Sonya could have cast her gaze throughout the city; she did briefly at the beginning for the light show, but that was ultimately the problem. It was a little too obvious she was watching that way. With her eye having vanished from the sky, it would make her enemies wonder more than feel relieved. Especially with Amos getting ready to make his move. She could already feel whatever he had cooked up taking shape far away as she sat languidly on a sofa made of hard light. Thrones were nice and all, but she was really getting into the reclining royal thing recently.

Maybe it was a post-threshold thing.

Speaking of which, she had to admit, Set was absolutely right. Over the past week in particular, she had begun to notice feeling more energetic, and her mental state was better than ever. She wasn’t quite droopy when she was low, but she was more susceptible to anger. Her reaction to Qilin had been genuine, though. No one touched Carla. No one. Her lip twitched as she chewed on a potato chip, the mask of her regalia turned up for easy access. Yep, definitely kicking myself over sleeping and blowing all those Karmic Impressions. What a blunder, not that it matters now. I’m ready and raring to go.

Her smirk grew as she concentrated on her new ability. It was a strange one, with a strange name, and she hadn’t really had an opportunity to play with it. The instincts that came with it were fascinating and meshed very well with her abilities, almost like it was filling in a gap. The only problem was, of course, the fucking thing didn’t actually work. She activated it, and the power fizzled. It felt like it was reaching for something or searching for something, and when it couldn’t find it, it just gave up.

“Personal Emblem, Duality,” she murmured and sat up, crossing her legs as the storm raged outside. An explosion rang out, and she looked up before a notification appeared in front of her.

Investment has been Returned: Heroic Strength, Heroic Speed, Explosive Touch…

The list went on as she let out a low sigh. “Ah, Blight’s dead.”

Triggering deal: Financial Support for the Guardians of Gaia

“And there it goes,” she said and crossed her legs, frowning a little. She was sad that he died, but she wouldn’t weep for him. He was a good man, and he died in a way he wanted. She could respect that. She was just proud she had a hand in helping him get some small amount of justice for being blamed for First Wind’s crimes. She tapped her finger on the sofa and looked back at her HUD. First Wind would be coming soon. She really wanted to try out this new power.

Maybe…

She activated Deus ex Machina. The ability was hard to control when she wasn’t in her Duality form, and she didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to - she’d finally recovered her impressions, after all. As expected, the ability felt distant and unwieldy, like a furious stallion. At least she felt it now instead of feeling nothing at all as she had before. She concentrated and willed it to heel. Behave, she thought. You are a part of me. Heel and heed.

The ability calmed, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. It was not an intelligent thing by any means, but it was more than a normal ability, that was for sure. “Investigate Personal Emblem, Duality. What’s wrong with it?”

Personal Emblem, Duality requires a medium to function.

A medium? The hell?

A Medium must be a physical object that has some strong connection to the user. The object may not already be the medium of an existing ability.

So I can’t use my armor again, then, since it’s been made part of my Regalia. Wait, is Regalia an Emblem? Shit, I need to talk to Set and the others more. I’m so busy all the time, damn it. She sighed and chewed slowly as the storm grew noisier overhead, and an odd, almost digital groan filled the air. Here comes Technocrat, she thought, momentarily considering calling up an eye to watch. No, behave. Don’t go fudging things up just because you’re a proud momma bear.Stick to the plan.

She chuckled to herself. It’s weird not having Sister chastise me for things like that. She heard a familiar engine pull in nearby and smiled. Speak of the devil, there she is.

She rubbed her chin and refocused her attention. Medium, a medium…

“TECHNOCRAT IS HERE!” a voice carried over the entire city.

She looked up and beamed. “Atta boy, give ‘em a show! Picked the perfect stage for an inventor, an expo cent-” She paused and furrowed her brows before glancing down at the two objects sitting at her side. A medium that has meaning to me…

–

First Wind pulled himself out of the rubble with a roar, the wind blasting away the last bits and pieces. His clothes were burned, but otherwise he was fine. The concussive force of the blast hadn’t been enough to push through his defenses even if it had delayed him a little. That was enough to push his blood pressure just a little bit higher. He snarled as he crawled out of what was left of that portion of an office building. The structure was still standing, surprisingly, but there was a big round hole in the middle now.

People were screaming.

It was so loud.

He raised a hand, and the rocks on the ground moved. The screaming stopped after a few wet thuds. He exhaled and popped his neck, climbing up onto a largely intact piece of flooring. He looked out over the city, and his jaw tightened. His clouds still dominated everything, but the mayhem near the expo center had grown even more wild. That serpent-looking thing made out of lightning was lowering itself towards the ground and blasting at something he couldn’t see. Rays of light and force were flying upwards at it. That wasn’t the biggest eyesore, though.

No, that would have to be the giant fucking robot marching towards the expo center.

His expression went flat. “This is a right shocker,” he mumbled and scratched his head. “I ain’t got time for this.”

He turned to look back towards the docks and saw the smoke rising from the helicopter he’d knocked from the sky. Now that he didn’t have that ASTA chopper to follow, he’d have to make do with a personal guide to where Chernovna was hiding. He marched through wet blood pooling on the ground and, with a flicker, blasted in the direction of the smoke. He landed a moment later and eyed the wreckage. It was pretty busted.

“No survivors,” he muttered just as the door blasted off its hinges and the red-haired woman crawled out with a growl. He grinned. “Hey, sheila! You survived, wild!”

She glared at him and then spat at his feet before turning away, a bag clutched in her hand as she straightened up. She pulled something out of it, and the burns and cuts across her body healed. He cocked an eyebrow as she tossed a piece of metal away and kept walking. He gestured, and the item leaped into his hand. It was a thin hunk of copper with a mana crystal embedded in the top. It looked like someone had doodled on it or something.

Huh, neat. He pocketed it and walked after her, the warehouses of the docks opening up around them. “Hey, Lady!” She ignored him. “I’m talkin’ to you!” She kept ignoring him. He flashed forward and stopped in front of her, looking down into her brilliant green eyes. “You deaf or have a death wish?” he demanded.

She scowled. “I’m not here to kill you, Villain.”

He frowned but didn’t argue the point. Legally, she was right. “You here for Chernovna?”

She clicked her tongue and moved to step past him. He blasted her right back to where she had been with a quick gust, and she snapped a fist out at his face. He caught it in his hand and squeezed. “Come on now, Lady, I want her dead too. Why don’t we work somethin’ out, yeah?”

She looked him up and down, sizing him up in a way that reminded him of the first time he’d met Blight. It rankled him, but he tolerated it. He wanted those tokens. “I’ll deal with her, you just point me in the right direction and stay out of my way. Ain’t that a great deal?”

Her nose wrinkled. “You reek of beer and blood.”

“So do you,” he shot back.

She glanced over his shoulder briefly before actually cracking a smile. “You know what? Fine. As long as Chernovna’s dead, that’s all that matters to me. You just stay out of my fight.”

First Wind raised an eyebrow. “Your fight? Who-” He felt someone behind him and turned with a growl as a ray of sunlight shot in his direction. His wind couldn’t block pure energy without using a physical object as the barrier. He flashed to the left as Handmaiden strode forward, that silvery-white light of hers rising off of her like a genuine aura, waves of it rippling and parting as her footsteps sank into the ground. Her eyes were glowing, and her hands were already turning into talons.

“She’s in warehouse seven; that’s where I lost contact with my men,” the woman said next to him and pulled out her gun. She checked the magazine, slid it in, and pulled the slide back without a care in the world.

“You wanna fight her?” He pointed at the approaching Mythic and raised his eyebrows. This chick has balls of steel. Works for me, I don’t want to fight Handmaiden either, bitch is immortal. Just survive longer than a few seconds, why don’t ya?

The woman strode forward, not looking at him. “Save your concern for someone who gives a damn, monster.”

He grinned. “When I’m done killing Chernovna, let’s go for drinks,” he said and, with a sonic boom, blasted forward. Handmaiden reacted instantly, swinging her arm with so much force the air rippled. He whipped around it, turning himself into a tornado for a heartbeat before reappearing behind her and kicking off the ground again. He felt Handmaiden turn to pursue when he heard a gunshot, and the Hero adjusted her focus.

I’ve got you now, Chernovna!

–

The Major lowered her weapon and wrinkled her nose again in disgust. “Creep, I prefer men with a little facial hair,” she said flatly as Handmaiden looked her in the eyes. She felt fear twist in her chest. The hero’s aura was palpable. It felt like she was standing in a domain, like she was trespassing. The sensation was akin to standing in front of a commanding officer or a war hero, someone beyond reproach who dared her to question their authority or attempt to take what they were protecting. You really have the presence of a hero. I bet that makes people feel safe. Shame you work for that psycho.

“Is this how you kill yourself, Major?” Handmaiden asked aloud, marching forward again. Her footsteps shook the ground.

She knows my codename?

She held her composure. “Says the woman not protecting her charge,” Major said with a shrug.

“She will be fine,” Handmaiden said without blinking. “You, on the other hand, have tested my patience, so I will not be holding back. I do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” she said with all the demureness of a proper maid. She even bowed. The Major didn’t fall for it for a second. The instant the woman bowed, she had created the strongest luminous green barrier she could manage. The next instant, Handmaiden had crossed the distance, and her fist was crashing through the wall like glass.

The Major dove, the force of the punch pulverizing the air several feet behind her. She rolled to her feet and whipped her hand out, a razor-thin wave of green light ripping across Handmaiden’s midsection. The woman just took it, a cut forming and vanishing in as many breaths. She turned slowly, like the badass, gun-toting hero from an action movie, and scales began to grow across her skin. She really is indestructible, isn’t she? That regeneration is incredible, The Major thought as the hero swung her arm, her body growing in size with each second.

That’s it, come on, get big! she thought and ran, darting down the road and towards one of the warehouses. A ray of sunlight flashed past her and welded the doors shut. She changed direction as the footsteps became louder and louder. As quickly as she could, she released the nearly full magazine from her gun and reached into her pocket, pulling out another. She checked it only once before sliding it in and praying that Mimir had been right. Another ray of heat washed past her, nearly setting her hair on fire, and the dragon came for her.

She hit the ground and rolled onto her back, raising the weapon as a dragon so big its paw could crush her into paste came down towards her with its jaws open and claws extended. She fired a shot into its outstretched claws, and the reaction was immediate. Black smoke rose from the tiny wound, and Handmaiden let out a howl of pain. The draconic hero flapped her wings to get some distance as The Major scrambled back to her feet and started to strafe to the left, her gun held up as she looked for another clear shot.

Handmaiden looked down at her paw, a low thoughtful rumble coming out of her throat.

“MISTLETOE…” she said in a thunderous voice.

It didn’t kill her, the Major thought, but the wound isn’t healing. Her ability has changed with the dragon form, but not completely. If she can be hurt, she can be killed.

Handmaiden seemed to have the same thought as spheres of light formed in the air like a halo around her. She let out a roar that broke glass and nearly sent The Major’s head spinning before going on a full assault.

–

First Wind found warehouse seven. Just a quick jaunt away from the water, water that was currently overcast by his clouds. He smiled to himself. She’s waiting for me to give up and clear the skies before she runs away. Doesn’t she realize I’ll just sink her stupid ship next? he thought and pushed the doors open with a grunt. A gunshot went off, and he tilted his head lazily, the bullet’s trajectory flying well off course and past his ear. He grinned at the woman sitting on a storage container in front of him.

“You fucked up, Chernovna,” he growled.

The CEO grinned. “Did I? I ruined your reputation, isn’t that enough?”

“You won’t live to enjoy that victory,” he growled, his anger spiking again as he strode into the open room. Chernovna had her legs crossed, and she was still pointing a gun at him. He sniffed. “Put that thing away, it won’t save you.”

“Stranger things have happened!” she said brightly. “Like you getting any. Did it suck killing the only woman who actually wanted a piece of…” She waved a hand dismissively at him. “That?”

He ground his teeth. “You turned her on me, didn’t you?”

She sneered. “Maybe,” she sang.

Why is she so damn cocky right now? She’s cornered by me! he thought and felt out the room. There was nobody there, no other sources of breath, but there was a lingering scent of blood. Probably from the guys that woman mentioned losing contact with. Chernovna isn’t above murder then, interesting. He showed his teeth and held out a hand. “Come on, let’s be civil about this, sheila. Give me the real tokens, and maybe I let you live. You fund me, and I set you up pretty. I know you ain’t into guys, but-”

She shot at him again, her expression a bit darker this time.

He sighed as the bullet whizzed away from him. “Okay,” he grunted. “Can’t say I didn’t try, bitch.”

He flash-stepped towards her, bullets going wild in the air this time. He was before her before she could react, his hand snapping out to grab hold of her neck. With a flick of his head, the gun was torn from her hand. He squeezed and lifted her up into the air, glaring into those pink eyes of hers. “You really know how to piss me off, you know that?” he snarled. “It’s like you’re in my fucking head.”

She coughed and reached up to grab at his fingers. “Y-you’re just e-easy to r-read,” she managed as he squeezed tighter. “S-sensitive too!”

His brows furrowed a bit. Ain’t she extra heavy for such a small thing? Wait, I can’t feel her breathing. The fuck? The sky rumbled overhead, and he showed his teeth. “You ain’t Chernovna.”

She laughed hoarsely. “Got-”

He snapped her neck, and to his shock, her head came clean off. He blinked and looked down as the body hit the floor before shattering into pieces. A marble statue. Marble that he’d seen before. He knew that shape, that face. He’d fought-

“Hello, little hero,” came an etheric, horrible voice behind him as a presence stepped out of thin air. “Or should I say, little villain?”

He spun as Ishtar attacked.