Jewel of the Clocktower

He could see the stars, twinkling far out in the sky. His last breath, his last spell bought merely enough time for the entourage of Ritsuka Fujimaru to escape. A smile graced his features as the cold sweeping feeling of death started to embrace him closely.

His grip on his trusty staff was loosening as the sensations and nerves of his limbs started to go limp and disconnected. The cold air of the highest peak of Olympus touched his skin, his rather lithe and frail body shivering to it until his responses slowed down.

He barely remembered what memories lay before he met the child in that alleyway.

He barely remembered what memories lay in his time speaking with Ritsuka Fujimaru.

All that mattered was that they were safe and sound.

The betrayal did not sting much, nor did it feel as painful as all of the other betrayals he had ever experienced in life, but he was, however, sad that he could not achieve his dream. His sweet, selfless, and decidedly selfish dream.

But he did not fret. He already cast his blessing upon the last master of Chaldea. Regrets were plenty, yes, but he was content knowing that humanity in part was in safe hands. Even if it was not his ideal humanity or dream, Kirschtaria Wodime was happy that someone worthy was going to carry that ship far.

Darkness overtook his eyes, even as they were wide open. What feeling was left in his veins was starting to become muted as he allowed the darkness to take hold. He allowed death to take him permanently this time.

Or at least, that's what he would prefer, had his soul not been cast away again, denied of a life's simple pleasure of the end. Wodime had yet to realize it but as the waning days and the crumbling fields of the Stellar City within the skies plummeted to its ruin before disappearing, his body was whisked away. Nowhere to be seen as the false history and reality was removed from the bleached surface of the Earth's atmosphere.

Time had significantly passed as the connection achieved between the dying Wodime was cast into the void. A small cry that could have been easily dismissed, like the sound of a fly buzzing within a cavernous mine yet it was enough for such a line to manifest.

Wodime would then find himself opening his eyes once more. His breath returned to him naturally as if he was just waking up from a very deep, pleasant dream. He did not expect it at first as he began blinking, expecting and thinking that he was saved, that the foolish Chaldeans made time just to save him.

But once he raised both hands into the open air before him, he noticed that his entire body was bare, the swift chilling touch of the air clinging onto his form as awareness began to dawn on him. He sat up, looking at himself, the wounds from his previous experiences gone. His body almost pristine in quality, as if he was just born yesterday. He looked at himself, inspecting a good deal as to how… and why he was alive, but no answer came to his being as he knew that the Alien God, and the truth behind them had no use for him anymore, and there existed no power in Chaldea's own for them to effectively resurrect him from such a grievous and violent death.

Unless he was-

"You are safe, Kirschtaria Wodime. Those who both wish for your demise and detriment are very far from here. You would never see them again." A voice said.

Wodime looked at the figure, at the end of this 'cave' and tried to piece together who he was.

Yet he found nothing, except for the fact that his voice was vaguely familiar.

"Who are you?" he asks.

"An observer…"

SEVEN MONTHS AGO…

"I'm still a bit confused with this mess, master. After all the crap that happened last time, I assumed we'd have been done from doing all of this in the first place." Caenis' voice said as they walked along the streets of London. Her attire and appearance being much more 'natural' compared to the very noticeable presence of Archer was the reason she was allowed to manifest beside him.

It was much less conspicuous of course, with her wearing a jacket over a simple white tank top against jeans, the only noticeable thing of note would just be the ears atop her head.

"I find this actually refreshing, Caenis. I regret much of the failings we've both had in our respective paths, but after everything, I do feel like this was a nice change of pace." Wodime admitted as he walked along with her. Some took notice of them, but most were unbothered as they went along their way.

"Maybe for you, but for me I feel like it's a waste of time."

Wodime huffed as a small demure smile appeared on his face. "Somehow I doubt you with that tone of voice in mind."

A rare embarrassed retaliatory huff and a frown were made as Caenis looked away. "Meh, you'd be dead without me anyway, so of course I'd tag along."

"Hm." Wodime hummed as they neared their destination. London was particularly less busy today, even if it was a weekday when most would go to their respective jobs. Still, from the relatively sunny weather and the atmosphere of the common folk walking in and out of their lives, he felt nostalgic. Even with the many painful memories that this place had left him with.

He was home in some sense. He felt like he was home.

Like he had been gone for such a long time that the mere sight of it made him feel at ease. It made him feel, free and unencumbered. It was as if all the stress and pain from the Lostbelts were gone from his mind, stripped completely as he watched the normal, breathing world go on with its day.

"It is such a drastic change, from the world we once lived in, Caenis." Archer's voice said, echoing into their connection as Wodime's first summoned servant from the many still to come had finally got out of his silence. He never once expected the infamous Greek Hero to be this, subdued and quiet. Even summoned in his most prime state of being within the classes available to servants, he expected the man to be much more proud. Much more open given the many feats associated with him and the many people around the world praising his stature and name.

But no, instead of being proud about it, his presence just had a certain air. An air that was different compared to all of the servants and beings he had encountered in his journey so far. An air that trumped even Caenis' own, despite her being close to Poseidon's existence now.

"Yeah, I bet most of them are pussies." Caenis replied as some heads turned to her.

Wodime brushed it off as a resonating hum from Archer was heard through the bond. It was humbling having a man like him compared to the others. Even his first interaction after the summoning was him asking a very simple question. One that Wodime himself was curious about.

"Why do you ask, Great Heracles?"

Archer narrows his gaze, becoming melancholic as if recalling a memory of another life, another summoning. "My presence is a boon to many great, greedy, and wicked men. The power I wield is something that they ought to use as a tool for their own misdeeds. They assume me the role of their monster, one that will further their agenda… and for once I merely wish to be seen as a man. A person that wishes to do what is best for humanity, and a man that wishes to be known as more than the destruction caused by his own rage."

Wodime nods, inwardly smiling in relief. "Do not be afraid, Great Hero. Thy strength is for the purpose of goodwill. I may only know you through the many stories of your great deeds and feats of power, but I shan't use you for vile, wicked acts of unjustified nature. That is a promise on my end to yours, I merely wish for your assistance in attending to this grand plan of mine."

Archer noticeably becomes intrigued, just based on his expression as he nods solemnly. "That is, very comforting, master. Thank you." He remarks in good faith as Wodime offers him a hand.

"You sure, you're going to commit to going inside, alone master? I betcha my presence would scare any goddamn mage just by staring at them." Caenis asked as Wodime, taken out of his thoughts, looked at her for the question she had asked.

"No, I'm afraid even with the uncertainty of the state of this world's Clocktower, many defenses and fields would still be in place to respond to both of your presences. It's simply a matter that I will not bother having issues with, more so because it might incite some attention that I'd rather not have right now." He stressed as Caenis frowned.

"We would still come to your aid should you need it master," Archer said.

"I thank you both but believe me in saying that I would be fine. I am accustomed to the Clocktower's methods and politics. I assure you; no harm shall befall me." He promised as Caenis placed both hands on her hips as she nodded in agreement, despite disliking the idea.

They were to continue walking down the street again, towards one of the secure entrances that Wodime knew by hand, but a running child bumped into him. Said child fell on the ground by his buttocks as he groaned from the impact.

"Hey kid, watch yourself next time, okay?" Caenis said in annoyance as she helped him up.

"S-Sorry ma'am." The boy said as he began dusting off his clothes and pants before taking the toy that he was carrying earlier back into his hands.

Wodime did not mind this interaction as his decidedly impassive and neutral stare only made the boy nervous somewhat. Detecting this, Wodime tried to smile, only for him to take a good long look at the boy that he just bumped into.

"You okay mister?" the boy asked.

Even Caenis and Archer became concerned with Wodime essentially froze.

"Y-yes… I… do be careful next time." He quickly said as the boy thankfully smiled and then a pair of parents, happy, content, and excitable called out to the boy. The boy waved at Wodime one last time as he ran back to his family.

Leaving the Jewel of the Clocktower stuck in his own memories.

Life-changing memories.

"Master, you okay? You seem a bit different after seeing that kid?" Caenis asked.

"I concur, what did the child do to warrant such a strange response, master?" Archer added.

Wodime merely sighed as memories of an orphan child pulling him away into his hiding spot came back to him. That same child that made him realize what his life's wish was, is now running happily with his family in this world. In a way, he felt vindicated.

In a way, he felt as if the world was much more kinder than what it currently was.

"Merely a memory that I was happy to relive in some way." He told both his servants. A bit of weight was removed from his chest and shoulders as hope blossomed within his soul. The apathy, the sheer callousness, and cynicism from the world was sort of lifted somewhat. All for a boy that Wodime did not expect to meet again, even in a different circumstance.

"What was that about?" Caenis asked behind him, referring to Archer.

"I did not understand as well, Caenis. However, I believe our master feels some sort of connection with that child. The kind of connection that seemed everlasting in terms of weight and significance."

"I've known him longer than you, but a random ass kid wasn't in his memories as far as I can remember." She said as they began walking again.

"Perhaps you didn't look deep enough to see it. Children after all are what give meaning to stories of heroes and the like. Their innocence and imagination are what allow our deeds to endure across the ages. Our master must feel the same."

"Speaking from experience?" Caenis jested only to frown in a disgusted notion as she began feeling guilty. "Ah shit, I didn't mean that He-

"No, it's fine. I understand completely of course. Though if you were to ask me that, then yes… and for our master, I believe that child was the reason why his perspective and outlook is the way it is right now."

Caenis hums in agreement as the two servants watch their master, as they finally arrive at their destination. Both saw their master narrow his eyes as he looked around in both directions of the street. The sudden frown on his face made the two realize that something was amiss.

Especially since, being that this was the center of the Mage's Association, the fact that effective wards would have manifested already told them that the absence was something of note. It became even more apparent to Wodime when he felt that the door, he was facing had nothing of note in terms of protections since this was one of the more obscure entrances to the grounds.

Wodime however continued on as he pushed the door open, with barely any resistance as he was met with a very dusty, dark room. He faced his two servants and nodded even as he felt that the two were subtly worried for his safety.

Activating a spell through his palm, a wisp of light manifested as he walked around the darkened place. Cobwebs and various other indications of age were present, with none of the typical maintenance and care that most of the ancient family lines would keep to preserving the grounds through tradition or simply to maintain strength for the Clocktower. Divided and selfish most families can be due to the nature of magecraft, but they were always onboard on keeping the Clocktower itself strong as a bulwark against the other organizations out there.

Wodime continued on, allowing himself to remember the various traps and other paraphernalia that used to be in this entrance, most of them were non-existent, failed, or with what little evidence remained, completely dismantled down to the very bone. Which was odd, since most of the details that were left painted a picture that indicated that whichever party or event caused those breakdowns were practically ancient or at best by the earliest end of the 12th century.

That in itself was very disturbing yet Wodime continued to walk in the darkness until he encountered the door that led to the many rooms inside the grounds. The locks and special enchantments were also gone as he opened the door quite normally despite its age. The creaking of the cobweb and dust-covered wooden door brought him to a stop when he saw that he was met with what looked like a maintenance room where the janitors would keep their tools and items. The door he opened was covered up by a large shelf and through some effort he managed to get through the gap that existed.

Wodime quickly looked around and tried to remember that the door he came from opened up to one of the lesser-used classrooms within the Clocktower. It was close to one of the main libraries and adjacent to the Department of Archaeology's main suite. To see it being renovated and replaced by this… maintenance room made him feel as if he was completely lost.

Thankfully he didn't need to open the door to this room since it was not locked, but as soon as he got himself out, he was quickly reminded that this was in fact, an alternate world. Given, that the entire area he was now in was a modernized office, complete with technology that would make most of the older heads of the families downright confused or rageful due to it being 'blasphemous'.

Wodime wasn't bothered by the sight but he acknowledged that seeing this, indicated that the Clocktower he knew never existed in its height nor power as it was in his original world. He kept those thoughts away as he continued on, getting out of the office as it seemed to be unused that time of the week. The moment he got himself out, he finally saw something familiar, the gardens and grounds of most of the Clocktower were still there. Maintained and quite reinvented in terms of its aesthetic.

Walking through the hallways, he stopped when he finally saw a familiar door at the end of the one, he was walking on.

"Archer, you may manifest." He said politely as the rather tall and large man compared to his own size materialized out of thin air. The heroic spirit looked around before looking at his master in question.

"I do not sense much in this place. There is a faint trace of magic in the air, though it is the kind that to most would appear negligible in quality… I thought this place was quite prominent, master. Why does it seem like this too appears to be a forgotten, hollowed-out relic of the past?" Archer asked.

"That is the problematic part, Archer… because the Clocktower itself was a special place." Wodime then approached the door he looked at earlier, opening it. "… so special that even if the World collapsed, parts of it will remain regardless of any circumstances that befall upon it. To see that this World's version barely has any traces of mystery at all makes me wonder what sort of event allowed it to degrade into a simple public library that any ordinary man, woman, or child can have access to."

The door to what Wodime used to remember as the Department of Astromancy opened to a rather ironic part of this public library's "Astronomy and Physics Department". He would have smiled had this matter not been as grave as it is. Yet the fact that fate still allowed some form of connection to the memories he had attached to his days within the Clocktower made him feel nostalgic again.

Even if the entire place was in itself a stark change from what he remembered before.

"I see then. So, he was correct." Wodime said.

"Who was correct, Master?" Archer asked.

Wodime did not quickly reply as he walked to one of the shelves and levitated it out of the way before pressing a hand on the dry, white wall. An outline of a doorway appeared, and that section of the wall vanished as Archer followed silently as his master entered this newly opened room.

Like many of the older parts of this building, Archer quickly saw that the entire room, archaic and devoid of almost any object was covered in dust and contained such an ancient, smelling atmosphere that it made even Medea's older tome collections feel tame in comparison.

Wodime however, picked up the only object within the room. Which was a very deteriorated book that had its contents, paper, and hardbound cover almost crumble to dust with each touch.

But he knew that book quite well, in fact, he was familiar with it.

"Master?"

"This was Maribury's favorite book within his private collection. He was very liberal in using technology but when it came to these tomes, he risked life and limb to keep them well-maintained." Wodime said with a low tone.

"This Marisbury, is he a noble man, Master? You seem very fond of him." Archer asked.

Wodime simply shook his head as he looked at his servant. "He was the same as every mage, Archer. For better or for worse, though most of the goals and life-long dreams he had were based upon these books. The fact that they're here suggests that perhaps my master did not exist at all in this world, or maybe, they lived a different life altogether." a small smile came onto his lips, remembering some of the genuine good times he had with this place as he tucked the book by his arm.

"The Observer was correct in the fact that this world is alien to us. To me." Wodime added as a small build of frustration graced his expression. His fingers on his left hand rubbed his chin as he went into a deep state of thought.

"Our objective is still the same, Master, and I will follow you to the ends of the Earth if need be to accomplish it," Archer said with complete confidence as a small smile also graced his features.

"Yes… yes, I believe so. A young man close enough to my age would have wanted me to do such a thing." Wodime said as he recalled the last moments of Olympus before he died. "Still, I feel wary of the Observer, whoever he is, I wish to be ready for what unknown plans he has for us."

"I concur," Archer said as they walked out of the building together. For Wodime he felt a level of peace, as if finally moving on from an older life the moment he stepped outside into the world again. While Caenis watched him sigh.

"Took you long enough," Caenis said, both hands in her pockets as she looked at him.

"Had to sort some old memories, but yes, our trip was successful in a sense."

"Right… what's the next step then?"

Wodime was going to answer until a scream tore the air when they saw a bus with clearly armed hostiles and hostages within it. Civilians surrounding the bus became scared and frozen as the situation escalated. The bus driver being aimed at by a gun forced the vehicle to stop as cries and screams of terror filled the area.

"Master." Archer urged as Wodime watched the scene and looked around. He then saw that the boy earlier that they bumped into was on the street closest to the bus the very moment one of the hostiles within the vehicle pulled out what seemed to be an IED.

"Proceed," Wodime commanded as Archer appeared beside him and Caenis cracked her knuckles.

The two servants leaped into action at speeds that made nobody notice at first until the very last second. Wodime watched in silence as Caenis broke the glass near the driver's seat and pulled out the hostile aiming a gun at the driver. She then threw the poor bastard down the street right after she squished the gun in his hands into sheet metal.

Various people watching the scene pulled out their cellphones as the spectacle continued. Cheers and fearful cries emanated around Wodime as he watched.

Archer dispatched the last two hostiles threatening the hostages faster than some of them could blink and he picked up the IED in his hands, tearing open a hole into the Bus' roof…

… and threw it up into the sky at heights that made it no longer visible.

Archer then readied his bow and released an arrow whose mere escape caused a small shockwave upon release that most people around him felt down to their bones. Moving at velocities that eclipsed even that of a modern sophisticated missile, it hit its target and exploded like a triumphant firework in the air.

The moment was so grand that there was a steep silence of awe at first while Wodime watched the civilians and former hostages gawk in amazement. Ideas began spreading in his head as he looked at the posters of these 'superheroes' that existed in this world before he looked back at Caenis and Archer.

A slew of cheers finally came as the public began encircling his two servants.

While all of that happened, he felt someone tug his suit and Wodime once again found himself face-to-face with the boy from earlier. Starstruck and desperate to ask him a simple question that prevailed in his innocent mind.

"Are y-your friends, heroes mister?"

Wodime's response was a simple pat on the boy's head as he smiled.

PRESENT…

"Miss Stillwell, these reports have been a very interesting read… but I don't believe I get your point in all of this," Wodime said as he placed those papers back on the desk. He also noticed that Archer, sitting beside him was also reading one of those reports with great scrutiny as Wodime felt the building frustration and dare he say it, anger within the great hero.

"Is it not obvious, Mr. Kirsch? Those right there are various situations, events, and evidence that implicate Olympia in various possible crimes or activities that can spark suspicion. Even if not downright illegal in nature, at the very least it would all come off as bad PR."

"Ah… you're going in that direction. I see." Wodime said as he wanted to laugh actually but chose not to. Stillwell maintained a smug smile even as Archer returned the papers back to the desk.

"Yes… and with the full disposal of Vought's legal division, we can… in essence burn Olympia even with its burgeoning power within the economic world."

"What makes you think this will all… stick? Half of these accusations are cursory knowledge at best, unsubstantiated claims at worst… and you're expecting me to feel threatened? Or are you expecting some of my comrades, my heroes to feel threatened with this proverbial gun you have over our heads?"

Stillwell's smile faded into a neutral expression. "Are you too dumb or stupid to see the implications this has for your company… or for how the people around you treat your assets?" she asked as she made a small glance at Caster and Archer. The latter became less subtle with his displeasure as the former could only cough in response.

"Are you in the position to actually claim that you're smarter in this little verbal duel of ours? Or is your head so stuck in the clouds like your golden goose that you think we will simply fall to this… stupidity?" Wodime asked in the politest yet most painful reply to the now surprised and displeased Stillwell who was now visibly twitching via her eyes. Her smile was still there, but anybody could tell that with the atmosphere of the room, she was inwardly seething.

"Let's say I do elaborate on these claims as to how asinine they are… what good will that do with our negotiations… what actual progress can we even infer if we're just here trading blackmail against each other? None… right?" Wodime added as he then pressed a finger on one of the papers on the desk. "Take a look at this for example, you are implying that Archer and the rest of the people present within Mount Nyiragongo's vicinity are the cause of the volcano's eruption? Wouldn't it be much more suspicious when my resources in the area pinged and registered Homelander's presence merely ten minutes before the volcano erupted knowing that he was present in the evacuation and relief efforts of the surrounding communities both pre and post-eruption?"

"But it is not in Homelander's ability to-

"That would be on you to claim that… but if you admit that it's not in your Golden Goose's ability to create such an event then that would create weakness in your brand. Weakness knowing that your strongest hero is not capable enough to stop such an event from killing more people. You admit that then what happens to the confidence and trust in Homelander's image?"

Stillwell quickly shut up as Wodime pointed another finger at another paper on the desk.

"And what are you supposed to gain with the allegations towards the orphanage Archer maintains within Olympia's purview? I could call the media to make them review or even create a documentary of how her efforts have effectively created a symbol for orphaned children around the world with full-fledged support. I could even ask your people to come down with your lawyers to survey the grounds that she maintains closely… and I guarantee you, not only will the families, press, and your own lawyers find her as a resonating, kind figure, they would all reject any such allegations since they are not based on actual fact. You throw this within the justice system, and I'm quite sure no judge or jury is going to back any of your attempts. You would just be bleeding money over nothing."

"You're that confident about it?" Stillwell asked with an entitled tone.

"In the off chance even if… per se, foul play occurs between my company and yours…"

"How dare you-

"… I can point those same eyes and ears to Sage Grove Center…" Wodime said, stopping Stillwell in her tracks. The woman became alarmed as she nearly stood up as he mentioned it.

"Look, the point is… you have no grounds here to create blackmail just to convince Olympia to hand over our assets to yours." Wodime politely said, hoping to steer the conversation back to being amicable. At least, amicable enough to be useful. "The mere fact that you started this with that makes me fear that Mr. Edgar's choice in making you Vought's liaison was a poor one in hindsight. Though, even if it was on the agenda to do this, I reckon it wouldn't have escalated the conversation to this."

The woman sighed. "While you may raise a point, that doesn't change the fact that your company and your heroes have essentially stolen or in this case, created assets that are based upon ours. The legalities and everything attached are nasty and can be problematic for such an up-and-coming company such as yours… even if we did erase and forget all of the nastiness from earlier, the point still stands that we just want what's ours to be back into our hands."

"You act like these assets you keep referring to aren't people."

The woman huffed and almost laughed at Wodime. "Oh, don't be naïve Mr. Kirsch. You may act all high and mighty with that morality clause you're preaching, but we both know that in the business world regardless of what the public feels, superheroes are products. Plain and simple. The people acting their part carry a brand, a brand that a company owns, and that essentially makes them a company's property."

Wodime smiled back. "Oh… I am no saint Ms. Stillwell. If you knew me at my very core… or what I've done, I can humbly say that I'm more of a monster than all of Vought's manpower all at once. Yet, I am not here to argue who has the better high horse in morality. I'm simply doing my best to make my heroes work in the best way they can… to help in matters that actually do more than anything I could have done in my entire life."

"A lousy epiphany then?" she said.

"No, I just believe that the spirit of what is a hero is now lost through all of the fame. I'm a hypocrite in saying that, knowing the things I've done… but I see a child out in the streets, dreaming for a better tomorrow and all they get are pictures of heroes that will likely focus more on their own fame, than helping that child have a better life."

"And that's your goal?" the woman asked, almost genuine in her intrigue.

"In some way yes."

"Idealism doesn't fly in this business. More so with how lax you are with promoting them. I mean, the names alone confuse a lot of people. Even if you don't agree with our methods… you do agree that your efforts in making them relevant are poor."

Wodime shook his head. "Perhaps… though that they are relevant still even without such a thing tells me that people are now leaning closer towards heroes that actually act the part. Everything afterward can be second fiddle, for action in my opinion always trumps popularity."

"That still doesn't get us closer to any of the issues with both our companies, Mr. Kirsch."

"No, actually, I think we've reached the end of this conversation," Wodime affirmed.

"How so?"

Wodime chuckled as he began preparing to stand up. "If you find the means to prove that we use Compound V, Miss Stillwell, then I would be happy to converse with Mr. Edgar about it."

"We still have more to discuss."

"And I refuse… I have exhausted the extent of my tolerance with this conversation, and I am not bound to make sure I see the end of it." Wodime said as he stood up. Archer helped him to wear his trench coat as Caster now returned to his own focus with the tablet he brought along.

"You son of a bitch." Stillwell whispered as Wodime grinned.

"I am open for a second meeting Miss Stillwell, though respectfully I wish it would not be you that I would need to converse with." As Wodime began leading them all to get out of the office until Stillwell stood up and crossed her arms in displeasure.

"Your company's not going to last long in this environment, I guarantee you, Mr. Kirsch." Stillwell threatened. Wodime stopped and looked at her.

"Miss Stillwell, I was born and raised in a pit of vipers. You don't measure to the worst people that I've ever had conversations with… and I know for sure those people can back most of their claims and threats… yours, not so much." He said as they all left.

They were escorted by another no-name intern back to the lobby as Wodime felt quite satisfied with the conversation that just occurred and finished. He even looked at Archer who felt vindicated with how he dealt with Stilwell.

The three quietly waited in the Lobby before leaving as eventually they saw Caenis, accompanied by Ashley walking towards him with heavy steps on her way.

She then grabbed both sides of his coat with both arms and sneered at him.

"Don't you fucking DARE leave me in that shit again." She threatened with a low tone as Archer smiled while Ashley excitedly waved goodbye at her favorite hero again.

"I'll see you again next time, Lancer!" a voice said as they all looked at Vought's golden goose.

The Homelander smiled quite genuinely as he waved at Caenis. The woman did not even look in his direction as she kept eye-to-eye with Wodime.

"I don't care if he eats shit through his anus next time, but if he keeps that up, I'm making sure he regrets it." Caenis angrily said as she joined Caster as they left the lobby together.

"Do know that I'm always available… and I'll respond the moment you call." Homelander doubled down with a laugh as Caenis gave him the finger without facing him while storming off.

Wodime and Archer were what's left but before he could take his attention off of the hero finally, Wodime noticed that the entire lobby's atmosphere became tense when even the security guards and the random employees became quiet in a relatively business lobby.

The reason? Archer was looking down intensely at the shorter Homelander. The blonde man looked at him with his expression changing from genuinely pleased, to genuinely confused… and dare Wodime say it, concerned.

"Hi… do I know you?" the hero asked.

Archer's gaze was unflinching and made purely with utter subtle disgust, but it was enough to intimidate "the strongest hero" of this world.

"Oookay… it was nice knowing you, I guess," Homelander said as he was the first to walk away to defuse the awkwardness and nervousness of the situation as Wodime saw Archer's gaze break somewhat.

"Archer." He said as the man finally looked at him.

"Yes, Mr. Kirsch, I believe it is time to leave."

The two silently agreed with each other as they left the building.

The atmosphere Archer left prevailed even as he left, making most of Vought's employees rather disturbed with the whole matter altogether even as they were both gone.

To Wodime and his servants, however, it felt like a breath of fresh air.

"I believe we did well," Wodime said as Caenis nearly spat something out on the street.

"Fuck you."

He simply laughed it off alongside Caster who was neck-deep with his tablet still.

"Master, did you mean most of what you said?" Archer asked beside him as Wodime looked off into the distance as he thought about it.

"I can always try, Archer. I've done what I can before in an extreme sense, maybe doing it in something simpler and more linear will work out better."

"I see," Archer said, a small smile appearing on his face as they all heard Caenis moan.

"I am not going to do that shit with Medea again, Wodime."

He simply laughed her off as his mind was set on it. "That is an order Caenis, it's for the best after all. Both you and Saber are there, so I think it will pan out."

"Me and Mordred AREN'T HER DRESS-UP DOLLS DAMN IT!" she shouted as their conversations continued in good faith…

Happy that in some way their day was not as unproductive as they expected.

Billy Butcher watched with a frown as he continued to eat his hotdog.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number as he saw the new supes from Olympia and their CEO walk down the street.

The dial tone kept on ringing until finally, someone responded.

Butcher kept chewing on his hotdog as he washed it down with the drink he had on hand.

"Get me, Raynor."

AN: Yay… I'm excited to write the next hahahahahahahah…