Chapter 79 (Patreon)

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.

“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.

<You have Acquired the product: Amethyst Sorceress>

<You have Acquired the product: Heavenly Jade Heart>

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.

<You have upheld a part of your deal with Pandora and have seen to the end of Feng Hyunh, True Herald of Otis, who pulled the strings of the False Herald, An Set. Broker has been improved and you have been granted the power of Investment. You may grant a power to another and allow them to foster it, upon their death, it will be returned to your warehouse.>

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.”