Broker

The Scouting course was definitely more subdued than the two more physical courses in the morning, but it promised strenuous activity in the future. Miss Chernovna spent the majority of the class explaining and emphasizing the role of the Dungeon Scout. It was a little surprising how seriously she took it, to the point that her whole demeanor changed. She stood in front of the class with a whiteboard behind her, her usual white-pink toned attire set aside for more practical tactical clothing of an off-gray color. She even wore chest armor and wrist guards.

She crossed her arms in front of the twelve that had decided to attend, Lillian included, and gestured to the board. “Specific cartographic details are paramount. The Scout’s kit comes with a distance measurement tool that uses a laser and gyroscope to create measurements of distant objects,” She pulled a pen sized object from her chest pocket, “This is one of those tools,” She explained, “It can be synchronized to your field tablet.”

She held it out for them to see, “I cannot stress enough how important it is to a hero team going inside of a dungeon to know exact distances between points,” She said, “That information can mean life and death in some cases. Knowing the size of areas can help them figure out where to camp and when.”

One of the other Aspirants raised their hand and to Lillians surprise she saw it was Marc of all people. He looked genuinely perturbed. Sonya nodded to him, “Mister Mallory, go ahead.”

“I just can’t wrap my head around it, why not send in a higher tier team and be done with it? Smash the monsters and clear the dungeon?” He asked.

Sonya crossed her arms, “Would you rather spend a month in the dungeon or a few days?” She asked him, frowning.

He leaned back at the question and looked down, scrunching his nose a little, “A few days, obviously,” He said, “But-”

“There’s your answer. Having a guide to the dungeon before going in makes the entire process simpler,” Sonya said, “Knowing where the monsters are, when they move, how they move, everything. That is the responsibility of the scout. Some of you may not become scouts, I expect you’ll be a front line fighter, Mister Mallory,” She said before looking at the others, “But you should know just how important a scout’s job is and the kind of risks they’re taking to get you this information.”

Marc crossed his arms and leaned back, “They make the walkthrough huh. That is useful. I suppose it has to come from somewhere.”

Sonya’s lip twitched only once, “Yes, does.”

Lillian watched him for a moment as he mulled it over. It was like the idea of depending on someone else baffled him. She frowned and looked away, up at Sonya as she continued her lecture. There were few interruptions after that and it eventually winded down with Sonya announcing that for those who were continuing with the course, their overall project would be going into the camp’s dungeon to scout it out ahead of the final exam and that their peers success would largely depend on their work.

It’s a huge responsibility, Lillian thought as she packed up her notebook. She looked up at the diagrams on the whiteboard, drawings of ways to avoid monsters and navigate traps safely. Every hour she spent in this place she learned something new, it was crazy to her how much there was to being a hero. Her image of what it took had been completely shattered but she wasn’t really upset about it. Firestorm hadn’t undergone this kind of training, but he had shepherded it. The actions of his team and others were brought up on occasion as examples of things to do and not to do. She chewed her lip, There’s so much to learn.

She was about to turn away and leave when Miss Chernovna called out to her, “Miss Landrey! You’re expected in the dojo after dinner. Don’t be late.”

Lillian turned back and saw Sonya standing with the blonde girl that had been standing behind Lillian back during the initial assembly. Her hand was on the girls shoulder. She met the girls eyes and the young woman shot her a small frown. Lillian cleared her throat, “Right! I’ll be there! Do you want me to bring anything or say any-”

Sonya held up a hand, “No, that’s fine. Thank you Miss Landrey, your instructor doesn’t need my input.” She said before turning back to the blonde and resuming whatever they’d been talking about. 

Okay… Lillian scratched her neck and nodded before heading out to get dinner. What was that blonde girl's name again? I don’t think I ever asked. 

A few moments later she was sitting with the others, Alex popped a piece of fried chicken into his mouth and chewed, “Hmm? The angry blonde?” He asked and scrunched his eyebrows together, “Cass-something, I think?”

“Cassiopeia Hanks,” Ollie said absently, sitting upside-down in the chair in their circle. “She’s from Mississippi. Her older sister is some religious leader or something. That’s about all I know.” He leaned his head back, his glasses going askew over his dark eyes, “You said you have something to do after this?”

Lillian nodded, “Yeah, sorry guys, I got signed up for some one-on-one.”

<Already? With who? We haven’t met the other instructors yet,> Snow asked, leaning against her and tapping away at her phone. Lillian glanced down and saw that she was playing with some kind of music app. Snow glanced up at her and scrunched in a bit more to hide what she was doing.

“Uh…” Lillian scratched her nose, “...Black Lotus?”

Val coughed and sat up, “One on one with that… beast?”

“That’s a little rude,” Lillian said with a laugh, “How bad could it be?”

Alex snorted, “Famous last words.”

“It’ll be fine,” Lillian said, getting to her feet. Snow just flopped down onto the spot she was sitting on, “I’m gonna head out, get some rest. Another big day tomorrow.”

The others just groaned in response as she made her way past the other aspirants. She waved at Jessica who she recognized, the girl waved back brightly before going back to talk to her own little team. She saw a can leap off the ground and hop into the hand of one of them before they drank it. A few of the others were using their powers a bit more freely too. She smiled a little, two years ago this would be a crazy thing to imagine. She thought to herself, Wow. 

She stepped outside into the brisk night air, the wind rushed past her and carried her attention to the dojo where the lights were set down to a lower intensity than they’d been earlier during the day. She walked over, her heart pounding in her chest. The comments of her friends had gotten to her a little and she could feel a bit of those nerves catching up with her. She bounced on the balls of her feet a little and shook her hands out to get the jitters out before stepping inside.

She found Black Lotus sitting in the center of the space, her eyes closed and her legs crossed, she had her sword in her lap and her hands clutched together right at her navel. Her dark hair hung over her face. Lillian could feel something in the air, gathering, moving, pulling, it drew past her skin and towards Black Lotus before collecting and entering the woman’s body. It was a strange feeling, was it mana? She cleared her throat and glanced down at the spot in front of the hero, the world's number one hero. There was a sword there on the ground.

Lillian walked forward when Black Lotus didn’t react and stopped a few feet away, looking down at the sword. It was in a dark wood sheath but it was not of the same chinese design that the hero used. It had a wide crossguard and was significantly longer. “A broadsword?”

“Yes,” Black Lotus said stiffly. “Please sit. Are you familiar with the Lotus position?”

Lillian nodded, “Yeah, I can do it,” She said and sat down, adjusting her legs and sitting with her hands resting on her knees. 

She waited in silence for several moments, scratching her nose and looking down at the sword again. She let out a breath and the woman looked up at her, her eyes were black as night, deep, dark, but beautiful in their own way. She fixed Lillian with an intense stare before nodding to the weapon. “That is yours,” She said, “You may use it, if you graduate from the camp, you may keep it. Take good care of it.”

Lillian looked at the weapon again, “Seriously?” She asked, looking up, “Why?”

“Because that’s what Miss Chernovna asked,” Black Lotus said, “You have a build and movement style that would compliment it. She has signed you, hasn’t she?”

“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Lillian said uncomfortably, feeling a lump form in her gut.

Black Lotus snorted and then suddenly looked sad, she let out a deep sigh, “Did she happen to give you a message?” She asked, looking up a bit and squaring her shoulders.

“No,” Lillian said, “She said that you didn’t need her input.”

The hero’s face twitched just faintly with a wince. It was small but noticeable. She nodded, “I see,” She got to her feet and crossed her arms behind her back, “Pick up your weapon. We are going to begin with drills, you may keep your ability active during this time. You will need it. These drills that I will instill into you, you will practice every day. Understood? This will become your foundation.”

Lillian reached down and grabbed the heavy weapon, holding it by the scabbard, “Muscle memory training, right?” She asked with a smile, “I’m familiar. I did it a lot for parkour and freerunning.”

Black Lotus finally smiled properly, “Good! You understand the theory then. The goal here is to ensure you can perform precise moves and stances without spending time thinking about it and adjusting. After your drills I will walk you through meditation. It may or may not help with your ability, but it will help with emotional control and focus. That is important in a combat situation,” She explained before stepping back, “After that we will work on your ability.”

Lillian brightened, “My ability? You can help with that?”

“My ability has many functions,” Black Lotus said frankly, “You will see when we get there.”

Lillian nodded, “Yes ma’am, understood.”

“Alright,” Black Lotus took a few steps back and drew her own weapon, “Draw your weapon and do your best to emulate my movements.”

–

Two hours later, Lillian set down her sword and let out a breath as she hit the ground. She huffed, her power already working slowly on her muscles with that faint tingle. She wiped her face, “That's a thousand reps,” She said, panting, “All four swings,” She sighed and sat up, rubbing her joints and legs. Black Lotus had not, in fact, been merciful and had taken it upon herself to whack any limb that was out of place even the smallest amount with her scabbard covered sword. It hurt like crazy.

“You pick up quickly,” Black Lotus said.

“It was that or get whacked,” Lillian challenged. She rolled back and pushed off the ground, landing on her feet. Black Lotus gave her an approving nod as Lillian stretched her arms, “What’s next? Meditation or more swings?”

She was ready for anything, sure, she was more tired than she’d ever been in her entire life, but it was the good kind of tired. She wanted to learn more, do more, whatever she could. Every little step was a good one. Black Lotus appraised her for a moment and glanced towards the entrance to the dojo before looking back at her, “It is getting late, but we can attempt to meditate a bit while I take a look at your ability.”

Despite her enthusiasm, she was relieved she didn’t have to do more swings. She plopped down on the ground and crossed her legs, “I’m ready!”

The woman smiled down at her, “I’m sure you are,” She said and walked behind her, sitting down herself. “I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice, do as I say as best you can…”

It started with deep breathing, she felt herself drift now and then towards sleep but Black Lotus would pinch her to wake her up and start over. Clearing her head was the hardest part, she had so much to think about. She’d learned so much and she had so many ideas and directions she could go in, then there was the excitement on top of all of it. Her brain was going a mile a minute every time she tried to clear it all out and let it go blank. Eventually she could only sigh and hang her head, frustrated, “I can’t do it.”

“You’ve had a long day, that is why I said ‘attempt’,” Black Lotus said gently and pat her shoulder, “It’s alright. This is only your first day, becoming a hero is a marathon, not a sprint.”

“Only my first day,” Lillian chuckled, “Nine weeks and six days to go.”

“Plenty of time,” Black Lotus said and placed her hand on Lillian’s back, “Take a deep breath and close your eyes one more time for me. Last thing before I send you away.”

Lillian nodded to her instructor and lowered her head, closing her eyes and taking another centering breath. She couldn’t clear her head but she could at least feel the breath relax her more easily than before. Then she felt it, a charge rush through her back and into her chest. She jolted a little, it kind of hurt. She winced and clenched her teeth, “Is it supposed to-”

“Shh,” Black Lotus whispered, “Deep breaths. Bear with it.”

Lillian felt a heat begin to rise up in her chest again, like before, but it started to spread, to inch out through her body like it was following her veins. She coughed and clutched at her chest as the pain grew worse. It felt like needles in her veins, fire, she squeezed her eyes shut. It hurts! She protested, curling in further on herself as the pressure just ticked up more and more. Her heart started to race and the soothing feeling tried to push it away but only seemed to fan it like a bellows. Her mouth fell open and then the pain stopped.

She gasped and rolled forward onto the ground, heaving, sweat soaking every inch of her body. Her throat hurt. Was I screaming? She wondered, falling onto her side and coughing. She felt a cool finger press against her throat and coughed again as a soothing feeling washed over her. Her ability normalized and soon it began to work on its own again. She caught her breath and looked up at Black Lotus crouched over her.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

Lillian nodded, coughing again, “Yeah, Yeah, I’m good. What was that?”

“The first step, it would seem, we have a lot of work to do,” Black Lotus said, looking a bit grim. “You’re in no condition to discuss this in depth. We will speak the day after tomorrow, at the same time. Do you need me to call one of your friends to help you back to the dorms?”

Lillian shook her head, “No,” She said and forced herself to her feet. She felt her bones creak beneath her, “I can do it,” She said, screwing up her face in a look of determination. “I can walk.”

Black Lotus met her gaze for a heartbeat before nodding, “As long as that determination does not turn into stubbornness,” She said and nodded to the exit, “Take your sword, you are dismissed. You did well today.”

Lillian knelt down and picked up the broadsword, wincing a bit at the effort before resting it on her shoulder, “Thank you ma’am,” She said and gave Black Lotus a genuine smile, “Seriously, I don’t know what I did to deserve all this help, but I promise I’ll earn it. Somehow,” She said, forcing herself to smile as big as her aching face would allow.

Black Lotus raised an eyebrow, “Go on,” She said with a softening expression, “Rest.”

Lillian nodded, turned, and trudged away.

–

Chunhua watched the girl stagger out of the Dojo before looking down at her hands and frowning. She let out a sigh and looked up to the sky. Are you watching? She thought, Is this my punishment? What more do I have to do? She closed her eyes and let her head hang back as she felt the mana in the air swirl around her. Another deep breath came and she turned towards the exit of the dojo. She stopped at the threshold and looked up again, this time at the balcony.

Two gleaming pink eyes stared down at her, silver hair fluttering in the moonlight. The woman they belonged to stared at her for only a heartbeat before turning away and walking back inside. She hung her head, “I’m sorry.”

 

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