡°What? Is everything okay with the dungeon break? How are the kids?¡± she asked, her chest tightening, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± <¡±Dungeon break is fine, Sapporo and Handmaiden just wrapped up. The boss is dead, and the portal is closed,"> he said hurriedly, <¡±That isn¡¯t important.¡±> Seems pretty important to- <¡±The internet just got flooded with reports that Ishtar is responsible for the Dungeon Break and that her associates were there holding off the heroes to allow the situation to escalate, even if they ultimately failed,¡±> he said quickly. Her eyes went wide, ¡°What?!¡± she shouted and turned to march back into the hall behind them, away from the crowd, ¡°How? Who?¡± she blinked as she felt a suspicion from earlier come roaring back into her mind. That rage roared back like a hungry behemoth and she slammed her fist into the nearest wall, denting it. ¡°Liberty.¡± <¡±That¡¯s my bet, probably got something to do with the other, way bigger problem,¡±> he said quickly before continuing, not letting her ask any more questions, <¡±Evergreen kicked off the emergency alarm back at the Seattle dungeon. There was a huge flare up of mana around it before her tracker disappeared at the portal coordinates.¡±> Sonya felt her entire body go numb. She sagged as Setsuna and Shuta hurried to her side. She rested her head against the wall. ¡°Chunhua is in there,¡± she said, ¡°That dungeon is Epic,¡± she added, ¡°There have to be dozens of dungeons in range of the blast radius, and hundreds more branching out from them if they burst,¡± she breathed, her heart racing, panic rising in her throat. We¡¯ve been played. The heroes are still working to stabilize things here in Japan. There are other internationals but¡­ if it''s Liberty. She has Halloway, Ishtar said as Sonya felt her strength leave her, her mind racing. That woman is trying to set off the apocalypse early and lay it all at our feet. Sonya held her head, I won¡¯t let that happen. I can¡¯t let that happen. Think, Sonya! Think! Chapter 200 To say the situation was bad would be a historic understatement. Sonya tried to pull herself to her feet, but she just felt¡­ helpless. How could she not have anticipated an attack on the Seattle dungeon? No. There was no precedence for this in the previous timeline. Artificially instigating a dungeon break, let alone two in a single day? Madness. Things were hard enough back then without people experimenting with dungeons. Did I cause this by stopping the New York blast and stabilizing hero culture early? She chewed her lip, her mind reeling, her eyes ticking over as she searched for solutions. Her wrist hurt so bad, it was distracting. I want to rip my damn hand off right now! You couldn¡¯t have known, calm down and think, Ishtar tried to soothe her. Chunhua is in there! Sonya barked back, You don¡¯t understand! Sonya! How would I not- I need to do something! Ishtar sighed, Panicking is not going to help matters, Ishtar pointed out as Setsuna and Shuta reached her side. She sat there on the ground in that hallway, her head rested against the wall as she tried to think. Sensible thought pushed away by the fear of losing someone she loved all over again. Terror at the idea of a dungeon break cascade with so few heroes nearby to put a stop to it. This wasn¡¯t like Tokyo with guilds nearby ready to react. Blood dripped from her lip. ¡°Lady Ishtar?¡± Shuta called out, ¡°What has happened?¡± She closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking. It felt like her head was going to explode, ¡°The people who caused the Tokyo break are attacking an epic dungeon near Seattle,¡± she said hoarsely. Setsuna frowned next to her, ¡°See this, I did not.¡± Sonya snorted, ¡°No power is perfect,¡± she said coolly before focusing on the call with Amos, ¡°Amos are you still there?¡± <¡°I am, are you okay?¡±> he asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked with an angry laugh, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. Have you told the Pandora Committee?¡± <¡°I alerted them before contacting you,¡±> he said before hesitating, <¡±Euclidia is having trouble opening a portal anywhere near the dungeon.¡±> She clenched her jaw, ¡°Halloway. I¡¯ll turn him to ash when I get the chance,¡± she snarled and tried again to get to her feet, leaning against the wall. The fright gave way to anger. A false strength, she knew, but it gave her enough will to move again. She turned and leaned against the wall, running her fingers through her hair. She had to figure out a counter, had to stop this, somehow. She had preparations set up for a final battle with Liberty but, not yet. She needed more time, she had to figure out Liberty¡¯s weakness. There was a trick to her power, she knew it, not just the people. There was more there. ¡°Fuck,¡± she swore, ¡°What do I do?¡± <¡±The Seattle guild?¡±> Amos offered. ¡°That¡¯d be suicide, they¡¯d all die against Liberty. Evergreen had to retreat,¡± she said and started to pace, Setsuna and Shuta watching her as she thought. No, the Seattle guild won¡¯t be able to respond. The bulk of the international team is here in Japan and Halloway is blocking them anyway. Her lip twitched as her mind distracted her, Is First Wind here? Is Qilin? She wrinkled her nose in disgust, Could I leverage Qilin''s connection to Ishtar? No, that bond isn¡¯t deep enough yet. I locked her fortune power away as well, what good is she in this situation? The army I had Kingshark build isn¡¯t fully formed and they¡¯d be positioned to attack elsewhere. They won¡¯t do any good here, she paced, frantic. Think! Think, Sonya, Think! She clicked her tongue, Can I leave myself? Go over there and deal with the problem? I could portal in and move fast. She scowled, No. I can throw around a lot of power but I produce a lot of mana too. I¡¯d just make things worse if I didn¡¯t get inside fast enough. I¡¯d need a mythic with a lot of efficiency, but who could I send? She rubbed her face, I also made a deal with Cass, I can¡¯t- she shuddered, the compulsion from Broker rising up in her throat as nausea at the idea of breaking her deal about a final confrontation between sisters. But I need to- she squeezed her eyes shut as the compulsion filled her revulsion again. For the first time since her regression, she resented her new ability. There has to be something, a card I can play. There is one card, a high-efficiency mythic at your disposal. Ishtar pointed out, Your long term contingency. Sonya froze before her lips pressed together in a thin line. That was for Otis, she growled, or for when the heroes needed a wake-up call. If I play it now¡­ Sonya, do you have a choice? Ishtar asked. I can¡¯t use that card more than once! Sonya railed, One and done. That¡¯s it! The consequences of doing that, for innocent people. It¡¯s the nuclear option! Even if it''s successful, and that¡¯s a big if because of the logistics- she shook her head. It¡¯s like admitting defeat. I might stop Liberty but she¡¯ll have taken one of my teeth! My biggest- I won¡¯t make the choice for you, Ishtar said, But as a villain¡­ Ishtar trailed off. Sonya let out an agonized groan as she ran her fingers through her hair again and rested her face against the cold metal wall. She didn¡¯t care that she¡¯d lost her composure in front of people who had built a cult around her. It didn¡¯t matter. What she was considering doing was not an easy choice. She fumed, raged, thrashed against the idea. If I do this, there¡¯s no going back, she thought. If I cross this line it feels like¡­ You won¡¯t be the hero you were anymore, Ishtar concluded for her, You¡¯ve done villainous things before, put on a good show. This will be on a whole other level, though, Ishtar trailed off for a moment before speaking, I fail to see the problem. This is what you wanted. To be the enemy of the world. It¡¯s just another part of being who we are. But- It¡¯s time to choose, Sonya! Ishtar bellowed in the back of her mind, Are you Farsight or are you Ishtar? Are you a hero or are you a villain? Are you going to do whatever it takes to save the world and damn the consequences? Are you that person you swore you would be when you were sent back in time? What does that promise to Pandora mean to you? ¡°RAAAAH!¡± Sonya bellowed and slammed her fist into the wall, caving it in entirely. Setsuna and Shuta jumped back in surprise as she ripped her bloody hand out of the wall, ¡°DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!¡± She roared, crushing the metal into scrap and tossing it aside in a tantrum. The fury present at the back of her mind roiled up like an angry serpent, squeezing at her heart. She couldn¡¯t let Chunhua die. She couldn¡¯t let the Seattle dungeon break. Millions would die. If that meant crossing the line¡­ She slumped and lowered her head, ¡°Fine,¡± she muttered, ¡°Amos?¡± <¡±...yeah boss?¡±> ¡°I¡¯m cracking the nest egg,¡± she said hollowly. The connection was quiet for several seconds, she could only imagine Amos¡¯ horrified expression. She closed her eyes, ¡°I understand if you don¡¯t-¡± <¡±I¡¯ll set the connection up, it¡¯ll take time. What do you need me to do?¡±> he asked quickly. She felt a lump form in her throat, ¡°Amos, I-¡± <¡°I told you, I¡¯m with you to the end, boss. We¡¯re the bad guys, remember? We¡¯ll deal with it in hell,¡±> he said with a hoarse laugh, <¡±Now what do you need?¡±> She looked down at her hands, she wanted to cry out of gratitude but her damn eyes wouldn¡¯t allow it. Her mind ticked over, her thoughts whirring. Tick ¡­ tick ¡­ tick ¡°The Nexus,¡± she said, ¡°I need a direct connection to Euclidia¡¯s system. It¡¯s the only way I can leverage this,¡± she said as she explored her powers instincts, ¡°It¡¯ll be a strain, but I might be able to push through Halloway¡¯s interference.¡± <¡±I¡¯m on it. Let me know when you¡¯re ready,¡±> he said. ¡°Thank you, Amos,¡± she said hollowly before turning to the two with a sober expression. She squared her shoulders, ¡°I need a room where I can concentrate, one that¡¯s well defended. I¡¯m about to draw a lot of attention.¡± Shuta frowned, ¡°What-¡± ¡°Done,¡± Setsuna said quickly, cutting her son off, ¡°Protection?¡± She nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to defend myself while doing this,¡± she said as she worked through what she¡¯d have to do in her mind. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, the anger wasn¡¯t going to help. She needed to be at ease if she was going to do what she needed to do. She tried to smile, but it wouldn¡¯t come, her glowing eyes dimming. I can¡¯t call Marta to protect me, given what¡¯s going on outside. She¡¯ll be wrapped up. But I have other options. She looked up and met Setsuna¡¯s dark eyes, ¡°Lead the way.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¨C Euclidia frowned, crossing her arms as she concentrated on that spot near Seattle. She felt that interference again, a powerful light-touched blocking her ability to create portals. That person''s range had grown again, the new edge was so far away it was pointless at this point. She turned her eyes to the Nexus, ¡°Gravitic, you got anything for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely Rift,¡± Gravitic said, as he examined a screen, ¡°It¡¯s Liberty making a move. I¡¯m getting reports that the internet is flushed with word that Ishtar caused the Tokyo incident, but everything points the other way.¡± Euclidia spat on the ground, her good humor lost, ¡°A war between supervillains and innocent people are caught up in the middle. These people are monsters,¡± she said, ¡°Comm team! Is First Wind still in that dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± One person shouted. She bit her thumbnail, ¡°Do we have anyone fast enough that could also counter Liberty?¡± she murmured, Chuchu, please be okay. As her thoughts rolled over on this latest puzzle, an alarm sounded overhead. She looked up and squinted, ¡°The hell? What¡¯s that? Are we under attack?¡± She barked only for the lights in the room to turn red and begin to flash. The screens around them all flickered, fizzling out before turning dark. Then a pink eye appeared on them. She stiffened, ¡°Ishtar!¡± she shouted and whirled to the others, ¡°Contact our entire tech team, get them in here! NOW!¡± ¨C Sonya stood over Setsuna¡¯s bed, her eyes tracing the fabric for a moment before she sat down. She glanced over her shoulder at Shuta and his mother, looking them in the eyes. ¡°Do not let anyone inside,¡± she said quietly, ¡°I can¡¯t spare the energy to call in any of my people if I want to do this successfully,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Setsuna nodded and dipped into a low bow, ¡°Certainly,¡± she said and turned to her son, ¡°Shuta?¡± He stiffened and drew his sword. He nodded tersely and turned away, marching down the hall, ¡°With my life.¡± Sonya let out a sigh and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs as the doors shut behind the departing pair. Soon, she was alone. She took a few steadying breaths to calm her mind. It was impossible though, even after managing to find her groove in the Backrooms it was like the world was determined to push her to the brink. She set her jaw and closed her eyes. I don¡¯t know if I can really do this. I am here, I will do all I can, Ishtar said, You are not alone. She pressed her lips together, her nose itching as she felt emotion bubbling up again. She lowered her head and reached out to Amos. This was her only option. Her nuclear option. Her hidden card. To think she would have to play it against her second Herald. Humiliating. Embarrassing. Infuriating. She clenched her teeth and tried to shift her mindset. Who the hell does Liberty think she is? This is my world, she swore, This is my world and if she thinks she can get away with it, she is dead wrong. What kind of person thinks they can do these things and believes that there will be no consequences? A villain, Ishtar said, That is the mindset of a Villain. Sonya paused, a frown forming on her lips, Wait- <¡±It¡¯s ready,¡±> Amos said before Sonya could reflect on the bombshell that Ishtar just dropped on her. She swallowed and pulled her mind back to the moment, responding internally, <¡±Do it.¡±> Information poured into her brain, her head jerking back as her minds eye spread across the entire planet in an instant. Coordinates, data, pathways and calculations intended solely for the use with the Non-Euclidian ability began streaming into her brain like a stream. Sending a portal to one place was easy for her, like breathing, but what she needed to do now required a level of calculation that her cybernetic mind alone wasn¡¯t up to the task to perform. She needed more processing power, more information, more everything. She felt her mind tremble under the onslaught for a moment before she pulled herself back to her senses. She let out a shaky breath, <¡±I¡¯m good,¡±> she wheezed, <¡±Next. Connect me.¡±> <¡±Which ones?¡±> Amos asked. <¡±All of them, no holding back,¡±> she said. She felt her technopathy widen in scope, her senses reaching into computer systems across the planet from her. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she gripped her thighs tightly. Her chest heaved and she willed herself to stay clear headed. I will speak for you, be my conduit, Ishtar said, What comes next, though. Only you can endure. ¨C Graff finished his last sit-up, getting lazily to his feet. He yawned and walked over to the cot in the solitary confinement room. Sitting down and taking off his shoes. Another day in peaceful silence away from all the people that made him want to burn everything to the ground. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, smiling to himself. Once he decided to escape, he figured he¡¯d go knock over a monastery somewhere and live there for the rest of his life. He reached up to run his fingers through his hair. Yeah, that¡¯d be nice. A siren blared and he sat up, frowning a little. Loud. What¡¯s going on? A chime rang out next followed by a voice he¡¯d only heard on the news before. A cruel rasp that echoed through every hall in the building. He got to his feet as a surge of something he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time worked its way through him. Excitement. ¡°I am Ishtar,¡± the voice said, ¡°It is time, I have a task for you, my villains. Do this and you may consider any debts to me paid. I have rewards prepared as well.¡± He cracked a grin and walked to the door to the cell. The inactive suppression cuffs on his wrists dissolving and clattering to the ground before he placed his hand on the door. It crumbled into dust and he stepped out. The guard to his right jumped away immediately. He looked down at the guy and grinned at him, ¡°I¡¯ll see myself out,¡± he said with a laugh before turning away, his grin widening as the guards scrambled to get away from him. Finally! You called! ¨C Sonya grunted, throwing her hands forward where she sat. She reached out across the planet, her mind focused in so many places at once it was dizzying. She curled her fingers and pulled, feeling the power in her Heavenly Jade Heart pour out like a broken dam. She focused, one end of the first portal forming near the first of the prisons. She tugged at it to connect it to the other end and felt resistance. Halloway, she thought. She eased her breathing and tried to relax. Come on¡­ Vines began to grow out of the bed and around her body, her skin turning paler, glowing faintly with off white light as she activated Visage of Titania to its fullest extent. Not just to create and control the eerie plants, she needed every facet of its power. She felt it infuse her body, spread through her. That little mote of light in her wrist turned into dozens, little tiny sparks planted throughout her body. Then it reached her mind. She grunted as it touched her thoughts for the first time. She¡¯d never gone this far with it before. It felt¡­ unstable. Willful. Sonya, Ishtar cut into her thoughts, This might not be- I can¡¯t go back now! Sonya shot back, I¡¯ve made my choice, you pushed me here. Sonya, Visage- She pushed Ishtar¡¯s words out of her thoughts and concentrated, clenching her teeth until she felt one of them crack. That tingling at the back of her mind, the anger she¡¯d been experiencing, the instability, the fury - it exploded in a fireball in her brain. Madness. Jumbled thoughts and confusing images bounced about in her mind, scattering her for a moment before she willed her thoughts back into order. No you don¡¯t, behave! She snarled, grabbing hold of the power. It was her power. It didn¡¯t have a will of its own, but its effects were daunting. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her own flesh as blood leaked from her palms and nose. Sweat beaded on her brow and she pushed. Let me in, she growled, Let me in you son of a bitch! She could see the web of red energy in her mind''s eye, a wall between her and her target, a stabilized space that couldn¡¯t be altered. She smashed against the wall, a raging will that crashed into it like a tidal wave. It buckled at the target location, shuddering under the pressure. She hit it again, and again, and again, blood leaking freely from her nose and ears. She felt her eyes begin to spin faster and faster, pain wracking her body as she drew on more and more power from her core. She needed more, MORE! LET ME IN! Her rage hit its zenith, the madness of the Visage spreading through her mind as that red web finally cracked and broke open. A hole appeared, opened just for her. She shoved her will into the space and planted the other end of the portal. That¡¯s one, she growled and created the next. She repeated the process, her chest heaving as blood began to drip from her eyes. Tick tick tick tick tick. Her mind whirled with the calculations as she created another pair of portals between new points on the world. She coughed and reached out to the third prison. Hang in there, Sonya, Ishtar urged, Just a few more. TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK She smashed through Halloways barrier again, the process becoming easier even as the strain on her body increased manifold. Each new portal maintained at the same time adding pressure. The ticking in her head grew louder, faster, and more irregular. She was consumed by the process, the intent, barely herself anymore. The vines coiled around her body, up to her throat and head. The little sparks throughout her body grew as they ached and groaned within her flesh. The vines held her steady as white light streamed out of her upturned mouth. Cracks formed on her skin but she didn¡¯t have the concentration available or energy to spare to create ambrosia to heal herself. She could only endure the agony. TICKTICKTICK TICTI-TICKT-T-TICKK Another portal, and another, she could feel the weight of light-touched passing through it. Each presence a new strain on her mind momentarily as she facilitated their passage. More weight to carry. She coughed up something wet and coppery, her skin felt cold even as her bones burned from the inside out. LIBERTY! I WON¡¯T LET YOU WIN! NEVER! EVER! THIS IS MY WORLD! The portals took shape one at a time until all eight of them had formed. She shuddered as the pressure on her mind increased. More and more villains passed through to answer her call. The commons and uncommons were negligible, the rares and epics began to pressure her, a pair of heroics sent a jolt of pain through her spine. Then another presence touched a portal. One she had been waiting for. A person she¡¯d never met in person but knew much about. The one she was counting on the most. He passed through. TIC-TI-TI-TI-TI-TRRRKKKKCKKKKKKKK! Something cracked. She could hear it. Pain in her head. In her eyes. She felt something streaming down her face as she swayed on the bed. Something hard fell out of her head. She opened her eyes and saw only darkness. The rage had passed, a fire that burned her from the inside and out. The madness of Visage of Titania left devastation in its wake. Her body, her soul, everything felt hollow. All she knew were those stars in her body, pulling her in, drawing her close. She barely noticed the vines loosen their grip on her as the pain she¡¯d pushed away finally caught up with her. SONYA! Ishtar shouted into her mind, SONYA HANG IN THERE! SONYA! Sonya fell onto her side as her lifesblood poured out of her. Heavenly Jade Heart felt empty for the very first time. This was her limit. She only hoped it was enough. She didn¡¯t hear the doors open as she slipped into unconsciousness. Chapter 201 Graff stalked through the trees towards their destination. Apparently Ishtar had gotten them as close as she was able to, given that there was some guy interfering with her ability to make portals. He was kind of interested in that. Someone who could actually interfere with her powers was worth noticing. She still punched through but given how pissed she sounded on that announcement, he had to assume it wasn¡¯t easy. Still. She¡¯d made arrangements for him, somehow, ensured that the guards did as he said and he had a nice nest egg waiting for him once all this was done. With compliments from the head bitch in charge, of course. ¡°Man its nice to be out!¡± Wicker said next to him, stretching his arms over his head and laughing, ¡°I knew she¡¯d come through,¡± Wicker was barely a man, two years in prison had given him some light muscle but otherwise he still looked like a kid to Graff. Messy brown hair and round cheeks didn¡¯t help his case much. He got singled out a lot. ¡°Weren¡¯t you complaining about waiting yesterday?¡± Rampage said, the big dark-skinned man crossing his arms and shooting Wicker an amused look. ¡°Somethin¡¯ about ¡®oh she forgot about us! I knew it!¡¯ or something?¡± he asked. Rampage was a huge man who used to go by Franklin Lorde before he fully accepted being a villain. Apparently he¡¯d gotten his powers from some kind of contract with Ishtar. ¡°Ah shut up!¡± Wicker shot back, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from the guy who took almost two years to figure out a half-decent villain name.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick, Wicker,¡± Graff grunted as Rampage shrank a little under the smaller man¡¯s glare. Wicker turned an exasperated look on him only to get a cold stare back. Wicker tensed before nodding, ¡°Sorry boss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still planning on working for me once this is done?¡± Graff asked. ¡°I think I¡¯m past the gang life,¡± Wicker said as he flexed his fingers, they grew long and spindly for a moment before stretching out and condensing. Fibers weaving together before taking the shape of a man that looked a lot like its creator. The false Wicker darted off in the direction they were going. ¡°Thanks to you I¡¯ve had a long time to practice my powers without being bothered or putting myself in front of heroes. Bare minimum Henching if I don¡¯t strike off on my own eventually.¡± ¡°At least your mind grew up,¡± Graff muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as they stepped out of the trees and into a large clearing dominated by a dome of ice riddled with holes. He frowned at the battlefield in front of him. There were pillars of ice and shards and broken chunks of glacier everywhere. He also smelled blood. He lazily turned his head towards the rest of the treeline and saw more villains stepping out, some looking more eager than others. ¡°Nobody wants to owe Ishtar,¡± he said thoughtfully, ¡°Finish this job and it''s a clean slate, even a bonus if we do some damage to this Liberty chick or her people.¡± ¡°Not everybody showed,¡± Wicker commented, ¡°I don¡¯t see that vampire guy.¡± Graff snorted, ¡°Not surprising,¡± he said as an enormous woman stepped out through one of the larger holes in the side of the dome. She wore full plate armor and carried a sword in one hand. He raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down, ¡°...nice,¡± Wicker gave him a sidelong look that he responded to with a sharp glare of his own. The woman raised her sword and pointed it at the gathered Villains. ¡°I am Liberty. State your business, heretics!¡± she bellowed. Graff sighed and scratched his head, ¡°Well damn it,¡± he muttered, ¡°And here I was hoping she was just an enforcer or something. Oh well,¡± he rolled up his sleeves, ¡°Let''s get this over with,¡± he said before glancing at the other villains that were streaming out of the trees. All of them heard her voice and none of them made any move to approach her. He clicked his tongue, Bitches, he thought and shot Wicker and Rampage a look, ¡°Cool your heels,¡± he said and stalked away, making a beeline across the ice savaged field towards the enormous woman. She narrowed her eyes at him and he returned her stare with a lazy smile, shrugging his shoulders as if to say ¡®nothing personal¡¯. Then, just like that his body became as light as a feather and he vanished from where he was standing. When he reappeared he was reaching for the woman¡¯s exposed face, that lazy smile still dominating his expression. In the instant it took him to traverse the distance between him and his target she had moved in kind. Her eyes met his and her frown turned into a nose-wrinkled sneer of disgust. Her hand snapped out towards his throat. Just let it happen, he thought before going limp in her grip. ¡°You were told to state your business,¡± she growled and he felt a little bit of pressure on his throat. He let his body become malleable for a moment, let her feel his skin flexing beneath her armored fingers. His lazy smile faded and he titled his head, staring back at her coldly. Got you. He snapped his hand up and gripped her wrist, feeling for the- he frowned, Not steel, what is this? Interesting. He changed tactics without so much of a flicker in his expression. ¡°Was that your plan?¡± she asked, ¡°I suggest you explain yourself before I lay waste to the rest of this pathetic army you¡¯ve brought with you,¡± she said, ¡°Who even are you anyway?¡± Man she likes hearing herself talk, he thought, Works for me. ¡°I know you are not mute, little man, I heard you tell your allies to remain where they were, I-¡± she blinked and reeled back, coughing once before letting go of him to pull her hand up to her mouth. In the same movement she snapped a kick out towards his chest, he took it, spiking his body¡¯s mass enough to only be thrown back a few feet. He landed with a thud that sent a cloud of snow up around him. ¡°Gas? You coward!¡± He looked down at the indentation in his chest. His skin had turned jet black for a moment during his mass change. He flexed and it popped back into place before his skin tone returned to its usual state. He looked up at her, mildly impressed as the snow that was kicked up by his landing settled. She dented me! He thought before his smile widened slightly. He raised his chin a little, ¡°Wick! Rampage! Go on ahead!¡± he shouted, ¡°Same goes for the rest of you?¡± One of the villains in the crowd raised his voice in answer, ¡°You just want the credit and reward for dealing with Liberty for yourself!¡± He lowered his chin and looked her in the eyes, ¡°If you guys wanna try fighting her be my guest,¡± he said. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Ishtar. You¡¯re one of her lackeys?¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. He snorted out a laugh, his calm finally breaking, ¡°Work for her? You¡¯re joking. I¡¯m just settling up on a debt here,¡± he said. ¡°I can pay you more, Villain,¡± Liberty offered, holding out her armored hand. ¡°If you just walk away. What is this debt of yours worth to you? Money, Land? You are strong. In this world I am creating, power is freedom, liberty.¡± He held her gaze as she spoke, his smile fading more and more with each word. His lip twitched and his fingers flexed. None of the villains behind him moved. All waiting to see what the outcome would be before deciding whether to commit. He canted his head to the right and looked her up and down, ¡°I might be one of the bad guys,¡± he said, ¡°But I¡¯m a professional,¡± he growled. ¡°So we are at an impasse,¡± Liberty said, her tone filnty. ¡°Seems like it,¡± he said. She stood up straight, ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± she said as she looked down on him, ¡°Do it.¡± The sole downside to his ability, as far as he was concerned, was that he lost his sense of touch in the parts of his body that he altered. Carbon was not a good replacement for an epidermus, after all. So when he made to move towards her, he found his feet stuck to the ground. He looked down and saw dark, glittering ice spreading over his feet and across the ground. He was about to pull himself free when the edge of her sword collided with him with the force of a freight train. He was sent hurtling backwards, skipping across the ground once before colliding with a tree which fell on him with a thunderous bang. It didn¡¯t hurt but it definitely wasn¡¯t his favorite way to travel. He yanked himself out of the ground and pushed the tree off himself, he sat up and grumbled before he caught sight of her turning away to walk back into the building. In her place, two figures stood. A woman with a sword and a dude in his twenties with his hands outstretched. Wicker was at his side in an instant, ¡°You good?¡± the young man asked. He gave Wicker a deadpan look, ¡°You think that could hurt me? We were just feeling eachother out for the next dance,¡± he growled and got to his feet, brushing himself off. He glanced at the other villains, ¡°We outnumber them a hundred to one and those chicken-shits still haven¡¯t moved a muscle. What are they waiting for?¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s an internationally wanted mythic who¡¯s in a feud with Ishtar,¡± Wicker explained, ¡°Seems pretty sensible to me.¡± Graff squinted at him, ¡°How do you know this shit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t spend every waking moment in solitary or trying to get into solitary,¡± he hesitated, ¡°No offense, boss.¡± Graff shrugged, the guy had a point. He shook his head and looked back at the dome. There, through the massive crack in the wall, he could see what he guessed was a portal into a dungeon. He¡¯d never seen one before, but a swirling mass of energy was a pretty dead ringer for his imagination. He watched Liberty walk through it without looking back. Off to the side, one of the villains raised his voice, ¡°She¡¯s gone! Went through the portal!¡± ¡°That just leaves her henchmen!¡± Another barked out a laugh, ¡°Easy money!¡± ¡°GET EM!¡± A roar rose up among the gathered villains who finally broke from their standby and charged. Wicker turned towards the stampede of light-touched as Rampage hurried over to join them. ¡°Let¡¯s go! They¡¯re gonna get ahead of us if we don¡¯t-¡± Graff held up a hand to stop Rampage. He jerked his chin towards the duo standing as the sole line of defense for Liberty. ¡°You think they¡¯re that calm for no reason?¡± he said, ¡°Get going, you guys can settle up with Ishtar another way. I¡¯ll talk to her,¡± he started walking forward as he spoke, his eyes on the portal behind the pair guarding it. ¡°You know where we planned on meeting up after the break-out. Head there.¡± ¡°What? What about you? Couldn¡¯t you talk it out with Ishtar too?¡± Wicker shouted as the front line of the villains clashed, with the pair. To no surprise for Graff at all, a wall of ice spikes spread out across the throng and skewered dozens in a flash as the woman took a sharp step forward and swung, a purple-black crescent cutting down another chunk before she leaped into the fray with a howl of maddened fury that sounded more like a cackle to him. Graff turned away from the melee, his flesh turning dark and then jet-black as his body became light and flexible. He shrugged and waved a hand without looking back, ¡°She pissed me off! See you there!¡± Without waiting for the two men to acknowledge, he launched himself like a rocket up and above the duo guarding the opening. As he hit the zenith of his leap he checked out the fighting. The woman was mowing her way through the gathered villains like they were chattel while a small group of the villains pulled back from the rear to watch as well. Guessing only ten or so of those guys are worth half a damn, the rest are just fodder. He thought before landing at the opening in the side of the dome. He altered his body again and stepped into the ruined livingspace just in time for ten needle-like fingers to glance off the side of his head with a clink of metal against metal. On instinct he whipped his fist out and felt a ribcage crumple beneath it followed by the sound of a crash and a groan of pain. He turned and scowled at the crazed looking guy who was doubled over in pain, coughing up blood onto the icy floor. ¡°I was thinking, asshole,¡± he growled and turned to see two more people standing in the entryway along with a crew of masked people in hoods. Of the two, one a huge man and the other a slight woman with severe features. They exchanged a look and shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t mind us,¡± the big guy said. Finally someone with half a brain, he thought irritably before turning back to the prick who had disrupted his train of thought. Graff stalked towards him and reached down, grabbing the guy by the face and lifting him off the ground. The man gurgled once before coughing again and glaring daggers at him. He whipped his hands out again but this time when they struck Graff¡¯s body they immediately began to break down, his hands crumbling into nothing but iron powder. The guy let out a scream of pain and whipped his arm only for it to suddenly turn black when it struck Graff, portions of it crumbling to the ground as more dust. ¡°What the fuck!¡± the man snarled, ¡°Fuck you!¡± Graff dug his fingers into the man¡¯s skin and the man screamed again, ¡°God damn it! Do something you assholes!¡± Graff glanced back at the big man and the severe woman. They shook their heads in disappointment before walking towards the opening and the battlefield beyond. The woman started to glow with a sickly green light while the man drew a knife from a bandolier across his chest. They paid Graff and his victim no mind. He looked back at the man, ¡°So much for loyalty,¡± Graff said and met the man¡¯s gaze with a bloodcurdling stare. The guy shrieked and large needles of metal ripped out of the icy floor, breaking as soon as they struck Graff. Shame, he¡¯s a Steel user, he thought before tilting his head, ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to jump ship?¡± Graff asked. The guy was too far gone in his own rage, though, ¡°This is all because of those fucking hero trainees! Damn it Ito! You told them to do this to me!¡± he roared, struggling again against Graff¡¯s grip. He slammed the stumps of his hands against Graff¡¯s arms which only caused his skin to carbonize and fall off, causing him more pain. Changed my mind, he¡¯d be more trouble than he¡¯s worth, he thought and with a flex of his power nothing but a pile of black dust remained at his feet. He tapped his shoe on the ground to get some of it off before making his way towards the portal. There were chunks of ice around that looked similar to the stuff that had managed to lock his feet down. He shot the small gathering of masked people a look before shifting his body chemistry again and stepping through. WHAM! What Graff guessed was a sword collided with his side at a speed and force far outstripping the earlier attack as soon as he stepped through the portal. His expression fell, unamused, as his crumpled form collided and passed through one tree after another before he even got a chance to get his first look at his very first dungeon. He hit a boulder at some point and it was rendered down into powder when he struck it. It thankfully arrested his momentum, though. He sat up immediately and stared through the path of destruction his body had left behind. It looked a little funny given that his head was at a ninety degree angle with his neck. He molded the carbon that his body was entirely composed of and he yanked his head back into position, getting to his feet. He launched himself back along the path he¡¯d come and landed near the portal before looking up into the face of a ten foot tall suit of armor astride a horse that was just as big. His lip twitched. You¡¯re getting in my way. Side-Story: Seattle 1 Lillian was exhausted. She felt like there was just nothing left in the tank for her to pull out. She sat down on the cot that had been provided for her at the camp just outside the break zone, letting her head hang. During the fighting she hadn¡¯t had any time to think or process what was happening. Now it felt like it was all coming back to her in waves. She reached up and rubbed her eyes before letting out a tired sigh. I need to meditate and consolidate what I learned. If I take too long after an experience like that, teacher will put me through physical conditioning again as punishment. She pulled her legs up into her lap on the cot and steadied herself before taking a deep breath. I¡¯ve got a few hours until they¡¯re expecting me to come back out and help, that should be enough. She let out the held breath and relaxed. ¡°Lily!¡± She opened her eyes with a frown, ¡°Cass?¡¯ she called back. She sounds frantic, what now? She slipped off the cot, her legs aching as the flap to the tent flew open and a flurry of blonde hair raced inside. Alex was right on her heels followed by Snow. They all looked horrified. ¡°What? What happened?¡± Cass held out her phone, there was a live stream of the news playing. A man in a suit was sitting behind a desk, his expression grave and his skin pale. ¡°-more when things develop. For those of you just now joining us as word spreads, chaos in the western United States following the dungeon break in the Kato Ward of Tokyo. Several high security private prison complexes containing a population mounting in the hundreds of known villains and high-threat criminals underwent simultaneous prison riots and break-outs within the past hour.¡± Lillian''s blood ran cold and she took the phone from Cass, her legs giving out as she sat down on the cot, watching the man on the screen as footage showed villains attacking prison guards and destroying walls at one of the prisons. ¡°The riot began after Ishtar invaded the various prisons'' security systems and intercoms. Witnesses say that her words indicated that this had been planned for some time. Prison guards outside the structures reported the formation of Ishtar¡¯s signature portals at every location,¡± the man gestured to the display next to him that changed to show a map of the United States with off-blue clouds moving in various directions. Two large systems were clearly visible and their positions horrified Lillian. ¡°The significant release of mana by the Tokyo dungeon break has pushed a condensation of mana over the pacific ocean in the direction of the west coast. This is happening simultaneously with a sudden spike in mana coming from the epic dungeon near Seattle, Washington. It is reported that Black Lotus, currently considered the world''s most powerful hero, is actively attempting to clear the dungeon,¡± he continued with a picture of her teacher appearing on the screen. The man¡¯s face went dark, ¡°With the incoming wave nearing the western seaboard, guilds are moving quickly to react and shore up any dungeons within the effective area. Reports indicate that some manner of interference is preventing the Pandora Committee from using their gateway network to send reinforcements to Black Lotus, the Chairwoman had this to say.¡± The screen changed and showed Miss Carla standing behind a podium with a pair of heroes behind her. One of them was an asian woman in a green cheongsam with a bored expression on her face. She played lazily with her long black hair and shot the occasional glance at her counterpart. He was a buff man in a blue-gray suit and sunglasses and a dark widow''s peak. He had a grin on his face and was waving to the reporters as the chairwoman spoke, ¡°We are currently ascertaining the severity of the situation in Seattle. Tokyo was the second dungeon break since Dharan and the first we were able to measure with a carter radar. The scope of the potential damage is still being estimated. Right now our priority is getting as many heroes as possible close to the area in order to get them inside the dungeon to assist Black Lotus.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Carla adjusted her glasses and stood up straighter, ¡°We have reason to believe that despite her hostility towards the Pandora Committee, Ishtar has broken villains out of prison in order to send them to the Seattle dungeon. Carter radar readings from the portals at the prison and flare ups at the Seattle dungeon seem to support this. We are unsure how she was able to coordinate so many portals or get them through the interference, but we are looking into possible methods to replicate what she¡¯s done.¡± A reporter raised his voice, ¡°Word on the internet says that Ishtar is responsible for the Tokyo disaster! Is there any word on that investigation?¡± ¡°The Tokyo investigation is ongoing,¡± the Chairwoman said with a frown, ¡°We have reason to believe that this was the act of another villain, though.¡± ¡°So the lives lost in Tokyo were a result of a grudge between two villains?¡± the reporter pressed, ¡°How can they get away with-¡± ¡°Let me be abundantly clear,¡± the Chairwoman said sharply, putting her hands on the podium and leaning forward. She glared into the camera, ¡°The heroes of this world, the Pandora Committee, and society itself will not take this lying down. When we find out who is responsible, there will be a reckoning. No further questions.¡± Shouts rose as she turned around, marching past the two heroes who turned quietly to follow her. The screen changed again, ¡°The Pandora Committee has made no further comments on the situation. With many heroes still assisting in stabilizing the situation in Japan, concerns are mounting about what response can come in time for Seattle. Civilians are already evac-¡± Lily pulled herself out of the near trance she was in from watching the footage. She paused the feed and handed it over to Cass in silence, rubbing her temples. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± she asked with a sigh. The situation was so bad she¡¯d gone from panicked to numb in an instant. She could barely draw up enough emotion to be angry about the situation let alone anything more. Snow sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her girlfriend and saw something painful in her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s more, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Liberty¡¯s thugs who got away, they attacked Sonya. She¡¯s hurt pretty bad,¡± Alex said shakily, ¡°Marta¡¯s with her at the hospital.¡± It was as if her entire world had just collapsed in on itself. ¡°She¡¯s hurt?¡± Lily croaked, ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s hurt?¡± Snow shook her head, static filling the air as she spoke, ¡°We don¡¯t know, Bandit just told us.¡± ¡°Sonya¡¯s out of commission,¡± Cass said hollowly, ¡°Black Lotus is trapped in the Seattle dungeon and we all know who¡¯s actually trying to attack it. If the news is true, villains are going to try to intervene but we have no idea what they¡¯ll do after, even if they do succeed.¡± ¡°Greg told us how that Halloway pricks powers work,¡± Alex grunted, crossing his arms, ¡°He must be why the Pandora Committee can¡¯t get people to Seattle.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t even take a gateway to go help,¡± Lily said and let her head fall between her knees. She felt sick. Images of the devastation in Tokyo creeping up in the back of her mind. Imaginings of how bad the situation in Seattle would be, could be. ¡°Are a bunch of random villains really the only hope we have?¡± ¡°No,¡± Snow said firmly. Lillian looked up at her and a small hand touched her cheek. Snow smiled, ¡°Black Lotus is there,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Alex said, ¡°No worries. Besides, Black Lotus is in the dungeon, not outside. She can go all out in there. I bet you Liberty¡¯s in for one hell of a rude awakening.¡± Cass hesitated next to him but nodded her agreement after a breath. She squared her shoulders. ¡°That woman¡¯s going to get what¡¯s coming to her one way or another. If it isn¡¯t at Seattle then we¡¯ll have our shot. I know it. We just need to keep making a good showing of ourselves so they¡¯ll call on us when it¡¯s time,¡± she said, ¡°Trust your teacher.¡± Lillian let out a breath and nodded slowly. She looked up at them. The team that had seen her through some of the toughest fights of her life. They were right, she had to believe in her teacher. If there was anyone on this planet who could make it through this, it was Black Lotus. She firmed up her resolve and smiled at Snow and the others before hopping to her feet. She let her power feed through her muscles. It wasn''t exactly healthy, she knew. Bed rest was better, but if everyone else wasn''t resting then she wasn''t about to either. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± Side-Story: Seattle 2 One-Hundred Eighty Petals! Chunhua¡¯s weapon turned into a blur as she released a torrent of lightning fast jabs, each of them flickering with off-pink light that shot out at a distance, catching a dozen of the figures that were approaching in formation. I need to thin them out, they¡¯re coming faster and faster. Something¡¯s going on outside, she thought quickly as a man in a suit of armor charged at her, broadsword raised over his head. She snapped a kick out to the right and cratered his chest. Monsters that look like people. This is worse than those dire elves, she hissed as two more came running up. She whipped her sword up and then down in a rigid arc, bisecting both of them before stopping through the wave of blood. She planted her foot gracefully as momentum built. Power circulating through her body, she brought her weapon up and then down in a smooth motion that belied the terrible force behind it. Ninety-Ton Flowering Branch! A wave of pink light, a visible ripple, rushed out from where she swung and mowed over the column of armored soldiers that were fast approaching. She caught her breath, lowering her weapon as she searched the area with her senses. She turned her head back and looked over her shoulder. She was standing on a drawbridge made of some manner of metal that could even withstand her attacks. Ahead of her was a cliff that sloped down into an open field, hilly terrain past that where dozens of castles loomed in the distance. Beneath her, a long drop to water and rocks. Behind her, another castle stood. This one had been cleared entirely of the strange armored warriors that inhabited the dungeon. ¡°That¡¯s another wave!¡± she shouted back, empowering her voice to reach those inside before kicking off the ground. She landed on the air and kicked off again, doing it three more times before alighting on the wall. She frowned, Without knowing the situation outside it''s hard to enjoy finally being able to use my powers without restraint. She twirled her weapon and sheathed it before stepping over to the other side of the wall and looking down at the small crowd of men and women who had raised their fists in celebration. They were standing in the small courtyard of the castle-fortress. It was sparsely decorated with a few training dummies on one side and a single large building that served as the main structure and barracks. That celebratory attitude quickly dimmed into exhaustion, though, as she saw the same realization wash over them. We¡¯re far from done and their numbers keep increasing. Something is happening to push mana into the dungeon. She looked back towards the fields, Waiting for the monsters to come won¡¯t be an option much longer. I need to go out there and thin them before the dungeon hits critical mass. That or find the boss. ¡°Nietz!¡± she shouted. From the group below, a young man leaped high enough to land on the wall next to her. He was a simple looking boy with a pretty face and short hair. He wore a standard issue suit of body armor from the Pandora Committee. He looked up at her as he landed, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am?¡± She turned to face him. During the scouts investigation they had been confronted with numerous dangers. From what she¡¯d heard from the others, after they sent out their distress signal they had lost their leader in a skirmish with the monster-knights, a big one apparently. One that rode a horse. Neitz had gotten them to the fortress alive where they¡¯d managed to clear out the monsters and set up camp. She looked him up and down, ¡°Did your team figure out anything new about those hieroglyphics? I need to know where the boss is.¡± He scratched his head, ¡°Well, sort of,¡± he said with a huff and looked out towards the green fields and the castles beyond, ¡°From what we¡¯re interpreting, the boss isn¡¯t anywhere. Yet.¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked. He pointed to the other castles, ¡°I think the one we¡¯re standing in belonged to the horse-riding knight that was chasing us around, it''s still out there somewhere. The images seem to suggest that there are guys like it at the other castles, we¡¯re thinking five in total,¡± he scratched his neck and then put his hands on his hips, ¡°Our current guess is you gotta beat them all and then the big man in charge will show up. Fortunately they seem to be roaming around rather than guarding their castles.¡± She groaned, ¡°Of course,¡± she said, ¡°That means I¡¯ll have to leave, though. I can¡¯t stay and defend-¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. BOOOM! The two of them spun in time to see a massive wall of ice rise up in the midst of a forest far to the western side of the green fields. That¡¯s where the entrance is, she thought, Evergreen! Chunhua only gave Nietz a single look before he nodded and she darted off. Bursting forward with all the force she could manage she threw her arms back and kicked off the air, accelerating with each step. Her sword already drawn, the small force of foot soldiers that were marching in the direction of the scouts encamped fort were cut down before they even realized there was an enemy present. Their armored bodies clattered to the ground as she turned into a black dot in the distance. She hit the treeline without stopping as a powerful wave of cold crashed through the forest. The sides of the trees she passed were coated in ice as was much of the front of her combat robe as she brought her arm up to block it. A loud crash and a thunderous bellow gave her a better heading and she shifted her trajectory slightly, cutting through trees that got in her way rather than slowing down to adjust. Her eyes narrowed and she cast her senses forwards, she felt the familiar presence of Evergreen just a hundred meters away surrounded by a dozen dwindling presences and one bright one. She crashed through the last of the treeline, sword drawn and took in the scene. Evergreen was standing, hunched, in front of the portal that had been entirely encased in a block of gleaming ice. Around her were frozen statues of men in armor in various poses of attack and retreat. Amidst them, a massive knight riding an equally massive horse stood half as tall as the trees around them. She took one last look at Evergreen, noting her ragged state, and turned her focus to the rider. It turned its helmed head to look in the direction she¡¯d come as she landed opposite him, swiping her sword down to clean the blood off the blade. It rounded on her with a bellow before its arms fell off along with chunks of its shoulders. Then its head down to the collarbone followed. Chunhua let out steaming breath, her fingers shaking from the exertion as another intense wave of cold blasted out behind her. She stepped forward and turned, raising her sword in time to see the horse that the rider had fallen off of just in the midst of pivoting when it had been flash frozen by her ally. She lowered her weapon and looked to Evergreen. She was about to thank her when she saw the color of one of her hands. Chunhua¡¯s eyes went wide and she raced over as the woman began to collapse, she caught her and helped her to her feet. ¡°Your hand!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have Lifesaver grow me a new one or something,¡± Evergreen chuckled, leaning against her. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. ¡°Liberty happened,¡± Evergreen said and smirked, ¡°Not without paying for it, though,¡± she turned to Chunhua, ¡°We need to talk. A lot has happened while you were in here.¡± Chunhua nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the others. They lost their leader and Nietz took over,¡± she said and knelt down. Evergreen nodded and climbed onto her back, ¡°What killed him?¡± Chunhua gestured to the fallen horseman, ¡°That,¡± she said and kicked off the ground, zipping through the trees, ¡°Liberty,¡± she trailed off for a moment, ¡°No big press conference explaining why?¡± she called over the wind whipping past them. ¡°I¡¯d say ¡®why not¡¯ but this is serious,¡± Evergreen shouted back, clinging to her, ¡°A seventh dungeon burst in Tokyo. Someone hid it and it went off at the worst possible time. Bunch of internationals went over to help burn off the mana in the main city dungeons. Lots of people are dead, Chunhua.¡± Chunhua¡¯s heart nearly collapsed in her chest and she had to catch herself to keep moving, ¡°Sonya and Lillian are there!¡± ¡°I know! No news is good news though. I haven¡¯t heard anything. Anyway, point I¡¯m trying to make is that no sooner does that dungeon go up that Liberty shows up here, pretty telling. I think she might be involved in the Tokyo break,¡± Evergreen explained as they burst through the treeline. She glanced around, ¡°Holy shit this place is huge.¡± ¡°I did notice the monsters respawning faster, she¡¯s trying that here as well? I assume she¡¯s got Halloway with her then to replicate the elf dungeon, no reinforcements in that case,¡± Chunhua surmised. ¡°Could be, though if I were Liberty I¡¯d keep him hidden,¡± Evergreen said before pausing thoughtfully, ¡°They had some men with them carrying a bunch of boxes but I could only sense them through the snow. Didn¡¯t get a good look. Took out one of her lieutenants before she got to me though,¡± she said with a chuckle. ¡°Which one?¡± Chunhua asked. ¡°The creepy one that grins all the time, looked kind of like a monk or dancer,¡± Evergreen said. It wasn¡¯t hard to remember that face, he¡¯d been a terror during the camp raid. ¡°Sir Ellis. Good to hear it!¡± Chunhua said as they crested a hill and caught sight of the fortress on the cliff. She swore. There was already a small army of the mindless warriors marching on it and yet another one of the riders. The massive warrior was swinging a spiked club around as the scouts fired down at him and his soldiers from the battlements. A few shapes darted between his swings and one in particular landed a kick to its arm before it swatted the figure away with a roar. No time to rest. Side-Story: Seattle 3 Liberty fumed as she marched through the trees. To think Ishtar had such an option in reserve. How did she get them past Halloway? She¡¯d have to ask him once the job was done. Ultimately it didn¡¯t matter how many villains Ishtar sent to interfere, so long as she dealt with Black Lotus and Evergreen, the rest would fall into place. Without them clearing the dungeon from the inside her goals would be achieved. The only variable was the villain who had confronted her outside the dungeon. His powers were strange. I didn¡¯t feel bones break when I hit him. What is he made of? How does his power work? She clicked her tongue, I don¡¯t have time for this. Setting this dungeon to blow was time-sensitive from the start. Even if the Pandora Committee doesn¡¯t find a way to push through Halloway¡¯s power, heroes will start arriving eventually. I¡¯ll get this done and be rid of this place one way or another. She thought as a dark shape landed next to her. Her fingers twitched against the pommel of her sword before she caught a flash of silky black hair out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Ito.¡± Doctor Ito hopped off what appeared to be some manner of serpent or thin armless dragon. It looked more like a worm with teeth than a reptile despite its scales. It slipped away from her as she approached Liberty and inclined her head, ¡°My Lady,¡± the wicked doctor said. Liberty nodded sharply, ¡°Well done in Tokyo,¡± she rumbled as she resumed walking. Ito cracked a ravenous smile and Liberty restrained a grimace. This girl. She has been obsessed with earning my favor since we met. I appreciate her philosophy meshing with my own but her ambition is dangerous. I can never make her my second. ¡°Something happen outside?¡± Ito asked. ¡°Yes, Ishtar has sent a small army of villains against us,¡± Liberty said, ¡°As long as they are present it will be difficult to retreat once everything is ready,¡± she shot the doctor an expectant look. The doctor dipped into a dramatic bow, ¡°I will make sure our path is clear, my lady,¡± she said and leaped back to grab onto her strange serpent mount. It pulled away from the tree before zipping back into the canopy. She watched the doctor go and her lip twitched a hairs breadth closer to a smile, At least her ambition has uses. She thought and resumed her solitary march, pushing through a particularly dense patch of bushes and trees. There, on the other side, she could see sunlight. She could hear something as well. It sounded like a large number of people marching. She narrowed her eyes and stepped out through the treeline and into the sunlight. She looked out over what appeared to be a large lake and the grassy plains between the trees and the shore. To her right she saw the plains stretch out around the enormous body of water until there was nothing but hills and grass. Beyond that, she could see mountain peaks and castles looming atop them. The marching stopped and she turned to look at the group she had been ignoring. A small army of men in armor accompanying a positively enormous figure astride an equally enormous horse. He was wielding a battle axe with two heads in one hand and a tower shield in the other. Her lip twitched, Epic dungeons are different I suppose. I¡¯ll deal with this and move on. Black Lotus can¡¯t be far. The crew should have deposited the crystals by now. The delay release will give me time until I¡¯ve dealt with the hero and left, she glanced back over her shoulder. So long as I avoid that man. She popped her neck as the massive figure let out a roar of challenge, raising his axe over his head. The footsoldiers charged and Liberty took a step forward. She raised her sword and swung, the force of the swing bowling over dozens as it rippled out across the amassed monsters. She snapped her hand out and grabbed one that had managed to endure the blow, pulling his head off his shoulders before stomping on the next that got too close. She swung again, pulverising metallic armor and sending limbs flying. She barely paid it any mind, her full attention on the giant that looked ready to charge her. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It raised its axe again and urged its horse forward. She watched it for a few heartbeats, dismissively swatting away its foot soldiers as they desperately tried to land even a glancing blow on her armor. She looked for anything, some sign of a power being activated, some sort of tell that it was about to do something, anything, impressive. Yet all she felt was a light pressure on her shoulders from its presence that was less than negligible and caught sight of its body expanding slightly. Increasing muscle mass? She thought, That¡¯s it? Liberty supposed such a force would be terrifying to an Epic-tier, perhaps even concerning for a Heroic. To her mind. It was pathetic. She kicked away a particularly attentive foot soldier, punting it towards its leader. The small armored man spun through the air before colliding with the rider¡¯s axe blade, cleaved in two. Liberty took a stance, shifting her right foot back and raising her sword like a baseball bat. She tensed her muscles and with a sharp exhale, swung her weapon. The ensuing shockwave tore the horse and its rider to pieces, pulverizing its body and leaving nothing but a scar in the earth and gobbets of meat smeared across the ground. She wrinkled her nose and turned from it without another look, Pathetic. I hope the boss and its subordinates put up more of a fight. She flexed her legs and lowered herself into a squat, tension building in her muscles as she fixed her gaze on the highest hill in the distance. She slowly lowered her arms to her sides before kicking off with the force of a small rocket. The ground beneath her cracked and burst, a cloud of dust left behind as she hurtled into the air. There, in the sky, she looked down on the grassy fields below and spotted something. Another one of the hulking horseriders and its minions were engaged with a small figure that danced amongst their number like a reaper, pink flashes of light ripping through them, dropping several at once. Found you, she growled before turning her eyes on the interfering monsters. She could tolerate them appearing en masse in the dungeon, it was a necessary part of what came with a dungeon break. However, she had no use for creatures that would get in the way of her hunt. Black Lotus was her prey and she would show the entire world her head during her next broadcast. Liberty bore her teeth and drew her sword up over her head as she began careening back towards the ground. Wind whipped past her, a ripple in the air formed, a shriek of sound following her as she struck with enough explosive force to level the small hill the massive beast was standing on. She stood from the point of impact, brushing herself off before looking down in derision at the pulverized corpse of the monster rider. She turned away from it with a scoff before marching out of the crater she had made to stand on its rim. She looked down from it at the woman in black robes standing only twenty yards away. The hero raised her sword into a ready stance and scowled. ¡°Liberty.¡± ¡°Black Lotus, I¡¯ve been looking for you,¡± Liberty said callously, she raised her sword and pointed it at the woman as another shriek of sound drew her attention from above. She spun on instinct, throwing her sword up in time to catch a human hand adorned with gleaming black skin and razor sharp claws. She grunted as an incomprehensible mass pushed against her, shoving her back several feet and digging her heels into the soil. With a grunt she pushed the man off of her, sending the stranger back before she glanced over to see where Black Lotus was. The woman hadn¡¯t moved a muscle. She whipped her head back towards the interloper, ¡°You. You¡¯re interfering.¡± The man shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s what Ishtar asked me to do,¡± he said before turning to look at Black Lotus, ¡°Famous people all around huh,¡± he grunted and crossed his arms, ¡°Not my kind of party.¡± ¡°Then go,¡± Liberty growled. This man was becoming a problem, ¡°If you¡¯re so disinterested-¡± A clap of thunder drew the attention of all three of them. Liberty spun and looked up to find the source, a cloud of rainbow colored light billowing in the sky. She frowned, Some new monster for the dungeon? I was unaware of such a function in dungeons. ¡°Did you two kill any more of those riders?¡± Black Lotus shouted. Liberty rounded on her, ¡°Yes, one, it didn¡¯t put up much of a fight. Why?¡± The man spoke up next, ¡°Ran into one in the forest.¡± She glanced at him and frowned before Black Lotus barked out a laugh. Liberty rounded on her as the woman brushed her hair back over her ear. ¡°Shame I can¡¯t take the credit for clearing the dungeon solo now,¡± she said, ¡°But at least you made my job easy for me. You really should get better intel, Liberty.¡± Liberty bristled, ¡°Explain. Now.¡± Black Lotus pointed up at the cloud and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s the boss. I know why you¡¯re here, and it looks like you aren¡¯t going to get it.¡± Chapter 202 Everything was murky for a while. Like floating at the bottom of a pool. The little mote of consciousness could still breathe in those depths, still feel alive, yet the world seemed so distant, so far away. There was a sense of urgency, somewhere, inside? Outside? Separate but together, contained and unleashed, a discord of contrary concepts bounding around in the depths, setting the water to boil. The little mote of consciousness tried to reach towards the surface. There was light there, order, the world made sense outside of the water. That''s where it needed to be. It needed to rise up and breathe. A ragged gasp joined into the din of noise that bombarded her ears. Warning alarms went off, heart rate monitors tittered and beeped, shouts rang out, someone put something over her face. She wanted to lash out. How dare they try to restrain her? How- She was in the water again. Floating. Drifting. A little more aware than before. She wasn¡¯t alone either. She drifted through the water next to another person. A woman with white hair and alabaster pale skin. The woman¡¯s eyes were closed as they floated together, her expression serene. Something about it made the little mote ache. She reached for the other woman and saw vines wrap around the woman, tug at her, pull her away. She tried to swim, tried to catch up, she couldn¡¯t see, it was too dark beneath the water. She felt like she would drown if she went any deeper. The surface, I have to get to the surface! BEEP BEEP BEEP! ¡°She¡¯s up again!¡± a shout rang out, ¡°Get the- thanks!¡± ¡°Hold her still!¡± another voice shouted. ¡°Amos get over here!¡± a third chimed in. BEEP BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP! The drift back into the water was slower this time. Lingering. A voice whispered into its ears. ¡°We¡¯ve got you, hang in there,¡± the voice said, ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay. Just rest for a while.¡± BEEP BEEP ¡­ BEEP ¡­ BEEP The depths were¡­ soothing. The little mote felt itself rise to the surface again one last time. There was no urgency anymore, no frantic movement within the world. The space outside was quiet, all but empty. It reached for that boundary between the underwater world and the open air and breached. Air filled its lungs as instead of the light of the sun, it found itself bathed in darkness. For a moment, it panicked, wondering why it could not see. It tried to open its eyes but found that they were already open. Bandages? Yes, but even then, this darkness is¡­too much. It took a moment to reflect, Who? Ah, yes. I am Ishtar. Ishtar flexed her fingers, they ached terribly. Her entire body was sore and cold, a chill rattling her bones. She took a shuddering breath and reached out with her senses. Her mind recoiled, tensing and spasming at the too-soon use of her abilities. She winced and coughed, raising a hand to cover her lips only to feel something attached to her limbs. Tubing inserted into her skin. A hospital? No, Companion wouldn¡¯t allow that. Something similar then. Ishtar thought before something more serious occurred to her, Why am I in control? Sonya? She called the name out into the vastness of her consciousness, Sonya! Are you there? A presence rose up in response, a small, fragile, infinitely precious mote. It reacted to the name but it did not speak. She could sense emotions boiling within the mote: fear, anger, confusion, worry, hatred, love, sadness, regret. She cupped the mote in her hands, trying to feel why it had been reduced to this state. She tried to sense her other half¡¯s endless resolve, that strength that she quietly leaned on. To her horror, all she sensed was madness at its deepest points, a creeping vine of insanity that was spreading through the mote¡¯s very being. Irrationality, hostility, Ishtar saw it for what it was. Visage. It was more unstable than either of us suspected. To use it at its full power like that¡­ that was a mistake, I shouldn¡¯t have encouraged you. I¡¯m sorry, Sonya. The little mote did not respond. She touched it again with her mind and the vines crept back a small amount. The mote shone briefly and followed her lead. Pushing back just a little before going quiet again. Now, all she felt was exhaustion and then a sense of peace. Ishtar smiled shakily, what she saw scared her, but she knew Sonya would recover. Rest well. ¡°Sonya?¡± a voice brought Ishtar back to reality. Again, there was darkness as her mind turned outwards. Blind again. Something is wrong with her eyes. She took a moment to recognize the voice, Crusader. Her lips parted and she hesitated, Her civilian name¡­ ah yes. Her words came out hoarsely, her throat cracking under the strain of trying to speak. ¡°Lillian?¡± She felt a hand grasp onto her own and grip it tightly, ¡°Oh my god you¡¯re awake! How do you feel? Oh shit, I should let Marta know. She was getting some rest, I just- right uh, one sec, I¡¯ll be right back. I promise!¡± Silly girl, Ishtar thought with amusement as the girl let her hand go. She could hear the door open and shut to the room, wherever she was. She tried again to reach out with her senses but her mind jolted once more. Terribly inconvenient, she hissed. That hurt, I cannot use my senses, I¡¯m as blind as I-we-she was before the flash. Our body is so weak too. She tried to sit up but her muscles just gave out beneath her. Her lips thinned into a line, Damn. Ahead of her the door opened and several sets of feet poured in. She couldn¡¯t make out who was who. ¡°Lil, you mind stepping out for a bit so we can talk to her?¡± Technocrat¡¯s voice said, ¡°You can catch up with her after that, I promise.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah sure! No problem. I need some coffee anyway,¡± she heard Crusader-Lillian¡¯s voice say, there were a few steps on what she assumed was tile floor before they paused, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay, Sonya. We¡¯ve been so worried.¡± Ishtar forced a smile as she lay on her back, ¡°Thank you, dear,¡± she said hoarsely before the door shut. She heard a few sets of feet move up to stand near her bed, a strong set of thin fingers reaching down to take her hand while another stronger set of finger touched her face and examined her. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± she croaked. There was a long pause, ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t sense us?¡± Technocrat asked. ¡°No,¡± she responded, it was taking a lot of strength just to speak. Bothersome. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Companion said, her fingers squeezing Ishtar¡¯s hand. ¡°So is Doctor Da-Som.¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°Ah, good. Thank you for coming, Doctor. I appear to be in a rather awful state.¡± ¡°You nearly died ma¡¯am,¡± Doctor Da-Som said, his voice somewhere between shaky and stern, ¡°Your heart, among other things, just about gave out. Your body couldn¡¯t take the strain of whatever you did. You maxed yourself out so completely that your cybernetics nearly ripped themselves out of your body.¡± Ishtar paused, ¡°Regrettable.¡± Several seconds of silence followed that single word, she couldn¡¯t feel what they were doing but she could imagine it. An exchange of looks, silent moments of eye contact and shared conversations without words. Companion and Technocrat were close, they knew one another¡¯s mind well enough to do something like that. Given how much Technocrat worked with the doctor, she would not be surprised if they shared a similar level of connection. No words were needed from them to ask one another the same question. ¡°You aren¡¯t Sonya, are you?¡± Companion asked. Ishtar¡¯s lips thinned, ¡°I am afraid not.¡± ¡°Can we speak to her?¡± Technocrat chimed in. Ishtar¡¯s thin lips turned down into a frown, ¡°I am afraid not,¡± she repeated. ¡°Why?¡± he asked sharply. ¡°Amos,¡± Companion said with a hint of warning in her tone. ¡°I have theories,¡± Ishtar said, she was feeling tired all of a sudden, ¡°But I do not know the full reason. She is¡­ weaker than I am right now. Small. Sleeping and hidden in my subconscious. I can¡¯t say when she might recover. Her silence is deafening, painful,¡± she wheezed, an exhausted arm reaching up to grip at the hospital gown she was trussed up in. Her chest hurt. ¡°I can¡¯t use her HUD. How bad is her body?¡± she asked. There was silence again and she scowled, drumming up the strength for a snarl, ¡°Tell me!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°The fact that you just moved your arm is a miracle,¡± Doctor Da-Som said in a low voice, ¡°Your abilities are largely cybernetic, your muscles have partially separated from your bones in places. Your heart is a mess, your joints too, everything is just a wreck. Your eyes are gone. You¡¯ll be wheelchair bound until you recover enough to use one of those fruits Marta told me about.¡± Gone? I was afraid of that. I can¡¯t even channel enough mana to use my senses, let alone conjure up ambrosia, damn, Ishtar thought irritably, This might take a while. She sighed and flexed her fingers as Companion began to pull away, she squeezed the woman¡¯s hand. There was a flare desperation in her chest, a need for that physical contact to continue for just a moment. It was a strange emotion, one she¡¯d never felt before. She didn¡¯t understand it and it annoyed her a little. She furrowed her brows, ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she managed, ¡°Stay.¡± ¡°I wanted a word with her,¡± Technocrat growled. ¡°Amos now isn¡¯t the time, besides, she¡¯s still Sonya, just¡­ different,¡± Companion insisted, ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°She did it again, Em!¡± Technocrat shouted, ¡°Just like Florence!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting into this with you again, Amos,¡± Companion said shortly, ¡°She needs us.¡± Ishtar heard him stomp his foot and start to pace. She imagined him running his fingers through his hair and felt for him a little. She knew how reckless Sonya could be with her body. The silly girl was extraordinarily self-destructive when doing so could spare the many for the few. A character flaw or a sign of greatness? I¡¯ve never really been able to decide, Ishtar thought. ¡°I know it was necessary,¡± Amos rumbled, ¡°That¡¯s exactly why someone should have been with her! We¡¯re her team but we never seem to be there when she needs us most! Fucking damn it! When I agreed to set the connection up I didn¡¯t know - shit, Em look at her!¡± ¡°Tech-¡± Ishtar began and then cleared her aching throat, ¡°Amos. For what it¡¯s worth coming from me,¡± she said, ¡°I am sorry this happened to her. I suggested the course of action. She was panicking. It was our only option.¡± The room went quiet for a moment and she could feel all eyes on her. She heard Technocrat sigh, ¡°...yeah well. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive,¡± he said awkwardly, ¡°Apology accepted.¡± She heard Companion chuckle a little and felt the woman¡¯s tense hands grow a little warmer, a little gentler as she squeezed Ishtar¡¯s weakened fingers. ¡°We uh,¡± Technocrat started with a mumble, ¡°We have some ideas for what to do about your eyes, but it¡¯ll take some time. They¡¯re purely artificial, so healing abilities aren¡¯t working on them. Even if they¡¯re a part of your natural ability set, they just aren¡¯t growing back. We even had Vytal take a crack at it. It¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s like your body is resisting abilities being used on it.¡± Ishtar paused and her fingers squeezed Companion''s hand a bit more tightly. Her muscles hurt under the effort but the explanation she came up with was upsetting enough to distract her from the pain. Visage of Titania, am I infested with it? She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak but she felt a wash of weakness crash into her, a tiredness that made her want to slip back into slumber. She shivered again. Post surgery trembling, exhaustion, I¡¯m pushing her body too hard already. I¡¯ll explain it later. I need to use what strength I have wisely. First thing¡¯s first. She chewed her lip. ¡°Companion?¡± The hand gripping hers tensed a little, ¡°Yes, Ishtar?¡± she asked gently. ¡°I need to know, was it worth it?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°Did her plan work?¡± Another long pause, ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°I am not as fragile as my better half,¡± Ishtar said with weary anger, ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°...better?¡± Companion began before clearing her throat, ¡°Fine. Why don¡¯t you two head out and keep working? I¡¯ll sit with her.¡± Ishtar heard two sets of feet move to leave, ¡°Amos? Doctor?¡± she called. She heard them pause and she allowed herself to smile, ¡°Thank you for saving her,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, well, get better. For her and for us. You¡¯re the boss, we can¡¯t save the world without you. Both of you,¡± Amos said, ¡°We need you,¡± he added before the door shut. She felt the silence weigh on her for a moment. It was so strange being wholly in control. There was usually a lingering sense of Sonya in the back of her mind, an idea of what she would say, a concept of how she would feel. It let her emulate emotions better. Yet now she felt oddly lost. A warmth in her chest she did not recognize without Sonya to identify it properly. Was it gratitude? There was something else, an ache, perhaps concern. Concern for them. They were shaken by what had happened. Sonya was not present and they knew it. Their friend was silent and it was only Ishtar for now. What was worse, she had never been this weak in their eyes before. Not even after that hair-brained effort to merge abilities in Florence. There was little she could say to comfort them. Logic insisted she do something to alleviate their concerns, but she could not lie. She did not know, she did not have answers. She could only wait, just like them. It was strange. She spent so little time in control that she realized she barely knew them personally even if she had all of Sonya¡¯s memories. Without her for context, they seemed almost like strangers. Warm strangers, but strangers nevertheless. Companion pulled her hand away long enough to grab a chair from the sound of it and drag it over. She sat down next to Ishtar and took her hand again. ¡°You¡¯re cold.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll recover,¡± Ishtar said thoughtfully and then a bit more quietly, ¡°I wish I had something comforting to say to them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you say something that kind before,¡± Companion said. Ishtar huffed out a weak laugh, ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± she trailed off, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± Companion cleared her throat, ¡°The villains you freed from prison arrived at the Seattle dungeon, I¡¯d say about three quarters of them went, the rest didn¡¯t heed your call. After that, Black Lotus cleared the dungeon.¡± More than I expected, Ishtar thought, ¡°That¡¯s good, but there¡¯s more.¡± ¡°Liberty was there waiting for interference, along with a significant portion of her round table. That man you were cultivating a connection with, Graff. He fought her and she retreated into the dungeon. He pursued while the round table remained outside. It wasn¡¯t pretty. Most of the villains that attacked then were between common and rare at best.¡± ¡°You have a good understanding of the play-by-play outside,¡± Ishtar commented, ¡°How?¡± ¡°Wicker was there, he¡¯s leaving Kingshark¡¯s group by the way. He¡¯s joining up with Graff as a henchman,¡± Companion explained. And Graff is allowing that? Wicker¡¯s powers are more impressive than I had thought, apparently, she thought before nodding, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°The majority of the villains were slaughtered,¡± Companion said, ¡°Halloway was there so any who didn¡¯t run or hide right away weren¡¯t able to get away once he was hunting them, but the stronger villains that came kept the round table busy, the rest, well,¡± Companion trailed off, "Sometime after that, the dungeon dissipated and Liberty escaped with her people. Graff wants to meet.¡¯ Ishtar let out a sigh, ¡°Dutiful as always, Companion.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am,¡± Companion said. ¡°What is the news saying?¡± Ishtar asked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°Please,¡± Ishtar insisted. The woman holding her hand let out a sigh and moved away for a moment before setting something down on the bed next to Ishtar. She heard a brief hum before audio began to play. A voice rose up, clearly that of a reporter. ¡°...The supervillain, Liberty, who is now being connected to the Tokyo disaster, attempted to follow up that attack with a plan to detonate the Seattle dungeon. The chain reaction from its fallout would have decimated a significant portion of the north west United States and south west Canada.¡± Ishtar pursed her lips as the man continued speaking, ¡°There is still significant contention online as to the real perpetrator of the disasters. With leaks connecting Ishtar to the Tokyo incident and her orchestrating a major prison break, opinion is currently divided on what happened. Though the hero Black Lotus has made her position clear that while Liberty is the mastermind behind this historic tragedy, Ishtar is complicit given the false-flag nature of the attack and her long standing feud with the other supervillain.¡± There was a long pause, ¡°Despite Black Lotus¡¯ success in clearing the dungeon and preventing the worst, the outcome is still being considered a pyrrhic victory at best for the Heroes. Liberty and her entourage escaped justice. Several Pandora Committee scouts lost their lives in the dungeon, Guildmaster Evergreen is currently in the hospital along with Black Lotus after sustaining severe injuries during their battle. While many escaped villains died in their own attack on the dungeon, several high profile villains remain unaccounted for including the special-class Supervillain, Graff.¡± The reporter let out a heavy sigh, ¡°The death toll between Seattle and Tokyo has now exceeded five hundred thousand people, the single largest loss of human life in a single day in history since the Shaaxi earthquake in 1556,¡± the reporter said solemnly. ¡°This tragedy could have been all the worse if not for the brave involvement of the heroes who stepped up to-¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Ishtar said hoarsely. Companion ended the video and Ishtar deflated a little where she lay, ¡°Those prisoners were one of Sonya¡¯s trump cards, most of them were lost it sounds like,¡± she said with a sigh, ¡°This is Liberty¡¯s win. Even if she didn¡¯t get Seattle. I¡¯m glad Sonya isn¡¯t awake for this.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, mistress,¡± Companion said after a pause, her hands gripping even more tightly against Ishtar¡¯s fingers. She felt them trembling. An instinct rose up in her chest and she felt her body want to reach up to touch the woman¡¯s face. Her body didn¡¯t respond, though, and she could only lay there impotently as the woman shook, ¡°Speak your mind,¡± Ishtar said as gently as she could. Companion stirred for a moment, stewing, before she broke out into a tearful shout, ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡± she barked, ¡°I can¡¯t- sometimes I just can¡¯t stand it. You saved so many lives, both of you did, you did the bad thing that would do the most good and- and- and no one is going to. Damn it,¡± the woman croaked, ¡°I thought I was over this.¡± Ishtar felt an incomprehensible pit in her stomach. Another driving instinct. A question itching in her mind. What would Sonya say right now? She wondered before fumbling out a guess, ¡°No one? Aren¡¯t you someone?¡± Ishtar said, trying to put a hint of Sonya¡¯s mischief into her voice. ¡°But!¡± ¡°Comp- Marta, it¡¯s fine,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°This is our path,¡± she added before asking, ¡°How long have I been out? When was that report recorded?¡± ¡°A week ago,¡± Marta croaked, ¡°We¡¯re at headquarters in Minneapolis.¡± Ishtar shook her head, ¡°Liberty, she even took Sonya¡¯s grand opening from her,¡± she grit her teeth. She couldn¡¯t let herself feel the defeat. She needed to learn from it, adapt to it, and when the time came, avenge it. She rallied with what little strength she had to keep speaking, defiance fueling her, ¡°I¡¯ll recover, she will too, and while we convalesce, I will plan. This is far from over, dear. The Pandora Committee must be getting ready for war and the inner circle will be there. I will be there.¡± Companion-no, she reminded herself, Marta-squeezed her hand, ¡°And I won¡¯t leave your side.¡± Chapter 203 Night came all too quickly and most of the revolving door of visitors had come to an end. Most were inconsequential in her eyes. Barely worthy of note. Members of ASTAs board, Sonya''s people, came and went without incident. None were overly concerned about her state. In this new post-pandora age, what did it even mean to get sick or injured? As long as one knew a good healer, anyway. The Mint woman had not come yet, though representatives of the Pandora Committee had arrived to filter through her account of the supposed ¡®attack¡¯. Not out of suspicion, no, they were well aware of Liberty¡¯s hatred towards Sonya for taking Cassiopeia, the womans sister, under her wing. She told most of the story through Marta, citing her weariness. She committed to having Amos record a full statement with her voice when time allowed. For the moment, it was all she could do to rest. Her body felt to be at its breaking point while her mind remained vigorous and strong. The result was an aching sort of restlessness that harried her well into the wee hours of the morning. It was there, laying in bed, her other senses heightened by her loss of sight and restless mind, that she felt a charge in the air. The sensation intensified for a moment, a static clinging to her skin and setting her hair on end. Then it vanished, a feeling of no longer being alone striking her. Her lips thinned and she spoke to the ceiling. ¡°I figured Blackrazor would visit first,¡± she said casually. ¡°Yeaaah, he would but he''s a busy guy. Gotta keep a part of your little empire thingy going, ya know?¡± Kerauna said, her voice coming from just a few feet away by Ishtar¡¯s reckoning. ¡°Here to test the limits of our deal?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°I''m defenseless and Companion won''t be back for a few minutes. You are already more powerful than I am in pure output. Now is your chance,¡± she said, her tone thick with amusement. She tried to flex her fingers, move her arms in some meaningful way, but it was hopeless. The exercises she''d done earlier to begin urging her body back into motion had been exhausting. Kera paused before speaking, her tone light and lifting, playful in a mad sort of way. ¡°Yeah I know, thought about it too. Killing you and just going about my day. Figure I''d have a cupcake to celebrate,¡± she trailed off, ¡°I hated you. You know.¡± ¡°I''m not surprised,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°Enslaved me. Even the loosened restrictions you gave me after Vegas were galling, I thought every day about how those robot bits of you would twitch and spark. Would you explode? Pop goes Ishtar,¡± Kera hummed, drawing closer. ¡°I gave you some credit at first, though. You didn''t abuse me. Low bar, I know.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°What really changed your mind?¡± ¡°Nothing did, I love Beyol and all but this is my life. I came through that lightbulb to kill you tonight, boss. I really really did,¡± Kera said, her throat tense with frustration. ¡°You really worked yourself over to stop that dungeon boom, huh? Heard your eyeballs popped.¡± Ishtar felt a cold coil work into her gut, her hands and arms still worthless. ¡°They did,¡± she said, keeping her tone casual. ¡°Allow me a little Schadenfreude?¡± Kera asked, her voice shaking. Ishtar nodded and the woman burst into laughter, she imagined Kera holding her sides and sinking to the ground. That laughter turned to sobs of frustration. ¡°I can''t do it,¡± she croaked, ¡°The deal won''t let me.¡° ¡°I know.¡± Kera went silent, the moments stretching out between them. Ishtar wondered if perhaps Kera had done something to prevent Marta from getting back in a timely fashion. She should be here by now. She turned her attention back to her distraught subordinate. She didn¡¯t blame her for her duplicity. The outcome and reaction to her situation was obvious, all things considered. Kera enjoyed working for her, but she was intimately aware of the fact that the girl hadn¡¯t begun her journey willingly. Blackrazor and Kingshark had become proud members of the group. Kera was still an unknown factor. When Kera finally spoke again, her words were quiet but edged, ¡°I hear your powers aren¡¯t working right. Even that techno-brain-whatever of yours,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s correct, it will take time for me to recover,¡± Ishtar conceded, ¡°I am cut off from the outside world for the time being.¡± ¡°Then I have a question, Ishtar,¡± Kera said evenly, ¡°Without all your cheats and super knowledge power stuff, just you.¡± ¡°I am at your disposal,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡± Kera asked, ¡°Not Kerauna or Veloche, what¡¯s my real goddamn name? Do you even know it?¡± she demanded, her words thick with scorn. ¡°Cuz from what I can tell-¡± ¡°Gia Ricci,¡± Ishtar said without missing a beat, ¡°You¡¯re twenty four years old, your father was an accountant and your mother was a homemaker. Before the flash you had a habit of getting into trouble but only minor violations. You were in college after all, following your dream of becoming an olympic hurdler,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I imagine when you awakened your abilities it was crushing,¡± she surmised, ¡°All that hard work to build up your body and your abilities were like a silver bullet. To make matters worse, there was no way you could ever qualify with a power like that. You dropped out of university and fell in with Verde.¡± Another long stretch of silence, this time thick with a tension that Ishtar could have cut with a knife. She heard the woman stir on the floor, ¡°How? Why?¡± ¡°I do not experience emotions as a normal person does, Kera. I do not see the world or feel things as you might. However,¡± she turned her blind gaze in the direction of the woman¡¯s voice, ¡°I understand loyalty and I agree with Sonya on how she feels about treating those who work for her. Abusing one¡¯s allies is a weakness. Uplifting them is a strength. I¡¯ve watched you grow into a powerful villain, Kera. It isn¡¯t the life you wanted, but no one can argue that you are not mighty now and that you¡¯ve earned your place. I am quite proud of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve killed allies before,¡± Kera pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve killed fools,¡± Ishtar countered, ¡°I keep and protect my allies, I do not suffer fools. Your antics are a good farce, Kera, but that is all they are. I see them as war paint, nothing more. You are not a fool. You are patient, meticulous, and capable of working while seeming not to.You waited so long to confront me, you had a goal, and even if it meant working for the person you hated the most and smiling with them, you would do it. I imagine you orchestrated Companion not returning to my side in time.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Ishtar-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done, Kerauna,¡± Ishtar clipped and the girl went quiet, ¡°Driven, with a clear line, loyal to your allies and ruthless to your enemies. You¡¯ve mastered your abilities far faster than I could have possibly imagined. You very well may never leap over hurdles for a stadium, dear, but you have a gold medal as a villain, as far as I am concerned,¡± Ishtar let out a breath, ¡°I¡¯ve said what I needed to say.¡± The young woman said nothing for a few heartbeats but Ishtar heard her footsteps draw close. She tilted her head a little to face where she imagined Kera¡¯s face was. She felt a gentle hand reach down and touch her skin, small static pops sounding between them for a moment as a gentle charge washed its way through her body. Ishtar let out a shuddering breath at the sensation, it was unnerving. When Kera spoke next, her tone was more subdued, ¡°There¡¯s something in your body. It feels like plants. They¡¯re so small, though, I could burn them out if you want, mistress.¡± Ishtar forced herself, gritting her teeth as she willed her arm to move enough to flex and touch Kera¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m grateful,¡± she said, ¡°But no, this is something that I will have to remove on my own. A consequence of my own ability,¡± she said, ¡°Thank you for confirming that they¡¯re there.¡± Kera¡¯s hand slid down Ishtar¡¯s arm, ¡°Anytime,¡± she said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me for a job well done,¡± Ishtar snapped, ¡°You¡¯re above that.¡± The villainess¡¯ hand stiffened, ¡°...right,¡± she mumbled and cleared her throat, ¡°But now, I don¡¯t know what to do with myself. My goal was you for all this time and now,¡± she trailed off, ¡°Now I don¡¯t have that goal anymore.¡± ¡°A true villain stands for something, a burning desire that they hold deep in themselves, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it and come out the other side of that hell alive to enjoy the fruits of their labor,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°If your previous goal was to come to terms with me in one way or another, now you need to find your next one. I cannot make that choice for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a good enough person to be satisfied with saving the world,¡± Kera said. ¡°Then don¡¯t be. Besides Companion, the others aren¡¯t, why should you?¡± Ishtar asked. ¡°I need some time to think,¡± Kera said, pulling her hand away and helping Ishtar rest her arm back on the bed. She lingered at Ishtar¡¯s hand for a little while, ¡°You¡­ really can¡¯t lie, right?¡± ¡°My word is meaningless on that regard,¡± Ishtar chuckled, ¡°But no, I cannot.¡± ¡°So you meant everything you said?¡± Kera asked. ¡°I did.¡± Another silence, and then, ¡°Thank you,¡± Kera murmured, ¡°I will always come when you call. Mistress. Just say my name.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Ishtar asked with amusement. Kera chuckled, ¡°My proper name, Kerauna.¡± ¨C When Marta returned she was less than pleased to see Kera sitting in the chair next to the bed, laughing and talking with Ishtar. A few quick words had been enough to diffuse things, though. Telling her that Kera just wanted a private word mollified her to the point that she was only annoyed with the wily villainess. Ishtar kept the woman¡¯s potential betrayal to herself, there was no need to create a rift between her subordinates. Instead, she enjoyed both of their company for a while longer before Kera opted to leave, apparently through the light fixture she had come in through. Ishtar was pleased to hear that the young woman had actually managed the trick without doing any damage to the fixture, a sign of growth. ¡°Are you going to tell me why she was really here?¡± Marta asked when she¡¯d gone. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because what differences there were have been settled,¡± Ishtar said flatly, ¡°There is no reason to be hostile to someone who¡¯s loyalty has not only been confirmed, but strengthened. That is counterintuitive. I imagine she will remain hidden within the building for a while to keep watch when you have to step away, until I am at least partially mobile.¡± She could practically feel Marta¡¯s frown, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel better about having left you alone like that.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sit here all day,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°My role is to protect you and care for you,¡± Marta countered. ¡°You aren¡¯t one of Amos¡¯ dolls,¡± Ishtar said dismissively, ¡°And you¡¯re well aware of that.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°That being said,¡± Ishtar cut her off, ¡°I¡­ appreciate what you do. For me, and for Sonya.¡± ¡°How is she doing?¡± Marta asked. ¡°She isn¡¯t fading, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking, her condition isn¡¯t getting worse,¡± Ishtar explained, ¡°But I am afraid that she is in a state far worse than it has ever been. She has had so many ups and downs, tried to build herself back up so many times, her foundation is cracked and her resolve has wavered. She may not be conscious but she is in some ways aware of how much of a blow Liberty¡¯s gambit was to her,¡± Ishtar hesitated and cleared her throat, ¡°I have something I must confess.¡± She felt Marta tense next to her, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have been retaining memories from Sonya, restricting them, pushing certain things to the edge of her consciousness. A preventative measure but not one that can go on forever. She has stayed sane longer but the dissonance between myself bearing the full weight of her grief and self-recrimination has created its own kind of strain,¡± Ishtar said with a sigh, ¡°Like trying to seal a stubborn leak.¡± ¡°...she was oddly relaxed after the camp raid, despite everything,¡± Marta said, ¡°No one commented but, it wasn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°I protected her mind from it,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Being left out from helping was painful for her. Tokyo on the other hand, hundreds of thousands dead in an instant by the hand of someone she believes she¡¯s powerful enough to deal with on her own, yet she stays her hand to ensure Liberty is dealt with in the correct way,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°A mountain of guilt. This event was too much for even me to shield her from.¡± ¡°Then what can be done?¡± Marta asked. ¡°For now, heal the body. Kera has informed me of what I suspected. Using Visage of Titania¡¯s full power has infested my body with its seeds. The ability is nullifying my powers now, making my condition worse than it should be and making me quite resistant to healing powers. I need to regain control of the unruly power and push them out. Then I can heal properly,¡± she let out a breath, ¡°After that, once the body is whole, I will have access to the warehouse again and a certain power that should help me reach out to her within the mindscape more effectively.¡± ¡°Feng Hyunh¡¯s ability?¡± ¡°The same,¡± Ishtar agreed. ¡°I feel helpless,¡± Marta said. ¡°Just stay by my side and keep an eye out, make sure I don¡¯t push too hard. I am not dear reckless Sonya, but I am self aware enough to acknowledge that I do not take half measures,¡± Ishtar admitted, ¡°I will need you to stop me if I push too hard.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s all I ask,¡± Ishtar said before hesitating and giving an apologetic smile, ¡°That and the other things.¡± ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Marta asked immediately. ¡°Hm? Oh, no- I-¡± ¡°Do you need to-¡± ¡°Marta!¡± Ishtar gasped, ¡°No I do not need to use the facilities. I¡¯m fine,¡± she protested, feeling a bit of heat on her face as the woman at her side burst into laughter. Ishtar turned her head away, ¡°This is why I let Sonya deal with the social situations.¡± ¡°Easily flustered when you aren¡¯t the big bad boss?¡± Marta asked with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re only getting away with this because I¡¯m alone and paralyzed,¡± Ishtar groused, ¡°Wicked woman.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do so while I still can,¡± Marta teased and put a hand on Ishtar¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Now how does a late night snack sound?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m-¡± Ishtar began only for her stomach to growl as the word ¡®snack¡¯ triggered something deep inside her gut. She felt more heat rise to her face and she pressed her lips together, ¡°Fine, a light snack would be nice, nothing sweet or salty, I hate that stuff,¡± she mumbled. Marta burst into laughter. Chapter 204 Tch. Ishtar clicked her tongue as another jolt of pain ran up her arm. She pulled back on instinct, releasing her focus. The small fragment of plant left behind by Visage of Titania tried to worm its way back into place in her wrist. Her lips curled into a snarl before she paused, frowned, and let out a soothing breath. Anger was a crutch, a false strength. It gives me nothing but a clouded mind. Calm. A relaxed spirit is what Visage responds to best. Breathe. She cleansed herself with a few more breaths before turning her focus back to her wrist and slipped her awareness around the fragment once more. I cannot use any of my abilities, but Visage still responds to my will. I wonder if that means it is still active or if there is something else I am missing. The instincts of my abilities are still present, just separate from the powers themselves. She allowed the thoughts to drift as the fragment began to move through her flesh. It hurt, but the pain was nothing but an obstacle. As long as she did not pull too sharply she could manage it without breaking her focus. One millimeter at a time, slowly, slowly, slow- another sharp spike of pain, she jerked her entire body and cursed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Marta asked from nearby. ¡°Another failure,¡± Ishtar said irritably. ¡°You only just woke up a few hours ago, there¡¯s no need to rush,¡± Marta said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I get you a coffee?¡± ¡°As pleasant as that sounds, the next coffee I wish to drink I would do so with my own hands,¡± Ishtar grumbled, ¡°A water will be fine.¡± ¡°Right away,¡± Marta said, sounding a little relieved. Perhaps she was worried I would reject any help. Ishtar thought as the door opened and closed, There¡¯s no need to be so concerned about that, I am aware of my limitations. The door opened and shut again, Ishtar raised an eyebrow, ¡°That was quick.¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone here to see you,¡± Marta said, sounding nervous. When Ishtar didn¡¯t speak she clarified, ¡°It¡¯s Black Lotus.¡± Ishtar fell silent for a heartbeat. Her face still pointed up to the ceiling. How wretched, she grumbled before the words came, ¡°Sit me up.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I will not greet the hero on my back like an invalid, sit me up, please, Marta,¡± Ishtar insisted, her fingers tightening around clumps of smooth sheets. Blind. I cannot even look her in the eyes. To meet again like this, how pathetic. Turning her away though¡­ ah, I could never. She felt Marta gently slide her hands beneath her back and lift. It took a little effort with the pain that seemed to rise up any time she dared to move too dramatically but she eventually found herself sitting up against the headboard. Her hair fell around her face and Marta brushed it quickly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course, do you want me to give you two some space?¡± Marta asked. Ishtar tilted her head towards her companion, ¡°That would be best, I think.¡± ¡°I will be outside if you need me,¡± Marta said and the doors opened again, Ishtar sat in her blindness as a new set of footfalls entered the room. Marta moved about quickly with a sense of assuredness but also an intent to get from one task to another. The movements of a caretaker. This new set was steady, each step inexorable even as they were quieter than Marta¡¯s. The steps of a composed warrior. Those steps faltered once. ¡°Sonya?¡± Ishtar¡¯s lips pursed, ¡°Hero,¡± she said by way of greeting. The word hung in the air between them. The heaviness in the air spiking and rising until finally the woman let out a shuddering gasp. Ishtar rest her hands in her lap and waited. ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°I see your face and the memories come roaring back. It¡¯s a sweet sort of agony, my own punishment, I guess. Marta would not tell me about your condition, only for me to see it for myself. Where is Sonya?¡± ¡°Asleep,¡± Ishtar said. Black Lotus seemed to wait for a moment for further explanation but when nothing further came from Ishtar she let out a sigh, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you healed yourself?¡± She said and Ishtar heard her take a slightly uneasy step to the left. It was difficult to pick up on but the confines allowed sound to carry much better. Ishtar¡¯s lip twitched, ¡°How are your injuries?¡± she asked. ¡°Mild,¡± she said. ¡°Do you need to sit?¡± Ishtar offered, jerking her chin towards where Marta usually sat. She assumed there was a comfortable chair there. I cannot imagine what ¡®mild¡¯ injuries are to someone like her, Ishtar thought. I am surprised she hasn¡¯t gotten healing services yet either. Another pause and she heard the woman walk over to sit in Marta¡¯s chair, letting out a small huff that could have been a groan of agony as far as Ishtar was concerned. ¡°That Liberty,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Her sword did something to my body. Healing abilities work but they¡¯re slow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re rather open about your circumstances,¡± Ishtar commented. ¡°Are you going to use that information against me?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no issue, when are you getting out of this bed?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°When I have made some progress,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Until then I will remain. This body¡¯s life is important to me and I will not endanger it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Sonya,¡± Black Lotus commented, ¡°Not about yourself.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°And you¡¯re taking the opportunity to read into every word I say since Sonya isn¡¯t here to cut off our conversation. We are enemies, Black Lotus. That is our role, you have no reason to play fair or nice.¡± ¡°Carla is coming to visit you soon. I spoke with her yesterday over the phone,¡± Black Lotus said, ignoring Ishtar¡¯s comment. ¡°Don¡¯t be cruel to her.¡± Ishtar¡¯s frown flickered into a small smile, ¡°Only if she asks nicely.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°What happened to you two? What you did, those villains. I can¡¯t help but admit that it saved the day in its own way, but, it didn¡¯t feel like your kind of scheme,¡± she said, ¡°Like all you could think of was to throw a wrench in and see what damage you could do to Liberty¡¯s plan. A massive wrench, I might add.¡± Ishtar shrugged her shoulders, it hurt a little to do so, ¡°From what I can understand, Liberty¡¯s plan was an act walking on a knife''s edge. That fellow who can block teleportation has only so much range. Eventually heroes would have arrived, perhaps not in time, though she was rushing to get the job done. A plan like that is fragile. For glass, a wrench works nicely.¡± Black Lotus went quiet, the silence stretching out between them. I know I didn¡¯t answer your question. You may have Sonya¡¯s affection but I hold no such love for you, hero. A useful piece in your own way but also a continuous source of trouble. You seem hell bent on knowing what drove Sonya to make the call. You are more useful to her in your right mind, strong and motivated. Telling you the truth would do more harm than good. ¡°I need you to tell me,¡± Black Lotus said finally. ¡°So you can walk around feeling sorry for yourself? What good would that do?¡± Ishtar scoffed. ¡°You just-¡± ¡°I admitted to nothing, I just pointed out how much of a fool you¡¯re being. I just got done telling one of my beloved subordinates that I do not suffer fools,¡± Ishtar ground out, ¡°You are wasting my time I could be spending recovering. Time you could be spending mending yourself as well. Every extra day here is a day you are not doing your duty as a hero,¡± Ishtar lectured her, ¡°I just don¡¯t see what she sees in you. You¡¯re pathetic.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same person?¡± Black Lotus asked after a tense pause, her tone turning flinty. Ishtar pressed her lips together, resisting the compulsion to answer a direct question this time. It welled up in her chest like a bubble for a moment, a new source of pain that rankled her. Damn. Sonya may be asleep but it would seem some things don¡¯t change. ¡°I think it is safe to say that I possess something of my own identity now,¡± she conceded, ¡°We do not share the same likes and dislikes, for example.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like me?¡± Black Lotus chuckled. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I believe Liberty would be dead by now. The events of the camp would have been a footnote rather than a saga. You are a shackle on her heart.¡± Black Lotus went quiet, ¡°...that was cruel.¡± ¡°I am a villain, girl,¡± Ishtar hissed, ¡°What do you expect? I won¡¯t do anything to interfere with your relationship with her. I care only for Sonya and for some reason her heart needs you. So I stay my hand, but I will not avoid pointing out your faults.¡± Black Lotus got to her feet and approached the bed. Ishtar felt her invalid state in that moment yet again. First Kera and now Black Lotus. She hated the feeling of being so defenseless. She turned her head to look in the direction where the woman was standing just within arms reach. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she demanded. ¡°Why are you really trying to push me out?¡± Black Lotus asked. Ishtar turned her head away but couldn¡¯t bring herself to respond to that question with the absolute truth. Just¡­ leave. Get better, I can¡¯t have her coming back to you in a weakened state. Recover and do your job, stupid hero. Warm fingers brushed her arm and she set her jaw tight. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading the flow of your internal energy since I arrived, watching to see if you would lash out,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Normally it¡¯s hard to see, you are good at keeping your powers under strict control. Right now¡­ your body is a mess. Your meridians are damaged and infested with something that will not allow power to move through them easily. Your core is blocked completely. What did this?¡± Ishtar huffed out a laugh, ¡°It¡¯s strange being the one easily read rather than the other way around,¡± she commented before flexing her fingers, ¡°Visage. She used it to punch through Halloway¡¯s ability.¡± ¡°That power seemed strange, unstable, when I first saw it in the camp dungeon,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡®But I couldn''t explain to her why I felt it was so dangerous,¡± her voice was soft, thoughtful. She put her hand on Ishtar¡¯s shoulder and ran her fingers over her skin. Ishtar shivered and pressed her lips together even more tightly. Damn. Sonya may not be here, but her body responds well enough to this woman. Black Lotus went quiet again and Ishtar felt something wash through her very being, like a sonar pulse. It bounded through her entire body before returning to the spot where the woman was touching her. To her surprise, it didn¡¯t hurt. ¡°I see, can I get you to lay on your chest?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°I cannot move, nor do I wish to,¡± Ishtar said resolutely, pride rising up to snap back at the hand of a hero deigning to aid a villain. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you,¡± Black Lotus insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t want your help,¡± Ishtar snarled. ¡°I don¡¯t very much care!¡± Black Lotus nearly shouted, ¡°Would you rather me call Marta in here and we can treat you like a child that does not want her shot? Have her hold you down so I can treat you? Or are you going to act like an adult, Ishtar?¡± ¡°What are you planning?¡± Ishtar asked after an uncomfortable pause. ¡°I¡¯m going to help set your meridians, I can¡¯t do much for the damage to your muscles but I can do that much. I should be able to loosen those strange fragments a little in doing so. It will take several treatments and it will be painful,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Or you could sit here and feel sorry for yourself instead of taking the fastest route back to standing on your own two feet and doing your job.¡± Ishtar tensed at having her own words thrown back at her. Her lips trembled for a moment before she burst into painful laughter. She shook her head and leaned forward, gripping weakly at her now aching ribs. When the amusement subsided she turned her head towards Black Lotus¡¯ voice again, ¡°You might have the spirit of a hero in you after all,¡± Ishtar admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t hate this side of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only interested in Sonya,¡± Black Lotus clipped. ¡°I already have an unwanted suitor,¡± Ishtar said with a casual shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t care for another anyway,¡± she paused, Why did I say that? ¡°You?¡± Black Lotus asked, suddenly interested, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I am not having girl talk with someone with your credentials,¡± Ishtar grumbled. ¡°Credentials?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re my other-half¡¯s lover, a hero, and should be my nemesis,¡± Ishtar pointed out. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Black Lotus chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not going to forget that though.¡± ¡°I am painfully aware,¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°Now help me onto my chest. I can¡¯t move.¡± ¨C Ishtar lay on her side in bed. Marta had been forced to bathe her after Black Lotus¡¯ first treatment. The power moving through her body had struck nearly every single one of the fragments of Visage lodged in her flesh and pushed against them in a way that she couldn¡¯t have possibly done willingly to herself. The pain had been excruciating, but she had to begrudgingly admit that she could feel the faintest, infinitesimal sense of her energy moving through her body afterwards. Even so, she had been left shaking and weak, weaker than before and covered in sweat and bits of blood. I have to keep interacting with that woman. It is going to make fighting her difficult. She tried to relax in the eternal dark of her blindness. She needed rest. Hopefully if she felt better the next day she could try again to get one of the fragments out. They did feel a bit looser inside her body, enough to the point that she was more aware of where they were. Feeling them all move simultaneously had certainly helped that sense of awareness, not that she¡¯d enjoyed it. Ishtar let her mind drift, sleep, she needed sleep. Unconsciousness came and went, sleep drifting into strange lucid dreams that she tried to push through for the simple void of rest. Dreaming was a new and quite novel experience, unsettling. She would rather be at the back of Sonya¡¯s mind while she dealt with this sort of thing. Something urged her back to the waking world, her body reacting to a new sensation. She surfaced and felt a pair of soft lips pressed against her forehead. A delicate hand resting on hers. She caught a scent in the air, Iris? Marjoram? I know that smell. Who? She frowned. ¡°...you¡¯re doing it again. Pandora.¡± Chapter 205 Pandora didn¡¯t linger. Nor did she speak with Marta in the room. She stayed only long enough to show her usual one-sided affections and leave like the ghost that she was. It didn''t trouble Ishtar, the behavior from the fallen goddess was odd, but not unappreciated. It was strange. She had no feeling either way for her, but otherwise found the regularity comforting. Not that she would ever give voice to it. The woman was still annoying. Though that annoyance did manage to distract her from her troubles enough to finally get to sleep. Perhaps that¡¯s why she¡¯d come, sentimental fool. The next morning and the following three days were spent in an almost constant state of agony. Despite the terrible condition of her body, Doctor Da-Som confirmed that she was healing from his treatments and her muscles were very slowly starting to reattach. The brief physical therapy sessions were exhausting and the visits from Black Lotus to continue her own treatments were even worse. Even so, on the third day she finally managed to expel one of the seeds. She sat across from Amos, listening while he picked it up with a pair of tweezers. ¡°It''s tiny,¡± he said, ¡°Looks like sesame seed. Can''t tell the color because of all the blood.¡± ¡°Destroy it,¡± Ishtar panted, sweat dripping from her brow. ¡°You sure? I think we should study these things. My instincts are screaming at me not to let it touch my skin. Crazy,¡± he said. ¡°You could use them?¡± she asked then realized her mistake. If there was anyone who could figure out a use for them it was Amos Carter. ¡°Maybe? I''ll have to figure that out. How is that arm feeling?¡± he said, changing the subject. She frowned but allowed it, tilting her head down towards her right arm. The seed had come from her wrist. Fresh sensation worked its way from her fingertips to her elbow. She wasn''t suddenly strong again in that part of her body, but it didn''t feel as sore or weak anymore. A feeling that was emphasized when Doctor Da-Som stepped in to attempt healing her again. She felt the prick of his improved ability against her skin. Her flesh knitting itself back to the bone was not entirely painful but certainly disturbing enough to not want to feel it ever again. ¡°Up to the elbow, better,¡± she murmured as she twisted her wrist experimentally. ¡°Good to hear it,¡± he said with no small amount of relief in his voice, ¡°You sat up on your own today too. Are you ready for a wheelchair?¡± Marta, who had been silent throughout the procedure, spoke up, ¡°Let''s not rush things.¡± ¡°I''m fine, it''s time I left this room. I can''t stay hidden forever,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Some fresh air would be welcomed.¡± She felt the air shift slightly, the skin on her arm sensitive enough to pick up on faint movements in the room. It wasn¡¯t the full body experience of her full sensory suite but it was enough to give her the impression that the two of them had turned to one another. Marta let out a sigh, ¡°Alright, let''s get you cleaned up then. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want your first day out of this room to be with bed-head.¡± Amos snorted, ¡°I dunno, the wild look works for her, what do you think, Kera?¡± he asked aloud. Ishtar raised an eyebrow and she heard Marta shift in her seat. There was a faint crackle in the air before a new voice joined the conversation, ¡°I think it looks better straightened out, I¡¯m the wild child here,¡± Kera said. ¡°How long have you been in here?¡± Marta demanded over the sound of her chair sliding back sharply. ¡°Whole time,¡± Kera said flippantly, ¡°Wanted to see.¡± ¡°You should say something to one of us if you¡¯re going to observe,¡± Marta growled, ¡°What if someone saw you?¡± Amos barked out a laugh, ¡°Oh take it easy, Em! I knew she was there, the power spikes in the tower¡¯s grid are obvious,¡± he said. ¡°Well-¡± ¡°Marta,¡± Ishtar said patiently, ¡°We talked about this,¡± she tilted her head up in the direction of where Kera was hanging from the ceiling, ¡°Thank you for keeping an eye on things, dear,¡± she said, doing her best to put some genuine warmth into her tone. It wasn¡¯t easy, but she did her best. She wondered how it sounded to the others. The room was silent for several seconds before Kera spoke again, ¡°R-r-right, y-yeah. No problem. Nothin¡¯s gonna happen on my watch. You just get better boss,¡± she stammered before the sense of static in the air vanished. Ishtar frowned a little and tilted her head to the right. ¡°I get the impression that my attempt at gratitude was received incorrectly,¡± she said. ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Amos mumbled, ¡°I dunno if that¡¯s the problem. It¡¯s just¡­ weird hearing it from you,¡± he said bluntly. He grunted and Ishtar got the distinct impression that Marta had given him a sharp nudge. ¡°I think it was sweet,¡± Marta said quickly, ¡°I¡¯m sure Kera appreciated it.¡± ¡°Sonya makes it seem so easy,¡± Ishtar mumbled, feeling a little disappointed by her performance. That was not the reaction she was angling for. When I have Sonya¡¯s emotional intelligence to rely on, getting the reactions I want is far easier. This is more challenging than I expected. She sighed, ¡°About that wheelchair?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Marta agreed, ¡°Boys, get out.¡± ¨C Only a little while later, Ishtar was clean, her hair styled, and her makeup done. This was a process that apparently Marta had performed countless times for Sonya during her time before the flash. A ritual that she¡¯d picked back up as Ishtar was beginning to come into her own as a personality. It wasn¡¯t something she was happy to remember, seeing the horror in Sonya¡¯s eyes every time she looked in a mirror. The thought made it hard to maintain a pleasant expression as Marta finished dressing her. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Marta asked. ¡°Just remembering the last time you had to take care of this body,¡± Ishtar confessed. Marta went quiet for a moment before speaking, ¡°She didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ishtar waved her good hand dismissively as a knock came to the door. Marta stepped away and opened it before two new pairs of feet entered the room. One was the awkward half-strut half-stumble of Amos. The other was new, an assured pace but not as light and practiced as Black Lotus. Ishtar paused as something else joined the sounds, a low panting from an additional party who didn¡¯t make a sound when it walked. ¡°Levi?¡± she queried and was nearly tackled by the hound as it hopped onto her bed. It stopped half way between crashing into her to sit down in front of her. She reached out and ran her fingers down its side, the familiars fur felt like that of a seal or some other aquatic mammal. Smooth and slightly slick. She felt her connection to the creature through Sonya¡¯s familiar bond and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s good to have you with me, you seem bigger than I recall.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°He¡¯s grown since Tokyo,¡± a new voice chimed in. Ishtar looked up, ¡°Cassiopeia? What are you doing here?¡± The young woman stepped into the room accompanied by the sound of something with motors whirring. ¡°I have another week before I start active work in New York,¡± she said, ¡°I wanted to see you,¡± she added, her voice going a little small as the door shut behind her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I wasn¡¯t supposed to show up,¡± she began, her voice cracking into a ramble, ¡°I just¡­ you both mean a lot to me and, I see you as my- I mean- I¡¯ve been so worried.¡± She sounds distressed, was it upsetting for me to ask her why she was present? Should I not expect her to be with her team? Her future as a hero is very bright, she should be cultivating that not visiting her¡­ mother? She tilted her head, Hm, on second thought I suppose it does make sense that she is present. Perhaps my words were cold. What would you do, Sonya? Ishtar wondered, Ah, yes, physical affection, that will do. Ishtar worked up the effort to lift both of her arms and spread them open in an invitation, ¡°Come here.¡± Before she even had a chance to process what came next, a pair of arms wrapped around her neck and a face buried itself into her shoulder. She smelled the faint scent of flowers from shampoo and an odd perfume. The arms squeezed down tightly and she had to take a moment to remember to return the embrace. She lowered her head a little, taking in the feeling. Warm. A tightness in my chest feels loose, eased. I didn''t even know it was there. Is that relief or something else? ¡°I was so worried,¡± Cass said into her shoulder. Ishtar let out a sigh and stroked the girl''s hair, ¡°I am fine. Sonya will recover as well. It is just a matter of time.¡± The girl pulled back and sniffed once, crying? ¡°Can I push your chair today?¡± she asked before hesitating, ¡°It¡¯s powered, I know, but I want to.¡± Ishtar turned her head towards where she assumed Marta was standing. She raised an eyebrow and Marta cleared her throat, ¡°I will be at your side, then, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Levi will want to walk along too,¡± Cass said, her tone significantly brighter, ¡°You want to walk around with us, Levi?¡± she asked the hound. The hound let out a huff and Ishtar felt it shift before hopping back off the bed. ¡°Poor thing finally found somewhere comfortable to sit,¡± Marta chuckled before approaching Ishtar. She reached down and took her hand for a moment before couching down a little. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked. Ishtar nodded and was immediately swept up into a princess carry. This is undignified, she grumbled, flummoxed as she was set down in the wheelchair. Her hands found the arm rests. There her fingers danced over the controls attached to the right-hand side. Seems simple enough, she thought while Cass stepped up behind her. Soon they were out the door and in the hallway. It was quiet save for some scattered conversation a bit further down. This is the new ASTA tower, she thought, I can¡¯t remember the floor plan. Yet another reason to recover my abilities as soon as possible. ¡°Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± Marta asked. Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°Mm? Not really,¡± she said, ¡°It will be a little while before I can appreciate exploring the building.¡± ¡°We could go to the penthouse, isn¡¯t there a patio or something? You mentioned fresh air,¡± Cass chimed in before adding awkwardly, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡± Would Sonya be mad if I went there before she woke up? I¡¯m blind so it¡¯s not like I can appreciate it, she shrugged, ¡°That sounds fine, Marta?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take the main elevator to the top and then hit your private elevator,¡± Marta said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t take very long. I¡¯ve been up there a few times.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Ishtar agreed and they adjusted their course slightly, coming to a stop at some point. Nearby she could hear someone listening to the radio. She craned her head slightly to listen in a bit when a familiar word caught her attention. ¡°...vigilantes. The organization has been growing rapidly over the past few weeks with cells popping up across Europe and Northern Africa. The Pandora Committee, already under pressure from the international community in the wake of the Tokyo Tragedy is actively¡­¡± ¡°Elevator¡¯s here,¡± Marta said, followed by the pleasant chime of the elevator¡¯s arrival. She wished she could see the inside, Sonya had been emphatic that the elevators on the exterior of the building were capable of viewing the city outside. Minneapolis was not the most glorious city in the world, but still the views would be spectacular. They began to ascend, Ishtar reaching down with her good hand to run her fingers down Levi¡¯s back. The hounds muscles felt stronger, tense, ready for action. Feeling protective? Ishtar thought, I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you your pretty little disguise. Though I suppose enough people have seen you like this that it doesn¡¯t matter. The elevator chimed again and they made their way into another space. ¡°This is the executive floor?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Marta said as Cass pushed Ishtar along, ¡°The doors to your office are up ahead. There¡¯s an elevator just past my desk that will take us upstairs to the penthouse. It also goes all the way down to your parking garage, though it doesn¡¯t connect to any of the other floors.¡± ¡°I can appreciate the thought behind the design,¡± Ishtar commented. Amos and Sonya worked hard on it, she thought and then frowned, ¡°We were looking forward to that grand opening party,¡± she said irritably, ¡°Liberty keeps adding debts to the ledger.¡± Neither Cass nor Marta commented as they arrived at the private elevator, it opened with a low tone rather than the merry chime of the main elevator. They made their way inside and took the short trip up, arriving at the penthouse level. Ishtar tasted the faint scent of household fragrance on the air, someone had recently cooked and cleaned. She tilted her head towards Marta who remained silent as they passed through what felt like a short hallway. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Cass murmured. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the garden on the patio,¡± Marta said, ¡°Come on. You can pick a room out later, I figure that¡¯s why you really brought the penthouse up,¡± she teased the young woman. Ishtar raised an eyebrow and smirked as Cass spluttered behind her, ¡°W-what? No! I-¡± she sighed, ¡°Yeah, a little. Mom- Sonya said I could live here during my downtime.¡± Ishtar smirked, Still so young. ¡°I know,¡± Marta said, ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you.¡¯ ¡°Hmph!¡± Cass grumbled as she wheeled Ishtar across a large room. She heard a low chime and felt warmth kiss her skin. Cass stopped pushing, ¡°Woah, those are windows?¡± ¡°They can be made opaque when needed,¡± Marta said, ¡°Look past them,¡± she said and with the sound of another chime Ishtar heard the hiss of a door of some kind moving. She felt the wind brush through her hair carrying the scent of flowers. Gardenia, Lilac, Sweet Pea, Jasmine, there¡¯s more too. Strong sweet scents. Sonya¡¯s favorite. Something stirred inside the back of her mind, a small movement, before it went dormant again. You like that? She asked gently, I¡¯ll stay here for a while then. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Cass breathed, ¡°Wow.¡± Cass wheeled Ishtar inside and they stopped in the midst of the flower garden, she heard water somewhere not far away. A fountain? She felt a slick-furred head rest on her lap and tilted her head down, placing her hand on Levi¡¯s head and stroking it as the hound sat at her feet. She took another deep breath of the air. She did not like sweet things, that was more Sonya¡¯s cup of tea. Even so¡­ her lips curled into a smile, ¡°I think I¡¯ll spend a little time here,¡± she said. ¡°Of course, Ma¡¯am,¡± Marta said behind her, ¡°Cass? Let''s have a look around.¡± Cass hesitated before responding, ¡°R-right, okay.¡± Ishtar relaxed into the wheelchair and continued to stroke Levi¡¯s head as the two departed. I wonder, Ishtar thought as she basked in the fresh air, If this place would have helped you, Sonya. Her lips thinned and she turned her head down towards Levi, ¡°Your master will be fine, dear,¡± she whispered, ¡°She just needs time.¡± The hound huffed and drew in closer. She chuckled, ¡°Very well, little creature, I¡¯ll dote on you in her stead,¡± she said as the glass wall somewhere behind her hissed open. She heard Marta¡¯s footfalls against the wood floor beneath her, ¡°What is it, Marta?¡± she asked. ¡°You have a visitor, ma¡¯am,¡± she said. Ishtar reached for the controls of the wheelchair and turned them experimentally. It took a few tries to get it to rotate in the direction of her caretaker¡¯s voice. ¡°Who?¡± she asked. ¡°Miss Carla Mint.¡± Chapter 206 A gentle breeze worked its way over the garden, touseling Ishtar''s hair as it hung loosely around her shoulders. A few petals drifted past, carried by the wind. She rest her hands in her lap, Levi sitting next to her attentively as she waited. She could feel the sun beating against her neck, the light tingling within the tiny glittering particles in her skin. She kept her head up, her eyelids shut. The bandages were gone. She wondered for a moment what she looked like, sitting there in that wheelchair. A narcissistic thought, but it carried with it a spark of imagination that was tantalizing. She wanted her eyes back soon. The glass slid open again and two sets of feet came out. Marta¡¯s and a new sound, direct and even strides with a small hint of urgency to them. Restrained. She¡¯s holding herself back. How interesting that someone¡¯s mood or state of mind can be picked out by their footsteps. I should keep this in mind in the future, she thought. Her head turned towards the sound and her lips spread into an easy smile. She and Sonya had an agreement never to talk aloud about me, about Sonya¡¯s role as Ishtar. It was dangerous for both of them. Ishtar kept her expression gentle and relaxed, She doesn¡¯t know that we split. Let¡¯s keep it that way. Time for a performance. ¡°...Sonya?¡± Carla¡¯s voice had a slight tremble to it, breathless, almost awestruck. ¡°Chairwoman!¡± Ishtar said brightly, breaking into a winning smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Do you like my new place?¡¯ she raised her good hand and gestured around herself, ¡°I¡¯d give you the tour but, you know,¡± she trailed off and waved her hand in front of her eyes, ¡°A blind tour guide is pretty sh-¡± She was cut off by the sound of heels clacking against the ground and drawing rapidly near. Levi rose and let out a growl but before even the familiar could react, arms were wrapped around her neck. Lips pressed against hers. She was startled for a moment, a tension rising in her stomach that she didn¡¯t quite comprehend but knew she had to put up a good act. She returned the kiss as best she could, keeping it soft and chaste. When their lips parted she felt a hand rise to her cheek and brush back her hair. ¡°From afar you were breathtaking but,¡± Carla said before swallowing hard, ¡°You look terrible, darling.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± Ishtar asked, tilting her head towards the retreating heels of Marta and the sound of the door shutting. She turned her head back to Carla, ¡°Marta¡¯s very good with make-up, so I figured I would look at least presentable.¡± Carla didn¡¯t respond right away, she just held Ishtar¡¯s face in her hands. What is she looking for? ¡°Your face, you look so¡­ weary,¡± she said softly before sliding back and taking one of Ishtar¡¯s hands, she kissed her knuckle, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry it took so long for me to come see you. I-¡± Ishtar reached up and touched the woman¡¯s face, exploring her features with her hands, she ran her thumb beneath the woman¡¯s eyes and along her cheek. Her lips quirked into her best approximation of one of Sonya¡¯s sardonic grins, ¡°Speak for yourself, when was the last time you slept?¡± she asked. Carla went quiet and Ishtar felt a bit of heat against her fingers. Blushing? Why isn¡¯t she saying anything? Is she expecting me to say something? Their dynamic is¡­ ¡°Carla?¡± Ishtar asked, putting a bit of warning into her tone, ¡°When did you last sleep?¡± ¡°Two hours, yesterday,¡± the woman muttered. ¡°Two hours?¡± Ishtar balked, ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t send you to bed right now!¡± She felt the woman relax a little under the rebuke. If she had eyes, Ishtar would have rolled them. Masochists, I¡¯ll never understand them, Ishtar thought irritably, Damn you Sonya and your ¡®tastes¡¯. She complained before pulling her hands away from the woman''s face. Carla wilted a little at the lack of touch but said nothing, just staying where she was. Ishtar reached down and brushed against the collar the woman always wore, her fingers stopping over the gemstone. ¡°You¡¯re so quiet,¡± Carla commented, ¡°Are you angry with me?¡± I don¡¯t feel anything for you either way, Ishtar thought, You¡¯re speaking to the wrong woman. ¡°Of course not,¡± Ishtar said instead, ¡°It has been a long few days. My body is¡­ recovering still. It is going to take some time before I am able to heal fully.¡± Carla hesitated for a moment, Ishtar could feel the woman looking around, examining her surroundings before she spoke; ¡°Even with your other abilities?¡± she asked hesitantly. Ishtar resisted the urge to frown, ¡°I will be fine,¡± she reassured her, ¡°Amos says he has a solution for my eyes and I have found some inroads towards fixing the damage done to my body. I will be back on my feet in no time.¡± The chairwoman let out a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she said, resting her hands on Ishtar¡¯s lap, ¡°Maybe its because you¡¯re tired, but you seem different today,¡± Carla said, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°You are tired,¡± Ishtar shot back, ¡°How bad is it?¡± Carla forced out a laugh, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± she said and then let out a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s bad, Sonya, really bad. The entire international community wants a war, even the US is ready to send troops to Mississippi. Heroes are on edge and Villains are running rampant, they were emboldened by the prison break,¡± she reached up and squeezed Ishtar¡¯s hands, ¡°Was that- I mean- I shouldn¡¯t ask, right?¡± she murmured. ¡°It was that or lose millions more,¡± Ishtar said quietly, ¡°A choice was made.¡± Carla rested her head against the back of Ishtar¡¯s hands, ¡°I know, it worked according to Black Lotus, but nobody¡¯s going to thank you for it,¡± she said. Ishtar felt lips on her knuckles and restrained the urge to shiver, the woman practically worshipped Sonya. To someone who respected only pride and strength like herself, it was¡­ unsettling. She did not want her subordinates to treat her this way. She swallowed back her thoughts and pressed for more information, ¡°So the war hasn¡¯t broken out yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost inevitable at this point, everyone¡¯s shouting but nobody really wants it to happen, even after Tokyo. Liberty could do it again for all we know, blow up the south or something. We¡¯ve sent ultimatums to her, demanding that she step down and surrender. At the very least offering a war crimes trial rather than throwing troops and heroes at her, or at least come to the negotiating table to see what can be done,¡± Carla said, ¡°She even responded this time with conditions about talks.¡± That was a surprise. Ishtar raised her eyebrows, ¡°She responded?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Yes,¡± Carla said and she felt the woman look up at her, ¡°What she¡¯s asking for is completely unreasonable.¡± ¡°What does she want?¡± She hesitated and squeezed Ishtar¡¯s hands again, ¡°She wants the talks to be held in Alabama, close to her territory. She wants you to be there so she can see you, she¡¯s claiming that you¡¯re lying about her people attacking you,¡± she began while fidgeting with Ishtar¡¯s fingers. ¡°Surprising, I would have expected her to take credit,¡± Ishtar commented. ¡°Me too,¡± Carla said before clearing her throat, ¡°She um, she also wants a certain high profile supervillain to be there,¡± she trailed off awkwardly, ¡°Ishtar.¡± Ishtar barked out a cold laugh, ¡°Really now?¡± she chortled, ¡°How interesting! I wonder what her angle is. It smells like a trap to me,¡± she said thoughtfully, ¡°That¡¯s hilarious.¡± ¡°You think it''s funny?¡± Carla blurted, ¡°Sonya, this is beyond serious. If we can get her to sit down to talk, maybe we can avoid at least a war. There has to be some kind of hope that level of violence can be avoided,¡± she insisted, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Ah, I seem to have made a mistake. Would Sonya not have found the situation amusing? Yes, she would have, she frowned, But she would have measured the response, given the circumstances, I went too far. ¡°Your whole way of talking is weird too,¡± Carla said, pulling her hands away, ¡°You¡¯re so formal, it¡¯s cold. The way you¡¯re sitting, how calm you are, just¡­ everything. It doesn¡¯t sit right with me. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re acting like this. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a completely different person right now!¡± Ishtar was taken aback, Observant. Though a romantic partner would be more attentive to small details, she reasoned, Do I deflect? Ishtar pursed her lips a little, No, she¡¯s too focused on it now. Ah, what a blunder. She thought and opened her mouth to speak before shutting it again, her throat tightening. Right. Lies aren¡¯t an option. ¡°Sonya?¡± Carla said hesitantly, ¡°Did you just-¡± Troublesome. I suppose the game is over. ¡°Sonya?¡± Ishtar turned to face the woman, her expression cold even with her eyes shut. Her lips set in a line, her hands in her lap and her jaw set. She said nothing as she heard the woman take a few hesitant steps backwards. ¡°...Sonya?¡¯ Carla croaked. Ishtar let out a sigh and shook her head. ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t Sonya,¡± Carla stammered, ¡°Who are you? What did you do with Sonya?¡± It sounded like the woman was about to cry. She heard the click of something and sniffed the air. Levi growled and she lowered her hand to stall the hound. Ishtar tilted her head to the right and spoke in quiet warning, ¡°Whatever that is, put it down, you¡¯re upsetting Levi. Chairwoman.¡± ¡°N-not until you tell me who you are!¡± she half-sobbed half-shouted. Ishtar¡¯s voice was a blade of ice, a heavy hammer, and a fiery biblical testament all in one. Blood curdling and final in a way that elicited imaginings of a headsman''s axe. ¡°You know my name, Chairwoman.¡± Something heavy clattered to the ground and Levi darted forward. He returned to Ishtar and placed the weight in her lap. Ishtar wrapped her fingers around it and smiled, ¡°You were given this after your predecessor died,¡± Ishtar murmured, running her fingers along the guns length, ¡°They told you to keep it with you at all times. You never thought that you would have to draw it here of all places.¡± ¡°Ishtar,¡± Carla breathed, ¡°But you- Sonya-¡± ¡°Sonya¡¯s mental strain was far more significant than you realize,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I have been around for quite some time. Chairwoman. You maintained a borderline ignorance of the situation, with the two of you never openly speaking of me, but you knew.¡± ¡°I knew Ishtar was a role she played,¡± Carla said sharply, ¡°Not¡­ this.¡± Ishtar frowned, ¡°This isn¡¯t her fault, and I would advise you to be more careful in how you speak about it around her if you know what¡¯s good for you, Chairwoman. I promised to protect that silly girl from any and all harm and if that includes you I am more than capable of doing so, even in this miserable state.¡± ¡°You¡­ promised?¡± Carla asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Ishtar said, her tone thick with chilly warning, ¡°And you of all people should know what that means. I have all of her abilities, for both good and ill.¡± There was a long pause, a silence that seemed to stretch out as the woman¡¯s hasty breathing slowed. Finally, though, she stepped forwards and stopped in front of Ishtar. Ishtar tilted her head up with a frown. Her fingers wrapped around the gun in her lap. This woman. I knew she was too sensitive, if she tried to hurt Sonya¡¯s body I will- she felt a hand touch her cheek, it was¡­ warm. Ishtar cleared her throat and the woman knelt back down to where she had been throughout the earlier part of the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Carla said with surprising sincerity, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ fully understand this.¡± Ishtar scowled, ¡°What is there to misunderstand?¡± she demanded, ¡°Sonya threw her morals and what amounts to her soul aside in order to save you people,¡± Ishtar growled, ¡°The pressure of a world on her shoulders, visions of an apocalypse, nightmares every night, the ramifications of her actions on her psyche,¡± Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°Something had to give.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re still her, in a way.¡± Ishtar turned her head away, ¡°Barely, I am my own person for the most part now. I share memories with her, we talk, I observe. I prefer to avoid social entanglements so she remains at the fore.¡± Carla¡¯s hand froze, ¡°Then why are you out now?¡¯ ¡°Because Tokyo was a blow too far,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°She¡¯s¡­ recovering.¡± The woman rested her head in Ishtar¡¯s lap again and Ishtar felt something wet and hot drip down the back of her hand. ¡°I should have been there more for her,¡± Carla croaked, the grief thick in her voice. Ishtar wondered what it must feel like to feel that way, it sounded painful. She tried to imagine failing Sonya so completely that silly girl was gone forever. Perhaps perspective is necessary, she thought as something welled up in her chest, a choking feeling that made her hair stand on end. It hurt. It ached. She hated that feeling. It was agony. Ishtar raised her good hand hesitantly and rested it on Carla¡¯s head, ¡°You-¡± she began before clearing her throat, ¡°Sonya will recover. I¡¯m keeping an eye on her.¡± She felt the woman sit up and look at her, ¡°You sound more like a big sister than a split personality. You two are so¡­ different.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before,¡± Ishtar said with a small smile, ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± Carla sniffed, ¡°Y-yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Then take your gun, I don¡¯t want it,¡± Ishtar said flatly and pointed to the heavy weapon in her lap. She felt Carla snatch it up, heard a click of the saftey re-engaging and the shuffle of her putting it away. Ishtar shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re lucky Marta wasn¡¯t watching. Though I suppose your reaction was¡­ understandable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Carla said mutely, ¡°I thought you were a shapeshifter or something. The thought of kissing someone wearing her face like that was¡­ it was too much.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Far be it from me to judge you for a slip that didn¡¯t do any harm,¡± Ishtar pointed out with a shrug, ¡°I would ask that going forward, now that you know, you refrain from kissing me when I am in control. I reciprocated to keep up the act for your benefit but I don¡¯t particularly enjoy physical affection.¡± ¡°...oh, oh my gosh,¡± Carla wheezed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°And stop apologizing, I hate that,¡± Ishtar grumbled, ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the organization I nominally oppose, show some backbone, girl.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a hard woman,¡± Carla said with a weak laugh. ¡°I¡¯m a supervillain, a proper one,¡± Ishtar said flatly, ¡°That comes with a certain level of pride and decorum.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Carla said quietly, ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ishtar said thoughtfully and broke into a smile she imagined might have looked significantly less sinister with Sonya behind it, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about this invitation Liberty so graciously extended.¡± Chapter 207 ¡°YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!¡± Ishtar leaned back with the sudden rush of wind that blew over her in the wake of Marta¡¯s outburst. Ishtar made a face, reaching up to scratch at her nose. Hm. Perhaps I should have brought that up more tactfully. She thought as Amos burst into laughter on the couch to her right. She turned towards him and felt the thud of his body as he fell onto his side, howling with mirth. He rolled off the cushions and landed on the ground. Is he kicking his feet? ¡°Marta,¡± Carla insisted from Ishtar¡¯s left, ¡°Even just agreeing to it could snatch just a small amount of peace back, the world needs this.¡± Marta let out a groan, ¡°Look at her!¡± she barked, ¡°She is in no condition to be doing anything! Let alone having a meet and greet with Liberty!¡± Ishtar flexed her fingers, galled, her muscles were still atrophied. That was why she felt so weak. The consequences of invoking Visage were more dire than she could have imagined. It had quite literally sucked the strength right out of her. Even so, she was feeling well enough to move her torso. She took a breath and sought patience while Amos pulled himself back onto the couch. Marta is just doing her job as caretaker and guardian. She turned her head towards Carla and considered her. If the war breaks out too soon, though, I won¡¯t be able to play a role either way. All that preparation Sonya had put into place, wasted. There are still some final details to settle as well. ¡°Marta,¡± Ishtar said patiently, ¡°We need time.¡± Marta¡¯s rant trailed off and she let out a sharp sigh, ¡°You¡¯re committed to this?¡± ¡°She wants Ishtar at the meeting and she wants the Pandora Committee to facilitate it,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I will concede, I am not good at people without Sonya¡¯s assistance, but I understand her mind, I know what she wants. She wants to make a point of the Pandora Committee begging Ishtar to come. It will raise questions and undermine the Committee¡¯s standing. With what she¡¯s done, the Pandora Committee is desperate to avoid a war even with the international committee¡¯s blood boiling. Though I believe war is inevitable.¡± Carla let out a sigh, ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered her using it as a public relations assassination.¡± Ishtar chuckled, ¡°You don¡¯t think like a villain, I do,¡± she said and held out her hand, palm to the ceiling, ¡°The trick is controlling the narrative. I imagine she sent the conditions very securely?¡± ¡°Yes, just as we sent a specialist to keep things quiet, so did she,¡± Carla said. ¡°I thought so,¡± Ishtar said with a grin, ¡°Because she wants my appearance at the event to be squarely on the Pandora Committee¡¯s shoulders. Sonya¡¯s appearance will be the concession she emphasizes,¡± Ishtar clenched her fist, she imagined that irritating woman¡¯s head popping like a ripe tomato in her palm. Her lips curled, ¡°So we take the initiative and use those so-called demands for our own benefit.¡± Marta grunted, ¡°That is all depending on whether or not you go. I¡¯m putting my foot down here, you¡¯re in no condition to go. She will take one look at you and kill you. She wants Sonya dead for her role in Cass¡¯ life. If she found out how Cass sees her now she¡¯d lose her mind.¡± Ishtar opened her mouth but Marta continued speaking. ¡°If I go as Sonya she won¡¯t see an injury on me, I can¡¯t fake it and that¡¯s why she wants Sonya there, I¡¯m guessing. I can put her face on but that¡¯s it. If I go as Ishtar¡­¡± Marta said, ¡°You¡¯ll be sitting in Sonya¡¯s seat, in this state and, I¡¯ll repeat myself, she will kill you. I¡¯ve fought her before. She is a monster.¡± Ishtar raised her hand to her chin and considered it, ¡°You¡¯ve been learning.¡± ¡°I spend a lot of time around you, ma¡¯am,¡± Marta said. Ishtar leaned back on the couch, I wish I could cross my legs, she thought with a sigh before turning to Amos, ¡°How long do you think it will take to finish your project?¡± He whistled, ¡°That¡¯s not an easy number to come up with,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m reverse engineering an ability and basically building a replacement. Those implants were just simulations of technopathy, they used a lot of pre-pandora tech and post-pandora materials to achieve the desired effect. This is the real thing,¡± he said, ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ working with magic. Some of the things in those eyes of yours were just impossible by pre-pandora standards of tech.¡± ¡°You took a full scan of them, every detail,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Can you not just make copies?¡± He chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that, boss.¡± She sighed, ¡°Timeframe?¡± ¡°A month?¡± he said, ¡°If I can pull a few more people off some other projects. That¡¯s a big maybe, by the way.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t wait that long,¡± Carla said, ¡°Based on what we¡¯ve managed to get out of her, she¡¯s willing to wait at most half that before the promised day.¡± ¡°So your eyes won¡¯t be ready,¡± Marta said, ¡°Then-¡± ¡°Then I will focus on other things,¡± Ishtar said firmly, ¡°Fifteen days, can you get Liberty to allow for that long, Carla?¡± ¡°I¡­ well, yes, of course. It will take some doing but I think she knows that we can¡¯t just manifest Ishtar out of thin air. She will have to give us time,¡± she said before growling in irritation, ¡°Which I now realize is her way of attempting to humiliate the Pandora Committee.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll give you the time,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°She expects you to either fail and humiliate yourself even with time graciously offered or have Ishtar appear by your request and damage your image. Either way she gets what she wants if she¡¯s patient. Considering how her ability works, the fallout will strengthen her either way if we allow it to play out to her narrative.¡± ¡°Ishtar,¡± Marta cut in, ¡°What on earth are you going to do with fifteen days?¡± Ishtar paused. She knew what she needed to do to optimize the time and recover as much of her power as possible for that day. It was an extremely repugnant prospect, though. She let out a sigh. Do it for Sonya. Perhaps I can make some headway with Sonya while I¡¯m at it. Nothing is impossible, she told herself before reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. It¡¯s the most efficient option, I need to buy time with this meeting. One month. I¡¯ll have my eyes and my other preparations should be done by then. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. She felt all eyes on her, ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy about whatever it is,¡± Amos commented, ¡°What? Are you gonna have Black Lotus move in or something? She was treating you, right?¡± Ishtar lowered her hand and turned to face him, her expression stony even with her eyes closed. Silence dominated the room. ¡°Ooooh,¡± Amos said, realization dawning, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not ideal.¡± ¡°You hate each other,¡± Marta chimed in. ¡°Does Black Lotus know about your split?¡± Carla asked. Ishtar rubbed her temple with her good hand, she was feeling a headache coming on, ¡°Yes,¡± Carla went quiet for a moment and Ishtar turned to her, ¡°You couldn¡¯t know, given your position. The Mythic heroes are often exempt from the truth detection process. I assume you are now as well, but there hasn¡¯t been time.¡± Carla sighed, ¡°I know, it still stings.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be hell,¡± Marta said, bringing them back to topic, ¡°If you want to get anywhere near the point where you could survive the encounter if she decides to lash out. Do you even think you can get enough of those things out of you to make a difference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all hands on deck, then,¡± Amos said with a grunt as he hopped to his feet, she heard him brush his hands off, ¡°I¡¯ll whip something out to make the process easier and tell Da-Som he¡¯s going to be on boss-lady duty for the next two weeks,¡± Amos said, getting right down to business, ¡°Maybe we should get Beyol in on this.¡± ¡°Wise,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him about it. I need to check in with him and Barry anyway.¡± ¡°Barry¡¯s on schedule,¡± Marta said primly, ¡°Beyol is sending a report today on his findings so you can talk to him about them when you call. I informed both of them that you were mobile.¡± Ishtar smiled, ¡°As effective as ever, Marta dear.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re doing this, I am going to make sure all of our bases are covered, ma¡¯am,¡± she said. ¡°Beyol? Barry?¡± Carla asked. ¡°Blackrazor and Kingshark,¡± Amos said offhandedly as he started to walk away, ¡°I¡¯m off, shit to do, can¡¯t leave my evil weather machine alone for too long.¡± ¡°Black-¡± Carla gasped, ¡°W-wait a second I need to process,¡± she stumbled over her words, ¡°Are you actually building a weather machine?!¡± Amos burst into laughter as he left, ¡°Sure thing, it¡¯s in my skull shaped fortress on an island of indeterminate location!¡± he shouted as he walked out. Ishtar smirked as the woman next to her let out a long suffering sigh, ¡°He was always so nice when I dealt with him at the Pandora Committee, is this what he¡¯s really like?¡± ¡°You should see him when he and Sonya play fighting games,¡± Ishtar said with a chuckle before turning to look up at Marta, ¡°Marta dear, can you arrange a meeting with Black Lotus?¡± Marta hesitated, but ultimately relented. Ishtar knew she wasn¡¯t happy, but this was the way things needed to go. The sooner they got things started, the better. ¡°Very well, ma¡¯am. I will make the necessary arrangements.¡± ¨C Ishtar¡¯s world was pain. Every cell in her body screamed as the strange energy from Black Lotus¡¯ palm worked its way through her body. She felt it move, pushing against the numerous roadblocks in the form of Visage¡¯s seeds. The stream that they ran down bucked and shifted with each change of the flow, gentle ebbs that turned into mind-numbing agony when the seeds shifted. She gripped the sheets on the bed and gasped before snapping her teeth back together. She could feel one of the seeds starting to loosen. Almost there. ¡°Should I let up?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Ishtar grunted, ¡°You dare.¡± ¡°Fine, have it your way,¡± Black Lotus growled and Ishtar felt her redouble her focus. It was like she could perceive the woman¡¯s state of mind through the connection that had formed. Another rush of power crashed through her body and she doubled over, several seeds shuddering under the onslaught. One in particular put stars into her eyes, a seed lodged in her spine. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into flesh. The seed wriggled again, whatever was anchoring it in her body giving way a little more. ¡°Keep going!¡± Ishtar croaked and her head spun. She forced herself back to her senses with a growl and felt four seeds come loose. Her lower spine, her right shoulder, just beneath her left breast, and a last one in what she assumed was her kidney. She grabbed hold of them and tried to relax her mind as best as she could. She pulled and felt Black Lotus¡¯ fingers twitch on her back. ¡°Da-Som, be ready!¡± Black Lotus called. Ishtar heard the man race over as she pulled the seeds through her flesh, she felt her body tearing beneath her skin, her muscles and sinew giving way as she yanked the offending objects out. The first one surfaced and punched through her skin. She let out a gasp of pain and a hand touched her arm, ¡°Not yet! A few more!¡± she wheezed. She pushed, and pushed, and pushed, until four blood soaked seeds fell onto the bed around her. When she slumped, Da-Som quickly put his hand on her shoulder, a prick of pain signalling the use of his ability. Ishtar shuddered as her body began to heal, the wounds closing where the seeds had vacated. Muscle reached out to attempt to reattach to bone, something hard inside her muscles budged and shifted here and there. She endured the agony until it faded and Black Lotus pulled her hand away. Ishtar panted with the exertion, sweat pouring off her face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Black Lotus asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ishar said as Da-Som pulled away. She tested her right arm and tried to roll her shoulder. The movement was difficult and a little painful from the soreness, but she finally enjoyed a full range of motion. Her muscles still felt thin, though. Not enough to restore heroic strength, Ishtar thought and moved on to experiment with her legs. With the seed lodged in her spine gone, perhaps she could move them a little. She shifted her right leg, then her left, then she kicked her feet. The effort it took to do so was monumental though, and she could feel the seeds in her knees and hips. At least I can feel them again, she grumbled before slouching where she sat. She was exhausted. ¡°You did well today,¡± Chunhua said, ¡°Your meridians are getting stronger too. They weren''t as shaky this time on my end. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ taking this seriously,¡± Ishtar panted. ¡°Chairwoman Mint told me about what you are going to do, now that she apparently knows everything,¡± she commented, ¡°This is the right thing to do, even if I¡¯m loath to see you back on your feet. I¡¯d feel better if I was doing this for Sonya.¡± ¡°Keep your kinks out of this,¡± Ishtar rumbled, ¡°I would prefer it if Sonya did not have to experience this kind of pain.¡± ¡°My- what?¡± Black Lotus barked before letting out a calming breath, ¡°You¡¯re messing with me.¡± ¡°I consider it practice,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°How is coming up with inventive ways to annoy me while I¡¯m doing you a favor, ¡®practice¡¯?¡± Black Lotus demanded. Her tone was as hostile as ever but she sat down next to Ishtar anyway. Ishar smirked at her but said nothing, shaking her head. She fell back onto the bed and felt the plush fabric and mattress support her. She didn¡¯t care that she was getting blood on the sheets. Though she knew Marta would give her a hard time about it later. ¡°Just¡­ getting used to it,¡± she finally said. ¡°Pretending to be like Sonya?¡± Black Lotus asked after a pause. Ishtar nodded, ¡°Doctor Da-Som?¡± she called out and the man walked over from where he had retreated. ¡°Thank you for your effort today, that will be all for now I think.¡± ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am, always happy to be of service. I¡¯ll collect the seeds and deliver them to Doctor Carter,¡± he said before gathering what he needed and departing. When the door shut, Black Lotus turned towards her, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m improving,¡± Ishtar admitted before feeling something twist in her gut, her lips thinned as she realized what it was. She let out a heavy sigh and turned her head away from the hero sitting next to her. ¡°Black Lotus, I know this is not for me. It is for her. It¡¯s why I¡¯m enduring it as well,¡± she said in a low voice before turning her head towards the ceiling again, ¡°Regardless, I will say this only once¡­¡± she trailed off and frowned, struggling with the words. They felt wrong and right at the same time and it irked her that emotions could be so complicated. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chapter 208 The bed was luxurious. Comfortable to the point of being unsettling. Ishtar wasn¡¯t used to sleeping in a bed. She didn¡¯t actively experience it the way Sonya did. Drifting off into slumber was still a challenge, no matter how much her rational mind urged her to go to sleep and recover from what she¡¯d gone through. So she sat there, alone, in her own sightless void and listened to the deafening silence of the penthouse. Marta and Black Lotus had gone to bed, Cassiopeia was still up, and Carla? Carla was next to her. Even when her actual lover was buried deep within the confines of her own psyche, Carla wanted to stay by her side. Ishtar turned her head as a breeze picked up in the room. The air shifted and coiled, sending her hair fluttering around her face. She felt Carla shift next to her and frowned as the wind died down and the air shifted slightly in the room. That feeling of no longer being alone coming over her once again. This time, though, the sensation was accompanied by a new feeling. It was one she¡¯d never been consciously aware of but somehow felt familiar to the point of intimacy. It was like a connection that she possessed, a cord linking her to another person. ¡°I was expecting a phone call,¡± Ishtar said quietly into the dark. ¡°Forgive my rudeness, mistress, but I have been eager to be at your side for some time,¡± Blackrazor said, his voice close, she turned her head and tilted it down. He was next to the bed then, low, kneeling? ¡°Stand up, Blackrazor,¡± she said and gestured to the end of the bed, ¡°Fetch my wheelchair.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± the assassin said and stepped away. A moment later he helped her into it and pushed her out into the third-floor hallway. She nodded to the right and he took her through another door that opened up into her office, ¡°Your new home is impressive.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been built if it weren¡¯t for your people protecting it,¡± Ishtar said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s a shame I will have to wait before I see it with my own eyes,¡± Blackrazor went silent for as he wheeled her out of the hallway and towards the stairs. She felt a chill wash over her, a sudden icy cold that bit into her skin before giving way to the warmth of the apartment. She frowned, ¡°You¡¯re babying me,¡± she growled, ¡°The chair can handle the stairs.¡± He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Blackrazor?¡± ¡°I should have been there,¡± he said, his voice was small, shaky, angry, ¡°I could have done something, anything, to see you reduced to this is¡­¡± She huffed out a breath, ¡°This wasn¡¯t the result of a battle in as much as there was an opponent that could be killed, dear,¡± she said even as she restrained the small smile that crossed her lips. He¡¯s such a good boy. ¡°But!¡± ¡°Self-recrimination gets us nowhere,¡± Ishtar said cooly, ¡°It only plants the seeds of regrets that we cannot afford, little Villain.¡± He sighed, ¡°As you say, mistress,¡± he conceded and resumed pushing her wheelchair. She heard the tell-tale hiss of the glass wall opening to allow them out into the garden. Her lips thinned, ¡°Speaking of regrets, tell me, did you know?¡± ¡°Know what, mistress?¡± he asked. ¡°About Kera¡¯s intentions for when she came to visit me,¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°I¡¯m not accusing you, Blackrazor, but I am very curious.¡± He paused and then she heard his gloves grip the handles of the wheelchair harder, ¡°I was.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to alert me?¡± she asked. ¡°What net benefit would that accomplish, mistress?¡± he asked in turn, ¡°Confronting you was something she had to do before she could progress any further. I know the feeling of being so fixated that I lose sight of what I need to grow. I also knew the limits of the deal, you were in no danger,¡± he explained, ¡°The greatest benefit to you and her was to allow her to walk blindly into your hands and see your wisdom unfiltered.¡± Ishtar hummed to herself, ¡°Of all of my villains,¡± she said thoughtfully, ¡°You have grown the most, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Park Beyol died in that warehouse,¡± Blackrazor said, ¡°Who he was would not allow me to accomplish my own desires, so I left him behind as necessary.¡± Ishtar¡¯s lip twitched and she nodded slowly, ¡°And what is it that you desire, Blackrazor?¡± ¡°To kill the Night Society as it was,¡± he said, ¡°I accomplished my goal and ended the headmaster. Now I have a new goal, I wish to be your shadow so I can see the world you are trying to create and in the process, become something more than a mere man.¡± Certainty. Audacity. Clarity. Ahhh¡­ this is what I want to see. Magnificent. ¡°Even if that means dying in the process?¡± she tested him. ¡°I cannot see the other end of your goal if I am dead, Mistress. Without me, the Night Society is useless to you and your goal becomes that more difficult to accomplish,¡± he said flatly, his cold words carrying amidst the aromatic flowers. ¡°A villain can always try again, so long as they live. That¡¯s something I learned from you.¡± ¡°We never had this discussion,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°A discussion wasn¡¯t necessary, I learn better through experience and observation,¡± he said. Good. ¡°I¡¯m pleased,¡± she said, ¡°Make your report, dear, and we can talk about the future.¡± He cleared his throat and stepped out around her, she heard the rush of fabric as he dropped to a knee at her feet. She tilted her head and smiled at him, pride welling in her chest. This was how it should be, this was how one of her villains composed themselves. ¡°My agents have collected all the necessary observations of Liberty¡¯s various compounds across the globe. Her influence has spread, which explains the growth in her power. I was made aware of her confrontation with Guildmaster Evergreen, to think that woman lost in a field of Snow,¡± Blackrazor said before moving on, ¡°A full digital map and record of the estimated population within a minimal margin of error is on my person as we speak.¡± She nodded, ¡°Good, continue.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± he said soberly, ¡°We have identified and infested the companies and organizations that secretly support Liberty. As much as she tries to say otherwise, her cult is not self-sufficient. The mortar that holds it up has holes that can be exploited. One of my Deans has prepared a comprehensive list of the groups as well as strategies to bring them down either financially or through scandal. Exposing their relation to Liberty may do some harm but it is ultimately inefficient and contrary to your goals.¡± She tapped her lip, ¡°I see, I figured such groups existed. How many?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Numerous, Mistress. While the woman herself is quite abrasive, her clerics are far more sociable and convincing,¡± Blackrazor said, ¡°It is to my shame that members of the Night Society fell prey to their words.¡± ¡°Halloway,¡± Ishtar growled. She could feel the sudden wash of bloodlust off of Blackrazor the moment she said the name, it was strong enough that even she felt a bit taken aback. She settled herself and waited for him to calm down, ignoring the chill in the air, when it didn¡¯t abate she let out a sigh, ¡°Your shadows will hurt the flowers, Blackrazor,¡± she said. The chill receded in an instant, ¡°Forgive me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said, ¡°Did you deliver the details to Charon and Kingshark?¡± ¡°I have, Kingshark is nearly ready. He has not left the hatchery for several days now according to his people. The sounds within are¡­ frightful,¡± he admitted, ¡°Charon informed me that he is still willing to send Tenebra on the errand you are proposing, but he has his doubts that many villains will side with you in this fight.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she asked. ¡°Charon believes that the underworld is waiting to see the outcome. Everyone expects that Ishtar will play a role in the inevitable war. No one is convinced by the Pandora Committee¡¯s efforts to avoid a conflict. The only question is, will the infant era of Villains be snuffed out or establish itself? Will you win or lose? Those are the questions being asked in the Styx right now. If you win, I imagine the underworld will go through the final stages of this paradigm shift.¡± ¡°And if I lose, Liberty¡¯s philosophy of might-makes-right will become the standard,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Her cult and the underworld will become inseparable even if she cares little for them.¡± ¡°That is my observation as well, Mistress.¡± She nodded and rest her hands in her lap. So it comes down to this. I almost pity Carla. She is trying so hard to avoid something that is unavoidable. Either Liberty triggers the war herself or I do it for her, there can be no peace as long as the Heralds live. It seems almost all of my pieces are in place. This won¡¯t be like Vegas, Liberty, I have tolerated your continued wasting of this worlds precious oxygen for long enough. Fifteen days until we meet face to face. Thirty until I can look into your eyes as you die. ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself as always, Blackrazor. Do you have something you want from me? A new ability to add to your repertoire, perhaps? My powers are limited right now, but I can make sure to collect something worth your while once I recover,¡± she offered. ¡°I¡­ do have a request, mistress, three humble wishes if possible,¡± he said hesitantly. She frowned but nodded, ¡°Ask them and I will see what I can do.¡± ¡°Be merciful with Kera. I have not seen her since allowing her to leave my side to visit you. If she has angered you, I-¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°I have some affection for her.¡± Ishtar raised an eyebrow, Oh Sonya, you¡¯re missing it, the boy has become a man, ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Ishtar said after a lengthy pause, ¡°She is in the building as we speak, observing people as they come and go. We had a heart to heart. That said, since you asked, I won¡¯t tease her about her momentary lapse in the future.¡± He let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you mistress.¡± ¡°And your other wishes?¡± she pressed. ¡°I have taken steps to empower my Deans to make my new Night Society more self-governing. While it relies on me for many things, I can act as Headmaster from afar now,¡± he explained. She tilted her head and he continued, ¡°I wish to return to your side and remain in your shadow, Mistress. Your knife in the dark.¡± ¡°Tired of playing big boss already?¡± she asked with amusement. ¡°On the contrary, I wish to grow in order to become a greater Headmaster,¡± he said, ¡°This is a purely selfish request, as is my third wish, which I suppose is conditional on the second.¡± She considered him for a moment, her hands in her lap, her fingers idly tapping against her gown. She finally nodded, ¡°Granted. You are to return to my side effective immediately. It will be good to have you around again, what is your third wish, you selfish boy?¡± The chill swept back into the garden and his voice took on an edge that she rather liked. Not the voice of the young man, nor the voice of the Headmaster and her agent, this was the bloodcurdling voice of Blackrazor. Death incarnate. ¡°I want Halloway.¡± ¨C Ishtar sat in the garden, to any who observed her, she was alone. Yet she could feel the faint tickle of static electricity in the air and the chill in the shadows around her. A looming threat to anyone who dared come near. It was comforting to have her beloved children close at hand. Children? She wondered about that. Perhaps that¡¯s what they are. I¡¯ve raised them and watched over them. Is that why I am so protective? I do not feel this way for Sonya¡¯s heroes or her friends outside of her inner circle. This feeling was once reserved only for Sonya. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± a voice called out behind her. She tilted her head, ¡°Black Lotus,¡± she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear your footsteps.¡± ¡°You seemed lost in thought,¡± the hero said, ¡°So I concealed them.¡± Ishtar clicked her tongue, ¡°That¡¯s an interesting trick.¡± ¡°Says the woman with more powers than fingers and toes,¡± Black Lotus shot back as she walked into the garden. Her footfalls carried sound with them now. Ishtar raised an eyebrow as the woman stopped short, ¡°Who else is here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely growing into quite the hero, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ishtar commented instead of answering. ¡°Ishtar¡­¡± Black Lotus growled warningly. ¡°A pair of my beloved children,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°They¡¯re no threat to you unless you want them to be. I suggest you do not press more, I have a feeling you will not like what you learn.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re still doing these things,¡± Black Lotus said. ¡°What made you think I wasn¡¯t?¡± Ishtar said, ¡°My powers may be restrained but I am still Ishtar.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just been rather peaceful the past few days,¡± Black Lotus commented, ¡°I¡¯d hoped you would at least wait until Sonya was back.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have wanted that, and you know it,¡± Ishtar shot back, ¡°Our designs for Liberty cannot wait for that silly girl to get her act together.¡± Black Lotus said nothing before she began to approach again, she paused as she stopped within just a few feet and Ishtar felt the charge in the air recede slightly as well as the chill. There was a new energy in the air that pushed them both back. Ishtar could feel the mana brushing up against her skin. ¡°You need to take the peace talks seriously,¡± Black Lotus demanded, ¡°This isn¡¯t a game. No one really wants a war.¡± ¡°Liberty needs to die,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°You know why.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to sabotage the peace talks?¡± Black Lotus snarled, ¡°Are you really that petty that you would put millions at risk just to get your way?¡± ¡°I agreed to attend the talks in good faith. The war will happen regardless. If I have to draw Liberty out of hiding in another way afterwards, so be it,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Either way, I will see her dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pessimistic view on things. Liberty is still human, she can be convinced-¡± ¡°No,¡± Ishtar said, her voice dripping with scorn, ¡°She abandoned her humanity a long time ago, long before the Flash.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t possibly know that, Ishtar, I know we have our differences but listen to me,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Please. I know that you come from Sonya, you are different, but at your core you are the same person. I want to see Liberty pay as much as anyone. She-¡± she swallowed, ¡°-but this needs to be done the right way! Maybe she can be convinced to stand trial or anything other than putting so many lives on the line.¡± Ishtar scowled at her, ¡°Heroes,¡± she grunted and shook her head, turning away. ¡°Ishtar,¡± Black Lotus said and stepped forward. A chill rose up in the room and the wind began to swirl. She heard Black Lotus take a cautious step back, ¡°Please. You said you¡¯d go in good faith. At least try to get her to surrender,¡± she hesitated, ¡°Prove that you¡¯re the better villain, outwit her.¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do,¡± she said and raised a hand, the wind died down. The last thing she wanted was Blackrazor showing his face. She was well aware that Black Lotus was still looking for him after what happened in Vegas. ¡°I respect it, I do, but I¡¯m not the good guy here. I¡¯m not a hero, and I never will be. I agreed to attend in good faith, though, and it is advantageous for me to at least attempt to see Liberty surrender. It would make it easier for me to kill her, I suppose.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I told the underworld that everyone gets a freebie from me,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°A single favor. You just used yours. The next time you ask me for something. You will have to pay. Don¡¯t forget that, hero. Otherwise you may end up in my debt.¡± Black Lotus was silent for a while, the scent of petals wafting past them as the breeze died down. When she spoke, there was no reservation in her voice. Only the resolve to do what needed to be done to save lives. ¡°I understand.¡± Happy Brokerversarry! The world is a strange place. With as much as one tries to make sense of the magic and mayhem that plagues it, there are still more mysteries to uncover. What are dungeons? What do they represent? Some appear as mirrors of our own world, twisted reflections of what already is. Others are carefully crafted puzzles designed to test the person who seeks the treasures within. Still more appear as entirely different worlds, different lands with different people. So what are they, really? Perhaps we will never fully understand. VRRRRRR The engine of the limousine hummed as it pulled up along the brilliantly lit street. The stars in the sky were all cast away by the illumination of the city. The limo came to a stop in front of a towering three story nightclub. A line had formed along one side of the steps of over a hundred people waiting to get inside. The front door opened. The driver, his hat pulled down over his face, made his way over to the side door and opened it with a flourish. A pair of white heels slipped out and landed on the sidewalk as those waiting in line turned to gawk. Sonya slipped out with a smug smile on her face, flipping her hair back as she pulled the long coat over her shoulders, it flapped a bit like a cape. She straightened her pink tie and white jacket before turning and holding out both of her hands. A small hand with delicate fingers wrapped around her right while a stronger calloused hand wrapped around her left. She pulled the two women out of the car and grinned at them. Carla¡¯s decadent figure was clad in a long form fitting dress of black and silver with a low cut back and high neckline to emphasize the silver collar around her neck. Her face was framed by that crisp dark bob cut of hair that curled just lightly at her chin. The chairwoman adjusted her glasses and absently fiddled with the large pink sapphire hanging from the collar as she flushed. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bit much?¡± she murmured. ¡°Too much? You look fabulous, love,¡± She said and turned to Chunhua, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, gorgeous?¡± Chunhua was in a black blazer and nearly transparent undershirt that revealed the silver tank beneath it. Her slacks were dark and fitted tightly around her frame ending in a pair of no-nonsense heels. The relaxed look was one thing, but seeing her hair up and tied in a bow added a whole level of appeal to her look that Sonya really appreciated. She huffed and cleared her throat, ¡°It¡¯s a good look, Chair-¡± she paused at the testy look from Sonya, ¡°Carla.¡± Sonya took a few playful steps back, ¡°See, ladies? You¡¯re fine! It¡¯s time to have a little fun! Shake all that stress off, yeah?¡± The two women looked at one another and smiled before shaking their heads. Sonya crossed her arms, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Carla said with a small laugh, ¡°Just taking in your energy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s plenty of it,¡± Chunhua added and started up the steps. Carla let out another laugh and followed her while Sonya watched them. Sonya stomped her foot, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Hey! Get back here!¡± she protested and followed them up the stairs. They walked past the crowd towards the VIP side of the doors, getting a few unpleasant looks but mostly getting a lot of photos taken of them. Sonya caught up with her girlfriends and locked arms with the both of them, grinning ear to ear. The guy at the door took one look at them and stepped aside, letting them pass into the pulsing beat beyond. The air thrummed, the scents of alcohol and carefully crafted mood fragrances filled Sonya¡¯s nostrils. She took in a deep breath of the atmosphere and watched the crowd of dancers move like a single entity, lights flashing above them, the DJ a silhouette in the distance. ¡°There¡¯s our room,¡± Sonya said quickly, nodding towards the elevated portion to the right. There were doors leading into VIP rooms where club goers could stash their belongings and take breaks during a particularly long night. She led the two of them past the bar, waving at the bartender who waved back pleasantly and turned away to start making something. ¡°Come here often?¡± Chunhua asked. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Sonya jumped a little and winced, ¡°Uh¡­ maybe?¡± Carla and Chunhua squinted at her before rolling their eyes and squeezing her arms. Carla turned and look at her, ¡°Are you going to behave while we¡¯re here?¡± Sonya grinned nervously, ¡°Uh¡­¡± Chunhua leaned in next, ¡°Better make it a promise, love.¡± Sonya started to sweat before slouching a bit, ¡°I promise to behave.¡± The two girls grinned at one another in victory as Sonya finally understood the downside of being in a polyamorous relationship. The other two could gang up on her if they needed to. She swayed dejectedly as they arrived at the door and Sonya lazily swiped the pass she¡¯d purchased. The door chimed and the three of them stepped inside. It was a luxurious room with a TV, karaoke machine, and long couches accompanied with tables. There was even a tablet on the wall to order food and drinks from. ¡°When are the others getting here?¡± Chunhua asked while Sonya planted both hands on the wall, leaning against it in defeat. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be a baby,¡± the hero laughed, ¡°You¡¯ll be too distracted to misbehave anyway.¡± Sonya blinked and looked over to see the grins on Carla¡¯s and Chunhua¡¯s faces. A goofy grin spread across her face, ¡°You too are so pretty.¡± ¡°Sonya, the others?¡± Carla pressed. ¡°Oh, right! Colin said that they¡¯ll be here a bit late. Probably come in waves,¡± she shrugged, ¡°That gives us some time to have fun on our own.¡± Carla chuckled, ¡°Colin¡¯s just taking his time picking out an outfit.¡± ¡°Or getting Amos to wear something other than a lab coat,¡± Chunhua countered. The three of them laughed until Carla crossed her arms and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that it¡¯ll be hard for Barry and Gia to come.¡± Sonya smirked and tapped her nose, ¡°You might be surprised with what they come up with. Don¡¯t worry, everyone will be here.¡± The two of them brightened as the door chimed behind Sonya and she turned to open it. She blinked, a little surprised not to see the host with a tray of drinks. Instead there was a woman standing there she¡¯d never seen before. She wore a white pinstripe shirt and suspenders along with a pair of black slacks and pointed shiny shoes. Her face was pretty in a dour sort of way, dark bags under her eyes. They were a light brown so bright they might as well be yellow or orange. Her dark hair was a complete mess but it seemed to work somehow. She smelled like burned sage. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Sonya asked, raising an eyebrow. The woman glanced to the right, her eyes unfocused for a moment before she shrugged, ¡°Probably, I¡¯ll figure that out later. Nice meetin¡¯ ya.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ okay?¡± Sonya mumbled as the woman turned away and started walking away with her hands in her pockets. ¡°What the hell?¡± Sonya squinted at the stranger and the name bar appeared over her head. ¡°Huh,¡± she grunted. Carla and Chunhua popped up behind her and peered past towards the figure that disappeared into the crowd. ¡°Who was that?¡± Chunhua asked, her tone a little guarded. ¡°No idea,¡± Sonya said. It took the two of them a moment to register the statement. They looked at her in confusion, ¡°You don¡¯t know her name?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You used your power didn¡¯t you?¡± Carla asked. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Creepy,¡± Chunhua murmured, ¡°Some sort of anonymity ability?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Sonya shrugged and brightened a little when the host walked over with a tray balanced on his hand. Three drinks were already ready. A pink beverage filled with bubbles and sparkles, a rainbow-colored margarita, and a dark drink with a swirl of cream inside. She, Carla, and Chunhua all drooled as the host presented them. ¡°Please enjoy, ladies, thank you for your patronage as always, Miss Chernovna,¡± the host said with that perfect smile that came with the job. She grinned and plucked up the margarita and cream drink first, turning to hand the first to an elated Chunhua and the second to an eager Carla. She grabbed hers next and returned his smile with a winning one of her own, ¡°Perfect service as always, thanks again,¡± she paused and glanced towards the crowd, ¡°Did you see that woman who was at our door?¡± He blinked and looked towards the crowd for a moment before nodding, ¡°Queen? Yeah.¡± ¡°Queen? What¡¯s her deal?¡± ¡°She¡¯s an odd duck, loses focus a lot but never trips over herself. A real grouch but has somehow never gotten into a fight. She¡¯s been a regular for the past month or so,¡± he shrugged, ¡°She¡¯s like an unpaid bouncer, no one messes with her and she breaks up fights with a look so she gets free drinks on occasion.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Sonya said and sipped at her drink, ¡°Oh that''s good! Well thank you for the info.¡± ¡°No problem, enjoy your time!¡± the host said and turned away. Sonya glanced back at her lady friends and smirked, ¡°Welp,¡± she said, ¡°No time like the present. Let''s party!¡± Chapter 209 Was it a memory? Perhaps a vision? A remnant? A fragment of something that was once truth but now seems so ludicrous as to only be a lie? A place within a dream, a wondrous realm that beggared imagination. A perpetual revelry, dance and song, fire and breath, lust and love. A place of madness, where those who had finally let free their arrogant grip on that thing called ¡®sanity¡¯ could dwell. Here, in the depths of mayhem, the little light followed her lady dutifully. The passage to the grand hall was quiet as a tomb, a far cry from the ceaseless din that lorded over their destination. The walls were of granite brick, smoothed to a glorious luster and yet marred by moss, vines, and webs. The gleam beneath the grime made even that place seem surreal and haunting. There were three of them in the passage. The little light was one, in a resplendent gown of black velvet and rubies, a crown of twisted thorns made of silver adorned her raven-haired head and a veil of metal-turned cloth hung over her face. She walked slowly, following the two who she served at a respectful distance. To the right was a man, tall and broad shouldered with a back rife with luxurious muscle. His black hair hung in dozens of long braids that danced around his tanned body, his flawless skin seeming to glow with a sourceless splendor. Despite that and the grace with which he walked, there was a savagery to him, predatory and animalistic. On the left was a woman, while he was the embodiment of wild hunger, she was nature¡¯s serene grace. Ebon hair that cascaded down her back was as smooth as a stream, weaved with pale-white vines that criss-crossed in a decadent pattern. She wore a gown of black silk that glimmered with stars, gold accents framing its luster. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s just showing up like this,¡± the woman growled angrily, ¡°Arrogant man, comes and goes as he pleases.¡± ¡°Be patient with him, darling. Or you¡¯ll lose your chance,¡± the man said, ¡°I know how much you desire him, but you can¡¯t claim him if you chase him off.¡± ¡°And you, you indulge me too much,¡± the woman protested. ¡°As long as you are happy,¡± he said and took her hand, raising it to his lips, ¡°I would sunder the golden throne just to see that radiant smile.¡± ¡°Oh husband, my handsome king,¡± the woman sighed, ¡°You say the sweetest things.¡± The little light remained silent through their flirtation, it was always like this. Their constant adoration of one another was a saccharine addition to the already unhinged surroundings. Something about it made the little light¡¯s stomach twist and wrench, but the feeling faded as she sought some manner of explanation for it. Her mind so devoid of anything useful that it left her helpless against the currents that these two strange beings dragged her through. The woman turned and leveled her with a stare, her eyes the color of polished steel, ¡°Little light? You¡¯re so quiet tonight.¡± ¡°Perhaps she is tired, love,¡± the man said, turning as well. Eyes of burnished brass settling upon the tiny figure behind them, ¡°The dove does not need to sing every evening. Let her rest and enjoy the festivities. We have more important things to deal with anyway.¡± The woman doubled back, gliding across the ground without a sound, her dress hiding whether or not she even took a step. She reached out and took the little light by the chin. The small woman shuddered at the icy grip, ¡°Is that what it is? Are you weary, little light? You know, if you become one of us then that feeling will no longer burden you. The offer stands. Be mine, and I will shower you with love, you can live in this place for all time without a care and an army of servants to solve your every woe.¡± The little light felt something rise up in her chest, a longing, an ache, a wish to finally be allowed to rest and let it all go, whatever it was. Next to that feeling, though, was a furious shriek of indignation and rage. A condemnation. A defiant howl. A cataclysm that could not be quenched by sweet things. She did not know its source nor did she understand it, but she recognized it as something that belonged to her. A natural part of her that she could not reject as much as the sun could stop rising. ¡°My heart isn¡¯t ready, my queen,¡± the little light said apologetically. The queen smiled, ¡°So be it, we have all the time in the world. Come, let us see what the Asgardian wants.¡± The little light felt a tremor go through her body, a weakness that only abated when she caught her breath. She bowed, ¡°Of course, my queen.¡± They crossed the remainder of the passage and arrived at a door. It looked to be made of a single tree, stretched, bent, and twisted until it had been molded into a useful shape. The queen and king stood side by side and gestured at the door, drawing a verdant light from its surface. It shuddered and gave way to the sound of revelry and song. Laughter, anger, moans, and shrieks assaulted the senses as merry music played in the background. Beyond the door the little light found herself once more in the great court, a vast domed room filled with glowing white trees. Seats and tables were scattered throughout, a host of men and women amongst them, swept up in the furor. Some of those present turned when the trio entered the place, they waved or bowed as they wished before returning to whatever debauchery they were engaged in, lost in their own delights. Ahead of them, two thrones of white stone rose from a tangle of vines. The queen sat on the left while the king sat on the right. The little light bowed her head and stepped in to stand with her queen only to gasp as the woman took her by the wrist and pulled her into her lap with a laugh, ¡°There we go, more comfortable than standing, yes?¡± the queen asked, reaching for her face beneath the veil. The little light turned her head away, ¡°My queen,¡± she pleaded, admonishing. ¡°Such a precocious little-¡± the queen began, her tone hungry, before a new voice cut her off. ¡°Titania!¡± it was strong, proud, and commanding in a way that distracted the little light from her predicament. She turned to look as the revelry around them died down to a whisper. None moved while the man in black leathers stepped up to a dias beneath the two thrones. He held his chin high, his rainbow-colored eyes glimmering even in the brightly lit chamber. His long reddish-gold hair was trussed up in a bun behind his head and his strong jaw was set into a wily smile. ¡°I have been waiting for you.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The queen clicked her tongue, ¡°Another time, then,¡± she purred at the little light. The little light watched as the queen turned her attention to the newcomer, ¡°Loki. You¡¯ve come again. Are you here to deny my affections once more? I still have room for you, you know.¡± ¡°Something worth considering, if it did not consign me to a fate worse than death,¡± he replied without so much as a flicker of doubt in his multicolored eyes. ¡°You speak out of turn in my court,¡± The queen growled. ¡°You bring someone who reeks of the Arbiters to our meeting,¡± he shot back, ¡°That plaything of yours, where did you get it? She stinks of the golden throne,¡± he asked, pointing a finger at the little light. The little light felt an instinct to recoil from his accusing gaze even as that other part of her fumed at being called something so degrading. Yet in her position she could say nothing as the queen rested a hand on her head and stroked her hair. Demeaning. Patronizing. She felt a sliver of herself crumble a bit at the indignity of it even as that fire in her belly reinforced her mind as best it could. The queen barked out a laugh. ¡°Is that what that familiarity is? I could not tell. My realm has had no place for the Golden Throne¡¯s agents for some time now. No, this one was found wandering and lost, broken. I stitched her body and mind back together. She is mine,¡± Titania declared, ¡°You have nothing to fear from this little light.¡± Loki smirked, ¡°Really now? Interesting. To think one of that busybody¡¯s disciples would go so far astray and not be recalled. Perhaps her powers are finally waning in her old age. I hear she is preparing Gilgamesh to take over for her.¡± The king leaned forward, ¡°Watch your words, friend, I have patience for amusement but not for insulting my Queen. You know well that we share the same period of ascent with [bzzzzzt].¡± The little light blinked, turning her head towards the king. That last word, why could she not hear it? It was as if something had scoured it from her senses. She looked up at Titania who gave her husband a reproachful look. ¡°Oberon, forgive me,¡± Loki said with a half-hearted bow, his hand on his heart, ¡°I was merely commenting on how wasteful that woman is with her power. While you conserve and wield your might wisely, she needlessly interferes with the business of the many courts.¡± Oberon laughed, ¡°Pretty words. You¡¯ve developed a silver tongue over the past few centuries. Boy.¡± ¡°Did they not work?¡± Loki asked with equal humor. ¡°I suppose they did,¡± Oberon said, ¡°So long as my Queen is mollified by them.¡± The little light felt the queen grip her knee and she tensed a little, wondering if today would be a day for her wrath or her good humor. She was relieved to see a smile on the queen¡¯s face. There would be no bloodshed today. ¡°I could never stay angry with you, Loki dear,¡± Titania said wistfully, ¡°What fury I retain fuels my desire for you. What pain I will impart upon you once you¡¯re mine is¡­ tantalizing,¡± she let out a hungry breath and the little light shuddered as she was pulled closer to the queen¡¯s chest, ¡°If you are not here to accept my love, why are you here?¡± Loki frowned and met the little light¡¯s gaze through her veil. His rainbow-hued eyes glimmering with dangerous promise, ¡°The interloper has sent one of her arbiters to Asgard, a new girl. The daughter of Hephaestus and Aphrodite.¡± ¡°Then urge your father to turn her away,¡± Titania said with a dismissive wave of her hand, ¡°I do not see why you need to tell me this. Though it is strange that she would send her there when Mimir already performs that duty. Did the seer not take offense?¡± Loki hesitated before speaking again, ¡°Mimir urged my father to take her in and cajoled the rest of the court to accept her as one of their own. She has already entered the Winding Halls and makes her way to the Bifrost.¡± The queen¡¯s voice dropped into a low, dangerous growl, ¡°Mimir did what? Is this a betrayal?¡± ¡°He would not explain his reasoning to me,¡± Loki said and let out a sigh, ¡°After my protests, my brother was sent to see me out of Asgard. I am banished until I ¡®right my thinking¡¯ as is my father¡¯s proclamation.¡± ¡°He saw something,¡± Oberon said thoughtfully, ¡°A truth about the girl, perhaps? Do you know if he has been to visit Athena and her Oracle recently?¡± Loki snorted, ¡°When does he not find the time to do that? The two are like besotted lovers, I doubt they were chaste in the Golden Throne¡¯s shadow. I cannot say whether or not he received an Oracle or if it was from his own insights.¡± Titania barked out a laugh, ¡°Oh? I did not know about this, so pure Athena has a dirty little secret? I wonder if her father knows.¡± The little light was lost within the winding web of the conversation. The names seemed to have some meaning to her but she could not place them. She searched her memories but as always they were nothing but void, a hollow ache that accompanied the temper that she struggled to control. Where did she know those names from? Who were these people? Her lips thinned in concentration only for it to be broken by a luxurious finger running down the back of her neck. She shuddered and turned her head to look up at the queen, pleading. ¡°That was unkind, my queen,¡± she murmured. ¡°You dwell on unnecessary thoughts, pet, no need to think about such things,¡± Titania whispered into her ear before sitting up straight. The little light frowned, looking away as she tried to clear her mind. If that was what the queen wanted, perhaps she needed to stop thinking so much. She had taken care of her these past weeks, held her, comforted her. It wasn¡¯t wrong to repay the debt with some obedience, was it? ¡°Asgard is our strongest ally against the Golden Throne¡¯s rule over the affairs of the great ones,¡± Oberon said, his tone measured, ¡°Odin has always been resistant to [bzzzt]s influence even as he plays Mimir¡¯s games. If he is changing his stance, then we may find trouble at our doorstep. What of our other allies?¡± The little light watched as Loki began to pace, ¡°Oorochi went to the Golden Throne with a warning some time ago, I am to meet with him soon. Quetzalcoatl is eager to face Gilgamesh again. The Heavenly Demonic Cult has reached out to me after an Arbiter arrived at their doorstep. They seem to possess a great one capable of informing them of who they can trust.¡± ¡°Such forces won¡¯t matter if we lose Asgard,¡± Titania snarled, ¡°Who exactly is this child-Arbiter who has upturned our carefully laid groundwork so easily? You say that ugly bastard Hephaestus is her father?¡± Loki stopped in his pacing, ¡°A name to curse?¡± he asked with amusement, ¡°She calls herself Pandora.¡± It was like a lighting bolt went off in the little lights mind, a sudden jolt that would have sent her reeling if not for her queen¡¯s grip on her body and her own unwillingness to be noticed in the throes of the sudden revelation. Pandora? The little light thought. That name. I know that name. She felt something tease at the edge of her thoughts, an invasion, a probe that she did not welcome. She pushed it away, urging her mind to appear blank as her true thoughts swirled and thundered about. Who? Who is that? Why does my heart ache when I think of that person? What am I forgetting? Did I know her before? The questions came in a flurry as images bit into her consciousness, a world unlike the one she resided in, fragments, fictions and truths. Words spoken, schemes, hatreds and loves. A name. Sonya. My name is Sonya. Chapter 210 ¡°This is a bit unexpected,¡± Ishtar murmured. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t my first time doing this,¡± Black Lotus said quietly as she moved into position. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to take the lead,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I¡¯m quite inexperienced.¡± ¡°Just regulate your breathing to start, take your time. We¡¯re doing this for Sonya after all, let the feeling wash over you,¡± The hero whispered from behind her. Ishtar winced, the first threads of pain sparking in her body, ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± ¡°I thought you and Sonya liked a little pain,¡± Black Lotus said. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that we¡¯ve changed quite a bit since that other time,¡± Ishtar growled. ¡°Sh-should I leave? Give you two some privacy?¡± Carla¡¯s voice chimed in. Ishtar frowned and turned her head where she was sitting, shirtless, on the meditation mat that Black Lotus had provided her. She focused on the direction that Carla¡¯s voice had come from, her senses were returning to her but they still hadn¡¯t fully been restored, even after the last of the seeds had come out. Something crucial was missing and she had a feeling of what it was. Even so, getting to this point had been nothing short of a trial to accomplish in twelve days. Days of endless agony, self inflicted wounds, and regeneration. Walking was still a terrible chore, but it wasn¡¯t far off now. ¡°What are you talking about? Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted to watch this?¡± Ishtar asked. The woman made an exasperated sound, ¡°Stop saying things that make this whole situation sound stranger than it is!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the one making it strange,¡± Black Lotus commented, ¡°Though I do agree that the outcome of my treatments has been¡­ unusual.¡± ¡°You!¡± Carla growled and sighed, ¡°Would you at least explain to me what¡¯s happened to her body? What¡¯s different here from your other treatments?¡± Black Lotus¡¯ fingers left Ishtar¡¯s back and the hero cleared her throat, ¡°For the past twelve days I¡¯ve been treating her damaged meridians and helping loosen the seeds that have been weakening her body and powers. We removed the last seed yesterday and saw a noticeable jump in her recovery,¡± Black Lotus explained, ¡°We noticed something else as well.¡± ¡°I am cycling mana,¡± Ishtar said, flexing her fingers. ¡°Like a cultivator, someone with Black Lotus or Crusader¡¯s abilities.¡± Carla went quiet for a moment, ¡°But¡­ you don¡¯t have that ability, do you?¡± Ishtar tilted her head, ¡°I have an analogue, but the cybernetics that make up a significant portion of my physical enhancements and brain should make what¡¯s happening impossible.¡± ¡°An analogue?¡± Carla asked. ¡°Sonya and Ishtar have an ability called Heavenly Jade Heart,¡± Black Lotus explained, ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a massive wellspring of energy to draw upon, a fuel source for her powers. She¡¯s been using it to power her massively modified body but truth be told it¡¯s an ability with origins in the realm of cultivation. Even so, from what Ishtar has explained to me, that is all it is, a power source.¡± Carla went quiet for a long time before speaking again, ¡°Are you saying you gave her the ability to cultivate?¡± ¡°That is exactly what we¡¯re here to test,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°And why we allowed you to observe as a third party. Personally I am skeptical, though I value any improvement to my internal flow of energy. It will be useful in the future.¡± ¡°Are you ready?¡± Black Lotus asked. Ishtar let out a shaky breath, ¡°Go ahead. Hopefully I can get enough energy in my body to start using some of my more powerful warehouse abilities. I need to start working on helping Sonya.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Black Lotus said and put her hand on Ishtar¡¯s back again. Ishtar grunted as energy flowed into her body. The process wasn¡¯t as painful as it was for the past dozen days but it was still jarring to feel such a force invade her like that. She tilted her head forward and let out a slow breath before breathing in again. Black Lotus had explained generally the process for meditation. It was a marvelously calming process that allowed her to extend her mind beyond its limits and ease her thoughts if necessary, concentration was heightened and she imagined her control over her abilities would benefit from it as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to start cycling through your meridians,¡± Black Lotus said and Ishtar felt the pulse in her body turn into a flow that started at her heart. She felt Heavenly Jade Heart react, hungrily absorbing the energy for a moment before it began to push out and into the rest of her body. She felt it rise and fall, pushing down towards her waist and up towards her brain. From those points it spread out through her limbs and began a slow, laborious cycle. It wasn¡¯t the flood that Black Lotus had used to rattle the seeds and temper her body, it was a stable flow that Ishtar could actually follow. ¡°Do you feel the direction it¡¯s moving? Where it¡¯s moving?¡± Ishtar nodded slowly, ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Now see if you can¡¯t take hold of it, I¡¯m guiding it right now but it belongs to you. Take it slow. When you feel like you have a hold on it I will let go,¡± Black Lotus said. Ishtar calmed her mind, following the trail as it wound through her muscles and her bones. She could feel the fibrous cybernetics that had merged with her flesh and how they seemed to integrate themselves with her body. She could sense where the connections were established, where they fed off of her internal energy to power her superhuman abilities. She followed her meridians, touching each of those little connections as she went. Ishtar shuddered as she felt her grip on that energy tighten. ¡°I think¡­¡± she whispered, ¡°...yes, I think I have it.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to let go,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Hang on to it.¡± It was like holding onto a leash attached to a strong and very unruly dog. One moment she was walking along the path with little effort, the next she felt herself get yanked along. She held on for dear life, gritting her teeth in concentration as she tried to reign in the unruly mutt that was her inner energy. Obey. She growled. OBEY! She yanked on the connection and grabbed hold of it in an iron grip, You are MINE! You follow my lead! She coughed and something slick dribbled down her chin. She ignored the sickly sensation and leaned into the feeling. She forced the energy to stay within those channels, following it, moving it, letting it rotate as it steadily fed her powers. She felt those fibrous connections drink deeply as ambient power flooded into her. She needed to be careful. She was activating her abilities by doing this, which meant that it could be legible on a carter radar. The last thing she wanted was someone to notice a hotspot at the top of the new ASTA tower. Slowly, not all of you need to turn back on at once. For now, Heavenly Jade Heart is all that needs to begin recovery. It will feed the others over time. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Something rushed up her throat and she gagged, toppling over with the sudden sensation. She planted her hands on the ground and heaved. She forced herself to remain focused, she could feel the flow stabilizing. Is this¡­ really possible? She wondered as she held on to that feeling with all her strength. Stabilize. Stabilize. Let me have something to give to Sonya when she comes back. A housewarming gift. Give me this! Then, without any fanfare, the flow eased and fell into a rhythm. Ishtar went still, heaving again before reaching up to wipe her lip. She sensed Carla hurrying to her side while Black Lotus stood up behind her. ¡°Did it work?¡± Black Lotus asked her, ¡°Though I think I know the answer to that.¡± Ishtar pushed herself up to a sitting position with the help of Carla. She raised a hand and turned it over. She could feel its position even if she couldn¡¯t see it, her minds eye perceiving an illusory flow of light through her limb and fingers. ¡°Hero,¡± she said absently, ¡°I think humanity may be grossly underestimating what took place during the Flash,¡± she said as she savored the sensation of energy trickling into her physical abilities like a soothing balm. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I think you should try this process on an unawakened.¡± ¨C Ishtar pulled herself from the shower, grabbing hold of the rail and getting to her feet momentarily. She felt her legs buckle beneath her but for a heartbeat she managed to remain standing. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a clear sign of progress. She shuffled and turned, falling into the wheelchair. She sighed and leaned back, I¡¯ll call Marta in a moment. I need to catch my breath, she thought as she recovered from the strenuous activity. I don¡¯t think I will be at my full power again until the month is over at this rate, she thought sourly, Something¡¯s still missing. She frowned and lowered her head, resting it in her hands, Sonya. What is happening? Why haven¡¯t you shown any signs of- She felt a pulse through the back of her mind and shot up straight, grabbing onto the handle of her wheelchair. Sonya? She called into her mind, Is that you, dear? No response. Only that same eerie silence. She closed her eyes and drifted back, trying to enter that mind space of theirs. It was hard without utilizing Amethyst Sorceress to facilitate, but not impossible. She found that little mote of light still hanging there. For almost two weeks now it had hung in silence but now it was thrumming, shrinking at times and growing at others. She reached for it, a yearning welling up in her. She touched it and recoiled, a flood of sensation and confused thoughts crashing into her like a tidal wave. What¡­ was that? Is she fighting something? She heard a knock at the door and pulled herself out of that space, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiopeia called from the other side, ¡°There¡¯s something on the TV you should know about.¡± Ishtar sighed, ¡°Very well, can you call Marta for me?¡± ¡°On it.¡± A few minutes later she was wheeled into the living room by Marta. She hadn¡¯t revealed to the caretaker what she¡¯d experienced. She didn¡¯t want to trigger any unnecessary worry. At this point there was little that could be done until she had enough power to activate Amethyst Sorceress. Marta brought her over to where she sensed Cassiopeia sitting on the couch. The girl had only one day left before she was to leave for her full-time work in New York. ¡°What am I supposed to be seeing?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that-¡± ¡°There¡¯s commentary,¡± Cass said quickly, ¡°I recorded it.¡± Ishtar frowned, ¡°Go on then. Marta, if you wouldn¡¯t mind? ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am,¡± Marta said and cleared her throat as the television in the living room went quiet for a moment. She then took in a sharp breath and Ishtar felt her caretaker¡¯s hands tighten on the handles of the wheelchair. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need me to tell you what¡¯s on the screen,¡± she said finally as a reporter spoke up. ¡°Over the past few weeks, one young up-and-coming hero has thrown down the gauntlet against monsters and villains alike. In New York City, the hero Otis and his teammates Felwinter and Riot have made something of a name for themselves. The trio has quickly hit no less than sixty monster manifestation events during that time and played a primary role in the arrests of nine villains, one of which was rare-tier,¡± the reporter said. Ishtar¡¯s hands clenched so tightly on the armrests it hurt, Otis! ¡°When asked for comment about his rapid actions in the city, the young hero had this to say,¡± the reporter continued and a new voice joined the broadcast. A hated voice that was laced with the pleasant charm of a gentleman. A sickly sweet poison. ¡°I think the people of this city deserve a chance to rest easy, for once,¡± Otis said, ¡°This isn¡¯t just a job for me, I became a hero because I want to see people smile.¡± Liar. ¡°With so many arrests already under your belt and all that experience with hounds and lurkers, are you planning on hitting a dungeon soon?¡± a woman asked. ¡°That¡¯s up to the Guildmaster,¡± Otis said, ¡°I¡¯m still a new hero with a lot to learn, but I hope she¡¯ll give me the opportunity.¡± ¡°The young hero has already gained quite the following amongst local-¡± the feed cut when Ishtar waved her hand. ¡°Enough,¡± Ishtar rumbled. She sighed and rested her hand against her head. She could feel a headache coming on, He¡¯s started to accelerate, she thought, Of all times, why now? What are you planning, Otis? ¨C Otis relived the memory again as he sat at his desk in the Guild Headquarters, a frown forming on his face¡­ ¡°No,¡± Guildmaster Bluestar said, her expression stony. He sat up in the seat across from her, ¡°W-what?¡± he asked, ¡°Why not? Guildmaster, I¡¯m a mythic, I should be there with the others when the time comes, not here sitting on my-¡± ¡°Otis,¡± Bluestar said evenly. Her brilliant eyes locked with his and she brushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear before she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. ¡°I appreciate your feelings but the answer is no. You¡¯re untested. I will admit that your abilities are powerful but a small handful of monsters and a single villain arrest does not clear you to be sent to the front lines even if the situation gets that bad down south.¡± He was stunned. How could she even say something like that? Who does she think she¡¯s talking to? I¡¯m- no, calm down. Let''s find out the reason instead of throwing a tantrum. Perhaps there¡¯s another route I can take. I can¡¯t miss the war. ¡°Crusader and the others, you¡¯ve given them the go ahead, haven¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°They were in Tokyo, Otis. They fought hordes of epic-tier monsters and several heroic or possibly even mythic-tier villains. Yes, they¡¯ve been active just as long as you have, but they¡¯ve proven their mettle with Bandit personally observing and vouching for them,¡± she said, ¡°If you want me to even consider this, I need more from you.¡± I see. Fine then. He inclined his head, ¡°I understand, Guildmaster,¡± he said and got to his feet. She rose as well, her expression still hard. He bowed his head to her, ¡°Please forgive my earlier rudeness. I just can¡¯t sit by while my friends go to war when I could be of some help to them.¡± She let out a sigh and smiled, ¡°I know. You¡¯re a good kid, Otis. I can tell. Sonya apparently put you through the ringer before she let you join but that just speaks to how seriously she took you. I¡¯m just doing the same. Impress me and we¡¯ll talk again. Alright?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± His lip twitched as he opened his eyes and he stared at the screen where he saw his face. He was standing next to the reporter and talking, the image frozen. He tilted his head and savored his first public appearance. It wasn¡¯t the most auspicious moment, but it felt like a breakthrough of sorts. He reclined in his chair just in time for his phone to ring. He reached out and plucked it off his desk and checked the ID. His lips curled into a smile. ¡°Guildmaster! How are you, ma¡¯am?¡± he asked brightly. ¡°Otis, glad you took my call, you¡¯ve been busy,¡± she said, ¡°You aren¡¯t wearing yourself out, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not, I haven¡¯t felt better if I¡¯m being honest,¡± he said, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m setting you up with a dungeon. Rare-tier. It popped up in Albany. Are you up for it or was that comment on the news all talk?¡± she asked. His lips spread into a wicked smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get it done in record time, ma¡¯am. You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. I¡¯ll send the details to Riot, good luck, Otis.¡± She ended the call and he relaxed into his chair, ¡°Side-Quest complete.¡± Chapter 211 Ollie packed his bag, slipping the notebooks and his new tablet inside. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning back to look at his office. My office. The thought gave him no small amount of pride. It was one of the smallest offices in the building and at the end of the hallway away from the elevator, but Scowl, the head of the New York Guild¡¯s investigative team had taken an immediate liking to him during their first meeting. Only a few weeks in and the space was already something out of a conspiracy film. He walked over to the most prominent board on the wall, his arms crossed. A few fragmentary images of Ishtar were pinned around a screenshot of her speech about the death of August. Stretching from them were fibers connecting her to other faces. A partial facial picture of Park Beyol who he suspected to be Blackrazor even though the man was officially dead. A blank page with the word ¡®Charon?¡¯ on it. There was a picture of the lightning woman from the Hague attack, an image of what appeared to be some manner of sea monster, newspaper clippings, more images. All connecting back to that central point. ¡°Who are you?¡± he murmured, rubbing his chin. A knock on the door drew his attention and he found the bland face of John staring at him when he opened it. ¡°Hello John,¡± he said, ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Go home,¡± John grunted. Ollie blinked, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t slept in two days,¡± John said, ¡°Scowl¡¯s worried. Leave.¡± Ollie looked down at his feet and scrunched up his face, confusion warring in his brain, ¡°Has it really been two days?¡± ¡°Yeah, looks like you¡¯re packing up. Get going. I¡¯m not leaving until you do,¡± John said. Ollie looked up at him and saw the stiff young man he¡¯d come to know at the camp leaning against the wall across from his door, arms crossed. It was hard to believe that the nearly expressionless guy barely a year different in age from him was a Guild Officer acting directly at Guildmaster Bluestar¡¯s instruction. Management. Ollie looked back at his boards. The Ishtar board, the various explorations of local villains. He squinted at one of them and wondered if maybe a particular link was just his sleepless brain playing tricks on him. Should I double check? He thought wearily only for John to clear his throat behind him. He winced and nodded slowly, Right, right, sleep. He sighed and grabbed his bag from the table, closing up shop and heading out into the hallway with John who eyed him seriously. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Is your team leader pushing you to work this hard?¡± John asked. Ollie blinked, ¡°What?¡± he shook his head vigorously, ¡°No! Not at all. Honestly Otis complains about how much time I spend in the office rather than working with him on the field. He says I need to get more public exposure,¡± Ollie sighed, ¡°Not my strongest area.¡± John made an odd face that looked somewhere between disappointed and annoyed, ¡°Ah, he¡¯s not wrong. Hero work is a social job, even for investigators. You need to talk to people.¡± ¡°Does Otis bother you?¡± Ollie asked. John shrugged, ¡°Yes and no, good work, too much ego.¡± ¡°People like him,¡± Ollie pointed out, ¡°He says nice things.¡± John narrowed his eyes, ¡°Does he mean them?¡± Ollie scratched the back of his neck and gave a noncommittal shrug. He wasn¡¯t going to badmouth his team leader for John no matter how close they were. John seemed to read enough of the situation to relent with a wave of his hand and gestured for Ollie to walk in front of him. Ollie frowned, he felt a little like a child being punished for being somewhere he wasn¡¯t supposed to be. The last time someone had walked like this behind him, it had been in prison, to his cell. He rubbed his arm uncomfortably but kept his mouth shut. Just put up with it. They made it to the elevator and John pulled something from a pocket in his coat, he handed it over to Ollie who adjusted his glasses and squinted at it, ¡°A thumb drive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for Otis. Bluestar assigned your team to a dungeon,¡± he said, ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Ollie blanched, ¡°A dungeon?!¡± ¡°Fighting monsters is your job, Ollie,¡± John said with a frown and put the thumb drive in his hand, ¡°So is taking care of yourself. Go rest,¡± he said as the elevator opened with a merry chime. Ollie looked down at the small object in his hand and let out a sigh before nodding, ¡°Yessir,¡± he stepped into the elevator and turned around to meet the stony faced hero¡¯s gaze. Instead of that, he saw a mixture of sadness and concern in John¡¯s eyes. Back at the camp it had been hard for John to express himself, barely speaking in just a few words. It took time, but he opened up. Now he was even expressing himself in ways that weren¡¯t just words. Meanwhile I feel like I¡¯m still where I started. All of Rouge¡¯s advice hasn¡¯t helped me at all. My powers are stronger but I¡¯m still¡­ He swallowed and nodded to John, ¡°Good night, John.¡± John¡¯s sad expression turned to a small smile, ¡°Good night, Ollie.¡± Just a few minutes later he stepped out into the residential part of the Guild Headquarters. Reserved for new heroes who hadn¡¯t bought themselves a place to live with the significant funds given to them by ASTA. First big paycheck is coming up, he reminded himself, Otis wants a place where the three of us can live with enough room to expand the team. I still need to give him the listings I came up with. He rubbed his neck as he nearly stepped past the small ¡®apartment¡¯ that had been designated for their team. He fumbled with the keycard and the door opened. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s actually alive, I just lost ten bucks,¡± a girls voice rang out as he stepped inside. He tossed his suitcase onto the couch, ignoring her jab. The last thing he wanted today was to get into it with Felwinter. She seemed to thrive on pissing him off, then again, he supposed he was the only available target with Otis forbidding her to be her usual caustic self around normal people and other heroes. ¡°Hello, Jessica,¡± he grumbled, dragging himself over to the couch and sitting down hard. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He looked up to see her step out of what amounted to the kitchenette with a cup of coffee in her hand and a smirk on her face, ¡°You look like shit,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept in two days apparently,¡± he said. ¡°Apparently? Definitely. You¡¯re no use to Otis in this condition,¡± she said with a frown, ¡°You¡¯re lucky he doesn¡¯t toss you out on your ass for wasting your talents.¡± He gave her a deadpan stare and adjusted his glasses again, ¡°Are you done? Why don¡¯t you go buy yourself some kneepads since you-.¡± Her lip twitched, ¡°I dare you to finish that sentence,¡± she snarled, taking a few steps forward. Oh I am so tired of her, he thought and got to his feet. Maybe it was the sleeplessness. Maybe it was all the things he had to do to keep Otis happy. He wasn¡¯t sure, but right now, he was feeling a little hot under the collar. She walked up and got up in his face, nose to nose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said cooly, ¡°I forgot to add the hair ties.¡± ¡°I will turn your bones to ice, Riot,¡± she growled. ¡°And I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°What? What are you going to do, yarnball?¡± she growled, ¡°String me up?¡± she laughed as the door to the small office space behind her opened, Otis stepping out with that usual smirk on his face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t test him, Felwinter,¡± he said casually, ¡°He could twist your heart into all sorts of shapes, make you pine for your brother in ways that would put you in therapy for the rest of your life. Couldn¡¯t you, Riot?¡± Ollie felt his gut twist at the thought even as his mind betrayed him with the theoretical logistics of accomplishing it. He was horrified to realize just how easy it would be, her strong emotions towards her brother could be flipped on their head just like that. He wrinkled his nose in disgust even as he held her gaze. He didn¡¯t say a word, but he saw her pale just a little bit and step back, crossing her arms over her chest, ¡°Fine.¡± He let out a sigh, ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± he said only to get swept up as Otis threw an arm over his shoulder and led him over to the couch. ¡°You look terrible man! This is what I mean about overworking yourself. You should be getting some air with us!¡± Otis laughed, pushing him down onto the couch before giving him a serious look, ¡°You have anything to show for all that time in the office?¡± Ollie swallowed as those glowing blue eyes stared down at him. However ¡®friendly¡¯ Otis was, he had to keep reminding himself that this man was evil on a level that was difficult to fully grasp. The atrocities he¡¯d already seen. They weighed on his mind as much as his own crimes to keep himself close to the man. What¡¯s worse, it''s getting harder every day to justify it all. Plenty of people in New York love him and with everything I¡¯ve done to help him, what right do I have to call him out? He lowered his eyes to the ground, At least if I¡¯m around I can nudge him away from the really bad stuff, maybe? ¡°Riot? I asked you a question, man,¡± Otis asked, his tone heavy with warning. Ollie blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, ¡°Sorry, two days without sleep, hard to think,¡± he said and turned to his bag. He tugged out two folders and handed them over to Otis, ¡°On those villains you were interested in. Everything I could dig up.¡± Otis turned the envelopes over in his hands, ¡°Good stuff,¡± he said, opening them and skimming them for a moment, ¡°They¡¯ll make good filler, at least,¡± he said, ¡°Think you can arrange for them to make a scene somewhere public when its time?¡± ¡°Like the others?¡± Ollie asked wearily. Otis nodded, ¡°Like the others.¡± Ollie sighed, feeling his shoulders get even heavier, ¡°Yes, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem sir. It¡¯s pretty easy for me to move around without getting spotted.¡± Otis clapped his hands, ¡°Good shit! Good shit! Love it, man! You should be more proud of yourself, you¡¯re riding the Otis train!¡± Ollie forced himself to smile, ¡°Speaking of which,¡± he said and pulled the thumb drive out. He wished he could keep it to himself but the idea of denying Otis anything seemed more and more like suicide. He held it out and Otis snatched it up, peering at it, ¡°It¡¯s details on the dungeon we got assigned to by the Guildmaster.¡± ¡°Nice! I was just telling Felwinter about our next outing,¡± Otis said and turned to her, ¡°Excited?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I got to kill something worthwhile,¡± Felwinter said, ¡°Playing house with civilians is tiring.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Otis agreed, ¡°More importantly, it¡¯s our final test to get to participate in the big show coming up. The Guildmaster has made it clear she wants us to make a good showing in the dungeon if we want to go play in the big leagues.¡± ¡°Big Leagues?¡± Ollie asked, ¡°Did I miss something?¡± ¡°See, this is why you need to get out of that office of yours. The whole world is screaming for a war with Liberty and you¡¯ve got your nose in old medical records, current events are important too smart guy,¡± Otis said with a laugh, ¡°War¡¯s coming Ollie and I am going to make sure I make headlines on the frontlines.¡± A chill went up Ollie''s spine, ¡°A war, against people?¡± Otis tilted his head, ¡°Who else?¡± Ollie searched the man¡¯s face, How can he not feel anything about what that means? Killing people? I know he¡¯s done it before but a war? The death toll. I can¡¯t even imagine, with heroes participating? Is that even legal? He felt breathless as he slumped in the couch, ¡°Right, of course, sorry.¡± Felwinter snorted somewhere behind Otis, ¡°Pussy.¡± The air went stale and Ollie felt something cold drop into his guts. He whipped his head up towards Otis who¡¯s smile had turned just a little tense. His eyes glittering as his head turned slightly to the side. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just pull you out of a fight?¡± Otis said, the smile in his words was so chilling that Ollie felt nausea rise up in his throat. He wanted to run, hide, do anything to get away from the bloodlust caking his skin. ¡°Do we need to have another session Felwinter? I don¡¯t mind a little banter, but let me make myself clear,¡± he growled and rounded fully on her. She let out a squeak and stumbled back, landing on the ground and looking up at him. Otis stalked forward and stood over her, ¡°You work together. Bottom line. If I have to shut you up again I will let Riot do whatever he wants to your karmic threads. Who knows? Maybe becoming stupid for a few days will set you straight.¡± Ollie struggled to pull himself out of the paralysis that Otis¡¯ rage had struck him with, ¡°S-sir! Th-that¡¯s not necessary- I don¡¯t want to-¡± he gasped and Otis rounded on him. ¡°I¡¯ll make you do it,¡± Otis growled, ¡°While she pissed me off, she isn¡¯t wrong. How many people have you helped me kill, Riot?¡± he demanded and turned his full attention on Ollie, ¡°How many civilians were caught up in the villain attacks that you orchestrated to get me publicity? Stop playing innocent. You¡¯re not. Get over yourself.¡± Riot¡¯s heart had inched its way into his throat as his body went almost entirely numb under that stare. Otis held his gaze for a few tortuous seconds longer before he brightened and stood up straight, smiling ear to ear, ¡°Now that¡¯s out of the way! Let¡¯s start planning our expedition! I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what those scouts have on that dungeon!¡± he said eagerly before turning on his heel and marching towards the door to the office. He stopped at the door and turned to look at the pair of shell shocked Heralds who stared back at him in horror, ¡°Well? Hurry up. You can sleep later, you¡¯re on my clock now. There''s a peace summit in a few days that¡¯s bound to fail and I want to make sure our trip is done before then.¡± Ollie looked towards Jessica who turned to meet his gaze. She looked down at her feet for a moment before rising and giving him an awkward nod. He did the same, his gut twisting. He¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m doing this to stop him. Sacrifices are okay, right? He walked up to the door and put his hand on it, his tired eyes hurt, his fingers ached. How much further can I take this? He wondered as he pushed his way in, following the enemy of the world into his lair. Chapter 212 Two days until the summit. Ishtar sat in the garden, slipping deep into her own thoughts. Her head turned towards the warm sun above as fall winds blew over the penthouse. She ran her fingers along the arm of her wheelchair. She was strong enough to walk now, more or less, but it was exhausting. She¡¯d avoided attempting to create ambrosia on the off chance that the healing restored too much shape to her face and figure. Carla¡¯s comment about her appearance had given her the idea to play possum with Liberty when the time came. She frowned, ¡°Time is running out, and I still haven¡¯t found that last piece. Sonya is still silent,¡± she murmured to herself, tilting her head, ¡°Marta?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡± Marta said from behind her. The woman hadn¡¯t moved an inch in well over an hour. ¡°You¡¯ve explored the deeper instincts of your mythic ability, correct?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. While there is still some to explore, I can safely say that most of it¡¯s functions are at my disposal,¡± she said, ¡°The heroic aura is still something I have a hard time intentionally controlling, but I¡¯m making progress. Why?¡± ¡°The limitations,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Besides the obvious one,¡± she trailed off, not giving voice to that word that was Marta¡¯s death-knell, ¡°Does your ability depend on anything to work?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still searching for Liberty¡¯s crutch,¡± Marta said and paused in thought for a moment, ¡°My ability is stronger when there are individuals with pure purpose nearby.¡± Ishtar raised an eyebrow, ¡°Pure hearts?¡± Marta laughed, ¡°Not pure hearts, ma¡¯am, purpose. I feel stronger when you are nearby, for example. Right now, with you, mister Blackrazor, and miss Chunhua nearby I am flush with energy and vitality. Miss Kerauna has some thinking to do, I suspect.¡± Ishtar huffed out a breath, ¡°Fascinating,¡± she said, ¡°It seems like many of the mythic abilities have some way of drawing strength from others. Liberty¡¯s is almost entirely fixated on that though.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Marta murmured, ¡°It¡¯s a conundrum. Is it sheer numbers or is there some sort of rule it goes by?¡± ¡°My suspicion is sheer numbers, but something feels off about that. It¡¯s too easy,¡± Ishtar said thoughtfully, ¡°Personally-¡± a pulse went through her body and she froze, her brows furrowing as sparks of sensation pricked and tingled within her skull. The brain did not have nerve endings, it could not feel things, but there was still sensation there for her. She shuddered and leaned forward holding her head as Marta grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Ishtar let out a gasp as the sensation welled in her head, a thrumming pulse of pain bordering on the worst headache she¡¯d ever had. She felt her heart thrum, power welling up in her chest and spreading out through her limbs before abating as her muscles which she hadn¡¯t yet healed could not properly withstand it. The Heads up Display appeared in the void of darkness that was her blindness. The text scrolled across her vision. She could see it, even without her eyes. She saw the paper-doll of her body entirely colored a dark yellow-orange color. There were red flashed on her legs and arms especially. She felt other things too, connections and sensations, signals flickering in her periphery. She connected to one with a flex of will and felt information stream into her brain. Data processing faster than the speed of thought. She barked out a laugh even as Marta quickly pulled her back up and onto the wheelchair. ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you alright?¡± she asked hastily, ¡°What happened?¡± Ishtar grinned to herself and tilted her head up. The door behind them hissed open and classical music began to play through the penthouse. She felt Marta tense next to her and she turned her head towards her faithful caretaker. ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere. Let¡¯s go with the optimal plan for the summit.¡± She felt Marta bow next to her, ¡°Of course.¡± ¨C Ishtar was in her office, sitting in the center of the room in her wheelchair. She¡¯d sent Marta on her way to get some rest and prepare a meal while she ruminated. With my mental abilities restored and technopathy reactivated, it¡¯s time I make sure everything¡¯s in place. She paused just long enough to check in on the tiny mote of consciousness that represented Sonya in her mind. It was still small, but brighter than before. Whatever was happening within Sonya¡¯s subconscious, she was fighting hard. Ishtar felt a little pride in her other half as she turned her attention to the data that had been brought to her. A map appeared in the void of her vision, the whole world stretched out before her. There were numerous red dots spanning the globe that represented the various compounds controlled by Liberty along with relevant information such as estimated populations based on crowd sizes and facility capacity. She tilted her head, They¡¯re all about the same? Odd. I figured the compounds in areas with denser populations would have more people. Why is she spreading them out like that? She considered it for a moment before shrugging, Prudent, I suppose. Don¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket. Still. There¡¯s got to be a hint here. She mulled it over, staring at the map for nearly ten minutes, working her brain as she tried to figure out why Liberty put her people where she did. They¡¯re all coastal locations. Because her cult has a no-fly ban? She gets her supplies from external companies though. Hm. Does she not trust aircraft? Ishtar smirked, Fortunately, this is to my advantage given the plan with Kingshark. She sighed, Still. I feel like I am missing something very simple here. What is it? The door behind her opened and she turned, ¡°Amos,¡± she said, ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Heard your technopathy was back online,¡± Amos said, ¡°How ya feelin¡¯ boss?¡¯ ¡°Better,¡± she said and then huffed out a breath, ¡°Though I am still nowhere near figuring out Liberty¡¯s secret. I thought that having access to a map of where she puts her people would at least give me some inspiration, but it¡¯s given me nothing.¡± She listened to him walk over and stand next to her, ¡°Can you put it up on the displays in here?¡± She nodded and with a thought felt the faint sensation of illumination in the room on her skin. Amos hummed once, ¡°Oho, she¡¯s really got them all spread out, huh? Defensive measure?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°That¡¯s my thought, keeping them close to the water allows her to ship them away if necessary. Though that does little to help her against Kingshark,¡± Ishtar pointed out, ¡°They¡¯re all the same population too, more or less.¡± ¡°I see that,¡± Amos said before pausing, ¡°Huh. Interesting. Gimme a sec.¡± She turned to him and paused as lines began to appear on the projection in her mind, narrow bands of white that bisected portions of the map into segments. Each segment had one compound stationed right in the middle of it. She frowned a little, ¡°What am I looking at?¡± ¡°Time zones,¡± Amos said. ¡°Time zones?¡± Ishtar murmured, ¡°Why are they separated by time-¡± she froze and nearly hopped to her feet. She whipped her head towards where Amos was standing, ¡°There¡¯s always a portion of her cult awake at any point of the day. Part of Blackrazors report included a portion that described their religion as largely contemplation based. They were instructed to regularly think about Liberty and her beliefs. I thought it was just an indoctrination process.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡± Amos asked before he too barked out a laugh, ¡°Wait, are you saying that they need to be awake?¡± Ishtar felt a thrill run up her body, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. They have to be actively thinking about the object of their worship, Liberty, for her to get power from them!¡± Ishtar declared as she burst into laughter, true, deep chested, howls of delight and mirth. The room trembled, the air dropped in temperature, energy crackled and popped, she clenched her fists and savored the moment. ¡°Ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA HA! I HAVE YOU LIBERTY! I HAVE YOU!¡± She caught her breath and slumped back into her chair, bloodthirst boiling in her veins, ¡°Contact the others, we have some adjustments to make to the plan.¡± She could feel the excitement coming off of Amos as his powers went to work, reaching out to call everyone necessary in her cabal. ¡°Right away boss.¡± ¨C ¡°We¡¯re changing the battle plan?¡± Kingshark asked over the connection, he sounded dubious. ¡°Slightly,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°It¡¯s all about timing, dear. In order for Liberty to draw power from her followers they must be conscious and actively thinking about her. They can¡¯t do that all the time, of course. They need to sleep and perform other activities. So, she has her people spread out evenly across time zones. That was why she was careful about her times of activity in the American South and only started to become more active as her cult grew," Ishtar explained. ¡°Ahhh, so it wasn¡¯t just her concern about enough numbers to stay untouchable, it was about ensuring she could be empowered at all times. She appeared during the camp raid at night, but was still strong,¡± Charon commented, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that she¡¯s operating at half capacity at all times?¡± Ishtar nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. If we go through with the original battle plan, instead of weakening her during the final battle we may very well end up rendering her invincible. Communications between her compounds need to be cut off and each compound needs to be hit in sequence rather than simultaneously.¡± ¡°I getcha,¡± Kingshark grunted with amusement, ¡°Lock each one down one at a time so they can¡¯t wake the others up. I bet she¡¯s countin¡¯ on us hitting her all at once during the war.¡± Ishtar paused and rubbed her chin, ¡°I think you might be right. She¡¯s luring myself and the heroes into a final battle. She knows we know at least something about how her powers work and she¡¯s expecting us to try to undermine it. Instead, with all of her people across the globe awake at once, she¡¯ll slaughter everyone.¡± ¡°Could be a way to kill Otis,¡± Companion suggested. Interesting thought, but too risky. ¡°If we allow her to be at her full strength for even a few minutes the casualties would be enormous. Especially for the more useful heroes who will likely be facing her head on,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°We still don¡¯t know what the limits on Otis¡¯ invulnerability are. I blew him up with An Set and he¡¯s walking around like nothing happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit about him recently,¡± Charon said, ¡°Punk kid making a name for himself in New York. You¡¯re sure that little brat is going to cause an apocalypse?¡± ¡°Positive,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°He wants the world to worship him as he burns it down. We¡¯re getting off topic,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°Charon, I want you to go ahead with the plan with Tenebra but change the messaging for the songs. The locals should be compelled to attack the compounds after the first signs of Kingshark¡¯s attack. Not before.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll put more pressure on my boys,¡± Kingshark said. ¡°It will, but truth be told the first attack is the most important. Lock them down, put them down or neutralize them, and then use that new trick of yours to reinforce the next attack,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°If you need to shift more of your forces to the first target to guarantee it, do so.¡± ¡°That makes things easier,¡± Kingshark chuckled, ¡°Lookin¡¯ forward to this now.¡± Blackrazor finally spoke up, ¡°And my people?¡± ¡°Start the process after the summit, let the chaos trickle down. Exterminating her support companies all in one fell swoop will alert her to the problem. Her facilities aren¡¯t that large. Food and supplies will begin to grow tight around the time fighting starts,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°When the day comes, tighten the noose. Let her world collapse around her.¡± ¡°Understood, it will be done, Mistress,¡± Blackrazor said. And while that¡¯s happening, I¡¯ll send you to deal with Halloway, she thought before pausing, ¡°Blackrazor.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress?¡± ¡°I am aware I promised you Halloway. He will likely be somewhere well protected to limit reinforcements for the heroes, probably the heart of her main compound. There¡¯s someone else who will possibly be there as well. Before you eliminate Halloway, which will certainly sound the alarm for Liberty, I want you to see if you can¡¯t kill another man. Craftsman,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°He¡¯s a Herald like Liberty but his combat ability is limited on his own.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to capture him?¡± Blackrazor asked, ¡°Taking his ability would be fortuitous.¡± ¡°That would be optimal, but I recall him being difficult to pin down,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Kill him. It¡¯s cleaner.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°So where am I hitting first?¡± Kingshark asked. ¡°South Carolina,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Go east from there.¡± Kingshark chuckled, ¡°And end it all at her place. I like the way you think, boss.¡± ¨C Ishtar sat in silence as Marta adjusted her tie. Levi was sitting beside her, receiving pets from her while Marta worked. Her caretaker moved around to brush her hair before pulling it up into a ponytail. She bound it with a jeweled clip before letting it drop, silky locks cascading down her shoulders. ¡°You sure about putting so much emphasis here?¡± Ishtar asked finally, her fingers flexing in that way that had become a habit recently. ¡°I¡¯m the costume expert,¡± Marta said with a chuckle, ¡°Your face is still a little gaunt and your muscles thin. Emphasizing other parts and putting on a bit more makeup will make it look like you¡¯re trying to hide your weakness while putting a focus on it instead.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°She went out of her way to call Sonya out because she didn¡¯t believe the rumors about her injuries, so let¡¯s show her by trying to hide it,¡± Marta said. A knock came to the door, ¡°Are you two ready?¡± Black Lotus¡¯ voice came through. Next to Ishtar, Levi let out a low growl and she shushed the familiar. ¡°Almost!¡± Marta called back, ¡°Do we have a portal?¡± ¡°Molly just set one up for us. Can I come in?¡± she asked. Ishtar waved a hand indicating she didn¡¯t care and Marta walked over to open the door. Black Lotus stepped inside and paused, Ishtar knew what she was seeing. Ishtar had been dressed up in one of Sonya¡¯s best suit and vest combos. Despite how withered she was, she still had her natural looks. On the other hand, Marta was walking around in Ishtar¡¯s regalia, save for her helmet, and had changed her hair to match that of what was known about the supervillain. ¡°This is a little jarring,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°This is how you pulled off that assassination at the Palace in Vegas, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Part of it,¡± Ishtar admitted as Marta moved around to inspect her nails. Satisfied, her caretaker stepped away, ¡°Perfect.¡± Ishtar reached for the controls on her wheelchair and panned herself to face Black Lotus, she let out a breath and relaxed, adopting a lackadaisical grin. She cleared her throat and put aside her usual formality, she¡¯d been practicing. ¡°Alright!¡± she said with all of Sonya¡¯s bright enthusiasm and clapped her hands together, ¡°Let¡¯s go talk peace!¡± Chapter 213 The city had been chosen by Liberty. The place by the Pandora Committee. The small amount of heads-up had allowed Ishtar a minor amount of preparation time. It wasn¡¯t much, but with all eyes now on the University Convention Center, it was better than nothing. She smiled a little to herself as the limousine pulled up. She was aware that the area was modest, but luxury and grandeur in that regard were not to Liberty¡¯s tastes. She looked down on wastefulness and so the Pandora Committee seemed only too happy to provide in that regard. ¡°Well, I was honestly expecting more,¡± Black Lotus murmured to her right. Ishtar tilted her head towards the hero, ¡°Protesters?¡± ¡°Among other things,¡± Black Lotus said, ¡°Get ready for an earful. I kind of wish you¡¯d brought Levi with you.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Levi¡¯s a darling, but he has a habit of growling a little too much when he thinks I¡¯m being bothered,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Visual intimidation is one thing, hostile posturing towards civilians is another. Sonya has a sterling image to maintain.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ready for this?¡± Carla asked from her left, ¡°No offense, but you aren¡¯t great at imitating Sonya¡¯s attitude and eccentricities.¡± Ishtar shrugged, ¡°Liberty isn¡¯t looking for that. She wants the hard woman she met at the Hague. That, I can do. Also, I¡¯ve been practicing. I can play her role long enough,¡± she added a little petulantly. The silence told her that Carla and Black Lotus were exchanging looks. She raised an eyebrow as Black Lotus cleared her throat, ¡°Were you just-¡± ¡°Can we get out of the car, please?¡± Ishtar growled, a bit of heat rising to her face. She ignored the snicker from the irritating hero moments before she heard the door open and the sound-proof seal was broken. Shouts carried into the vehicle, chants and slogans thrown about as loud as each person could manage. The affiliates ranged wildly; ¡°Liberty must face trial! War crimes! War crimes!¡± ¡°The Pandora Committee is corrupt!¡± ¡°Remember Tokyo!¡± ¡°Liberty should be put down! Death Penalty!¡± ¡°Chernovna for President!¡± ¡°PC heroes aren¡¯t real heroes!¡± ¡°Might makes right!¡± ¡°The Children of Dawn know the truth about Tokyo! Where are they hiding?¡± Ishtar¡¯s lips thinned as Black Lotus helped her out of the vehicle and into the wheelchair. A portion of the crowd that was likely within eyeshot died down for a heartbeat as Ishtar, or rather, Sonya¡¯s withered appearance was first revealed to the masses. She could hear camera shutters going off, The sounds of news stories blasting off into scoop territory. She sighed, Had to be done, she thought as her mind drifted to the chanting, What did I do with the Children of Dawn again? Oh, right, I sent them to the Night Society for the time being. Better there than anywhere else I suppose. She rubbed her thumb down the armrest of the wheelchair thoughtfully, I should figure out what to use them for. It¡¯s a valuable resource. ¡°Miss Chernovna! Miss Chernovna!¡± a reporter called out from somewhere nearby, ¡°What are your thoughts on being invited to this summit? Why isn¡¯t Handmaiden with you?¡± Another quickly barked over him, ¡°Is it true that your mechanical eyes were damaged in the attack? Are you blind again?¡± ¡°What is your current relationship with Chairwoman Mint? Have you two gotten married yet? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a conflict of interest?¡± another shouted. Vultures, Ishtar thought, I don¡¯t understand at all how Sonya can revel in this sort of environment. These people make me ill. She let her senses spread out a little, getting a better feel for her surroundings. It wasn¡¯t a visual representation but it was better than before. She felt Chunhua¡¯s shoulders tense behind her as she pushed the wheelchair, to her left she felt Carla¡¯s hands begin to ball up into fists before relaxing. ¡°Ignore them,¡± Carla murmured, ¡°We¡¯ll have time for the peanut gallery later.¡± They wheeled Ishtar along a sidewalk that was open only because of the barriers put in place ahead of time by the committee. Ishtar rest her hands in her lap and eased into a more relaxed expression, her smile turning radiant as she turned it on those she passed. The crowd kept shouting, only dying down a little when they passed the area where the protesters and onlookers were allowed to stand. There, just beyond it, she felt three figures waiting for them. Two women and a man. She couldn¡¯t tell much about them besides their general figures, though she knew two of them quite well. Chunhua¡¯s grip tightened on the wheelchair, The third one must be Dame Kant, then. I recognize poor Phillip. The wheelchair came to a stop and she tilted her head, blindly smiling in the direction of the eight foot tall woman looming over everyone else in her vicinity. A small crowd of press had gathered at a safe distance. Cameras were already flashing and clicking. Finally. ¡°Estella Hanks,¡± Ishtar said pleasantly, ¡°I haven¡¯t made you wait overly long, have I?¡± The air grew tense, she sensed the man to the left of Liberty shift to move forward. She kept her smile pleasant but smug, her head tilted to the side as if she was just innocently asking a question. If Sonya were here, how would she do it? She would draw you into her pace with little jabs and tiny cuts, so I think I¡¯ll give it a try. Let¡¯s play, Liberty. Come and join me on the playground. Liberty didn¡¯t so much as move, but the man stopped. ¡°Sonya Chernovna,¡± Liberty said, keeping her tone even, ¡°You actually came. I see the rumors of your injuries were not unfounded. Curious, since my people had nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°You trust your people so implicitly? Brave,¡± Ishtar said. ¡°I trust them to do what is in their best interest, and lying to me is not,¡± Liberty countered. ¡°Well said,¡± Ishtar conceded with a chuckle, ¡°Shall we go inside and get to business?¡± She sensed the movements of Liberty crossing her arms, ¡°Not all conditions for this meeting have been met, have they?¡± she said. Ishtar restrained a sneer. You¡¯ll hint but you won¡¯t admit to what you asked for. I knew you would play it this way, so would I. Two can play at that game. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Carla tensed next to Ishtar, a little performance arranged ahead of time. She took a step forward even though Ishtar could feel the woman trembling slightly beneath the Herald''s gaze. Real courage is so hard to find, Ishtar thought as Carla planted her feet and stood between Ishtar and Liberty. ¡°The best we could do was leak that this meeting was happening. We are the Pandora Committee, we will not bow to Supervillains or plead to them for their aid,¡± she snarled, ¡°If Ishtar comes, she comes, but we will have no part in making a deal with the devil, especially at your request.¡± The air grew so thick it was smothering. Liberty took a warning step forward, ¡°What did you just say?¡± Liberty growled, ¡°I¡¯d watch those accusations of yours, Chairwoman. I don¡¯t need to lean on an outside force to get my way.¡± The man at Liberty¡¯s side raised his hand slightly. Black Lotus reached for her sword. The press began to shift back. Ishtar rest her hands in her lap and savored the moment before sending a blip of signal through her technopathy. Ah, what a beautiful circus, she thought as Liberty¡¯s own hand lowered close to her sword. To their right, the doors to the conference building flew open with a bang and three sets of feet marched out. The gasps and shouts from the press joined the sudden diffusion of tension. Liberty turned so sharply she ground the cement beneath her feet. ¡°Ishtar!¡± Liberty shouted. Marta, wearing the regalia, stepped out with a masked Blackrazor and Kerauna at her side. She had her arms crossed behind her back with her head held high. Marta spoke through the voice mixer that voice of cold scorn and bloody promise. A rasp that chilled the air, ¡°Liberty,¡± Marta hissed, Ishtar made the eyes flash in time with her words, ¡°I heard you were having a party and thought I might crash it. Seems I was lured into this by the Pandora Committee. How amusing that they¡¯re finally playing at a higher level. The old chairman fumbled with tinker toys, well played, Chairwoman.¡± It¡¯s always so interesting hearing my true voice from the outside, Ishtar mused. Carla finished her part of the performance and relaxed, her hands dipping slightly to her sides. ¡°It was a gamble,¡± Carla said, ¡°This one insisted that she wouldn¡¯t meet with us without your presence. I¡¯m ashamed to say that I am a little glad you came. Perhaps we can avoid needless bloodshed after all.¡± Ishtar cleared her throat, ¡°Carla, dear, that was a confidential part of the agreement.¡± Ishtar felt Liberty¡¯s hackles rise slightly at the jab and she rounded on Carla and Ishtar, ¡°It would seem that I will have to keep my word,¡± the herald ground out. ¡°Were you hoping I wouldn¡¯t show?¡± Marta snickered, ¡°Before we go, we should all introduce ourselves. It¡¯s only polite.¡± You really should have been an actress, Marta. What a shame. When Liberty said nothing right away, Marta spoke up, taking the initiative. She turned up the volume on her helmet and broadcast her voice so that more than enough people could hear. ¡°I am Ishtar! The Queen of Villains and the final authority in this world,¡± she declared before gesturing to the two next to her, ¡°This is Supervillain Kerauna, my master bolt. I believe Hero Black Lotus and Miss Chernovna have met her already.¡± Black Lotus was the next to put on her little show, she gripped her sword, ¡°We¡¯ve met,¡± she growled, ¡°So she really does work for you.¡± ¡°Mistress!¡± Kera whined into the conversation, ¡°This is booooring! Why don¡¯t I just smite them all and save the trouble?¡± It was Liberty¡¯s groups turn to grow tense, the woman who had been still the entire time drew her own hand up to an object on her belt. Marta didn¡¯t so much as react or even acknowledge Kera¡¯s comment before gesturing to Blackrazor, ¡°And this is someone who needs no introduction, given his quite legendary reputation, Supervillain Blackrazor, the leader of the Night Society. The worlds finest assassin.¡± This made Black Lotus nearly draw her sword out of her sheath. Ishtar smirked to herself when she felt the woman¡¯s glance, an accusatory glare. Sorry I didn¡¯t tell you he would be here, dear, but I needed you to put on a good performance. Ishtar thought, Now we¡¯re even for your little games during my treatment. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be here to talk, Ishtar,¡± Liberty growled. ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯m very interested in how this all plays out, Liberty,¡± Marta countered. Liberty scoffed, ¡°This is Sir Philip, my right hand,¡± she said with a grunt, ¡°And this is Dame Ito. The most powerful among my round table,¡± she clenched her fists, ¡°I do not believe I require an introduction, but for the sake of the zoo of press that you¡¯ve brought to this place. I will make it plain. I am Liberty! And my word is law.¡± ¡°Jungle law,¡± Ishtar scoffed and received a faux reproachful gasp from Carla. ¡°I am Chairwoman Carla Mint of the Pandora Committee, this is Sonya Chernovna who you invited to this negotiation, the CEO of ASTA Corporation and the Voice of the Hero Movement. With her is Black Lotus, our top hero,¡± Carla said. Marta clapped her hands, ¡°Wonderful! See how easy it is to have a civil conversation? We¡¯re all introduced even if some of us are a bit deluded about our roles here,¡± she snickered and spun on her heel, ¡°Shall we go inside and talk?¡± she said and strutted inside without bothering to wait for the other two parties. Ishtar felt a cold glare on her and turned her head to face Liberty¡¯s presence, her lips widened into a playful smirk. ¡°Looking forward to it, aren¡¯t you, Miss Hanks?¡± Liberty scoffed and marched into the building with her two round table members in tow. Ishtar leaned back in her wheelchair and let out a breath. The first hurdle is complete, we¡¯ve set the pace but as far as the negotiations are concerned she holds all the power. I¡¯ve agreed to try to make her capitulate so I¡¯ll have to give it my all. It¡¯s obvious that she wanted Carla to fail to get me to come so she had all the more reason to declare that talks had broken down. She wanted legitimacy and an excuse out of this. We¡¯ve taken that from her. Ishtar gestured and Black Lotus began wheeling her inside. Ishtar rubbed her thumbs together thoughtfully, Now that I know her weakness, I know why. She wants a war to happen as much as I do. She wants the Pandora Committee to hit her bases of operation across the world and wake her people all at once without her even sending a signal, disguising her ability¡¯s function and turning herself into an unstoppable juggernaut. ¡°You could have warned me,¡± Black Lotus hissed, ¡°About him.¡± Ishtar huffed, ¡°What good would that do?¡± ¡°He killed Pathfinder,¡± she rumbled. ¡°He¡¯s killed far more than that,¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Quit pretending to be pious knowing what you know, hero. This is my play. Just play your role.¡± ¡°That went well,¡± Carla said, ignoring the snipping between Top Hero and Top Villain. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°While she clearly came hoping that the negotiations wouldn¡¯t happen, someone like her, she¡¯s prepared for the conversations we¡¯re about to have. It¡¯s what I would do. Contingencies upon contingencies.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s your contingency if talks break down and she lashes out?¡± Black Lotus asked tersely. ¡°They just walked inside. Your friend can get us out of here in an instant, if you don¡¯t think you can block one of Liberty¡¯s blows,¡± Ishtar teased. ¡°I can handle myself, I¡¯m worried about the Chairwoman,¡± she spat. ¡°Ladies,¡± Carla growled as they reached the door. The snap of her tone even managed to draw Ishtar¡¯s attention for a moment. She raised an eyebrow as she turned her blind gaze on the Chairwoman. Her lips twitched into a smile that said ¡®cute¡¯ before she let out a breath. ¡°Yes, yes, as agreed.¡± ¡°Apologies, Chairwoman,¡± Black Lotus said with far more sincerity than Ishtar. Ishtar snorted as they made their way inside. She didn¡¯t need to see to know their surroundings. Downloading a map into her brain had proved sufficient to give her a general idea of where they were going. They moved into the largest room in the building before arriving at a long table that had been set up for the summit. Marta had taken a seat at the head of the table with her legs crossed, opposite the equally audacious Liberty. Ishtar tapped into the helmet with her technopathy, transmitting her voice to Marta, <¡±You did well. I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±> <¡±As you wish, Mistress,¡±> Now the real fun begins. Chapter 214 Outside, Liberty kept her chin up as usual. Her eyes down across her nose at everyone she looked at. That was just one part of the image she maintained. Power was everything, after all. Power sets you apart. Power allowed you to accomplish things that even money could not. She didn¡¯t need money to rule. She didn¡¯t need charisma like her groveling clerics. No. She only needed strength. Strength enough that no one would oppose her. Strength that she possessed already, though she had to be careful when applying it. To that end, she had to admit that it wasn¡¯t quite her strength yet. It wouldn¡¯t be until there was no one else who could defy her even when she was only channeling a single timezone¡¯s worth of strength that that it would be real power. She wasn¡¯t a fool. She understood her limitations, however few of them remained. That¡¯s why she formed the round table in the first place. It was why she hadn¡¯t annihilated her family¡¯s cult and struck off on her own. It had its uses. She¡¯d merely altered the canon. I¡¯m feeling sentimental, she thought as she walked into the chamber. It was a large square room that had a stage off to one side. It looked like it was intended for everything from press conferences to fundraisers. She glanced around it briefly as she walked, Ito and Phillip in tow. No security whatsoever and those cameras don¡¯t look active. This is going to be a very private meeting¡­ she thought before shooting a glance at the two parties who entered with her group. Sonya Chernovna was a withered husk of her former self. Gaunt and thin sitting in that wheelchair. Somehow, despite that, she retained a serene elegance that galled Liberty for some reason. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on exactly why. With her was the so-called ¡®World¡¯s Strongest¡¯ and the Chairwoman. For someone who¡¯s predecessor I had blown up, she¡¯s awfully brave. Or is it some sort of misplaced confidence? Liberty turned her eyes to the other group and had to restrain a frown. Ishtar. She had made plans for both outcomes but had put the chances of the supervillain actually showing up to the meeting at next to nil. Even if it did happen, it should have taken a monumental effort from the Pandora Committee to even contact her, let alone convince her to attend. Yet here she was and there was no evidence among her people spying on the Committee to point at their private dealings with her. Nothing to rub their nose in. Nothing to throw out to the world and show just how corrupt they were. In fact, to all the world, it seemed like Ishtar had come because she wanted to and had heard about it. Lies¡­ Lies and smokescreens. Something is amiss here and I¡¯m just not seeing it. Where¡¯s the trick? Is this really Ishtar or some fake the Committee cooked up? ¡°Liberty.¡± Ishtar rasped from one head of the single long table that sat in the middle of the room. She had her legs crossed and was reclining with all the casual ease of a queen. Behind her, her two armed attendants remained standing at attention. The woman of the pair was grinning to herself as if she was remembering a joke that no one else had heard with the man stared at her blandly through the eyes of his mask. ¡°I gotta say, I¡¯m really glad to see my favorite footstool in one piece!¡± The supervillain¡¯s hissing voice came through the helmet, her eyes flashing with each word. Liberty paused in her march towards the other head of the table. She turned slowly to stare into those two glowing bars that took the place of eyes on that helmet of hers. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ishtar inclined her head towards Liberty¡¯s right, ¡°Little Phillip of course.¡± Liberty stiffened. Only Ishtar would know about that humiliation¡­ She took a step to the right and put herself between Ishtar and Phillip, ¡°Sir Phillip is my right hand. If you want this negotiation to go anywhere I suggest you show some respect. Ishtar.¡± Ishtar shrugged, ¡°So you¡¯re satisfied I¡¯m the genuine article.¡± She goaded me, Liberty realized, The game of politics has already begun. She exhaled and inclined her head, ¡°I have to admit I¡¯m surprised to see you here,¡± she said, ¡°Showing your face after running rampage through my compound takes a lot of guts.¡± ¡°Says the woman who ordered the killing of young people who had barely entered adulthood. Trainees, If I¡¯m going to kill a hero, it will be one who can put up a fight,¡± Ishtar hissed as Chernovna slid into position at the midpoint of the table. She sat between Liberty and Ishtar with her hands in her lap and a small smile on her face. ¡°She¡¯s right, y¡¯know. You have no ground to stand on if that is your complaint with Ishtar, Liberty,¡± Chernovna quipped. ¡°Pffft!¡± The gray and purple haired woman at Ishtar¡¯s side had to restrain a laugh, looking away and covering her mouth. Kerauna, the Lightning wielder from the Hague. So she was one of Ishtar¡¯s subordinates. Liberty¡¯s lip twitched but she didn¡¯t dignify the impropriety with a reaction, looking back to Ishtar. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she grunted and sat down in the chair at the opposite head of the table from Ishtar. She made a grand gesture towards the room and those sitting in it, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem particularly invested in the proceedings,¡± Chernovna said. ¡°This is a negotiation for a cessation of violence between myself and the Pandora Committee,¡± Liberty pointed out, ¡°Ishtar and I are still at war, so, ultimately, these negotiations are pointless,¡± she said with a shrug and gestured lazily towards Ishtar, ¡°Why should I bother making peace with you and keep fighting a war anyway?¡± She paused and stared daggers at Chernovna, ¡°You could return my sister, though, and I might take this a bit more seriously.¡± Chernovna frowned, ¡°She isn¡¯t a commodity to be traded,¡± she said. ¡°Is that so?¡± Liberty asked with a grin, ¡°I thought your entire business model was based on Heroes as a commodity.¡± Chernovna let out a sigh and shook her head, clearly not entertaining the comment. Liberty glanced towards Ishtar who had remained still during the exchange. They met one another''s eyes and Liberty scowled. Our animosity goes beyond the ¡®human¡¯ level of the Pandora Committee. This war is unavoidable- ¡°Peace is on the table from my end as well,¡± the supervillain rasped without preamble. The Chairwoman shifted forward, ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to lose by staying out of it. Why contribute?¡± ¡°I want to see where this goes,¡± Ishtar hissed. Liberty blinked and looked squarely at Ishtar, ¡°What?¡± ¡°She was pretty blunt,¡± Chernovna said with a chuckle, ¡°Sounds like you have every reason to take this seriously, Miss Hanks.¡± Liberty pressed her lips together and leaned back in her seat. What is happening here? They¡¯re so coordinated. It¡¯s like talking to the same person taking different approaches. She frowned and considered the six people in front of her before speaking, ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. I want a war, but if I can reduce the amount of interference then that would be optimal. Crushing the Pandora Committee is more than enough to get what I want, worshippers. If Ishtar¡¯s withdrawal is on the table, I suppose I can consider it. Keeping her out of the battle can only help me. ¡°You¡¯re currently wanted for war crimes against the Sovereign Nation of Japan,¡± the Chairwoman said from Ishtar¡¯s side, her expression grave, ¡°You need to stand trial.¡± Liberty barked out a laugh, ¡°First of all, there¡¯s no solid evidence of my involvement. From what I hear the two causes were a rogue experiment by Japan itself or it was orchestrated by Ishtar here. Second, there is no authority that can judge me,¡± she finished her little speech with a growl of warning, resting an armored hand on the table. ¡°We have a witness right here putting you at the Seattle dungeon afterwards making moves that hinted at you attempting a similar disaster with far greater consequences,¡± Chernovna chimed in, raising her hand to gesture at Black Lotus even as her face remained pointed at the table, her eyes shut. Is she blind? I heard she was blind prior to the flash. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Liberty huffed, ¡°Again, there¡¯s no proof of my intentions,¡± she said, ¡°If you must know I was hunting the treasure in the dungeon. An Epic dungeon likely possessed a valuable tool at the end,¡± she said and shot a look towards Black Lotus, ¡°Though I was beaten to the punch.¡± Black Lotus¡¯ dark eyes fixed on her face but she didn¡¯t rise to the bait, ¡°We¡¯re here to talk peace, not look for more reasons to hate one another.¡± Liberty raised an eyebrow, ¡°You really think any of this talk can change things at this point?¡± ¡°As much as I hate to say it,¡± Black Lotus grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m reminded of something that one said once,¡± she jerked a thumb towards Ishtar who turned her head to stare at the hero. ¡°A ruined world isn¡¯t worth living in.¡± ¡°I said ruling,¡± Ishtar pointed out. Black Lotus frowned but kept her mouth shut, not breaking the staring contest between her and Liberty. Liberty snorted and set aside the woman¡¯s impudence before turning to Chernovna, ¡°Regardless, you ask too much,¡± Liberty ground out, ¡°I suggest you rethink your demands. You have no true evidence concerning Tokyo and anything you think you might have gotten from Sir Ewen is inadmissible as far as I am concerned. With the kind of abilities present in the world, coercion is not only likely, it is a certainty,¡± she said and leaned back in her seat like a throne, looking down on Chernovna over her nose. ¡°Still trying to make the Committee look bad,¡± Chernovna said, ¡°Is there any real point to that? All you¡¯re doing is pissing people off.¡± ¡°You know my views,¡± Liberty shot back. ¡°Right, right, might makes right, you¡¯re the strongest in the world, sure whatever,¡± Chernovna said with a wave of her hand, ¡°Uhuh, that rhetoric sounds familiar,¡± she sighed, ¡°Listen. After Tokyo my friend Amos was able to calculate the estimated blast radius for dungeons of various tiers. Around your main compound there are sixteen dungeons within range of one another. The Pandora Committee doesn¡¯t want a war because that would mean the possibility of blasting the southern US into nothing but a monster filled apocalyptic wasteland.¡± Next to Liberty, Ito hummed to herself, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad,¡± the scientist said with a thoughtful sigh, ¡°Imagine all the work I could get done.¡± Liberty shot Ito a warning look before turning back to the others ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, then stay off my land.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± The Chairwoman cut in but Ishtar interrupted her. ¡°Given how your ability works, Liberty. Do you really want people fearing that being associated with you will get them blasted to kingdom come?¡± Ishtar asked, ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game. Your philosophy is all about how strength trumps all, but a dungeon break is the great equalizer. Nobody would survive that kind of blast.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Liberty snorted, unimpressed by the comment about her ability. ¡°Seems like my sister has been talking and the Pandora Committee¡¯s ability to keep secrets is sorely lacking,¡± she chuckled. It didn¡¯t bother her that they knew the bare bones of her ability. In fact, I¡¯m counting on it. Go ahead and come. Ishtar slammed her fist on the table as the Chairwoman looked away with a scowl, ¡°This is exactly why I can¡¯t tolerate you! It¡¯s bad for business, another catastrophe like Tokyo will send the world into a tailspin!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all about money with you,¡± Liberty said with disgust, ¡°Is that how they got you here?¡± Ishtar rose to her feet and placed her hands on the table. Liberty did the same, the two of them staring one another down. Ishtar gestured and blades of light appeared around her body. Liberty sneered and reached for her sword only for a glowing blade to appear in the air between them. It looked somewhere between a jian style sword and a western longsword in design and hummed with dangerous promise. More interesting, it was floating. Liberty flicked her gaze away from Ishtar long enough to look at Black Lotus who was scowling, fury in her eyes. ¡°Enough,¡± she snarled, ¡°Sit. Down. Both of you.¡± Liberty would be the very last to admit it, but she felt something in her gut twist a little bit at the way Black Lotus spoke in that moment. She¡¯s advanced again since Seattle, hasn¡¯t she? How does she keep getting stronger? Liberty thought before huffing out a breath and sitting down. ¡°Fine,¡± she shot a look towards Ishtar, ¡°If that one will behave.¡± Ishtar looked down at her, ¡°There is only one animal that needs taming here, but I¡¯ll comply. For now,¡± she hissed. Off to the side, Chernovna sighed, ¡°We¡¯re getting off topic. Our goal for this meeting is to prevent a war not escalate towards it.¡± she said and turned her closed eyes towards Liberty. ¡°Liberty. Is there really nothing we can do to settle this? Reparations need to be made, say what you want but Tokyo is at your feet at the end of the day. We will find the truth one way or another.¡± Liberty frowned, ¡°You¡¯re presumptuous,¡± Liberty growled, ¡°Even if I did take responsibility for Tokyo, it would ultimately mean nothing. You hold no authority to judge me or convict me. I am authority.¡± ¡°You¡¯d lose a lot in a war,¡± Chernovna cautioned. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Liberty said, ¡°I will rebuild. You will not. Mythics are rare and I will slay all of your strongest heroes, leaving you with nothing. That is just a fact and the clear out come of an attack by your organization.¡± Black Lotus opened her mouth but Chernovna raised a hand to stop her. The hero gestured and the floating sword returned to her hand before disappearing into her palm. That must be the toy she got from Seattle. It could have been mine. Liberty smirked, ¡°See how the so-called hero obeys the one with the deep pockets.¡± Isthar scoffed, the sound like something between a cough and a bark through the modulator on her helmet. She gestured dismissively towards Liberty, ¡°She clearly does not want to actually negotiate. Every word out of her mouth is another jab,¡± she said sourly before turning her head towards Liberty. ¡°I should have known you just wanted to show off that you could bring the Committee to the table, you had no interest in peace. I wonder what your people would think.¡± Liberty restrained a withering glare. She put both hands on the table before pushing to her feet, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing this is a private negotiation, then,¡± she said with a confident shrug. ¡°You seem confident in that,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Stop playing games and put forth some effort, Liberty. You aren¡¯t in front of your worshippers here, it¡¯s time to face facts. You can¡¯t beat the world. At least try to playact sanity. You¡¯ll live longer.¡± Liberty glared at the woman, holding back the anger that was boiling beneath her skin in that moment. I am unstoppable. I do not need to listen to this. She glanced towards Phillip who kept his eyes forward even as he swallowed hard. Liberty clenched a fist beneath the table, Do they have a chance? No. My strategy is perfect. She exhaled and looked to Chernovna; Just put an end to this farce already. Give me my war, set off my trap, and let''s put this question of who¡¯s in charge to bed. ¡°Can we at least set a time frame for this ceasefire?¡± The Chairwoman asked, exasperated, ¡°I would like to evacuate as many people as possible from the affected area if you are so insistent on this, Liberty.¡± Liberty scowled at her, ¡°You make me sound unreasonable,¡± Liberty said with a mocking smile as the Chairwoman stared back at her. The insignificant woman didn¡¯t even blink. Liberty¡¯s expression fell into a scowl. How dare¡­ She closed her eyes and exhaled, ¡°Fine,¡± she bit out, ¡°You have until the end of the month. Fifteen days. Then I am-¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Chernovna cut in, drawing a surprised look from everyone at the table. She looked up at the Chairwoman, ¡°Does that work for you?¡± The Chairwoman chewed her lip, glanced up and met Liberty¡¯s gaze. ¡°Fine. I will ask that you stay out of any evacuation operations Liberty. Hands off.¡± Liberty huffed, ¡°In that case I have a demand of my own.¡± ¡°Greedy,¡± Ishtar scoffed. I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Liberty thought but steadied her feelings, ¡°Return my sister.¡± Chernovna barked out a laugh, ¡°This chick,¡± she sighed, ¡°What part of she isn¡¯t a commodity didn¡¯t you understand? You aren¡¯t getting her. Just back off-¡± ¡°Take the win, Liberty, let it go. You too, Chernovna,¡± Ishtar interrupted with a shrug and got to her feet, ¡°Either way it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m done here. This was a waste of my time and it doesn¡¯t help that you bore me to tears, Liberty,¡± she gestured for her subordinates to walk with her, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in half a month.¡± Liberty scowled at the back of her helmet. Why do I feel like I lost even after getting exactly what I wanted? She thought, standing up straight, ¡°Negotiations seem to have broken down, as expected.¡± Black Lotus sighed, ¡°We can try again in fifteen days. The loss of life would be catastrophic if we let this happen.¡± The Chairwoman was the one to shake her head, ¡°Black Lotus, as much as I wanted this to go well, I think Sonya was right in her expectations here. Liberty was not going to bend,¡± she said before glancing towards Ishtar¡¯s group, ¡°Despite her attitude, she at least made an effort. You truly are an unreasonable beast, Liberty.¡± Liberty scowled and got to her feet, ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough from you, you unawakened trash. Say one more word and-¡± That glowing sword appeared at her throat. Liberty glanced down at it as a coppery light suffused her skin. Her lips spread into an eager smile, ¡°What about the ceasefire?¡± Black Lotus glared at her, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in fifteen days, Liberty,¡± Black Lotus snapped. Liberty huffed, ¡°Do what you want, hero,¡± she growled and turned away, ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± she barked and tapped her ear, ¡°Halloway!¡± she commanded and a rip formed in the air before her. Her two subordinates strode inside. She didn¡¯t bother looking back as she followed them. If she had, if she had only turned back, she would have seen something that would have chilled her to the bone. She would have seen the truth. Behind Liberty, Chernovna¡¯s eyes were open, very familiar pink symbols inside, spinning as they glowed brightly. False eyes inside her eye sockets. Beneath them, Chernovna smiled in victory. Chapter 215 ¡°I know she doesn¡¯t respond to reason, but you could have taken a different tactic,¡± Chunhua said as they moved through the parking garage. It was late and Ishtar was beginning to get a little tired of the nagging. ¡°You kept your word, but you had a funny way of going about it this time,¡± the hero continued as they reached the waiting vehicle. Ishtar huffed out a breath and shook her head, not dignifying it with a response. Black Lotus stopped pushing her wheelchair and stepped away, ¡°This is where we part for now?¡± Ishtar turned her head towards Black Lotus, ¡°What matters to the people is there was a genuine attempt. That¡¯s all they need to know,¡± she said before offering her a small smile, ¡°Yes, this is where we part. Where I¡¯m going, heroes are not welcome. Companion?¡± A few steps away, Marta moved in to gingerly help Ishtar to her feet. They made the few steps towards the rear seat of the vehicle and slipped inside. Ishtar settled into the comfortable chair before sending her senses towards the open door. She felt the hero standing there, watching. ¡°It¡¯s best if you go,¡± Ishtar said and rested her hands in her lap, ¡°Just coming here with me was not good for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cared,¡± Black Lotus growled. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Ishtar shot back, ¡°But Sonya does.¡± ¡°Have you¡­¡± Black Lotus trailed off. ¡°Tonight,¡± Ishtar said soberly, ¡°I feel strong enough to make my first attempt tonight. Go and make your own preparations. You have less than fifteen days to be ready for what¡¯s coming.¡± She felt Black Lotus stiffen, ¡°You know,¡± she said, ¡°You could do a lot of good just by being up front about everything. I really think Ishtar doesn¡¯t have to be the bad guy.¡± Ishtar snorted, ¡°Someone has to be,¡± she said, ¡°Good-bye for now, little Hero.¡± ¡°See you on the battlefield, Villain.¡± ¨C The black taxi took them out of the small city and into the countryside, north and out of Alabama. Before long they were just over the border of Tennessee. Ishtar remained quiet for most of the ride though she did enjoy a little small talk with Charon through his puppet. Sitting to her right was the ever faithful Marta who was wearing her Companion outfit, armor and a veil. To her left was Kerauna and resting quietly in her shadow was Blackrazor. Three of her strongest subordinates surrounded her as she traveled. It was about as secure as she could possibly be. ¡°We¡¯re arriving at the blacksite, boss,¡± Charon said through his puppet zombie, the creature driving the taxi switched the vehicle into a new gear and Ishtar felt the car leave the road. ¡°Good. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for a while,¡± she said with a sigh and turned to Companion, ¡°What about you? The original offer is still on the table.¡± Companion shook her head, ¡°No, I thought about it after Tokyo and while I do want the extra attack power I think you might find a better use for that ability than giving it to me. This one is just as good and I think it might pair well.¡± Ishtar shrugged, ¡°Fine, suit yourself. I was actually thinking of using it in an experiment since you declined.¡± The vehicle continued over the bumpy road before slowing to a stop, ¡°Oh? What did you have in mind?¡± Companion asked. Ishtar smirked, ¡°I wonder if investment works on familiars,¡± she said thoughtfully. To Ishtar¡¯s left, Kera barked out a laugh, ¡°Now that¡¯s an idea! Fuck yeah. Dragon puppy! I wanna hang out with Levi, when are we going back?¡± ¡°Patience Kera, We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s actually dragon related,¡± Ishtar reminded her, ¡°Bahamut could be a giant fish for all we know. The lore is varied but the origins suggest a fish rather than a reptile.¡± ¡°Boo,¡± Kera jeered, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just pull it from that warehouse thingy and try it out?¡± Ishtar made a face, ¡°I am disinclined to experiment with that ability, something tells me it would be a poor decision,¡± she said as the vehicle finally stopped. The zombie driver got out and walked around to pull the wheelchair out of the trunk and then open the door for Companion. Companion was quick to help Ishtar out and Kera followed suit shortly afterwards. In just a few moments they were in front of what Ishtar knew to look like a rusty barn in the middle of nowhere. The door opened on the side and they entered, passing through a wall of fresh air and climate control. Ishtar rose to her feet, swaying once before drawing on her powers and levitating a few inches off the ground. She exhaled and felt her regalia wrap around her body, the helmet forming over her face. The soothing embrace of her gear made her feel stronger even if she knew it was purely psychological. She connected technopathy to the helmet and the sensors provided her with additional information about her surroundings. It wasn¡¯t true sight, but it was a close second to it. She took in the room around her, a large concrete and lead lined structure disguised as a barn. There were only zombies present in her immediate vicinity, all heavily armed and acting as an extension of Charon¡¯s will. At the center of the room was a square of metal embedded into the floor with railing around it. ¡°Right this way,¡± Charon said through the nearest soldier as the driver turned and walked back through the door they¡¯d come through. ¡°Tenebra is downstairs.¡± ¡°How is she progressing?¡± Ishtar asked as they made their way onto the platform. Kera leaned on the railing while Companion maintained her spot just a step behind Ishtar and to the right. Charon hit a button and they began to descend, ¡°I think it was that first meeting a while back. When she first saw Taurus. It sparked something in her, I think,¡± he said with a chuckle, ¡°The brat has been working twice as hard to master her ability and get more out of it. She says she¡¯s found more parts of instinct, new features.¡± ¡°She wants to join the inner circle,¡± Ishtar mused as the hydraulics drew them further and further down, ¡°Jealous that someone her age got in before her?¡± ¡°Seems like it,¡± Charon huffed, ¡°Ambitious twerp. Being my henchman isn¡¯t good enough, I feel like I should be offended.¡± ¡°You think she¡¯s worth considering?¡± Ishtar asked. Charon paused and tapped his finger on the rail for several seconds before answering, ¡°I think that¡¯s a question I¡¯ll revisit after the war,¡± he said finally, ¡°Right now? No. A villain? Yes. Your kind of supervillain? Nah, not yet.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ishtar nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll respect your opinion then and wait.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give her a test if you want,¡± Kera snickered as the lift came to a stop, ¡°Just a couple rounds with me and we¡¯ll know if she¡¯s worth half a damn.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you killing a high potential ally, Kera,¡± Ishtar said with a scornful laugh. The rails in front of her lowered into the floor and she drifted into a stuffy hallway deep beneath the ground. Ahead of her she sensed three shapes. Two more armed zombies and the delicate frame of Tenebra standing in front of a door. The musical villainess strode forward and swept into a low curtsey, ¡°Mistress Ishtar. Boss Charon,¡± she said politely before glancing up and hesitating, ¡°Uh¡­ Kerauna, I think?¡± Charon sighed next to Ishtar as Kera put her hands on her hips. Ishtar chuckled and reached out from her spot in the air, patting the girl on the head. There was something about a young up and coming villain that warmed her a little. Tenebra sucked in a breath but said nothing as Ishtar pulled her hand away, ¡°I hear you¡¯re working hard, Tenebra,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Make sure to put just as much effort into the task I¡¯ve given you when the time comes.¡± Tenebra kept her head low, ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint, mistress,¡± she said, even as Ishtar could sense her heart rate spike with excitement. She could only imagine the grin on the girl¡¯s face. Ishtar considered her for a moment, I need to speak with Taurus. Ishtar drifted past her and the two guards on either side of the door turned, Ishtar felt them put their hands on the wall and a heavy door opened. Inside was only one figure, sitting on a comfortable bed in a corner of the room. Ishtar felt the power suppression cuffs on his wrists through her technopathy. ¡°Drastic.¡± ¡°You,¡± he growled, his voice deep and heavy as he got to his feet. ¡°I know you¡¯re upset,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting a long time. Consider it a reprisal and your earlier rudeness towards me and my own repaid.¡± ¡°You think you can just demand a conversation with me? That you can just walk into my land and tell me what to do?¡± he growled as he marched across the room. Kera and Companion started to make their way in as Blackrazor swelled in her shadow. Ishtar held her hand up and waved for them to back off, ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Take off these cuffs and I¡¯ll show you what I think of that,¡± he snarled. ¡°Drastic,¡± she sighed, ¡°I wanted to make an arrangement with you. Unfortunately my information about you was limited at the time. You have quite the motivation for South America. A tyrant protector. I will be the first to admit I did not know what your goals and ideals were and I approached you in a way that clashed with them. That was wrong of me,¡± she admitted. The man froze and she sensed his heart rate drop a little bit, he tilted his head, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Apologizing,¡± she said bluntly, ¡°I respect villains with a clear motivation and self control. Ideals. A purpose beyond wanton violence. I knew you were a cut above but I didn¡¯t know the full extent. Was your stay comfortable at least?¡± He hesitated, ¡°Yes. I may be locked in this ugly box but it¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯ve been in worse cells.¡± ¡°That¡¯s gratifying to hear,¡± Ishtar said and floated down an inch or two to get to his eye level. She couldn¡¯t see his face, but she hoped the message was clear in her actions. ¡°I want to come to an arrangement with you, Drastic. I think a villain like yourself is worth keeping around in the world.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t allow foreign influence in my territory,¡± he growled. ¡°Drastic, I think we both know that isn¡¯t going to work. We don¡¯t live in the era of seafaring,¡± she said flatly and held up a hand to stop him from biting back, ¡°That being said I¡¯m not interested in social politics or influencing the day-to-day lives of the people in your homeland. If you want to play king, play king. In fact, I encourage it. You¡¯re a proper supervillain after all.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± he demanded. ¡°Why go to all this trouble?¡± ¡°I want access. I could go around you and set up my club throughout your homeland and you wouldn¡¯t be the wiser but I figured I¡¯d show some respect by approaching you first,¡± she said, ¡°The villain network that Charon has created for me has yet to get a strong foothold there. Even in the time after your disappearance. You have a very strong following amongst the criminal element.¡± ¡°Loyalty is everything,¡± Drastic growled. ¡°That it is,¡± Ishtar agreed, ¡°Treat your people well and you benefit in turn.¡± ¡°You want me as one of your people?¡± Drastic asked. ¡°Hardly,¡± Ishtar laughed, ¡°You¡¯re too independent to join my group and I don¡¯t want every supervillain out there answering directly to me. It goes against my own goals. Which would you rather have? An external power who won¡¯t sit down at the table trying to push its agenda in your homeland, or me? I¡¯m happy to talk.¡± Drastic stepped away and began to pace, she felt the fury burning beneath his skin even as he kept shooting her glances. Even in his reduced state he was like a beast ready to strike at any moment. Ishtar just floated there, waiting for him to make his decision. When he finally stopped pacing he rounded on her and hissed out a sigh, ¡°And what do I get out of this, besides my freedom? Since I assume that¡¯s a given.¡± Ishtar smiled behind her helmet, ¡°My support. Just like any other villain with access to the Styx and Charon you can ask me for favors, aid, materials, weapons, whatever you need to push your goals forward. So long as you succeed, you owe me nothing. However, that¡¯s just the general membership and not really a gift,¡± Ishtar said and floated forward, ¡°I happen to possess the property rights to several plots of land in your homeland. One of them contains a dungeon.¡± He stiffened, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°This dungeon is rare-tier. Nothing overly challenging for you, I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s a cave system according to the agents I sent in to investigate. It also has the type of anchor-monster that must be awakened through a very specific set of steps, meaning its very large boss chamber is quite empty,¡± she said with a tilt of her head, ¡°Sounds much more comfortable and private than where you¡¯ve been staying. Doesn¡¯t it? A dragon living in a dungeon filled with endlessly regenerating resources and monsters to prey upon.¡± Now she had his full attention, ¡°And you¡¯d just give it to me? For access? You swear you won¡¯t interfere with the people?¡± ¡°All I want is access to the big wigs. My eyes are on the other dungeons in the territory as well as the heroes. I will not touch the people. That will be between you, the other villains there, the heroes, and the day-to-day politics,¡± she said and held out her hand, ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡± He stood there for a long time, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your deals.¡± ¡°Then you know I can¡¯t go back on my end either,¡± she said. He reached out and grabbed her hand, ¡°Fine. It¡¯s a deal.¡± Finally¡­ Analyze. Proceed. Ishtar felt Broker activate and the power rush from her for a brief moment, the terms being set between them. Both would be held accountable to their actions. She grinned and pulled her hand away as the power suppressing cuffs fell from the man¡¯s wrists of their own accord. She floated there as he rubbed his wrists, staring at her thoughtfully. He let out a low growl that sounded far more predatory now that his powers were his to use again. ¡°The dungeon?¡± ¡°Ownership transferred the moment we made the deal,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°I¡¯ll inform my people to vacate the area, though I would suggest you get there as soon as possible so that it doesn¡¯t overload. It¡¯s a bit isolated,¡± she teased and a slip of paper appeared in her hand with a flicker of blue sparks, ¡°Here, the coordinates.¡± He took them from her and looked down at them, he looked up at her, ¡°And if I¡¯m not satisfied?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll work something out, you¡¯re free to go, Drastic,¡± she said before adding; ¡°Do you need transportation?¡± ¡°I prefer my own wings,¡± he growled and stalked past her. Ishtar felt the others part as he stormed past, only stopping briefly to stare at Kera. Soon he was on the lift with one of Charon¡¯s clones, ascending to the surface. Ishtar waited until she heard the hydraulics stop above her before speaking again, ¡°I like him,¡± she said and turned to face the door leading out into the hallway. She floated higher to look down on those who had gathered, ¡°Now. Companion and Blackrazor. I have gifts for you. Come and receive them.¡± Chapter 216 A single astral eye stared down upon the room like a silent judge, watching the pair as they moved. To the uninformed, it seemed almost entirely choreographed. To Ishtar, it was a demonstration of just how far they had come. She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Marta was brutal and direct as always, stepping in quick with a solid stance. Her usually sluggish movements augmented by bursts of speed that were trailed by glimmering white streaks that followed her. She threw a solid uppercut, the force behind it dragging the air with the punch. Even so, the body it had been aimed for bent out of the way, a hand catching the fist and using the force for acceleration. Blackrazor did a handstand and exploded into four streams of darkness that shot out into the corners of the room. Each took his shape and appearance, each holding a bow of the purest darkness. They drew the bowstrings back and released, a volley of jet black arrows coming from all directions. Marta turned with a growl and raised her arm towards one of the corners, pearlescent scales spreading across her skin as the arrows struck. The ones from the other corners vanished into shadowy mist while the last pinged off her reptilian armor, clattering to the ground. It flashed once and exploded, violet mist filling the air. Undaunted, Marta charged right through it. Blackrazor landed on the ground just in time to dip low beneath a backhanded fist swung towards his head. She followed up with a jab with extended fingers, claws forming on her fingertips. He weaved around them and a knife formed in his hand. An instant later he swung up towards her throat only for her to swat the slash with her free hand. Another knife took shape in his other hand and he intensified his assault, three quick stabs to her face, chest, and right thigh were deflected, blocked, and dodged with a half step backwards. She turned that momentum into a knee strike that snapped out into a kick as he tried to get a little distance. When she brought her foot back down he was coming in again with a reckless stab towards her collarbone. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped through the phantom that dispersed into another poisonous cloud. Far behind it, Blackrazor was winding up again with another arrow, the missile growing large and the ebon wisps coming off of it seeming more like tendrils than little clouds. She bore a pair of razor sharp incisors and launched herself forward at eye watering speed. The flap of wings signalling her acceleration as she reared back with another titanic punch. He clicked his tongue and dove low, rolling past her and vanishing into the ground. She whipped her head up and opened her mouth as he reappeared in the ceiling. Light blossomed to life at the back of her throat. Blackrazor¡¯s eyes widened as a cone of white flame erupted from her jaws, nearly scorching him as he retreated. When he reappeared, he was back on the offensive, blazing fast strikes and dodges were met with rapid-fire brutality. Ishtar rubbed her chin. ¡°They¡¯re adapting well,¡± she mused before chuckling, ¡°Still impatient to try out their new toys. We just got back.¡± A few feet away, Kera leaned forward on the railing looking down over the sparring chamber deep beneath the new ASTA headquarters. She let out an admiring whistle, ¡°She¡¯s way faster now and her hits are comin¡¯ in harder than I remember. Those claws¡¯d leave a mark I bet,¡± she said thoughtfully, ¡°Beybey is not a slouch either, that power you gave him made him even more flexible and it¡¯s nice to see him with some ranged hits.¡± Ishtar nodded slowly, ¡°Dark Bowman had utility that Autarch of Shadow was missing as well as a ranged functionality that I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t tried to- ah there he goes.¡± Down below a dozen disks of shadow formed on the walls and ceiling. An instant later arrows came pouring out, black shafts adorned with violet metal arrowheads. The stream of death from all sides only forced Marta to move faster. Wings appeared on her back and didn¡¯t vanish this time as they had with her earlier burst of speed. She pivoted, scales spreading across her skin as she broke into what could have been described as a dance. Flipping, kicking, swatting, and punching each of the missiles in turn. She was a blur of movement, her motions frenetic even as her expression remained stoic and controlled. ¡°He¡¯s already integrating his bloodmetal into the arrowheads, very good,¡± Ishtar said with an approving nod. ¡°Shit she moves fast now,¡± Kera added with a wheezy laugh, ¡°She was unkillable before.¡± ¡°She has a monstrously efficient, extremely low stamina consumption regeneration ability,¡± Ishtar corrected, ¡°She can still feel pain and if she runs out of the internal energy to maintain her regeneration, she could be put out of commission for a while. With the scales, that eliminates the pain factor to a degree and reduces the amount of regenerating she has to do,¡± she explained as the duo below continued their clash, neither side showing signs of tiring as their blows came in faster and faster, moving around one another like water. ¡°The Pandora Committee is gonna want an explanation for it,¡± Kera said offhandedly and picked at her ear. She turned to Ishtar, ¡°Whatcha gonna do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out,¡± Ishtar said dismissively, ¡°While her ability name is officially on the record for the sake of transparency, only the chairwoman and a handful of officials have access to that information.¡± Kera huffed, ¡°So they know her weakness.¡± ¡°A calculated risk,¡± Ishtar said with a sigh, ¡°She volunteered the information for the sake of maintaining a positive relationship with the committee. Just one more thing to make what we do appear above board-¡± BOOM! Marta and Blackrazor clashed in the center of the room, twin swords grinding against extended claws. Ishtar smirked, ¡°Besides,¡± she said casually, ¡°The Chairwoman is Carla and the officials are already in my pocket.¡± Kera snorted out a laugh, ¡°Fair nuff,¡± she chortled before pausing and turning abruptly. Ishtar felt the woman¡¯s presence crackle with electrical power, ¡°Someone just entered the penthouse.¡± Ishtar turned to her, ¡°You can feel something like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got trip lines set up all over the building,¡± Kera said, ¡°Closed low-charge circuits that alert me when they¡¯re broken, someone passing through them might feel a tingle but that¡¯s it. Still working on makin¡¯ it undetectable.¡± ¡°Marvelous work,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Go check it out.¡± ¡°On it,¡± Kera said and vanished with a pop of electricity. Ishtar exhaled. She could have just checked the security cameras herself but it was nice to have her subordinates handle things like this. She had always harped to Sonya about delegation. I can¡¯t fall into the same trap. Let them do their jobs, she reminded herself as she leaned back in the wheelchair. She pulled her gaze away from the fight and released the astral eye, turning her thoughts inward. While I¡¯m waiting¡­ Ishtar pulled Amethyst Sorceress from the warehouse and felt the instincts of the power etch themselves temporarily in the back of her mind. She could feel the mental skill respond to her commands as she drifted into the void that was her inner world. There, floating at its heart, was a tiny mote of light. Still glowing bright. Still vibrant. Still alive. She reached out for it and wreathed her fingers in a halo of purple light. Just test the waters. No reason to push. I need to know what I¡¯m working with, she thought and touched it. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Pain came first, a shock of retaliation against her intrusion. Next was a series of images and thoughts that she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around, the sense of a weaving pattern, something coiled, a network of fibers, threads purposefully laid down to restrain and keep prying eyes out. Flickers of light cascaded in her vision as she finally managed to recoil and pull her hand away from the mote. What on earth was that? She thought, winded for a moment as the pain faded, she sniffed and leaned in close this time without touching it. Something is literally weaved around it, like a net. She set her jaw, Is she blocking me? How? Why? Rubbing the bridge of her nose she pulled out from the mindscape, dismissing Amethyst Sorceress for a moment. I¡¯ll need to take a more delicate approach to it, then. She thought, shaking her head. You troublesome, silly girl. I¡¯ll get you out of there. Ishtar was about to turn her attention back to the spar down below when she felt a charge in the air, signalling Kera¡¯s return. Her subordinate stepped out of the air and walked back over to the railing where she resumed leaning, ¡°Your daughter¡¯s here, boss,¡± she said casually, ¡°I can¡¯t teleport folks so she¡¯s takin¡¯ the elevator.¡± ¡°Daughter?¡± Ishtar asked, confused. I don¡¯t have a- ¡°Ah, Taurus,¡± she said with a nod. What is that girl doing here? I was planning on visiting New York tomorrow to settle a few matters and talk to her about her mission with Tenebra. Ishtar pursed her lips and relaxed into the wheelchair, I wonder¡­ has the girl caught between worlds made a decision? Behind Ishtar, the door chimed once announcing a new arrival. She sent her senses out through the computer system controlling the door and into the camera above it. A head of blonde hair and a nervous face greeted her a moment later. Cassiopeia Hanks shifted left and right on the other side of the door, fidgeting and flicking her gaze from the door to the camera now and then. Ishtar turned her wheelchair to fully face the door and sat up straight. She created a pair of astral eyes next, inside her eyesockets, and opened her eyes. The door chimed a second time and opened with a hydraulic hiss. Taurus moved to step inside only to pause when her eyes fell on Ishtar. She froze, the look of a deer-in-headlights passing over her face as she took in the pink glowing disks in Ishtar¡¯s empty eyesockets. Ishtar tilted her chin up and waited. Taurus stared, swallowed, and clenched her fists before stepping fully into the training hall, the door shutting with a hiss behind her. ¡°Hello, Mistress Ishtar,¡± she said quietly, walking up to her and stopping a few feet away. She didn¡¯t take a knee. ¡°Hello dear,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°What brings you here? I was coming to visit tomorrow.¡± The girl looked away and swallowed, ¡°I sent Euclidia an email asking if she could make me a portal to visit after the summit. I told her I wanted to check on you.¡± ¡°You told her you wanted to check on Sonya,¡± Ishtar corrected. Taurus looked down at her feet, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± ¡°I think, in the context of what I assume this conversation is really about, that it is not,¡± Ishtar said with a small smile and tilted her head a little to look up into the girl¡¯s eyes, ¡°Look at me and speak your mind, girl.¡± ¡°I-¡± Taurus stammered and flicked her gaze towards Kera. Behind Ishtar, Kera hopped over the railing and left them alone, ¡°Baybay! Can I play too?¡± the supervillain sing-songed. Taurus let out a sigh and Ishtar waited for her to collect her nerves. You need to speak your mind on your own, girl. If you don¡¯t have the courage to say what you want to say, I won¡¯t consider it, I know your trauma. I know what you¡¯re afraid of. I know what you¡¯re thinking. But you need to say it yourself if you¡¯re going to be able to stand behind it, she thought and gave the girl a hard look. ¡°Speak, Taurus.¡± Taurus stiffened, a few tears welling in her eyes before she cleared her throat and stood up a bit straighter. ¡°I w-want to withdraw from the mission with Tenebra. You were going t-to send me tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°I was,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°Explain yourself.¡± Taurus took in a deep breath, she was shaking now. I know how I sound, girl. I sound just like your sister right now, Ishtar thought. I may not be good at people. Sonya has a talent for it. But I know enough about you to know what your wavering heart needs. I¡¯m not blind. Stand firm. ¡°Wh-when I left that place and you found me. I was so grateful. I threw myself at the chance at revenge. It was all I could want, all I thought I needed. I- I wanted to make her pay. That was the only goal I had in life. I didn¡¯t know anything else. When you- when mom asked me to train with the heroes I thought she was giving me a chance to hone myself to become a better villain for her,¡± the girl said, her voice getting a little stronger with each word. She swallowed hard, ¡°But while I was there I met people I started to care about. I helped people. I got strong and not just for myself, not just for revenge. I-¡± she bit her lip. ¡°Not just for revenge?¡± Ishtar pressed. ¡°A couple days ago I went on my first monster patrol with my team,¡± Taurus said, ¡°I saved a kid from a lurker.¡± Taurus met her gaze, Ishtar said nothing, only waiting for her to continue. ¡°The look on that kids face, on his mother¡¯s face, the gratitude. The feeling that I had done something to make the world just a little bit better, despite all the harm my sister has caused. Despite everything. I did something good and- and- It felt right,¡± the young woman said and clenched her fists. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything for you yet. I feel like I haven¡¯t repaid my debt at all. All I¡¯ve been doing¡­¡± she trailed off and swallowed again, ¡°...I feel selfish.¡± Ishtar tilted her head, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Your accusing yourself of selfishness in front of a supervillain? Doesn¡¯t that seem a little foolish, girl?¡± Taurus winced. Ishtar tilted her chin up and looked down at the girl through her astral eyes over her nose, ¡°Speak plainly. What do you want?¡± ¡°I want¡­ to be a hero,¡± the girl mumbled. Ishtar let her presence crash down on the girl, her tone cold as ice, ¡°Excuse me?¡± she demanded as Taurus stumbled, catching herself and setting her feet on the ground. ¡°I must have misheard you. Repeat yourself.¡± Taurus buckled but only for a moment. She set her jaw and forced herself to look up despite her shoulders sagging, her knees buckling, her eyes watering. She heaved out a shaky breath and Ishtar watched as she summoned every ounce of self determination she had. Every piece of pride and identity that she had rebuilt for herself since she¡¯d escaped Liberty¡¯s thumb. Every shred of who she was. She took a deep breath and stood tall. ¡°I WANT TO BE A HERO!¡± she shouted, ¡°I want to help people! I want to make this world better in my own way! I want to support my friends! I don¡¯t want to lie to them! I don¡¯t want to go behind their backs! I won¡¯t be like my sister! I won¡¯t be a villain to the world! I can¡¯t! I-¡± she choked out a sob, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my heart tells me I need to do this. I wanted to kill her so bad but I-¡± she lowered her head, ¡°I want to be better. Better than her.¡± Ishtar retracted her presence and smiled, ¡°Well said, little hero.¡± Taurus-no-Harbinger let out a shaky gasp and stumbled, catching herself and looking up at Ishtar, tears in her eyes. Ishtar looked her up and down, ¡°Prove you mean what you say in the coming battle. Face your sister, and when the time comes, take her into custody. I¡¯ve set the stage. Your team will participate in the battle at her compound. It¡¯s up to you to face her. If you can master your desire to kill her when the time comes, you will have my blessing.¡± Harbingers lips trembled, tears streamed down her face as she collapsed to her knees. Relief washing over her face as pressed her head to the ground, ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl wept. Chapter 217 ¡°Tensions continue to mount in the wake of the failed peace summit between the Pandora Committee and Liberty. Questions have been raised about the reasons as to why the Supervillain Ishtar was allowed to participate. While the Pandora Committee has remained silent on the issue, an agent of Ishtar by the name of Mephisto delivered a statement to World News Daily stating ¡®While I find the idea of unintentionally assisting the Pandora Committee amusing, my goals remain the same,¡¯ the agent provided no further comment.¡± CLICK ¡°The ¡®Super Idol Villain¡¯ Tenebra began a world tour today starting in Dublin. With the increasing concerns about any conflicts causing the situation with Liberty to boil over, Pandora Committee officials have taken a wait-and-see approach. So far, there has been no violence as a result of the villain¡¯s-¡± CLICK ¡°An unprecedented series of leaks has led to a swath of minor scandals among international shipping organizations, the most notable of which being Red Star Shipping. Evidence has come to light suggesting that the CEO of the company has been involved in a massive human trafficking-¡± CLICK ¡°Whistleblowers in the US Coast Guard and Navy have reported that a missing Nuclear Submarine¡¯s arsenal was discovered disassembled in a warehouse in southern California. All missiles are accounted for as well as their warheads. Sources state that the return of the armaments was part of some kind of secret deal that-¡± CLICK ¡°With war on the horizon, there are a lot of questions about what the possible outcomes could be once the fighting has settled. No one is expecting a protracted conflict either way you cut it,¡± one voice said, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think the biggest question no one is considering is what happens when the Pandora Committee wins. If they manage to capture Liberty and end the war, the power balance between them and the United Nations may become heavily skewed. They already have a standing army, numerous facilities across the world, and there are plans to set up Pandora-operated towns around dungeons,¡± another voice chimed in. ¡°Do you think they¡¯d make a case for sovereignty?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hyperbole at the moment,¡± the second voice laughed, ¡°But I think the power dynamics in the world are about to go through a big change. Some people haven¡¯t really come to terms with the new world we live in, there won¡¯t be any avoiding it soon.¡± CLICK ¡°The world is starting to turn,¡± Ishtar murmured and looked down at the apple in her hand. She turned it over between her fingers thoughtfully as she examined the skin. There was an odd disconnect between what she saw and the movements. A fragment of a second, but it was there, still noticeable to her cybernetic brain. She raised the fruit to her lips and took a bite, chewing slowly as its properties began to take hold. She felt her muscles begin to flesh out, her aches fade, then she felt a pop somewhere in her skull, a sizzling that caused her to stop and wince in pain. She spat the apple out. Damn, I still need those new eyes, she thought irritably. ¡°Isn¡¯t that tiring?¡± Amos asked behind her. She turned and looked at him, an eyebrow raised, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Using your ability for eyes?¡± he asked and put his hands on his hips, ¡°I¡¯ve seen you do it a couple times.¡± She huffed, ¡°Not much different from using them to observe from afar, though usually I am stationary when using it,¡± she admitted, ¡°There¡¯s a lag.¡± He nodded, ¡°Well, it works I guess,¡± he said with a shrug, ¡°Your new peepers are almost done, don¡¯t worry about it boss. I gotcha covered.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± she said with a breath and tossed the apple aside, it dissolved as it hit the ground. Evaporating into a faint puff of mana. ¡°I can¡¯t heal properly without them it seems. I¡¯m eating a bit of ambrosia at a time every day to restore my muscle mass. If I consume too much, the connections start sparking,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Ouch,¡± he chuckled and walked over to stand next to her, peering out the window. ¡°You ready for this?¡± Ishtar frowned, ¡°I¡¯m confident. Sonya is still¡­ indisposed though and it feels like I¡¯m missing a part of me. Even so, the only opponent that threatens me as far as I¡¯m concerned is Liberty and I¡¯ve orchestrated things so that she won¡¯t even be my opponent. I have a different target in mind.¡± ¡°You¡¯re targeting Otis, he steamrolled his way into the battle, I heard,¡± Amos said thoughtfully, ¡°If he gets to Liberty he¡¯ll get himself a heap of glory on top of it not being too indirect for you to get your fancy upgrade out of it.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Ishtar said, ¡°So I¡¯ll have to hold him off. While I do that, I¡¯ll try a few things on him. I¡¯m curious about what kind of damage I can do that will stick,¡± she said with a cold smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the opportunity to face him directly.¡± ¡°Do you think you can kill him?¡± Amos asked. She snorted, ¡°Doubtful. I can test his current limits though, I suspect.¡± ¡°The other heroes will come after you too.¡± She smirked, ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± she said, ¡°I won¡¯t be there to kill them and I have a feeling at least a few of them will realize that. The ones in charge will prioritize Liberty.¡± He nodded slowly before turning to face her, ¡°Boss. I-¡± he hesitated and then rubbed his neck, ¡°I know you care a hell of a lot less about the world compared to Sonya, but-¡± She held up a hand and turned to face him, ¡°Her dream is mine,¡± she said quietly, ¡°Even if I would prefer a throne over a quiet cottage or memorial statue in the end,¡± she chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°I won¡¯t let you or her down and I will keep trying until the very last moment to bring her back. Even if-¡± she frowned and shook her head, ¡°I will fight with everything I have from the moment the battle starts. No absences this time around.¡± He grinned at her, ¡°All hail the hbic,¡± he laughed and took a step back, sweeping into a bow, ¡°Technocrat, as always, is at your service.¡± She beamed down at him, ¡°Get those dolls of yours ready, Technocrat. Soon, the world will know just how scary we are.¡± ¡°At your command.¡± ¨C [Operation Corinth Dossier] Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. [The following heroes have been assigned to operation Corinth: Dungeon Suppression: FIRST WIND - Dungeon E1. PROTEAN - Dungeon R1. QILIN - Dungeon R2. CAPTAIN STAR - Dungeon R3. EVERTIDE - Dungeon R4¡­] Ishtar tabbed over to the next page. [External Fronts: ¡­] She tabbed again. [Frontline Assault: BLACK LOTUS (Field Commander), EVERGREEN, HANDMAIDEN, OTIS, SAPPORO, VYTAL, AXEL, DERVISH, DRAGOON, BLUESTAR, BANDIT, LIFESAVER, CRUSADER, HARBINGER, SNOW, BLF, SYPHON, MAGNUS, CRANE, RIOT, FELWINTER, ICARUS, ASHWOLF, BEELINE, CRAG¡­] Ishtar closed the window and leaned back in her seat, letting out a breath. She tapped a nail on the desk and turned in her chair, glancing up at Marta who stood dutifully at her side. ¡°Excited?¡± Marta frowned, ¡°I have a dangerous narcissist assigned to my team,¡± she grumbled, ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to put up a good act and let him run off to fight you. No, not really.¡± Ishtar chuckled, ¡°You get to go play afterwards,¡± she pointed out, ¡°Really put that new ability of yours to the test. Let me know when you want me to merge them by the way. You need to stop being so reserved in wanting more strength.¡± Her companion offered a noncommittal shrug, ¡°The power you can give out is best utilized spread around, in my opinion. The more powerful agents you have, the more successful I think you¡¯ll be. It has nothing to do with being reserved, ma¡¯am,¡± she paused and let out a sigh, ¡°But I will ask for more next time,¡± she conceded after getting an annoyed look from Ishtar. She bowed her head once before straightening up, ¡°As for merging, Amos had a theory that if I unlock more of my abilities instincts before the merger it may come up with better results. I will wait.¡± ¡°Interesting theory,¡± Ishtar murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t see it, but you do you.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± Ishtar exhaled and turned back to face the desk, she ran her fingers over it silently before making a lazy gesture. The computer shut down and she shifted back in her seat, resting her head against it and closing her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to try again. Leave me.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± her caretaker said and slipped out into the hallway. Ishtar peeked at her as she left before letting out a sigh and allowing her mind to wander. She drifted out and then back, slowly diving deeper and deeper into her subconscious mind as her breathing became more regular. When she opened her eyes again, she was in that void once more. The mote was there as well. She cupped her hands beneath it and smiled, ¡°Hello Sonya, how are you feeling?¡± Silence. She sighed and drew Amethyst Sorceress out of the warehouse again. ¡°You know. I¡¯ve been in control for nearly a month now,¡± she said irritably, ¡°Not a peep from you.¡± She pulled her knees up in that space, floating in the air as she sat, her legs crossed, her eyes fixed on the little mote. ¡°I distinctly remember a time when every other word out of your mouth was sass or some manner of impish inside joke¡­¡± she trailed off and looked wistfully up at the black void above her, ¡°I miss it. I miss your smile. Not the fake one of the past year, the one you plastered on to make everyone think you were okay. That real smile, the one that reached your eyes.¡± She scoffed, ¡°Out there I can barely understand my feelings, my emotions. Here, in this place, so close to where you¡¯re hiding,¡± she swallowed, ¡°I feel you, if only a little bit. It¡¯s helped now and then, checking in on you.¡± She focused on the mote, examining the threads wrapped around it in what could have been easily dismissed as a pattern of nonsense and knots. A net of ethereal fibers, a visualization in her mind of what was really happening. She couldn¡¯t fathom the source, whether it was Sonya or something else, but at the very least she could see where to pull to loosen the first thread. ¡°I saw your ¡®daughter¡¯ today,¡± she said as she willed the mental fibers to separate, pulling them apart with surgical care, ¡°You were right about her,¡± she shook her head, ¡°I thought she would turn out to be a true monster when the time came, that she¡¯d evolve into a villain who could proudly sit in her one seat at the inner circle,¡± she tugged another point on the infinitesimal threads and chuckled, ¡°You really do know the human heart better than I ever could. That girl who could only dream of revenge, who suffered through nightmares and clung to you like a security blanket, do you know what she did?¡± She smiled, ¡°She looked me in the eyes and told me she wanted to be a hero.¡± Ishtar felt the first few fibers unwind and fall away and moved on to the next only for a jolt to race through her body, the force inside the fibers lashing out again. Amethyst Sorceress receded and fled back into her warehouse. She closed her eyes and nodded, ¡°Nothing worth doing is ever easy,¡± she admitted and lowered her hands from the mote. ¡°Keep fighting, little sister,¡± she said and returned to the waking world. ¨C She wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed. She had stopped counting the days that had turned into months and then years and then decades. Had a century already gone by? Two? Her body was still alive, she could feel it. A constant reminder that this place, regardless of how real it seemed, was nothing more than a very elaborate illusion. She had no way of knowing, though, how the time displacement of this place worked. Had she been enduring this for only a few hours? Was it days? Did it even matter? The time spent inside still felt real. As did everything else. She sat up in the small plot of flowers, her gown askew, her hair a tousled mess. She looked around and found herself alone again, a bitter taste filling her mouth. Her shoulders sagged and she wasn¡¯t sure whether it was from relief or shame. Her neck itched and she reached up to run a finger over a small bruise on her throat, her fingernail digging into it as the anger came back. Frustration bubbling in her chest. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to breathe, tried to push it out of her mind. It was so hard to think, so hard to clear her mind long enough to reflect. Every day was a new kind of torment. Some more inventive than others. The teasing and coaxing had gone away at some point after she had remembered her name. Now it only happened when more was expected to follow. She bit her lip and steadied herself as she went through the names once again. Hundreds of thousands of recitations, over and over so that this place could not make her forget. ¡°Carla, Chunhua, Marta, Amos, Beyol-¡± Crik! A twig snapped behind her and she froze, tension racing up her back. Is she back already? Did I think too hard? Just leave me alone, I want to think for a while. Can¡¯t you just let me clear my head you monster? Haven¡¯t you had enough fun? ¡°Sonya, you look terrible, are you alright?¡± She blinked and turned, startled by the melodic voice that called out to her. Just a few feet away was a woman in black leathers, raven hair cut short and rainbow-colored eyes glittering. She took a step forward and paused as Sonya backed away, ¡°She did a number on you this time, huh?¡± the woman said with a sigh. Sonya looked away, ¡°What do you want, Loki?¡± ¡°I just wanna talk, it''s been a couple years since I visited, hasn¡¯t it?¡± the Great One asked, taking a few more steps forward and sitting down in the flowers. Sonya opened her eyes and squinted in Loki¡¯s direction, ¡°New body?¡± ¡°I changed it up last year,¡± Loki said, looking down at herself, ¡°Was thinking about switching back for a while. What do you think?¡± Sonya pressed her lips together, ¡°You look¡­ fine, I guess,¡± she grumbled before letting out a weary sigh, ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re very pretty. It¡¯s a good look.¡± Loki brightened and crossed her legs. Sonya knew what that meant. They were settling in for one of their longer chats. She huffed out a breath and turned to face them properly. Loki was a conundrum to her. When she¡¯d first laid eyes upon them, they¡¯d seemed like someone that she would have happily put into the ground for the kind of danger they represented to the world around them. And yet, as she got to know Loki, she realized that the only thing they truly cared about was their homeland and the court they belonged to. Loki¡¯s beliefs about the arbiters were extreme, but came from a place of genuine worry. It was hard to blame them for it. Their constant visits to Titania¡¯s court had led to a few tense encounters at first, then brief conversations, and finally what she could almost describe as a friendship. Sonya brushed her hair out of her face. Some socializing would be good for me, I think. ¡°So what did you want to talk about today?¡± she asked, trying to sound stronger than she felt. ¡°I wanted to let you know I brought back a prisoner with me,¡± Loki said, looking proud, ¡°We¡¯re finally going to get some answers.¡± She raised her eyebrows, ¡°Oh? Mis- Titania must be very pleased. Do I know them?¡± ¡°You might have heard of her,¡± the trickster said with a grin, ¡°Pandora.¡± Chapter 218 Pandora? In between the decades of senselessness that came and went in this terrible place, Sonya had rallied herself to take stock of the mysterious world around her. She was keenly aware that it wasn¡¯t real, but it also seemed to obey many of the rules of reality. It had other rules as well, other truths that she¡¯d slowly, painstakingly uncovered in her efforts to cling tightly to a sanity that this place seemed hell bent on stripping from her. The first was that it was somehow centered on Titania. While her memory was foggy in places she could remember that the periods of madness and confusion only began when Titania left the court for one reason or another. This truth only became more pronounced as she noticed a deeply unsettling familiarity in Titania. The woman had two sides; one side was the fae queen of the distant past, reacting and engaging in events as they unfolded. That side paid Sonya little mind beyond getting her kicks now and then. The other was entirely focused on her, fixated on stripping away any ounce of independence and self determination Sonya possessed. It had begun showing itself the moment she remembered her name. The second rule was that the secondary ¡®personality¡¯ in the first rule had limitations. It had no control over the events of this place and could only attempt to interfere with her thoughts when it was nearby. It was like Sonya was living through an interactive snapshot of some mythological past. Titania was the source, but not the narrator. This truth hadn¡¯t come cheaply, Sonya had tested the boundaries of what she could say and do, prodding at the logical foundation of this place in order to see whether or not the people here besides herself and Titania were independent or not. She¡¯d been caught a few times. The punishments hadn¡¯t been pleasant. Though they¡¯d helped her strengthen her mental defenses. All that was to say that when she heard what Loki was saying, it meant that not only did he trust her with that information. It meant that Pandora or at least a facsimile possessing Pandora¡¯s memories, was somewhere very close by. I need to find her. Sonya forced herself to focus on the conversation, ¡°That couldn¡¯t have been easy,¡± she said. ¡°Oh no it most certainly wasn¡¯t,¡± Loki laughed, ¡°Fortunately for me I¡¯m pretty good at disguises and an apt performer.¡± ¡°Have you told Titania yet?¡± she asked. ¡°Nope,¡± they said, crossing their arms, ¡°I¡¯m telling you first, figured you might think it was impressive especially the how,¡± they tilted their chin up proudly. ¡°I passed myself off as King Giglamesh himself and spirited her away. Not even Heimdal could tell I wasn¡¯t the genuine article.¡± She still could barely wrap her head around the mess of politics that made up the interactions between the various groups, but something about that statement made her furrow her brows, ¡°Why would Odin let Gilgamesh into Asgard? Even if Odin has been playing friendly with the Golden Throne, that seems a little lax, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Loki smiled brightly and held up a finger, ¡°Aha! That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Odin may be a crotchety old bastard but he¡¯s soft where it counts, my friend,¡± they waggled their finger, ¡°This is some pretty juicy gossip I¡¯ve confirmed, by the way. Did you know that Gilgamesh was courting Pandora? He¡¯s obsessed with her, head over heels, visiting all the time. She seems to like him too.¡± So¡­ you put on her boyfriend''s face and said ¡®hey, wanna go out for a bit?¡¯ stuffed her in a van and drove off? Not a bad plan, but also; ew. She paused, Wait, isn¡¯t that¡­ bad? ¡°He visits all the time?¡± ¡°Uhuh.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t think that might be a bad thing? You know, when he shows up next time?¡± Loki frowned and tilted their head, rubbing their chin, ¡°Well, I guess. If you want to look at it that way,¡± they admitted before shrugging, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done it if the outcome wasn¡¯t something I was happy with.¡± Odd way of saying that, but okay. What is Loki¡¯s ability anyway? I don¡¯t think they ever explained it to me, though I have a feeling we¡¯ve talked during my dark periods. I hate that I can¡¯t remember them, she thought before brushing off her gown a little, ¡°So is this an invitation to meet her?¡± Loki broke into an eager smile, ¡°You want to?¡± ¡°Meet the person that has been riding Titania¡¯s last nerve? Absolutely.¡± ¨C They walked together down the small path through the trees, arm in arm, Loki had shifted back into their male appearance part way through the walk. Watching Loki use that power had been a little startling and painfully nostalgic. The trickster had used Man of Many Faces, there was no doubt in her mind. It looked exactly like when Marta used the ability herself. The only difference was the sheer speed at which Loki changed from one form to another and the casualness of it; one moment she was walking with the raven haired woman, the next Loki was a man. ¡°You¡¯re wasted here, you know,¡± Loki said after a lengthy silence, those glowing prismatic eyes briefly flicking in her direction. Sonya shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± Loki scowled and shook their head, ¡°You know what I¡¯m getting at.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Sonya said flatly. ¡°You hate Titania,¡± Loki pointed out, ¡°Why stay? As rebellious as you are one of these days she¡¯s just going to tire of you and that¡¯ll be the end of it.¡± Sonya sighed, ¡°I¡¯m not going to explain myself again. We¡¯ve had this discussion.¡± ¡°Trophy,¡± Loki scoffed. Sonya¡¯s chest felt a little heavy and her eyes went distant, she looked away even as she held on a bit tighter to the arm she was locked with. A small part of her hated the feeling, that need for someone to cling to when she was feeling miserable. She decided to deflect rather than let the feeling fester any longer, ¡°You seem pretty content with trying to take a trophy from Titania. Aren¡¯t you two working together?¡± ¡°An ally is not the same as a friend,¡± Loki pointed out, ¡°I have very few of those.¡± ¡°You consider us friends?¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I can tell it''s a trait of your arbiter powers, a curse of some kind, you can¡¯t lie,¡± Loki said casually. She wanted to pause half step but Loki kept her walking, she frowned in their direction as they continued speaking, ¡°You¡¯ve tried a couple of times to fib, I noticed. Most of the time, though, you¡¯re honest with me because you want to be. I respect that. In our world it¡¯s a hard thing to find,¡± Loki trailed off before smirking, ¡°Even if you can be a little rude about it.¡± She huffed and looked away, ¡°Ass.¡± ¡°Unapologetically so,¡± Loki laughed before turning to her, ¡°I could protect you, you know. Get you out of here. I¡¯ve got some strong allies and-¡± ¡°Loki,¡± she interrupted, the words hurting her more than any of the blows and cruelties that Titania had delivered. The whippings, the brandings, the torment, it felt like tickling compared to a false hope. ¡°Please. That¡¯s enough,¡± she said, her voice raw. It wasn¡¯t that she had given up on escaping this place, she was certain that the time discrepancy between this world and the real world was staggering. She hadn¡¯t truly been here all that long. Yet existing for centuries within her own mind was not an easy thing to just brush away. It wore on her like a stone in a raging river. Loki sighed and nodded, ¡°Fine. For now.¡± She shot the trickster a look, ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± they said, clearing their throat and gesturing to a copse of trees ahead of them. They were still somewhere within the boundaries of Titania¡¯s domain, the trees all bore that eerie glow about them though they did not sap her strength like those flowers created by the genuine article. Ahead of them, a single figure sat in one of the trees and stared down at them with a flat expression, long black hair hanging around a pair of cold eyes. She shot Loki a look and the trickster shrugged, ¡°Wasn¡¯t gonna leave her unguarded.¡± The man in the tree hopped down, his robes fluttering around him. He stood tall and looked down at Sonya over his nose, ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not affiliated with the Golden Throne, she¡¯s a friend,¡± Loki cut in before stepping up between them, ¡°Sonya, this is Oorochi from the east,¡± the trickster began, ¡°Oorochi, this is Sonya. A rogue Arbiter living in Titania¡¯s court.¡± Oorochi narrowed his eyes, ¡°Pactmaker,¡± he hissed the word as if it were disgusting to him. He glanced up at Loki and crossed his arms, ¡°You have poor taste in friends.¡± ¡°Have a care, serpent,¡± Loki growled, ¡°I consider you a friend as well. Do you not trust my judgement?¡± Oorochi glanced towards Sonya and looked her up and down. She frowned at him, not enjoying the feeling of being assessed that way. Since when have I been so sensitive? She thought, Every emotion just feels raw these days. This kind of thing wouldn¡¯t have bothered me before. She suppressed a sigh, At least it isn¡¯t as bad as the days leading up to - she nearly shuddered involuntarily, her mind dancing away from memories of Tokyo. Across from her, Oorochi considered Loki¡¯s words before nodding, ¡°I trust your judgement,¡± the serpent in the form of a man said before gesturing over his shoulder, ¡°The prisoner is awake. We should make clear the situation before approaching the Lucid Throne,¡± he gave Sonya one last assessing look, ¡°Perhaps this one¡¯s presence can at the very least keep her from doing something regrettable.¡± With that, the two mythological figures made their way through the thick gathering of trees, Loki only looking back with a small smile and a gesture to follow. Unease squirreled its way into her gut but she followed, lost in thought. When she¡¯d properly met Pandora for the first time, the being¡¯s ghost had been so tragically weary. A sad but composed figure who enjoyed a little of her own mischief. Someone who was just trying to make right the things she had done when she was alive. What kind of person had she been when she was still breathing? What- ¡°I KNEW IT!¡± A furious shout came through the trees while Sonya stepped through. ¡°LOKI YOU INSUFFERABLE BASTARD!¡± Sonya blinked, her head jerking back in surprise. ¡°Hello Panpan,¡± Loki sing-songed, ¡°Enjoy your nap?¡± Sonya caught a glimpse of the woman as she alighted in the tiny clearing ringed by the trees. It was clearly reshaped somehow to hide and keep their sitting prisoner. Pandora was small, with long curly blonde hair and a pretty face. Her blue eyes glimmered hatefully in the dim light around her as she crossed her arms. She had a figure that made very clear who her mother was, not just blessed by Aphrodite but carrying her blood. The mismatched expression on her face likely belonged to her father. Anger, and the promise of terrible consequences. That anger faded into a swarthy expression as she caught her breath from her initial outburst. ¡°You¡¯d think two hundred years of exile would have dislodged a small amount of sense in that head of yours, Odin is going to be very disappointed,¡± she said and shrugged, ¡°Mimir called it, though. As usual.¡± Loki smirked, ¡°You¡¯re many centuries too young to be trying to use words to get under my skin.¡± She tilted her head to the right and laughed, ¡°And you¡¯re a petulant half-wit who jumps at the first opportunity to ruin every good thing you see. Centuries! Hah! Still a toddler in my opinion. Laufey was right. Her son must have fallen on his head as a child because the Witch Queen¡¯s cunning was replaced with something unfortunate.¡± Sonya just stared, wide eyed, as Loki¡¯s shoulders tensed. Their pale skin turned russet for a moment before deepening into an off-blue. What the hell was that? Oorochi took a step forward and Pandora shifted where she sat, smirking up at him with defiance. ¡°Ahh and here¡¯s the snake of the east-realms. Figures you¡¯re here. Isn¡¯t enough that you threw a tantrum when you lost to Wukong and ran off crying to your friend here. Now you¡¯re Loki¡¯s what? Guard dog?¡± she demanded and whipped her head towards Loki, ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of your motley crew? I don¡¯t see Eris or Anansi? Did you finally chase off Set? The poor old man lose his patience with you?¡± she scoffed, ¡°King of a new court, unbelievable.¡± Loki was shaking at this point, their fists clenched at their sides as the browbeating continued. All the good humor gone from their face. Sonya shot a look at Oorochi who hadn¡¯t so much as flinched under the assault. She looked back to Pandora, I need to be able to talk to her. There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t know, Sonya thought and set her jaw tightly, I should take advantage of this. She didn¡¯t hear the crackle of thunder in the sky as she hustled over to Loki¡¯s side, putting a hand on their arm. Loki rounded on her and scowled only to pause, meeting her eyes. She gave them an earnest look, ¡°Easy. She¡¯s understandably angry,¡± Sonya urged him, ¡°Calm down. You just said you were too old to get riled like that. Let it go.¡± Loki scoffed and turned away, ¡°Right, right,¡± they muttered and turned back to the trees, ¡°You talk to her then, I should have just kept her under that sleeping spell and dumped her at Titania¡¯s feet. Would have been funnier that way but no, I had to be respectful,¡± they grumbled under their breath and walked away, ¡°Give them room, Oorochi.¡± Sonya looked to the serpent who nodded and hopped backwards, vanishing into the foliage with Loki. She let out a sigh and turned to see a pair of angry blue eyes fixed on her. You¡¯re so much different than I- ¡°What are you?¡± Pandora demanded. Sonya raised her eyebrows, ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I asked you what you are. Your mana is strange, your aura is wrong, you feel like an Arbiter for some reason but no arbiter would collect that many powers for themselves. It goes against the worldpact,¡± she rumbled, ¡°Answer plain, I know that you can¡¯t lie. Did you steal that power?¡± You gave it to me. She opened her mouth to speak but the woman just kept going, ¡°Stealing the power of an Arbiter is a high crime. You¡¯ll face trial and have your mana cut off for this. No wonder you fled to the territory of the Fae court, coward. You-¡± Sonya snorted, I couldn¡¯t get a single iota of proper information out of you in the future but here you¡¯re pouring it on me like rain. I can¡¯t even begin to unpack half of what you just said. It¡¯s¡­ kind of refreshing to listen to you ramble. She looked the enraged woman over, You¡¯re putting up a good front, but while they can¡¯t see it, I can. You¡¯re scared. Just like me. You¡¯re tired. How long have you been struggling? How long have you been fighting? What¡¯s your story? I want to know everything. ¡°Do you think this is funny?¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± Sonya laughed and extended a hand as a small smile stretched across her lips. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Pandora. I¡¯m Sonya, and I¡¯m your friend.¡± Chapter 219 Um¡­ Sonya cleared her throat while Pandora stared up at her, slack jawed and her brows raised in disbelief. The woman didn¡¯t move an inch to take her hand, she didn¡¯t even look at it.. Pandora¡¯s eyes were fixed solely on Sonya¡¯s face with an expression that made her wonder if she¡¯d grown horns or something. I¡­ don¡¯t have a power that does that, right? Oh man, am I losing track? Do my powers even work properly in this place? Her thoughts flitted about wildly, grasping about as she tried to distract herself from the growing surge of embarrassment. Her eyes narrowed a little in thought, I feel like I¡¯ve tried to use my powers before but- wait- focus Sonya. Pandora¡¯s expression had gone deadpan. Sonya let out a nervous laugh. Usually this bit works. ¡°Y-you said it yourself, I can¡¯t lie, right?¡± she stammered. Pandora tilted her head slowly to the right, ¡°You¡¯re my friend?¡± she asked and rose to her feet on her own, leaning forward and getting nose to nose with Sonya, ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of trick of the mind you¡¯ve played on yourself to let you say such a thing, but we are not friends, thief.¡± Sonya opened her mouth to protest, closed it, frowned as her throat tightened. Pandora smirked, ¡°Aha. You can¡¯t protest, can you?¡± Sonya scowled, How the heck did this little shit turn into the sweet woman I know? She crossed her arms, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal that ability,¡± she said flatly, ¡°It was given to me.¡± ¡°Given? By who?¡± Sonya looked away, her face warming, ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± Pandora snorted, ¡°Half truths,¡± she said and brushed past Sonya, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Loki¡¯s angle was, bringing you to meet me before throwing me at Titania¡¯s feet, but I have no intention of playing along.¡± Sonya sought patience. She needed to talk to her, hear her side of everything. Every bit of information she got was something she could use against Titania. ¡°Pandora, please hear me out. I think we can help one another, just-¡± ¡°Just what?¡± The velvet voice sent a cold chill up her spine, crawling across her skin like a spider as her entire body went rigid. A response so instantaneous it felt like it had been programmed into her. She stumbled over her words, her chest tightening as a cold sweat beaded on her brow. Just a few feet away, Pandora spun and whipped her head about, her expression one of unfettered hostility, ¡°Titania!¡± In a blink of an eye they were no longer in that clearing. Sonya stood numbly as the rowdy chorus of Titania¡¯s court hammered her ears. Her vision swam, traumas she couldn¡¯t remember scratching at her brain like a million tiny insects. She barely registered that Loki and Oorochi were on either side of her, also looking around in confusion. The only person who seemed any sort of unfazed was the defiant Pandora, standing on the audience dias with her head held high. Sonya¡¯s heart hammered in her chest. She forced her gaze up, following the steps to a pair of pale, delicate feet and the woman attached to them. Titania looked down at her with a sneer, ¡°You got willful all of a sudden, little light.¡± Sonya looked away, nausea rising in her throat. ¡°Titania!¡± Pandora bellowed again, taking a step forward, ¡°If you have any sense left in you, send me back to Asgard, immediately!¡± The Queen of the Fae gave the young woman a flat look before turning her attention to Loki. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°You acted on your own.¡± ¡°I do that,¡± Loki said with a shrug, ¡°Comes with the territory of working with me. You knew that, though.¡± Titania leaned back in her throne and let out a sigh, ¡°Were you at least discrete? The last thing I want is Olympus throwing a tantrum on my doorstep.¡± Sonya glanced between the two of them as Loki smiled at her, ¡°If I wanted them to figure it out, they¡¯d figure it out,¡± the trickster said, ¡°If I wanted them to chase a ghost, they¡¯d do that instead.¡± Sonya squinted at Loki before looking up at Titania who seemed to relax. Wait a minute. She turned her attention towards Pandora who was shaking with anger. Her face was beet red with embarrassment. The arbiter took another step forward, ¡°TITANIA! I will not be ignored here! If you think Olympus is your only problem you are sorely mistaken! I have half a mind to- URK!¡± She didn¡¯t get to finish her tirade. Pale white vines erupted from the ground at her feet and wrapped around her throat, pulling her to the ground so fast her forehead clacked against the flagstone. Out of the corner of Sonya¡¯s eye, Loki tensed. It was a small gesture. A tiny, miniscule, fragment of a movement. Their throat tightening just enough for a vein to show before relaxing. There it is again. What am I picking up on? Titania didn¡¯t seem to notice as she scowled down at Pandora, ¡°The adults were talking, child,¡± the fae queen hissed, ¡°Little upstarts like you tire me. Do you think your blood entitles you to anything? I had heard you were more demure than this but it would seem that spending time with the barbarians in Asgard has turned you into a brute like Thor. You¡¯re more trouble than you¡¯re worth,¡± she said, ¡°And since they don¡¯t know you are here¡­¡± she trailed off and leaned forward, resting her hands on the arms of her throne. The next moment, Pandora was choking. The sound of her gasps accompanied by the creaking of wood. Sonya¡¯s eyes widened. Wait, what? Just like that? That can¡¯t be how things go, she thought as Pandora struggled on the ground, kicking and twisting, trying to pull herself free of the vines that were now rising up to wrap around her arms and legs. She wheezed, opening her mouth to speak but the vine around her throat only tightened. Wait, wait, wait, no, this isn¡¯t right. She shot a look towards Loki. The trickster stood still, hands on their hips. Their fingers tensed, tightening at their belt even while their face remained passive and calm. Pandora let out a gasp for air as Titania leaned forward, nearly rising to her feet. The Queen was smiling, savoring the sight. She looked from Pandora to Loki to Titania again, a cold lump forming in her guts. The sound of the arbiter¡¯s gasps had turned to squeaks and pained, helpless sobs. The last gasps before her end. Fuck this. I can¡¯t watch this. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Mis- Titania!¡± she forced out, stepping forward and planting her feet on the ground between the queen and her prey. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Please.¡± The choking sounds stopped behind her as she held Titania¡¯s gaze. The Queen scowled, ¡°Yes, I have definitely been too lax with you, little light.¡± Torture is lax? You fucking psycho. Sonya thought, working up ner nerve to speak. ¡°Killing her gets you nothing except temporary satisfaction. A bargaining chip is far more useful, right?¡± she said quickly only feel something strike her across the face for her trouble. She planted her feet, not letting herself fall as another pale white vine struck her. Then another and another. She clenched her teeth, looking Titania in the eyes. You¡¯re keeping me alive, aren¡¯t you? You can¡¯t kill me. I don¡¯t know why, but you need me alive. I may not remember most of it, but I¡¯ve spent two hundred years dealing with you. Come on! Titania hesitated, then scowled, and then Sonya heard an agonized gasp behind her as the vines retreated into the ground. Sonya licked her lip, tasting the blood dripping from her nose. She didn¡¯t blink. Titania didn¡¯t either. Both holding one another¡¯s gaze while Titania leaned back in her seat with a frown. ¡°Fine,¡± Titania hissed, ¡°If you like this outsider so much, you can join her in a cell until I figure out how to use her.¡± Sonya let out a breath of relief and broke eye contact. That was a mistake. ¡°Ah, I have an idea,¡± Titania said suddenly, ¡°While you¡¯re at it. I¡¯ll put you in charge of wringing the attitude out of her. How does that sound?¡± Sonya¡¯s eyes went wide. She looked up sharply and saw a cruel smile spreading on the queen¡¯s face. There was a glint there in her eyes. Not just the savage glee of the fae queen, but the cruel gaze of that other personality, that other Titania, the one that took no small amount of joy in making Sonya suffer. No. Sonya felt her head begin to swim. Her vision grew blurry. Her mind wandered, thoughts becoming jumbled. No- no! Not again. I don¡¯t want to lose more time. Don¡¯t make me- ¨C Sonya¡¯s thoughts returned to her while she stood in a cold, dark room. The scent of blood, sweat, and other horrible things stinging her nose. Her vision swimming back into clarity. She staggered, clutching at the side of her head as pain shot through her brain like a lightning bolt. Her fingers tightened around something in her other hand and she looked down, bleary eyed, and gasped in horror at the sight of a multi-tailed whip ending in cruel glass-like barbs. She dropped it to the ground, stumbling backwards and pressing her back against the wall. Breaths came in rapid, ragged gasps. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re back,¡± a weak voice said from the other side of the darkened room. Sonya jolted and turned towards the source, her pulse still pounding in her ears. She spotted a solitary figure sitting against the far wall in nothing but a ragged brown dress. Two sunken eyes met hers, messy blonde hair matted against her face and neck. Pandora looked terrible. Her body was covered in small lacerations that looked as if they were already beginning to close. Her cheeks were hollow, her limbs thin and weary, but it was her eyes that arrested Sonya. As if sensing her thoughts, Pandora closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. Sonya¡¯s mind was a mess, her thoughts jumbled and flickering. What was worse was the panic, regret, and disgust over what she clearly had been up to during her latest black-out in this terrible place. Her own personal hell. She looked down at her feet. ¡°...how long?¡± ¡°Seventy-two days,¡± Pandora said quietly. Sonya winced, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Pandora rasped, sitting up a bit more. She chuckled and Sonya looked up at the woman in confusion. She was smiling to herself as if remembering a joke. She moved to get to her feet but fell back, grumbling under her breath and looking accusingly at her legs. ¡°I suppose I owe you an apology.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Sonya blasted, ¡°Are you insane? In what world could you possibly owe me an apology?¡± she demanded, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. The pressure behind her eyes built again, tears that wouldn¡¯t come, she paced back and forth in the dingy cell. ¡°I tortured you! Look at you! You¡¯re a mess!¡± ¡°A little rude,¡± Pandora muttered with a scoff and crossed her bloodstained arms. Sonya stared at her, wide eyed. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, ¡°You¡¯re nuts. I¡¯m nuts. I¡¯m -¡± she shuddered involuntarily, the words dying in her throat. I¡¯m stuck in a little world based on a magical past in my own head held up by the queen of the fairies! I¡¯m crazy. I¡¯m locked up somewhere. This is my final fever dream. Everything after coming back- no- the flash? She trembled and crouched down to the ground, gripping her head, Was that even real? Was- ¡°You didn¡¯t lie to me,¡± Pandora said, shaking her from her spiral. Sonya looked up at her, ¡°...what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re no ally of Titania, for her to put you under such a spell for months at a time,¡± Pandora said flatly, leveling Sonya with a stare. She shrugged and rubbed her neck like it ached a little instead of whatever agony she was clearly in, ¡°Pain is fleeting,¡± she said dismissively, ¡°I heal quickly, see?¡± she held up her arm and showed that the cuts were already reduced to bruises. ¡°The kind of mental anguish you¡¯re going through, that stays with you.¡± Sonya¡¯s lips trembled, and then she whipped her head away, planted her hands on the ground, and heaved pathetically. It lasted a while, the pain all the worse from clearly having nothing in her stomach. A hand rubbed her back and she tried to pull away. ¡°...stop,¡± she grunted, her words garbled by nausea. ¡°Stop torturing yourself and I will,¡± Pandora said testily. Sonya glared at her, ¡°First off, I tortured you, and second I¡¯m-¡± she choked, gasping as her throat tightened so firmly she thought she¡¯d pass out. ¡°Uhuh,¡± Pandora chuckled and continued rubbing her back, ¡°Those kinds of lies count too.¡± The heaving finally stopped and Sonya just knelt there, pressing her head against the hard ground. She shivered and pulled her shoulder away from Pandora. She felt her shoulders sag a little, her body felt so weak, she was so tired. Maybe this really was hell. ¡°I deserve this,¡± she muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve done terrible things, my actions were the cause of even worse,¡± she thought of Tokyo, of her antagonism with Liberty, would it have happened if she hadn¡¯t goaded her? Would I have goaded her anyway? Maybe it¡¯s just my nature. Somewhere far above, the sky rumbled again. She looked up towards the ceiling, a hollow feeling in her chest. ¡°Pandora?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What lines would you cross to save the world?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s a silly question,¡± Pandora scoffed. Sonya looked at her, she was already right as rain, only dirt and bloodstains covered her now. Even the bruises were gone. She was sitting cross-legged just a foot away, her expression contemplative as she searched Sonya¡¯s tired face. Sonya forced herself to sit up from where she knelt, hands in her lap, head hung. She waited for Pandora to answer as the storm grew louder overhead. The ancient arbiter didn¡¯t pay it any mind. When she spoke, her words were from a conviction set so deep in her soul there was as much chance of dislodging it as there was moving the sun and stars. ¡°Any and all of them,¡± she said, ¡°Even if history never forgives me, as long as the world keeps turning, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ve already made up my mind.¡± A chill ran down Sonya¡¯s spine as the door opened behind her, light pouring into the room. She turned and looked up to see Loki standing there in their male form. Their posture was relaxed, as usual, but the look in their eyes was flinty. They let out a sigh that almost sounded relieved when they saw the two women sitting there on the dirty floor. ¡°She¡¯s letting you out,¡± Loki said, ¡°Come with me.¡± Chapter 220 Sonya stared blankly down at the snow crunching beneath her feet as they passed through the silent forest. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure where she was in comparison to Titania¡¯s court but based on the rules of this twisted world, she wasn¡¯t far away. The wind picked up, whipping between the trees and sending her hair fluttering around her face. She brushed it back absently, glancing towards Pandora while she did so. The woman she had just been forced to torture for months walked alongside her as if nothing had happened, sparkling blue eyes fixed on the path ahead. It was unnerving. ¡°Even if history never forgives me, as long as the world keeps turning, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ve already made up my mind.¡± Sonya clenched her jaw and tore her gaze away from the blonde. A miserable lump formed in her gut as she stewed over Pandora¡¯s words. There was a time when she could have looked someone in the eyes and say something like that. She remembered all the promises she¡¯d made to Marta and the others, words that felt so hollow to her now. Had what she¡¯d done really helped at all? Or had it only delayed the inevitable? Created a false hope? She was no closer to figuring out Otis¡¯ weakness, not that she¡¯d tried. She¡¯d let him run about, amused by his childish behavior and curious about how someone as pathetic as him could have become the monster she remembered. In the grand scheme of things, the time between the flash and the end was relatively short, she thought bitterly, Did I switch out a quick end for extended suffering? ¡°You¡¯re doing it again,¡± Pandora muttered. Sonya blinked, ¡°Huh?¡± Pandora gave her an even stare from the corner of her eye, ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb.¡± Sonya looked away and frowned, So much for being nice earlier. Pandora cleared her throat, ¡°Where are you taking us, Loki?¡± Ahead of them, Loki sauntered between the trees with their hands slipped comfortably into the folds of their shirt. The trickster hummed lackadaisical as they walked, not answering right away. Sonya watched Pandora¡¯s face redden, ¡°Loki!¡± ¡°Keep your toga on, Olympian,¡± Loki said, waving a hand back at her, ¡°It¡¯s just up ahead.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Pandora pressed. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to,¡± Loki shot back. Sonya looked between the two of them, a small pitiful spark of amusement crackling meekly to life in her chest. Pandora didn¡¯t pay any mind to the ghost of a smile on Sonya¡¯s face, her eyes fixed on the back of Loki¡¯s head. They trudged up a small hill while Pandora seemed to be willing the trickster¡¯s head to explode with her mind. Loki, meanwhile, had switched from humming their jaunty little tune to whistling only to pause half-way up and raise a finger as if remembering something. They turned back and pointed directly at Pandora, ¡°Headshots don¡¯t work on me, by the way,¡± they tapped their lips and looked up at the sky, ¡°Kill shots in general, actually, come to think of it.¡± With that said, they just turned back to walking up the slope without a care in the world. ¡°Insufferable¡­¡± Pandora grumbled, stalking after Loki and continuing to mutter obscenities under her breath. Sonya raised an eyebrow before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. Making a dig now felt like a bad idea and her heart just wasn¡¯t in it. She had a feeling any attempts at humor would only fall flat, given the circumstances. When they arrived at the top of the hill she began to hear sounds, shouting and laughing, conversation, the clatter of metal and the ring of coin against a hard surface. Not far off she could make out the glow of a campfire amidst the trees, flickers of movement, dancing. To her right, Pandora glanced around and frowned. ¡°We¡¯re still far from the heart of the court. What is this?¡± ¡°My camp,¡± Loki said brightly and slid down the slope. Sonya furrowed her brows and glanced at Pandora who could offer nothing more than a shake of her head. With nothing else to do, the two of them made their way down the slope and followed after the strange person. From what Sonya had experienced since she¡¯d arrived in this place, she knew that Loki was a bit of an odd duck, but this was the strangest behavior she¡¯d seen in them so far. Regardless, the idea of a warm fire and somewhere at least moderately comfortable to sit sounded like a balm. Pandora seemed to have the same thoughts in mind since she too picked up her pace to catch up. The scene was like something out of a dream. A small clearing had been cut out of the trees. The wood cut and piled into a fire that warmed the air the moment they passed the last set of trunks standing guard at the edge of the campsite. Tables and chairs that looked to have been made of the very same wood were scattered about between cloth tents that looked more like miniature houses than what she had expected. Amidst the fire and function, about twenty people laughed and sang and danced with one another, clapping their hands and drinking deeply from bronze mugs. Then there was the music - strings and flutes and drums hit her ears so suddenly it startled her. It was like the trees had blocked her ability to hear them until just that moment. It was a goddamn party. She numbly heard Pandora shouting something after Loki but couldn¡¯t concentrate long enough to even process it. She watched Pandora storm by, her shoulders square, her posture set, unwavering. As if she hadn¡¯t been tortured, as if she hadn¡¯t suffered at all. Not a single hint of what had transpired before seemed to weigh on Pandora. She was already swept up in the next movement, the next moment, concentrating on what was in front of her. Is it because she knew she could heal from it, that it didn¡¯t matter? What about the pain? I don¡¯t understand. I can barely move, barely think at all. She felt like she¡¯d been ground down until only the barest remenant of who she was remained. ¡°...and why are you doing this?¡± Pandora demanded from¡­ somewhere. Sonya turned to look for the source of her voice and found her and Loki facing off. Loki already had a mug in hand and was extending it to Pandora. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Figured you could use a drink,¡± the trickster said with a laugh. ¡°YOU KIDNAPPED ME!¡± Pandora shouted, ¡°Now you¡¯re, what? Offering me a meal and a drink? Nothing you do makes any sense!¡± Is she really more annoyed by the kidnapping than what happened after? ¡°Excuse me? Young miss,¡± a new voice called to her, rousing her before she started to lose herself in her thoughts. She turned to see an old man standing behind her. He had dark skin, wizened features, and thick curls of white hair on his head. He held out a mug to her, ¡°This is for you.¡± She looked down at it, ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± she muttered. ¡°Take it anyway,¡± he said with a knowing smile, ¡°It¡¯ll warm you. It¡¯s a bit cold out.¡± She took it graciously, her fingers feeling numb around the metal cup. She looked back towards the pair of Loki and Pandora. Loki was laughing as Pandora grew more and more red in the face, shouting at the trickster and demanding one explanation after another. She frowned only for the old man to speak again, ¡°No point in trying to understand what that one is doing in the moment,¡± he said with a shake of his head, ¡°Loki isn¡¯t concerned about immediate consequences. Never has been.¡± She looked back at the elderly fellow who was gesturing towards a table, ¡°Sit with this old man, would you?¡± Sonya nodded and followed him, sitting down and staring into the cup in her hands. She mulled over his comment, her mind working in spite of her emotional weariness, ¡°He talks about outcomes a lot for someone who doesn¡¯t care about consequences.¡± ¡°Immediate consequences,¡± the old man corrected her with a chuckle, ¡°Drink! I promise you¡¯ll feel better.¡± Sonya gave him a deadpan look and sighed, far be it from her to refuse. It wasn¡¯t like liquor could do much to her anyway and after experiencing what amounted to true, mind-wiping mind control a little bit of drunkenness (if it were even possible) was almost welcome. She raised the glass and muttered a half-hearted cheers before taking a sip. The scent of flowers and honey and ozone filling her nostrils. She nearly coughed before a taste unlike anything she¡¯d ever tasted jolted her. It was sweet, intensely so, with a smooth bubbly finish to it. It was warm and cool at the same time. Rich and almost tangy as it sat on her tongue, it made her think of a single word. Gold. She set the cup down as warmth spread through her body, an ache in her chest unravelling like a spool. The numbness eased and she even felt a bit of warmth rise to her cheeks. She looked down at the liquid in awe. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never had nectar before?¡± the old man asked. She froze, her shoulders tightening. Saying too much would draw the other side of Titania out. She could almost feel her eyes on her, watching, waiting for her to slip up. She knew that she wasn¡¯t actually observing moment to moment. But¡­ she trailed off in her thoughts, pushing them away to focus on the conversation. ¡°Not the real thing, no,¡± she said carefully. ¡°Curious!¡¯ the old man laughed, ¡°Took you a while to come up with that, cautious, are we?¡± Sonya frowned, ¡°It¡¯s a healthy habit.¡± ¡°Not your usual tactic I think?¡± the old man asked, resting his elbows on the table and propping his chin up with his fists. ¡°You strike me as a fast talker.¡± Sonya snorted, ¡°That way of doing things has only caused more harm than good,¡± she muttered, swirling the cup before taking another soothing sip. She breathed deep with the next wave of comfort that spread through her body before resting her head against the mug on the table, not wanting to look up at her new conversation partner, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be talking about this. Thank you for the drink but I¡¯d like to be alone.¡± The old man harrumphed, ¡°Says the woman with more positive karmic bonds than I¡¯ve ever seen, and I¡¯ve met Kings.¡± She looked up sharply at him, her eyes narrowing a little. ¡°Who are you?¡± He chuckled and looked down into his own cup before taking a long drink, he set it down and relaxed, leaning back a bit and looking into her eyes before turning to look over at Loki and Pandora. The two of them were still arguing with one another though it seemed to Sonya like Loki was enjoying it more than anything else. ¡°Do you find Loki¡¯s behavior strange? One moment, your enemy, the next¡­¡± the old man trailed off, ¡°Taking you to their camp and offering you food and drinks without a single expectation of repayment.¡± Sonya scowled, ¡°I asked you a question.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t have to answer it, young miss,¡± the old man said, his eyes still on the arguing pair. She watched them as well, her stomach churning. She just couldn¡¯t understand how anyone could feel safe enough or sane enough to behave that way after everything. She turned back to him and found him looking her dead in the eyes, his smile a little flinty, ¡°I will answer that question, as long as you agree to answer one of mine. A promise.¡± She frowned, A promise to answer a direct question. A trap. I know myself well enough to know that if I agree, I¡¯ll be an open book. She shook her head, ¡°Not worth it,¡± she said and started to rise. ¡°I can help you,¡± the old man said, ¡°With that heavy lump of metal you call a heart.¡± She glowered at him. She wanted to dismiss him by saying she was fine, but that would have been a lie. She looked away, ¡°No,¡± she repeated and got to her feet. Even then she didn¡¯t move away, she watched him, waited. The bitter side of her wanted to just turn away and leave the conversation behind. The tiny fragment of hope in her felt compelled. The businesswoman wanted a good deal. There was no guarantee he could help and she didn¡¯t like the feeling that he could see right through her somehow. It made her feel exposed in a way she hadn¡¯t been since before she¡¯d been sent back to the past by Pandora. Her eyes flicked towards the bickering pair. How does she turn into the person I know? ¡°Billions of lives, seems impossible to me.¡± Her eyes widened and she whipped her head towards him, he just smiled at her in that easy going way he seemed to have before sipping again at his drink. She looked him up and down and he gestured to the seat she had just vacated. A muffled thunderclap rang out overhead but it seemed more distant, pushed away, than before. The feeling of being watched was muted as well, it was still there but it was as if it was coming through a blurry lens. She sat back down and glared, ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± she asked. ¡°Promise to answer it first,¡± he said with a wry smile. She clenched her jaw and sighed through her nostrils, ¡°Fine. I promise to answer your question,¡± she bit out. She was already regretting this. He smiled brightly, ¡°You asked first, it would be rude of me to force my agenda when you have your own concerns,¡± he said with a laugh sipping again at his drink, ¡°My name is Set. I come from¡­¡± he trailed off and looked around at their snowy surroundings, ¡°...warmer climates.¡± Sonya felt every muscle in her body tense, The Egyptian God? She racked her brain for what she knew about the being, the ¡®great one¡¯ as they called themselves. Destruction, Chaos, War. Brother of Osiris and Isis. Her thoughts were still so muddled that she couldn¡¯t remember the specifics of his myths, not that any of them would have any bearing on the real man. They could give me some insight though, maybe help me figure out what this guy wants. The old man didn¡¯t give her enough time to think any further, though, even as she felt the sudden urge to get up and leave the conversation immediately. ¡°Now for my question,¡± he said, cutting into her reeling thoughts. He leaned forward and set his mug down, resting his chin on his knuckles. He never stopped smiling as he posed his question; ¡°How long has it been since the real me died?¡± Chapter 221 Thunder rumbled overhead, it was still muted, but it felt closer, more insistent. It nearly drew her attention but the man before her reached forward to rap his knuckles on the table. She looked back at him, possibilities and questions bounding about in her head like so many pinballs. She shifted in her seat as the compulsion to answer his question became too much to bear. She didn¡¯t have the precise answer he wanted, but the fact that she had any form of answer was enough to trigger the feeling. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, ¡°Eight thousand years? Longer?¡± He frowned, looking a little taken aback by her statement. She rubbed her neck and slouched in her seat, waiting for the feeling to wash over her as Titania punished her for saying too much again. Another century this time? At least a few decades. She sighed and¡­ nothing happened. She blinked and looked up, confused, and met the old man¡¯s gaze. The elderly man leaned back in his seat and whistled appreciatively. ¡°Your best guess then, curious. Have I been forgotten?¡± he asked. She honestly hadn¡¯t expected the conversation to continue after her answer, the uncomfortable feeling of getting away with something she shouldn¡¯t have weighed on her shoulders. She shifted beneath his stare and glanced again towards Loki and Pandora. They were sitting now, Pandora¡¯s face still tense but she was drinking and conversing with less hostility than before. He rapped his knuckles on the table again to draw her attention and she felt her thoughts grow clearer, like a fog lifting. She looked down at his hand, ¡°You¡¯re doing something there.¡± ¡°Do not think too hard on it or it will help you less,¡± he said, ¡°Focus on me, girl. Answer. Have I been forgotten?¡± She furrowed her brows, she didn¡¯t like being told not to think about something. That feeling caused her stomach to twist. She felt like she was forgetting something. It annoyed her as that clear headed feeling grew more intense. She was getting a headache, the pounding coming in time with the crackles of thunder in the distance. Then she felt something she realized she hadn¡¯t felt in a very, very long time. Her instincts. They screamed at her to heed him, to focus on his voice and not get distracted. She barely trusted her thoughts these days, but she trusted her gut. She cleared her throat, ¡°You haven¡¯t been forgotten, not really, you¡¯re just a myth. Just a part of a religion that has long died out.¡± He squinted at her, ¡°...religion? I am unfamiliar with the word.¡± She raised her eyebrows and turned to look at Loki again, then back at him, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know what a religion is?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°Explain it.¡± She mulled it over, Might as well go textbook, ¡°The worship of an otherworldly power or force. A belief system that defines a person''s life and practices. It usually includes a god or gods. In one such religion, you are a rather important deity.¡± He leaned back as if he was struck, disgust on his face, ¡°Deity? God?¡± he spat on the ground, ¡°There is no such thing,¡± he rumbled, the wrinkles on his face smoothing as his anger rose. His eyes turned yellow as he leaned forward, ¡°You say that this ¡®religion¡¯ has died out? What of the people that practiced it?¡± Why is he so angry? She wondered before answering him, ¡°The civilization that practiced it is gone, though the descendants of that civilization still exist.¡± He scowled before letting out a breath, his wrinkles returning and his eyes turning dark again. He relaxed, ¡°I see, that is good.¡± Maybe it was her clearing head, but her curiosity got the better of her, ¡°May I ask a question?¡± ¡°Why those words filled me with ire?¡± he asked for her, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. There was a great one who rose past mortality a long time ago, staking a claim like the rest of us through his acts and deeds. We care little for cruelty amongst ourselves, violence towards one another is quite normal and our duels and acts can be terrible,¡± Set explained, ¡°We war with one another but it just a matter of course,¡± he gestured to Loki and Pandora who were now laughing, ¡°We let slights go fairly quickly.¡± Torture is a slight? He cleared his throat and continued, ¡°This man did not visit his cruelty on his peers. He struck downward. He demanded worship from those who only knew a wisp of true power, mortals with little power of their own. Floods, storms, plagues, unchecked wrath on those he saw as lesser than him. He called himself a god. His acts gave birth to a power within him that allowed him to take strength from their worship, to steal their gifts, to spread more suffering that only abated when the people he delivered it upon swore themselves to him.¡± Sonya leaned back, a chill running up her spine, ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°The Great Courts joined together and brought him down with the aid of the Arbiters,¡± Set said flatly, ¡°His brutality was¡­ monstrous. He had become like the beasts that rise from the mystic places. Unhinged and aimless in his violence. When the fighting was done many of our kind saw their last days,¡± Set said with a sigh, ¡°My father among them,¡± he shook his head, ¡°A pact was made with the world through the Golden Queen of that time, all of the courts agreed to the pact. That such violence and interference would never be delivered upon the mortals again, that we would fight our own battles, the Arbiters and the Golden Throne were charged with enforcing the pact.¡± ¡°A pact with the world?¡± she asked, struggling to process what she was hearing. ¡°The world is not alive, it is not conscious, but it is the source of mana, of power, of life, so it has a pseudo will, if you could call it that. To pact with the world is to change it and is not something that can be done lightly, easily, or without consequence. The current Golden Queen ascended her throne as a result of the pact, her mother trading her life for the safety of the mortals,¡± he said with a sad smile, ¡°There is no act more worthy of respect among our kind than such sacrifice.¡± Sonya looked down at her knuckles as he leaned back in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table before grabbing his mug and taking a sip. He set it down with a chuckle, ¡°The fact that you seem so surprised about these things is quite telling about the world you know.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Sonya looked over at Pandora again. History remembers Pandora as a betrayer who threw humanity to the wolves. She looked up at Set, But this man would have remembered her very differently. She looked down at her hands for a moment as something stirred in her chest, a small, tiny, infinitely small, spark of hope. A chance to feel something more than the misery of this place. She looked up at the ancient being in front of her who sipped casually at his mug, looking at her over the rim with a small smile, ¡°This old man has been talking a lot, why don¡¯t you tell me a story?¡± Permission. Thunder roared over her head but she followed her gut and ignored it. She felt that paying it any mind would take this chance from her. She looked down at her hands again and took a breath, ¡°There was a girl,¡± she said hesitantly, ¡°Who lived in a world without mana. One day it came back and the world became dangerous for everyone. So many people died. She was weak, but she tried to help. The world broke,¡± she felt a lump form in her throat, ¡°Everything fell apart. People who had promised to protect the world fought among themselves, the uh¡­ mystic places burst everywhere, everyone died.¡± Set put his mug down, his expression turning grave, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°This girl was given a chance to turn things around. To go back and set things right,¡± she said shakily, ¡°She accepted. She went back to the day it happened and realized just how daunting a task she had in front of her. She realized the only way to stop those people from turning on one another, to hold the world together, was to become more wicked than any of them. To do terrible things, some of those things leading to the deaths of many uh¡­ mortals. Acts of cruelty against others with power. Antagonizing them, manipulating them, pushing them. All because she wanted so desperately to save the world from itself,¡± she said, clenching her hands together. She didn¡¯t hear the pair of footsteps approaching from the side as her words tumbled out. ¡°That girl wanted to save everyone so badly that she was happy with whatever punishment came after. She was okay with dying for it. If it meant that humanity survived, she¡¯d go through with it. She¡¯d let the world hate her for the rest of history, she¡¯d die in the grizzliest way, she¡¯d be the enemy of the world. That was okay, for a while, but she crumbled¡­¡± she choked and looked up at him, tasting something coppery on her lips as something warm streamed down her cheeks. I don¡¯t want to die. I want to see the world I¡¯m trying to make. I don¡¯t want to miss it. I don¡¯t want to leave everyone behind, but I¡­ I deserve it. Don¡¯t I? I deserve this. The old man regarded her in silence, making a small gesture with his hand as he held her eyes. He sipped at his mug before looking down at her own mug, ¡°Drink.¡± She shakily picked up the mug, staring at the liquid before downing it in one gulp. She¡¯d never spilled her guts like that to anyone, never told anyone the full truth. Marta and Chunhua knew, to a degree, how she felt but she¡¯d been so careful to hide how scared she was. Just because she was okay with dying didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t afraid. Of course she was afraid. She was terrified. Her sense of justice just couldn¡¯t see any other outcome in the end, though. She¡¯d tried and tried so many times to see things the way the others did, to feel that it was okay to live. She let herself enjoy life as much as she could but it just felt wrong. How could she enjoy life when so many people suffered because of her? Set checked his mug in silence before turning and pouring it out onto the snow with a grave look in his eyes. Behind her, she heard two more streams of liquid pouring onto the ground. She spun and saw Pandora and Loki mimicking the old man¡¯s gesture, their eyes downcast. ¡°What-¡± ¡°To a true peer,¡± Set said, ¡°Blood may be shed, flesh may wither, bones may break, but the soul is eternal. To sacrifice the soul is to give more than one¡¯s life, the world owes that woman a debt. Ah, the songs Osiris would sing about her.¡± Sonya pressed her lips together and hung her head, clinging to the mug in her hands. Above her, thunder crashed and roared, it felt like something was trying to push through an impassable wall. A hand landed on her shoulder and Loki slipped into the seat next to her with a grin, ¡°I think that woman needed a little advice from someone who does things people don¡¯t like a lot,¡± the trickster said and leaned against the table. Pandora huffed at her right, slipping into her own seat. Loki shot Pandora a grin and waggled their eyebrows, ¡°I do things for the outcome, I know my goal, where it¡¯s all going, but often people can¡¯t see that. Kind of the point,¡± Loki explained and let out a breath, ¡°So I figured a long time ago I might as well have fun with it if I¡¯m going to make enemies everywhere I go. If you¡¯re going to live, live, and keep living, hold onto it as long as you can and deal with the aftermath afterwards.¡± ¡°Irresponsible,¡± Pandora scoffed next to Sonya. Sonya looked at her and didn¡¯t miss the ghost of a smile on the woman¡¯s face, ¡°But I suppose someone in such a situation would need to find enjoyment where they could,¡± she looked down at her own empty cup, ¡°That said¡­ chasing death is the path of a fool. Unless there are no alternatives. If I- if anyone else could find a way to have their feast and eat it too, they most certainly would.¡± ¡°A martyr drowning in their own misery is just a training construct, taking a beating to better someone else,¡± Set snorted, ¡°That isn¡¯t living.¡± Loki raised his mug, ¡°See the path.¡± Set chuckled and raised his own, ¡°Take it to the end.¡± Pandora sighed and raised her own, ¡°Stand at the peak.¡± Sonya looked at the three of them, overwhelmed. That lump in her chest felt smaller, less tight, malleable. Maybe they were right. Maybe it wasn¡¯t about expecting that terrible end. Maybe it didn¡¯t matter whether or not she deserved it. She knew it was okay to enjoy life as it came, but guilt and the weight of her actions just made it so hard. Was setting that aside immoral? Did it matter? It was her choice, right? If that girl wanted to get away with it, wouldn¡¯t that be far more impressive? It was a small brightness, a delicate glow that she held onto desperately. She knew that this was all the hope she had left to squeeze out of herself, the last of it, brought forward by these wonderfully strange people. She looked at them again, they still had their mugs in the air. She stared at them in confusion, ¡°What on earth are you still doing that for?¡± she snickered. ¡°It¡¯s an old Asgardian thing,¡± Loki said with a chortle, ¡°Raise your mug! Raise it!¡± he urged her. She genuinely laughed at this point, ¡°Okay! Okay! Do I say anything?¡± she asked, holding up her mug to the others. ¡°The last part is, ¡®And look back with pride¡¯,¡± Set chimed in. Sonya felt a chill as a bubble of laughter rose up in her chest, a happy tingle on her skin as she leaned forward and pressed her empty mug against the others. Every moment spent with these very special people made her feel lighter, they reminded her of where she needed to be, what she needed to do, and why she did what she did. ¡°Okay okay!¡± she laughed, ¡°And look back with pride!¡± she shouted as the thunder over her head raged so ferociously she felt the muteness blocking it crack. For a moment, a wonderful moment, nothing happened as Pandora and Loki laughed with her. It was the shock and anger in Set¡¯s eyes that finally brought her to her senses. She couldn¡¯t help it this time, she looked up. The world around her turned black as Titania¡¯s voice filled her ears. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that.¡± Book 1 to be Stubbed + Announcement Hey guys! DerelictPresence here! So this is very last minute, and I want to be the first to apologize for this. This is my first publication and I''m still learning. I just found out a few minutes ago that I need to stub Book 1 ASAP. I''m sure most of you know what that means but for those who don''t, that means that in preparation of the official release I need to delete the majority of Book 1''s chapters. I will be cutting it down to chapter 9 within the next twenty-four hours (probably in the hours around Noon EST). Don''t fret! I love you guys and I want to give everyone a chance to read the story and I''m committed to making it happen. I spoke with Timeless Wind and I will be able to give out eBook versions of Book 1 on my Discord on request. Just hit me up there and I''ll toss it your way! They will be available through Monday. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. This is a huge moment and it came a little unexpectedly but that''s okay. Writing this story has been one wild adventure to begin with and becoming a full time author was not something I ever anticipated. Now we''re here, Book 1, wow. It comes out next week! April 1st! No foolin~ To celebrate I will be on Discord much of the day on Voice Chat available to talk to anyone who wants to talk and answer what questions I can or just hang out! Come say hi! Thank you all so much for reading Broker and look forward to what comes next! Tomorrow is a very important chapter (222) so make sure to tune in and enjoy. Book 4 is well underway on Patreon as well as a Litrpg side-project that has started up. Come check it out! You all are amazing, I wouldn''t be able to do what I do without you guys. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Be kind to one another. DerelictPresence Chapter 222 The void wrapped around her, spreading out in an endless expanse. The silence was deafening. The pressure, incomprehensible. The crushing weight of eternity pressing down on Sonya like a mountain. She held herself as steady as she could, floating in that place that seemed like the space in her own mind. She knew, though, that this place was not her territory. She heard her voice, echoing across the vastness of it all. ¡°Finally.¡± Sonya spun and looked up, finally spotting the source of the accursed voice. Titania floated in the void with her, a majestic creature of ebon hair and porcelain skin. Those off-white vines wrapping around her body, her black and silver robes fluttering in an unseen wind. She looked down at Sonya with a smile and a flinty sparkle in her eyes. This wasn¡¯t the Titania who went about her life as if she was acting out a play of the past. This was the architect of this place. Sonya could feel it in her bones. ¡°You,¡± Sonya hissed, ¡°Finally show your real face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no different from the one you¡¯ve seen already,¡± Titania murmured, drifting down towards her. She reached out and touched Sonya¡¯s cheek, Sonya flinched away but she grabbed onto her chin, squeezing it hard, ¡°Let me look at you. Yes,¡± she purred, ¡°Good, finally squeezed out that last bit of hope, haven¡¯t you? Grew some of your spine back.¡± ¡°I want to leave,¡± Sonya hissed, ¡°I¡¯m done here.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Titania asked, ¡°Fine, you may go. On one condition.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like making deals,¡± Sonya growled. ¡°You¡¯ve associated the Arbiters with your cute little ability, what¡¯s it called? Broker?¡± Titania asked with a small laugh, ¡°Yes, I did dislike the Arbiters quite a bit. They were responsible for the worldpact after all, it stifled me,¡± she added with a hint of disgust. She squeezed down on Sonya¡¯s chin painfully, ¡°Are you going to hear my condition or shall we start over from the beginning?¡± A chill went up Sonya¡¯s spine, ¡°What is this place?¡± she asked, deflecting a little, ¡°You recreated the past somehow?¡± Titania frowned, she clearly knew what Sonya was doing but she really didn¡¯t seem to care. She smiled and looked up to the black sky above them, ¡°This place is something I built into the inscription of my own ability. In the past I took the Oracle of Delphi and had her tell me what was to come of this world. Pandora locking mana away with her ability and a new pact with the world,¡± she scoffed, ¡°Self-righteous brat.¡± Sonya narrowed her eyes but said nothing as the woman continued, ¡°The Oracle also told me that one day her box would open again, and my power would fall into the hands of someone worthy of using it. A body worthy of using it,¡± she added and looked Sonya in the eyes, ¡°You have a fascinating mind, Sonya Chernovna. Even though you were caught in my little trap and brought into that place so that I could replace you, there was someone else already waiting to take over. It vexed me.¡± Sonya¡¯s eyes widened. A name. There was a name she was supposed to remember. She furrowed her brows and pulled away from Titania who laughed, ¡°Having a hard time?¡± ¡°Carla, Chunhua, Amos, Barry, Lillian, Cass, Beyol, Kera¡­¡± Sonya trailed off part way through her recitation of those names she used to ground herself. She reached up and grabbed her head, ¡°Someone¡¯s missing. Who-¡± she looked up at Titania, ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°What I had to, in order to make room for myself,¡± Titania said and drifted towards her with a smile on her face. She floated around Sonya, ¡°You¡¯ve been trapped in here with me for three hundred years, though only a month or so has passed in the real world. Three hundred years to forget all about someone who,¡± she gestured around herself, ¡°Hasn¡¯t taken a step to help you.¡± Sonya winced, Who? That name. I can¡¯t remember the name. ¡°Why bother?¡± Titania asked, ¡°It¡¯s just a name. A fragment of your personality that decided to run amok with your body. They don¡¯t care about you. They¡¯re not concerned. They¡¯re living your life while you suffer in this place.¡± Sonya felt that tiny mote of hope in her chest flicker. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ no that¡¯s not right,¡± Sonya shook her head, ¡°I¡­ we- we¡¯re sisters!¡± ¡°Not a very good sister!¡± Titania laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you think someone like that would have at least tried? Wouldn¡¯t you have felt their presence attempting to break into this place? You¡¯re so connected!¡± she admonished, ¡°It would go without saying that you should have felt it.¡± Sonya scowled and grasped onto that warmth still in her chest, that fire beating in her heart that Set, Loki, and Pandora had rekindled. She shook her head, She needed to think. Who was it? What was that name? A name that was hers as well a name that she¡¯d embraced and that somehow seemed to fill Titania with hatred. She clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to think while Titania moved around her like a ghost. ¡°She¡¯s abandoned you,¡± Titania singsonged, ¡°You¡¯ll be trapped here forever if we don¡¯t come to an agreement. Abandon her like she did you, cast her aside, push her away, let me fill her role and I will aid you with all of my knowledge of how mana and your abilities truly work. You haven¡¯t even scratched the surface,¡± she whispered into Sonya¡¯s ear. ¡°I can educate you, put you so far ahead of the game you will be like a god among those people.¡± Sonya¡¯s gut churned and she opened her eyes to glare at the woman, ¡°I¡¯m not a-¡± Titania waved her hand and an image of Otis appeared before her. His smug smile, his false regality, his cruel eyes. ¡°Look at him, Pandora¡¯s first pick as I understand it. She even imbued the abilities of those she cared most about in the past into him, she put all her hope on his shoulders and look where it got her. She destroyed the world twice, you were just a fallback. An afterthought. A second chance.¡± Sonya¡¯s eyes widened, her nostrils flared, she glared back at him as he smiled at her, brushing his hair back and looking away as if nothing in the world mattered to him. ¡°I can tell you how to kill him,¡± Titania whispered, ¡°Just let me in. I see the clustered reworked mess of his inscriptions for what they are. I can tell you how they work, I can give you the tools to kill him without batting an eye. You¡¯re already strong enough.¡± Sonya was breathing hard, her chest heaving as she clenched her fists.The void around her turned into the burning remains of London. She was in her old gear again. She looked down at herself, her torn cargo pants, her worn shirt, her blunted knife. She could smell the smoke, hear the screams and clashes of heroes as they fought on the ground and in the sky. She watched a building topple and knew, she knew. A mountain of muscle with gray-white skin stormed out of the rubble with a figure gripped in his trashcan lid sized hand. Majordomo! Chunhua! Behind the man mountain, the golden-haired monster, Otis, stepped out with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. He said something that she couldn¡¯t hear and waved his hand. Majordomo squeezed. Chunhua went limp. NO! She was in the void again, her chest pounding, her ears ringing, the smell of blood and ash clinging to her nose. She shuddered and reached up to clutch at her head. Not again. Not again. No more. I can¡¯t do this anymore. It¡¯s going to happen again. I can¡¯t- ¡°Let me help you,¡± Titania purred into her ear, ¡°Give me the reins, let me fix all this. My full power brought to bear on a world without a single Great One. ¡®Heroes¡¯ and ¡®Villains¡¯ playacting with powers that they did not forge for themselves, unable to stake a claim, none of them rising to the true challenge of breaking through to something more than mortality. I can push you through, I can make you mighty.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be over,¡± Sonya whispered, her mind too addled to understand the implications of the woman¡¯s words. Her thoughts caving in on themselves as she felt a hand around that last spark of hope, claiming it, squeezing it. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯d be over. The fighting would end. I could bring the Heralds low with a brushstroke. I could subjugate the warring nations and there would finally be peace. You would sit atop it all, the queen you were meant to be. You cannot do it without me. You will fail, the world will remember you with hatred, your friends will die, unless¡­¡± Sonya felt nausea rise in her throat, ¡°But-¡± ¡°You are hopeless!¡± Titania roared at her, growing large in her vision, looming over her. ¡°Look at you! You can¡¯t even handle a fragment of the weight of your actions! That person has been carrying the lions share for you! You¡¯re pathetic! What possessed you to think you had any right to be the main character of this story? You? A half-baked scout who barely survived the flash? You can barely crack one of your little jokes now, let alone save the world!¡± Sonya withered beneath the attack, her chest aching. ¡°I want to keep going!¡± she shot back, ¡°I want to keep fighting!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You?¡± Titania laughed, ¡°Not without someone carrying you the entire way,¡± she derided her, ¡°You¡¯re suicidal, pathetic, cowardly, repressed, and a jester of a woman. You were better served in my bed. Without me, you will amount to nothing out there. You¡¯ve said it yourself, you don¡¯t deserve to live. Not after everything you¡¯ve done.¡± If you¡¯re going to live, live, and keep living, hold onto it as long as you can and deal with the aftermath afterwards Sonya jolted. ¡°You get it now?¡± Titania asked, swirling around her like a mist, ¡°Do you understand? You can¡¯t have it all.¡± If I- if anyone else could find a way to have their feast and eat it too, they most certainly would. Sonya clenched her jaw and felt something hot stream down her cheeks. Titania laughed. ¡°Tears of blood! How poignant! Come on, dear,¡± she whispered, ¡°Enough playacting. I can make all this pain go away if you¡¯d just let me. You don¡¯t belong in that world anyway. Your world died, remember?¡± Yeah, you belong here. So quit fucking around and save the world already, you dumbass. Sonya reached up and clutched at her chest, a pained gasp rattling from her throat. She fell to her knees in that space, that endless void. ¡°You will be alone in the end without me,¡± Titania hissed into her ears. It¡¯s just pain, it¡¯ll pass¡­ I am with you till the end. ¡°The world will scorn you. They will curse you. I can make them praise your name, worship you, grovel at your feet,¡± Titania insisted as she reached down for her. I¡¯m so, so proud of you, Above Titania, the void stirred. The wicked fae paid it no mind, her eyes burning with desire as she loomed over Sonya, eager to claim a new life in a new body. Sonya felt that little bit of hope in her chest flicker again. What was that name? She wondered, Who are you? Why aren¡¯t you here with me? Can I do this without you? You¡¯re a part of me. I feel so¡­ The sky twisted and Sonya could see beyond it, threads binding the world together that were being peeled away and twisted, delicately shifted aside to create the smallest of holes. She looked up in wonder, it was beautiful in a terrifying way. She felt Titania¡¯s cold fingers around her throat. Silly girl. The voice in her head shocked her out of her spiralling thoughts. A villain doesn¡¯t even consider an end they don¡¯t get to see. They plan ahead. They stack the deck. They play the game and they get away with it. ¡­. Until you¡¯re ready, I will carry this weight ¡­ Be strong little sister ¡­ I am always with you ¡­ Stand on your own two feet, little villain ¡­ You aren¡¯t a hero, stop pretending, revel in it, play, live! Keep fighting tooth and nail with that smile on your face. You know who you are. Accept it. All of it. Sonya¡¯s trembling lips stopped as she looked away from the tear in the sky to meet Titania¡¯s gaze. The fae queen stared back at her expectantly, ¡°It¡¯s time to let go, Sonya.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Sonya said with a small smile that widened bit by bit as she felt a titanic weight crash onto her shoulders, a pain in her chest unlike anything she could have ever imagined crushing her heart in a vice, but she held firm. She held firm with all her might and kept that smile on her face as the pain turned into something else. A heart as black as coal, crumbling under heat and pressure and changing. Shining. Not with grief, not with self pity, not with that despondent hopelessness that plagued every night. ¡°It is time to let it go, isn¡¯t it?¡± Titania looked confused, she tilted her head, ¡°...yes? Have you finally lost your-¡± ¡°Ishtar,¡± Sonya said with an easy smile, one that reached her eyes, as the pain faded into the background, rebounding off the spirit of diamond that formed in her chest. The pain would always be with her, but it wasn¡¯t something that had to crush her. No. She could use it, she could let it make her strong, temper her even further. Titania hissed and let her go, rearing a hand back to slap Sonya across the face. As her hand swung down the vines around her body tensed, her body stiffening. Her eyes went wide and she snarled at Sonya, struggling against her own vines. Sonya blinked once and stared at the absurd pose the fae queen had been stuck in, ¡°Well, Guess it is still technically my ability,¡± she said thoughtfully and wiped the bloody tears from her face. She chuckled, letting out a breath that felt like she¡¯d just taken her first in ages. Like she¡¯d been drowning. She looked up again at the sky where the fibers were pulling apart and reached out to them, she pushed out, letting her will cross the boundary and touched the hand that was reaching for her. She felt it react, relief washing back towards her. Her smile eased even more. She looked back at Titania and saw the Great One floating in the void, bounded up like a marionette. She snorted, then laughed, ¡°You- you look so funny,¡± she laughed and wiped the bloody tears from her face before raising her hands to mimic Titania¡¯s embarrassing pose, ¡°Rarrr!¡± she play-roared, ¡°Wow, I hate you,¡± she said, the rage at her torment, the relief, and the weariness all making her feel a little funny. She fell into a short fit of giggles as the bubbles in her chest fought their way out followed by a wave of exhausted relief. She felt like she¡¯d been down with the flu for weeks and had just taken her first fresh breath. There was a giddiness there tempered by an acute weariness that covered her entire body. The good kind. The ¡®I need a full nights sleep, now¡¯ kind. She sighed, letting the mixed feeling of mirth, fury, and exhaustion pass through her as she sat down in that space, floating in front of the confused and infuriated Fae Queen. ¡°Titania, you¡¯re right. Pretty much about everything,¡± Sonya said, ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ so scared,¡± she rubbed her neck, ¡°Holy shit I¡¯ve been scared,¡± she chortled wearily, ¡°I hated myself. Living a hard life of a hero gives you a certain hard line perspective. I couldn¡¯t get off my high horse, couldn¡¯t let it go. I looked at the things I¡¯d done and decided that I needed to die for it,¡± she shook her head, ¡°I really don¡¯t need to, do I?¡± She looked at Titania and met her rage filled eyes. She smiled warmly which only seemed to anger the woman more. ¡°My friends, the people around me, my big sister Ishtar,¡± she began and looked down at her trembling hands, ¡°They have been screaming at me for so long to get it through my head. That I have just as much a right as anyone else to keep on living, to fight and claw and scrape my way into the future,¡± she snorted, ¡°So caught up in my own fuckin¡¯ head that I just¡­ I didn¡¯t hear them, you know? Everyone was telling me they had my back but I just¡­¡± she tapped herself on the side of the head, ¡°Depression man, it''s a bitch!¡± Titania scowled, disgust wrinkling her features. Sonya smiled back at her unabashed. She let out a sigh through her nostrils and summoned her strength. Monologuing to this bitch felt way too satisfying, even if it meant pushing herself a little. She pat her knees and leaned into the feeling of giddiness, holding the exhaustion at bay for a little while longer, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to live with what I¡¯ve done, and what I¡¯m going to do. But¡­ I know why I¡¯m doing what I¡¯m doing. They do to. That¡¯s good enough for me, it should have been before, it just¡­¡± she gestured to Titania, ¡°Look at you. I get what this place is. A trap so you can keep on living after death. You¡¯re dead, lady. Game over.¡± ¡°Not for long,¡± Titania growled. ¡°Uhuh,¡± Sonya picked at her ear and took another deep breath, savoring the moment. There was a lightness in her chest and in her head. Not a manic one, she knew what that felt like now. Not an ease of the pain from more madness but from acceptance. She exhaled hard and let out a hoarse laugh, ¡°MAN! I fucking hate you so much,¡± she laughed and clenched her fists, ¡°I almost hate you more than Otis, isn¡¯t that crazy?¡± she shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t torture you for hundreds of years or something. Oh wait.¡± Titania gave her a deadpan look but Sonya kept going, looking back at the sky, ¡°Phew. That feels good.¡± I just need time to recover now, yeah. I¡¯m going to be okay, even if it still hurts some days. I¡¯m past the worst of it. Since this place¡¯s sense of time is all screwy, might as well take advantage, she thought wryly. She looked back at Titania, ¡°I kinda feel bad for you. It was a good plan but I can¡¯t help but wonder if the Oracle set you up. I happen to know an Oracle and they have a tricky way of sharing information,¡± she said with a wink. Titania¡¯s expression went dark, her eyes flitting around as the information settled in, ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re seeing it now, aren¡¯tcha?¡± Sonya snarled at her, a grin on her face. She fell onto her back and lazily kicked against the air, shooting the woman the finger. She turned her attention away and looked up at Ishtar¡¯s tear in the sky and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve always got my back, don¡¯t you? She thought with a warm smile. All of you out there have been so worried about me and what have I been doing? ¡°You know,¡± she said, ¡°I think part of my problem was that I just kinda threw myself into it all in a frenzy, hoping for the best. I got distracted a lot, always on to the next scheme and sometimes leaving the others in the dust. It¡¯s hard to manage a villain empire, didja know that?¡± she glanced at Titania, ¡°Right, right, Court Queen. Man, I learned so much from this.¡± She sighed, keeping up the taunting was getting a little tiring but she wasn¡¯t done, she wanted rub it in as much as she could after all Titania had put her through, ¡°I don¡¯t talk a lot about my feelings,¡± she said after a pause. ¡°Then spare me,¡± Titania growled. ¡°Naaaah,¡± Sonya shot back with a sneer, ¡°I never set ground rules for myself, just kinda went around willy nilly like I said,¡± she turned over, ¡°That sucked. I didn¡¯t give myself a chance to breathe and process what I¡¯d done. Didn¡¯t look at those things and remind myself of where I¡¯m going,¡± she chuckled, ¡°See the path, take it to the end, stand at the peak, and look back with pride,¡± she recited and raised her fist into the air. ¡°I¡¯m the bad guy, and I¡¯m okay with it. I¡¯ll have regrets, but I have people to share them with. I don¡¯t have to do this all on my own.¡± She lowered her hand and looked up at the sky one more time, rubbing her thumb into a shaking palm, ¡°I just need a little more time, I¡¯m almost ready, I¡¯ll be better soon,¡± she said quietly, ¡°Hang in there for me big sis,¡± she whispered with all the love in her heart as she reached for the sky. She pulled at the threads and gently tugged them away from the grip she knew was her other half. Give me a little more time, Ishtar. I need to figure out how to help you too, she thought as she twisted her hand, it felt so easy, like this place was hers now. She clenched her fist and the threads closed off. ¡°What just happened?¡± Titania demanded, ¡°What have you done?¡± Sonya pointed at herself, ¡°Me? Oh,¡± she gestured to the vines, ¡°It¡¯s my ability, bitch, not yours, not anymore,¡± she said flatly, ¡°I know I can¡¯t get rid of you until I get rid of it, I¡¯ll figure something out,¡± she mumbled and tapped her chin thoughtfully as the queens ire rose and rose. Sonya brightened and spread her arms out as an exciting idea struck her. ¡°For now, we¡¯re gonna hang out! It¡¯s gonna be fun! I¡¯ve got a loooot of trauma dumping to do and gotta finish getting my head clear, made a big breakthrough today though!¡± Sonya teased before brightening even more, ¡°You know what¡¯s better than solo therapy? Group therapy! I think I¡¯ll invite some friends! You can join us! I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll love having you,¡± the last words came out cold. The bleak black world began to fill with color as Titania struggled against the bonds of her own making, ¡°This is my world! My trap! Mine! You won¡¯t get away with this, you little brat!¡± Sonya smirked at her and tapped her nose, ¡°Actually, ¡®getting away with it¡¯ is exactly what I¡¯m going to do from now on,¡± she teased as the sky turned blue.