Broker-Chapter 237

Liberty moved like a beast possessed. Crossing the distance between them like shot fired from a cannon. Crusader’s sword in her hands, she brought it down in a terrible overhand arc. Harbinger brought the handle of her hammer up to resist, metal shrieking against metal for a moment as her muscles strained to resist Liberty’s strength. Even with what appeared to be only two of her compounds of cultists remaining, her strength was unreal.

The mythic cultist sneered and adjusted her grip on her weapon, swiping it down along the length of Harbinger’s hammer. Harbinger was forced to pull back or lose a finger and got a foot in her gut as a reward. She coughed, stumbling back a few steps and regained herself in time to duck beneath a horizontal swing aimed for her throat. “Even if they’re taking down my compounds…” Liberty shouted as she swung again and Harbinger batted the blow away with her hammer, “...I have stamina to burn! My body continues to heal! Even if you keep healing yourself, you’re using your own power to do it, brat!”

Harbinger grit her teeth as three more strikes drove her back a bit further. She dipped low as a fourth came in from a new angle and she pushed off the ground, slamming her head and shoulders into Liberty’s chest. Liberty twisted out of the way with a snarl only to let out a gasp of pain as Harbinger felt her head nearly snap back when it caught onto something. She grit her teeth and whipped her head up and away, snapping out a wild kick to the right before rounding back to catch herself from the momentum.

Liberty staggered and looked down at her waist, her hand pressed against it. She pulled her palm away and frowned at the puddle of blood on her palm. “You… gored me,” Harbinger panted and reached up to touch her horn and pulled her fingers away, examining the blood on them. She looked back up at Liberty who shook her head in disbelief, “You call me a beast!”

I’ll do whatever I have to, to take you down, Harbinger thought grimly, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth. I’ll crush your bones, I’ll gore you with my horns, I’ll march through blood and death, ripping through your cultists until you’re the only one left! I will stop you!

A vein in Liberty’s neck throbbed and she lunged again, “Done talking then?” she screamed, swinging wild blows down on Harbinger who pushed back with a snarl. She swung the handle of her hammer, cracking it against Liberty’s arm and threw her head forward again. Liberty reacted this time, grabbing one of the horns and pulling only for Harbinger to twist and throw her shoulder into the blow. She planted one foot in front of the other, a roar rising in her throat as her stomping feet carried her forward. She felt the blunt pommel of the woman’s stolen sword crash into her back but she kept going, throwing herself into the bull rush as her body picked up more and more speed.

“LET ME GO YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

With a terrible crash they both collided with the outer wall of Liberty’s domain, the invisible field providing the perfect surface to crush Liberty against. She felt bone crush beneath her shoulder, ribs crack, muscles tear. Harbinger kept pushing but a flash of white-hot pain in her shoulder shocked her out of her fury, something cold pulled from her shoulder and she gasped, losing her strength for a heartbeat as a knee collided with her jaw. She stumbled back as Liberty landed on the ground in front of her, dropping to a knee.

Harbinger caught herself, staying on her feet long enough to look down on her sister. Her vision wobbled a little from the strike to her chin.

How’s it feel?

Liberty whipped her head up; the crater in her chest began to heal, the copper color on her skin growing more and more pronounced. She was burning through all of her resources to stay at this level of strength and health. Harbinger reached up for her shoulder and started to heal herself with a green glow when Liberty struck again and Harbinger was forced to stop, raising her weapon in time to prevent herself from losing a limb. She just won’t stop! Her stamina feels endless!

“Getting scared?” Liberty snarled and snapped her hand out to reach for Harbinger’s face. Harbinger pulled her head away on instinct and Liberty kicked again, driving the air out of Harbinger’s lungs long enough to grab one of her legs. She spun, the world whipping around Harbinger until she was flung across the disk towards the other side. Harbinger threw herself into a forward spin and slammed her hammer into the ground, arresting her flight. She still slid a few meters before it finally stopped, the back of her boot pressing against the invisible wall on the other side.

She panted, her muscles were aching more and more and she barely had any time to heal herself. She looked up at Liberty who was standing on the other side with her sword raised over her head, a glow rising from her body and suffusing into the weapon.

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It was like all the light in the world faded away for a moment. All Harbinger could see were the two white flames in the place of Liberty’s eyes as the woman brought the weapon down. Harbinger couldn’t move fast enough, every sense told her no matter which way she moved there was no avoiding it. She raised her hammer and planted the handle against the ground, placing a hand behind the head of the weapon and squeezing her eyes shut. Hang in the-

BOOOOM!

The cataclysmic crash shook the ground, she could feel the debris from the battlefield pelting her body but she couldn’t- Wait. Why didn’t I feel the impact?

She looked up as the debris and dust fell, a flicker of gold light in the cloud fading after a heartbeat as a silhouette stood before her. Crusader’s back. Her friend stood there with both arms raised in a cross, her body billowing with golden fire. Her short black hair whipped about her head and the tattoos on her neck glowed brilliantly as she whipped her arms down. Blood dripped from her forearms and her armor was shredded there, but she stayed standing.

“I killed you!” Liberty snarled.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Crusader growled, “I have a bad habit of being there for my friends when they need me. Apparently I’m pretty nosy,” she glanced over her shoulder at Harbinger, “You good?”

Harbinger scoffed and gripped her hammer, forcinging herself to her feet as green light billowed on her skin, closing wounds and piecing her broken bones back together. Her stamina was flagging, but she could at least make her body who- Woah. She looked up to see Crusader holding her hand out, a stream of gold fire stretching from her palm and wreathing Harbinger in a halo. She looked down at herself as the ache and strain faded away. Crusader shrugged and took a few steps back to get out of the way between Harbinger and Liberty.

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“Go get ‘em, tiger,” she snarked and sank to her rear, “I’m… gonna keep healing.”

Harbinger pressed her lips together, a lump forming in her throat. Idiot, should have kept healing yourself, she thought as a hot tear rolled down her cheek. She fixed her sister with a stare and threw her hammer over her shoulder, resting it there as she marched forward. Liberty tilted her chin up, the silver was almost completely gone from her skin. It was now or never. Harbinger closed her eyes and took a deep breath and fell into her instincts. She looked for everything she’d felt during that fight and the ones before it. The moments where she felt at her strongest. She wasn’t going to get another chance from Crusader.

She let that feeling from when she’d gored Liberty wash over her. The bestial instinct roaring inside of her. The rage. The protective feeling in her gut. She released one hand from her hammer and let the handle slide down the other, gripping it near the end. Charging, goring, crushing, moving like a beast, winding about her enemy and confusing them, guiding them into a maze of her fury. Her instincts roared up in her chest and met her state of mind. She opened her eyes and met her sister’s gaze.

She filled her lungs, raised her head, and roared.

“LIBERTY!”

The stone beneath her feet shifted as she charged.

—

Ishtar heaved out a breath, panting as she stood at the side of a crater dozens if not over a hundred feet wide. Her shoulders slumped, her hands hanging at her sides. Her knees buckled and she clenched her teeth, willing them to still. She’d poured almost everything she had in Heavenly Jade Heart into pulverizing Otis for as long as she could. Her eyes trailed upwards towards the illusory disk in the sky, an image of her eye glaring down upon the world. It flickered and died, vanishing in a scattering cloud of pink motes of light.

<”Zssppzzz bo- -ear m-?”>

She coughed and raised her hand shakily to her her helmet, “Technocrat?”

<”Ffzzssss -oss! -ana too- -reak!”>

“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she grunted, drawing herself up a bit. She needed to find a place to flee to and recover. Recharging her power would take time, but now that Otis had been suppressed, at least the girls should have enough time to finish the job. She had to believe that they were up to the task. They can do it. Just hang in there a bit longer, little heroes. I’ll-

Crrrrraccckkkk!

A weight fell on her shoulders, an exhaustion that pressed down on her mind as she turned her head towards the source of a terrible creaking sound coming from the center of the crater. The bags under her eyes felt deeper. The enhanced muscles of her body strained to reactivate. A fresh cloud of dust kicked up from that place as a skeletal hand erupted from the rubble. Flesh grew onto the bone, sinew, skin, and fingernails. It grabbed onto the nearest rock and pulled, a bare chested Otis emerging half-way from the rubble.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, savoring something.

“Ahh… I have never been pummeled that badly before. Even when you turned An Set into a living bomb. That paled in comparison,” he said as he gestured lazily at something invisible. A moment later clothes appeared on his body in a flash of that same blue light that burned in his eyes. He pulled himself the rest of the way from the rubble and stood up straight, reaching up to run his fingers through that annoying coif of golden hair on his head. He shot her a smile, “Looks like you’re all out of juice, though. Ishtar.”

“Insufferable monster,” Ishtar snarled through hard breaths, “There really is no killing you, is there?”

“Not here! Not now!” he laughed, “I’m the main character of this story, Ishtar, of course I’m not going to die.”

Ishtar shifted on her feet, trying to stay balanced. Too much stamina gone. I can barely move. She forced herself to speak anyway, “A lot of heroes die at the end of their stories,” she said, trying to goad him just a little more. Stay focused on me, bastard.

Otis frowned, “I don’t like those kinds of stories very much.”

Ishtar narrowed her eyes. What was that? He got hostile real quick there. Was I on point? Let’s test him a little.

“I’m starting to think your ability has a narrative element,” Ishtar said, “I wonder what would happen if your story changed?”

He was in front of her in a flash, his blue eyes so close she could see his retinas. “And you’re too smart for your own good, villain!” he snarled and reached for her throat again. A flicker of white-yellow erupted between his hand and her neck as she squeezed out enough power to create a hard-light barrier. The impact still sent her hurtling back, bouncing once across the ground before sliding to a stop.

He appeared over her and smirked.

Shit!

His smile widened into something cruel, “I’m not gonna kill you, Ishtar. You’re no good to me dead. Not here. I want the entire world to see me put you down on a grand stage! It’ll be the final act!” he laughed and grabbed her by her breastplate, pulling her up to hang from his grip, “I’m going to fatten you up like the piggy you are and when the whole world is looking just at the two of us. I am going to crush you and everything you hold dear. That should get me a few extra points, don’t you think?” he cackled.

Ishtar snorted, “You’re an idiot,” she said, “I’ll never stop trying to destroy your reputation. The fight’s probably over by now with Liberty. You lost.”

He tilted his head, “You sure?”

“There was a helicopter-”

He burst out laughing, “Yeah! There was! I told them you were here!” he pulled her close, “Tell me. How do you think things will go when I destroy that copter and kill everyone there? Then shut off my healing for a little while? Put on some bruises and cuts? Look real beat up?” he feigned a look of grief, “Oh no! Black Lotus! Handmaiden! All the heroes dead at Ishtar’s hand! But what’s this? A brave warrior clashes with Ishtar and forces her into retreat! Your infamy will skyrocket and my fame will reach the heavens! Then all we need is a final duel after a nice long arc of back and forth. Sound good to you? I like it!”

“Someone will see,” Ishtar snarled.

“I can make people forget my face, don’t you remember? That's why you hid from me at Vegas,” Otis hissed.

A cold lump formed in her chest and her fists clenched. She pulled one up to grab onto his arm but she couldn’t even apply enough strength to make him flinch.

“Nothing to say?” he asked as that blue glow in his eyes intensified, “That’s fine. I’m done with you for now anyway,” Her eyes widened as his grip tightened on her armor and his muscles bulged, growing double in size in an instant. He spun and threw her into the air. The next thing she knew, his golden blade was coming her way. The last sputtering flames of her power went into making sure he didn’t cut her in half as the weapon collided with her waist.

<”Ssszzttt -oss? BOSS!”>

Ishtar hit a cloud and kept going as a ripple went through the air, a distant blast heralding a second dungeon break.

Her vision darkened.

Her mind's eye drifted to that little mote inside herself. It had grown again, thrumming, trembling, she was too weak to even properly reach it and hold on to it again. She didn’t know if she would even survive the impact that was sure to come next. Sonya… I’m…

THUMP!

The mote expanded, bubbling, tearing apart at the seams. Its surface cracked, and for a brief moment Ishtar felt hope. Then it exploded, scattering diamond-dust about in that heartless void.

Her presence was gone.

NO! SONYA!