Broker

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. 

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.”

–

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,

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?

–

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.”