With yet another crash and thunderous rumble, a tree fell over in the blasted hellscape that was the remains of the heart of Liberty’s power. Ash and dust kicked into the air, adding to the thickening fog that pervaded the space. Otis huffed, panting out a breath and pulled his fist back from where the tree had been. He snarled and ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth as he tried to wrap his head around everything that had happened during the battle.
“It was supposed to be me!” he bellowed. "Me!”
He spun on his heel again. "How did she do it? What did she do?”
A twig snapped and his head whipped up. Felwinter stood next to a tree with her arms crossed, her expression somewhere between unease and regret. He narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth, holding her gaze for a few moments. Another set of footsteps. He turned to Riot who still looked pale and shell-shocked. Otis’ lips twitched. "Explain it again,” he growled.
Riot looked down at his feet and took a deep breath. "It was a massive surge of Karmic Debt, sir,” he said. "It felt like the world owed something and then it was paid suddenly.”
“Owed?” Otis scoffed. "Owed. Owed,” he looked back at Riot. "Did you get a good look at Ishtar?”
“...before the change, yes,” he shivered. "She can’t possibly be human.”
Otis’ lip twitched at the words but he kept his calm. "And after?”
“I wasn’t near that part of the battlefield sir, I-”
“WHY NOT?” Otis bellowed before catching himself, he crouched down and held his head with one hand, grinding his teeth even more, snapping his fingers and taking deep breaths. “No… I can blame you for cowardice and incompetence if it happens, but I can’t blame you for not being somewhere you had no idea you were supposed to be,” he snarled, more to himself than to Riot. He got to his feet and straightened his collar. "Fine. You didn’t get your chance then. What else did you get out of seeing her earlier?”
Riot seemed to be endlessly relieved by Otis’ forgiveness, that pleased him. His home-grown herald rubbed his thumb on his palm and shivered again but he didn’t dare leave his king waiting for too long. "I was able to clear a suspicion of mine,” he said hesitantly. "I had some suspicions that Sonya Chernovna was Ishtar,” Riot said.
Otis laughed. "Chernovna?” he waved his hand. "Impossible, my guide-” he stumbled and clenched his fists. My guide has been disabled, all because of that bitch. He centered himself. "I was already aware, I identified Ishtar and Chernovna as two different people long ago. Did you suspicion with anyone else?”
“Good, don’t,” Otis hissed. "Chernovna is our meal ticket. She is a cunning woman who squeezes everything she can out of an opportunity and doesn’t react well to provocation. Irritate her at your peril. She may not be able to kill, but there are worse things than dying.”
“She’s just an uncommon-tier businesswoman,” Felwinter scoffed.
“She created heroes,” Otis snapped. "Watch it. She’s sleeping with the head of the Pandora Committee. She’s close with Black Lotus and owns ASTA Corporation, the company that made the communications device in your ear. Her head researcher is Amos fucking Carter,” he snorted. "Just a businesswoman. Use your head! With her on our side we can make more progress than being at the beck and call of the committee.”
“Thats why you were so insistent on bonding with her,” Riot said thoughtfully.
“Exactly,” Otis said. "The other heroes are beneath us, but our relationship with her is essential. Understood?” The two Heralds nodded. “Good! Don’t bring this up again! Our focus is raising our status amongst heroes and in the public eye and looking for opportunities to hurt Ishtar.”
He caught his breath from his rant and adjusted his hair again. "Anyway, Riot. Report.”
Riot shifted on his feet. "I found him.”
Otis narrowed his eyes. "...take me there.”
It took less than fifteen minutes to arrive at the spot Riot had discovered. A copse of trees that seemed to have been partially drained of their vitality. The roots damaged by some sort of strange cold force. His lips twitched as a faint pain itched at his thigh. He pushed it down, making an effort to not show signs of his injury to the other two. It still hasn’t healed properly. That poison was strange. Immunity isn’t working correctly on it. It’s fading but it’s lasted far longer than I anticipated. What factor changed?
He stopped his irritable march at the site Riot indicated. A body hanging limply from a tree trunk, a long violet blade stabbed through the chest. He tilted his head and scowled. "Halloway you pathetic man,” he rumbled. "What a waste.”
“Just leave him, I say,” Felwinter grumbled. "Corpse does us no good.”
Otis frowned and turned away. "You’re probably right,” he sighed. "I was so eager to prepare him-” he paused and frowned. “Prepare…”
Otis held up a hand. "Prepare… she said she’d prepared for me,” his eyes went wide. She doesn’t just know what I intend to do, she knew who my intended Heralds were! She orchestrated An Set’s fall and then began targeting Liberty. Does that mean Qilin and the others are off the table?Is her Inner Circle built to oppose me as well? He chewed his lip, That bitch is countering me at every corner. He looked up at Riot and Felwinter, I need to do the same. Create heralds that can beat her people.
He looked back at the corpse of Halloway, With some work I could have made something out of him.
“Someone beat me here, I see,” a woman’s voice broke into his thoughts. "Just as they said.”
He spun and drew his sword, pointing it in the direction of the dark-haired asian woman he’d seen in the trees just hours before, he narrowed his eyes. "Dame Ito.”
Felwinter raised a hand and blades of black ice appeared while Riot took a step back and created glowing threads between his fingers. Ito took a step back as well and held up her hands. "It’s you! Please! Give me a moment to speak!” the woman said. "I have something in my pocket I need to show you, may I?”
Otis raised an eyebrow and gestured with his sword. "It better be good.”
She slowly lowered her hand into her pocket and pulled out a thumb drive. Otis’ eyes narrowed even more before widening. The thumbdrive he’d given to Halloway to deliver to Liberty! His thoughts raced as something else occurred to him. Liberty recognized me as the author! Is she stupid enough to say something? Damn it! I left a loose end! His lips twitched into a smile, I suppose I’ll have to do something about that.
“Explain yourself,” he hissed.
Ito stared at the point on his weapon and swallowed hard. "I don’t know what’s on it,” she said, trying to regain a bit of her composure by smiling. "But my new boss does. They told me to deliver a message to ‘the author’ that they would like to collaborate.”
Otis stood up straight and tilted his head. "Is your boss aware why I gave that thumb drive to Liberty?”
Ito flicked her eyes towards Riot and Felwinter.
“They’re mine,” Otis said. "Speak.”
Ito inclined her head. "My boss said if you asked to say, ‘fatten her up like a pig for slaughter’.”
Otis lowered his sword and barked out a laugh, throwing his head back and chuckling. He slapped his knee. "Good! Good! Someone fuckin’ gets it!” he let out a little tension and dismissed his sword. "Okay, Ito, you’ve got my attention. Who’s your boss?”
Ito visibly relaxed and slipped the drive back into her pocket before dropping to a knee. “My new boss, Craftsman, sends his regards, and would like an opportunity to meet with the Author.”
Otis stared at her for a while before throwing his head back and laughing even more. He sat down next to the tree where Halloway still hung and laughed, tears nearly forming in his eyes. When he finally stopped he was reclining against the tree, ignoring the coarse dry blood tickling the back of his neck. "So the story remains on-track. Good, good,” he nodded thoughtfully. "Tell your boss that I’m looking forward to our meeting and that I’ve been looking for them as well.”
Riot and Felwinter turned to look at him in surprise but he just grinned, sitting there beneath the corpse of Halloway amidst the ash and destruction of the battlefield. That’s right Ishtar… you may gain some ground but so will I. I won’t let you have Liberty either, I can’t have her talking now can I? He looked up at Halloway’s corpse and got to his feet. "Felwinter, put him on ice,” Otis said as he stalked towards Ito. “I think we might be able to make use of that useless man’s body after all.”