novelraw Chapter 460 - 460
Chapter 460 - 460
Even though Ceira was extremely good at Regenerate, it didn't heal injuries all at once. The main draw it had was that it could heal anything given time. Multiple uses might be required, and spreading them out over a longer period of time was easier on the body.
It was still magic, not some sort of miracle. There were limits.
One use was sufficient to stabilize Zeb, though. As for me? I would probably be fine without additional magical healing. Most of the lightning had been directed away from me, and random other damage I took during the whole operation would also recover. The most troublesome recovery would probably be related to Gloom, but at least we had psychiatrists for that.
I already had one that worked for me. I wasn't sure about Zeb, but she looked like she needed to find one if she didn't. She was newer to the Power Brigade, so she might not.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as we were discharged from the temporary medical suite set up for the operation.
"... Tired."
Wow. That was a first, maybe. Zeb was supposed to be… bouncy.
Would offering her magical assistance be useful? I took a good look, checking her over for active effects. I used a bit of Divination magic just to be sure, but I was certain that Gloom's power was gone. Not the aftereffects, but Mental Freedom would just be a crutch. Sometimes those were necessary, and sometimes they prevented you from trying to stand on your own.
"Let me know if I can help," I said.
"Okay," Zeb said. "I think I'm just going to hang out for a while."
"You do have mandatory days off," I agreed.
It wasn't just encounters with Gloom. Any big missions for the Power Brigade had mandated rest. They liked to keep their supers employed long term.
-----
Psychiatrist's visit.
"If I couldn't feel your emotions," Doctor Patenaude said, wiggling his sensory stalks to make a point. "I would find your self-described mental resilience concerning."
"Well, I do have magic," I pointed out.
He nodded, taking a few notes. "Yes, we've already gone over it. Most likely it reduces the immediate impact and lowers side effects, but you still require sufficient mental resilience afterwards to reach a positive state."
I thought for a few moments. "I'm not really feeling positive right now."
Doctor Patenaude shook his head. "That's not quite what I meant. Actual positive emotions without end can be just as damaging as negative. A balanced state is what we are looking for. That is what is best in most cases. Of course, we would hope to trend more towards said positive emotions."
"I'm a little worried about Spot's final results, but I'm feeling pretty good overall. I think."
"You are correct," Doctor Patenaude said. "As for the uncertainty, it is quite normal. I would say to minimize your reflection on the topic until a resolution occurs, but you might actually be able to enact a practical result. You can find the information."
I shook my head. "All I've gotten so far is a whole lot of rats glaring at me."
"Uh-"
"Rodentia took Spot." Doctor Patenaude preferred me to minimize unnecessary details about super-related topics, but rats could be concerning otherwise. "So that's expected. Since I'm finding something, that probably means Spot is still alive. Which is somewhat concerning, but I'm wouldn't bet on Rodentia doing anything positive to Spot. Squirrels fall inside Rodentia, and she seems serious about what she likes."
Doctor Patenaude pondered for a moment. "I believe I am missing some context."
I explained the thing with Bunvorixians. None of their affairs were really secret- except details about the resistance. But as a foreign civilization that had chosen to engage in warlike acts against Earth and New Bay, they didn't have much right to privacy about their dirty affairs. If I knew relevant tactical information I would have kept it among the right people, though.
"So you believe Rodentia is on your side in this matter?" Doctor Patenaude asked.
"I believe she's against the Bunvorixian government. And Spot is a high ranking general that works for them. He probably won't get off easily. Hopefully, neither will Darkstargirl and Gloom."
Doctor Patenaude nodded. "I'm not a legal expert, but I doubt they will. Supervillainy is one thing, but Gloom is well known for terroristic aspects. Just because that is how her power works doesn't mean the public will forgive her usage of such powers on civilians. And Dark Star has been incarcerated before, without finishing her time."
"She's super popular, though."
"She was?"
"Is," I corrected him. "Because people are dumb."
"Hmm. Indeed. But her association with Gloom likely won't do her any favors."
-----
"How you doing, buddy?" I checked in with Midnight. I could generally tell, of course. But it always made both of us happier to talk.
His tail swished in the happy pattern. "Quite well. Spot's abduction by Rodentia is an annoying wrench in our plans, but I do agree with you that he's not going to be able to cause us any trouble. Hopefully forever."
"Still got a lot of work with Celmoth?"
"So much!" Midnight complained. "I'm not even an official envoy, but everyone wants to contact me. There are so many requests. And then there are people saying things like 'how could you do that to those poor doggies'?"
"Did you tell them how many 'poor doggies' we're saving?"
"Half of the people won't get it. But I do just have a link to a summary of the situation. It's annoying to have to repeat myself. We don't want to destroy all the Bunvorixians. They came after us! Though we're totally going to topple their leadership."
"I mean," I shrugged. "Not if the Resistance gets there first."
"As much as I respect them… they don't have the power of a planetary government."
"Maybe Rodentia will get them," I teased.
"She doesn't have teleportation," Midnight said. Then he looked at me. "... Right?"
I thought about that. "Bunvorixians do."
"Fine, but interstellar…" Midnight grimaced. "It would take a lot more than you can put in some sewers."
"Super tech," I said. "But… I don't necessarily trust her to handle things elegantly. I hope we didn't screw up by tipping her off. Though New Bay would probably prefer to have her out of the way if she does go on some sort of interplanetary rampage."
"There's no way," Midnight said. "One person can't…"
"She's stole all sorts of tech from Doctor Doomsday. The only reason she isn't a top tier threat to the city is because…" I gestured vaguely. "Cheese rays. And dairy powered mini-reactors. Maybe I can contact Swarm," I suggested.
"He's unlikely to give up any information on her activities, and it would just tip her off."
A fair point.
"Maybe I should just contact Rodentia."
"Why?"
"To ask what she's doing with her Bunvorixian prisoners. I don't want the poor brainwashed soldiers to suffer. I know many of them are too far gone but…"
"But Zeb is one of the best people we know," Midnight finished the thought. Anyone who knew Zeb had to agree. "I guess that will be our next mission."
"Will you have time?" I asked.
"It's related to matters of Celmothian concern. I'll make time by telling the right people that so they leave me alone."
"... I'm glad I don't have to deal with people that much."
"Sure," Midnight said. "You just get sent to talk to people like Rositsa and Raglubithex Raglubithex." Midnight coughed. "I can't believe you agreed to meet it a second time."
"Raglubithex isn't a bad person," I said.
"Bad? Probably not. Person? Debatable. Dangerous? I think we both have felt the answer to that."
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
"I like my friends to be dangerous," I shrugged. "Also friendly acquaintances."
-----
I managed to catch sight of Great Girl at lunch. "You look exhausted," I said. "I thought you weren't going out on patrols right now."
"Worse," she hung her head. "I'm going on podcasts."
"... huh. Why?"
She just rolled her eyes at me. "Image management. I know you uh… kinda don't do that. But I'm a 'rising star'. Which is a stupid way for people to say it."
"Because Darkstargirl sucks?"
"Exactly!" she threw up her hands. "Hey, did you hear about Gloom?"
I made a face. "She didn't escape already, did she?"
Great Girl shook her head. "Not even close. Apparently, it seems that she's traumatized."
"Really?" I asked. "By what?"
"Your friend, apparently."
"Midnight didn't even fight her. And Zeb… the squirrels didn't really even get close."
"The one who caught her," Great Girl said.
"Oh, Raglubithex?" I asked. "It's not my-" I wondered if Ralgubithex would be offended if I kept denying we were friends. It did help me out significantly, even if it wasn't on purpose. "I don't know if its species even has friends natively."
"Yeah, well," Great Girl pulled out her phone. "I'd assume it would require a certain type." She held up a photo. "That's a 'face' only a mother could love."
"I seriously doubt any of that is a face," I said.
"Yeah, probably not." Great Girl frowned. "It's kinda weird, but not like… that scary."
"Oh, how Raglubithex looks isn't the scary part," I explained. "It's the horrors of recursive comprehension that come with communication."
She tilted her head far enough to the side I almost wondered if she had a different sort of shapeshifting power. "... What?"
"Umm… I feel like if I had true comprehension of anything we said to each other my mind would melt or I would be stuck in an eternal loop of increasing specificity regarding the exactness of what I was attempting to convey." I shrugged. "I don't know if either is true, but it feels like that. I said a triple doubled phrase and I thought I was going to die."
She shivered. "I don't think I can punch that."
"Well you'd probably be fine as long as I don't cast Translation. At most, you'd probably feel uneasy around Raglubithex Raglubithex."
"But Gloom is showing signs of trauma."
Right. That was how we got onto the topic. "Well, it grabbed her. So… it probably wasn't fun." I pondered for a moment. "How do you deal with mentally unstable supervillains?"
"Power suppressors and a lot of checks. But also, super mental wards are usually harder to escape from than the prisons."
"Hmm. We need mind healers," I said. "I don't know of any class that can really do that, though."
Great Girl nodded. "Yeah. Powers like that are super rare. Anyway, I have to go show my mask to some people." She stood up. "Height check?"
"Little taller," I said. She adjusted. "Perfect."
I wondered if her powers were influenced by her emotions. No, how much. Since Great Girl was constantly using her ability to hold a different body size, it would be easy to drift if she was careless. And having to talk to a bunch of people sounded stressful.
At least she didn't seem unhappy, though. Just tired.
I was a bit worried about Zeb, though.
-----
When I went to check on her, Zeb was in her apartment covered in squirrels. Her posture made me think she was depressed, but it was really a guess given the whole squirrel thing. Though the fact that some of them looked sad gave some things away.
"Hey Turlough," Zeb said.
Telling her she seemed sad probably wouldn't help. "Are you doing alright?"
"Ceira came to visit and finished healing me. I don't hurt anymore."
That was… good. But it really wasn't the end. "Do you want to go see Rocky or something? I've still got days off. Though I mostly spend them training anyway."
Training was relaxing. The Power Brigade wasn't going to stop me if I really enjoyed it. They would make sure I wasn't overdoing it, though. Besides, I took things easy during official break times. Less sparring, even if that was how I got experience. I also didn't use big spells.
I wanted to test Maze. But I could do that after my break and try to get Master Spatial Magic.
Zeb sure wasn't talking, huh?
"So we stopped Spot," I said. "Without him, the Bunvorixians won't be able to bother Earth much."
"Yeah."
A couple of the squirrels were gesturing to Zeb, like 'see what we have to work with'? Hopefully this wouldn't last forever. Was this the right time to suggest a psychiatrist?
"Hey Turlough…" Zeb raised her head slightly. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Absolutely," I said. "I'll do almost anything."
"Ah…" she lowered her head. "Even if it's… kinda bad?"
I thought about that for a moment. "If you want me to kill someone you'll have to give me a good reason."
"W-what? No! I just…" Zeb didn't seem to know where to start. "You know how you can use Gate?"
"You need me to get someone powers? We might be able to expose people to Rocky's rift to get Portal Powers. But I can probably convince another couple Humurruns to come to Earth. I've got some leeway with Extra because of that whole isekai abductions thing."
"That's… uh… not really it," Zeb said.
What else could it be?
"I can smuggle stuff for you, if you want. It's not even that hard with Storage. Is there some Bunvorixian tech that isn't allowed here that you need?"
"No! Well, maybe later?"
"Sure."
"But!" Zeb's snout protested from within the pile. "That's not what I need now. There's a person… a villain I need you to bring somewhere."
I thought for a few moments. Who did Zeb even know? There was Spot, obviously, but we didn't even have access to him. And most people we'd fought had been brought in. Maybe… could it be one of the mice? They might count as a villain. That seemed like a Zeb thing.
She sighed. "I knew it was a bit much to ask."
"Hmm?" I tilted my head. "Oh, no. It's fine. Who and when?"
"Uh…"
"It's fine if you just tell me when and where, I guess," I continued. As long as she wasn't under any sort of mental influence, I fully trusted her. "But there really isn't a lot of time and I can't be that far from the Gate, so secrecy won't be that easy."
Zeb poked almost her whole head out of the squirrels. "No, it's probably fine. I just didn't expect you to agree. Maybe you'd change your mind after you hear who."
"... Is it Doctor Doomsday? Because I'm not a huge fan of his. And anywhere he can't get on his own but wants to go… seems like a problem."
"No! Of course not! I don't even- why would I be in contact with him?"
"I mean, he contacted me once. It was a whole threat situation. I'm kinda glad that he shifted focus to other things and I haven't really run head first into his minions lately."
Zeb moved a bit more and I realized that she was not, in fact, sitting on an ottoman but on top of Fluffy as the crowd of squirrels moved about. "It's not him. But she's uh… still bad."
I shook my head. "I can get access to either Darkstargirl nor Gloom, and I wouldn't want to upset Sophia."
"Of course not!" Zeb said. "That would be mean to our friend!"
"So… who?"
"It's… Rodentia."
"Oh." One moment of consideration. "We should probably figure out what she did with the Bunvorixians she captured first, don't you think?"
"I know," Zeb said. "She… braindirted them?"
I felt like I knew less than before Zeb had tried to explain. "What?"
"That's what she called it. Because it's the opposite of brainwashing. So you make it dirty."
"Poking around in people's heads is probably unethical," I said.
"It didn't even fix everyone," Zeb sighed. "But a few people want to join the resistance and she swears she didn't plant that information. Just, uh… what did she say? 'Revealed previous layers of paint' or something."
I pondered for a moment. "Throwing people into a machine is still probably a problem. It's not like Bunvorixian brainwashing is like that, right?"
"... It might be," Zeb said. "There are a lot of machines we stand in throughout our lives."
Despite my job, I did understand why people were wary of powerful governments. Even so, they usually didn't- or couldn't- go that far. Advanced tech did make things more complicated, though. "I guess we'll talk to the resistance about that stuff to see if we can confirm. But as long as we think the Bunvorixians are safe to be around, we can send them through. But what about Rodentia?"
"Oh. Well, she wants to join the resistance. Along with me."
"Okay," I said. I wondered if I would have to keep it a secret why Rodentia stopped appearing? People would get worried. And a few fans would be disappointed. Except for people with particular phobias- or those who were directly involved in her incidents- many people found Rodentia rather comedic. "I can bring her there, if you trust her. But we'll probably need to go over that in depth."
"She cares about squirrels!" Zeb said, offended.
Actually… yeah, that might be the whole thing. Bunvorixians weren't famous for dairy. I wondered how Rodentia would handle that.
"You'll be responsible if she screws things up," I said. "So probably don't rush into this."
"I'm already certain," Zeb said.
"We'll still need to talk," I said. "But I understand. I can do it."
"Great," Zeb said. "And… umm… I meant it. I'm joining the resistance too."
I tilted my head. "Aren't you already part of them?"
"... I'll be staying on Bunvorix. Leaving the Power Brigade. I already informed the people who needed to know." Zeb hung her head. "So… you won't be able to just come hang out."
Is that what she was worried about?
I reached out to pat Zeb on the head. "I see why you were worried. It will be hard, but we can keep in contact." Especially if the resistance prospered. "You do realize it takes me less time to cast Gate than to walk over to your apartment, though?"
Zeb's eyes widened. "I… your powers are weird."
Bunvorixians were canines with teleportation technology. And I was the weird one?
"It'lll be harder for Ceira to spontaneously visit, though," I said. "Pretty sure Druids don't have any interplanetary stuff."
Unless Bunvorix was an elemental plane. Though maybe if there was a tree?
Whatever. Midnight or I could bring her.
"I have to tell at least Midnight about Rodentia," I pointed out. "The Celmothians would hear about it anyway since they're coordinating with the resistance."
He would tell us if we were crazy. He had a good head on his shoulders.