**Author's note: I accidentally uploaded an incompletely edited version of this chapter early on December 6th. Sorry for the confusion!**
The ride back to the hotel was short and uneventful. Alberich and I were still slightly intoxicated. Whatever Silk-Hand had given us was delightful, and it worked great on alleviating the weird pain that had surfaced recently in my chest, and my existential distress.
Alberich bowed gallantly before the sexy dress servitor in front of Sinclair Plaza as she opened the door, and we both had a good morbid laugh on our way back up to our penthouse. I wondered if Null was still around, or if he had gone away to his magos lady friend's tower. I really shouldn't be in this good of a mood, I thought, keying in the elevator that would take us back upstairs. Alberich and I had been stalked, and we had seen numerous people die (smashed to red pulp by an accursed crozius, and shot in the head by a Wheeler's laser). We had even figured out that there was an insidious cult of Chaos Americans operating somewhere in the shadows of this city. And, the cult had wasted absolutely no time in sending people out to kill me!
"Did Nazi Germany have Chaos cults, Alberich? Do you think Hitler knew about Khorne or something? Summoning bloodletters to fight the Russians?" I asked the beastman as we entered the elevator to our penthouse. Quickly, we were on our way upward.
"We had psychic research centers, and small sects devoted to occult wisdom. The Führer insisted on it. As to the identities of the different entities, I'm uncertain. Hitler's views were, shall we say, complicated," Alberich answered as we entered our hotel room.
"Maybe Hitler was a psyker like us?" I mused as Null walked in from the balcony with a swirl of his red robes. The two witnesses were apparently practicing Low Gothic among themselves as they sat on the sofa. The television was tuned to Sinclair News Network, and a meteorologist was detailing our local weather forecast.
"This was top secret information, but I don't care any longer, so guess what? He was," Alberich slurred as he giggled his way to the bathroom, closing the door. Wait, what?
"Oh, good, you're back. Where are your costumes?" Null immediately asked us.
"The costumer has our costumes. He's coming back here tomorrow with his team to dress us up before the party. We're gonna look great, Null! Wait'll you see what we're going to be dressed as!" I grinned happily as I poured myself a glass of water from a nearby carafe. I realized I was getting hungry, and I looked forward to more yummy room service. "Why are you still here? What about your trip to that tower?"
"I don't care much for silly balls, I've already told you. And as I said earlier, I am on Magos Amee's schedule, and I respect that, so I wait," the tech-priest said with a humorless huff as Jiminy fluttered off my shoulder and onto Null's gold arm. "You certainly got into a lot of trouble, Scion. I explicitly told you not to get in trouble."
"That shit wasn't our fault," I groaned, pulling out a chair to sit at the dining room table as Null lectured me like an angry dad. "We were just walking, and these cultists appeared out of nowhere. We didn't want that to happen. Did you see the whole thing?"
"I have limited visual contact with Jiminy as to preserve his battery power, but I receive still images from time to time, and I also engage the video feed when my homunculus senses a dramatic change in your heart rate and blood pressure. Through Jiminy, I saw images of shattered bodies, and then, I turned the feed on just in time to see you making nice with a damned Chaos Marine!" Saying this, Null began to shake as he became upset. Maybe we should have brought Null some drugs? I didn't blame him for being plagued with bad vibes. We've all been through a lot, and he just needed to relax, man.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I genuinely did not plan this! We were just on a walk, an-"
"Magos Amee tells me that dark omens follow that heretic, but since he does not cause overt trouble for Evna, and has friends in high society, he cannot be dealt with. She also told me that he's a veteran of the damned Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, and that he simply bills himself as "retired" to everyone. There is no damn retirement from being a Chaos Marine!"
"Okay, okay. I'm not going back there. But hey, did you hear what he said about Travelers? He's got a book called 'The Wizard of Molech'. How the fuck did he know who and what I was?" I asked
"I don't know, and honestly, it was all probably a clever deception somehow in order to get you to enter his shop, and then, never leave." Null shook his head, still dismayed. Alberich then emerged from the bathroom, his head feathers slightly dampened from a splash of water. "That oily fiend is filled with taint, despite his normal appearance. Harry is a Chaos Marine who fought directly under his traitor primarch against the Emperor's forces! He may not have looked as mutated as most of his kin, but his soul is as black as pitch!"
"Alright, fine, I get the point. We're not going back to the bookstore. I was just telling you what I saw!" I replied to Null's diatribe as he continued fuming next to me. The tech-priest shook his head. "I'm guessing that it is in your nature to cause fate to bend and tear around you, though. To you, causing trouble is natural. I will speak of all this when I see Magos Amee, rest assured."
Alberich poured himself a glass of water, and wandered over to see what was on television with the two witnesses.
Null's animated eyes flickered into a 'closed' expression, and he sighed. "But, I suppose I am glad my visit is slightly delayed, because not ten minutes ago, a package was delivered here, and it was addressed to you. I brought it inside, only touching it with my metal. Of course, I have not attempted anything with it, as I will need you and your ability for an examination."
"A present? For me? Or, maybe it's a bomb, knowing this city," I laughed darkly, throwing my calming chain on the table with a chatter along with my magic scissors. My Corona shimmered around my head, but didn't fully emerge. "Where is it?"
Null pointed to the box that sat at the end of the dining room table. It was a circular package about an arm's length around and about twenty centimeters tall, and was entirely encased in seamless matte gold. It was bound with a gold taffeta bow, like a Christmas present. I noticed that there was a rectangular note under the bow that said "Erika" in a high class calligraphic script. "A bomb? You think?" Null asked. "I've listened, and I do not hear the hum of any mechanical components. Could still be."
"I was only half-joking. Shit is dangerous in this universe, especially after the day Alberich and I had. Isn't that right, Nazi psychic bird guy?"
I heard Alberich laugh as he watched television, and respond with, "Correct, my leader!"
Null tapped his metal fingers impatiently on the dining room table. "Anyway, in my cursory examination, the box appears to be entirely solid. It has no seams, no way of getting within. I cannot engage in any psychic or Warp taint examinations as I do not have my appropriate equipment here."
"I've got it, Null. I'll check it out. I've got the skills," I sat down at the table ahead of the box, and observed it. This was a job for my formidable Empress powers, and with a flash of my halo, I pushed my Sight inside of the parcel. As I did that, the box glowed, and a seam appeared on the surface, running all the way around the object. The decorative bow even slid off its surface. I could feel a slight change in air pressure in here, leading me to believe that whatever was in here had been packaged with extreme security. This was both dangerous and exciting!
"Huh, it opened when I used Sight," I said to Null. "I don't feel that anything is dangerous inside, but I can't tell exactly what it is, so I'm just going to open it. Maybe it's from Evring?" Before opening it, I removed the card with my name on it. As my fingers touched the paper, words began burning themselves onto the card, and I dropped it on the table, startled.
"Hmm. Could actually be a sort of gene-lock, I wonder," Null pondered as he stood watching next to me. Jiminy cheeped out a quizzical noise. Alberich had wandered back from watching television and stood over me on my other side, curious. "One I must be unfamiliar with," the tech-priest said as we all watched the message finish burning itself into the paper.
I picked up the card again, and examined it. The words were Latin (or High Gothic), and they were oddly familiar.
"Sit nomen viator benedictum," I read the words aloud.
Null gasped beside me, and pulled the card away from my hands. "Impossible! I-" the tech-priest stammered, his breath taken away. "This phrase, Scion. Do you know yet what this means?" he asked me, waving the paper in front of himself dramatically.
I shrugged. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.
"This is the phrase I had you repeat before entry into Adler Tower, and it is also the very secretive motto devoted to Travelers such as yourself. Inheritors, Plane Walkers, Revelators! Sleeping emissaries of the Almighty! The blessed Marii-Suze! The ones from beyond our universe who would come down from heaven and save us in our time of need! This motto!" Null was now shaking as he held the card. "S-someone else here knows who and what you are!"
"Well, I know that Word Bearer called me a Traveler, Null. Maybe it's from him?"
"Severely doubt it, Scion. Chaos Marines would seek to crush the life out of any newborn Emperor figure. They would not be offering gifts, and any friendliness would be false. Your Sight ability says this is not dangerous?"
I pushed into the box again with my willpower. Again, I sensed no danger. "No, it's fine, I'm sure of it."
We were all then silent. I was a little overwhelmed from today's trouble, so I didn't know how to react to Null's excited energy. "Let's see what's in the box then."
Null began to stammer as he became greatly excited. I couldn't tell if he was happy or anxious. "A gene-coded b-box set to open only if one of your unique spiritual and physical physiognomy ap-pproaches it! The d-divine ancestry of your perpetual body and T-traveler's soul!"
The tech-priest kept quietly raving, so I reached over and lifted the lid of the round box. Inside, there was a layer of soft translucent fabric, but whatever was under it seemed to have a very faint gold glow. My intuition beckoned me onward, and I reached inside the box.
"Holy shit!" I shouted as I saw what was inside, my startled magnified voice actually causing my glass water cup to shatter. I backed up in horrified awe for a moment before cautiously stepping forward again.
"What is it?! W-what is- Oh, Omnissiah!" Null said, now having a similar reaction. The tech-priest was trembling all over. The two witnesses, watching this action, now stood up, and walked over to us.
Partially revealed under a thin layer of white gauzy fabric, a wreath of gold sat glowing with a gentle shimmering light.
It was a gold laurel crown!
I could definitely feel Warp-y energy here, but what had actually surprised me most is that I could actually feel Sight energy emanating through the gold wreath. Sight energy was extraordinarily rare, and was mostly limited to Inheritors and other beings that had been influenced by the Divine Retribution. And, I knew of at least one other Inheritor that used to wear a gold laurel wreath.
This artifact couldn't be what I thought it was, could it? No fucking way.
"Uh, Null?" I asked, observing the improbable artifact sitting in a humble box in my hotel penthouse. It was very beautiful, and I cautiously held my hand over the artifact, feeling its warm light swim over my hand. "You were an archmagos, so you know stuff, right? Did you ever see the Emperor on the Golden Throne in person?"
"V-very briefly. Very," he stammered. The tech-priest had actually begun to tic, and his animated green eyes glitched expressions.
"Then please tell me that this isn't what I think it is."
"I, uh...," Null scratched at his facial implants with his gold hand. "There could be more than one gold crown, but I don't know. I have very little knowledge on what the Emperor wore. I've read that it was a psychic amplifier, but I would need to test it further, and here, I do not have the equipment in order to accomplish such tests. I have some equipment on the Divine Retribution, but the majority of the technology I kept burned up in a Warp rift, as you know."
"What's the problem?" Alberich asked as he stood adjacent to me over the box, oblivious as to what was causing Null to react this way. "It appears that our costumer sent us part of the costume early! He did promise that he would make a crown by tomorrow. I don't see any issue here."
"Alberich, this... this could be the Emperor of Mankind's laurel crown. It radiates Sight energy, which I think almost no one can use aside from me or other beings tangential to the Divine Retribution."
The beastman appeared still too intoxicated to take this seriously, and he wore an expression of heavy thought. "Could be a similar crown, maybe? We know that there were other Inheritors that used to fly your ship."
"Well yeah, but-"
"And isn't the Emperor that you spoke of far away from us in this galaxy? And well guarded?" the beastman interrupted. I saw Null nodding nervously in reluctant agreement. "It would be quite a feat to not only steal it off his head, but to transport this across the thousands of light years to this remote location, and then, to you. My suggestion is that it is a similar one. Maybe you have some hidden supporters somewhere?"
"Maybe I can figure it out? Let's see," I replied softly. Slowly, I reached inside the box. I felt goosebumps alight on my skin, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as my fingertips made contact with the wreath. My Sight immediately informed me that this was not the exact gold laurel wreath that stood on the Emperor's head, but that it had been worn by a different Inheritor a very long time ago. I sighed in relief. A flash of intuition, and in my mind's eye, I saw a very tall godlike man with long white hair, gold eyes, and a hidden Mona Lisa smile. He reminded me slightly of a pre-Heresy Fulgrim with his long distinctive white mane, and he was exotically handsome, almost like an anime character. With this information, I even received the specific title of who these laurels had belonged to.
"Spoiled Prince?" I said aloud, and accidentally with my strong voice. What? What sort of name is that? I hushed my voice. "I'm getting a sense that the Inheritor known as Spoiled Prince wore these last, but not frequently. He liked wearing this one gemstone crown instead, I think. He wore these gold laurels, but only rarely." I now held the wreath in my hands, and I found that I was fascinated by the feel of its warm metal leaves. It was very pleasant to touch, and I kept running my fingers over each pliant gold leaf.
Null snapped his metal fingers as he had a revelation. "Ah! I actually k-know the Inheritor you're speaking of! The S-spoiled Prince is the name of the white-haired Emperor that directly preceded our Emperor. Here! I will show you!"
The tech-priest motioned us to follow him to the cogitator-television, and he hooked one of his mechadendrites into some sort of port on the side of the screen. I reluctantly put the wreath back in the box, and walked to the television. The screen flickered, and we were now looking at the Mural of Inheritors in Nubua's white pyramid! Null had recorded it, and I was now very glad that he had done so!
"As I have deciphered the ancient language of Nubua, I am now able to make out the lost writing below each figure! Here..." he skipped forward, and paused the video as it displayed one of the figures on the mural. "The writing below says 'Spoiled Prince, the Pale Lord of Prosperity and Progress'." My heart sank when I saw which Inheritor this was. I remembered that I had sensed a spiritual darkness when I had seen his portrait.
Wearing wealthy robes of the finest embroidered and jeweled fabrics, Spoiled Prince lounged on opulent cushions as he wore a gem-encrusted crown on his head. He had perfect long white hair, and he pointed lazily to a familiar chaotic evil figure floating above him in the sky. The composition of this portrait again reminded me very much of "The Creation of Adam" decorating the Sistine Chapel, but with a grinning Tzeentch replacing God in the sky. The painting felt blasphemous.
"Evil... lord," Ennoia spoke in Low Gothic next to us. She shook her masked head sadly. "Greed king."
"Yeah, I believe it," I observed sadly. It made me feel somewhat better that the laurel crown hadn't been regularly worn by that sketchy Inheritor. Even with its past owner, it was still unfathomably valuable. The fact that this wreath had been worn by an Emperor in humanity's past still made it nearly priceless. But, who had sent this to me? Whoever it was apparently knew my name, knew where we were staying here in Evna, and they knew what I was as a Traveler and Inheritor. They even knew the special little phrase that surrounds Travelers in their mysterious occult lore too! It was both frightening and exciting.
"So," I said, making my way back to the table. I stood over the open box, and I eagerly reached inside again.
I pensively held the crown, moving my fingers along its metal leaves. Deep inside me, I felt an urge to put this artifact on my head, intuitively knowing that it would somehow make me "feel better." In what way, I did not know. What I did know was that it was incredibly beautiful, and that I couldn't stop looking at it. Was that just the drugs from earlier, or did this crown have a hypnotic quality?
"Are you going to try it on?" Alberich asked, standing beside me again, and not taking this seriously at all. "You're going to look great tomorrow! If there is a costume contest, you will win it!"
Null unhooked his mechadendrite from the cogitator-television, and walked back over to me as I held the crown in my hands over the box. "B-beg your pardon, Scion, but what costume necessitates wearing that priceless crown?"
I didn't answer, and I stood gazing at the laurel wreath in my hands again, watching the captivating gold light that gleamed from the artifact. It was so beautiful. I noticed that when I moved my palm across the leaves, I felt a wave of energy wash through my nervous system. It gave me chills!
"She's going as a God-Empress of Mankind," Alberich answered for me with a giggle. "Maybe our benefactor is someone knows about the costume ball and they're just being helpful? Maybe not everyone in this universe wishes to murder us?"
"W-what?!" Null asked me with a startled yell. "Y-you said you wouldn't attract more att-"
"Quiet," I said with my commanding voice without looking in Null's direction, half-enthralled by the glowing artifact. "I've made my decision. Deal with it. My word is law."
I finally pulled my attention back from the wreath I was holding, confused at what I had just said. "My word is law?" Where the hell did that come from? That was kind of a weird and dickish thing to say. I needed to rein myself in here, and I was probably still high from earlier, I conceded to myself. "Sorry Null, but I am going as an Empress. Alberich is getting a gold paint job and he's going as the ship."
I watched the beastman smile in anticipation. None of this was serious at all to him, and it was actually quite refreshing. "Yes! They're going to be painting me in gold! My costume will also have plates of gold metallic armature! I am looking forward to this, even if you are a bore who does not enjoy such things."
Null had nothing to say to that, and stood silently irritated next to us.
"I'm putting it on now, everyone. If I explode or something, nice knowing you all," I replied casually. Was this dangerous, I briefly wondered before my intuition drove me forward. My fingers caressed the soft metal leaves of the crown, I felt a warm shiver race through my soul again.
Slowly, I brought the artifact upwards, and I held it before me, basking in its supernatural allure. Behind me, I was vaguely aware that Null was actually quickly preparing a camera attachment on one of his mechadendrites. His bad mood had evaporated, and I noticed that he had actually started filming me as if he was a proud parent recording a family moment. He then hastily walked around the table to stand ahead of me. His animated green eyes were wide with excitement.
I also realized that the two witnesses had also fallen to their knees nearby. What was the big deal here, I wondered in a dreamy haze. I'm just holding this wreath. At least Alberich didn't seem too flustered about all this, and stood drinking his water, blinking his blue-gold eyes in residual intoxication.
How would I put this on, I wondered, observing the fascinatingly luminous gold leaves of the wreath. It was actually a little too big for me. An intuition let me know to simply place it behind my head, and to tuck the ends behind my ears. Okay, easy enough.
Cautiously, I positioned the laurel crown behind my head. I pressed the end of the left side of the wreath behind my ear in order to tuck it in, but then, the artifact shifted, and positioned itself on my head with a quick motion, almost snapping itself perfectly into place behind my head and both ears. It felt as if its size adjusted, and now, it somehow fit me perfectly.
Immediately, I nearly my lost my balance as I was struck with severe vertigo, and I gripped a nearby chair as Null's mechadendrites reached forward across the table to steady me. Feeling the world spinning, I closed my eyes. Instantly, I then understood that this wreath was a potent psychic amplifier and modulator. It could regulate my specific brand of energy with great effectiveness, and amplify it too. Taking deep breaths, I calmed myself, and then straightened up.
Still looking downwards, I opened my eyes, and found that my vision was slightly sharper and brighter. Colors had a higher vibrancy. Oh, that was neat.
I turned and swept my gaze across my concerned companions, and I watched each of them gasp under my eyes. Null let me go, and fell to his knees. Curiously, Alberich beside me simply flinched, and did not feel the need to kneel. I even picked up a stray thought that he was thinking about what he would eat for lunch.
It appeared as if my gaze had been strengthened, and my halo was probably looking super impressive right now.
"I need a mirror," I said, keeping my direct line of sight away from my companions to not cause anyone discomfort. This would definitely take some getting used to. Since everyone else was in some sort of religious state, Alberich led me to a bathroom, and there, I was able to see that this wreath was even more remarkable than I had realized. It had somewhat changed my appearance!
"Woah," I said in my resonant voice. I watched the mirror actually rattle with its strength.
The first thing I had noticed aside from my voice was that my eyes had changed further. Not only were my irises a hot molten gold, but my pupil was now also a darker gold, giving me an even more supernaturally penetrating gaze. I noted that my Corona was now smoother and glowed with less irregularity, circling my head in a soft uniform halo, and artfully surrounding me to my shoulders. I reached up and put my hand through it, and found it to be slightly warmer than before. Tiny motes of light also moved around my profile, making me look even more angelic.
My skin was smoother. My hair, while it had been somewhat messily curled by being pulled back in braids much of the morning, was now filled with body and spilled across my shoulders in pretty rivers. It was like someone had lightly retouched my features in Photoshop. The laurel crown curled up behind my ears in an artful way, glowing with a faint fluorescence. I turned to my side, and saw that each gold leaf in the wreath fell perfectly, with none out of place. Along with the idealization of my features, the perfect leaves of the wreath made me look somewhat uncanny. I then wondered if the crown was actually doing that, or if this was part of the ongoing physical transformation I was experiencing due to being attached to both the Key and the Divine Retribution.
This whole metamorphosis thing was incredibly unnerving. Contemplating my slow inexorable march away from humanity again pushed a shiver of body horror through me. Another flash of my intuition gifted me with an image of Sebastian covering his face with his hands as he wept before a tall mirror. A person who suspiciously resembled Malcador comforted him with an inappropriately happy smile. I decided not to think about this too critically. Get it together, Erika.
Next, I touched my cheeks, my lips, and the contour of my jaw, and I noted the slight change of my resonant voice with a low hum. My voice felt as if it were slightly more powerful than before. As cool as this was, I couldn't exactly go out in public like this, and I set about concentrating on lessening my aura while wearing the laurels. With a deep breath, I watched as my halo was smoothly and gradually withdrawn, and my glowing eyes returned to a more normal, but still supernatural gold shade.
"Hey guys?" I turned around, testing my voice, and found that while it was still somewhat strong, it didn't have the powerful timbre that it would normally have if my Corona was out. "How do I look now? Is this okay? It's not too scary, is it?"
Null and the two witnesses pulled themselves to their feel. "I... I must say!" Null spoke in a quiet thrilled voice, and I could see that his green animated eyes were smiling. He clasped all four of his metal hands together. "The crown works wonders with your presence. And I see you can also effectively modulate your energy with it as well?"
"Yeah, it makes it easier," I replied, catching my breath and blinking repeatedly. It appeared that my vision remained slightly altered whenever I was wearing the laurels, and it would take some getting used to. I did recognize that I felt a bit more level-headed now too. "I feel like I can control my strength a bit better wearing these. I'm also getting a vibe that they can amplify me too, but I don't think I want to start throwing tornadoes around our hotel room to test it right now," I replied with a grin.
Morai and Ennoia now stood before me, and both sisters crossed their arms and bowed before me. When they spoke, it was in the Nubuan tongue. "We see the wisdom of fate every day in placing us with you, blessed Omega. Humanity's future is bright with you as its shepherd, even if now it has descended into darkness. We praise you and your light."
"Thanks. Don't sweat it," I replied to the women in Nubuan. I started looking for my water glass. Sadly, I remembered that I had shattered it into a million pieces, and I had to find another one. I switched to speaking in English (or Low Gothic, depending on your plane of origin), and I said to the room, "So listen, everyone. My stomach's getting growly. Alberich and I had quite a day. You folks want to get some lunch? Room service again? We could also go to the restaurant in the hotel."
Before anyone could answer me, I heard a whirring noise behind me in the direction of the open balcony. I spun around, ready for even more danger. Ahead of me and just inside the penthouse was Nimmie Amee's servo skull hovering in midair. The morbid little machine was studying me with its single red eye laser, and I picked up a vague sense of both confusion and reluctant fascination from it.
The skull then turned away, and looked toward Null, who was putting away his camera attachment inside the suitcase he had brought with him. "Null, I will now receive you. Please proceed to the flyer. We have much to discuss," the skull dryly instructed before turning around and flying off the balcony again.
Flyer? What flyer? I turned toward the balcony, and in the sun, a flying vehicle of a sort was hovering nearly soundlessly just off the balcony. It was a long sleek red craft a few meters in length with room for a few passengers within its open interior, but it appeared to be empty. Only a slight wind disturbed the curtains in here, so I had no idea how this vehicle was actually flying. More space magic I did not understand, I guessed. I watched the skull fly into the craft. A short ladder was lowered from the open gateway.
"Yes, I'm coming, I'm coming," Null tersely responded as he gathered his suitcase up, and walked to the balcony. "Remember what we talked about, please," he requested before reaching for the ladder to the flyer. "I will be back soon. You have that transmitter, and since I may be out of range for Jiminy, I will take him with me. Please contact me if anything happens."
"Will do, Null," I replied.
The tech-priest actually bowed before me, his eyes smiling. "I meant what I said after you healed me on Nubua. Please remember that," Null said as he climbed the ladder to the flyer. The door of the hovering craft closed, and the flyer then swiftly turned about, and flew off to wherever the Tower of Reason was.
It was now just Alberich and the two witnesses in the suite with me. Lian was still off on his business with his Fallen brothers. Not taking my laurels off, I sat down on the couch. Honestly, having this artifact around my head felt pleasant. It was better than wearing the calming chain, and being able to better control my wild Corona was definitely a plus.
"My leader, look," Alberich said as he pointed to the television. A "Breaking News" graphic had appeared on the screen, and now, a newscaster was standing before the very alley we had seen the young waif killed by the Wheeler. "Is this us?"
"Shh," I said, sipping from a new glass of water. Morai and Ennoia sat down next to me on the sofa on the opposite side of Alberich. Despite having the world's most terrible morning, my slight intoxication was numbing me enough that I felt like I could actually eat some lunch. I didn't want any more trouble though, that was for sure. We'd check the news and then have lunch.
"Good afternoon, for those of you just tuning in, we're speaking to you here live outside on fabulous Paradise Boulevard. I'm T'paya Sooka, and we're here with community leader Raula White as we continue to report on the gruesome murder of a local girl, which we estimate occurred between 11am and noon today. She is, we believe, yet another innocent victim of mutant-related crime in Evna."
The reporter was a stout woman in late middle age wearing a dark pantsuit and curled grey hair. Even as she was reporting on this terrible crime, she wore a huge smile as she began to rattle off recent crimes attributed to mutants, mostly Tzaangors. Alberich shook his head. "That's nonsense," he barked, pointing at the television angrily. "You and I had nothing to do with that girl's death."
"Of course not," I said, agreeing with him. "Maybe the Wheeler we saw malfunctioned, and their state media wants to cover up that their battle servitors are screwing up by blaming someone else? I mean, this planet is sketchy as hell, right?"
The beastman nodded.
After listing a myriad of crimes which included theft, murder, arson, and other nasty things, the camera slightly panned to include a thin similarly-aged woman wearing a gaudy red, white, and blue long skirt and jacket. She had bleached blonde long hair, and black, shark-like eyes. I felt my blood pressure rise immediately upon seeing her. Something about this lady was foul.
"Ms. White, you've been with us for a good ten years working in community outreach with your charity group, Family of Liberty, so you've seen and witnessed the degeneracy that these mutants have brought with them to our wonderful city of Evna. Do you have any commentary on this senseless murder?"
"Yes I do, Sooka," Raula began to speak, and I felt an unpleasant chill move up my spine. There was something wrong with this woman, I definitely knew. "As you know, I've worked tirelessly with the working class of Evna and other cities on Tar Vigaz in order to right injustices and advocate for the disenfranchised. These mutants, they've come into our cities on work visas from Emperor knows where, and where they frequent, they leave a trail of devastation and depravity. This innocent murdered lamb was set upon by daemonic forces, likely killed by a mutant in a sacrifice to a foul bestial god," Raula spoke as she gestured behind her toward the alley. Something about this woman was making my blood burn, and I began to feel anger crawl through me.
"Wise words indeed, Ms. White," the reporter woman nodded as she continued smiling. Raula began talking again.
"Now, all who know me know I am not a racist, Sooka, but I will always speak truth to power if I see something wrong. And I'm just so dang sorry to see the ongoing desecration of Evna with crime and evil. Something has to be done! We should concentrate on making Evna great again!"
Before Raula could continue speaking, the reporter then turned and pressed her finger against her ear as if getting a message in an earpiece. I realized I was scowling, and warm anger was rising inside of me like a burning forest. This Raula woman was not only a liar, but rotten to the core, I was easily able to perceive with my gifts. The camera remained on both women, and Sooka nodded as she continued to listen to whatever message she was receiving. "One moment everyone, we're getting some additional breaking news..." the reporter informed us.
Alberich and I watched the news program in interest as we glanced at each other warily. Were they going to try to pin this on us somehow? If there were cameras everywhere, like that Word Bearer had said, then couldn't they just bring up any relevant footage that would prove that we didn't kill that crazy girl? I watched the news program with disgust. The garishly-dressed community leader then briefly turned her black eyes to the camera and... did I just see a smile? What?
"Ladies and gentlemen, there has been yet another horrible crime within Evna's borders," Sooka said with a very well-acted warbled affectation of grief. "Sensitive viewers may need to change the channel at this time, but I'm now receiving news that... that members of our beloved Family of Liberty have suffered a terrible tragedy!" The reporter then turned to Raula, who was now putting on exaggerated expression of shock. "Ms. White, I'm so sorry, but I've just received word that five members of your organization were slaughtered in a senseless manner a short distance from where we are presently located," the reporter informed Raula on camera. In response, Raula then made a ridiculous expression of dramatic sorrow, bringing her hands up to her head, and clutching her blonde hair. Her acting was almost laughable, and if I wasn't getting so upset watching her, I would have started laughing. People could see through this, right? Come on...
"Oh, what a world, what a world..." Raula began to cry crocodile tears.
"Fear not, viewers, for we are getting word that the crime scene is being thoroughly investigated. Raula, as the matriarch of the Family of Liberty, do you have any comment on this?" Sooka turned to Raula, who continued to weep insincerely. Alarm bells were going off in my head about this weird dead-eyed woman now. A fantasy of scorching her to ash with my own gold fire passed through me.
"The Family of Liberty? Like, the Statue of Liberty, maybe?" Alberich quietly asked, his beak lowered in shock.
I was too perturbed to respond, but I nodded. Alberich was probably right; this "Family of Liberty" group was the name of the American Chaos cult. Raula was certainly dressed the part as I noted her loud red, white, and blue attire.
It was then that I remembered our confrontation outside the bookstore, which absolutely confirmed our suspicions. The Chaos Americans had shouted out "For Raula!" as they had attempted to kill us! This was Raula, their cult leader! And, the god that she sang her praises to was actually Am'Erika!
I wondered if I could torch that bitch through the television, I thought with a snarl. Probably not a good idea, but a fun thought.
After a bullshit show of crying, Raula then took the microphone from Sooka, and dabbed her tears with a convenient handkerchief. "I pray for the souls of those innocent lambs in our family that were lost, and for the lost souls of the fiends who assaulted that of my flock. For each lamb lost is an arrow shot into the heart of our Emperor, and every arrow that has been shot at our Emperor hurts Him!"
Sooka then went to take her microphone back from Raula, who decided to continue holding it as she ranted at the camera! Oh boy, here we go...
"I'm sorry, but this needs to be said! Listen, all of you! We have a new foe that is even worse than mutants in our city! High-level daemonic networks, let them be broken! You all must find and break the woman of nightmares and gold! Let her be torn down in the name of the Emperor! For He is the God of division! He is the God of the sword! So right now, all of you watching, take the sword of the God-Emperor! Take the sword, and divide everything that is not you! Separate the holy from the tainted! And strike the wicked whore of gold, for she is accursed in the eyes of the God-Emperor!"
Did Raula just publicly call upon people to go after me? Did I just fucking hear all that? Sooka was able to take the microphone back from Raula, and she made a cutting gesture to the camera, which remained filming for a short bit longer.
"And strike, and strike, and strike, and strike, and strike, and strike until you have victory! For every-"
The transmission then cut off, and displayed the face of a very surprised male newsroom reporter, who then said, "Well, there you have it! The rise in mutant-related crime is causing terrible mental distress to even our most beloved residents! We'll keep you updated, and rest assured that law enforcement will get to the bottom of this! We stress to you all that no action needs to be taken, and that our Wheeler forces will take care of any foe Evna may have. So, rest easy, viewers! And now, we go to the weather!"
I turned off the cogitator-television, and Alberich and I sat heavily breathing on the sofa. I started putting everything together. The Family of Liberty was a cult, and a very pernicious one that had not only been in existence longer than two weeks, but ten damn years! How did Null's magos lady friend miss that? Maybe her information was wrong?
All I knew is that this cult was far more dangerous than I had assumed earlier, even when they had assaulted us. We had even learned that the Planetary Governor and the Sinclair family were the ones that had funded the terrible Statue of Libertine outside the city. Maybe they didn't know what they had been building? Maybe to them it was just a cool statue, but I knew what it was. I knew.
A deep pervasive feeling of visceral disgust swam up from within me like a dark whale, and I took a breath, centering myself. The wickedness here ran deep. Another whisper of a thought crawled through my mind: Wickedness needed to be destroyed.
Alberich noticed me fuming, and I heard him whisper in a small voice, his ears down: "She will come with vengeance; with divine retribution..."
"If you come after me, Am'Erika, I will fucking destroy you," I growled like an angry dragon as the lights in the room flickered.