DCE: The Enchanter Chapter 64

Chapter 64: A Remedy

Zatanna left at around nine in the morning to talk to the team that she was trying to gather for the circus.


She was a little awkward while talking to me but it was mostly her being shy, which of course is understandable.


I hope she is successful in recruiting the people that she had been contacting. She was working extremely hard for this and she deserves to succeed.


However…


"For now, I have things to worry about of my own."


Dressed in the same clothes that I wore during my morning 'jog', I stood in front of the laboratory.


It had been a while since Ivy told me about her success at creating an antidote.


Now, she could have used it immediately but there were reasons that she hadn't done so.


Mainly the reason being 'me.'


"Jasper?"


Standing in front of the laboratory, I was finally noticed by the woman.


There was no need for me to press any bell or even knock at the door. The plants spread across the laboratory worked as a sort of sensor that informed the woman of every guest that came to visit her.


And this was one of those moments.


"Good morning," I greeted, seeing the beautiful redhead with her disheveled hair.


Now, it took extremely high skill as well as insane genes to look this good with hair that seems to not have been combed in days and dark circles that spoke of multiple nights without sleep.


She yawned before greeting back, "Good morning… come in. I have everything prepared."


Saying this, she turned to the side –allowing me passage to the inside of the laboratory.


It smelt quite good as she had a lot of flowers around the place and the place was well organized. Most researchers had their stuff laying around random places, but not Ivy.


As we walked inside, I finally asked. "How is she?"


Ivy was a little saddened hearing the question as no matter how evil or broken Harley was, she was still Ivy's friend.


I expected Ivy to hate me, but to my surprise she did not. Instead she was able to look the situation from both sides without being biased towards one person.


"She has recovered physically. There is not even a scar left on her body, but her psyche is destroyed and I do not think it can be healed easily." Ivy sighed and looked at me, "But I believe you said you have a way? To heal Harley?"


I nodded, "As long as you can suppress the joker toxins, I can work on her psyche. But if the toxins keep affecting her, it will be extremely difficult." I took a deep breath, "Especially considering it is a ridiculously dangerous procedure."


Ivy tightened her fists and looked at me, "How dangerous?"


"One mistake and it might break her mind beyond repair… worse than what she is going through now."


This made her a little nervous as she was placing the life of Harley in my hands.


But she did not have a choice.


"Please…" I saw her pushing her nails against her palm, "Please just save her."


"I cannot promise you," I said with the utmost honesty, "But I will try my best."


What I was going to do was not science but magic. 


It had been a while since I realized that my enchantment was not based on science. It was a mixture of both rooted in the concept of plausibility.


And at the moment, what I was going to try was inclined towards magic. 


"How certain are you that your antidote can suppress the toxins?" I asked as she looked at me confidently.


"Around ninety five percent."


"That's still a bit risky," I muttered, "Five percent chance of things going haywire."


If the toxins resurfaced during the enchantment, there were high chances that Harley might end up with a broken mind or worse… brain dead.


"I will try to minimize the chances of failure to the best of my abilities," Ivy assured, "You focus on healing her mind."


"Mhm."


Walking for a while, we finally arrived at the place. And immediately my nose was invaded by the smell of chemicals, especially ammonia. 


It was totally different from the sweet and calming smell of the flowers that I smelt earlier.


And as I entered the place, I immediately quietened down. I was aware that my voice might trigger the person and hence I did not dare speak even a single word.


"Harley?" Ivy called, enticing a clunking sound from the front.


"I-Ivy?" I heard the familiar voice of one of Gotham's most famous women.


And one of the most desired –who was now reduced to a crazed and broken lass.


But I had plans to heal her. 


As I learnt about the magical aspect of enchantment, I was made aware that the body was not the only thing that could be enchanted.


The mind could be too.


"I… have brought someone to help you with your pains." Ivy said, making me wonder if those were the best choice of words.


"W-Who?" The woman asked as she walked towards the light, her limbs were wrapped by a form of device that prevented her from harming herself.


"W-Well, you can see for yourself." Ivy said, nervous about the whole situation.


And while I was prepared for Harley's reaction, I did not expect the reaction I got.


As she walked forward and was able to make out our figures, she froze. Her pupils dilated, her body started to shake and she furiously bit her lips.


"Y-You…" She muttered, "You…"


I could not speak and barely stared as her.


"YOU!" She screamed, "YOU ARE THE KILLER! YOU ARE THE MURDERER!"


Without even me saying anything…


"YOU KILLED MISTAH J!!!"


Without even me making a move.


"I WILL KILL YOU!" She roared, "YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!"


All hell broke loose.


"I WILL MURDER YOU."


…

…


While on one side of the map, Jasper was stressed about helping a certain woman.


On the other side, another man was ruminating about plans to ruin him.


'You will gain nothing by staying still,' He heard the familiar voice echo inside his ear. 'You have to make a move first, Green Arrow.'


Oliver was aware that Klarion was correct. The more he delayed and waited for Jasper to make a move first, the more he would be at a disadvantage.


"How do I do this though?"


'You fool,' The voice resonated, 'I already gave you 'gifts' capable of fighting the man.'


As he heard this, Oliver looked at the tattoo mark on his hand as well as the black bow that sat over the couch.


'And do not forget that a fraction of my power is now coursing through your veins… You are much more powerful than before. And if you are smart enough, you can easily face his magic.'


Oliver was aware that his powers were greater than before, but he could not think of a way to face the Enchanter without involving the Justice League.


'The League only saw you suffer yet did nothing. They lost just as embarrassingly as you and yet they still sit without thinking of a way to face the man that humiliated them.'


The more he heard Klarion talk about Jasper, the angrier he got.


'Wake up, Oliver… Wake up.' The voice said, 'It is time for you to make a move.'


And while Oliver tried thinking of ways to reach Jasper, luck smiled on him.


"Arrow, do you hear me?"


An opportunity presented itself in front of him.


"Diana?" He picked the call, surprised to have his team member call him so late.


"There is a group of human traffickers escaping from Queens and moving towards Gotham." Wonder Woman said, "Batman is in the space station and won't be able to reach in time. You are the closest one to Gotham so please handle the situation."


Like a ray of golden light, Diana provided a path for Oliver.


"They kidnapped seven underaged girls," Diana said, "Please be quick. We do not want those girls to get hurt in any way."


Unknown to Wonder Woman, she just opened a way for Oliver to reach the Enchanter. 


Oliver answered immediately, "I'll be on my way!"


A way that was going to link up to Jasper. And a way that was not going to end well for any of them.


"And remember… one of the girls that were kidnapped is a meta."


And the reason that way was going to be chaotic was because of the said girl.