Chapter 192: Smuggled Through the Veil

The blonde’s blue eyes softened. "It says you are like everyone else, including me: a complicated soul, seeking a better life. Our paths may differ, but our pursuits remain the same, and it is there we may find common ground."

Crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt, Rachel streamed out a hot puff of air. "You really are a different kind of saint than Barbara or Charlemagne," she whispered, ears lifting and gaze turning toward the door as the doctor put in his credentials to enter. "Barb’s chill, Charles is the schemer, and you’re the blonde trying to get along with everyone."

"Aww. That’s nice of you to say! I have enjoyed my time with Barbara, as well, and she has been very adamant about me not calling her a saint. It is something Charles and I have discussed as of late."

"Cool. Cool. Hmm. Let’s hope this works... because I know a certain bedridden girl who would like to plan her wedding, and a redhead waiting to pop the champagne when I tell him the news. What do you need, Doc?"

The doctor showed a positive attitude while displaying the kit under his arm; Jeanne and Arthur listened as he explained. "From what General Dallas told me, you have much thicker blood than the average person, so I’ve brought a large tube and needle. This should only take a moment. But, umm... I was told there would be some kind of... magical element to this transfusion? This is all very new to me," he laughed.

Jeanne grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over to insert herself between Rachel and Galahad. "I will hold the tube and maintain the ichor’s holy properties without it dispersing into the aether... It could attract unwanted attention otherwise if I do not consolidate it."

Rachel hummed, extracting more from the statement than Jeanne probably meant to reveal about Charlemagne’s plots, no doubt, or maybe the saint did it on purpose. Either way, the revelation told her that if she bled, then the ichor could attract some kind of supernatural sharks or undesired attention. She had to be careful. Arthur seemed to catch it as well, judging by his thoughtful expression.

The doctor slid right past the topic and inserted the needle, handing Jeanne the tube as he did the same for Galahad. Silence ensued as they watched Rachel’s shimmering white blood slowly move down the plastic, a light golden outline from Jeanne keeping the divine elements concentrated.

"How long will it take?" Rachel asked, feeling Nia stir within her as the procedure began.

A shrug came from the physician. "Typically, a transfusion can take one to four hours, depending on which parts of the blood you receive and how much blood you need, which are both pieces of the equation I’m missing. I assume until the patient is better, from what little I was told."

Arthur was by the boy’s side, arms crossed tightly against his chest. "I can already sense his natural defenses strengthening... Jeanne, you don’t need to do more. I’d rather you conserve your strength by only being the ichor’s guide instead of trying to offer your own support."

"Guilty," the Frenchwoman said with a strained chuckle. "I have always been one to try to go above and beyond. I will satisfy myself by getting acquainted with the, eh... blood itself... Rachel, she is so weak... Far more damaged than I believed."

The doctor looked utterly confused, yet Rachel knew the blonde was talking about Nike and trying to keep the need-to-know information subtle.

"We can discuss it later," Rachel muttered, feeling a tad uncomfortable as she felt her own strength being sapped. "I’m... leaking Lunar Energy, but I guess that’s to be expected."

Jeanne shook her head, a small light brightening in her dazzling blue eyes. "No, it is being converted! This will help her recovery rate."

Rachel frowned. If Nike was absorbing her Neutral Lunar Energy, then she would do the same with Positive Force. It would be something she’d have to bring up to the Moon Buns after this procedure when she met up with Anthony and her mother. Nike could be one of the reasons why she’d felt so physically weak recently; the personification had been sapping strength from her, much as Rachel had been draining spiritual restoring energy from the divine woman.

Telling the two Legends that she’d be absent for a time, she retreated into her inner world with Nia to study the unconscious Personification of Victory. There was a lot to consider when it came to sharing her spirit with someone, including Nia.

Her thoughts returned to the clam incident, where the troll had gone entirely out of control. Yes, her relationship with Nike was symbiotic right now, but what if the clam’s monstrification force had managed to slide past Nia’s defenses and gain direct access to her, and thereby Nike? Suddenly, that simple incident didn’t look so simple. Yet, it went even deeper than that.

Studying the silver-haired personification, she noted the pink robe Nia had crafted for her, modeled after some online fanart Scarlet had shown her. The woman’s wings had hardly grown at all, but that wasn’t surprising, with how badly Dionysus had ravaged her. She looked so helpless and vulnerable, but Jeanne’s subtle comments had opened up a whole new line of thought in Rachel.

"Nia," she whispered, fist pressed against her nose as she leaned against the chair’s armrest, "there may have been a chance that we unleashed a corrupted Nike on the world..."

Her clone glanced away from the mirror she’d been using to see how she’d look in all the fantasy outfits Alexa and Selvaria had shown her. "I see. So, I was right in thinking that those Infernal clams would have affected me... We need to up our spiritual defenses."

"It’s more than that," Rachel returned, shifting to the opposite side of the chair and rubbing her temple. "...We have Nike inside of us... Think about it. Why is Charlemagne so invested in being here in DC right now? Why did he push Jeanne to join him? Why did an archangel tell Jeanne that Nike would be needed?"

The bun brushed away her fantasy outfit to return to modern shorts and a T-shirt as she went to the opposite chair beside Nike’s bed. "The dimensional wall... Wow. I can’t believe we didn’t think of that before," she mumbled, running her fingers through her hair before shaking it out. "That’s why all the gods were invested in you... You smuggled Nike through the barrier; she’s the sole 5th-dimensional entity on this side."

"Precisely," Rachel hummed, unsure how she was supposed to feel about that. "Was this Cerridwen’s plan from the start? Is that why Izanami took such a keen interest in completing the Legend Quest? Chang’e seemed quite concerned about Nike’s state, despite them having no contact before this... So was the angel that blocked Dionysus from interfering further with his restriction."

Nia drew her knee up to rest her chin. "Sure, the Positive Energy beings might see it as a win to have someone from their side on the field, but she’s far from inside their faction. Maybe when she recovers, she can create a bridge on this side to the higher dimensions?"

"I don’t know," Rachel mumbled, shaking her head. "It’s just something to keep in mind. We have a literal world destroyer or savior living within us that could influence things on a scale none of us can fully grasp."

She had visions of the corrupted Personification of Victory directing a meteorite twice the size of the one that destroyed the dinosaurs to devastate their planet, or her grace shining down to uplift heroes across the world to her cause.

"I’m sure when she does get well enough to speak, we’ll have a lot to discuss. Until then, we keep pushing to build up our world influence... because Jeanne’s angelic messenger was right... Something big is coming, and we’ll need all the help we can get."