Broker

Chapter 238

Ishtar lost.

The wind roaring past her helmet woke her from her stupor. Every cell in her body hurt, her bones ached, her mind spun, her muscles screamed, and the cybernetics grated against her insides. She flipped end over end as she hurtled into the sky, through clouds and rain and snow as she ascended further. Ishtar’s vision swam and she tried to create a berry in her mouth. Instead, all she could taste was a sickly battery-like flavor lingering on her tongue. She swore, lights flashing in her helmet, her HUD warning her of systemic damage throughout her body. She could see notifications that Amos was trying to contact her. Other names popped up, but she couldn’t hear them. The speakers were ruined, the helmet too damaged to hear through her technopathy. Her head lulled back as she continued to hurtle farther and farther away.

After everything, he’s still so much stronger. Maybe I made him that way. Is this my fault? Can I do this without you? Sonya. What happened to you?

She closed her eyes and slipped into the void. An empty blackness that stretched out as far as she could see. She looked down at her hands, luminous in the bleak place. Her entire body aglow as it floated in that realm within her mind. She held her hand out and called for Sonya again, but she’d felt it. The mote truly was gone. Scattered like the million stars above her head.

Stars?

She looked up.

Her lips trembled. Grief rolling through her chest that drew clouds into the sky. Nothing she did had worked. Nothing she did had pulled her better half, her little sister, out of that place. Nothing had been good enough. Sonya’s presence had assured her she was fine. But here she was, alone. For all her power and her scheming and her plans, it all felt pointless. Thunder clapped as she lowered herself to her knees, her fingers running across the velvety blackness beneath her feet. She curled forward and pressed her head to the ground. 

Is this my fault too? Did my existence weaken her mind so much that she couldn’t hold together any longer? Was I out for too long? But I couldn’t wake her! I couldn’t- Her shoulders heaved. “What’s the point in holding on to this fake life if you aren’t there?” she croaked, “This is your story, damn it!”

She slammed her fist against the ground, the little world shook as she sat up and looked back up to the stars. “I hate how pretty it is,” she muttered, “You would have loved it though.”

“Man, she’s already writing me off. That’s a little rude.”

The words echoed out throughout the world like a thunderclap. Ishtar started and spun, searching for the source. “Sonya?”

“Seriously! Like, what kind of villain mopes about like that, huh? Oh wow, wait, that’s real rich coming from me, isn’t it?”

She spun around again, “Sonya!”

“Gimme a second,” Sonya’s thunderous voice said as the stars began to shine above. Ishtar watched as the light collected at a single point before taking shape. Sonya hopped out of it with a skip and a bound, her hair fluttering around her head. Yet it wasn’t the very reappearance of Sonya that arrested Ishtar. It was her smile. Wide, a little mischievous, and so achingly genuine. A smile that reached her eyes. A smile that promised that campfire’s worth of warmth in the lonely dark. Sonya made a show of brushing herself off, “Man, that’s tougher than I thought it’d be. Taking shape in my own head, I thought I was getting good at it.”

Ishtar raced towards her, grabbing onto her arms, squeezing her, her thoughts a whirl of confusion, joy, anger, frustration, grief, and- she hesitated. I can feel everything so clearly.

“Sure can,” Sonya said with a laugh before putting her hands on her hips, “Good hanging in there, sis.”

Ishtar looked at her, her lips trembling, “You- I felt you go.”

Sonya scratched her nose, “Did I?” she tilted her head.

“Your mote, it shattered,” Ishtar said, “I saw it disperse.”

Sonya cracked a smug grin, “Nah, It just got a little bigger,” she said and pointed up.

Ishtar looked to the starry sky, to the clouds, Clouds? The void … she turned and looked and saw sky, a horizon. A wind rushed past her and color filled the world. A blue sky hid the stars, white clouds, and an endless field of green grass. She spun around at the beautiful but oddly empty realm around her.

“You were hiding a lot from me,” Sonya chuckled, “Got yourself a sexy divine private tutor? Don’t worry, I’ve got three now so it's fine.”

Ishtar whirled back, “I-” she looked down, “Yes. I mean-” she chewed her lip and gave Sonya an irritated look, “Oh you know what I mean!” she grumbled and crossed her arms, This little- Scaring me like that. I’ll give her a piece of my- she paused and concentrated. “Wait- three? What do you mean? Where have you been? What took you so long? Why can’t I read your thoughts? Your mind feels so solid.”

“I’m better now,” Sonya said simply.

Ishtar blinked, “Better? Just like that?”

Sonya laughed, “I’d say a few centuries thinking about everything tends to clear stuff up,” she said offhandedly and then rubbed her chin, looking Ishtar up and down, “So this is how you see yourself huh? Not bad! It’s a good look for you. Not the ‘big sister sneaks into my room at night, onee-chan’ look I was expecting but hey! You do you,” Ishtar opened her mouth and tried to find any way to respond to that, failed, and shut her mouth. Sonya burst into laughter, wrapping her arms around herself and throwing her head back in a fit of giggles, “Oh man! You should see your face! I finally got you speechless! Oh! Oh that was so worth it!”

Ishtar felt her chest tighten a little, “You really are… whole, aren’t you?”

Sonya stopped laughing and sighed, returning to that easy smile, “Yeah. Thanks to you.”

Ishtar looked away, “I didn’t do anything. A world conquering villain and I couldn’t even touch whatever it was that was holding you.”

“You did enough,” Sonya said, “You reached for me when I needed it most,” she said softly and held out a hand, “Besides, I was in a trap set by a dead god! Little outside our current pay grade, don’t you think?”

“A dead god?” Ishtar blurted.

“Yeah, something, something, Titania’s a bitch, something, didn’t want to die, blah blah, she imprinted herself on her ability’s blueprint. It’s a whole thing,” Sonya said with a dismissive wave of her hand before relaxing. She shrugged her shoulders and then sighed, “It wasn’t easy. Sis. I uh… I caved for a while there. I went further down than I ever thought was possible. You saved me. You and the others.”

Ishtar didn’t know what to say, “Is she still… We still have her ability.”

“Not for long,” Sonya said with a huff, “You learned some neat stuff about Broker from Pandora, didn’t you?”

Ishtar frowned, “You weren’t in a place where I could share any of that.”

“No, No I was not!” Sonya laughed, “Nope, I would have fucked that up,” she said and looked up to the blue sky, “Yeah. I learned some pretty good stuff too, though.”

Ishtar watched her, her body language, the world around her that was the inside of her mind. Clarity. No obstacles. No pain. The emptiness was gone and filled with something strange and beautiful. She doesn’t need me anymore, does she? She can handle the rest then. I’ve served my purpose, she thought and smiled. What a relief. What a relief to be able to feel relief. Now I can-

“Nah,” Sonya said loudly.

Ishtar blinked. “What?”

“Just because you can’t read my thoughts doesn’t mean I can’t read yours, sis. I know, a little unfair, but hey! I can’t let you know what I’m thinking right now,” Sonya teased and met her eyes. Ishtar stiffened and took a step forward, Sonya didn’t budge as Ishtar got right in her face, “I’m not changing my mind. Sis. I’m not letting you go.”

Ishtar’s eyes widened, “You’re finally healthy! I won’t let you-”

Sonya opened her eyes to the waking world and took a deep breath, she barked out a laugh. “Like you’ve got a choice in this!”

Ishtar whipped her head to the right amidst the noisy wind, “I have every right to choose whether I continue existing or not!”

Sonya spun around in the air, giggling, “Then do something about it!”

Ishtar took control again, “Sonya Chernovna, don’t you dare!”

Sonya wrenched Ishtar out of the drivers seat and snickered, “Sorry! I’m the bad guy this time, and you know what?” she threw her arms out wide, “I’m gonna get away with this one too!” she rolled with laughter as they passed through a cloud, “If the world can’t stop me, what makes you think you can?”

Ishtar went silent. Sonya listened to her thoughts, felt her feelings, smiled and nodded. “I know you’re scared. I was too. But we’re okay. There’s nothing wrong with us. We are who we are. Now it’s my turn to protect you just like you’ve been protecting me all this time. I’m not letting you fade away just because I’m better.”

Ishtar stood in that grassy field and closed her eyes with a resigned smile, “At least you finally have the mindset down. Fine. Do whatever you want, you wicked brat.”

“Always have been,” Sonya laughed into the sky, “Now! I do believe I have a deal to make.”

<Activating Broker, Arbiter Authority; Worldpact>

“HEY! WORLD!” Sonya shouted, “YEAH! YOU! LIFE! HUMANITY! HISTORY! WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE! I DO BELIEVE YOU OWE ME BIG!” she roared and threw out her hand, “SO HERE'S THE DEAL! IT'S TIME TO PAY ME BACK FOR ALL I’VE PUT INTO KEEPING YOU GOING! I’M CASHING IN!”

<Calculating debt total…>

–

Riot threw out his hands, spreading his threads throughout the battlefield. He connected them, weaved them, pulled and pinched. Karma his plaything as he pushed his territory in a way he wanted towards a result he designed. The soldiers still fighting amidst the trees roared with renewed vigor. He felt his connection to Otis strengthen as he quietly weaved the threads to merge with his connection to Otis.

He’s sent Ishtar packing and now all that’s left is to finish this mess, at least we managed to meet up with another team of heroes, I just hope they don’t send us to clean up that dungeon break, Riot thought, glancing towards a self satisfied Felwinter who stood next to him, looking for her next prey. He’d done his best to mitigate the damage, nudging people away from them while Felwinter and Phillip fought, but now there was no stopping her rampage.

Still. There’s turning back now. He knew that his karmic link between Otis was too strong to break at this point. He had been dragged into his orbit and there was just no escape. All he could do was mitigate the damage as best he could. Helping Otis win in this battle meant saving lives, but it also meant pushing Otis towards his goals of fame and power. There was no separating the two outcomes and without that woman present, there was no hope of an alternative.

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, “Damn-”

A pulse of horrendous might washed over him. He staggered as his brain recoiled from it. He collided with one of the other support heroes who caught him, “Hey, Riot, are you okay?” the hero called, pulling him to his feet, “What happened?”

“You don’t feel-” the pulse came again, clearer this time, That wasn’t power. It was karma! It was like a wellspring of Karma had just exploded into existence, so much of it in one place surging into one location. His head felt heavy, his mind swam, something hot dripped from his nose and ears as he collapsed to his knees. “What is that?!” he gasped.

–

Sonya reached out to the world and it reached back. Just like Pandora had done before her, when she had made a deal with the world to seal away mana, Sonya would take what the world owed her for all her suffering and effort to save it. It didn’t care if she had committed crimes along her path. The effort, the acknowledgement, that was all that mattered. She felt a presence that wasn’t a mind. It wasn’t conscious. It didn’t think. It didn’t have a will of its own. A force of nature, a part of nature, nature itself. That everything-ness reached back.

<Calculations complete, Payment scheduled for a later->

“Oh no! We’re not done here!” she shouted and the presence seemed to pause. “I’m gonna keep saving the world! I’m going to do it, and I’m going to win! No one’s gonna stop me! No one’s gonna get in my way! This world is going to be better than the last time around, Pandora’s and Otis’! This is my world! My legend!” she bellowed, “So I think you need to pay me up front!”

<Assessing…>

–

“…Flowering Branch!” Chunhua roared, a wave of force ripping out from her weapon in an arc of power. The wave crashed into the gathered cultists and tore through them as Kant blocked, whipping her weapon to the side with a snarl and sending the wave crashing to the ground. The wicked cultivator’s black hair whipped around her face as she glared baelfully at Chunhua. Chunhua raised her weapon and pointed it at her. “You’ve gotten stronger but you’re still willing to throw numbers at me. Did losing an arm scare you, Kant?”

I need to finish this already, that earthquake was another dungeon breaking. I still have no idea what happened with the first dungeon’s monsters, this is getting bad.

“It’s Tianmo to you!” Kant shouted, raising her sword and clenching her fist around it. Dozens of cultists dropped to the ground as dark power rushed from them, gathering around Kant’s body like a halo. It drew into her skin as her eyes glowed, wounds healed, and her cultivation increased just a little bit more. She readied her weapon and took a step forward, Chunhua felt her power rise for a moment. She’s getting ready to-

They both froze. A rush of awareness coming over them.

Chunhua spun, “A heavenly tribulation?” she gasped.

“That’s impossible, there aren’t any cultivators that powerful around here,” Kant said, also looking up at the sky.

“But it feels like it, what is happening?” Chunhua breathed

–

Sonya passed through another cloud as the world, mana, nature, the collective subconscious, history itself made its decision.

<Acceptable>

Sonya grinned and clenched the fingers on that hand she was holding out, “It’s a deal!” she shouted, “I’ll save the world! I’ll make it happen! I’ll give it everything I’ve got and I’ll get away with it! I’ll survive to see the other end of all of this and I’ll take it all! So you give me what I want! I want her to be a part of me, not just a figment, not just a fragment, real. She is real! So let’s make it stick! While you’re at it, do me a favor and deal with that bitch Titania!”

<The proposed action will have consequences. Restrictions set by Arbiter Pandora will be significantly weakened. Do you accept?>

Sonya laughed, “I guess that means more problems! No worries, I’m the bad guy after all, I can take it!”

<Party: Sonya Chernovna has proposed a deal with Party: The World. Party: Ishtar’s existence will be reforged and affirmed. Visage of Titania will be consumed, forever changed. A new ability will be born through a merger process, fueled and assisted by Party: The World. [White Seal - Awakenings] will be broken as a result of this action.>

<One last time, Do you accept these terms and the consequences?>

Sonya smiled, “Ishtar?”

Ishtar looked up in that grassy place towards the sky, “Yes, you wicked, silly girl?”

“I love you, sister.”

–

Crusader sat on the ground, her arm thrown over a knee as she watched Liberty and Harbinger clash again. The ground beneath her kept shaking and it looked like it was trying to rise up in places, forming tiny little walls here and there. She shook her head in disbelief before looking up at Harbinger, alight with golden fire, standing toe to toe with her monstrous sister whose powers were dwindling with every second. It was almost over. A clash sent Harbinger flying back a few feet and she skidded to a stop next to Crusader who looked up at her with a grin despite what seemed like an apocalypse around them.

Harbinger landed next to her, “You good?” she asked, breathless.

Crusader nodded, “I’m fine,” How about you?”

Harbinger licked her lips, “Never better,” she said with a grin, “I feel like I’m onto something. I will be the one that beats her,” she said, her blue eyes glinting behind matted blonde hair. 

Crusader smiled, “I believe you. Just gotta hold out till-” she stopped as she felt a presence explode into being. Her powers flickered for a moment, a strangeness overcoming her. She looked down at her hand and then up at Harbinger who was looking equally lost. Across from them, even Liberty frowned and looked up at the sky.

Liberty’s eyes widened as the tiny moments of fear she’d concealed behind rage were brought all the way to the fore. Terror filled her eyes. Something big was coming.

–

Sonya opened her eyes inside the warehouse. She looked down at her hand and saw the glowing, sparking token that was Visage of Titania. She felt the cruel intent inside that she had missed before. How it had acted upon her own abilities to trap her within her own mind. She felt it respond despite its protestations, her power eclipsing it in that moment. That’s right. This is game over for you, bitch. She thought and held out a hand, tokens from across her warehouse gathering over her palm.

She grinned.

<You have selected Grandeur of Bahamut>

<You have selected Limitless Volley>

<You have selected Indomitable>

<You have selected Art of War>

That should be enough, she hummed to herself before spotting a few more minor ones here and there, Oh wait! That’ll be good, and this one, and this one! She chuckled as the token that represented visage screamed in protest. She snickered and gathered them all before looking down at the token again. I think that’s enough! Begin the Merger!

<Merger->

<Error! Insufficient Mana! Cannot proceed with->

Sonya opened her eyes back to the waking world. She was still falling. It was funny to her how time seemed to slow down when she was inside her own head. I should take advantage of that more often, she thought before turning in the air and feeling out the world. Now I do believe I’m owed- ah! She chuckled as she felt the mana from afar. All the mana bubbling in the sky over the warzone, it had been gathering around dungeons starting to pour in and push them towards bursting. Now that won’t do.

“Hey World! I’ll take that! That work for you?” she shouted.

–

Amos stared at the screen, running his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Another dungeon had gone up, the blast had been small comparatively but the mana released into the atmosphere by it sent a chill down his spine. He’d been about ready to tell Euclidia to start withdrawing the heroes from the follow-up blast zone when everything began to change. The naturally moving clouds of mana had changed course, pulling away from the dungeons they were normally drawn to. Now they were all peeling away and gathering at a single point in the distance. What the fuck?

“What’s happening?” Colin asked.

Amos shook his head and got to his feet, “I need to suit up,” he said, “That’s close to where the last signal we got from the boss was. If she’s still alive, I need to get her out of there as fast as I can!”

–

Sonya opened her eyes in the grassy field of their mind space. Ishtar stared at her, her eyes wide. She looked down at her hands, “Sonya, I-”

Sonya smirked and moved to meet her, taking her face in her hands, “I will never leave you behind. You are a part of me. We are the same. We both wanted to die, didn’t we? If I have to keep going, so do you,” Sonya said gently and brushed her dear reflection’s hair out of her face.

Ishtar rested her head against Sonya’s “If it’s like this, it’s going to be pretty quiet in your head most of the time.”

“We don’t know how it’ll work, but I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Sonya murmured.

“I don’t doubt it,” Ishtar said with a chuckle, “Even so, you’ll be fine without me when I’m quiet? You’ll be in charge from now on. No free rides.”

Sonya sniffed as her chest heaved, she threw her arms around Ishtar’s neck and nodded, “Yeah,” she croaked.

“Looks like I got away scott-free first,” Ishtar joked, “Immortalized as an ability. Kind of fitting, don’t you think?”

Sonya pulled back and scoffed, “You’re so arrogant.”

“I get it from you,” Ishtar quipped, “Now what are you going to do?”

Sonya smirked at her, a smirk that turned into a vicious grin, “Save the world and get away with it. No one’s going to stop me.”

“You were born to make history, Sonya,” Ishtar said, “You were born to do this. You are the most incredible-” her voice cracked a little, “You, you made a being that was made to feel nothing, feel so much for you. I care for you more than you could possibly imagine and I have spent every day of my existence in a glow as I have watched you grow,” she said and ran her hands down the sides of Sonya’s face, “If anyone can do this, it’s you. Embrace it. Revel in it. Be the villain the world needs. I’ll be watching until you need me.”

Sonya’s words choked as she pulled her into a deep embrace, “See you soon.”

“I can’t wait,” Ishtar said and, just like that, she burst into a cascade of light.

Sonya woke, falling from the sky. She tasted blood on her lips as she fell and fell. The wind roaring around her helmet, “It’s about time, isn’t it? My dear reflection? Come, let me hear your voice. Sister, I need you, we have a world to save, It’s time to put my mask on,” she murmured, as if in a trance. 

<Deal Complete>

<A new ability is taking shape.>

She closed her eyes and felt the sky rushing past her, she breathed deep, thoughts drifting into her head slowly at first before turning into a deluge. Impressions, ideas, concepts, knowledge, wisdom, information that she’d segmented from herself somehow when Ishtar was born. Instincts, instructions for her abilities that she hadn’t even considered but seemed laughably obvious in retrospect. She thought about her new friends she’d made in that terrible place, gratitude swelling in her chest. Pandora, Loki, Set, she’d see them again soon, she knew it.

Sonya let out a low, shuddering breath.

“Your will is mine, my will is yours,” she said and her helmet cracked. Her regalia began to flicker and glow, blue pixels swallowing it and restoring it in rapid succession as her hair leaked out from the fissure in her helmet. In her mind's eye she clenched down on the token of Visage of Titania, squeezing it tighter and tighter as she drew mana away from the battlefield and into herself. She greedily consumed it all, made it her own, used it, forged it. The token trembled in her grip, shook, the light changed to the color of Kera’s primal ability before losing all color, becoming naught but pale light.

FWOOM

<Visage of Titania has been consumed.>

<Merger Marked abilities have been consumed.>

The token turned pink and then burst, scattering and reforming into something beautiful and new. Something uniquely hers. A new pattern. A new blueprint.

Her helmet exploded, shards falling off of her and dissolving into motes of pale white light. “What once was broken now is whole,” She spread her arms out and lifted her chin, her hair whipping past her.

<Party: Ishtar is merging with a new ability. Proceeding with infusion.>

“My dearest reflection, I hear your voice,” she felt power march through her veins and meridians, cycling, rising, building into a crescendo. There was no pain like other mergers. No terror. No anguish. Just peace. “I’m standing tall now, I’ve made my choice.”

Her body erupted into a glow, her entire being consumed for a moment in the light of the Flash. Something moved over her arms and legs, plates of metal that sinched into shape around her body as her regalia dissolved away. A chestplate, elegant and beautiful with laurel patterns formed on her chest and glowed with faint light. Armor affixed to her arms and gauntlets formed over her hands, delicate and beautiful but adorned with wicked claws.

“For the sake of the world, I’ll damn my soul, I’ll save them all,” she murmured as a new helmet formed over her jaw, a single silvery shape that encased her head. 

<Merger Complete>

<Heroic spirit, wicked villain, guiding sage. You who have taken the name of the fallen Queen of the Stars and made it your own. With this power the two of shall become a greater whole. Your will shall be her will. Her heart shall be your heart. Greater than the sum between you. The tale has ended. You have staked your claim. The LEGEND begins.>

–

Alarms flashed in Otis’ vision as he carved his way across the battlefield. Red lights flashing on the heads up display of his ability. He smashed another cultist that approached him and kicked the corpse away with a growl. What now? He thought, It’s taking too long to get to Liberty. Didn’t the other heroes deal with these insects already? I can’t let those girls win and report back! He raged even as the lesser heroes behind him, the chattel who had tagged along as he charged back to his destination, looked at him with admiration. It’s just not enough!

A thrum went through the air and the alarms in his head turned into a siren.

He whipped his head towards the source, somewhere far, far away. He felt the mana around him getting pulled from the battlefield. But- the dungeons. What the hell is happening?

<Alert. Guide has detected a paradigm shift. Current guide chances of success have dropped below the acceptable threshold of fifty percent.>

“WHAT?!” he bellowed and came to a complete stop, looking up at the sky.

<Recalculating... No successful paths available with current user capacity. Deactivating Players Guide feature until further notice.>

<Alert. A claim has been made upon the domain of the BZZT Gods. A legend has been established. A Gr-BZZT godling soul has been formed. If this entity fully realizes their potential, your role in the story will be reduced.>

Shock. He stared at the words in open horror. No. No no no. It was supposed to be ME first! Me! There was only one person who was even possibly capable of so completely pulling the rug out from under him. Rage consumed him as he picked up his pace, rising off the ground with his flight power and launching himself towards the center of the field. He couldn’t let her get in his way again. “ISH-TAAAAAAR!”

–

Sonya hurtled towards the ground as the armor finished taking shape, a smile on her face beneath that glittering diamond helm. “Thank you, for making me strong, for carrying that weight for so long,” She sung and tilted her head a little, “For a woman lost outside of time, you fought so hard, I know what I need to do now. I’ll take the weight,” she promised. “I hear you.”

I’m with you. I will never leave your side. Ishtar said, her voice sounded distant, but soon it rose to the surface within her mind before easing into her own thoughts. This will take some getting used to. It feels different than before.

Sonya smiled, “Want to try the first function?”

Absolutely.

The information came faster, faster, faster, the instincts building in her mind and laying bare that blueprint of something new. She felt Deus Ex Machina react instantly, reorganizing her abilities, structuring them, adjusting them. It pulled them together into categories and aligned them with one another. Streamlined. More efficient. More powerful than ever before.

TICK… TICK… TICK TICK TICK TICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICK

“We are one.” Sonya said aloud, her voice, layered with Ishtars, two voices echoing in concert shook the air as the earth drew ever closer. “I AM ISHTAR.”

The helmets eyes opened, pink light burning like flames from its smooth surface. She pivoted in the air and threw herself towards the ground, landing with a titanic boom that made the earth itself tremble. She rose to her feet with her head held high and let her presence wash over the earth. Her gaze opened, the excess mana still drawing into her body to fuel her new form sent her eyes to the far corners of the world. Pink rings formed over cities across the globe and she peered down upon them all.

<A new ability has been born: Regalia of Sonya Chernovna>

<Regalia of Sonya Chernovna has segregated itself from Deus Ex Machina and has absorbed Visage of Titania, Imperious, Iron Body, Nectar and Ambrosia, Heavenly Legion, Grandeur of Bahamut, Indomitable, and The Astral Eye.>

<Deus Ex Machina has reorganized its subordinate abilities into two abilities.>

<Cybernetic Paragon has been created from Heavenly Jade Heart, Cybernetic Eyes v2, Gravitic Flight, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Reflexes, Enhanced Physical Reinforcement, Enhanced Senses, High Precision Movement, Enhanced Sensory Processing, Genius Level Intellect, Technopathy, Adomopathy, and Art of War.>

<Will of the Architect has been created from Hard Light, Non-Euclidian, Augment Reality, Limitless Volley, and Digitize Space.>

<You now possess three Primary abilities, Broker, Deus Ex Machina, and Regalia of Sonya Chernovna>

<Stand tall, oh living legend, your ascent has begun, an ability bearing your name has been created.>

Sonya drew a deep breath into her lungs, the injuries on her body healing and the pain that had wracked her from Otis’ blow subsiding. She reached out with her senses as she drew her gaze away from the world that had slammed to a halt in the wake of her awakening. She felt the mana in the air even from where she was now. The remaining dungeons in the region were out of immediate danger but if the fighting continued they would inevitably burst. One more had already gone up. The three-way battle was going badly. The world was teetering on the verge of destruction yet again. First Vegas, Then Tokyo, Then Seattle, now here. 

“Can’t have that,” she said, trembling with the excess power burning inside of her from her pact.

Certainly not, I should do something about all that, shouldn’t I? Ishtar thought.

“Maybe make a show of it,” Sonya said with a smirk, “Gotta make a grand entrance, don’t I?”

I most certainly do, after all, what is more important to a villain than-

“PRESENTATION!” She laughed and darted into the sky.