Broker

It was a quick flight from the ground level of the arena to the roof. Marta’s wings carried her with very little effort, and she alighted on the slightly curved metal surface with barely a sound. She folded her wings around her against the wind that buffeted her face, her eyes fixed on the shape in the distance. A titanic figure stood in the water just inside the harbor. The small houses in the mile between her and the water seemed so tiny by comparison. It looked like he could just reach down and pluck one up with his bare hands.

He wasn’t nearly that big, but the illusion was strong.

She watched him for a heartbeat, her hair fluttering around her. Her lips pulled in as she settled the butterflies in her stomach. For all Sonya’s bluster and whimsy in the past couple of days, she couldn’t erase the trauma and tragedy that defined her very being. Who she was and what she was here to do. The jokes, the wisecracks, the mischievous villainous grins, and the wicked plans - they all had a purpose. Marta realized in that moment that part of what had changed in Sonya was a separation between end and process. 

It was her goal, but it didn’t rule her anymore.

Marta still thought about it, though. Why she was doing what she was doing. What the point of this fight was. A distraction for the dungeon raid team? Yes. A display of her power to show off a bit to the world? Yes. The first of several reminders of Ishtar’s might? Yes. More important than all of those was what this fight would mean for the heroes of the world. People were scared. The balance between the Heroes and Villains was firmly leaning down towards Ishtar. The scale needed to be reset in a very public way.

That was Marta’s job here. To crystallize in the hearts and minds of humanity that the heroes were not on the back foot. Even if it was a performance, it was a crucial one.

And I am so goddamn nervous, she thought with a shaky laugh as the man she loved threw his head back and roared with such tremendous force that the air quaked.

She spread her wings. I suppose I shouldn’t keep him waiting any longer.

The white glow spread across her skin. Her fingers extended into claws, and her powerful body was coated in scales. She held her head high as her wings flapped and she rose from the top of the stadium roof. The sun beat down on her, and she felt its rays in her flesh. The power that Sonya had invested in her was already acting passively. She’d promised not to use it during this fight, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the side benefits. She rose up higher and higher, gleaming with the intensity of Baldur’s heroic spirit, and launched.

It was just over one mile between her position and the water. About two miles to where Barry stood. Accelerating too much might do harm to her surroundings, and Barry wasn’t moving a whole lot yet, so she didn’t overdo it. Even so, it would only take two minutes to reach him. Long enough to sort out her feelings and-

<”Handmaiden! This is Guildmaster Quint! I just received word that the Committee is calling in Internationals to help,”> came a voice through her earpiece.

She smiled and reached up to tap her earpiece, pulling the mic down to her throat to switch it over so she could speak even with the wind rushing past her. <”That won’t be necessary, Guildmaster. Tell the Committee to stand down.”>

<”You’re joking. That’s Kingshark out there! It won’t take more than ten minutes to-”>

<”Ten minutes we don’t have,”> Marta said gently. <”I am a Hero, Guildmaster. I won’t stand idle. I can handle him. Just because they’re the villains doesn’t mean they’re stronger than us.”>

<”Now’s not the time to prove a point, Handmaiden!”>

<”I disagree.”>

She snapped to a stop, hovering in the air over the water. Her wings spread wide as her glow blasted out from her body. She swept her presence over everything, buffeting the madness inherent in Kingshark’s power. She pushed it away and raised her chin to look down at him. He looked up at her. A behemoth tall enough to stand freely in the water of the harbor. His face was a mask of horror, tendrils forming an eerie beard beneath a bald head and burning red eyes. His charcoal black flesh glittered with the moisture of the sea around him.

<”Now is the perfect time.”>

She tapped her earpiece and disabled it. She didn’t need any distractions. It was only the two of them now. She kept her expression stoic and firm, while his eyes smoldered with barely contained rage. Yet she knew the man behind the madness, knew what he was thinking, and knew how nervous he was too. Anyone else would see a nightmare. She saw a king.

H A N D M A I D E N!  A L O N E?

His voice was like a concussive wave. She knew everyone for miles could hear him. The dread that each syllable inspired was enough to make a normal person weep. Marta straightened her back and looked him in the eyes. She drew in a breath, and, with the strength given to her by her new draconic ability, she blasted her voice out in response so that those who heard him could hear her. “KINGSHARK!” she shouted like a clap of thunder. “JUST ONE HERO IS ENOUGH!”

The air stilled, and Kingshark’s shoulders started to tremble. He threw his head back and laughed.

H A!  H A!  H A!

His head whipped forward as a fresh wave of malice billowed from him.

S H O W  M E!

For those standing by. For those watching from afar. For the camera crews and bystanders bearing witness to two peak Mythics about to clash. It was like a sight from an old story. A dark beast from the sea, its body the color of the cold, unforgiving depths, reached up towards a small, brilliant spark of light in the form of a maiden. One man took a photograph that would become legendary.

The sea coiled up around Kingshark’s body and lashed out in her direction. She jerked to the side, avoiding the whips of icy water, and dove towards him. One tendril of water changed course to strike her across the chest, and she whipped her scaled arm out, swatting it away. Heat burned beneath her scales and vaporized the water before he could take hold of it. She was only a few dozen feet from his face when his palms came next. They slammed into her from both sides as she pulled her wings around her like a second layer of armor.

She heard his chest rumble with a chuckle before she threw her arms out with a grunt, slamming her fists into his palms. His hands parted, and she freed herself. The king of the sea took a step back, and she charged, fist clenched. There was no force on Earth that could stop Handmaiden’s opening blitz. It was her signature.

She drove her fist into the side of his massive head, and he stumbled, letting out a roar of pain. One of the tendrils that made up his beard whipped towards her, and she flapped her wings, shooting into the sky before launching herself right back down. Heroic Strength had been an excellent power to start with. With Euclidia’s help, she had been able to take advantage of acceleration to devastating effect against An Set. Now she had wings and the strength of a dragon on top of it.

He turned to look up at her, and his own titanic fist came up to meet hers. They clashed, and the shockwave sounded like a clap of thunder. She was lighter than he was, though, and while he only shifted his weight, she was sent hurtling back up into the sky. She caught herself in midair and let the light build around her body. She could feel the presence of those watching her, Baldur’s Body sensing their hearts. He spread his hands out, and the sea churned. 

Show me everything you have! she thought. I want to see it all!

BOOM!

She launched with enough immediate acceleration to break the sound barrier. Water rushed up to meet her, but she blasted right through it, her arm outstretched. She collided with him and pulled him down with her. The clothesline to end all clotheslines. She felt his weight give way to her force, and he hit the water with a roar and a splash. Her foot touched the water, though, and that was all it took for him to turn the tables back. She felt it grab hold of her and pull her under. The sea felt like a living thing as it fell under his will. Thick, malleable, substantial.

It crushed in on her with a pressure reserved for the deepest reaches. She felt one of her scales creak and gritted her teeth. Her muscles groaned and her bones screamed, but her regeneration fought back against it, keeping her alive as the water spun her around and churned, trying to keep her from focusing long enough to escape. She pushed back, straining against the weight of the ocean and his will. She could see his eyes in the depths just beyond the bubbles and foam. 

I S  T H A T  A L L?

Not by a long shot.

She touched on her instincts. The depths of her new draconic power. It was a facet she hadn’t delved into yet, but if there was anything that could give her more strength, this was it. She closed her eyes as the water pressure tried to crush her and changed.

She felt it in her bones first. They felt denser, heavier, stronger. She felt her sense of self shift. She grew and grew and grew. Her senses exploded with new information, an understanding of the world around her that her humble human mind could not have grasped. Yet, as her head stretched, her jaws grew stronger, and her teeth grew longer, she claimed dominion over her surroundings just as he did. It was a bestial power, but there was something more to it. A pride, a dignity, an innate instinct to stand tall.

She already understood it. Marta had always been fierce. Proud. She enjoyed presenting a silent dignity while concealing ferocity beneath it. She’d only had this power for a short time, but it felt like her very soul simply understood it. She had the spirit of Baldur but the heart of a Dragon.

ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!

The sea exploded as she burst out of it, a mountain of scales and muscle and teeth. Pearlescent scales glittered in the sunlight as she flapped her true wings for the first time and roared. Kingshark exploded from the sea in response, and for a brief moment, his eyes went wide. She bared her teeth at him, and her jaw opened, a terrible fire burning inside of her. The air stilled, and with a flash of light, a concentrated ray of heat and power blasted down towards him and struck him dead center. It didn’t penetrate, but it lifted him up and sent his mass across the water like a skipping stone.

He was on his feet in an instant, bellowing with fury as he raised his arms, and the water level of the entire bay dipped. A tidal wave. She snapped her jaws and charged, claws extended, as he rapidly built a wave that was coming closer and closer to being large enough to wipe out a significant portion of the harbor. Tentacles rose up from the sea to grab her, and she dove between them, sweeping left and right with mighty flaps of her wings. He opened his mouth and released a terrible shriek that would have obliterated the mind of a lesser being.

She just powered through and struck. Her teeth dug into his neck as her claws dug into his face. Her tail whipped down and clashed against the tendrils of his beard as he tried to fight her off. She pushed and threw him back into the tidal wave that he had formed. The water rushed around them in a roaring deluge, the tidal wave collapsing with it. His hands snapped up and grabbed hold of her, pulling her off and throwing her off. She caught herself in the air and dove right back down.

H A N D M A I D E N!

He bellowed and clapped his hands together, another blast to send her away. She diverted, changing direction midair and sweeping around him to release another, albeit weaker, blast of energy from her jaws. He swept towards her and gestured, the water coming up from the sea like pressure cannons. One struck her in the side, and she picked up speed, diving into a barrel roll as a trio of shots flashed past her. Another blast from her jaws strafed across his legs, and yet another across his midsection. He howled, and the sea churned again.

Let the whole world see it. Our dance. Even if no one else knows the truth about why.

Tentacles and blasts of water from the sea. Shrieks of madness and chaos from his lips. His massive hands reached for her. It was nothing short of a real-life bullet hell. Cuts formed on her body that even her powerful scales could not fully protect her from. One wound after another. Pain that faded as flesh knit itself back together. Yet, even as she pushed herself to her limits, she felt that spirit building in her chest. She knew that heroes were now watching her close by. Their sense of purpose, their pride, added fuel to the flame.

A clap of his hands sent her flying back, and she righted herself. Their eyes met.

He pulled his arms back, and the water rose around him, curling together and condensing into a tighter and tighter shape. She drew in a lungful of air, her clawed hands tightening into fists as she put every ounce of built-up strength into it. Pressure built. Power soared. Mana seethed in the air, crackling, almost visible, storming. She threw her head forward as his hands stretched out. 

Let them all see.

BOOOOOM!

The sun had been close to setting. Yet now it seemed like it was midday.

When the mist faded, Kingshark stood in the water with a hole in his side. Marta felt the blood dripping from her wound in her stomach. They held one another’s gaze until, with a growl, Kingshark sank into the water and disappeared. His presence left with him. Marta threw her head back as her heart trembled in her chest and roared out her very soul to the world.

JOIN THE DISCORD!