Broker

The locker seemed so humble after everything that had happened up to this point in her life. Just a single slip of steel and a set of hinges. She ran her hand over it and put in the combination with a few quick flips of her wrist. She pulled it open with a yank and reached in to grab a fresh top and pants from the vacuum-sealed bags inside. Crusader chuckled and shook her head. “Figured I was just being pragmatic,” she muttered. “These have been here for a while.”

She threw on her outfit and adjusted the collar of her orange letterman jacket, frowning in the mirror. Sonya had told her to be patient, to observe, to not act until all the cards were in her hands. She stopped and gripped her coat, knuckles turning white. If only it were that easy, she thought and closed her eyes. She took a deep, steadying breath. She had a job to do; she had to do it right, even if it meant walking through sludge to get there. Do it for Val, she reminded herself. Do it for Val.

She reached up and rubbed her neck, popping it once before a flutter of wings and the slight warble of Alphonse’s voice hit her ears. She felt his talons settle on her shoulder, and she glanced at him. “I got this buddy,” she said and reached up to stroke his feathers. “You just keep me grounded, yeah?”

The golden hawk spread his wings once and flapped them, tilting his head and looking her in the eyes before looking forward. She smirked. “Thanks.”

She let out one more breath and stepped out of the locker room and into the modern interior of the ASTA East Coast Guild. A few employees hurried past with documents in their hands and stopped briefly to nod to her before they continued moving. Her lip twitched as she made her way through the organized chaos, listening to the chatter: other heroes getting called in on assignment, sponsorship deals being negotiated with other companies, and revisions of patrol routes. Apparently there was a bank robbery in progress, but it was being handled.

She hit the elevator, and it opened. Three sets of eyes met hers. One was another office worker, who gave her a wide-eyed look and inclined her head. “H-hero Crusader, welcome back!” She said quickly and dipped out of the elevator with a packet of papers in her hands. The other two were a pair of young men in casual clothes. One was a tall, thin boy with dark skin and sharp jet black eyes. The other was shorter but wider, his thick arms crossed over his chest. She tapped the floor she was going to and the door shut behind her.

The shorter guy cracked a grin. “Crusader, in the flesh.”

The taller guy held out a hand. “Ma’am. I’m So-Co. This is Virgil. We’re second camp graduates,” he said quickly, his tone clipped and professional.

She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you both,” she said. “I knew the guild was still recruiting, but I’ll be honest, I’ve been all over the place,” she sighed. “I have no idea how many of us there are.”

Virgil laughed, but his slight sneer abated a little. “There’s like forty of us now in the East Coast Guild,” he said. “Still growing. Apparently there are a few applicants downstairs right now who came in between camps.”

So-Co nodded. “Rigorous vetting. Should have waited for a camp.”

Crusader glanced at the door. “Forty… No wonder it's so chaotic out there.”

Virgil smirked. “You really should find some time to join us mortals back home. The Guildmaster and Vice Guildmaster want to chain your team to a post right now. There’s apparently mountains of sponsorship requests,” he cocked an eyebrow. “Fortunately, Otis has been here to pick up a solid number of them.”

Her shoulders tensed only a little, and her lips thinned. “Glad to hear he’s keeping up.”

So-Co leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Was. Still on probation after the Kerauna incident. You know anything about that?”

She met his gaze. “That’s why I’m here.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Oho?”

The door chimed and opened. The two heroes glanced at one another and then at her. Virgil smirked and nodded before walking past her. “Nice meetin’ ya in the flesh, Crusader.”

“Yes, see you around, ma’am,” So-Co said and followed him out.

She watched them go and felt her chest tighten a little as the doors shut. The elevator started moving without waiting for her to fully catch her breath. Just hearing that name sent her skin crawling and her blood boiling. Rage. It was so hard to just push it down, but she made it happen, stemming her quiet fury with a deep breath and a sigh. Alphonse warbled next to her head, and she just nodded. “Nah, I’m good,” she muttered and adjusted her coat again, shoving her hands into her pockets as the door chimed.

She looked out over the administrative lobby - the empty seats, the logistics screens, and the heavy doors on the other side leading to Bluestar’s office. The last time she was here, she was getting a tour from Sonya with the rest of the graduates. When we were all still together, she thought morosely, her heart tightening in her chest. She set her jaw and stepped into the space, crossing the distance to the door. It opened for her immediately.

Bluestar’s office was refined and meticulous. A dark oak desk set at the center of the room framed by a window that overlooked a portion of the city. Cabinets lined the right wall while the left was covered in various monitors and displays. A pair of couches were set ahead of her desk with a table between them. They looked new. Plush carpet sunk a little beneath her feet as she stepped inside, and she met the eyes of the three people inside.

Guildmaster Bluestar stood behind her desk with chestnut brown hair, deep eyes that contrasted against her pale skin, and a quiet but stern face. The first generation hero and Vegas veteran wore a chromatic blue gown that fitted snugly to her frame. She had her fingertips resting on her desk as she looked up to Crusader. “Lillian, welcome,” she said with a small smile. “It’s been a while.”

Next to her in a red t-shirt that clashed with her deathly-pale skin was Guildmaster Evergreen. Her red and white hair was braided thickly and hung down her shoulder. She cracked a grin and looked her up and down. “Crusader, International status looks good on you,” she chuckled and pursed her lips. “Glad to see you got out of Shanghai in one piece.”

The final member of the trio was the bland and stoic face of John. Vice Guildmaster Everyman stood off to the left in his usual crisp white shirt, black tie, and black slacks. His arms were crossed behind his back in a military posture. His mute expression cracked a little when he met her eyes, and his lips curled up into a small smile. “Lillian.”

Crusader stopped at the table between the two couches. “I’m here,” she said. “Where is he?”

The door hissed behind her, and she turned, her heart suddenly leaping into her throat. It slid open to reveal a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Perfect blonde hair coiffed just right. Brilliant sapphire blue eyes glittering as they swept the room before stopping to meet her orange-colored gaze. His smile was pleasant, easy-going, but Crusader knew that what was going behind that smile was anything but.

Otis adjusted the high collar of what looked like a military uniform tunic and swept inside with slow, measured steps. Each step seemed to echo in the room, even against the carpet, the sound pounding in her skull. He stopped just a few feet away from her and smiled. “Hero Crusader,” he said, his smile widening. “You’re back.” He glanced past her. “I assume that means I’ll be going on my tour now?”

“This isn’t a vacation, Otis,” Bluestar said behind Crusader. “Both of you, join us.”

Crusader didn’t turn; she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He flicked his gaze to hers and raised an eyebrow. “See something you like, Crusader?”

She took a deep breath and moved out of the way, going to walk towards the Guildmaster’s desk. Calm down. Remember what Sonya told you. She shrugged. “Just wondering when you’re going to join us in the big leagues, Otis,” she said wryly and stopped next to John, a little bit ahead of her friend. Not enough to clearly be positioning herself but still feeling protective.

Otis stepped around the other side of the couches and held her gaze with that damn smirk of his before stopping in front of Bluestar’s desk. “Guildmaster.”

Bluestar let out a sigh and smiled at him; it made Crusader feel sick. “You are trouble, sometimes, Otis,” she said and shook her head before her expression firmed. “You understand the reason for this punishment tour, correct?”

No clenched jaw, no shift in expression, nothing. Otis just nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I put my teammates in danger to go meet a friend during my suspension and put a civilian in harm’s way. I also left the country without authorization,” he said plainly. No remorse, but no arrogance either. Just describing the weather.

She exhaled and nodded. “I’m glad you understand. Fortunately for you, the blame for the attack rests solely on Kerauna, and by extension, Ishtar.”

A tension in his jaw - a held back frown. He reacted to Ishtar’s name.

Bluestar continued. “This punishment contract will cover a series of minor dungeons throughout North America. Canada has confirmed permission for you to cross the border and clear a few within their territory as well,” she tapped her finger on the desk. “This is not a parade, this is not a press tour, though there will be some coverage,” she said and fixed him with a stare. “This is about rebuilding your image and making things as right as possible. Understood?”

Another tension in his jaw - a restrained smile this time. “Yes, ma’am.”

Bluestar gestured to Evergreen. “Guildmaster Evergreen has agreed to be the primary overseer of the tour. The Pandora Committee has made the decision that punishment tours like this should be handled in-house by at least two heroes of higher rank than you. One must be in house, one must at least be from outside your primary guild,” she gestured to Crusader. “International Hero Crusader will be your supervisor from within our guild.”

His expression was impassive as he nodded. “I look forward to getting back to work, ma’am.”

“You’ll be clearing these dungeons alone, kid,” Evergreen chimed in. “They’re all Common and Uncommon. A trained Mythic should have no problem, but you’ll have a probe with you just in case,” she said. “It’ll be reporting back on your condition.”

“A probe?” he asked, looking her way.

“Is that a problem?” Crusader chimed in, hands clenching into fists in her pockets.

He paused and then turned her way, meeting her eyes. For just a moment, for a fraction of a second, she finally saw the monster hiding beneath the perfect picture. A chill spider walked down her spine as her mouth went dry. It was bloodcurdling how little humanity was in those eyes. Nothing. Like a cold pit yawning over a black chasm.

“No, ma’am,” he said with a smile. “No problem at all.”

—

Sonya adjusted the zipper on her jumpsuit and stretched her fingers, clenching and unclenching her fists. The new fabric was nice, breathable. She twisted and looked down over her shoulder. “You sure this doesn’t make the curves a little too intense?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing up at Amos. He was standing off to the side with Colin.

Amos grinned. “Maybe ease up on the chips then?” he suggested. Colin snorted and looked away, covering his mouth to restrain a laugh.

She crossed her arms and pouted before cracking her own grin and looking towards Marta. “What do you think? It’ll fit better under my armor than my suit and tie,” she said with a chuckle, hopping up and down to test its weight. She did a standing backflip and landed on her toe. “Very nice. Armor quality?”

Amos and Colin stopped snickering. The scientist shrugged. “Oh, just up to Rare-tier Pandora rounds. No biggie.”

She rolled her eyes. “Show-off.” She glanced around his lab and towards a set of mannequins standing in a line in a darkened portion of the space. “How are those going?”

He crossed his arms. “Pyrolysis’ new gear is done. Wallbreaker’s need some final adjustments, but I’m pretty happy with them,” he said. “I was hoping you’d be here for the presentation.”

She sighed and rested her hands on her hips. “No rest for the wicked, hun,” she said and turned to Colin. “Speaking of which, are you prepared for your role? You’ve got a busy day coming up.”

Her lawyer reached up and played with his hair braid lazily, his eyes turning red briefly as he leaned against Amos’ desk. He was the picture of refined femininity next to Amos’ exhausted grunge. “I’ve got this, boss. You just let me handle the legal stuff.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Colin. I don’t care if she realizes that it’s me making this move or not, as long as she gets out.” Her eyes hardened. “I want Mimir found.”

Colin flicked his eyes towards her and stood up, sweeping into a dramatic bow before standing up straight. “Your wish is my command, Ishtar,” he said with an easy grin and put his hands on his hips. “Besides, this is just a technicality. I can do these in my sleep.”

“Firth might intervene,” Sonya warned.

He pursed his lips. “Oh no,” he rolled his eyes. “Whatever will I do?”

It was Amos’ turn to snicker. Sonya laughed and shook her head. “You are a piece of work,” she said and exhaled. She turned to Marta, who had been standing silently off to the side. She was already in the veil and dark-armored gown of her Companion persona. “Ready?” she asked. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel⁂fire.net

“Always, Mistress.”

Sonya looked back at the boys. “Alright, boys, behave while I’m away. Clean up after your messes, and don’t raid the fridge.” She waggled her finger before winking. She reached up to grab at the air over her head and pulled down with a slow breath. It’s time to put my mask on. Her body glowed, and a rush of strength washed through her muscles and over her skin. She felt the armor take shape as she rose off the ground a few inches, her feet dangling beneath her. Her helmet took shape, and she tilted her chin up as she felt Erina’s presence rise up in the back of her mind.

Their thoughts synchronized, and she let out a shuddering breath. Her hand snapped out, and a portal opened ahead of her.

Time to go say hello to Erebus.