Broker

The city of Cairo shuddered again as Erebus took another thundering step. His roar shook the earth and sent more debris falling from above as the ruins of the ballroom wing of his palace caved in further. Ishtar took another deep breath and floated up into the air, her eyes fixed on the distant titan. She’d tried to hold him off when he’d first arrived. She’d tried to wake him up, tried to burn thoughts into his head, yet all she felt was a feral madness when she touched his thoughts with the amethyst light.

Her fists clenched. It’s always the good ones, the fun ones, isn’t it… Otis? Did you even plan this? Or did you just send Riot to ruin a good thing by any means necessary?

“Mistress,” Companion called. Ishtar glanced her way, and Companion lifted her veil for just a moment. Marta looked at her with a mixture of stern reprimand and grim resolve. The woman’s eyes softened, and her lips spread into a grin. “You’re the villain, Mistress. Use it.”

Ishtar’s jaw tightened, and she whipped her head towards that distant form again. Turn tragedy into a show? Another way to show off? She scoffed and bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. Then, she let out a low, shaky breath and cracked a grin. “Fine.”

Her technopathy opened a connection to Charon. <”Riot escaped, Levi is in pursuit. What’s happening?”>

There was a pause before Charon responded. <”Oh, you know, giant monster, civilians running and screaming, plenty of bodies to use. The villains are not exactly team players, boss.”> he said casually through the connection. <”You going to join us?”>

<”And Saleh? He brought Riot in.”> Ishtar asked.

<”Oh, his brothers are watching him closely, as well as a dozen of my zombies.”>

Ishtar’s lip twitched even higher. Her fists clenched, and she considered her strategy. <”Make sure he stays somewhere he can watch. I’ll stop by to say hello, but I want a word with him after this. He’s about to get something valuable, and I want to make sure he knows his place.”>

<”I’ll make it happen.”> Charon said, and the connection was cut. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelfire(.)net

Ishtar glanced back at Companion. “Your transformation is too high profile,” she said quickly and raised her hand, a pair of Legionnaires taking shape next to her friend. Riot had been frightened by Levi, more so than them. It was because Levi didn’t have Karma to wound, wasn’t it? The Legionnaires were no different. “Go join Levi in hunting the Herald. If you can find him, secure him. If not…” she pursed her lips together. “...send a go signal to Carla.”

She paused, and her jaw tightened. “...and make sure Wallbreaker comes.”

Companion tilted her head. “Mistress?”

“No one will believe us if I claim Riot caused this mess,” Ishtar said as another roar shook a pillar, sending tumbling to the ground. “I want public opinion against Ishtar, and the heroes could always use more wins. I’ll take responsibility. Let the world blame me for another disaster.”

The truth will spread among the villains, especially with Charon as an eyewitness. I won’t lose their loyalty if I take the blame, she thought. It’s more important that we turn this into as much of an advantage as possible. Her jaw clenched. Afterwards, I’ll deal with Saleh properly.

Sonya, are you sure that’s- Erina’s voice cut in.

Ishtar frowned. If he’s the man I remember, then this will be nothing.

…Very well.

Ishtar waved a hand. Companion nodded and turned, darting off in the direction that Levi had pursued Riot, the Legionnaires flying after her. Ishtar let out a quiet breath and rose into the sky. Do I need to use my declaration here? She thought before her lips pressed together into a wicked smile. She looked down at her clawed gauntlets and worked her fingers. The karmic damage to her soul was almost soothed. She looked inward to check the furrows across the surface. Could be worse. Would burning impressions in this state be problematic?

Best not risk it. You’re strong enough and there are others participating in the fight, Erina said. I will retreat to consult Set on the topic.

Ishtar nodded and fixed her eyes on the clouds before shooting into the sky. Right.

She crested the top of the building in a flash of movement and hovered over it, surveying the damage and the situation. A wide area of Cairo had been thoroughly wrecked by Erebus’ furious thrashing. The villains that had stuck around to participate in the fight were attacking with abandon. Mostly Tenebra, Drastic, and Masque. Not a surprise the rest dipped when it got dangerous. They aren’t heroes, she thought wryly before turning to look at an office building where a small gathering of people stood or sat.

She looked back to Erebus briefly and got a good look at him.

Erebus was larger than the boss from the Everest dungeon. His body towered over even the largest structures in the area with only the Iconic tower casting a shadow on him. He looked like a part-man part-dragon. No wings. Instead, he was a hulking quadrupedal beast of shining platinum scales, spines, and claws. His long neck turned with a flare from Drastic’s breath and he pivoted, snapping his tail out only for the draconic villain to shoot into the air and change his angle of attack.

They’re just annoying him, Ishtar thought.

She whipped out a hand, and a portal formed. A low, rumbling roar of anger followed it, and his massive head turned in her direction. She passed through it as another punishing column of light blasted through the spot she’d been standing. I can make portals, but he’ll sense them immediately, she thought as the portal snapped shut behind her. She looked down at the more than a dozen pairs of eyes looking up at her in horror. Her eyes fixed on Saleh. The young man was at the center of the crowd, his brothers and a cadre of zombies positioned around him like a living cage.

She held up her hand. “I don’t have time to interrogate you right now, boy,” she snarled, and she clenched her fist. “But I can’t have you using mana for a while, so you’re going to be a good little traitor and sit until I’m done.”

Vines exploded from the roof beneath him and wrapped around him in a vicious binding - his arms, his legs, his throat, even the top of his head. Flowers bloomed all over it and began to glow as his eyes widened in horror. She turned away. He doesn’t need to know that he’ll be getting his father’s ability once this is over. I’ll rip it out of him once I’m done if I have to. For good measure she created a quartet of Legionnaires that landed around him, drawing golden swords to point at his throat.

His shoulders sagged, his entire body going limp in the bindings. He couldn’t meet her eyes. She pressed her lips together in a thin line. “...Nothing to say? No defense?”

He closed his eyes and turned his head as far as it would go. She scoffed. He couldn’t have known what Riot had in mind. Even Riot hadn’t seemed to know what the full results were going to be. Even so, he couldn’t even bring himself to argue back.

“Pathetic,” she grunted and turned away.

“...your fault…”

She turned and looked back at him. His dark eyes were fixed on her, rage burning in them. “What did you say to me?” she demanded, her own blood running cold.

He struggled once against the binding. “This is your fault! YOURS!” he bellowed. “You did something to him! He was a KING! You turned him into a puppet!” His eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice dropped to an icy register. “A man chooses when to kneel.”

She tilted her chin up and canted it to the right. “If only you knew how much he chose to give up for you, brat,” she said coldly. “Only a fool makes a choice without understanding the board. Perhaps instead of disappointing his legacy, you’ll try living up to it in the future.” She shook her head and turned back to look at Erebus. “I need to clean up your mess.”

She floated away and examined the behemoth before her. Joints? No. I could try Visage on him. He’s not exactly a fast-moving target, she mused as she floated forward and crossed her arms behind her back. He’s big though, and his power is… significant. A Peak-Mythic. With all the mana he’s drawing into himself, would it do any good? There’s too much surface to cover, and he’d break free before I secured him properly.

She pursed her lips. I suppose I do have another option. She held out a hand, and Volition appeared, the gun settling into her grip as she slipped her finger over the trigger. She drew mana into her body and let her heavenly jade heart pump. Her mind, her body, everything went into high gear as she darted forward like a rocket. She was a streak of white light as she nearly collided with Erebus’ flank, a wall of glimmering, metal-like scales. She changed trajectory immediately and strafed over him as she opened fire with Visage-tipped bullets.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Holes appeared in the scales as Erebus let out a pained roar. His body shifted, and she pulled back, throwing up her hard light barriers as his bulk nearly slammed into her. She grit her teeth against the sheer force behind it, her barriers cracking and reforming with every inch she was forced to give way. Her head flicked to the right, and she looked up into a massive eye. He turned his head and opened his maw, light forming in his gullet. She flickered and vanished, flipping into the air over his head and letting free another volley of shots.

His head whipped upwards, and he dragged the beam across the city in front of him and up into the sky. A mass collided with her side, and she was pulled out of the way. Tch, I would have been fine! She thought as she glanced up at Drastic’s long neck. He let her go and kept flying, diving down to fly towards the holes she’d created in Erebus’ side. Her lip twitched. Show off. Light drew close, and she gasped, hopping back as the beam tried to follow her. She pivoted and shot back down, corkscrewing around his long neck as she laid down more fire.

He staggered and slowed a little, his jaw snapping shut as his head whipped towards her again and a clawed hand the size of a small building swung up towards her. She turned and shot it once before it collided with her. You’re fast for a big guy! She thought as she was sent hurtling up into the clouds. “TENEBRA!” she shouted.

Black ropes of pure shadow shot up from beneath his bulk and wrapped around his limbs, trying again to pull him down. One managed to grab onto his forearm, and it was snapped down towards the earth. An instant later, a gout of gold flame erupted from his left side, searing across his skin again. He howled and thrashed while Ishtar caught her breath and reassessed. He’s got almost a dozen Visage-tipped bullets in him, and he’s only a bit slower. You really were a monster, Erebus.

<”Mistress!”> Companion’s voice came through.

Ishtar snapped to the right as a slightly narrower beam from Erebus’ maw shot past her. <”Report, did you find him?”>

<”No, lots of blood though. It stopped near one of the guest rooms.”> Companion said contritely. <”I’ve sent the go-signal to Carla.”>

Heroes are on their way. I just need to keep his attention until Euclidia forms the portals. She cracked a grin and willed the wings of her regalia back into shape. Her domain spread out again around her, and she felt it this time. The pressure of another great beast crashing against her own. The weight was enormous, even against her own power. She winced against the pressure as Erebus let out a howl of impotent fury, rage overriding the weakness she’d shot into him. He ripped free of a shadowy binding and whipped his arm towards a nearby building. It crumbled with a thunderous crash, and the dark bindings around him loosened.

Tenebra!

<”I got her!”> Charon’s voice came through. <”You keep shooting him!”>

<”We’ve got heroes on the way,”> she replied as she pushed back against his domain a bit harder. Why is it so strong? I feel like I’m pushing back against a mountain. He’s trying to isolate me- Oh shit!

Erebus slammed his clawed hand onto the ground, and the earth itself shot up towards her in the form of an enormous boulder. She whipped out of the way and blasted it with a hail of hard light shots. Don’t want something that big hitting anything, she thought as more boulders ripped up out of the ground and hurled themselves into the sky. Earth. Land. After I merged his ability, I don’t have all the same features. What is his fuel source? She darted between boulders, blasting them as she shot lower and lower, trying to get back into range.

Erina! Get up here a moment! She shouted into her own thoughts.

Erina’s presence surged upward. I was-

No time, you feel that? She thought back. Ask Set what Bahamut’s deal was. It’s got something to do with the earth. His domain is way too strong. I’ve got his undivided attention, but I can barely move!

On it, Erina gasped and dove back into the depths of her inner world.

Ishtar shot backwards, gritting her teeth as a column of stone nearly grazed her. Down below, Drastic was clawing at and breathing fire into one of the openings that she’d made on his side. Shadow whips were reconstituting themselves as well; Charon had clearly intervened somehow to get Tenebra out of the crumbling building.

C’mon, sis! I need intel!

She snarled and called up Verdict as well, the knife turning into a spear as she spun herself like a top and cut through another boulder. She reared back with it and charged it before hurling it down at him. The blow struck, and his head slammed down towards the ground only to immediately start moving again. Her eye twitched. Resilient.

Erina resurfaced. I have everything, she said quickly. Hold off on using your declaration while you have soul damage in your mortal form. Your transformation could be twisted.

Ishtar whipped back from another boulder and pushed further down against his resisting pressure. And this pressure?

Bahamut was a titan of the land, a sovereign. He drew his power from his territory, Erina explained quickly.

Ishtar scoffed out a laugh. I knew he was expanding for another reason! Sneaky fucker! Nothing I can do about that! Brute force it is! She snarled and bore down harder. She flared Imperious and pushed her will down on him with all her might. BEND, DAMN YOU!

His domain finally buckled.

She shot through it as his head whipped to follow her. She leveled Volition and opened fire along his other flank and opened up a few more holes. Erebus howled and swatted at her. She dove into a portal and appeared on his other side, his limb already rising to meet her. She spun and threw up her barriers, tanking the hit with gritted teeth. Where the hell-

<”Mistress! Pandora Committee channels are reporting the assault team is arriving. Multiple Mythic heroes are entering Euclidia’s portals!”> Companion’s voice shouted into her head. <”Wallbreaker has been deployed.”>

Fucking finally! Ishtar thought and broke away, shooting up and away. She flared her presence as hard as she could. Erebus hesitated, his massive bulk stilling for a moment as he turned his head in a different direction. She called Verdict back to her hand and hurled it at the side of his head. He whipped back towards her with a resonant bellow and bared his teeth. That’s right, focus on me, buddy!

As for you, Majordomo, let’s see if those defenses measure up.